Address: | 189 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011, USA |
Phone: | +1 917-525-5252 |
Site: | fondarestaurant.com |
Rating: | 4.3 |
Working: | 11:30AM–11PM 11:30AM–11PM 11:30AM–11PM 11:30AM–11PM 11:30AM–11:30PM 12–11:30PM 12–10PM |
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Andrew Froehlich
Went to Fonda in Chelsea for dinner on a Saturday night. We had a reservation on OpenTable but didnt think we would need it; as it turns out, it was pretty crowded and it was good we had it. We arrived 15 minutes before the reservation and they couldnt seat us right away, but they seated us by the actual reservation time. In the meantime, we went to the bar and ordered drinks. Although it was 7:15 and the Happy Hour is posted as 5-7, the bartender gave us the Happy Hour prices on our drinks unexpectedly, which was really nice of him. My wifes berry sangria was very sweet, almost like juice, but thats how she likes it. Unfortunately it had a lot of ice in there, too, to dilute it. We sat upstairs. We heard it was quieter up there, but it was still pretty crowded and noisy up there, but not an issue. We got the Tlacoyo Con Hongos to start, which came with three gordita squares with toppings. The mushrooms were delicious, and it was an altogether solid dish. I got the Enchiladas Suizas (chicken), and my wife got the Camarones Adobados (shrimp). I think the shrimp was the better dish: they were spiced well, full of flavor, and the avocado green rice was creamy and delicious. The chicken enchiladas came with 3 small enchiladas covered in cheese. It was good, but a little one-note with all the cheese as compared to the other dish with more complexity. There was rice and beans on the side: the beans were like refried beans made with black beans. They were good, but I actually would have preferred standard black beans. Solid dinner at a reasonable price with good service.
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Melanie Tam
Three friends and I came in at around 1 pm on a Sunday with a reservation for brunch. This location doesnt have as high of a rating as its sister in the East Village but we decided to give it a shot anyway. On their menus, they advertise $37 for a unlimited drinks brunch. This comes with your choice of entree, and unlimited frozen rosalitas (hibiscus margaritas), regular margaritas, bloody Marys, mimosas, or beer. If you dont want to drink, you can always order your entree a la carte. However, it looked like they went ahead and calculated a la carte anyway, with the drinks being $22 and if you had a higher end brunch item, like steak, that was about $18. It wasnt worth it at all. The drinks were okay but my entree was very mediocre. I had the huevos con nopales. The sauce was way too tart for no reason, and the nopales tastes like frozen string beans. I feel like I could have paid $15 elsewhere and gotten the same quality. Wont be returning. At least not to this location, and not for brunch.
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Nils Barth
Food good but not great, tasty and varied cocktails, very crowded, service lacking. Front of house today was particularly bad. Guacamole is normally $14, and while tasty, its not worth that price. For this summer it’s $8 on Thursdays though! Had pork enchiladas, which were a bit dry, but generally tasty, and ceviche, which was ok but forgettable. On our bill, the guac was still charged as $14, not the discounted $8. I pointed this out to the greeter at front, and he said “I’ll fix that.” ... and after several minutes finally did. He never apologized. When you mess up, when you OVERCHARGE someone, the first thing you do is say “sorry”. When you make them wait as they want to go home, because YOU messed up, you say “sorry”. ... and Fonda didn’t.
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Jessica Meuse
I was freezing and Fonda was on break in between the lunch and dinner transition, but they still welcomed me inside to warm up/thaw out! The employees were super nice, and the guacamole is GREAT! The food tastes fresh and you can get tapas dishes if you just want a snack or a larger meal - lots of options! Its a pretty chill atmosphere to hang out, and Ill definitely go back the next time I visit NY.
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Eric McGahhey
Had a very enjoyable dinner here. Very nice staff. A good staple for Mexican in Chelsea. My friend and I had great margaritas and food overall was really yummy. I had the Mole chicken enchiladas, which were yummy, but maybe a bit too much Mole for my taste. Regardless, Ill be back and Im gonna check out their sister resturaunt in park slope!
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michael rock
Good food. Nice place. We ate at the bar, which, if I were to go back, Id sit upstairs away from the TVs. The lobster bisque was good but it in no way was lobster bisque. It was actually a very nice, smoky tomato soup with a hint of lobster meat. The fish tacos were good and the beet/avocado salad was fantastic. A good meal.
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Kristan Georges
The food was expensive and not well flavored. I had the enchiladas and it was disappointing. You can get better Mexican food at several places in the city. I did not try the brunch, so that may be better. The other patrons seemed to enjoy their food though, so I may just need to give it another try.
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Naz M.
Good tequila options and decent guacamole. But food was disappointing. Either too rich or covered in sauce and lacking flavor which is unacceptable for Mexican food. Fun space good table service but food was inadequately season and overpriced so will not be going back.
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Christina L
The food was absolutely delicious, although the entree [enchiladas suizas] were a bit overpriced for the portion @ $22. The crab cakes appetizers were amazing. Great service. Our server was very friendly and helpful. Very cute decor. Cozy and romantic.
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Zach Maier
Best Mexican food Ive had in Chelsea! Plates are maybe a little too fancy but are still delicious. Wide selection of margaritas; the spicy orange is pretty spicy and overall great. Cant go wrong with the enchiladas mole.
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ivan zatz
Quite good -- and I was raised in Mexico City with the real cuisine. Very nice happy hour at the bar. The wait staff is very nice and attentive. They have two other places but I have only been to the one in Chelsea.
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Brandon Cadmen
Great place to just enjoy with friends. I always have very attentive waiters and bussers always on top of your needs. Food and drinks are very good and would definetly recommend it to my friends!
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Varsha Mathur
The drinks were good, the guacamole was great. Deserts were tasty. But the ceviche was soupy and the other dishes were mediocre. Great restaurant for a group doing drinks and snacks maybe.
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Chandni Vakil
I had the hibiscus margarita which was AMAZING-- highly recommend, and I had the mole enchiladas for dinner- they were to die for... this place has a great atmosphere and even better food
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Andreas Turanski
Good slightly upscale Mexican restaurant with nice upstairs. It has some vegetarian options and could use at least one vegan option, but you can ask for no cheese on a couple entrees.
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RJ Harrington
Flavor profile of all the dishes is outstanding. Even the black beans were special. Service is efficient. The team at Fonda take pride in the food they serve and its done with love.
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Alma
Great food. The drinks are so unique and tasty. I loved that they serve the guacamole in the molcajete. Really chill, nonjudgmental vibe. Amazing, accommodating staff.
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Tevis Spezia
The drinks were well made, the food was delicious with a focus on presentation, and the ambiance was amazing. Oh and the food was a good spicy.
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Brian Sugden
Food is good and drinks are great. Only issue is service can be hit or miss depending on how busy it is and the acoustics are really bad.