LAReview
Taquizas Gilberto is a weekend-only West Covina pop-up that serves Hidalgo-style birria and barbacoa, and the taqueros here are masters at cooking meat low and slow until it’s super tender. Barbacoa lovers can try the dish’s traditional lamb preparation, as well as goat birria that’s equally succulent. Taquizas Gilberto has plenty to try, but the other big standout is the tacos dinamitas. These are actually more like flautas, and consist of generous portions of meat rolled up in a large corn tortilla before being deep-fried. The birria taco dinamita can be compared to a larger, crispier version of the taquito, but this doesn't really doesn’t do them justice. The meat makes up the majority of each bite and effortlessly pulls apart as you sink your teeth into its crunchy tortilla shell, which you should definitely dip into some chile guajillo salsa.
Food Rundown
Lamb Barbacoa
This lamb is truly a work of art with its extremely tender meat that’s well seasoned and not overly gamey. We like it by the pound with some lime and salsas or inside a taco for a mish-mosh of fatty bits and meat inside a warm tortilla.
Taco Dinamitas de Birria
These crunchy taquitos are a must-order, with their crackly fried shells and generous amounts of tender birria inside. We love the contrast in textures, the shimmering oil on the fried tortilla, and how well they hold up after getting dunked into smoky consomme.
Birra Tacos Dorados
The tacos dorados here deserve a gold star for being incredibly crispy with griddled scorch marks to prove it. The tortillas are bright red from a heavy dunking in consomme, and the birria is equally savory and spicy. Just like the dinamitas, there is no way these crunch tacos aren’t getting dipped into some smoky broth.