If anything defines Mexican food, it is a tradition of experimentation and innovation, of new flavors emerging out of new circumstances. At Qdoba, we honor this tradition and appreciate that we have the chance to show our neighbors what every proud Mexican chef knows to be true: there is much more to Mexican food than most Americans know.

Long before the Spanish arrived in Mexico in the 1500s, indigenous people enjoyed a rich array of native foods, such as beans, squash, chiles and corn. Incredibly, corn and beans, which form the foundation of Mexican food, together create the building blocks of protein. This may be why the Aztec and Mayan cultures were able to thrive. When the Spanish Conquistadors did arrive in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan in 1519 – now the modern capital Mexico City – they found not only a new world of everyday food, but something even more amazing: the Emperor Montezuma introduced them to a drink made from honey, vanilla and chocolate. Vanilla and chocolate were new wonders for the Europeans, who would adopt them and help the two delicacies become international treasures.