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New Yorkers already know that the city’s taco scene can hold its own against the West Coast, but now it’s Yelp-official: Birria-Landia, the beloved taco truck that started in Jackson Heights, has just been named the No. 2 taco spot in all of America on Yelp’s 2025 “Top 100 Taco Spots” list.
That’s no small feat considering the list was topped by Birrieria Familia Castro in North Hollywood, California, and California dominated the rankings with nearly half of the country’s top 100. But Birria-Landia is a New York story through and through: a family-run business that parked one truck in Queens in 2019 and quickly built a cult following for its Tijuana-style birria. Today, the brand is a five-truck fleet spread across Manhattan and Brooklyn, plus a brick-and-mortar in Jackson Heights, but the line at each truck still runs long nightly.
Birria-Landia keeps things focused. The menu is essentially four items—tacos, mulitas, tostadas and consommé—all starring the slow-stewed beef that simmers for hours in a rich, brick-red adobo. “We focus on four presentations of birria—it’s simple, but it’s very, very good, and we put a lot of passion into it,” co-founder José Moreno told Yelp. That’s the kind of understatement only someone standing behind a griddle that regularly draws hour-long waits could make.
Yelp reviewers have been just as passionate. One fan gushed: “The flavors were vibrant and the meat was unbelievably tender, making every bite memorable… These were, without a doubt, the best birria tacos I’ve ever had and the warm, savory broth was the perfect complement to the cold day.” It’s the kind of review that makes you want to grab a MetroCard and track down the nearest Birria-Landia truck immediately.
For New Yorkers, the recognition is sweet validation that taco trucks parked under elevated train lines can stand shoulder to shoulder with California’s storied birrierias. For everyone else, it’s another reason to plan a trip to the city and eat standing up at a foldout table with consommé dribbling down your wrist—the only correct way to do it.
National Taco Day lands on October 7, which means you’ve got just enough time to scout your nearest truck. Don’t be surprised if the line is longer than usual. Now the rest of America knows what NYC has been saying all along: Birria-Landia is the real deal.