Cielo Rojo Restaurant
Mexican restaurant · Takoma Park ·
Authentic Mexican fare with vegan options & craft cocktails
![Cielo Rojo Restaurant by Cielo Rojo [official photo]](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68483940/unnamed_2.0.jpg "Cielo Rojo Restaurant by Cielo Rojo [official photo]")
Authentic Mexican fare with vegan options & craft cocktails
"Over in Takoma Park, sister restaurants Cielo Rojo and burrito shop San Pancho sell standout clothing, from crop tops to cozy hoodies and beanies. But if you want to take home a taste of Cielo Rojo, go for the made-in-house $16 salsa macha that accents dishes like charred cabbage." - Adele Chapin
"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 Chef de cuisine Rachel Bindle formerly cooked at Michelin-starred Gravitas, and the growing team recently flipped Cielo’s old space into San Francisco-styled San Pancho Burritos. If you drive: Feel free; Takoma Park is still blessed with parking." - Tierney Plumb
"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
"The Takoma Park favorite for vegan-friendly Mexican fare carves out room for 10 types of tacos built on heirloom corn tortillas. Highlights include local chicken stewed in homemade mole sauce or tequila-infused cremini mushrooms atop a bed of pinto bean puree." - Tierney Plumb
"David Perez and Carolina McCandless first met while working together at an organic vegetarian Mexican restaurant in San Francisco, so it stands to reason they put a premium on ingredients. Perez leads the Takoma Park kitchen, grinding masa from heirloom Mexican corn and braising slightly sweet carnitas with Negra Modelo and oranges. Crunchy pepitas add a pleasantly surprising crunch to quesadillas that can be ordered with vegan cashew cheese. Weekend brunch brings an opportunity to sample masa waffles with fruit, mezcal mascarpone, and maple syrup. Cielo recently relocated to much bigger digs in the neighborhood, and the team recently replaced the old space with San Pancho Burritos." - Tierney Plumb
