Chirina’s Fish Tacos is a Brownsville quick-service restaurant built around one dish done well: crispy fried fish tacos on corn tortillas with red cabbage and a creamy Cajun sauce, served alongside cucumber limeades. The restaurant was part of the Quality of Life Ventures cohort of Startup Texas, the accelerator and pitch competition sponsored by the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation (BCIC) in partnership with UTRGV’s Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Center (ECC) and taught at the eBridge Center.
Owner Daniel Gonzalez opened Chirina’s in June 2022 to honor his mother, Rosa Maria — known to family as “Chirina” — and the values she instilled in him. Gonzalez, the son of immigrants, spent more than 20 years in the restaurant industry before starting his own business, working his way up from busboy to multi-unit manager along the way. He’s described the goal at Chirina’s as bringing that same sense of family and care to every table, and the business has grown from its original spot on East 12th Street into a larger location on North Expressway 77.
Chirina’s has picked up local press attention, including a Spanish-language TV segment on KRGV’s Noticias RGV, where Gonzalez sat down with the station to talk through the business and its fish taco specialty. The restaurant has also built a strong local following online, with a 4.9-star rating on Google and near-unanimous recommendations on Facebook and Yelp from customers who consistently call out the freshness of the fish and Gonzalez’s habit of personally checking in on tables.
At a glance
- Founder: Daniel Gonzalez
- Startup Texas program: 2024 Startup Texas Accelerator, Quality of Life Ventures cohort
- Pitched at: Startup Texas Quality of Life Ventures 2024
- Facebook: facebook.com/ChirinasFishTacos
- Instagram: instagram.com/chirinasfishtacos
- Phone: (956) 443-0104
- Address: 4990 N. Expressway 77, Suite B, Brownsville, TX 78526