La Chiquiada is getting ready to serve up Mexicali fare with some Southern flair in Downtown Decatur this spring. Owner Catherine Zuber expects to open her doors at 110 W. Trinity Pl. sometime between March and April in 2022. Before that happens, the estimated 1,300 sq. ft. space in the AMLI mixed-use apartment complex will undergo a significant amount of construction at a cost of about $300,000.
La Chiquiada’s interior will seat between 12 and 14 at its banquettes, 12 at the bar, and another 15 at its tables. Their 1,000 sq. ft. covered patio, which overlooks the complex’s courtyard, will seat about 40.
La Chiquiada’s decor recreates the emotions of the restaurant’s name, an affectionate term for a hardheaded or spoiled girl, by blending soft, warm, feminine features with cold, hard, masculine ones. The restaurant’s floors will be polished concrete with the ceiling beams left exposed. The restaurant will be spotted with life-giving plants, wooden tabletops and accents, as well as touches of pink throughout. The large windows will stream light through the space.
“I don’t want to describe it as a girly place, but I wanted it to have very soft elements,” Zuber explains. “I like having the concrete and the industrial look so I can soften it up and balance it out.”
La Chiquiada will deliver a simple Authentic Mexican menu with dishes made from fresh produce inspired by Zuber’s time spent living in California and her upbringing in the South. For breakfast, you’ll find fresh homemade cinnamon rolls, Mexican concha, and buttermilk biscuits with carnitas and chipotle cheese. Small bites include roasted nuts with Mexican spices, creamy pinto beans with garlic and queso fresco, and rice with tomato purée, garlic, and peas. Lunch offers dishes like Pachi’s Pintos, quesadillas, and street tacos, while dinner adds shallow fried chile relleno with queso and red salsa and a citrus-marinated flank steak.
La Chiquiada will serve brunch on the weekends and offer a variety of café drinks, like iced horchata, and non-alcoholic beverages, like Mexican Coke. The bar will be the focus of the restaurant’s interior space where Zuber envisions a vibrant bar scene offering carefully curated mostly tequila-based cocktails, a healthy list of tequilas, craft beers, and wine.
“We hope it’s a community gathering place,” Zuber said. “A place to come sit with your friend and spend time getting lost in conversation over good food and cocktails.”
Learn more about La Chiquiada at lachiquiada.com and @lachiquiada_decatur.
