Birria Breaks Out of the Taco Shell

Birria has grown 221% on menus over the past four years with its appeal extending past the taco format that first made it a breakout star, according to Datassential’s Animal Protein Issue.

Birria, traditionally a stewed goat dish, has become best known in recent years in its beef form, most often served as a taco with a side of consommé for dipping. Forty percent of consumers now say they want to try it, while 27% have already tried it, and 24% say they love or like it. Overall menu penetration is at 4%, pointing to headroom for growth.  

Operators are already applying birria beyond tacos. Tacotlán in Chicago has built an entire menu section around birria, including birria nachos, birria ramen, and a Birria Grilled Cheese finished with American cheese and consommé. Mimi’s Bistro & Bakery, meanwhile, has moved into birria croquettes and omelets alongside a Birria Dip Sandwich that riffs on the resurgent French dip format with onion, cilantro, and jalapenos. 

Yard House has taken the format into noodle-bowl territory with a Birria Noodle Bowl built on smoked brisket, birria broth, egg noodles, cabbage, radish, cilantro, and lime. In San Francisco, Modi offers a Birria Lasagna that layers birria, pasta, and tomato sauce, baked with mozzarella and Mexican spices, a mashup that echoes the dumpling lasagna format that has recently gone viral on social media. 

There is likely more mainstreaming ahead. Birria is projected to grow 110% in the next four years, according to Datassential Menu Trends. Part of that growth could come from menu mashups like birria pizza and birria burgers, according to Datassential’s 2026 Trends report. Formats like these mark the kind of casual, chain-friendly expansion that typically signals a trend’s spread from independent restaurants into wider adoption, the report notes.

Birria is increasingly being treated less as a fixed dish and more as a flavor and protein that can be cross-utilized across formats, showing up in salads, quesadillas, burritos, and beyond. “Leverage birria now as it’s in New Classic territory and still has legs because of trends like global, protein, and social media,” the report notes.