Two Maryland restaurants made the September edition of Eater DC’s list pointing diners toward the most intriguing or otherwise buzzworthy new restaurants in the D.C. area. Both Maryland restaurants happen to be located in Montgomery County, approximately 90 feet apart.
San Pancho (7056 Carroll Ave, Takoma Park) has received quite the welcome since opening. The restaurant was forced to close early on opening day after running out of its signature Sonoran-style tortillas and reopened two days later at 8am just in time for breakfast burritos to be served. In addition to the regular menu, the breakfast menu is available on weekdays from 8:00am until 11:30am and on weekends from 10am until 12pm.
Owners David Perez and Carolina McCandless met in 2012 at Gracias Madre, a vegan Mexican restaurant in San Francisco. They opened Cielo Rojo in Takoma Park in 2019 and recently moved to a larger location. Now, they’ve brought their take on San Francisco Mission-style burritos to Montgomery County. A “Mission-style” burrito is a type of burrito that first became popular during the 1960s in the Mission District of San Francisco, California. It is distinguished by its large size and the inclusion of rice and other ingredients. This style gained nationwide popularity when major chains like Chipotle and Qdoba began offering their versions.
Red Hound Pizza opened in July at 7050 Carroll Ave in Takoma Park. The restaurant offers square pizzas created using the partners’ favorite aspects of both Roman and Sicilian style pizza-making.
The pizzas are made with locally-sourced ingredients including freshly-milled flour from local and regenerative sources. Owned by Andrea Alvarez and Charbel Abrache – former head pastry chef at DC area favorite, Seylou Bakery where he led the pastry team to develop recipes using whole grain flours and alternative grains and created its popular pizza program.
The menu offers a seasonal, rotating variety of pizza toppings, focaccia sandwiches (starting next week) and salads as well as a selection of desserts, including soft serve ice cream. To encourage sampling, Red Hound Pizza offers pizza by the slice in addition to whole pizzas. Pizzas may be enjoyed in their rear outdoor dining area or takeout.
Photo Courtesy San Pancho & Red Hound Pizza