Fonda Isabel

This place can be easily missed. Me and my boyfriend were craving Mexican food on a Saturday night. Using Unilocal (duh.) I skimmed through all the options and saw that Fonda Isabel had a special: buy one entrée, get one free??? I couldn’t believe it. After reading a few reviews we decided that is the place.
Once we found the restaurant we sat in the car for a few minutes contemplating if this place is even worth stepping into… We took a peek in the window and saw that there was a pretty good crowd so we walked right in.
We got seated right away in a booth. Our server came and took drink orders (Helloooo Sangria!!) and gave us some chips and salsaS. Notice that the salsas word is plural. Multiple salsa. All four of them were delicious. I could have just ate that as my meal honestly. It was that good.
We ordered the carne asada sliders as an appetizer. The taste was definitely there, but the size was too small! Yes, I know what sliders are I’m not an idiot, but these were definitely a lot smaller than I expected. Disappointed, yet still satisfied.
Entrees. I ordered the fish tacos with half corn tortilla and half flour tortilla (I like to get the best of both worlds.) It was perfect and exactly what I wanted. There was more than enough food for me on that plate alone. The chipotle sauce it came with was creamy and tasted sooo good, the pico de gallo was fresh, and the fish was cooked exactly the way it should be. Yum!
My boyfriend ordered the enchiladas trio with chicken and he loved it. No complaints from him! :)
We will definitely be back soon Fonda!

Unfortunately I have to de-​rate the FI performance. The last two visits have been less than memorable. I thought the first was a fluke, so I forgave and forgot. Well, I guess I didn’t forget, but you know what I mean.
Yesterday, we visited and were only the second table for the evening meal. When we left, there were a total of four tables, two for each server. It seemed our server was more interested in gabbing at the bar then taking care of her customers. Our guacamole appetizer arrived after the dinner. My wife’s medium rare carne asada was well done. (same issue as last time) The drinks went dry. Just poor quality/​service all around.
It’s a shame because I really enjoy the salsas. I haven’t seen my daughter’s favorite soup, the cream of poblano, since my first visit over a year ago (and I’ve been there plenty). The black bean soup was on last evening’s menu and I called today just to see if they were serving up the cream of poblano and guess what? No CoP, you guessed it, black bean soup… again (or still?) :(
On the plus side, my kids really enjoyed their meals. The place really has a great atmosphere and a lot of potential.
I would give them two stars if I had walked in off the street last night, but since I have had some five star experiences here, I’ll at least post the solid three.

This was the second time I’ve been here. We got a great Unilocal coupon deal so decided to go here Saturday night for dinner. It was 8:30 and the wait was only five minutes. The chips and salsa were the best part of the experience. The carne asada entrée was average. The fish tacos were also average. I would’ve given them 3-​stars but the service was terrible. We had to ask every time we needed another drink and the server messed up my order. It also seems like they try to be an upscale restaurant but the décor seems to have gone down hill since my visit when they first opened, not to mention the bright car dealership lights shining in your face as you’re eating.
The Unilocal deal made it more worthwhile, otherwise it was definitely not worth the money. For the same price, you’re better off driving down the street to Uncle Julio’s. Or go to Los Burritos or No Way Jose also down the street for a fraction of a price.
I might go back if Unilocal or Groupon has a free meal deal for this place but doubtful.

A slightly upscale Mexican restaurant with delicious food … and an unfortunate view of a Dodge dealership.
This stretch of Roosevelt is not the spiffiest and I feel like they could do with some landscaping and maybe cozy booths that don’t directly face the parking lot. But there I go being picky.
Overall the interior is nice, with bright colors and modern décor. We came with my dad and his special lady and it was dead on a Saturday early afternoon. The waiter was friendly and personable though a little hard to understand at points. And he called me «señorita» a lot which, when said quickly, sounded a bit like my name :)
As noted in other reviews, you get four salsas to dip your chips in; the hottest two were QUITE spicy but still had good flavor.
The menu has some nice variations on it and it’s usually a good sign when there are three or four things right away that look good to me. I settled on the carnitas, which were really well-​seasoned and tasty, although I wished it had been chopped up a bit more — the chunks were still bigger than comfortably bite-​size. Came with a delicious avocado-​onion garnish, rice and beans. Everyone at the table cleaned their plate, so I would say that the food is successful.
Prices are a little higher than your average Mexican restaurant of this style, although they had a check-​in offer and also coupons in the local mailer, so that’s worth checking out.
One little random side note, I visited the ladies’ room and it smelled kind of funky, plus the back hall was sort of cluttered/​dingy. Didn’t really fit with the rest of the restaurant.
But given the service, tasty food and coupons/​offers, I am quite sure we’ll be back.

