We found birria at Tio Moncho’s, the world’s northernmost taquería, on a recent spring day, while seeking warmth deep in the Arctic Circle.
Tio Moncho’s shares a mixed-use building with the library, auditorium, and local government offices of Longyearbyen, the largest town on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. The islands are visa-free and home to about 2,900 people from over 50 nationalities.
Most live in Longyearbyen, a tight-knit community clinging to the edge of the wilderness. Reindeer regularly wander down the streets, and no one leaves town without polar bear protection (usually, a high-caliber rifle). Other than that, life here is pretty normal—people go to work, get drunk, fall in love, and long for tacos.
Tio’s, as locals call it, is here to meet that need. The restaurant doesn’t exclusively serve Mexican food—daily specials range from jerk chicken to spaghetti bolognese—but it’s clear to see that the heart of Swedish chef and owner Andreas Styrsell belongs to the taquerías of Los Angeles. There are bottles of Jarritos in the fridge, El Yucateco and Tajín at the sauce station, and gallon jars of house-made salsas roja and verde (marked “hot” and “hot, hot, hot,” respectively).