A Texas woman is seeking $250,000 in damages after allegedly finding a cow’s tooth in a taco from an Austin Torchy’s Tacos location, prompting the restaurant chain to acknowledge the discovery and review its meat-processing procedures.

Nohemi Castillo ordered takeout from the chain’s South Congress Avenue location in Austin on June 9. She alleges that she nearly swallowed the tooth, which was embedded in the restaurant’s “Democrat” taco, made with beef barbacoa, avocado, cotija cheese, cilantro, onions, and tomatillo salsa on a corn tortilla.

According to the lawsuit obtained by KVUE, Castillo was “grossed out and sickened” by the discovery and sought medical attention, where she received prescriptions. The lawsuit also alleges that the restaurant’s manager was notified of the incident but questions what action, if any, he took to address the problem.

Castillo is suing Torchy’s for $250,000, alleging negligence for selling food that did not meet appropriate standards.

Her attorney, Scott Vasquez, said he expected the company to resolve the matter internally but believes it attempted to shift responsibility elsewhere. He also argued that the tooth presented a potential choking hazard.

“It’s large,” Vasquez said. “It could choke someone; it really could.”

A witness described seeing Castillo pull the object from her mouth while the two were eating. According to the witness, Castillo initially believed she had found a bone.

Fox News Digital reported that Vasquez had become aware of other people describing similar experiences with Torchy’s after the case attracted attention. Those accounts, however, have not been independently verified.

Torchy’s confirmed that its analysis identified the object as a cow’s tooth. The company explained that its barbacoa is made from beef cheek obtained through a supplier and acknowledged that a tooth can occasionally remain in the meat during processing, although it described such incidents as rare.

“We are aware of the situation and take all concerns about our food seriously,” the company said in a statement.

Torchy’s added that food safety remains a priority and that it maintains food-handling, preparation, and quality-control procedures. Following Castillo’s complaint, the company said it reviewed the incident and worked with its supplier to reinforce internal procedures intended to prevent similar occurrences in the future.