Photo Credit: Nick RamaFood & Drink
Eat Local: Don Chuy Tortilleria
Owned by Roberto Rubio of La Cocina de Roberto, Don Chuy Tortilleria on the South I-45 service road north of Sawdust Road, is becoming rapidly well known for their freshly made flour and corn tortillas, tacos, burritos, gorditas, as well as take-home bulk prepackaged meats by the pound, salsas, refried beans and rice. Don Chuy Tortilleria also serves margaritas and beers to go along with your meal and offers their breakfast menu daily until 11am.
Don Chuy’s offers a variety of proteins, including, al pastor, carnitas, beef birria, shredded chicken, carne asada, chicharrón en salsa verde and barbacoa, which can all be customized with toppings in their Mexican style tacos, burritos, tortas and gorditas.
THE STORY
When Roberto and his wife moved to the United States and settled into The Woodlands, they began gaining restaurant experience and meeting people within the local culinary community. In 2017 their first restaurant, La Cocina de Roberto, opened on Sawdust Rd and quickly became a neighborhood staple. Roberto expanded the concept of La Cocina de Roberto in 2020 with a more visible space on 26817 I-45 North. Shortly after, Roberto bought a food truck with the same name that serves Robinson Road and is also available for catering and local events. In 2024 they decided to open the new concept Don Chuy Tortilleria.
THE NAME
Drawing their inspiration from Roberto’s father-in-law, they decided to name their new venture Don Chuy Tortilleria, because, as Roberto explained, “‘Don’ means ‘sir’, while ‘Chuy’ is an abbreviation or nickname for the name ‘Jesus’.”
Hello Woodlands asked Roberto why he decided to open a Tortilleria so close to his other two restaurants? “We opened a tortilleria because we wanted to offer fresh tortillas and meat by the pound that families can take and enjoy at home without having to drive far for it,” Roberto replied.
Roberto has incorporated family recipes at all of his restaurants, along with their Chef Marita, who has supported all three of his restaurants from the beginning with her delicious recipes and ideas.
THE GOODS
The word Tortilleria is in their name and that is what Don Chuy does best (A tortilleria, or tortilla bakery is a shop that produces and sells freshly made tortillas. Tortillerias are native to Mexico and Central America).
We asked Roberto, what makes your flour and corn tortillas so special? Roberto replied, “Our corn tortillas are made freshly here, that we have learned from Mexican tortilleros.”
“When people looked for fresh tortillas in the area they had to drive to Conroe or 2920, we saw the necessity of fresh corn tortillas so this is why we opened here in the Spring/Woodlands area.”
Robert’s passion shows in their fresh food with quality ingredients and offering great service, always with a smile and his staff is ready to create great relationships with customers with their fast casual restaurant and tortilleria.
Community
How does Don Chuy Tortilleria get involved with their community?
“We consider Spring our home, we have lived here 20 years and always give back. Since we just opened we haven’t done any special activities yet, but I’m pretty sure we will bring the same love and passion for the community as we do at La Cocina de Roberto!”
Owner’s Favorite Meal
If you had to pick your perfect meal from start to finish at Don Chuy, what would it be (App, Cocktail, Entrée, dessert)?
Roberto shared, “Chips and Guacamole, Carnitas Gordita, two Barbacoa Tacos on the weekend with a Margarita.”
WHAT LOCALS ARE ORDERING
According to Roberto, the following are highlights/best selling items from each section of their menu.
Appetizer: Chips & Salsa, Chips & Queso
Tacos: It’s a difficult answer it can be in between Carnitas, Al Pastor, or Carne Asada
Gordita: Carnitas and Al Pastor Gordita!
Burrito: Shredded Chicken Burrito and our Carnitas Burrito
Torta: Carne Asada
Bulk: Carnitas and Barbacoa on Weekends
Salsas: They all sell really well but our favorites are Salsa Molcajeteada and Salsa Verde
*Breakfast: Bacon & Egg and Chorizo & Egg tacos or gorditas.
THE FUTURE
We asked Roberto, what have you added to the menu since you opened and what do you plan to add in the future?
“We have added Mexican Corn and plan to add Tostadas, Family Packs to take home and serve there, Bundles, we want to always have different varieties of meats. We would like to explore the opportunity to cater in the near future.”
5 Words to Describe Don Chuy Tortilleria?
- Convenient
- Authentic
- Modern
- Fresh
- Sabroso
Visit Don Chuy Tortilleria‘s Website: https://donchuytortilleria.com/
Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donchuytortilleria
Address: 25403 I-45 Suite A, Spring, TX 77380 (Woodpark Shopping Center)
Hours of operation: Open daily, 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Nick Rama is a food writer, contributor to Hello Woodlands, and shares his restaurant experiences on Nick’s Local Eats at NicksLocalEats.com and on the TX BBQ, Burgers, and Brew Facebook page. Nick enjoys helping small business owners, supporting his community by fundraising for food banks, and plans tasting events with locally owned mom and pop restaurants.
