Fonda Del Mar

The food was yummy and the service was phenomenal! They took such good care of our party that we’re thinking of going back! It is byob and the owners told us that they’ve been trying to change the information on Unilocal.So back to the food… it is beautifully presented and tastes just as wonderful as it looks. I had the Enchiladas de pollo en mole negro… they were divine! Give it a try, you won’t regret it!

I drive past this Monday through Friday two times a day and a few times I’ve noticed the colorful sign and have always wanted to try it. Luckily for me, this past Friday I went out to eat with a couple of friends and they suggested it based on their feature on «Check Please». I was super pumped. I think I even mentioned that I was going to fuck a tiger shrimp.
First thing that I noticed was that it was empty on a Friday evening, and the second thing that I noticed was that it was bright enough to perform surgery… on a tiger shrimp… with myAnyways, we were sat quickly and they quickly got us some margarita mix for our tequila. Might have been homemade, but it tasted sweet and syrupy like a mix.
Next up, we ordered some ceviche while looking at the menu. Daaaahang this menu looks good… It was not. The ceviche was bland and not in abundance. An appetizer should appetize, not underwhelm and undernourish. If it only does one of those things, I’m typically okay with it.
The three of us each got a meal.
Friend «A» aka ordered tiger shrimp in poblano sauce. He even stated he isn’t a pepper fan, but doesn’t mind it if it is a sauce.
Friend «B» aka «Weather Vain», ordered some shrimp in some other sauce with black beans and rice.
I ordered a Paella.
Friend «A» got an entire stuffed pepper stuffed with salmon. He hesitated but finally sent it back because the waiter was very nice about it. (Later just asked for it to be boxed up because we were done by that point…)
Friend «B» Got what she ordered. Looked ok, nothing great.
I got a bowl of what I can only assume is rotted out death with rice and mussels. The stench was so strong no one else could eat. I figured ou that it was the calamari. I tried to pick around it but it ruined the food. I left it, we left the rest of the food, paid full price with a reasonable tip and left after letting the waiter know what was wrong. I was nice about it, but honestly, worst seafood experience I’ve ever had.

I tried the guacamole, Ceviche de Pescado, and Enchiladas de Pollo en Mole Negro
All were very flavorful and a step more towards Americanized than truly Mexican. The friend I was dining with said that she thought she saw the chef handmaking the chips, but the chips tasted a bit too fried (very «crispy», as the menu described). I also thought they went a little overboard on the mole negro because I actually had to scrape some off the top and from inside my enchilada.
It seemed like everyone dining were having a good time, and the spaciousness of the restaurant was a nice change to the usual overcrowded feel of smaller places.
My subjective 3-​star comes from the fact that normally Mexican food tastes really good to me because of their large portions, cheap price, and amazing salsa that adds a kick to the dish, but Fonda Del Mar fell a bit short of those expectations… sad…

$ 20 Pre Fixe includes any appetizer, any entrée (excluding lamb chops and fish of the day), any dessert. Considering that most of the entrees are $ 13-​$ 18 alone, that is quite the steal. Also, this place is BYOB with no corkage fee! That would have come in really handy if either I or my dining companions had remembered to bring wine. Whoops!
They had some really inventive dishes, but they were all red meat or fish based (which I don’t eat). There were chicken and vegetarian dishes, they were just a trifle more pedestrian. Still very good. I think the rice was actually my favorite part of dinner – it had amazing flavor. The beans were very bland. They and the enchiladas I had could have used a bit (or a lot) of salt.
We had the tartaleta for dessert, and it was fantastic. Chocolatey and warm with melty vanilla ice cream – the perfect finish.

I love this Logan Square Mexican place, service and Food are good. They have a $ 25dlls special (appetizer, entrée, dessert) Plus is BYOB Décor is nice and colorful…
Give it a try, you won’t be disappointed!

We headed over on a Sat night and snagged a spot on the back patio. Gave the waiter our bottle of tequila and he came back with a pitcher of delicious Margarita’s (they charge $ 10 but it’s still a deal).
I’m not a huge fan of their salsa but those chips go great with the ceviche. I went with the whole snapper and ate it down til it was all bones. Wife had the camarones that were the best shrimp I’ve had in awhile. And we finished with the pinapple-​upside-​down cake. They just need to hire another server cause there was one guy working the whole place.

