“We've always worked in restaurants. Me and my husband actually met at a restaurant, and we've always wanted to open something of our own,” co-owner Ashley Reyes said.
Meet the owners
Along with her husband, Javier Gonzales Rios, and husband's brother, Odilon Gonzalez, Reyes decided to open a restaurant in the community they had resided in for over 20 years.
Gonzales met Reyes in 2016. The couple grew up in the restaurant industry and continued working in restaurants throughout college.
Reyes said although she studied education at the University of Houston, her background in the restaurant industry led her in another direction.
With over 15 years of experience in the restaurant industry, the family has spent time waiting tables, bartending, hosting and cooking.
Reyes said although her husband is the chef at Birria & Chips Mexican Restaurant, the family partakes in multiple roles and runs the restaurant as a team.
What's special about it?
Birria & Chips Mexican Restaurant specializes in birria; however, the restaurant also serves Tex-Mex and authentic Mexican cuisine.
“I know that we're not the only Mexican restaurant in the area, but we really do feel like we offer something different. We specialize in birria, which is a slow-cooked beef stew that we cook for about three hours with a bunch of spices and shred into tacos,” Reyes said.
Reyes said the shredded beef stew can be served in a variety of Mexican dishes, including quesadillas, soup, nachos and burgers; however, their most popular dish is the birria tacos.
“I always recommend the tacos to first-timers. Those will not disappoint,” she said.
Another popular dish is the burrito caliente made with refried beans, Mexican rice and chopped up beef fajitas wrapped up in a flour tortilla, and smothered with white queso and topped with fried jalapenos.
The restaurant is also known for its margaritas and esquite, or corn in a cup made with birria, corn, mayonnaise, queso dip, queso fresco and Hot Cheetos.
“We serve birria, chips and salsa, and everything in between,” Reyes said.
Staying local
Reyes said, as a member of the community and a restaurant owner, Birria & Chips Mexican Restaurant supports the community by holding spirit nights.
“We try to help out the community as much as we can, and we do it through spirit nights,” Reyes said.
During spirit nights, local organizations, such as athletic teams and schools, are invited to the restaurant, and a portion of the funds spent on their meals are donated to their organizations.
- 18535 FM 1488, Ste. 150, Magnolia
- Facebook: Birria & Chips Mexican Restaurant
