Mission Navy Yard has garnered a reputation as a hangout for young Republicans, but recent visitors reveal that the taco spot could be undergoing some gerrymandering. Last night, US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez commemorated Taco Tuesday at the Navy Yard restaurant, washing down tacos with beer.
Upon hearing a guest with a security detail would be eating at the restaurant, the Mexican spot made its private entrance and elevator available to the mystery diner. However, the high-profile pair—who arrived separately around 8:30 PM—opted to stroll through the main entrance to the private dining space. Mission is a neighborhood spot for Ocasio-Cortez, who lives in a snazzy apartment building in Navy Yard, and it’s also a quick jaunt from the US Department of Transportation. Buttigieg also visited running store Pacers Navy Yard to snag some protein bars and socks while in the neighborhood.
This isn’t the first time the progressive congresswoman and the former mayor of Indiana’s fourth-largest city have been spotted out on the town together. The pair were seen chatting through masks at a DC dog park in March. Their dinner comes less than a week after Joe Biden made a taco trip of his own on Cinco de Mayo, popping by the newly opened Las Gemelas taqueria in Latin food hall La Cosecha. Could this be the most taco-loving administration yet? Honestly, anything is better than Trump’s sad taco bowl.
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in NoMa.
