A family friend joins owner Jose Luis (center) and his sister, Martha Luis (right), for a photo.
Photo by Andrew Lopez | Boyle Heights Beat
This article was originally published by Boyle Heights Beat, a nonprofit newsroom of the L.A. Local News Initiative serving Boyle Heights and East L.A.
East Los Angeles—When people think of East L.A., they often think first of El Mercadito and Cinco Puntos. However, to other longtime and former residents, their first thought is Birrieria Chalio. Located just five blocks east of El Mercadito, the smell of rich goat meat mixed with dried chili peppers and traditional seasonings fills the air.
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On a weekday last fall, Jose Luis, born in Zacatecas, Mexico, and owner of Birrieria Chalio, sat in one of his several circle booths covered in teal upholstery as he happily shared a YouTube video from his phone. That video is a short clip from the famed food series “No Reservations,” which features the late Anthony Bourdain sitting with three mariachis in one of Birrieria Chalio’s booths while enjoying a plate of roasted goat birria.
“You know, it changes everything. I mean, I got a celebrity coming down to Chalio’s just to try my birria. It’s awesome,” Jose said about Bourdain’s visit in 2007.
Rosalio G. Luis, the late father of the current owner, started selling tacos and birria from their backyard in East L.A. to make ends meet. His birria and consumée were soon making waves among the East L.A. community.
Birrieria Chalio opened a street taco stand in the 1980s before opening its first brick-and-mortar in 1987. Its traditional birria recipe, which spans four generations, has not only kept customers coming from far distances, but has also allowed the family to expand its business to Texas and Washington state. However, like many restaurants across the nation, the COVID-19 pandemic and recent inflation created challenges for Jose to navigate. Although his business was able to adapt, he owes his continued success to his family unity and customer loyalty.
Birria is a traditional Mexican dish most commonly made with goat meat, but can also be made with beef. The mixture of spices and ingredients can include onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, bay leaves, and red chili peppers. Chalio’s birria is unique because it can be made with various cuts of meat, such as the goat’s arm, shoulder, and rib.
Consomme is a broth-based soup often paired with birria plates or tacos for dipping.
Photo by Andrew Lopez | Boyle Heights Beat
In addition to this traditional plate, customers can order a variety of plates, including chilaquiles, menudo, and pozole.
“We live far away in Palmdale, but we always come here to eat… The food here is really good, everything’s got a great taste,” said Gustavo Rentería, a returning customer who has been coming to Birrieria Chalio for more than 30 years.
During the pandemic, the restaurant had to completely shut down its indoor dining and resorted to take-out orders only. Additionally, it made the difficult decision to let go of all its employees. The only staff Birrieria Chalios had at that time was Jose, his wife, and his sister.
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“We struggled…the two years [during the pandemic] we struggled so hard. We thought we were gonna lose it all. And we didn’t. And we’re still up here… we’re still here alive,” Jose said.
Jose and his family tried multiple creative ways to keep their family business afloat, like side curb pick-up or a mini drive-through for to-go orders. After much effort, his business managed to prevail despite the impact of COVID restrictions and eventually recovered after a devastating lockdown.
However, the increase in food and supply costs created further challenges for the restaurant.
“Everything’s so expensive. The minimum is going up again. It’s kind of hard to compete with the prices. As it is, it’s kind of expensive already,” Jose said.
To keep up with rising costs, he went from buying 300 goat carcasses a week pre-pandemic to solely 30 for their traditional birria. The rise of inflation negatively affected the prices of the restaurant and even led to customers complaining that the food was getting too expensive.
Typically, a plate of birria costs around $24 and it includes rice, beans, tortillas and its consumée.
“It’s kind of hard sometimes; people get mad at me. ‘Hey, you, you want to get richer faster by charging more?’ I tell them it’s not me. It’s the prices everywhere you go. Gas, market, wherever you go, it’s the same thing. There’s nothing we could do, I tell them.”
Other customers, however, have positive things to say. Like Alexander Zelada, who said, “I know them for their dishes and the service is good. The food is always fresh.”
Jose grew up with the pressure of being Birrieria Chalio’s future business owner so the negative comments never really got to him. In his childhood, Jose’s dad always told him, “Te tienes que poner las pilas.” Jose considers himself a problem solver and adapts to dire circumstances.
He’s a firm believer that managing a business is based on the family itself. He believes that a key component in successfully managing an establishment is keeping greed and envy out of the family.
“You all have to be united. You know, that’s the main key. No envidia. No nothing. Everybody has to be together… That’s a perfect thing to do,” Jose states.
Martha Luis, a sister of the owner and employee of the restaurant, pours consomme on a plate of goat meat.
Photo by Andrew Lopez | Boyle Heights Beat
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