Food trucks are probably the most bittersweet way to get your hands on something delicious. You can't always plan for a craving, and when the mood strikes, it might be days before the truck you want to visit is anywhere near you. And what if they run out of what you want before you get there? 

That's why it's great news when a local favorite food truck makes the leap into a restaurant space. A stable spot that's open long, regular hours. One that you can get delivery from or pre-order so it's ready when you get there. El Mariachi Birria y Tacos just opened their restaurant on Evergreen Way, so now fans always know exactly where to go to get their fill. 

I stopped by for a quick quesadilla lunch because it was the only dish on the menu I hadn't tried yet. It doesn't come with consomme for dipping, but a side order is only $1.50. You'd be a fool not to get some of this rich, beefy broth, unless you're ordering soyrizo because you don't eat meat. (I got it because my husband's allergic to soy, so I never have it at home.)

Owner Hugo Carranzo is so excited to have a stable location with lots of room to work and places for hungry customers to sit. Now that the restaurant is open, he's as busy as ever but thankfully had time to answer a few questions.

Your story isn't just going from a food truck to a brick-and-mortar location; you had a cart first! Was a restaurant always the ultimate goal, or did you start your cart thinking you'd just see how it went?

So, we actually started as a popup. We had a table. A three-burner stove and three pots of tamales. But our goal was a restaurant. I think that’s always the endgame, having your own spot, because as a mobile vendor, you’re supposed to have a commissary kitchen. And it’s a kitchen you work in. But there’s always that thought in the back of your head saying, I wish I had my own place. Thankfully we were able to grow every year. We started in 2019 with the cart and at the end of 2020 we got our trailer. Now in 2022, we have our own spot!

It took you a while to get the new restaurant space ready; what did that entail?

When we bought the restaurant, we knew we wanted it to be something that was ours because the place was a taco spot before. It wasn’t what we wanted it to look like, so we tore everything down and we started from zero. It took us around 3 months to fix everything and get it to how we wanted. 

Do you have advice for anyone thinking about starting a cart, a truck, or even a restaurant?

Man, starting any type of business is hard, but a food business is honestly the hardest. There are so many things you have to get, from licenses to permits. Planning out a good menu. But honestly, once you go through all that stuff and start serving, it is the most satisfying feeling ever. But have a plan. Have some savings. Savings is an important thing because, for the first year, you honestly don’t pay yourself. There’s always something you have to invest in! Just enjoy the process.  

For those who unfortunately haven't had El Mariachi yet, tell us about the food you like to make.

We make tacos! We specialize in birria. Many people say it should be made from goat, but we do it Tijuana style, and over there they cook it with beef. It’s a slow cook of eight hours so the beef is tender. In the same stock we cook the beef in, we put chilies, cinnamon, star anise, and cumin, and it makes this awesome broth. When you dip your tacos in and you take that first bite, you can’t help but say, "Oh, dang!"

Although I'd tried all the dishes at El Mariachi before, I still needed to try the al pastor protein option. It's pork prepared similarly to lamb shawarma, and it definitely holds its own against the signature beef birria. Grab a few tacos of each and see for yourself! I pre-ordered takeout on the Toast app so I wouldn't have to wait and brought home a feast exactly like the last time I wrote about El Mariachi, only with al pastor in the torta and tacos.

I'm really glad they kept the menu small, like a food truck menu. Moving to a building doesn't mean you have to add tons of choices and complicate things. Keeping it simple makes it easy to stay delicious. 

I loved the al pastor, but unless you really like bread, the tacos are a better delivery system for it than the torta. It's just a better ratio of filling. Everything was thoroughly tasty, though the consomme was a bit salty that day and made me wish I'd grabbed a horchata to wash everything down with. 

Soon you'll be able to order via DoorDash and Uber Eats, but in the meantime, come say hi to Hugo and his friendly crew. You can't watch the cheesy, meaty magic happen on the flat top grill like you could at the truck, but you'll know when you taste it that the food's as good as ever.

El Mariachi Birria y Tacos
6100 Evergreen Way
Everett, WA 98203
(425) 512-9024

Christopher Bragg works from home in Everett and loves walking, swimming, and cats. You can find him all over town, but only if you keep weird hours and avoid crowds like he does.