In queso you missed it.
An ex-Momofuku chef and founder of Burger Head has opened a new birra taqueria in Western Sydney. In just over a week since opening the Blacktown venue, Smoking Gringos has racked up over 200,000 views on TikTok and sold out within hours of opening.
Specialising in birria tacos perfected by owners Richard Borg and Jade Jackson, the Smoking Gringo’s version isn’t your typical birria. The team first smokes their cuts of meat before slowly stewing for six hours. Throw the meltingly tender beef into a soft taco grilled in beef fat, dip the whole lot into a thick consome and it’s easy to see why these bad boys are selling out so quickly.
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Smoking Gringos started life as a barbecue joint in a Kingswood industrial area, then as a pop-up in Newtown pub Websters. The permanent digs on Mura Way in Blacktown are sticking with the pared back theme with just a handful of stools to park on, a counter with fast food-style screens showcasing the menu and a lowboy with a selection of familiar hot sauces.
The modest and unironic fit-out proves that despite a career working at Momofuku Seiobo, the Park Hyatt and Master, Borg and Jackson’s passion for really good food comes before all else. One look at the lines out the door is proof enough of that.
Smoking Gringos is open for lunch and dinner, Thursday to Sunday at 1 Muru Way, Blacktown. For more details, follow @smokinggringos.
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