A NY-Based Taqueria Rooted in ‘Tortilla Reform’ Busts Into D.C. With 3 Locations

A NY-based chain specializing in forearm-sized burritos surrounded in steamed tortillas will soon plop down in D.C. in a big way.

Dos Toros

Dos Toros Taqueria, founded by Bay Area natives and brothers Leo and Oliver Kremer, currently boasts a whopping 18 locations sprinkled across Manhattan. Its inaugural D.C. locales will debut in mid-November in both Dupont Circle (1350 Connecticut Avenue NW) and Chinatown (700 7th Street NW), and Capitol Hill (215 Pennsylvania Avenue SE) will open shortly thereafter.

Massive Mission District-style burritos, known for their lengthy cylindrical shape, come stuffed to the gills before being wrapped into a foil blanket. Monterey Jack cheese melted onto the tortilla is “the bedrock of the foundation” of each hefty handheld, Leo Kremer tells Eater. Going the steaming versus grilling route produces a pliable effect and infuses the tortilla with warmth and moisture.

“Tortilla reform is our single-issue platform,” he says. “When you roll it up it brings it to life. That’s really Mission and S.F.”

Dos Toros

Tortillas made of nixtamalized corn from local farmers in California’s Sacramento Valley are filled with guacamole made with ripe Hass avocados, homemade beans, carnitas slow-cooked over 12 hours, and chicken and steak marinated overnight in customized spice blends. Dos Toros also slings quesadillas, nachos, tacos and bowls, fresh salads, and veggie-based items. After a 6-month test run in NYC, D.C.’s menu will showcase breakfast burritos stuffed with chorizo.

“Happy hour is going to be pretty happening,” says Leo. “There’s something about a lime and beer that changes the whole experience.” D.C. locales will also offer wines and debut canned cocktails like High Noon.

Dos Toros’ main muse is decades-old Gordo Taqueria, the godfather of Bay Area burritos and “the cornerstone of our diet” growing up, says Oliver Kremer.

Dos Toros

“It dawned on us NYC didn’t have burritos at the same level,” says Oliver, whose first location opened in bustling Union Square near NYC in 2009. “Now we’re trying to do that in D.C.”

The duo was attracted to the nation’s capital, in part, for its big West Coast contingency full of transplants and politicos.

At any given time in NYC, walk-up ordering lines are “filled with people from all walks of life because this food is accessible to everyone,” says Oliver.

Dos Toros was bought 2 years ago by Founders Table Restaurant Group, which also runs salad chain Chopt.

“We take it one burrito at a time by being laser focused so that each individual location feels right,” says Leo. “[We let] simple and beautiful ingredients speak for themself.”

Dos Toros