Around Town
Published August 12, 2025 at 1:00PM
Corner Bakery Cafe’s former spot at 2111 Wilson Blvd (staff photo by Katie Taranto)
Permit for bar construction at 2111 Wilson Blvd (staff photo by Katie Taranto)
2111 Wilson Blvd (staff photo by Katie Taranto)
The empty space left by Corner Bakery Cafe in Courthouse is getting a new restaurant, possibly by this fall.
Rocoto’s Restaurant and Bakery hopes to bring “high-end casual” Tex-Mex and Latin American fusion to 2111 Wilson Blvd, owner Jaime Vargas told ARLnow. The restaurant is under construction and recently applied for a state liquor license.
Seafood will be a highlight
Vargas said Rocoto’s menu will feature Tex-Mex dishes like fajitas and tacos, as well as some specials from Peruvian, Bolivian and Argentinian cuisine.
Rocoto’s will have an emphasis on seafood, with planned offerings like ceviche, seafood tamales and tacos filled with mahi-mahi and tuna.
Vargas plans to repurpose equipment from the former bakery, which closed in February 2023 after the company declared bankruptcy. He hopes to offer saltenas, or Bolivian meat pies, in addition to cakes and baked goods for dessert.
Rocoto’s is named after a pepper
Vargas said the restaurant may use the rocoto pepper, which is native to Central and South America, in some of its dishes.
“Rocoto is a very spicy chili,” Vargas said. “It almost looks like bell pepper, and it’s really, really hot. If you don’t know how hot it is, you should find out.”
Vargas, a Falls Church resident, is also the owner of San Antonio Bar & Grill, a Tex-Mex restaurant on 12th Street in D.C. His niece owns the restaurant’s Alexandria location.
It hopes to open in October
Rocoto’s is currently in construction and applied for a liquor license last Thursday.
Vargas hopes to offer drinks like margaritas and pisco sours at a 19-person bar.
The restaurant will have seating for about 100 people inside and 46 people on an outdoor patio outside.
Dining and Cooking