Broke Boy Taco

If there’s one place in Auckland worth your hard-earned coin, it’s naturally going to be Broke Boy Taco. More to the point: their first post in Mount Albert, opening on October 18 and complete with a secret menu. 

A pop-up sensation that you’ve most definitely seen and saved on Instagram (you know *the* tacos that are simply oozing with fillings) now has a permanent home on one of Auckland’s best streets for cheap eats: Mt Albert Road. 

Now that you’ll be spending less time chasing their ever-changing locations each weekend, and more time ripping into their tacos, allow us to give you a rundown of what to expect: tacos and their mates, the humble quesadilla, that are packed with an iconic meaty birria centre (more on that later), melted cheese in naturally totally gluten-free dish. 

The Broke Boy Taco game is simple. To start, choose your quantity of tacos: an individual one, three in the ‘Plate’ or a set of four in a ‘Big Plate’ (you know which one we’d recommend). Next, jazz it up with your choice of add-ons like cheese, avo, sour cream or the ‘Super’ option for all of the above (again, you know our vote). 

The fun begins when your tacos come out: a generous pot of consume sauce (a birria special) by their side, which is up to you to then drizzle over or individually dunk them in for an extra savoury, saucy kick. 

So, what exactly is Birria, you ask? It’s a wonderful secret sauce and way of dishing up taco beef. It starts with a blend of peppers, seeded by Broke Boy Taco main man Sean Yarbrough, that soak overnight before being blended into a traditional sauce-like creation.

From there, a little bit of beef broth and beef bits are added to the mix, cooked slow and low (we’re talking 6-8 hours), before being drained. The pulled beef is slabbed straight onto your taco and the broth becomes the consume that you drizzle right before taking a bite. It’s savoury sorcery, we’re telling you. 

Interestingly, it’s this Birria that started Broke Boy Taco’s journey to creating some of the most coveted tacos in Auckland. Originally hailing from Kentucky but spending the last 11 years in the Mission district of San Francisco (affectionately known as Little Mexico), owner Sean Yarbrough couldn’t find a decent birria this side of the Atlantic, so set his sights upon his very own. His come authentically whipped up and over an LA-style traditional yellow sheet, brought in all the way from the USA for the finishing touch.  

Want your Birria in a quesadilla? No problem. They’ll wedge it the most savoury, juicy and generously-sized quesadilla known to town—complete with a cheesy lattice that adds a special kinda crunch. No meat for you? The simple cheese quesadilla, as will a side of Broke Boy Taco’s chips and guac, will do the trick.

Make sure to throw in a Coke too—it’s imported straight from Mexico, bottled in a special full-size glass bottle found nowhere else in Aotearoa, and hand down, has a delectable and different taste.

Now we’re going to let you in on a HUGE secret: there’s a special menu item to discover. You won’t find it anywhere else in town, maybe even in this hemisphere. Broke Boy Secret Noodles. Not your average cup of noodles, this big ol’ pot of ramen is—you guessed it—loaded with all the cheese and birria goodness you’d find in the taco. You won’t find this comfort food on the menu, it’s available year round but you’re going to have to use your words to nab your pottle.

From a sneaky little taco snack to a full-on feast, expect your Broke Boy Taco to leave you feeling fully loaded—and quite possibly, in the best meat and cheese coma of your life.

UPDATE: A second Broke Boy Taco shop is now open. Find it at 32 Birkenhead Avenue. 

Image credit: Vanessa Zhao.