Moving to Beijing

Medina moved to Beijing in 2012, as he aimed to bring people good quality Mexican food at an affordable price whether in New York or in Beijing.

"I think Mexican food is extremely adaptable to the Chinese palate. Think about the use of chilies which originally come from Mexico, and nuts and seeds such as sesame and peanuts," he says, adding that he has encountered many dishes around China that reminded him of Mexican food.

In 2012, there was no burrito shops in Beijing, and only one or two Mexican restaurants.

"I was seeing my life start all over again," he says, adding that it was then that he started their first Q Mex restaurant.

"The Q in Q Mex means quality, and I took a long time to define our restaurants because like Chinese food, Mexican food is so full of variety," he says.

Now, Medina has two Q Mex Bar& Grill outlets which serve Tex-Mex and California-style Mexican dishes and one Q Mex Taqueria which offers authentic southern Mexican cuisine in Beijing.

"Unlike New York, where there is tons of foreign food, China has a very strong tradition of its own food. So the market won't spiral the way it did in New York, but we're seeing Mexican restaurants open all around China," says Medina.

Now, he also offers his mom's recipe in Beijing. He named it "dirty taco" as it's impossible to stay clean while eating it.

Besides traditional burritos and crispy shrimp tacos, Medina's restaurants also serve tequila, which shows up in margaritas, bulldogs, and more.

The taco burger at Q Mex Bar & Grill won the 2017 Beijing Burger Cup event organized by the Beijinger magazine.

It combines burgers and tacos, with a homemade beef patty infused with the flavors of spicy Mexican chorizo topped with guacamole and crispy tortilla chips.