Fonda Mexican

I love Fonda, especially now it’s not quite as busy at their Richmond location since:
1) They opened other locations in the City, South Yarra and Hawthorn
2) the Richmond location doubled in size (albeit ages ago)
I come here and order the same thing every time. Yep, every time. I’ve sampled other bits from the menu over time but have found my one true love and perfect Fonda meal:
— Chicken salad to eat
— Pineapple Mint to drink
YUM!
The chicken ensalata (not to be confused with an enchilada — you will be disappointed) is chock full of goodness: rocket, quinoa, sweet potato, fresh peas, black beans, corn, crushed crispy tortillas and so on. It is a taste explosion.
The pineapple mint drink is fresh and tangy and just so refreshing — I can’t go without it if I’m dining in.
Good for a quick and easy and relatively healthy Mexican meal, I highly recommend Fonda!

Great variety and kid friendly flavours. Agree with all that fish tacos were great, but double mushroom and prawn & pineapple left them in the shade. Great share plates too

I ate here on a Saturday night with my family. Was immediately greeted with a helpful smiley face which was really welcoming. I was a little bit worrired as I know they do not take reservations but they were very helpful in out 5 people finding a good space.
I really enjoyed the atmosphere of Fonda. Good food, funky music and good drinks.
I was really happy with my Fonda Mexican experience and I will be back.

Nice little spot to meet up with friends for decent food and a few tequila’s. Definitely better Mexican out there — such as Mamasita’s — but it’s still worth a revisit every now and then.

It was okay but not sure what all the fuss is about! The corn was pretty good. limited drinks menu

A friend took me to Fonda tonight for dinner and I was very impressed.
We had corn on the cob, very sweet and perfectly cooked. We shared a yummy Mushroom Quesadilla, a fresh and tasty Mex-​Bim-​Bap salad and then had one taco each. The tacos were overfilled with salad and fillings, and full of flavour. We shared our meals as my friend advised to order conservatively, he was right.
Ordering and payment is done at the counter, after you have been shown to your table. The food and service were great, the only downside for me was the inability to reserve a table. We were told we would only have to wait 20 minutes, and that we would receive a text message as soon as our table was ready. It all worked like clockwork, after 20 minutes a text message came through and we were shown to a table. If it wasn’t so cold and windy outside, I wouldn’t have minded so much, but my friend said that he had never waited before, perhaps they were extra busy because of the long weekend? I believe you can book if you have a group larger than 8 people.
I would definitely eat here again.

The original Fonda, small and intimate with a massive vibe.
This is the Fonda that you will most likely have to line up for, but like the other Fondas, they will get you in and out quick smart.
Still my local Fonda to pick up a sneaky post gym salad.

I’ve been to Fonda before and was a big fan of their food and cocktails. However when I popped in to grab a takeaway burrito after I had been waiting 30 mins I asked the staff how my order was going and found my order had been sitting behind the front counter for awhile. AND it was cold by the time I got it. Without even an apology from the staff. Very disappointing!

I was on the edge of 3 or 4 stars here. Hailing from North America, I know my way around my Mexican munchies. You should know, I really liked this place. It was light, bright and so unassuming unlike it’s culinary cousins in Melb these days.
Service was good and friendly. They even accommodated our two kids with a plain cheese quesadilla.
So why 3? The food was good. Not traditional perhaps, but close enough. I went with the pork and wagyu tacos. When I go back, I’d strip off the pineapple and pickle like relish and perhaps that would send it into 4 stars. I may be just to harsh.
The chips and guac were solid. The salsa was refreshing and tasty. I could have used some more heat but again, that is remedied.
One note for the patrons… quesadillas are finger food. Knife and fork — only unless you use it for your Snickers as well (Seinfeld anyone?).
On second thought, don’t listen to me. Go and enjoy this place.

My friends and I went here because we heard how good it was and were all Mexican food lovers. We were all actually very disappointed in the quality of the food as weve tasted better

I just really didn’t enjoy Fonda. As much as my misses hates that fact and keeps trying to drag me back there, I just don’t think it is going to happen. Nothing really stood out for me, the food was ok, the service was ok and the margarita’s were actually terrible. Who says that about tequila right? But seriously. There are much better Mexican places I would rather go and enjoy. If I get dragged there again I will keep you updated on my thoughts.

OK. I am biased. I have a ‘thing’ for tacos. And Latin America. And Ricky Martin. Ok, this is going off topic…
Back to the tacos…
One Tuesday night after an Elite Unilocal event, six of us ended up in Richmond looking for a quick and easy dinner. Fonda Mexican were über accommodating and fabulous to deal with.
First of all — there were six of us. Most restaurants would point and laugh at our naivety in trying to score a table for six without a booking, but Fonda was all action orientated. They swung tables around, grabbed chairs and moved giant umbrellas to fit six of us. It was a little snug, but hey human contact is good for the soul.
The food and drinks was super tasty and delivered in a flash. I can’t go past the pescado tacos, with coleslaw and chipotle. Make sure to grab one of the drinks as well — cucumber and mint was awesome. My dining companions feasted on giant burritos, and most couldn’t finish them which was a testament to (a) size of burrito (b) too many chips with chipotle consumed on the night as well.
The staff and service this night was excellent as well — prompt, efficient and friendly. Sometimes when you head to a trendy place, the service can be haughty — amirite? — but not at Fonda Mexican. Special shout out to the bearded dude who joked about Urbanspoon vs. Unilocal — it’s OK we forgive you. The chipotle sauce helped.
Thanks Fonda. Consider this a high five and I will be back…

Wowie! I have walked past here so often and have always put it on my list but never got around to going. Went with a few friends last night and I have been missing out! Big juicy burritos stuffed full of flavour and something I really loved is they use quinoa rather than rice inside them, major plus!
Very busy place, not great for big groups unless you are happy to wait, which with the amount of bars around would not be a major deal, trust me the wait is worth it!
The whole vibe of the place was just buzzing, very friendly staff who kept their cool regardless of how busy they got, or how long the line was. I think that in itself is fantastic and really makes the place work.
Another Fonda has opened in Windsor so will be checking that out next.