Why I haven’t Unilocaled about these guys yet, I know not. Yum. Yummy. Yummier. Yummiest. The salsas (all four of them) are awesome. Ranging from wussy to champion (AKA mild to hot), these puppies rock. I like to mix and match them for good measure.
The service is great. The manager (or owner) is always smiling and pleasant. It makes me want to come back.
There’s always a Unilocal deal or a Groupon or something to help cut my costs.
The pork dishes are to-​die-​for. It just melts in your mouth with happiness.
They have amazing lunch specials too.
The only thing I was slightly disappointed in was the overly sugary margaritas. I can really only have one here, because they’re so sweet… but otherwise, bravo to Fonda Isabel. I’ll be back.

I called to make a reservation. The guy who answered the phone said, «you don’t need one.»
Of course we get there, and it’s a 45 minute wait. There were plenty of empty tables, but I guess they were trying to keep the flow of customers lower, because they didn’t have enough servers and chefs. Granted it was the last day to use the groupon, but it was still pretty bad.
We ended up sitting at the bar. It took another 45 minutes for our food to come out. I understand it gets busy, but it was pretty ridiculous. We arrived at 7:30pm and didn’t get our food till after 9.
**
So, if you do end up going here, make a reservation. Even if the guy who’s working the afternoon shift (who, by the way, doesn’t work the evening shift) says you don’t need one.
**
So we got the guacamole triple along with the salsas and chips. It was pretty good.
The rest of the food was ok. I admit, I was kinda stuffed on the guacamole and chips we ended up eating while waiting for our food. We ended up taking most of it home, and it was ok.
When I asked a guy about it, he gave me the typical «it’s a busy night, last night of groupon» answer. I’m sure others were giving him attitude, so it was expected… it’s not like it was his fault. I am willing to try it again, but my wife was not happy at all, so we’ll see.
I understand it’s a groupon expiration night, but goodness, if you are going to use groupon, don’t shortstaff the night it’s expiring. There are a lot of lazy people out there like me that forget to go until the last day.

Good cheap Mexican food. Went there on a Friday and they have a great buffet and great lunch specials. The food was fresh, tasty and good priced. Good salsa, good cheese and good quality beef /​chicken. Didn’t have the margaritas but the table next to us were and they seemed to be enjoying themselves.
I wish they had an outdoor area and we would go every Friday. Other then that we will definitely return soon

My sisters and I dined at Fonda Isabel on Friday night (6:00 PM CT) and were there until 8 PM. When we first arrived, it was pretty empty with only a few families dining, but the influx of customers increased as the evening passed.
We were offered the chips and four salsas and as noted by others, the salsas were interesting and tasty. Two seemed to have a crema added to it, and each had a distinctive flavor and degree of spiciness. The chips were average; they were too thick for the salsas but stood up well to the guacamole trio.
If you like guacamole, then you must try the trio. All were very fresh and they each had appealing qualities. The regular, with tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and lime juice was the perfect texture. The Poblano, was creamy and tangy, and the del Chef was the highlight. It was chunky and had a great balance of vegetable to avocado. The best part? The portions of each were generous. Very generous. It was well worth the $ 12.95.
Margaritas: they’re made to order and they’re well-​mixed, served in large martini glasses. One note: they need to improve on their technique for salting the rims. A lot of the salt was washed away. Oh, and they’re on the sweet side, so be prepared if you’re expecting tart drinks. Overall, I’d say the prices are fair for what you’re getting.
Entrees: they come with soup! It’s not indicated anywhere but it was a pleasant surprise. Two of us refrained from getting soup, but the one my sister ordered was not your run of the mill soup: it contained baby cactus and poached eggs in a zesty, tangy broth. It was simple and it was good.
Now to the entrees themselves: sister #1 had the carnitas, The chunks of pork were just that: chunks of pork. The pork was tasty, but it could have been «dressed» a bit for a more attractive presentation. The sides were rice and beans, with a scoop of the del Chef guac and a couple of roasted whole jalapeño peppers. Sister #2 had the carne asada. The steak was incredibly tender and served with generous helpings of rice and beans, as well as the roasted jalapeño and a whole small onion. It also had a dollop of the poblano guac, which was added a nice acid kick to the dish.
I had the Tampico steak, served with rajas con crema (sweet onions and roasted poblano strips lightly coated in crema), a cheese enchilada with tomatillo sauce, beans and a dollop of the regular guac. It was really a delightful dish.
All of our dishes were served hot and at the same time. We also received warm corn and flour tortillas.
Regarding service: I’ve read reviews that the service has been mixed. They seem to be correcting that. We had very attentive wait staff which checked on us regularly.
Would I recommend this place? Yes, definitely. It’s not cheap eats, but if you want to spend a bit more for some higher quality food, it’s worth the trip. We’ll be going back.

