Auckland restaurant review: Broke Boy Taco
Looking for a Friday night dinner spot? Head to chef Sean Yarborough's 'hood. A review of Auckland restaurant Broke Boy Taco, featuring the birria tacos on offer at the restaurant, has raised the profile of the restaurant. The restaurant has been popularised by Mexican businessman Sean Yarborough, who sells birria out of Ponsonby Social Club as a pop-up restaurant in Merida, Mexico. The birria is a meat soup or stew popular in Mexico, particularly in northern states, usually served with goat, beef, or lamb. Despite not being a commonly known dish in New Zealand, the dish has become popular due to its unique flavour profiles and unique appeal. The following Brokeboy Taco has amassed over 25,000 followers on Instagram and over 300,000 likes on TikTok.
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Diterbitkan : 2 tahun lalu oleh Jason Nockels di dalam Lifestyle
The birria tacos on offer at Broke Boy Taco. Photo / Jason Nockels
After my last review on Tacoteca, I really enjoyed the absolute roasting online about being a white guy reviewing Mexican food, so I thought I’d go back for seconds.
For the record, I am by no means an expert when it comes to Mexican food, or any cuisine for that matter.
If it helps boost my credibility, I spent a year living in Merida, Mexico and am currently building a boutique hotel with a small cafe and wine bar there. But that’s another story, for another day.
Broke Boy Taco has been on the scene for a wee while now. In April this year a Mexican friend of mine living in Auckland had heard of a guy selling birria out of Ponsonby Social Club as a pop-up restaurant, and was more than excited to go check it out. He didn’t have to ask me twice - I wasn’t about to turn down an excuse for birria and beer - so off we went.
I suspect birria isn’t a commonly known dish in New Zealand, so if you’re wondering what it is, it’s a meat soup or stew that’s popular in Mexico, particularly in the northern states, and is usually served with goat, beef, or lamb.
Chef Sean Yarborough - a.k.a. Broke Boy Taco - has quickly made a name for himself with his birria ramen, along with beef tacos with birria soup as the perfect dunking accompaniment.
We arrived at the Broke Boy Taco pop-up just as they opened, and there was already a massive line forming - word had clearly reached the masses as the crowd continued to grow.
It’s not a surprise they’ve amassed a following of more than 25,000 on Instagram and over 300,000 likes on TikTok in such a short time. Yarborough has done an excellent job at developing a unique brand that catches your attention.
The first time I ever tried birria tacos was at a friend’s restaurant back in Merida, and Broke Boy Taco took me straight back there. I ordered the Deluxe Birria Plate, and one thing I enjoyed about Broke Boy Taco’s dish is the flavour profiles that came from New Zealand beef and cheese which made it unique, in a really good way.
I haven’t had the chance to eat a lot of birria in Mexico. It wasn’t that common in Merida, so I’d have to seek it out when visiting Mexico City. Most of the time I had it served with goat meat and like at Broke Boy Taco, I would usually order it as a soup to dunk my taco in, but it’s pretty common for people to order it as a stew.
I’m pleased to see Yarborough has taken Broke Boy Taco to the next stage opening a store on New North Rd - and I really love the fact I can enjoy the real deal any time I like, right here in Auckland.
Jason Nockels is NZME’s GM of Digital Revenue Products & Lifestyle. Jason juggles life in New Zealand and Mexico, indulging his entrepreneurial side by developing property near the Yucatan Peninsula, while also drawing on his tourism marketing and tech start-up experience to take on NZME’s publishing lifestyle brands and digital products. Due to his inability to cook, he’s an avid restaurant-goer, a poor snowboarder, and an international citizen whenever the opportunity to travel arises.
Topik: Reviews