One of the DMV area’s favorite taquerias is preparing to serve up a second helping of delicious Southwestern cuisine to Virginia foodies. Fish Taco is opening a new location-its second in Old Dominion and its fifth overall-in Falls Church next year, reports the Washington Business Journal.
The restaurant’s newest storefront will occupy 2,200 square feet at 109 Founders Avenue. Fish Taco’s Director of Strategy and Development Brant Cotter tells What Now DC that the concept has been planning to increase its foothold in Virginia for a while. “When we had the opportunity to go into this location, everything made sense in regards to the size we’re looking for, the vision of the developer…it made a lot of sense to us and its fairly close to our other location. We like to keep things relatively close.”
Fish Taco’s new Falls Church home will maintain all the hallmarks that have made the concept so beloved to the DMV, with enough unique flourishes to set it apart. Cotter explains “Operationally and functionally it’s going to be identical to the other locations-menus, recipes, service. The image, the design, the decor, we vary a bit from location to location. Overall we stick to a more rustic, beachy theme, with accents of things that tie into the idea of Mexico and the Southwest, and Mission style decor. You’ll see a lot of the same decor and design ideas, but they might be implemented in slightly different ways and concepts.”
As the name suggests, Fish Taco takes a seafood forward approach to its cuisine, which Cotter explains sets it apart from many similarly themed local eateries. However it is the dedication and care given to crafting the fare that makes the taqueria so special.
“We focus on a scratch based kitchen,” Cotter states, adding “Everything is made fresh in house, every day. We’re Mexican and Southwest inspired, so we have a lot of different flavors and techniques you might find in authentic Mexican cooking.”
Fish Taco will offer Falls Church diners the chance to enjoy a casual night out without sacrificing quality service. Cotter explains: “We’re approachable to families. Everything is counter service, but we’ve stayed true to our roots in full service where we still serve all of our food on real plates, with real metal utensils, and real glasses. With us, you can be as quick as you want to be, you can be there as long as you want to be. We still run the food to you, we still come by to clean up after you. We’re trying to meld the fast-casual environment with the full-service environment, so people still feel like they’re being waited on and taken care of.”
Cotter states that Fish Taco is shooting for an end of summer opening.
