Chapter 01 · The name
Querida.
My Dear. Beloved.
Querida is a Spanish word for my dear, my beloved. It is the name a mother calls her child at the door, the line written at the start of a letter to someone you carry with you. We chose it because everything that becomes a Querida dish is something we love first — the recipe from Mama, the chile from the comal, the laughter on a Sunday afternoon in Monclova.
In Arabic, the closest companion is عزيزي — also my dear. Two languages, one feeling. Mi casa, tu casa — that's the rest of it.
Chapter 02 · The kitchen
A small town in Northern Mexico.
Every restaurant has a beginning, and Querida's story is no different. It starts long before its first table was set; it begins in Monclova, Coahuila — a small town in northern Mexico where food wasn't just cooked, it was lived. Where kitchens smelled of carne asada, cabrito, and salsa martajada; where families gathered around the yard every Sunday, lit the wood, and the smoke gave the signal that the asado was about to start.
Barbacoa and menudo every Sunday morning, tortas de aca toy, the firefighter-station tacos, the hot dogs next to the cathedral, the whole roasted chicken, and the asada tacos. Food in Monclova is simple — but delicious.
Obed grew up in that world. The privilege of learning by living, first-hand: the heat and smell of charcoal, the laughter of his mother as they turned simple ingredients into something soulful. Those early moments became the foundation of what Querida stands for today: authenticity, warmth, and heart.
— From Magazine Issue 01, page 4
Chapter 03 · The editor
Mama Lalis.
The reason for everything.
Every flavour tells a story. Every photograph holds a feeling. For Obed, it all began in his family's kitchen in Monclova — a place filled with the smell of roasted chiles, the sound of simmering pots, and the laughter of his mother. Those early moments taught him that Mexican cooking is not just about food — it's about emotion, patience, and love passed down through generations.
— Mama Lalis (Oralia), Editor's letter, Magazine Vol 01 page 3
Chapter 04 · The move
From twenty-four kitchens to one room of our own.
Obed and Sagar met where most chefs do — in someone else's kitchen. Eighteen years of line work for Obed, eighteen kitchens for Sagar across Bangkok, Singapore, and Dubai (top-tier hotel hospitality through to two-Michelin-star fine dining). What Querida would become first lived as a concept, Taco'n Madre, in Aguascalientes — the soil where the seeds were sown. Then Mexico to UAE, the markets at Teran and Morelos giving way to a quiet street in Al Barsha.
Querida Mexican & Friends opened on Talal 14, Shop 9, Al Barsha 1 in April 2024. Twenty-six seats. No reservations. Walk-in only. The first table was set for a family from Monclova who had heard there was a Mexican neighbourhood place in Dubai that did the asada the way they did at home.
They were right.
Chapter 05 · The kitchen we built
Mexico. Chile. India. Cameroon. Uganda. UAE.
Querida's kitchen is multinational by accident and by design. Mama Lalis is the inspiration; Obed and Sagar are the founders; Hassan Juned is the third partner. Mauricio from Chile is the head chef. Luis, Chandar, Janeth, Stephan, and Jean hold the line. Aaron keeps the kitchen moving. Ibrahim, Lucia, and Irma run the room. Ernesto painted the murals. Bryan runs the brand layer.
Closing
Mi casa, tu casa.
Welcome to Querida. One taco at a time.
— Obed, Founder · Sagar Khanna, Co-Founder