If you are a deer, you will love the food. Pure Salt.
We wanted authentic mexican food, so we left and went to taco bell.
They salted our churros for crying out loud.

We had high hopes for this place after purchasing a Groupon and seeing the ratings on Unilocal!Unfortunately, we found a **2-​inch blade** in our guacamole and the manager refused to apologize for it (see below).
First, the food: The four salsas brought to the table at the beginning of the meal were a nice touch and a couple were pretty good. One may have been recently defrosted but at least there were three others.
The Vegetarian Stuffed Pepper was decent, especially since I’m a fan of goat cheese, which they sprinkle on top. The three-​enchilada meal was a nice way to sample the three sauces (red, green and mole) and was well-​presented when it arrived.
The biggest problem we ran into with Fonda Isabel was the Guacamole Fiesta we ordered to start the meal. The guacamole itself was lackluster but we took the remainder home with us. While eating one of them later that day, we found a blade at the bottom. Literally, a two-​inch blade. My girlfriend and I handled the situation calmly enough, returning to the restaurant and informing the manager of the issue. Still, he REFUSED to apologize and first offered us credit for our next meal. Obviously, I don’t plan on eating here again.
After an unnecessarily long discussion, we were finally able to get our money back for the meal. I found it very disrespectful that the manager refused to take responsibility. Even a simple apology would have rectified the situation. Instead, he continued to defer blame.
I don’t know about you, but when I find a large piece of metal in my meal, I’d like to at least get an «I’m sorry.»
The blade:

Hey man, it’s not MY fault that my birthday falls on Cinco de Mayo!
Went here for dinner on CdM and it was crazy busy. I’m really glad I had a reservation, otherwise the wait would have been upwards of an hour.
Due to it being so busy, it was quite a wait to even get water. Service throughout the entire meal was pleasant, yet very spotty. Yeah, I get it. It’s Cinco de Mayo at a Mexican restaurant and everyone and their mamas are there getting their guacamole on too. But shouldn’t the restaurant have planned a little better and made sure enough employees were on hand?
The food itself was good, although some things were just ridiculously over-​priced. Case in point — the $ 12.95 «Guacamole Fiesta» was the biggest rip-​off, I seriously doubt there were 2 avocados total between the 3 small lumps of guacamole served on a huge plate. The appetizer sampler was a better deal at the same price, and went over well with everyone in our party.
I ordered the Filete con Queso and had to have it sent back as it was still mooing when it was served to me.
The Pollo Frito con Papas — fried chicken — was a huge hit with the person who ordered it.
All in all, given the noisy bustle of CdM, it was a decent dinner, made better by a $ 75
coupon. I don’t think I’d dine here again without one.
Oh, and the margaritas? Way too sweet, way too weak, and way too expensive for what you get.

