[StewartG]

First and foremost - thanks to Ginger for tipping me off about this place.

On my last visit to Playa, I ate at a wonderful restaurant that served some of the best borrega barbacoa I've ever had. The place is called "La Borrega" located on Hwy 307 directly across the street from the McDonalds in the parking lot of Chedraui.

After enjoying my lunch there, I chatted with the owner for a while. The restaurant's motto is "Barbacoa con Tradicion" and these guys really take pride in their food! From what I understand they cook their barbacoa (lamb - hence the name, "La Borrega") in a traditional mud oven underground. All I know is that it came out of the kitchen tender, juicy and swimming in flavor.

I ordered several tacos including their lechon (pork), borrego and the panza. The pork was okay, but just okay. A bit dry actually (I suspect they may not sell nearly as much of this as of the lamb). Like I said the borrego was AWESOME. The panza was also FANTASTIC, but I would suggest ordering it ONLY if you enjoy organ meats, sweetbreads, etc. The way the panza is prepared, they take the internal organs of the lamb (heart, lungs, etc) and stuff it in the lamb's stomach with some YUMMIE spices and then cook it. Once cooked, its chopped and served. It was VERY good, very juicy and tender with a heavy earthy taste that you ONLY get when eating tasty "innards."

As Ginger had mentioned to me earlier, La Borrega is known for serving "family style" where they bring out orders by the kilo in big clay pots with a stack of tortillas. Unfortunately I was there solo that day so did not get to enjoy that experience. The owner also mentioned to me that it was very common and traditional to order their consommé with chunks of lamb, and after eating some soup, to take the chunks of meat and eat them in a tortilla like a taco.

Bottom line - a really great meal. If you are a fan of barbacoa its worth a quick taxi ride across 307!