After church my family and I were searching for a new spot to eat lunch. We finally decided on Qdoba, a newer Mexican Grill located on the corner of Herndon and Fowler.

The Subway-style layout for the food presents the patron with many choices and the opportunity to oversee the making of the meal.

Anthony Miller started the first Qdoba in 1995 with his partner Robert Hauser in Denver. The restaurant quickly became renowned by critics. About 13 years later, the restaurant has expanded to almost 440 locations, and still has not stopped serving great Mexican food.

While the theme does not vary much from other restaurants, the establishment still provides an relaxed atmosphere suitable for everything from enjoying lunch with family on a Sunday afternoon to an after-school teenage hangout.

For my family’s lunch, my dad, brother and I all ordered burritos, while my mom ordered a chicken salad, and my other brother requested tacos.

We were very pleased with the portions, quality and taste of the burritos. Qdoba’s wide variety of sauces and salsas makes it possible to have a completely different burrito while maintaining the same basic ingredients like beans, rice and cheese. For example, my dad enjoyed a Pablano Pesto Burrito which had the basic burrito ingredients in addition to chicken and a sauce of Pablano peppers, almonds, cilantro and pine nuts.

I decided on a regular steak burrito, which costs $6.45. The burrito had grilled steak, rice, beans, cheese and Qdoba’s Habanero salsa, all of which combined to form a great meal.

Throughout the whole meal the freshness of the ingredients was very evident. From the freshly-made guacamole to the grilled meats, the quality and flavor was apparent in every item we ordered.

One of my few complaints is that the salad, when ordered without the fried taco shell, was rather small and cost the same price as the salad with the large taco shell, around $6.45.

One other rather minor complaint is the fact that the three tacos that my brothers had were cold, however this did not detract from the freshness of the ingredients and great taste.

However, aside from this the rest of my visit was enjoyable. Qdoba provides a fun dining experience for everyone who enjoys fresh Mexican food.

Most of the menu items all land at about $6 to $7, making Qdoba a more affordable restaurant to eat at. Qdoba is located at 1755 Herndon Ave.