Woman Files Lawsuit After Discovering Cow Tooth in Taco

A Texas woman experienced an unexpected surprise during lunch when she allegedly found a cow tooth in her taco. This led to her filing a lawsuit against Torchy’s Tacos, a popular restaurant chain. The incident occurred on June 9 at the South Congress Avenue location in Austin.

Nohemi Castillo claims she nearly swallowed the tooth while eating her takeout meal. A lawsuit filed on October 13 in Travis County District Court detailed the unusual discovery.

A close-up image shows the cow tooth that Nohemi Castillo reportedly discovered in her meal. The restaurant confirmed that the object was a cow tooth. (Courtesy of Scott Vasquez)

The lawsuit states that Castillo ordered the chain’s “Democrat” tacos. A cow tooth was not listed as an ingredient. After the incident, Torchy’s Tacos confirmed the finding in a statement to Austin’s KVUE television station. The company’s investigation identified the object as a cow tooth.

“Upon receiving the guest complaint, we conducted a thorough review and identified the item as a cow tooth,” the company stated. “This can occasionally happen when processing the meat, though it is quite rare.”

The restaurant explained that their barbacoa is made from natural beef cheek sourced from a supplier. They noted steps have been taken to prevent similar incidents.

A witness described seeing Nohemi Castillo remove an object from her mouth while eating Torchy’s Tacos takeout in Austin, Texas. (Courtesy of Scott Vasquez)

“We have partnered with our supplier to reinforce their internal procedures to prevent this from happening in the future,” Torchy’s added.

According to Castillo’s attorney, Scott Vasquez, the restaurant did not confirm the object as a cow tooth until local media reports in October. Vasquez provided additional photographs of the tooth beside a tape measure to Fox News Digital.

A photograph included in the court filing shows the object beside taco meat on aluminum foil. (Courtesy Scott Vasquez)

Castillo’s attorney also shared a witness statement describing the incident during an ordinary lunch with a colleague that took an unpleasant turn.

“As we were eating, I heard an ‘awww!’ When I turned to Nohemi, I saw her pulling something out of her mouth. She said, ‘I think it’s a bone,'” stated the witness. The colleague observed Castillo examining the object before concluding it appeared to be a tooth.

Castillo was disgusted and visited a doctor the same evening, receiving prescriptions. The lawsuit claims she incurred medical expenses and suffered physical pain, mental distress, and other damages.

She is suing Torchy’s Tacos and Success Foods Management Group for negligence in food preparation, inspection, and distribution. The lawsuit accuses Torchy’s of failing to monitor its meat supplier and violating food safety standards under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and federal regulations.

Castillo asserts she would have avoided the meal or inspected it more closely had she been aware of the defect. She seeks monetary relief of $250,000 or less, subject to a jury’s final decision.

A cow tooth allegedly discovered in a Torchy’s Tacos order is shown beside a measuring tape. (Courtesy Scott Vasquez)

Vasquez noted that more individuals have reported similar incidents with Torchy’s since the news surfaced. These claims have not been independently verified.

The attorney criticized the company’s earlier communication as limited and deflecting responsibility. Torchy’s maintains it took the complaint seriously and reviewed the situation thoroughly. “We are aware of the situation and take all concerns about our food seriously,” the company informed KVUE.

Torchy’s did not immediately respond to requests for additional comments.