Alright, round three of Mamacitas. I regret nothing, and much like my love for Brewer Union Cafe in Brewerton and Maryanne’s Country Time Café in Phoenix, I will never stop singing the praises of Mamacitas. There’s a special quality to food that very few people are able to absolutely nail and Mamacitas birria has it. The ability to make you think about that meal for weeks afterwards and make you want to rush back to get it again as soon as you can. So when I got out of work early on Thursday I knew exactly what to do: get home now so Chelsea and I can get out to Mamacitas so I can get some more of that immaculate birria in my face hole.
We walked in the door and were immediately greeted as if we were old friends because the family that owns the place are just that awesome. Chelsea was eyeballing the Chopped Cheese Sandwich the first time we went, so she immediately jumped on that. I personally find it funny to go to a Puerto Rican restaurant and order American food, because that’s like going to a Chinese restaurant and getting spaghetti. But just like everything else they serve, Mamacitas manages to take a basic concept of chopped up ground beef with melted cheese and make it excellent. You could taste the seasoning, the cheese was practically a liquid, the lettuce and onion added a nice crunch to counteract the gooey beef and cheese, add in the wonderful DiLauro’s roll and it’s just a great sandwich executed perfectly. Garlic parmesan fries for the side were just as good as the first time with that strong punch of garlic and perfect amount of parmesan cheese paired with it.
I knew I was getting beef birria, so I left my order up to chance and said “Surprise me, no tomato.” I ended up with a California-style birria burrito (fries in the burrito instead of rice) and a side of yellow rice. Fries in a burrito is just goofy to me, and then I tried it. The birria was just as toe-curling as usual, and everything else in the burrito just worked. The fries were a strange touch but it oddly fit and added a different texture to go along with the burrito. 10/10, would eat a California-style birria burrito from Mamacitas again. That yellow rice was a really nice surprise, especially with the light brine-y flavor of the green olives mixed in.
Unfortunately we got there just too late to be able to grab a piece of mom’s Strawberry Tres Leches cake as the last piece had sold before we got there, but it just gives us an excuse to go back another day. Not that I need an excuse other than everything else on the menu.
So yeah, 1,000/10 as per usual. Birria is incredible, Chopped Cheese Sandwich was delicious, yellow rice hit a lot of different flavors at once and I would do unspeakable things to get my hands on a full gallon of the consommé that comes with the birria. Quit holding out and go give Sarah and her family some love. Get there early on a Thursday to make sure you get birria before it sells out and do your best to not drool on the table while you eat.
Mamacitas Puerto Rican Kitchen
6059 E Taft Rd, Syracuse, NY 13212
(315) 714-4237