What do you get when you combine a famous Mexican meat stew, cheese and tortillas? For El Cora Birria owner Chris Sereis, it was a ticket to TikTok fame, hour-long lines and becoming a valued part of his community.
Quesabirria — a taco that combines cheese with a Mexican meat stew called birria — was created in Tijuana and began being served as early as 2009. It’s typically served with consomé, which is a spice-filled broth that is used as a dip for the tacos.
But its popularity didn’t cross the border until 2016, when taqueros from Tijuana brought them to the streets of Los Angeles.
Sereis and his partner, Lala Quintero, saw an opportunity to be one of the first businesses to bring the trendy dish to Sacramento. They started serving quesabirria — and other popular Mexican dishes — out of the back of their Choice Gas convenience store off Fruitridge Road.
El Cora Birria Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Sacramento.(Gerardo Zavala/CapRadio)
“Given the location inside a gas station, we have that stigma that you’re not gonna get the best food,” Sereis said. “[But] when you try it, it’s like a hidden gem. You come back again and again.”
However, getting the recipe for the birria proved difficult because Quintero’s great-grandmother wrote the recipe down in pencil on an old piece of paper that was difficult to read.
“We really had to call over and over my parents asking, ‘What does it say at the bottom,’ and they kind of let us know little by little,” she recounted. “And we made the whole recipe exactly how my great grandma used to do it.”
El Cora Birria owner Chris Sereis checks on a fresh batch of birria Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Sacramento.(Gerardo Zavala/CapRadio)
First quesabirria spot in town?
Sereis believes his establishment, which started serving quesabirria in July 2019, is the first to bring the dish to town. But that’s hard to confirm.
Data from the California Secretary of State’s bizfile website shows that most Sacramento restaurants currently serving quesabirria opened after 2019, validating his claim.
It’s hard to be certain other restaurants that shuttered during the pandemic didn’t beat him to it, but it’s safe to say he’s a pioneer in introducing the region to the craze.
Homemade consomé Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Sacramento.(Gerardo Zavala/CapRadio)
The business became popular during the pandemic when it went viral on TikTok. According to Quintero, lines wrapped around the building and their parking lot was constantly filled with cars.
“People were just shocked how good it was and that we cook it year round [because] a dish like this you only cook for quinceañeras, weddings and stuff like that,” she said. “It slowly died down a little bit because of COVID and all that, but we’re all just very grateful that we’re still standing.”
Sereis said customers would bring them gifts and promoted their business by sharing photos and videos on social media.
Toshi Horiuchi visited El Cora in mid-November during his lunch break. Although he works 15 minutes away in Rancho Cordova, he said he likes to treat himself to their quesabirria tacos every once in a while.
“I’ve been everywhere all over the town and she was right,” he said, referring to a friend who told him about the business. “This place is stellar. Their consomé is for sure the best among all the ones I’ve tried, the flavoring of the meat and just how authentic it is.”
He told anyone hesitant to visit because of its location in a gas station to give it a chance because he thought the same thing.
“You don’t think it’s going to be as high-end and authentic as it is, but they really go the extra mile here,” he said.
Quintero echoed a similar sentiment noting that “nobody thinks, ‘Let’s take our family inside a gas station.’”
“We try to treat everybody like you were eating at a five-star restaurant,” she emphasized. “We appreciate our customers that are still coming in. I know it’s a hard time for everybody, but we appreciate their loyalty and their business.”
Yselda Lopez prepares tacos Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, at El Cora Birria.(Gerardo Zavala/CapRadio)
What’s next?
The Choice Gas station the business is located in has been owned by Sereis’ family since 1989.
“I was working here when I was a kid going to high school,” he said. “I went to college, worked in IT for 15 years and then came back after the 2008 recession.”
Choice Gas Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, at 7900 Fruitridge Rd. in Sacramento. El Cora Birria is located inside of the gas station’s convenience store.(Gerardo Zavala/CapRadio)
Sereis has been the CEO of Sereis Corporation — which owns the gas station — since then. However, he’s worried about the current economic climate that has raised his costs on wages, electricity and supplies.
“We’re paying almost $7 a pound now for meat,” he stressed. “By the time you add the chilies, the labor and all the spices, you’re looking at $13 or $14 a pound. We were talking today that I need to pick up a shift because I’m trying to cut down on the wages, because wages are expensive these days.”
Sereis said his monthly electricity bill also recently went up between $500 to $600. All of that makes him uncertain about where he sees his business in the next five years.
“Some people approached us trying to buy our recipe [but] we opted not to do that because it’s a hidden gem and we wanted to keep it in-house,” he said. “I feel like it’s something that I want to pass on to the people who deserve to take over.”
If the economy takes a turn for the better, Sereis said he would consider expanding his business to Placer County.
“Maybe in five years, things will change,” he added. “But now I’m staying put.”
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