Cielo Rojo will reopen today at 4 p.m. in its new home at 7211 Carroll Ave. in Takoma Park, according to an Instagram post from Main Street Takoma.
The restaurant closed temporarily on New Year’s Eve to get ready for the move and hosted a private soft opening over the past weekend.
Nevin Martell from the Washington City Paper reported in 2022 that the new location, designed by D.C.-based DesignCase, would include 120 indoor seats, 30 outdoor patio seats, an open kitchen, a 16-seat bar, and a private dining room accommodating 20-30 diners.
The former Cielo Rojo location at 7056 Carroll Ave. is set to be transformed into San Pancho, a fast-casual restaurant that will specialize in serving Mission-style burritos, which gained popularity in the 1960s in the Mission District of San Francisco.
San Pancho debuted at the Mess Hall’s “New Kitchens on the Block” food festival last summer.
“We wanted to stay in Takoma Park because the people here are very loyal,” co-owner Carolina McCandless said to WCP in 2022. “They have been so good to us, especially during the pandemic.”
Cielo Rojo opened in early 2019 at 7056 Carroll Ave. in Takoma Park. The Mexican restaurant is popular for its “fine-casual” dining style and is especially known for its pozole soup, tacos, and outdoor dining. Former WCP food editor Laura Hayes praised the restaurant, including their Quesa Birria on the list of the “13 Best Under $35 Dishes D.C. Area Restaurants Served in 2021.” Additionally, the restaurant’s pozole verde was featured in the season premiere of WETA’s ‘Signature Dish’ last fall.
Photo: Cielo Rojo / Facebook