A taqueria with all the classics, salads, sides and snacks—plus a late-night bar featuring margaritas and other tequila-based cocktails—is opening in Westover on Dec. 9 in the former Forest Inn space.Westover Taco seats 75 and will offer a fairly traditional menu, including chorizo, carne asada and shrimp tacos, among others, plus a vegan option for those looking to go meat-free. Salads, burritos, enchiladas and numerous Mexican appetizers and sides (guac, esquites, fried plantains) round out the menu.
From the bar, expect quenchers that pair nicely with tacos—margaritas, palomas, sangria, agua fresca and select beers.
Co-owner Scott Parker says the cozy neighborhood spot will focus on the basics—and do them really well.
“It’s a very small space [with] a small kitchen,” he says. “Obviously we can’t produce a massive menu like a giant restaurant. So we try to keep it just to the classics and the favorites, if you will.”
This isn’t the first taqueria for the seasoned restaurateur. Tacos are a mainstay at several of Parker’s other watering holes, including Don Tito in Clarendon, Don Taco in Alexandria, and Baja Tap in Adams Morgan.
Parker also co-owns Bronson, a German bierhall in Ballston, Nighthawk Brewery and Pizza in Westpost, and full-service barbershop The Bearded Goat, which has locations in Ballston, Shirlington and D.C.’s Navy Yard.
He says he and his partners (in this case, a group that includes Cowboy Cafe owners Jim and Mike Barnes, Mike Danner and Wes Clough) have been angling to open something in the Westover neighborhood for more than a decade. So when long-running dive bar The Forest Inn shuttered in the summer of 2022, they jumped at the chance.
“We have always loved that neighborhood,” Parker says. “We actually used to hang out at The Forest Inn…and we always said to ourselves, This neighborhood is so amazing. If we ever get an opportunity to own a bar in this neighborhood, let’s go for it. It’s incredible how much the people and the families that live in the neighborhood support Westover.”
“The neighborhood almost doesn’t feel like you’re in the city anymore,” he adds. “You feel like you’re in some charming little small town.”
Co-founder and managing partner Sarah White is also no stranger to the local restaurant scene. White previously managed Cowboy Cafe and several locations of Lost Dog Cafe.
Westover Taco officially opens at 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, with a soft-opening on Friday for those eager to get their taco on. Catering to the late-night crowd, it will be open until midnight Sunday thru Thursday, and until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights.