The long-awaited sit-down Mexican restaurant has finally arrived at Penn.
Qdoba Mexican Grill, located at the corner of 40th and Locust streets, is a national chain that brings a wide range of moderately priced Mexican food to campus, with items ranging from burritos to tacos to nachos.
The restaurant opened last week during spring break.
The restaurant's operating manager refused to comment, and franchise owner Will Charbonnet Jr. was unavailable.
The restaurant was already busy yesterday afternoon, and School of Veterinary Medicine student Maureen Luschini was quite happy with her food.
"I had the chicken fajita, it was really good," Luschini said. "Everything seemed very fresh."
Qdoba's menu boasts a wide variety of foods, including "Nachos and More, Tacos/Salads, Burritos and Signature Burritos," according to the menu.
However, the selection is not limited to these dishes and also offers a "Hot Taco Bar" catering option, for groups of 20 to 100 people. There is also a "Q-to-go" option, in which food from the restaurant can be taken out.
Qdoba is an expanding chain of restaurants, already occupying 23 states, including Alabama, Washington and Colorado. There is also a location on 15th and Walnut streets in Center City, and the company is planning to open as many as 13 more franchises in the city in the next few years. The restaurant has been successful in its Center City location.
Although it was originally slated to open in October of 2003, construction was delayed due to the excessive cold of the winter.
This cold inhibited construction workers from connecting natural gas lines and moving on with the construction of the restaurant.
Before Qdoba bought the lot in the fall of last year, it was empty for three years. Penn officials at the time blamed this long vacancy on the high number of other construction projects in the area.
