The Spot Tacos & More: From Flea Market Stand to Birria Favorite

Plenty of Bradenton taco spots serve birria now. The Spot Tacos & More has been doing it since August 2020, in a family-run dining room on US-41 where the tortillas are made fresh every day.

Who’s behind it

The Spot is owned by Laura Betancourt, who is listed as owner with the Manatee Chamber of Commerce. She started with an outdoor food stand at the Red Barn Flea Market before moving into a building of her own at 2303 1st St, attached to Robin’s Apartments off US-41.

When Discover Bradenton covered the move in February 2020, it said Betancourt cooks every dish the way she would for her family at home, and serves it the way it’s served in her parents’ hometown in Mexico. Her approach, as she put it to Sarasota Magazine: “We don’t like to cut corners. Do it right, or don’t do it.”

The birria

Betancourt added birria tacos in August 2020, after visiting relatives in California and trying birria spots there, Sarasota Magazine reported. Corn tortillas are dipped in the braising broth and crisped on the flattop, then filled with slow-braised beef cheek, cheese, onion and cilantro, with a cup of consomé on the side for dipping. They started as a Friday-and-Saturday special and sold well enough to go on the menu every day.

They’re still the order to beat. In the Observer’s roundup of the best tacos in Sarasota and Bradenton, Emma Burke Jolly called them “dripping in broth, crisped to excellence” and named the tinga chicken tacos her runner-up.

The rest of the menu

Beyond birria, the online menu covers street tacos on corn or flour tortillas, burritos, tortas, flautas, quesadillas, enchiladas and carne asada, plus chilaquiles. For something sweet or snacky there are churros, esquite and chicharrón preparado, and 32-ounce aguas frescas like horchata, pineapple and limeade.

When Discover Bradenton visited in 2020, the meat lineup included carnitas, pastor, asada, tinga and barbacoa, with pozole on Thursdays and menudo and elote on weekends. Specials rotate, so check the menu for what’s on today.

Know before you go

Hours and prices as listed on thespottacos.com on Oct 7, 2026. Other listings online show different hours, so call ahead if you’re heading in early or late.

Make a day of it

The Spot is on US-41 a few minutes south of downtown and a short drive from LECOM Park, so it’s an easy stop before a Pirates spring training game (home games start Feb 19, 2027). Heading downtown after? Bradenton Tonight’s Downtown & Riverwalk guide covers The Bishop, the Manatee Performing Arts Center and an evening walk along the river.