Taco Drip STL has opened a brick-and-mortar location in North City

After operating as a pop-up for several years, the birria-focused concept has opened a carryout restaurant

Earlier this week, Taco Drip STL, a birria-style taco pop-up, opened a brick-and-mortar location at 1920 Carr St. in north St. Louis. The eatery is family-owned and -operated, and is led by Stephanie Boyd and her two sons James Wilson V and Jayden Wilson. The brick-and-mortar operates on a carryout model, and serves the birria tacos, nachos and ramen that repeat customers of the concept know and love.

Taco Drip STL began in 2021, when Boyd made a vegan version of birria tacos for a friend. After her friend raved about the food to others, Boyd had a line of over 40 people outside her house who wanted to try her cooking. Although she was a little surprised at the time, as someone who loves cooking for others and is a people person, Boyd embraced the warm reception.

“My friends call me Chef Steph and I’ve always been known that way. Cooking is my love language,” she said.

And coming from an Afro-Latino family, Boyd said it was natural to lean toward a birria-style menu, allowing her to combine recipes she’d grown up eating and cooking, while bringing a fresh concept to St. Louis. Although the demand was clearly there, she quickly found out it was too difficult to cook the tacos at that scale in her home kitchen, which led Boyd to borrowing a Blackstone flat-top griddle from a neighbor to help her meet the demand.

“I’m still using the Blackstone. I never returned it to him,” Boyd said with a laugh.  

Since that time, Boyd and her sons have popped up on streets throughout St. Louis neighborhoods, at farmers markets and events like Taste of St. Louis and Fair St. Louis, cooking birria tacos on that borrowed Blackstone, as well as having a permanent space inside the now shuttered bar Open Concept.

Made with a customer’s choice of fillings that range from meats like classic beef, as well as chicken, shrimp and a vegan birria option that is made with jackfruit, the tacos are served with a side of consomme for dipping.

“I named it Taco Drip because of the birria-style taco, but also because when you have something nice on, people say, ‘It’s drip,’” Boyd said of the fun meaning behind the name.

In addition to birria tacos, guests can also find birria fries, burritos, nachos and quesorrias, the concept’s version of a quesadilla, all of which are available served with birria meat options or jackfruit. There’s also a birria burger, birria deep dish pizza and birria ramen on the menu.

Besides the flavor that customers love so much they gave it the moniker of “ju-ju,” the portions are generous, with many items large enough to feed two people. The brick-and-mortar menu includes the same items and portion sizes, along with plans to add new items that are at a lower price point.

“I want it to be accessible to everyone in the community,” Boyd said of the menu.

Although the space doesn’t feature inside seating, there are a few sidewalk seats. The establishment’s interior features vibrant colors like red, orange and green, with the work of local artists placed throughout.

“I want it to represent our culture and community, from the Metro East, to the county and the city,” Boyd said of the space.