La Fonda

Absolutely well money spent!!! Service was amazing. The waitress didn’t rush you out. From the moment you walk in .you feel like your home, with various Puerto Rican songs playing and the at home feel you receive. The food took me back to Puerto Rico. I can only day I enjoyed everything that we ate that we are coming back tomorrow!!!

I cannot understand the bad reviews of this place. This place is excellent! I grew up eating Puerto Rican food from home cooked to every restaurant you can think of. The food here is fantastic. The mofongo is probably among the best I’ve ever had, and the Pernil (roast pork) is phenominal. And the coconut flan is too die for! I’ve been coming here for years and have always had great experiences here. They underwent a renovation a couple of years ago and it’s even better now. The décor is really nice, the ambiance is nice, and the service is excellent.
And now the best for last… The prices. VERY reasonable for food this good.
Just come here… you won’t be disappointed!

The real deal. The Pernil Mofongo was served with extra pork on the side with the crunchiest cuerito you can think of. They’re back in huge form!

Horrible customer service tonight. I came for dinner with a large party and not only did the waiter completely forget to put my order in, I was then told I had to wait an additional 20 minutes for my salmon and salad. This was after already having to wait 25 minutes just to find out my food wasn’t even ordered and the chef had already turned off the stove. I was not offered any discounts or even a complimentary drink. I have worked in the restaurant business for over 12 years and I am very disapointed in the service I received today.

We went to La Fonda on a Saturday afternoon. We had empanadas, shrimp salad and bacalao salad. Service was great and quick. The empanadas were awesome and the salads were fresh and delicious. Prices were very reasonable. We are definitely visiting the restaurant again!

Looking at the mixed reviews I was a bit apprehensive about trying this place out but it was getting late, I was pretty hungry and it was about to rain so I gave it a shot and boy I’m glad I did!!! The place was not very busy so we were seated right away. I had the house sangria and it was just right! Strong and heart warming. We then had the house salad with avocado and it was fresh and dressed with a delicious balsamic. The chicken and beef empanadas were fresh and perfectly seasoned. My husband had the pollo a la parilla salad which he enjoyed to the last morsel and I had one of the best shrimp mofongos I have ever tried!!! Perfectly seasoned, cooked and plentiful. We finished off sharing a flan and topped with the Excellent service provided from Adela, we had a truly pleasurable dinner. Great décor too. Will definitely be back when in the Barrio! ;) this place is a little gem.

This place has so much potential but there were bones in the mofongo, a grain of rice stuck in my friend’s fork, and the steak and onions were just ok. There weren’t very many people but the waitress wasn’t very attentive as we waited a while for the check which of course had an error on it. No real reason to return…

I read the reviews and they are mixed, some good and others not so good. Wish I could say that the experience is consistent, but it has NOT been.
When we first visited the restaurant (the first 3 times) we were delighted. The food was good and the service was fine.
The next 3 times we went we were highly disappointed. The food was bland and the service was lousy.
We met the brothers the first two times and they were welcoming and friendly. Their approach was distant and unwelcoming in the following visits.
Too bad that we cannot have consistent, friendly, clean and excellent service in Puerto Rican restaurants.
We have not been back and do not plan too. We will NOT recommend this restaurant to anyone.

Awsome Shrimp Mofongo!

The food was tastey with a good atmosphere. The Mofongo dishes were very tastey.
One thing I would love to see is if they tried incorporating Trifongo like the what I think new craze down on the island is. That’d be a new age treat, yet excuse my ignorance if I’m wrong.
I’ll be back again.

La Fonda offers authentic Puerto Rican cuisine for a good portion to price ratio. An entrée is more than filling for some, so the moderate price is reasonable. The food is good. I had the Pernil (Roast Pork) with rice and beans and I enjoyed it. My girlfriend had Carne Guisada (Beef Stew) with rice and pigeon peas, she enjoyed it very much as well. That’s the good. Unfortunately the service was terrible.
After taking a seat it took a while before the waitress came around and gave us menus. I was surprised because the place was almost empty. I was ok with that. On the Unilocal app the restaurant offers a deal that if you check in you get a free appetizer if you order two entrees. So I checked in and showed the waitress the deal. She took my phone and said she has to check with the manager first. She came back a whole 5 minutes later and said that the manager does not know of the app so she can’t accept the offer. I was a little annoyed but not mad. While waiting for our food I overheard the people sitting close to us complain about the service as well. They decided to get up and pay the check at the front because the waitress was taking so long to come around to pick it up. The same happened when my girlfriend and I wanted to pay. We decided to pay at the bar because it was taking so long.
In summery: The food was good. I really enjoyed it. But the severe lack in service really takes away from La Fonda. This restaurant could be so much more with good service. Not only that but they don’t even honor their Unilocal deal which is a let down.

