You’d be excused for overlooking La Cruda by El Compa, an inconspicuous Valley View storefront in the industrial area near Desert Inn Road. Highlighted with signage of a broadly smiling man and an equally cheerful goat, it gives little indication of what lies within, besides plastic tables, picnic benches and folding chairs.

I suspect if that goat knew what was coming, it certainly wouldn’t be as exuberant as it is. La Cruda—Spanish slang for hangover—serves a mean birria.

It should be noted that while this spiced, stewed meat dish originating from Michoacan is typically made with goat, other meats can pose as stand-ins. In fact, La Cruda has both birria de chivo (goat) and res (beef). Having eaten my way through the menu, I still gravitate back to the chivo, although if eating our little bearded buddies freaks you out, the res is a more-than-adequate substitute.

I’ve found the best birria vehicle to be the quesadilla con carne ($7), a house-made tortilla oozing with cheese intermingled with the rich, saucy meat. Go with a friend and order a pair; you’ll be rewarded with a side of consommé intended for dipping, but it’s so good, it’s worth downing afterwards as a hearty digestif. Three tacos of any style will also get you the gratis consommé, and my preference are the griddled queso tacos ($4.50). Because in the end, everything is better with queso.

As man cannot live on birria alone, La Cruda also delivers solid carnitas, which can be ordered by the pound ($15) with fixings, or as a torta ahogada ($9), served stuffed in a crisp roll swimming in tomato sauce—a delicious mess. And because the ultimate hangover cure is menudo ($13.50), La Cruda has an offal-y good representation of an often polarizing dish. As for my future hangovers, I believe a couple of quesadillas de chivo will suffice.

LA CRUDA BY EL COMPA 3111 S. Valley View Blvd. #101, 702-913-7918. Thursday-Tuesday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.