Birria is having a moment, and now it’s coming to more metro Atlanta restaurants.
Texican Tex-Mex Barbecue opened this week at 659 Atlanta St. in downtown Roswell, replacing Chipper’s Pub, Eater Atlanta first reported. Radioactive Restaurants, the owners of Chipper’s, are also involved in the new restaurant. Chipper’s, which served a variety of southern dishes, was open since 2018.
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic forced owner Terry “Chipper” Gronholm to make the pivot to a new restaurant.
“Our business model and concept was centered on being the gathering place or the local community in historic downtown Roswell,” Gronholm said in a press release. “Due to the forced shutdown and reacting to the ever-changing situation with limited success, we made the decision to re-evaluate our concept.” Gronholm said Texican lends itself more easily to take-out and delivery.
Radioactive Restaurants brought on chef Miguel Delgado to create the menu for Texican Barbecue, which Gronholm describes as “Tex-Mex fusion.” In addition to wings and barbecue platters and sandwiches, the menu also features an entire section dedicated to birria, a traditional Mexican stew. Delgado was born in Baja, Mexico, and lived and worked in Los Angeles before moving to Atlanta.
Texican is open for dine-in, curbside pickup and delivery 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays. Masks are required except when dining. Tables are spread out for social distancing.
In addition to Texican, two more restaurants serving birria are set to open in the coming months.
Chef Smokey’s is slated to open in March at 2805 Veterans Memorial. The restaurant, a collaboration between Mauro Cruz, who runs birria pop-up Chef Smokey’s ATL and Carlos Bickers, who previously owned Isabella’s Pizza in the same location, will serve birria in a variety of forms including tacos, pizzas, nachos and quesadillas and will also feature a full bar.
In addition, El Indio Restaurant and Taqueria, which has locations in Norcross and Duluth, is opening a third eatery at 439 W. Pike St. Lawrenceville, Eater Atlanta first reported and the restaurant announced on its Instagram account.
Texican Tex-Mex Barbecue: 659 Atlanta St., Roswell. 470-282-1614, texicanbarbecue.com/
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