Many people believe food is a way to discover another culture. 

That is especially true when it comes to the many layers of Mexican heritage and customs.  

There are 32 states in the vibrant country of Mexico and every state has distinctive cuisines. 

From the deep brown color of Oaxacan mole, to the flavors of Sopa de Lima, a traditional lime soup originating in Yucatán, the tastes of Mexico are limitless.

Another popular dish born in Mexico is birria. A meal born in Jalisco, Mexico. Specifically, the city of Guadalajara.

Birria has been making waves in Philadelphia of late, thanks to a small food truck in Pennsport.

Mi Pueblito Tacos in South Philadelphia has been showing the city a bit of its culture by dishing out authentic, Jalisco-style birria tacos. These crunchy and flavorful staples have received major attention on Instagram and other social media platforms since showing up on the scene.

Curious locals have been flocking to the corners of Front and Dickinson Streets to try the tacos. They usually record their reactions and post them, making the owners of the modest food truck grateful to be developing such a base of loyal customers.

Rosalinda Delos Santos, whose parents are the actual owners of Mi Pueblito Tacos, has been involved with the family business ever since she was old enough to join her mother and grandmother in the kitchen.

The business has seen major success in just a few years, but it hasn’t always been this way.

Over 30 years ago, Delos Santos’ parents arrived in the United States from Guadalajara. They soon became involved in the restaurant business as food preppers and cooks.

Their dream was to always start their own business and a few years later, they saved enough money to buy a food cart. The cart was the perfect size to make and sell carnitas, a typical street food in Mexico.

However, they soon had to give up the dream, and opened their own grocery store on Passyunk and Washington Avenues.

“When my parents first opened their grocery store, there weren’t any other grocery stores around, ” Delos Santos told AL DÍA News.

“When my parents first opened their grocery store, there weren’t any other grocery stores around, ” Delos Santos told AL DÍA News.

A few years later, as other grocery stores began opening in the same area, her parents dove back into the food truck business and started Mi Pueblito Tacos.

They named the family truck, Mi Pueblito, after Delos Santos’ grandmother’s village, Cocula, Jalisco, which is around 35 miles from Guadalajara.

“There are a lot of little towns with colorful little houses in Cocula, so we decided to name it after the houses in my grandma’s village,” said Delos Santos.

The food truck business was always the plan because of its mobility.

“My parents always had the idea of having a food truck because they always thought that if one area doesn’t work and we aren’t getting enough customers, we can just move to another area,” she said.

Her family’s business added tacos, burritos, and quesadillas to the menu while also adding specials every now and then to give customers more options.

They set up shop on South Eighth St. and Washington Ave, a location known as the capital of Mexican cuisine in South Philly. Their initial plan was to start serving only at lunch and dinner hours, but when a family friend suggested they go to a location known for its nightlife scene, they added the location to their schedule. The family eventually worked nights on Frankford Street and Girard Ave.

“We ended up working at that location from 7 p.m. until 3 a.m,” Delos Santos said. “We eventually stopped coming to 8th and Washington because it was too much for us to do at both locations.”

As the family got used to their late night work, COVID-19 hit the city, closing all restaurants, bars, and nightclubs.

Delos Santos’ family had to think fast.

The food truck was located in Northern Liberties, near the hustle and bustle of Philly’s nightlife. With bars and nightclubs closed, they moved to a different location, and settled on the Pennsport area of South Philly, on Front and Dickinson Streets.

Along with the move back to South Philly, Delos Santos and her family added birria back to the menu.

At the same time, the birria taco scene was exploding on social media. Mi Pueblito now had a worthy addition to the hype.

“We added birria tacos before, when we first had our business, but no one really ordered it, and so we took it off of the menu,” said Delos Santos

“We added birria tacos before, when we first had our business, but no one really ordered it, and so we took it off of the menu,” said Delos Santos

Customers responded to seeing birria tacos on their menu, and ordered them at will.

It was love at first sight from a customer’s perspective.

“We are really thankful and grateful for our customers,” Delos Santos said.

Like all great foods, a generational recipe sits at the crux of Mi Pueblito Tacos’ birria. 

The recipe spans five generations, starting with Delos Santos’ great-grandmother, who was born and raised in Cocula, Jalisco.

She said her family would only make birria for special occasions, such as quinceañeras and other important events.

“My aunts and uncles would get so excited when my grandmother would make birria,” said Delos Santos.

“My aunts and uncles would get so excited when my grandmother would make birria,” said Delos Santos.

The traditional way of making birria is usually with rice and beans on the side. The meat is also usually lamb instead of beef, but many locals in Cocula make beef birria because not everyone is comfortable with eating lamb.

Birria originated in Jalisco, but there are also different variations of birria in other parts of Mexico, like Puebla and Tijuana-style. Tijuana-style birria tacos use different spices, which result in a different color consomme.

“I never tried the Tijuana birria, but I heard that it’s different. When we see the Jalisco and Tijuana version, they are completely different in color,” said Delos Santos.

The Mi Pueblito, Jalisco version is a labor of love from her mom and grandmother.

Both use special Mexican chiles, marinate the beef in various spices, and cook it on low heat for over six hours, until it is tender and shreds on its own.

Delos Santos, and her three other siblings, were born in South Philadelphia. When she was in preschool, her family moved back to Mexico for three years. There, she discovered and immersed herself in her Mexican heritage. 

It was also where she first had birria.

Delos Santos remembers the first time eating birria in Guadalajara at her grandmother’s house.

“Whenever I think about birria it reminds me of my childhood,” she said. 

When her family came back from Mexico, Delos Santos admitted that it was hard to fit in. All she knew at that point was the Mexican heritage she absorbed in Jalisco.

“When I was younger there weren’t a lot of kids to hang out with,” she said.

She thought of many ways to fit in, but decided her Mexican heritage was more important than anything else.

“When I was in high school, I started dancing traditional Mexican folklore dances, it was really fun and it also taught me more about my culture,” said Delos Santos.

As of now, her mother and grandmother have been trying to teach her the secret family recipe of birria.

“I haven’t caught on yet,” she said.

She admitted that it is hard to learn the recipe, since her mother and grandmother make it all of the time, they eyeball their measurements. Delos Santos said the method intimidates her.

“I like measuring, and so my mom always asks me, ‘why are you measuring?’ They just know how to make it,” she said.

However, at the end of the day, Delos Santos wouldn’t trade her love for the family business for anything.

The future of that family business is hopefully a storefront, according to Delos Santos. 

Her parents are on the lookout for a space they can call their own, and she said she would love to add more Mexican dishes such as tortas, burritos, and her favorite food to make; quesadillas.

“Quesadillas are the best, they are so easy to make,” she said. “I love adding tinga de pollo, onions, tomatoes, cheese, and cilantro to them.”

In the meantime, Delos Santos and her family will keep chugging along with the truck

“We still love our taco truck and we will keep using it,” she said.

“We still love our taco truck and we will keep using it,” she said.

In fact, as soon as they open a small restaurant, her family are looking to add another taco truck. 

The second truck will be run by her brother, who is also involved in the family business.

“We want to be all around the city like North Philly, we want everyone to get a chance to try it,” said Delos Santos.

As for her mother, Yolanda, she said that she never gets tired of making the family staple.

“My mom likes to see the comments and videos that people leave on Instagram. She really likes it, it makes her happy,” said Delos Santos.