Went here on a Saturday night, and the service was a bit slow, but that’s because there was only one server (I’m actually friends with one of the servers there, which is how I found out about the place, but he requested the weekend off). And that’s my only complaint. I didn’t find it to be that big of a deal though since the food, atmosphere, weather and company was excellent.
The food: I’m generally not a huge Mexican fan, because most Mexican places focus on dishes every American who’s ever been to a Taco Bell knows (tacos, chimichangas, burritos, flauta, taco salad, etc.,) and the only variations are within those dishes. Or maybe they have variations in spiciness, but since I’m a major gringa, I like to actually taste my food, not the burn. This place is still Mexican, but they concentrate on doing food that tastes fantastic, rather than being super familiar.
For starters:
Free tortilla chips and tomatillo salsa — made in house as far as i can tell, and salsa was a nice medium with a hint of fruitiness.
Uchepas — sweet corn tamales in a creamy poblano sauce: sweet and slightly spicy, but without that really starchy texture you sometimes run into
Ensalada Fresca — a salad of julienned jicama, cucumber, fresh mango, and a dab of hot sauce on top: the PERFECT salad for a hot day
Main course:
Camarones — the grilled shrimp that every other review talks about: good, and the vegetable hash that it was over had cloves of roasted garlic in it — super yummy
Lamb chops — EXCELLENT mole. Earthy, toasty, slighly sweet, with a slow burn at the end that doesn’t overpower the other flavors. The lamb chops were prepared lollipop style, which means I couldn’t help but just dip them in the mole, and eat them caveman style. Though the mashed potatoes served alongside were rather forgettable.
It is BYOB, and we brought a bottle of white wine, and they provided a bucket of ice to rest it in to keep it chilled on a 90 degree night. Bonus points. Rumor is that if you bring your own tequilla, they have a house-​made mix and will make a margarita for you.
It was a perfect night, so we sat on the patio, and I have no complaints there either, Cute décor, nice music, just a perfect dinner out.

i have a bit of a love letter to write to this place since they have done much more than just serve me dinner.
this past june, i held my wedding at fonda del mar. we only had three months to plan (which is unheard of in many circles) and wanted to keep our event in the neighborhood of which we lived – logan square.
our contact’s name was will, and he was unbelievably accommodating. will was laid back, let us know our options for choosing a menu for the event, and made the whole thing seem totally under control. now, i’ll admit, i can be a bit left-​of-​center, and will was completely on board with all the bizarre requests i made (yellow table cloths and orange napkins? sure! i can rent those for you!)
now, every wedding has its panic moment and mine was no exception. the friday before our wedding, the air conditioning went out in the restaurant and couldn’t be fixed until Monday. and then, on saturday, the BIG day, it rained like hell and we were having our ceremony on the back patio. well, those two events that would have otherwise been tragic ended up coinciding perfectly – the rain cooled the weather and the AC became a non-​issue. *whew* will and his crew of servers who were working the event, were immediately on the back patio right after the rain stopped and were toweling off the chairs and getting everything re-​situated so that it was all perfect by the time the guests arrived.
we had about 70 guests and the restaurant really shouldn’t accommodate for that many though they did a great job handling our party. i would say, 60 guests should be the maximum for anyone else planning an event here. the food was unbelievable (of course), and the team of servers worked their assess off to make our guests happy. One server was running food and working the bar, and he was unreal! The restaurant is BYO, so we brought in cases of liquor, and the folks at fonda handled the rest.
while the guests were eating, will and the crew moved the chairs around on the back patio to make room for a dance floor and once dinner was over, the party moved out back and went late into the evening without a hitch. PERFECT!
i truly cannot thank the fonda del mar team enough for giving us a great wedding day. i’d recommend them to anyone who has a formal event and is looking to hold it at a place where the food and atmosphere are key.