A place I walked passed day after day until it was recommended. I’ve only been twice, but wasn’t let down. I come from Washington heights and am very particular when it comes to spanish food. They meet my criteria. I’ve only had the shrimp monfongo and the sancocho but those are not easy dishes to nail and they did. I also love the décor and service.

my friends said this was the best mofongo they have ever had. i took a leap of faith… and holy hot stuff was it good.
with the plethora of yums around me at every corner in nyc, long gone are my indulgent overeating days… until last night’s mofongo claimed my stomach without my permission.
la fonda lived up to her reputation. the portions were huge. the food was perfectly spiced. the ingredients were fresh. everything was well-​cooked at just the right crispiness. oh my. the sweet plantains… ohhhh boy.
the atmosphere was beautiful. we walked out with leftovers for two and only spent $ 35 (before tip)… conveniently located near the 103 stop in spanish harlem, it is a no-​brainer to bring your friends here!
lastly, the staff, if you read this dear business owner, is without a doubt… absolutely charming, friendly, helpful, and incredibly accommodating. we accidentally stayed past close and the staff didn’t want to disturb us because we were chatting away. very sweet servers!
EDIT: the owner personally responded to my review and seems to respond to many others. clearly this team really cares about seeking productive feedback! :)

I visited this restaurant at the end of a Spanish Harlem walking tour. I never had Puerto Rican food before and was worried there wouldn’t be any vegetarian options, but there were a few things for me to choose from.
I had the vegetarian mofongo and it was really flavorful! Sometimes plantains can be a bit bland but this combination of plantain, vegetables, and spices was very fresh and enjoyable. I wasn’t able to finish everything on my plate but I surely tried my best!
I was at a table of six people, and everyone was happy with their meal with the exception of one woman who felt her salmon was a bit dry. Another person from our table tried it and agreed with her. The other disappointment was that they were out of pernil, which three people from our six person party had been particularly looking forward to.
I had a glass of sangria with my meal and it was great! Often sangria can be too sweet or lacking in alcohol but this was neither. There was no visible fruit but it was still one of the best sangrias I’ve had in a while.
The atmosphere was friendly and casual, even if the service was a bit slow. The restaurant was very crowded so it was not always easy to get the waitress’ attention.
We checked in on Unilocal,which should have entitled us to a free appetizer; however when we showed this to the waitress, she pointed out that it had expired ten days ago. I was kind of hoping/​expecting she would honor it anyway, but she didn’t, which was also fine. I hope La Fonda will update their check-​in offers soon.
This restaurant is within walking distance to my apartment and I would definitely consider coming back here again with someone who was in the mood for or looking to try Puerto Rican food, or just for another glass of that great sangria!

Really disappointed in the food, but more disappointed in the service! My family and I (group of 8) came to have dinner after a Yankees game. We ordered an array of items from the menu (empanadas, mofongo, steak w/​onions, pernil). My sister ordered the chicken mofongo and choked on 4 bones before finally asking to have her plate removed from the table. The waitress was so aggravated that she stormed away with the plate, cursing us off in Spanish. She then refused to take the item off the bill and automatically added 20% gratuity. I will never return here and will never recommend this restaurant!

This was my first Puerto Rican food experience ever, and La Fonda presented a great representation of the wonderful food of Puerto Rico. I had the Seafood Mufundo (Mashed Plantain topped with Seafood and Garlic sauce).

The place is small and very nicely decorated, i took my mother to have some lunch and we walked in the place was totally empty, i thought i was in the wrong place for a minute… so we sat down and a waitress came over asked to take our drink order and ordered 2 sangria’s. i think she got it mixed up and brought us grape juice. so as i checked in they were offering a free appt and even though it was expired she honored it, which was very nice… so we ordered the chicken empanadas and they were really good and mother enjoyed it as well. so for main course mom ordered mofongo with pieces of fried chicken and i ordered the pork chops with tostones. The food was prepared in a reasonable time. my mother mofongo was very tasty and the chicken was nice and juicy. just Little salty… my pork chops were very flavorful and juicy and the fried plantains were made the way i like them and they were made to order and you could tell… Good meal…
Now customer service on the other hand could use some improvement, waitresses seem like they didn’t want to be bothered always on their iphone an not very pleasant. but overall the food was awesome…

Small and comfy. Friendly staff. Good food! Highly recommend this place. I grew up in Puerto Rico and this restaurant makes me feel right at home! Make sure to order the mofongo con chicharron de pollo and a Malta to top it off!
You’ll thank me later. Enjoy!

Excellent service, excellent food, excellent atmosphere.
First time, will definitely return. Sister saw f.b. pictures and said, hey I want to go there for dinner while visiting N.Y.
I was very impressed, the chef came out to ask if everything was ok.
What, everything was excellent.
Would have enjoyed a nice piña colada. That was not an option

I used to come here during it’s previous iteration. Loved it. Great atmosphere, authentic food, relaxed ambiance.
Now things have changed. The décor is lovely. But, first off, why is it called a tapas bar? There were no tapas on the menu at all. It’s as if they’re trying to cater to an certain crowd but the title doesn’t match the reality.
Second, the atmosphere is now a bit more upscale… but for no reason. The table-​ware (plates) are fancy but all I want is old school mofongo! Four sprigs of lettuce are now supposed to be a salad?
The flavor of the mofongo was not as good as it used to be, but still middling. Service was very slow. We were the only people there and it still took forever.
Overall just really disappointed that a formerly authentic Puerto Rican restaurant is trying to be something they are not. Bring back the homestyle atmosphere… until then I’ll go elsewhere.