Cielo Rojo Restaurant

"The Takoma Park favorite for vegan-friendly Mexican fare since 2018 moved into stylish new digs up the street last year. Husband-and-wife owners David Perez and Carolina McCandless turn to hand-pressed tortillas made with nixtamalized heirloom corn to produce an array of sophisticated tacos, ahi tuna tostadas, and savory enchiladas with tres moles. Crunchy pepitas add a pleasantly surprising crunch to quesadillas that can be ordered with vegan cashew cheese. Besides fabulous margaritas, the chic bar sends out inventive mezcal and rum-based cocktails. Brunch calls for brioche French toast with mezcal mascarpone, chilaquiles rojo, and a nopales (cactus) scramble. Newly named chef de cuisine Rachel Bindle formerly cooked at Michelin-starred Gravitas. The team also flipped Cielo’s old space into San Francisco-styled San Pancho Burritos this year." - Tierney Plumb, Emily Venezky

"David Perez and Carolina McCandless, the owners of this newly expanded spot in Takoma Park, met a decade ago while working at San Francisco’s revered vegetarian Mexican restaurant Gracias Madre. A substantial chunk of their Maryland menu is vegan, including gorditas, quesadillas stuffed with tequila-sauteed mushrooms or grill cactus, and believable (cashew) cheese and cream. They opened a Mission District-style burrito shop in the former space, called San Pancho, that also caters to vegan eaters with vegan chorizo, made with tofu and mushrooms, and cashew cream you can add to your burrito." - Tierney Plumb, Emily Venezky

"“This is a flex for us in DC, getting West Coast Mexican food. When people come here from other places, we’re like, ‘Oh, we know we’re gonna take you.’ It’s very much a family spot. Carolina and David are the owners, and we’ve gotten to know them very well. Carolina’s father built some of the furniture. It’s a beautiful place, and it just feels like you are in Mexico. The chicken enchiladas with the tres moles—like, what? I do their market salad and the pozole verde and guacamole. They grind their own blue corn for the tostadas. They’re crispy. They’re very vegan friendly too. I mean, it’s in Takoma Park, so you need to be. Everything is made from scratch. All of the sauces are made from scratch. They have a trompo, so they do al pastor with that slow roasting and the caramelization and the layers on layers of the fat and the meat.”" - brennan carley

"Cielo Rojo is a Mexican restaurant in Takoma Park. We haven’t been here yet, but want you to know this spot exists." - Team Infatuation

"Catering to vegans since 2018, the neighborhood’s starring Mexican attraction recently relocated into a light-filled space that’s triple the size of the original down the street. Husband-and-wife owners David Perez and Carolina McCandless turn to hand-pressed tortillas made with nixtamalized heirloom corn to produce an array of sophisticated tacos, ahi tuna tostadas, and savory enchiladas with tres moles. Besides fabulous margaritas, the chic bar sends out inventive mezcal and rum-based cocktails. Brunch calls for brioche French toast with mezcal mascarpone, chilaquiles rojo, and a nopales (cactus) scramble." - Claudia Rosenbaum