I put my Unilocal app to good use last night when my friend and I were in the mood for some casual, tasty and cheap dinner, for our Saturday evening… let’s be honest, who ISN’T ever in the mood for Mexican? I had heard good things said about Fonda prior to firing up the app and I read a previous review (on here) that after 6.30 it tends to get a little busy and there may be a wait for seating…
Just like that, 6.30pm on the dot and we were seated straight away. Scout the menu (drinks section first, of course!) and they have my favourite brew! — Two Birds — things have gotten off to a great start!
Ordering takes place at the counter — don’t sit there for 10 minutes trying to get the waitstaff’s attention, like we did! *face palm*. We ordered the chicken enchiladas and beef burrito — that’s enough for two to feel satisfied (and enough room for gelato on the way home). The beef burrito came out first… and I think almost fell in love! I’ve had my fair share of Mexican — Radio Mexico, Cantina, Bluecorn, Mamacitas, Newmarket Hotel and an endless choice when I was at college in LA! Safe to say, I love a good burrito. I sat there trying to distinguish the subtle crunch in the burritos — genius — they’ve got tiny tiny? grated? corn chips in them! It was moderately spicy and may be a little too much if you’re sensitive to spice, but for those who like to eat food that makes their eyes and nose run (it’s totally sexy!) there’s their «Jane Fonda» and «F&#! You» hot sauce.
It’s quick turnover of customers in here — simple menu, pay at the counter, the many chefs are on a mini production line, service with a smile and food comes out very quick. It’s not your fast food, like Mad Mex… it’s semi-​healthy and HEAVEN, served quickly!
Muchas gratsias, Fonda. hasta luego!

Came here with a group of friends on a Thursday night. We arrived at 6.30 and were seated straight away, but the place filled up quickly and there was a wait after that. They seem to manage queues well, with a waiter taking people’s details, suggesting they get a drink at a local bar and sending a text when the table is ready.
Between the four of us, we managed to sample a fair amount of the menu. The stand out favourites were the chargrilled corn, the chicken burritos and the pineapple mint cocktail. We’ll definitely be back!

This Mexican places is amazing! I’ve been here before and a the boys from work wanted to eat Mexican for our catch up.
We ordered in advance via email and was highly impressed with their response time. Business’ in Melbourne are terrible with email correspondence and we didn’t think we’d receive a reply. As we all work til late we pre-​ordered our meals and I picked them up on the way to our meet up point.
The food was ready, tagged and all I had to do was pay. The food was placed in take away containers which preserved the heat and formation of all the food. It was super delicious and we definitely over ordered. That was great news for our work colleague as he was able to enjoy the food for breakfast in the morning.
Highly recommended!

Been here before and loved it… Not so much this time. Beef burrito tasted like it had been on the grill three hours too long and was dripping in aioli. No deal.
On the upside they have great feature lights.

Dined here on a Thursday night, the place was full and was vibing with people sprawled out onto the footpath. We put our names down and were told it would be about 25 minutes to be text for out table. At the 30 minute mark we went to remind them & were promptly seated as soon as a table left. Food & frozen margaritas were prompt. I had the Pork taco & it was nice. Not bursting with flavour but I liked it. I also had the asparagus quesedillas which also were nice. The margaritas were delicious and served in a cute jar. All in all the Fonda experience was okay & didn’t wow me but I liked it. I may go back but I have many other eateries to conquest in the Swan street area first.

This joint gets so busy at night they have a door bitch to juggle the hungry patrons.
The food is awesome, some of the best Mexican I have tried in Melbourne. The chicken salad was full of different ingredients and heaped with spices and juices. It’s also pretty massive and I struggled to finish it. Order it to share.
They also have some pretty nice wines and a few interesting cocktails on the menu.
I will definitely head back… at a quieter time of day.

Fonda has been boarded up for what seems like aaaaages. We knew it was coming and we knew it was going to be ‘Mexican’. We were holding our breath, hoping for something authentic, something punchy. We’d heard they’d make their own tortillas. We hoped there would be tequila.
Okay, so by «we» I just mean me — but it always sounds more powerful when there’s an army of you, right?
It finally opened and one evening I went hoping that all my Mexican dreams would come true. Yes, they make their own tortillas. Yes, the food has some flavour. No, there’s no tequila (or any booze for that matter). No, it’s not especially authentic. But did I like it? Did it rock my socks off? Hrmm… the jury is still out.
The pork taco had good flavour, with a smear of avo underneath and crunchy slaw on top. It could have used some sauce and had I paid better attention I would have seen that there were bottles of the stuff floating around. I’d love to see these on every table, but then I’m just a chilli fiend. The fish taco — small nuggets of white fish covered in what looked like polenta and fried — has some crunchy pickled carrot and onion on top. The pickles rocked, the fish not so much.
I liked the fun vibe here. It’s quick, reasonably priced and I think think they’re on the right track with their take on mexican food. A few small tweaks (including getting a liquor license) and I think Fonda will be getting thumbs up from Richmond locals.