Tacos, Tortas & Tequila Building in Silver Spring Could Grow a Third Story

Development proposal calls for adding 2,700 square feet to Ramsey Avenue structure

Murals at the building for Tacos, Tortas & Tequila and Buena Vida. Joe Zimmermann

The owners of Tacos, Tortas & Tequila and Buena Vida in downtown Silver Spring have plans to add a third floor to their restaurant building.

Documents filed with the Montgomery County Planning Department show the expansion at 8407 Ramsey Ave. would total about 2,700 square feet and increase the building height by about 10 feet. The new third floor would feature a bar area, an indoor dining area and an outdoor dining terrace with a partial overhead enclosure, according to the submitted plans.

“The proposed third floor addition will create opportunities for economic and social connections, as the outdoor dining area will be visible to street level pedestrians and passerby motorists,” the document stated.

A general manager for the restaurants said the plans are still on the drawing board and there aren’t additional details at this point.

The building on Ramsey Avenue was once home to 8407 Kitchen Bar, which closed in October. In May, Balkan restaurateur Ivan Iricanin opened twinned concepts for Mexican fare at the address. Tacos, Tortas & Tequila—also called TTT—occupies the building’s first floor and serves drinks and small items with a street-food flare. Buena Vida is a full-service restaurant that delivers contemporary Mexican food made with local ingredients.

The addition would increase the building’s size to about 8,600 square feet and its height to nearly 34 feet.

Now that the property owner, 8407 LLC, has submitted its preliminary plan proposal, planning staff will review it before presenting it to the county Planning Board.

Iricanin is the former partner in El Centro and the owner of Ambar, both in Washington, D.C.

Bethany Rodgers can be reached at bethany.rodgers@bethesdamagazine.com.