Edwin Espinoza (left), owner of Taqueria Yarelis and his father Juan go through more than 3,000 pounds of meat per week between their two restaurants. Photo by Ben Hensley.

When Edwin Espinoza and his family opened Taqueria Yarelis they went through roughly 20 pounds of meat a day, selling tacos, burritos and other traditional Mexican foods from a cart  under the Highway 180 overpass.

Today, Taqueria Yarelis has two locations, national recognition and goes through more than 3,000 pounds of carne asada alone.

After about six years of selling tacos on the street — sometimes until as late as 3 a.m. — the Taqueria Yarelis that many Downtown Fresnans have come to know over the past handful of years was born at 429 N. Fresno St.

The family struggled to maintain business throughout the first several years. But one menu item caught noticeable attention on social media where Espinoza was exploring to drive business — the Anaconda burrito.

Measuring in at three-feet long and with over two pounds of meat, the burrito made the rounds on social media and sales exploded.

“As with any restaurant, when your volume starts going up on sales, you’re not prepared for it,” Espinoza said. “When it started getting busier and busier, we weren’t prepared for it; it was pretty overwhelming.”

In a few short years, the humble family-owned restaurant went from selling 20 pounds of meat daily to 600 pounds per day, exponentially increasing both the amount of meat used and profits at the restaurant.

Espinoza said he has had customers from as far away as New York, Chicago and Florida come by the taqueria to try their food, and eventually, the demand for the burrito caused a “quality vs. quantity” conundrum; the store had so much business that, despite the profits, they actually wanted fewer customers just so they could keep up with the demand.

After a while though, that demand eventually resonated loudly enough, and in 2019, Taqueria Yarelis opened their second location at 6929 N. Willow Ave., suite 106. The new storefront offered additional seating that their original location on Fresno Street did not allow for.

With the onset of the pandemic in 2020, food delivery services created a viable outlet for the store’s continued success, with Espinoza at one point signing a deal with UberEats for $5,000.

Between two locations, walk-in and dine-in customers and countless DoorDash and UberEats deliveries, the two stores go through thousands of pounds of meat weekly from their Southern California distributor.

Combined, Espinoza said the two restaurants go through their more than 3,000 pounds of carne asada weekly.

“Sometimes we go through a little bit more, and that’s [3,000lbs] just beef,” he said. “The good thing is that any product that we buy — it never stays. We’re not one of those taco places that’s skimpy on the meat. We always hook it up.”

With a single three-foot-long Anaconda Burrito capable of feeding a family, and taco trays and platters for businesses and parties, Espinoza doesn’t see the demand for meat slowing down any time soon.