La Fonda Latina

Good little place. The seafood paella was tasty and really good value, and the menu as a whole has a lot of variety. Takeout was super fast too

La Fonda is underwhelming. The food is ok, the place is usually just too loud to talk and the parking area is sketchy. Maybe with friends it’s more fun but there are so much better Mexican restaurants in Atlanta:

I love La Fonda! I make up occasions just to go there!!! The staff is friendly and our food never takes long. The shrimp tacos are my favorite, as is the Prickly Pear Margarita! Go! Eat! Enjoy!

TL;DR — Huge portions, average prices.
La Fonda is a convenient option for good Spanish food and drinks.
They open till late night and their service is usually on point.
This place is also convenient for large groups, for they have vast amount of seating inside and outside patio.
I usually order Paella and wife orders Grilled pork & mango salad whenever we come here. Paella (although sometimes a bit salty) is full of seafood and portions are huge. As per GP&M Salad, it is savory & sweet due to grilled pork and mango, and sauce on the side definitely completes each bite of salad.
Just be aware that you shouldn’t leave any valuables in the car in the parking lot. I’ve had couple friends that have gotten their car broken into.

We have eaten here on several occasions, but tonight we ordered the paella. Wow. Just wow. Perhaps the artichoke dip or the margaritas heightened our senses, but paella — wow. Just wow.

First time trying this place and maybe my last. I had the sopa de pollo. The soup was barely warm, so I had them heat it up no big deal. The chicken was very dry in the soup. That was a first time I had a bad experience with chicken soup from a Mexican restaurant! I do have to admit there Cuban sandwiches are very good. The service was ok! We didn’t ask for much just to get soup reheated and when we were done we had to find the server to get the check. We felt like we were an inconvenience to have them separate the check. Maybe they were having a bad day who knows.

Good food. Cuban Mexican.
The white corn tortillas they use for their tacos are like none I’ve eaten before. They are thin and soft. Usually corn tortillas are thick and fall apart. You have to double them up to get a taco going. Not La Fonda’s. The meat in their beef tacos (steak strips) are high quality and they have red El Yucateco on the tables. Respect.
It’s almost always loud inside, especially on cold evenings when the close the patio. They put sound insulation tiles on the ceiling which probably helps but it’s still sometimes difficult to have a conversation without yelling.

Every time I’m in Atlanta for work we have to come here to get Queso dip! It’s seriously all about the queso. I could eat a giant vat of it. Their tacos are also excellent and if you’re feeling like you need to be good try any of their salads. We always seem to be able to get a booth when we’re here. The parking lot is a little small and a little rough. be sure to lock your valuables away.
DID I MENTION THAT QUESO DIP?

This is a popular spot for Midtown natives. It’s always busy but never crowded enough for a wait, which is good. There is plenty of seating both inside and outside on the patio. The service was pretty slow and weren’t told you’re supposed to go up to the counter to pay your bill. After we ordered the food came out quickly though.
My table ordered a salmon enchilada and the arroz con pollo. The food was pretty good but nothing spectacular. Also, I usually judge hispanic restaurants by their sopa de pollo. I ordered it on previous visits here and wasn’t a fan.
For parking, there’s a free lot behind the restaurant. It’s convenient but can be a little tricky to get into.

I love this place, and I’m shocked, shocked I tell you, that it has under a 4 star rating.
If you love Mexican food and don’t eat meat, this place is a no-​brainer, and with the wide selection of animals they do serve– from the gentle cow bistec to the various wonders of the deep blue sea they put in their paella del mar, I can’t believe omnivores don’t just love it too.
There are more than one La Fondas in town and this is not the original one. I’ve been to that one too, and it doesn’t make me love this location any less.
The menu is traditional Mexican and Cuban cuisine. I think they think its upscale, but I would definitely call it nice casual. The restaurant is cool. Bright and clean and well decorated, polished. The service is fast and friendly, a little hard to communicate with sometimes especially if you know zero Spanish, which is not a problem for me, because I know slightly more than zero Spanish. (pats self on back)
The first time I came I had veggie tacos. Veggie tacos at a Mexican restaurant usually means a taco missing the meat, plus whatever veggies they have on hand… usually onions and peppers… but at La Fonda the veggie tacos had EVERY vegetable and they were AMAZING. Their meatless dishes are not an afterthought, a courtesy. There are probably vegetables and sauces on the veggie dishes that they make just for those dishes, and their menu is expansive. They have veggie options in tacos and enchiladas and cuban sandwiches AND even the paella. The yellow rice is veg, it says it on the menu (and thanks, btw, for that whoever made the menu!) There’s also a deep list of salads and I venture to say evan a vegan could find a good meal here, but all the food looks amazing, not just the meatless stuff. And the tacos were so good that I get them every time I come. After a few visits I was tempted to try something else but I was AFRAID they wouldn’t be as good as the tacos and I’d regret it.
Point is, if you’re thinking there’s no good Mexican food in Georgia you definitely should check out La Fonda

I LOVE La Fonda! I have been coming here for over 20 years and the quality of the food is still as exceptional as before.
I have never had a bad meal. I always get the same thing — the Rueben Cubano which consists of a grilled, marinated, chicken breast sandwich pressed on fresh Cuban Bread with melted Swiss cheese, sliced pickles, coleslaw, and a delicious creamy Cuban sauce. The sandwich is served with a side of yellow rice and black beans. The meal also comes with complimentary chips and delicious fresh salsa. The price is very inexpensive! For all this food, I only pay $ 10!
If you haven’t tried la Fonda Latina, I highly recommend it!