To discover a restaurant with awesome service and delicious food in the midst of fabulous company and conversation? Amazing!
On a chilly April Thursday night, Fondo del Mar was not busy. Aside from our table, there were maybe two or three other tables seated throughout the night. Such a small crowd might feel weird at some restaurants where the service, music or décor are no good, but everything jived perfectly at Fondo del Mar.
To get started, we ordered the guacamole. It was delicious, tasted a bit like it had a dash of citrus in it maybe, and was garnished with tasty cucumbers.
For dinner, we split an order of the Budin Vegeteriano – basically a Mexican veggie, tortilla and cheese casserole – and the fish tacos. Both dishes were so good – the fish tacos so fresh and flavorful, the budin oozed cheesy veggie warm comfort.
BYO tequila for their homemade margarita mix! (Or hop down the street to the nearby liquor store if, like us, you forget.)
But even with all that delicious food, it was really the awesome, attentive, friendly service that made Fondo del Mar so great. Can’t wait to go back!

The only thing that saved this place was the sangria. My friend and I had started our meal with the guacamole. I love guacamole and theirs was missing something the only reason I think we finished it was because the waiter was so slow coming to take out order and and see if we needed more drinks that we didn’t think we were ever going to get eat anything else.
For my entrée I had the Mahi Mahi. The fish was dry and lacking flavor the salsa was ok and the mashed potatoes were nothing to write home about. My friend had the fish tacos and seemed to enjoy them. They ran out of the dessert we wanted. So all in all I would go back for the sangria but nothing else.

The original plan to go to Fernando’s down the street on Lincoln for cinco de mayo didn’t go as planned. 1) Long wait (somewhat expected), and 2) They did not accept
coupons on cinco de mayo (unexpected, and was the entire reason I planned to go there). Another time, I guess.
So headed up to Fonda as I’ve been meaning to try it. The gf and I ordered the lamb chops with mole and the cochinita pibil. This is where I realized it may have been better to get a seafood dish, but they both sounded really good. The gf was disappointing in the lamb with mole. The mole was cold, and the lamb meat was minimal and nothing spectacular. The cochinita pibil was decent, but didn’t have an amazing flavor (I should blame Rick Bayless for spoiling me). The salsa’s really were the best part. The tomatillo/​lime salsa to start was great, and the habanero salsa with the cochinita pibil saved the dish from being an entire let down.
Also got a couple margaritas which were pretty good. But this place only gets 2 stars, as the service was non existent. It was cinco de mayo, but the place wasn’t packed (maybe 7 other groups were there). The problem was only having 2 servers who would only check up once every 15 – 30 minutes.
I would try again to order seafood, but for the price I think I’ll go somewhere else.

Yikes… I wanted to love this place. I’d been thinking about going there for quite some time and finally made it happen this week. But my visit was pretty disappointing.
I give you The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.
The Good.
— My entrée, arguably the most important part. I had the grilled mahi mahi. The fish was fine, good even. But the best part was the red molcajete sauce — very, very delicious. Not overly spicy but very flavorful. The garlic mashed potatoes that were served alongside the fish nearly stole its thunder, though. What a simple, yet buttery and scrumptious side. Easily the best part of the meal.
The Bad.
Our service. It was really pretty bad. The place had only two servers working, which might normally be fine, but this night there was a massive family party there — and our server was also their server. After placing our order, we never saw our server again. Which meant, I never got to order a margarita (which may just have made a huge difference in the evening). I ended up having to pester our annoyed-​looking busboy for a beer, a fork, our check.
The Ugly.
Ok, this mama loves her a mojito, and I don’t get to order them very often so I was stoked to be somewhere that not only offers them on their menu, but a place where Unilocalers have boasted about them. My mojito sucked. I honestly question whether there was ANY alcohol in there. Just tasted like a sprite with mint leaves. And at $ 8, that’s a pricey sprite. Shame on me for the expectation, I guess.
Kudos for Fonda for supporting Chicago Public Radio, which in turn gets me a free meal there, so I will in all likelihood be back. And I hope I’ll be able to revisit this review too and see if they can get it going on.