I was not super impressed with anything here. The Margaritas here week and came in Martini glasses. We asked for a Pitcher, they said they only sold it buy the glass.
I ordered the Enchiladas Suiza. When I asked the waitress if the sauce was spicy she assured me all the sauces were mild for the Enchiladas. NOT the case. The sauce was to hot for me. It was also the one meal on the menu that came with beans and rice. The rice, lets talk about the rice. It was plain white rice with butter.
The atmosphere was alright. They need to do something with lower half of the windows. Every time a car either arrived or left the headlights would beam into the dining area.
In a nutshell. I’d say it’s really no better that Las Palmas. Overpriced for what it is. If everything on the menu was half the price I might think about going back.

we came here on a saturday night with a large group of 15 people. they were very accomodating for our large group, and had our table ready when we arrived. there was an awesome selection of salsas with the chips. but a few things kind of rubbed me the wrong way.
1. the 20% tip after tax – isn’t that supposed to be before tax?
2. they wouldn’t honor my groupon bc four people out of 15 did the special where you a prix fixe meal and an extra $ 10 buys you wine or champagne. Really? the other 11 folks don’t count?
3. they don’t offer margaritas by the pitcher.
but still the price was reasonable. $ 84 per couple, including the 20% tip after tax. i ordered the fish and it was good but i wish it was hot. i figured bc our group was large they couldn’t time it well. my hubby ordered the strip steak and that was really good.
overall, the food was good. i will go back. (i have to use my groupon.) i have mixed feelings about the place.

I cannot WAIT to come back here and share this yummy dining experience with everyone that I love! The menu has tons of options that are just dying for me to try them, and of course, I still need to try a margarita!
I was here two Saturdays ago for my friends bridal shower. She picked this venue because it’s her favorite place for mexican food. She’s a good judge of food — this was fantastic! We were seated in a semi-​private area to the right of the restaurant, it was the perfect amount of space for all the guests — and all the bride-to-be’s gifts! The waitstaff was very attentive and accommodating to everyones needs.
We all got to pick our own entrees, which was very nice. I was trying to stay away from carbs, so I ordered the carne asada. Well lo and behold, it came with two tortillas, which of course I had to try. Yum! Delicious tortillas that had to be taken away from me in order to prevent me eating both. The carne asada was grilled perfectly, and had really great flavor 0 heavy on the lime, which I love. It was served with guacamole, which made for a delicious meal.
There are several other options on the menu that I can’t wait to try. I promise an updated review after I sample a few more dishes — but for now, I’m a big fan of Fonda Isabel!

FREE CHIPS AND SALSA. I had to throw that out there first because apparently Mexican restaurants in the Midwest don’t believe in such a thing.
Mexicans run the joint. Always good news.
We bought the recent Groupon and like every single other person in the joint, we used it on Saturday. I’m from SoCal and we have a mecca of Mexican options and I’ve been sadly disappointed by the variety in the ‘burbs.
Well, this place beat the odds. The margarita was strong and tasty for $ 7, the chips and 4 kinds of salsa were delish (1 mild, 1 tomatillo medium, one habanero hot, 1 random looks-​like-​cheese-​but-​tastes-​like-​soy-​sauce).
FYI for vegetarians: they do NOT use lard in their beans. Nice.
For meals we ordered enchiladas and chicken fajitas. We were both pleased and thought the food was great, despite mine being only lukewarm. I didn’t care much because I’d eat good Mexican at any temperature and because they were CRAZY busy. The poor bus boys were getting yelled at by the manager the moment a table became available to get cleaned and set for the next party. I felt almost bad for them– shows the power of Groupon!
We’d go back but agree with other Unilocalers in saying that it’s in a random strip mall (but good food speaks for itself no matter if out of a truck or in a little shack IMO) and the parking sucks. I’d also say the prices were a bit spicy, but since we had the groupon, it brought it down to a «normal» priced meal. They also have
gift certs available online to cut the cost to normal… so prices really shouldn’t be an excuse.
I’d go back but have to try two more joints on my Mexican restaurant list before… gotta find something closer to my house!

They say the three most important factors in success for real estate (and, by extension, a restaurant) are: location, location, and location. If that were true, then Fonda Isabel would have difficulty earning 5-​stars. Located in the same proximity as a $ 3 car wash and a lackluster strip mall doesn’t bode well for a promising up and coming restaurateur.
Fortunately, substance counts for something. I LOVED everything I ordered, from the steak lollipops (a must order) to the enchilada trio. They offer three (that’s right, three) variations of guacamole and ceviche. (If you’re thinking that I love my food in threes, you may be right…) Although it isn’t «authentic» Mexican, the food is a culinary blessing. You would easily pay double if this place were in downtown Chicago.
The service was unparalleled. A+ to the servers we had and Chef Oliver peaked out of the kitchen a few times to mingle with guests.

