A fast-casual baked potato? Tato’s in Montgomery Mall provides.

The humble baked potato is having a moment.

Social media creators are constructing stuffed potatoes with heaps of toppings. Eateries devoted to them are sprouting up in New York and closer to home.

Enter: Tato’s. The fast-casual eatery first sprang up in June at Silver Spring’s Commas Food Hall and opened its second location in Montgomery Mall on Feb. 2.

Co-owners Victor Nava and Cristian Saucedo met while working together at D.C.’s Maiz64 and bonded over their shared Mexican heritage. Nava told The Banner that when they were dreaming up a restaurant, they kept gravitating toward potatoes.

“Back in Mexico, we used to grill potatoes or bake potatoes, so you have that crispy skin and mashed potato texture inside,” Nava said. “It’s one of the things we found in common here in the States that exists as a comfort food.”

The pair used that point of connection to make six combinations to represent different nations — diners can also build their own potato. All the combinations can be ordered over a baked Russet potato, fries or wedges.

The U.S. gets the classic configuration of chili, sour cream, cheddar and scallions. France is represented with boeuf bourguignon (beef stew), hollandaise and chives. Some countries might take a beat to connect with a baked potato, such as Jamaica. Tato’s tops jerk chicken with pineapple and parmesan cheese.

I took a recent weekday lunch trip to try some and find out whether warmth could be found at the end of a mall food court hallway. I’m pleased to report that the baked potato isn’t just a legacy dish. Hopefully, Tato’s will not be the only restaurant to take a chance on rethinking the spud.

I was immediately drawn to the familiar cottage comforts of France’s potato heritage. The balance of flavors and textures, including the creamy hollandaise melting into the hot potato, evoked all the nourishing nostalgia of warming up with a hearty beef stew.

Across the board, Tato’s could stand to pile on more of their fillings, such as the stew meat, into the sliced-open spud because the size of our potatoes was massive.

The Jamaica variant was odd on paper and didn’t work much better in practice. Some of the typically zesty and bold flavors of jerk chicken were overwhelmed and muted by the potato.

But it was no surprise that Nava and Saucedo showcased Mexico well with barbacoa, guacamole and a smoky salsa macha that the duo formulated to allow those with a peanut allergy to taste their tribute to home, Nava said. Here, they replicate the nuttiness with sunflower seeds.

As it turns out, my colleague and I made it just in time to snag the last of the batch of baked potatoes. Nava said they’ve been tied with fries as the shop’s top seller, well ahead of wedges. The store is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day except Sunday, when hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Tato’s workers bake up batches of 10 to 20 potatoes every hour or two during operation and stop around 6 p.m., according to Nava.

“I think a potato will drive you to specific places when you were a child like when your mom cooked potatoes for you,” Nava said. “That’s the power of the baked potato.”