When I first heard that Fonda had moved further north I was ecstatic. My first experience at Fonda on Fullerton was amazing. Delicious seafood, amazing drinks, and wonderful atmosphere. So when my birthday rolled around this year I invited all of my closest friends to experience the amazing dining experience that is Fonda del Mar.
Unfortunately I feel as though they may have sacrificed some of the things I loved about them for this new, larger space. The cozy authentic Mexican atmosphere is gone and has been replaced with a large, modern space that is so cavernous that the noise of the restaurant echos so much that my party could hardly hear each other over the noise.
The drinks, I will say, are just as amazing. Two margaritas in and I was feeling good. However, when the main courses arrived they were mediocre at best. Again, myself and some of my friends had been to Fonda’s old location before several times so we knew what to expect. Our expectations were not fulfilled. The mahi mahi was underwhelming. Our party was most impressed with the dessert and coffee course.
Hopefully Fonda is still just working out some kinks after their move because I hope to keep this restaurant on my short list of favorite restaurants. I will give them another chance in a couple of months. For now, I might go back and sit at the bar to enjoy some of their delicious margaritas.

The night, chilly with a light flurry in the air. The feeling of being transported to a warmer destination through margaritas and moles was warming our minds and our souls.
Walking in, it was sparse. Barely a soul in sight. Not to worry, it was barely in to the new year of aught 10 this night, not something I was worried nor surprised about. The layout, very open, but there almost seems to be a need of a lil’ somethin’ somethin’ to make this place cozier. Perhaps a little more fuller with heartier tables, softened colors, a few more decorations to bring the place together. Warm and lively, not as stark as it was. We were seated quite quickly and even quicker we were perusing the menus. A smokey margarita? Yes, please! A glass of wine? Not bad selection. The drink list is specific and yes, they have a ton of tequila to quench your taste buds or to give you that «What the hell did I do last night?» feeling when you wake up the next morning. The margaritas were indeed slightly smokey and tasty, but beware, like most, they can go down a little too quickly.
We were starving, so a copious amount of food needed to be ordered. Some highlights. The ceviche was wonderful, bright and tasty. Tlacoyos, soft and delicate, warm and filling. Conchinita Pibil, with a searingly hot and spicy habanero sauce on the side. Puerco en mole verde was wonderful, I opted for the two moles, (who says you can’t have it all!?), and was happy with my selection. I will say as tasty as the dishes were, they could have used a scant more seasoning to really bring out the flavors a wee bit more. For the majority I was pretty happy.
Then came dessert… oh how I hate des… okay sorry I can’t even type that with a straight face…
Yes, dessert was great and certainly topped off our stomachs to the brim. I will say the chocolate pecan pie we had that night made me have sweet sweet dreams of it for days. Certainly if available, a must have. But really, I am a sucker for chocolate.
My friends and I had a great time, but like any event, the company always helps to make the evening even better. Although sadly my friend Jeff and I hoped they had the grasshoppers and worms still on the menu next time, (Yes. I am being darn skippy serious about that!), they were out that night and now seems out on their menu online. Hopefully when I make it back they will have them on the menu, but if not there is plenty to enjoy, just sit back and let those margaritas take effect.

Uh, Fonda Del Mar completely relocated to their North Center location?! Sweet for me, since I live right down the street! This review was based off my experience at their Fullerton restaurant. Hopefully the Lincoln location will be able to stand up to it.
I started out with the sangria, which was pretty good, and they add their own spin to it by including strawberries and pineapple, instead of your typical apple and orange fruit combo. For appetizers, we went with sopes de hongos and ceviche. The sopes weren’t as good as I was hoping, but the ceviche was pretty excellent. Nice and fresh. Their chips and salsa were good too.
For my entrée, I chose the camarones al mojo de ajo (garlicky shrimp). It was really tasty. I received a good number of pretty big shrimp, and they were cooked perfectly, not too tough. And the garlic was so smooth and not overpowering. Yum! It came with rice and beans and a mix of fresh tomato, avocado, and cilantro, which was a refreshing addition to the dish.
I’m really hoping that the Lincoln location will have some of the same staff that were at the Fullerton location, because I was impressed with the food. I think the space is larger, so they can probably get some extra people in each night. I’ll have to check it out soon.