Glad we tried this place out. Very good. Nice staff. Good food. Outstanding tortillas, and they come with 4 salsas.
try the «steak lollipops» and tilapia tacos. As good as you’ll find in the suburbs. A wonderful effort. And the girl with the fancy fingernails is a very good waitress.

Finally, a delicious place has taken over the location that seems to inevitably end in failure. There has been a ton of restaurants come and go in this location and I really hope this one STAYS!
My Papa took my sister and I here for a night out on the town, as he would say. I had no idea how cute this place was and am really glad my Papa introduced us. He came here quite a few times in the past. The décor is authentic yet semi-​upscale. The host greeted us right away and sat us at the table my Papa was already sitting.
Our waiter was a younger guy with a great sense of humor and personality. You definitely needed a good sense of humor to put up with my Papa because he would joke around and give everyone a hard time. The waiter was able to keep up and give it right back!
Usually when I eat Mexican, I just grab a quick bite at the fast little Mexican joints so I wasn’t really sure what to eat. I basically just picked something off the menu and crossed my fingers.
IT WAS DELICIOUS! My sister, Papa’s, and my food was all excellent! I was totally impressed that this place was so close to home and I had never visited before.
Along with the food, they had a nice drink list and the service was impeccable. I was glad to see that the other tables were filled but would love to see this place on a wait list. it deserves it. Also. just an FYI, but if you’re not one for spicy food, maybe Mexican isn’t for you? Either way– ask the server and they can help direct you to a less spicy dish. But people, authentic Mexican is spicy! DUH.
People, stop wasting your money on mediocre Mexican food and come to Fonda Isabel. It’s so yummy and the service will make for a nice date night or night out with some friends.

Only 6 reviews?! People, you HAVE to go there! I’ve been there twice and I have not been dissapointed on either occasion. Looks are sure deceiving. When we first drove up to this place I prayed that the health department had inspected it. lol The outside does not do the inside any justice. They have a very nice large bar and it’s fancy dining. Not what I expected at all.
Sat down and got chips and salsa. They have 4 different salsas for dipping. Then I realized that they did not have Tacos, like Tacos de carne asada! That was the only dissapointment. So my friend and I ordered tamales for an appetizer which came with 4 pieces; 2 red and 2 green tamales. Then I ordered Pollo en Mole and my friend ordered enchiladas. BOTH were very tasty. At the end we HAD to get the plantains. haha
I was very pleased with the service. We had one main server but we never had to ask for water, pop refills OR chip refills which was refreshing. I’ve gone back since and I will go back again.

Am I fond of Fonda Isabel? It was a nice dinner experience. Some hits, some misses. There are 2 dining areas separated by a small bar. The bar is sleek, dark wood with comfy bar seats. The dining rooms have some nice artwork. The hues and lighting makes the space kind of cozy.
The tortilla chips come to the table with 4 different salsas of different tastes and spice level – mild to hot. I preferred the salsa verde – that was the hottest to me, but still had good flavor. The main dishes come with a choice of soup or salad. Hubsbie and I opted for the onion soup which unfortunately was very, very salty. Our friend opted for the salad but there wasn’t anything special with the salad – just the usual iceberg lettuce with some grated carrots.
I chose the the Tacos de Pescado (pan fried tilapia). That was wonderful! I loved the cabbage slaw (made with a chipotle dressing) and pico de gallo. All ingredients were very fresh and had great flavor. The cabbage slaw wasn’t overly soaked with dressing and had a great crunch to it. It added a nice texture to the tacos. I’ve had fish tacos on the West Coast and this rivaled what I’ve had out there. Very yummy. Enough to take home leftovers too!
Hubsbie had one of the Chef Specialties – Chilaquiles de Mariscos. That was really good too. Lots of big pieces of shrimp, scallops and squid. The salsa verde crème sauce was really good but just seemed to be way too much of it. It kind of overpowered the freshness of the seafood. It was yummy, but really wished they would have cut the sauce a bit.
My biggest gripe would be the margaritas. We ordered raspberry margaritas and they were kind of bitter. Didn’t taste any raspberry at all. And a weird thing was the only garnish was a single maraschino cherry floating in the middle of it. No sugar or salt rim, no lime wedge or fruit spear, just the little cherry. Odd.
Service was friendly. The manager/​owner came out a few time to check on the diners – I always like seeing that.