Our Story

San Pancho is family owned. Husband & wife team, Carolina McCandless & David Perez, first met in 2012 at a Mexican restaurant in the heart of the Mission district of San Francisco. San Pancho was born out of their desire to bring "Mission style" burritos to the DMV area. That is where the tag line “Born in La Mission” came from. We wanted to bring burritos in the style of the Mission district while also being careful to source premium ingredients. Our flour tortillas are Sonoran style and imported from Mexico. Our meats are from local farms & hormone-free. Everything in our kitchen is scratch made. For San Francisco transplants, we hope to bring a little bit of THE BAY to the DMV.

Their restaurant group, La Rosa Hospitality, includes San Pancho's sister restaurant

Cielo Rojo, a California influenced Mexican restaurant in Takoma Park.

Our Team

Carolina McCandless

Owner, Ops & Creative Director

Carolina was born in Chile and raised in Cabin John, MD. She lived in San Francisco for the last 13 years while getting her B.S. in Dietetics from SFSU. During her studies, she worked in restaurants & bars as a server, bartender and manager. Prior to moving back east she worked as Head of Operations for a corporate catering start up overseeing 3 markets in the bay area. She then decided to come back to her true passion, the restaurant industry. She is passionate about design, and you will see her choices throughout the space.

David Perez

Owner, Executive Chef

Chef David Perez, born in Mexico City, immigrated to the US when he was 17 years old. He has worked in kitchens ever since. His first job was working at a taqueria in the Marina district in San Francisco. His passion for California Mexican cuisine is rooted in his mother's cooking and a childhood spent enjoying street food in Mexico City and then living in San Francisco for over 20 years. He loves to experiment with different influences of his upbringing and making food that reminds you of childhood memories.

Juan Carlos (JC)

General Manager

Born in Oaxaca, Mexico. JC has 15 years experience in the hospitality industry. He started as a barista in a local coffee shop and moved into managing their cafe. His passion for the hospitality industry started there. He has worked for Cielo Rojo for 2 years prior to moving into management. Always being a steady, helpful and dedicated staff member who is loved and respected by his peers. You will see him always handing a helpful hand around the restaurant.Fun fact: I will eat al pastor tacos for the rest of my life!

Hugo

Head Chef

Hugo has worked for our restaurant since it's early days (over 4 years!) and has always been a steady, consistent hand in keeping our plates looking & tasting good due to his extreme attention to detail.He is a positive person who is passionate about cooking, an excellent friend, loyal to his core, and is a strong person who goes after his dreams. Cookbooks intrigue him and he loves to exercise. He considers his failures as drivers to success.Fun fact: his favorite phrase is "Practice makes a master"

Luis

Bar Director, La Rosa Hospitality

Luis was born in Chiapas, Mexico and moved to the US at age 9. He is a very hard-working person, with big aspirations and dreams, always interested in a career in hospitality. He started working in restaurants at the age of 18, always taking notes and learning from the best in the industry, which helped land him a job at a beloved (now shuttered) restaurant, Espita Mezcaleria, where the love of mezcal was born. His passion for agave spirits stem from its bold and intricate flavors that have helped him discover new ways of combining and balancing flavors, something that he hopes to bring and share now in his new role.

Fun fact: he loves 80's rock and roll

Luis

Sous Chef