It’s easy to miss Taqueria Xochi’s small but festive window amid the lively din of U St. NW – until you pass it, that is, and the aroma of melted Oaxacan cheese, spiced refried beans, and fresh tortillas hit the sidewalk.
Veteran D.C. chef Teresa Padilla opened the tiny taqueria with co-owner Geraldine Mendoza on October 16, in an unassuming carryout window tucked behind the neighboring Service Bar’s outdoor seating.
The story of its opening is a bright spot among all of the pandemic-related closures. Padilla and Mendoza both worked at China Chilcano, Jose Andres’ Peruvian fusion restaurant in Penn Quarter, until the restaurant closed earlier this year. The women, both immigrants from Mexico, joined forces: Padilla pulled on the strength of her 15 years as a chef, and Mendoza from her pastry-making and front-of-house work, to recreate the Mexican food of their youths.
“The pandemic helped us launch our dream,” Mendoza says. “It was the dream of selling Mexican food while telling our story to the world. We choose Mexican food because it’s something both Teresa and I love and have great passion for.”
Inspired by street vendors, market stalls, and snack shops from across Mexico, Padilla’s menu-planning started with perhaps the lesser-known cemita: a torta-style sandwich originating from Puebla that Padilla calls the “plato bandera,” or signature dish, of the restaurant.
Padilla’s cemitas burst out of their tidy twine-wrapped paper cocoons, juicy piles of fried eggplant, chicken, or beef liberally smothered in creamy, melted Oaxacan cheese tailor-made for an Instagram-perfect cheese pull. A heap of beans, avocado, onion, tomato, smoked chipotle peppers – and a healthy slathering of mayo – round out the titan sandwich. All of that’s encased in the signature cemita bun, a sweet and salty brioche-style bread topped with sesame seeds. Padilla uses her grandmother’s recipe.
Although the cemita grounds Taqueria Xochi’s menu, Padilla also showcases other plates from across Mexico. Another highlight is the tlayuda, from Oaxaca, a mass of meat, beans, and vegetables spilling over a specialty 13-inch crispy tortilla imported from Oaxaca. (All other tortillas are crafted in house).
Of course, the duo knows their audiences loves tacos, too, so they serve nine varieties, from carnitas to nopales (cactus). Keeping the ingredients as close as possible to the tacos of Padilla’s youth, Xochi also serves tacos de chapulines, or grasshopper. Mendoza says that these have been a surprise hit.
The two named their business as an “homage to Teresa’s hometown,” says Mendoza, referring to the Xochitecatl ruins near Teresa’s birthplace in San Jose Teacalco, Tlaxcala state. Mendoza is from Mexico City.
For Padilla, the opportunity to express the breadth of Mexican gastronomy has made her proud, serving favorite dishes from across various provinces. “Esos son sabores tradicionales que no se pueden encontrar por aquí,” says Padilla – they’re serving traditional flavors that you can’t otherwise find around here. Tacos arrive garnished only with cilantro, lime, and house-made chipotle or tomatillo salsa; the website notes that the taqueria doesn’t carry pico de gallo, sour cream, or flour tortillas.
Given that both hail from Think Food Group, Mendoza says that although Xochi is casual and built explicitly for the pandemic takeout market, the two “still come from high-end restaurants, and bring the same high standard here,” she says.
Elsewhere on the menu are chips and guacamole, tres leches cake, and birria, a dish of beef and cheese tacos meant to be dunked into a bowl of the same beef consomé in which the taco shells were cooked. There are also pre-bottled margaritas (using Mendoza’s own recipe, she notes) and juices, stamped with a sticker of Padilla’s likeness. Moving forward, they hope to offer delivery and expand the menu to include items like breakfast tacos and mixiotes, a saucy barbecued meat dish.
Though the women lost their jobs because of the pandemic, it also provided them with a new opportunity. Through the taqueria, they can “empower others to fight for what they want to achieve,” she says. “As long as you are dedicated to your craft and love what you do, never take no for an answer.”
And D.C. residents are ever closer to a dream of having tacos on every corner.
Taqueria Xochi is located at 924 U Street NW. Hours are 3 p.m. – 10 p.m. Takeout only. Order in-person or online here.
