Skip to content
Rosa Castellanos, founder of La Toxica, in Montreal

The Story of La Toxica: A Proud Mexican Family

The La Toxica story is about a Mexican family, a grandmother's birria recipe and a Laval entrepreneur who found her place in Montreal.

Meet Rosa
Rosa Castellanos in the kitchen at La Toxica
In the kitchen, where the story continues every day.

How did a family recipe become La Toxica?

In January 2021, Rosa Castellanos noticed TikTok's growing fascination with birria tacos, still difficult to find around Greater Montreal. She returned to her grandmother's recipes, cooked in Laval and shared her first plates on social media.

When Quebec rapper Tizzo introduced her tacos to his community, orders surged. Rosa protected her family space by moving weekend production into a commercial kitchen in Fabreville, inside the former Hot Dog MontRougeau snack bar she had visited as a teenager.

The same idea still guides both restaurants: a deliberately focused menu, food made to order, generous portions and the consommé that turns birria into something shared around the table.

The Laval beginnings The recipe that started it all La Toxica in the press

Which moments define our journey?

Four verifiable moments connect Rosa's family kitchen to today's two Montreal locations.

  1. January 2021

    The recipe travels

    In Laval, Rosa shares birria inspired by her grandmother's recipes on TikTok.

  2. 2021

    A working kitchen

    After the viral moment with Tizzo, weekend production moves from home into a commercial kitchen in Fabreville.

  3. July 2022

    Plaza Saint-Hubert

    The first restaurant opens at 7221 Saint-Hubert Street with an open kitchen facing the dining room.

  4. 2023

    Saint-Laurent

    A second location welcomes groups at 1059 Saint-Laurent Boulevard in Chinatown.

What guides La Toxica every day?

Mexican generosity becomes something tangible here, from the open kitchen to the packaging.

Generosity

Food made to order, abundant portions and a table designed as a shared experience.

Transparency

The open kitchen at the first restaurant puts the work, pace and gestures behind each plate in plain view.

Responsibility

A commitment to fully eco-friendly packaging travels with our restaurant food and catering service.

Organizations trust our catering service
Rosa Castellanos, founder of La Toxica

Who is Rosa Castellanos?

Rosa is a former flight attendant, a mother and the entrepreneur behind La Toxica. She carries the finance, marketing, kitchen and growth of the business, with her daughter as her source of courage.

Read Rosa's story, our founder

Where can you find La Toxica?

Two Montreal restaurants carry the same family story into distinct neighbourhoods.

Come share our table

Choose your location, then book a table to taste the recipe that started the journey.

Book a table See our locations