Las Catrinas Pizza Birria Is an Elite Leg Day Refeed

The 1,260-Calorie Anabolic Engine in Milford

Sitting at 922 Business 28 in Milford, Ohio, Las Catrinas Mexican Restaurant built its 4.6/5 star rating on a viral monster: el estilo pizza birria (a deep-dish Mexican pizza constructed from toasted tortillas, melted queso, and slow-simmered beef). Clean-eating dogmatists look at the raw macros and panic. We look at human physiology and see a calculated surgical refeed.

One full order packs 1,260 total calories, 68g of complete protein, 72g of fat, and 85g of complex carbohydrates flanked by a bowl of rich beef broth. Order this on a rest day while sitting on the couch, and the excess energy will settle straight into fat stores. Eat it within two hours of re-racking a heavy 405-pound squat set, and those exact same macros turn into pure muscle repair.

Triggering Maximum Muscle Protein Synthesis

The 2017 International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN) Position Stand proves that 20g to 40g of protein—or 0.25g to 0.40g per kilogram of body weight—maximally stimulates Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS) when backed by 700mg to 3,000mg of leucine. The 68g of complete protein in this slow-braised beef does not just hit that target; it crushes it.

Slow-cooked beef birria is loaded with leucine, the amino acid that flips the switch on the mTOR pathway to drive muscle growth. Consuming nearly double the baseline MPS threshold guarantees sustained systemic amino acid availability across your entire post-workout recovery window.

Slowing Gastric Emptying for Glycogen Storage

Critics obsess over the 72g of fat, claiming anything over 50g delays nutrient uptake. They miss the physiological trade-off. High dietary fat slows gastric emptying, shifting peak amino acid absorption from 60 to 90 minutes out to 4 or more hours, but total amino acid uptake remains 100% intact. The nutrient delivery gets metered, not lost.

A heavy leg session depletes skeletal muscle glycogen by 30% to 40%. The 85g of carbohydrates in the baked tortilla layers deliver the exact 0.8g to 1.2g per kilogram of body weight required for rapid glycogen resynthesis. That high fat load smooths out blood glucose spikes, eliminating the sudden energy crash typical of massive carb refeeds.

El Consommé: Connective Tissue Insurance

El consommé—the spiced beef dipping broth served alongside the pizza—is not a garnish; it is joint insurance. Hours of simmering beef bones and connective tissue release 5g to 8g of gelatin-rich collagen per serving, overflowing with glycine and proline.

Heavy eccentric squatting damages tendons and structural ligaments just as hard as muscle fibers. Collagen-derived amino acids target structural joint repair directly. Dipping every slice into el consommé turns an aggressive calorie meal into a targeted recovery protocol for battered knees and hips.

The Verdict: How to Time Your Attack

The Pizza Birria at Las Catrinas is not a daily desk lunch. It is an instrument of deliberate muscular growth built for your heaviest training days.

Schedule your high-volume leg or back workout before pulling up to Las Catrinas in Milford. Keep your morning fat intake light, drink every drop of the collagen-dense consommé, and let the 1,260 calories build serious muscle.

Earn the 1,260 calories with heavy squats, limit fat earlier in the day, and drink every drop of collagen-rich consommé.

Sources

• Las Catrinas Milford Mexican Restaurant Official Site

• International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Protein and Exercise

• International Society of Sports Nutrition Position Stand: Nutrient Timing