FORT WORTH, Texas — Rogelio Cortez’s restaurant isn’t open on Mondays or Tuesdays, but he called his staff to work for a meeting Tuesday night.
The cooks, waiters, and bartenders at Birrieria Cortez need to be prepared for a bigger crowd when the joint opens at 9 a.m. Wednesday, he said.
In fact, they should expect longer lines for the foreseeable future.
“It’s crazy,” Cortez told WFAA. “I’d never in a million years imagine I’d be here.”
Cortez, a commercial roofer with no restaurant experience, opened a food truck on East Rosedale in Fort Worth right before the pandemic. In 2021, he expanded his business to a brick-and-mortar restaurant down the street.
The eateries are a half-mile from Polytechnic High School, where Cortez graduated. He still lives in eastern Fort Worth.
The 29-year-old’s mother developed the recipe for the birria tacos his restaurant sells. The menu is relatively simple, though the meat is prepared in a unique way that gives it more flavor.
“My mom’s hands – I don’t know that they’ve got in them,” Cortez said. “Her hands are magic.”
World-renowned food critics agreed. In a shock to Cortez, the inaugural Texas edition of the prestigious Michelin Guide will recommend Birrieria Cortez.
“I see the other places that got recognized and us being there next to, like, Crown Block in Dallas is crazy,” Cortez laughed. “Then you come here – it’s not Crown Block yet, but we’ll get there.”
The restaurant is one of three Fort Worth establishments recognized by fine-dining experts. Cowtown’s Goldee’s Barbecue and Panther City BBQ are also included in the guide.
Restaurants do not apply for Michelin Guide recognition. Instead, anonymous inspectors visit restaurants and recommend their inclusion in the guide.
Cortez did not know his restaurant was being considered for the award until Saturday when an ‘in-the-know’ customer informed him Birrieria Cortez could make the list. He checked his email and found he’d missed several messages about the honor.
He assumed he responded too late and his restaurant would not be recognized. He was not able to attend the awards ceremony.
“I was pretty depressed about it. I just missed out on the opportunity of a lifetime,” Cortez said. “Monday morning, they messaged me back and started asking for pictures. I didn’t think anything of it. I said, ‘Man, it’s probably too late.’ Then, last night, my girlfriend turned on the TV for me and I see it come up and we just went crazy. My mom was at home, crying.”
Cortez said consistency and love are key to his restaurant’s success. He was already planning to open another restaurant with a menu centered on a different protein.
Now, he hopes the Michelin recognition will help him open other Birrieria Cortez locations around the metroplex.
Until then, his goal is to draw new visitors to his neighborhood in eastern Fort Worth.
“I feel like we’re a little forgotten over here, so hopefully it brings us back up,” Cortez said. “We finally feel like we’re doing something good here.”