Two Maryland restaurants have been featured in the September edition of Eater DC’s list of the most intriguing and buzzworthy new restaurants in the D.C. area. Both of these restaurants are located in Montgomery County and are just 90 feet apart in Takoma Park.
San Pancho (7056 Carroll Ave, Takoma Park) has quickly gained popularity since its opening. On its first day, the restaurant had to close early after running out of its signature Sonoran-style tortillas. It reopened two days later at 8 a.m., just in time to serve breakfast burritos. The breakfast menu is available on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and on weekends from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Owners David Perez and Carolina McCandless, who met in 2012 at Gracias Madre, a vegan Mexican restaurant in San Francisco, opened Cielo Rojo in Takoma Park in 2019 and recently moved to a larger location. Now, they’ve introduced San Francisco Mission-style burritos to Montgomery County. This type of burrito, which became popular in the 1960s in San Francisco’s Mission District, is known for its large size and the inclusion of rice, and its popularity spread nationwide with chains like Chipotle and Qdoba offering similar versions.
Red Hound Pizza (7050 Carroll Ave, Takoma Park) opened in July and specializes in square pizzas inspired by both Roman and Sicilian pizza-making techniques. The pizzas are made using locally-sourced ingredients, including freshly-milled flour from local and regenerative sources.
The restaurant is owned by Andrea Alvarez and Charbel Abrache, the former head pastry chef at Seylou Bakery in D.C., where Abrache helped develop recipes using whole grain flours and alternative grains and created its popular pizza program. Red Hound Pizza offers a rotating menu of seasonal pizza toppings, focaccia sandwiches (starting next week), and salads. Desserts include soft-serve ice cream. To encourage variety, they offer pizza by the slice as well as whole pizzas. Guests can enjoy their meals in the rear outdoor dining area or take their orders to-go.
