Chico's Tex-Mex opens in Commack
Birria tacos at Chico's Tex-Mex in Commack. Credit: Newsday/Melissa Azofeifa
Tex-Mex flavors are taking over Long Island, and if Chico's Tex-Mex has anything to say about it, the beat isn’t stopping anytime soon.
Chico’s Tex-Mex, owned by Shirley native Vinay Galani, started as a food truck in 2018. The eatery opened its fourth outpost, in Commack, in the space that housed Burrito Loco on Commack Road. Chico's Tex-Mex has other locations in Selden, East Setauket and Bohemia, plus two food trucks.
"It’s just snowballed," Galani said.
With a menu of crowd-pleasers like chicken wings ($19.99 for a dozen) and BBQ chicken empanadas ($5.50), Chico's also serves birria tacos ($15.50 for three), chalupas ($12.99 for two). Twists on Tex-Mex favorites include a chipotle chicken bacon mac and cheese burrito ($16.99) and crunch tacos, a hard shell wrapped in a soft tortilla bonded with queso, stuffed with meat, lettuce, cheese, tomato and sour cream ($11.99 for two).
Galani has worked with the same chef, Francisco Cruz, since the beginning and said the two travel to Mexico "multiple times a year just to try different stuff."
The new Commack shop, with a large graffiti-style mural, is geared toward takeout, but has seating for 16 guests. Next up: a Chico's on Surrey Circle in Shirley, which Galani plans to open in six months.
Chico’s Tex-Mex 128 Commack Rd., Commack. chicostexmex.com, 631-512-3333. Open daily 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Melissa Azofeifa is a restaurants reporter with Newsday's FeedMe team. Having grown up on Long Island, she loves talking about food and its impact on culture. A graduate of Stony Brook University, she joined Newsday in the fall of 2024.
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