I went here with my wife for our 2 year anniversary after hearing about it for a long time from my coworkers. I live right up the street and never thought to eat there. I thought the service was great, food very good — don’t forget to try the margaritas and flan! Seafood was fresh and presented well. Sauces were great!
This place isn’t super expensive and is great for a date. I want to go back when its warm and sit outside.

THANK YOU UnilocalERS!!! Wow, this place is great. We were skeptical when we drove into the neighborhood and saw it but we entered with conviction, knowing that the Unilocalers wouldn’t lead us astray. We were completely amazed at just how good it was. We got the specialty margaritas (passion fruit and blackberry) and both were incredible. They were a little on the small size, but who cares? They were awesome. We got the crab ceviche and it had a great, unique flavor. We got the Cochinita Pibil, Camarones Iguala (with halibut, not shrimp), and the Poblano Con Salmon for main entrees. Wow, is all I can say about each of them. The camarones iguala had these incredible roasted garlic cloves, the poblano con salmon was spiced to perfection, and the conchinita pibil had this incredible habanero sauce that delightfully set my mouth on fire.
Needless to say, I love this place. I hope that it still kind of remains a hidden little gem, because waiting for a table would make me :-(

Every now and again, one is lucky enough to find a restaurant like this. You walk in, sit down and just from reading the menu, you know you’re in for a great evening. It is very difficult to find Mexican food of this quality in the US. We started with two house margaritas and two starters: the calamar con esquites and a crab ceviche. The squid was sauteed and served in a bed of arugula, corn, and roasted red peppers, with a tart ajillo sauce. The crab was equally delicious. Imagine a pico de gallo with a bunch of crab in it… Lovely.
For my entrée, I ordered the cochinita pibil, a perfectly braised pork shoulder with black beans and pickled onions. It is served with a very spicy habanera sauce which is not for the faint of heart. If you can handle the spice, though, it has such a fantastic flavor! My friend ordered the carne asada huasteca, which was equally fantastic. They really know how to scar the meat to give it the maximum flavor from the fire.
We ordered two desserts: The natillas and the chocolate maya. I don’t think we really had the room to eat them, but we did it anyway! Both were exceptional, but the Natillas really was something special.
I can’t wait to go back! It’s a restaurant where I hope to eventually have everything on the menu.

As has already been established, I am a lame suburbanite who is goaded to try new places after watching «Check, Please.» Usually I wait a few weeks or months for the fervor to die down, but since Fonda del Mar was enroute from point A to point B, we stopped in for an early dinner. Even though the episode just aired, the place wasn’t packed — but it was 5:30 on a Monday night, so I wouldn’t imagine anyplace would be.
We ordered tamales for an appetizer, and were really impressed with their light and fluffy texture — like a really good matzoh ball, texture is key. Each of us enjoyed our entrees very much. I got the tilapia, hubby got the pork shoulder, and the boy got the shrimp. The sauce that came with my tillapia was almost too spicy, but then I got the idea to mooch some of the freshly-​made corn tortillas that came with hubby’s entrée, and after wrapping grilled fish and veggies in one with a smattering of sauce, I found the dish irresistible — and they were very nice about bringing us more tortillas. For dessert we split a coconut flan with fresh fruit, which really helped cool our mouths off.
Atmosphere was spot on – loved the open kitchen. Service was attentive but not hover-​y. We have been searching for a «shmancy» Mexican restaurant ever since our fave spot, Salbute in Hinsdale, closed up shop. This seems to be a worthy successor.

My roomie raved and raved about this place for a while, so maybe my expectations were higher than they should have been but I was a little disappointed.
The guac was good, a little heavy on the onions though. I really liked whatever seasoning they use on their chips (lime salt maybe?). I had the garlic whole tilapia. The garnish on top (garlic, tomatoes, avocado, onions, cilantro) was really flavorful. The fish was lacking in that dept though. It was fun eating around the head though. That’s probably the second time in my life I have gotten a whole fish.
They make one mean, stiff, minty mojito though. And you know what that means: mojitos, mo’ problems!
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