Cielo Rojo owners Carolina McCandless and David Perez opened San Pancho last weekend, serving Mission-style burritos and tortas in Cielo Rojo’s former home after the restaurant relocated to a larger space up the street earlier this year.
On Sunday, the restaurant sold out of burritos and had to temporarily close until a new delivery of Sonoran flour tortillas, which are imported from Mexico to the U.S. through Texas, arrives today.
According to an announcement posted on Instagram on Monday evening, the restaurant plans to reopen at 8 a.m. on Wednesday.
“I was a little bit nervous about if there was enough culture for just burritos in this area compared to San Francisco, where you can find a burrito shop every other block,” McCandless said to Eater. “But obviously there is if we sold out.”
San Pancho held a social media contest for its soft opening earlier this month. It debuted at last year’s “New Kitchens on the Block” food festival and was originally planned to open at Cielo Rojo’s former home last fall. Cielo Rojo opened in 2019 and moved to a larger space at 7211 Carroll Ave. in January.
Last May, Cielo Rojo earned the fifth spot on Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema’s list of the 26 best new restaurants in the D.C. area.
According to Eater, San Pancho is known for its variety of burritos, including regular, super, vegan, California, baby, and bean and cheese options, as well as quesadillas, burrito bowls, and tortas; additionally, they offer four types of breakfast burritos on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and on weekends from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Keeping true to the California style, the burritos contain pinto beans, Mexican rice, melted cheese, and plenty of onions and cilantro. The prices range from $9 to $18, except for the burrito bowl, which costs $7.
At the one and only San Pancho, made-to-order burritos and quesadillas arrive with an array of savory filling choices: chile-pepper shrimp, grilled chicken with a homemade rub, chicken mole, carnitas (an orange and beer-braised pork), carne asada, and slow-cooked beef barbacoa. There are also vegan options of homemade tofu and “mushroom” chorizo, as well as mushrooms prepared with tequila and garlic.
There is also much more than burritos on the menu. Crispy quesadillas come in a 9-inch flour tortilla prepared with melted cheese, onions, and cilantro, plus any of the eight filling options. Non-GMO tortilla chips are served hot and crispy with a trio of homemade salsas, from mild avocado salsa verde to the medium charred chipotle to the hot salsa morita. From 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., there is a classic torta, a Mexican sandwich made of telera bread and filled with pickled jalapenos, avocado, tomatoes, onion, and choice of fillings.
Fresh agua frescas, from horchata and lemonade to the delectable maracuya — a passion fruit, agave, and lime mixture — make an ideal accompaniment to any meal. A frozen margarita machine churns out passionfruit and lemon mint frozen tequila slushies. Dessert here calls for chocoflan, a chocolate cake and flan combination topped with hazelnuts that McCandless describes as a spot-on Mexican dessert.
“We made it vegan because of our vegan following,” says McCandess. “It’s a very moist chocolate cake topped with vegan flan made out of cashews.”
San Pancho is located at 7056 Carroll Ave. in Takoma Park. The restaurant is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesdays through Thursdays, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays, and from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays.
Graphic: San Pancho / Facebook