First time coming here! I love the atmosphere, the location is great. Affordable food & drinks! Customer friendly!

I will admit I am not a fan of Mexican, but we were on the Westside after church today looking for something to eat. As a side note, there is not much open on Sunday afternoon on the Westside. All the restaurants seem to take the day off on that side of the ATL. West Egg is always packed and we did not want Yeah Burger. So, we went to La Fonda.
My wife has always liked their Mango and grilled pork salad. It seems to typically be good especially if they get a char on the pork. They accomplished that today. As for me I have a tough time here, I like Taqueria Del Sol, can’t think of a better enchilada, and for burritos I’ve got to have Bell Street. Looking over the menu the Arroz Con Pollo caught my eye. It is a half roasted chicken with yellow rice, onions and peppers. I have had the La Fonda paella which is OK and is usually my go to dish here. I thought this dish would be similar. It was very good! It comes out piping hot in a cast iron skillet. The chicken was tender and had good flavor and there is a lot of food. This dish could easily be split. I took half home for later. I really was pleasantly surprised by the depth of flavor. I would definitely order this again.
Now the service at La Fonda is always poor, although of all the locations I like the Howell Mill location the best. Eating here is not too complicated so you don’t need a lot of service. I noticed the restaurant had 100 on the health inspection, very good! All in all pretty good for an afternoon of Mexican and at a reasonable price.

The Mexican Iceberg is one of the best drinks I’ve found in Atlanta. A frosty mug is filled with Dos Eques Amber Lager finished with a generous pour of their creamy, frozen margarita. It’s amazing but will cost you $ 10 for a large.
La Fonda is a Latin restaurant that combines Spanish, Cuban, and Mexican dishes onto one menu. Two of my favorite meals are (1) the Maiz Y Jalapeño quesadilla with grilled chicken added on and (2) the shrimp tacos with the spicy chipotle taco sauce (almost comparable to a Mexican yum-​yum sauce).
The atmosphere is great at La Fonda, especially when you can enjoy the outdoor patio on a nice Atlanta day.
La Fonda is one of my go-​to Mexican restaurants in Atlanta.

Three words: Sopa de Pollo!
Seriously, their chicken soup was my favorite dish. The Pollo a la Parrilla was excellent, but the soup stole the show for me.
Sopa de Pollo: White meat chicken, tomatoes, cilantro, rice, and chicken broth… simple, and fucking amazing.
Pollo a la Parrilla: Marinated half chicken, grilled & glazed, served with yellow rice & black beans.
Everything was fresh, cooked perfectly, authentic, and reasonably price. Added bonus: free chips and salsa, and amazing service from the homie Gustavo.

Tasty American-​Mexican/​Spanish/​Cuban restaurant. I would come again! Prices are about $ 1 more than I’m used to, but the food is better than other Tex-​Mex places that pop up.
Parking: Some seating in the front and back, but you’ll probably have better luck with the visitor spaces in the parking garage across the street.
Set Up: Seat yourself indoors or outdoors. Your chips and salsa are served immediately. After your meal, you take your check to the cashier to pay.
Food: Savory, the paella (~$ 14 w/​tip+tax) is served in a skillet. The rice is cooked with squid, shrimp, chicken, sausage, and peppers. The flavors meld nicely, and by filling up on the chips, I was able to take some home. I would definitely recommend ordering this dish.
Service: Excellent. Servers came by so often that our chip bowl never went empty.

After getting some drinks with some friends, we were hungry. In the mood for Mexican food, we decided La Fonda would be a good place to try out. (One guy had been there already and recommended it.) And boy, we were not disappointed!
First off, another name for this restaurant might be: The Land of Free-​Flowing Chips and Salsa. I kid you not, the moment our chips and salsa bowls were to 25% capacity. The waitress came by with fresh bowls of chips and salsa. This happened 3 times in a row. (I said we were hungry.)
I ordered the pork burrito, which comes with rice and beans on the side. The pork was delicious. With each bite, I looked forward to that juicy, smoky pork. In addition, the burrito had excellent structural integrity. As an engineer, I can affirm that that burrito was solid.
Side Notes: parking lot is small. Checks are given individually, and you pay at the counter, so it’s easy for groups to pay.

