Sneak Peek: Toro Toro by Richard Sandoval

Global restaurateur Richard Sandoval's pan-latin steakhouse, Toro Toro, opens at 13th and Eye NW next Monday. Brush up on your foreign languages (to understand the name), then join us for a look inside. 

Toro Toro is the sixth Richard Sandoval restaurant in DC after Zengo, Masa 14, Ambar, and two locations of El Centro. A play on the Japanese word for tuna and the Spanish word for bull, Toro Toro already has locations in Dubai and Miami. The menu will feature a variety of dishes and ingredients from South and Central America, and chef de cuisine Stephen Hartzell tells us he has big plans for the DC menu. 

Toro Toro's menu will be extensive, offering cold and hot dishes, small and large plates. Options range from arepas (stuffed Venezuelan corn cakes) and ceviches to full-sized steaks and entrees. Toro Toro will also offer its own version of churrascaria. Called "The Rodizio Experience," it includes seven different meats carved tableside (ribeye, chorizo, chicken thighs, prawns, and more), plus your choice of "free-flowing small plates" and side dishes. This option must be ordered by the entire table, though an abbreviated version for two is also available. 

Toro Toro will offer lunch, dinner, and late night dining, as well as a poppin' nightlife scene in the basement lounge area. DJs will spin live at a station that overlooks the dance floor and a 12-seat bar. Brunch will eventually be offered as well, and the 12,400 SF space can be rented out for private events, accommodating 600 standing guests. Here, national director Ivan Iricanin shows us one of the best seats in the house: the high-top seating provides a great view of the churrascaria action going on in the caged-in open kitchen.