Local Food Truck Opens New Restaurant in Reston

Behind the counter of Chef on Wheels, a food truck that serves up authentic Mexican burritos, tacos and bowls, stands the chef, Basir Ahadi, an immigrant from Afghanistan. The Reston resident’s love for Mexican food pushed him to operate a food truck business in 2011.

Last week, Ahadi marked another milestone in his culinary journey by opening his first brick-and-mortar restaurant, shifting his food truck business from the streets of Reston to the former site of Sweet Heat BBQ on 1810 Michael Faraday Drive.

The new restaurant, which will offer dine-in options for dinner beginning today, allows Ahadi to bring families together over dinner for authentic Mexican food made from local produce, he said.

“The main reason that I opened the brick and mortar was for people to bring their families for dinner. We were only serving lunch and we didn’t have a location. This is our way of becoming a very permanent part of the community,” Ahadi, who graduated from South Lakes High School, said. He has lived in Reston for 26 years.

As he shifts his business, Ahadi plans to operate only one food truck on Reston’s streets. He hopes to have a big party at a grand ceremony in the spring of next year to celebrate the restaurant’s opening.

The restaurant serves gourmet chicken, steak, ground beef, fish and veggie tacos, burritos and burrito bowls. It will be open from 10:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. this week. Delivery services will be offered soon.