I realize… I’m a sucker for La Fonda. I go to the one in the Highlands more often, but… this location isn’t that bad at all.
Parking — they do have a lot behind the restaurant as well as in front. I go at a later dinner time most times so the lots aren’t *that* full. But it’s always smart to carpool since places like La Fonda can fill up quickly with cars. Especially b/​c there is MORE seating for folks.
Seating — this La Fonda has a great amount of seating inside and outside. In fact, it’s awesome for group dinners. I see so many people sit outside on a gorgeous day. I can’t wait till Spring comes back!!! :D Whenever I’m with at least 4 people, we usually come here since more than likely we can get seating quickly.
Service — It’s a «seat yourself» kind of place when you arrive. As soon as we sit, 3 seconds later — we get greeted with salsa and chips & given a menu. Even during our meal, we get awesome service… this happens each time I come here. (I come to this location probably every 2 – 3 months).
Salsa here tastes really good. Like… I wish I could take it home and use it with my own food. Once I taste it, I can’t stop eating it. I think it’s one of the best salsas I’ve had in life, ha.
I always order the same thing. 2 Chicken tacos with extra rice and no beans. Love getting it here whenever I’m tired and just craving Mexican-​ish food. No complaints.
I’ve gotten the Paella once, but I think I prefer tacos. I hate trying to pick bones out of my dishes.
Overall, not a bad place to eat and hang out. I’m sure this places makes decent money since it’s right across an apartment complex & near 2 other condos/​apartments.

I’ve been eating here for at least a decade. The first time was in high school. I had the paella. I was still afraid of squid then. The idea is comedic now.
For my money, their Texas margs are the best in town. They’re not too sweet, not too expensive and will slowly but surely take you where you need to be, or not. Like seriously, be careful with these. They will make you intoxicated/​drunk because they taste like oranges and limes.
It’s a hit or miss on the roasted chicken dish. Sometimes it’s juicy, sometimes it’s dry. The fish tacos are consistently good and so is the salmon salad. If I’m feeling fat, I’ll eat the steak quesadilla. It’s sooooo rich and filling and no matter which LaFonda I’ve visited, it’s consistently tender. The margs are consistent chain wide as well. The chips and salsa are also my jam because if you’re lucky, the chips are warm and they have big chunks of onion. I love onions!
Good place to go with friends/​large groups. Good place to go if you need a big meal for a good price. Good place to go before you party.

One thing I like about La Fonda is it’s open late. This is one of the handful of late night, affordable dining options in Westside. I’m writing this update to cover some different dishes I’ve tried that didn’t make it into my original review.
First is the Paella Con Verduras for two ($ 15.50). It consists of yellow rice cooked in a curry seasoning with eggplant, artichoke hearts, peas, squash, mushrooms, black olives, onions, and peppers. I’ve had La Fonda’s other paella dishes before and enjoyed them. However, this was my first time trying their paella without seafood. Paella is a traditional Spanish rice dish. Here, it’s served in a black iron skillet.
The paella looks good, but it’s way too salty. So salty, it’s almost inedible. Absolute overkill on the salt and curry powder. Other than its extreme saltiness, the rest of the dish is fine. I like the generous portion size and the bevy of ingredients, though several of the veggies seem like they come from a can. Not completely surprising.
I finally tried some of La Fonda’s burritos (~$ 8 each) and they are huge. Unlike Willy’s, Chipotle, Moe’s, etc, La Fonda’s burritos look more like soft taco wraps. They are served in a thin, sometimes almost brittle, flour tortilla. The burritos are stuffed with a variety of ingredients including lettuce, red cabbage, onion, tomato, grilled corn, and a tasty sour cream-​jalapeño sauce too. The burritos are a bit dry and I find myself having to add salsa. Perhaps more of that sour cream-​jalapeño sauce would do the trick.
The enchiladas (~$ 8 for two) aren’t bad. They’re made with white corn tortillas, tomatoes, and onions, are are topped with a chipotle ancho chili pepper tomato sauce, cheddar and jack cheese, queso blanco (Mexican white cheese), and cilantro. You can get them cooked with either chicken, beef, pork, fish, vegetables, or just plain cheese. The enchiladas are absolutely smothered in the tomato sauce, which is a little bit spicy too.
Yellow rice and black beans are served with many of the entrees. I like the rice. It’s soft and fluffy with some flavor too. The black beans aren’t very good. Thick, pasty, and not tasty.
The horchata here is tasty, but also thick and chalky. It’s a sweet, cinnamon rice drink served on ice. If you like sweet drinks, you’ll probably like it.
I’m still digging the salsa. Check out my previous review for more of my thoughts on that and other dishes.
Service is so-​so, regardless of how busy the restaurant is. Sometimes, it’s slow. Other times, they forget about your order or other requests. The service can definitely be improved upon here.