Suavecito Birria & Tacos operates out of a San Mateo window

As the pandemic arrived, so did their opportunity to open Winner Winner Chicken in the Hillsdale Shopping Center food court.

“We simply make the foods we love to eat,” Magpantay said.

As the pandemic shutdown hit hard on WJC and Winner Winner, the team looked to evolve so they could sustain business and preserve the jobs of their staff. “Team” soon became “Family,” Bridgette Cheng, director of Events and Operations, described. Two staff in particular, Emma Villalon and Bulmaro Maldonado, took the lead to create Tuesday family meals for staff. From these family staff meals came the idea of creating a taqueria with modern flair, Suavecito.

Suavecito, Spanish for “smooth,” opened its window in March 2021 showcasing its elevated preparations of Mexican comfort food. It didn’t take long after opening for Suavecito to become well-known for one item in particular, the quesabirria tacos. Birria, pronounced phonetically like “bee ree ah,” refers to the meat inside the shell and is a traditional dish of Jalisco. Throughout social media, there are endless variations of this dish, but Suavecito’s style is one not to pass up.

“Emma’s knowledge of authentic flavoring shapes our recipes and then we have fun in a cross-cultural way to give it the Sauvecito touch,” Magpantay said.

They start off their four-day beef birria process by marinating USDA prime Angus beef short rib for 24 hours to create layers of flavor. Marination is followed by a slow and intricate cooking process during which they cool, extract and replace all the rich juices from the beef. On day three, they have an additional cooking phase to trap the juices. By day four, they begin pulling the meat in its mouth-watering drippings.

“When we go through all of these processes and take all the extra steps, it speaks to the product you get out of a space you would never expect it from,” Cheng said.

The quesabirria tacos have corn tortillas stuffed with beef birria, a trade secret combination of melted cheese, topped with onions, cilantro, a side of house made curtido (pickled cabbage), and accompanied by an unforgettable consommé. For any birria first timers, have no fear, the packing doubles as a user manual to step you through the “how to.” After dunking all your tacos in the consommé and possibly even slurping up any juice that remains, another must try is the 24K California burrito. This unconventional burrito is a giant flour tortilla filled with their cheese blend, customer’s choice of protein, avocado, sour cream, “orange” sauce and tater tots.

“We like to create new concepts and experiment,” Bulmaro said, and that’s the Suavecito way.

There is no lack of creativity in the Sauvecito kitchen and they plan to continue mastering all of their food obsessions.

Even the way customers pick up their food is an experience. As you walk along the sidewalk of South Amphlett Boulevard, you’ll reach a window decorated with vibrant Suavecito colors. This window actually started as a converted doorway and their kitchen’s main access point. During the peak of COVID, they quickly adapted the door to a window and were able to comply with health guidelines to serve the public safely. 

“We are very blessed that the community has been so good to us,” Magpantay said, and “down the road may look for a brick-and-mortar to offer a dine-in experience.”

For now, it’s a window.

You can find Suavecito on 1100 S. Amphlett Blvd, Suite B in San Mateo open Tuesday through Sunday and for delivery on Doordash, Grubhub and Uber Eats. Go to suavecitosm.com for more information.