Cielo Rojo’s pozole is featured in Washingtonian’s February 19 article, Birria Ramen, Spicy Pozole, and More Super Comforting Soups to Get You Through Winter:
It’s easy to channel warm vibes at this homey, family-owned Mexican spot in Takoma Park. Owners David Perez and Carolina McCandless met working at a vegan Mexican spot in San Francisco, so you’ll find plenty of meatless options on the menu, including the hearty pozole filled with red hominy and topped with avocado, cashew cream, queso fresco, radishes, onions, and lime (chicken optional).
Washington City Paper’s Laura Hayes heaped praise on the hominy stew in 2019, calling it “The Best Thing Our Food Editor Ate All Week“:
Cielo Rojo serves the satisfying bowl with a shovel-like spoon. It looks like something a toddler could use to build a sandcastle. The large utensil feels silly until you realize that it helps you build perfect bite after perfect bite, containing all of the ingredients and their various textures.
“It’s the perfect day for POZOLE! Warm up with this perfectly flavorful hominy stew,” Cielo Rojo wrote in a recent Instagram post. “Available for take out, delivery or heated outdoor patio dining for the brave!”
The “Fine Casual” Mexican restaurant opened in January of 2019. Washington Post food Editor Tom Sietsema praised the Takoma Park eatery last year, listing it as one of his favorites in his November 4, 2020 Ask Tom live chat. “Food-loving friends who live in Takoma Park give shout outs to Takoma Beverage Company, which locals refer to as TakomaBev; (Trattoria da Lina’s) Carpe Diem Pizzeria for pizza and calzones; Cielo Rojo for good Mexican (a view I share, having dispatched at the mom-and-pop tacos bulked up with shredded pork flavored with orange juice and grilled rockfish striped in two sauces); and the Girl & The Vine for good takeout sandwiches that I, too, gobbled up while sitting at the bar in pre-pandemic times. If it’s offered, spring for the juicy chicken schnitzel BLT served on an onion bun.”
View this post on Instagram
Photo: Cielo Rojo/Facebook