Tortilla Coast

Tortilla Coast is a Tex-Mex restaurant located in Washington, DC. Their Capitol Hill facility is recognized as a watering hole for politicians and political staffers. Tortilla Coast is known for their frozen margarita pitchers and bottomless chips and salsa.

Tortilla Coast
Restaurant information
EstablishedSummer 1988
Owner(s)Clover Restaurant Group
Previous owner(s)Bo Marcus, John Breen
Food typeTex-Mex
Street address400 First Street SE
CityWashington, DC
Postal/ZIP Code20003
Coordinates38.884981°N 77.005612°W / 38.884981; -77.005612
Websitetortillacoast.com

History

Tortilla Coast was founded by Georgetown University graduates and Texas natives Bo Marcus and John Breen. The restaurant opened at D street and Massachusetts NE during the summer of 1988. They later moved to 1st and D streets SE, next to Metro's Capitol South station.[1] The restaurant's murals were painted by one of James Baker's daughters-in-law.[1]

The restaurant was purchased in 2011 by the Clover Restaurant Group, a venture founded by hotelier James Sullivan Sr. and sons. They purchased the restaurant along with three locations of Cafe Deluxe.[2] In 2018, Clover Restaurant Group merged with three Washington area restaurants owned by Geoff Tracy. The combined venture, called Chef Geoff's Deluxe Hospitality, owned Tortilla Coast along with four Cafe Deluxe locations, two locations of Chef Geoff's, and Lia's.[3]

In December 2011 they opened a second restaurant at 1460 P Street NW in Logan Circle. It gears its menu more towards authentic Mexican cuisine[4] and has 99 varieties of tequila.[5] The Logan Circle location closed in June 2017.[6]

On July 17, 2020, Geoff Tracy announced that Tortilla Coast will close at the end of August 2020 due to limited patronage during the coronavirus pandemic.[7]

Rio Room

Tortilla Coast's Capitol Hill location is known as a frequent meeting place for members of the United States Congress. Many meetings take place in a private, windowless basement room called the "Rio Room". Texas Senator Ted Cruz hosted Tea Party meetings there in the lead up to the 2013 government shutdown. Media subsequently referred to Republicans meeting there as the "Tortilla Coast Caucus".[8]

Members of the Freedom Caucus have had meetings in Tortilla Coast's basement.[9] The irony of anti-immigration lawmakers meeting at a Tex-Mex restaurant has not been lost on journalists, with The Washington Post also noting "the hilarity of high-level talks going down in a place with a name just stinking of suburban strip-mall kitsch."[1] Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan was a server at the Capitol Hill location in the early 1990s.[10][11]

The Sunlight Foundation found that Tortilla Coast was among the seven most used venues for political fundraisers.[1]

See also

References
  1. Argetsinger, Amy (October 16, 2013). "Tortilla Coast: Congress's power restaurant, with extra cheese". Washington Post.
  2. Frederick, Missy (April 29, 2011). "Father and sons expanding Cafe Deluxe, Tortilla Coast". Washington Business Journal.
  3. "Chef Geoff's Merges With Group Behind Cafe Deluxe and Tortilla Coast". Washingtonian. 2018-04-25. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  4. Novikoff, Josh (December 22, 2011). "Tortilla Coast to Coast". DCist. Archived from the original on August 11, 2014.
  5. Spiegel, Anna (December 16, 2011). "An Early Look at Tortilla Coast Logan Circle". Washingtonian.
  6. "Tortilla Coast abruptly closes prime Logan Circle Location". PoPville. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  7. "Do you believe in mini-miracles? Tortilla Coast will remain open through August thanks to all the love they've been getting lately". PoPville. Retrieved 2020-08-25.
  8. O'Grady, Siobhán (May 1, 2014). "Cruz, Tortilla Coast Caucus spotted again". The Houston Chronicle.
  9. Fuller, Matt (July 22, 2015). "Freedom Caucus Forms 'Fight Club' in House". Roll Call.
  10. Sidman, Jessica (October 15, 2013). "GOP-Mex: The Republican Tex-Mex Connection". Washington City Paper.
  11. "Tortilla Coast, Tex-Mex Spot Where Paul Ryan Once Worked, Hosting Vice Presidential Debate Watch Party". Huffington Post. October 10, 2012.
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