My mom has been going to Birriera Rosa Maria since she was pregnant with me. So does that mean I’ve been eating here for the last 23 years + 9 months?

However many years I’ve been coming to Rosa Maria doesn’t matter. What matter is how much I love their birria – their specialty. This is the place I grew up coming to with my family and it is the place I take people to when they come to town and they want a taste of traditional and authentic Mexico. 

To many, Pacoima represents the Mexican ghetto or little Mexico of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. And while it is a predominantly Mexican/immigrant community, to me, it represents so much more. It represents hope, dreams, culture and good, traditional mexican food. The kind of food my mom served on the dinner table my whole life. And while I only spent a couple of years living in Pacoima, I feel so much love for this little neighborhood in part because of all of the great food experiences I’ve had here – especially at Birrieria Rosa Maria.

Birrieria Rosa Maria is the place that people go to after church on Sundays. It’s where you come to enjoy a piping hot bowl of birria en caldo con tortillas hechas a mano (goat stew with handmade tortillas). 

SO WHAT IS BIRRIA?

Wikipedia’s Definition: 
Birria is a Mexican dish from the state of Jalisco.The dish is a spicy stew, traditionally made from goat meat or mutton, but occasionally from beef or chicken. The dish is often served as celebratory occasions, such as weddings and baptisms, and holidays, such as Christmas and Easter. It is also reputed as a hangover remedy.Preparation techniques vary, but the dish is often served with corn tortillas, onion, and lime. Traditionally, the meat is marinated in adobo spices.

And while Rosa Maria is known for their birria, this blog post is – GASP – not about their birria! Say what? Yep. I came her with a group of blogger friends and the owners (two sisters) gave us a tasting of their menu that included everything but my beloved goat birria. After 23+ years of coming here, I finally realized they serve other menu items besides my go-to. At first I was skeptical, but just like they knew the way to my heart with their specialty, they figured it out again with their other delicious dishes.

 

PRO-TIP | Don’t go to Rosa Maria on a Sunday and don’t go expecting a trendy, hip joint. The restaurant is situated close to a church and this is the place where everyone heads to after mass; it gets crowded. This is a hole-in-the-wall with maybe 20 seats. It’s a no-frills place that only cares about what is important – and thats the food!

If make it out to Pacoima, to experience Rosa Maria, let them know I sent ya 😉

Birrieria Rosa Maria | 13667 Van Nuys Blvd, Pacoima, CA 91331 | (818) 897-5085