The Vitals:
the spot: La Tunita 512 2400 Burleson road Austin TX 78741
the eats: Birria de Res tacos
the bucks: $2 a taco, $3 for the consommé with meat, $3 for the queso taco. plan on $10 a person
the full nelson: a signature taco trend lands in Austin

With a belly full of braised short rib tacos I present to you perhaps the most important taco trend hitting the US: Birria de Res Tacos. If you caught my post last year about Birrieria Gonzalez in Los Angeles, you caught wind that the Tijuana method of cooking beef in an earthen oven, cooked till falling part, and served with an intense earthy chilé studded broth had been sweeping the city. Well now it’s here in Austin TX. And it’s done with . . . brisket.

La Tunita 512 popped up on my Instagram feed a few months back, thanks to some stealth taco hunting from my boy the Austin Eater. Just the thought of finding Birria de Res tacos, really birria de anything tacos got me looking for my car keys quick. For those who need a little braised meat taco background, Austin has a fair share of beef barbacoa but not much birria.

The sign says it all really. When you come to La Tunita 512, get those birria de res tacos and most definitely that consommé. Of course, if you know me, my eyes wander when it comes to a menu. Especially at a taco truck menu.

Your standard Birria de res taco will run you $2.50 and three should do you right. But you would miss the damn point if you skip out on the consommé. Easily worth the $2, or $3 if you get it with meat. Get it with meat. Also worth considering are the gringa tacos with melted cheese. For those without eagle eyes, they are the tacos with the reddish tortillas on the right.

Being the adventurous eater that I am, I also tried the Asado de Puerco. Not bad but not why you come to La Tunita 512. Take my advice and leave maximum room for the star of the show . . .

Three of these birria de res tacos and some consommé pretty much qualify for taco Nirvana at around $10. Having experienced the birria de res phenomenon in LA,  I should chime in on how La Tunita 512 holds up. It most certainly does. Although a birria de res purist might take note of the heavy fat profile in the consommé since they use brisket. Well, this is Austin after all and brisket fat is part of our daily nutritional intake.