La Fonda: My Happy Place

La Fonda has always been one of my all time favorite spots to go in Atlanta for many reasons. Whenever I come to visit Atlanta, it’s on my check off list of things to do, places to go and people to see. At La Fonda (aka ‘the tavern’), the environment is amazing, the Cuban food is delicious and the margaritas are… um… off the chain.

Atmosphere

I go to the La Fonda that is located on Ponce de Leon Avenue next to Highland. La Fonda has a very relaxed environment with a seat-yourself system. You can choose to sit inside, which is a small area with booths and tables, in an outside patio downstairs or in the larger patio upstairs, which overlooks the neighborhood (highly recommended… but wear sunglasses at sunset!). When you choose your table you are immediately greeted by fast service and a never-ending supply of chips and delicious fresh salsa. They also have a variety of dips that you can order such as guacamole, cheese or artichoke. Yum.

La Fonda Menu:

Margaritas??? Yes, please!! I personally like the plain jane regular frozen margarita, which is made using La Fonda’s ongoing margarita mixing machine. It has just the right amount of tequila to margarita ratio and the perfect texture. But if you feel like being fancy, they have a large selection of flavors, such as strawberry, mango, jalapeno, etc…. I’ve also heard the Mojitos are the bomb dot com.

Now, you could stop there with just chips, dips and drinks but why would you when you have an extraordinary menu of delicious Cuban food right in front of you??! They have a variety of options, divided into several sections. The sections are “Tradicion de Espana” (Spanish tradition), “De la Parrilla Cubana” (aka from the Cuban grill), “Bocadillos Cubanos” (aka Cuban Sandwiches), and “Un Sabor Mexicano” (aka A Taste of Mexico). I recommend any of the Cuban sandwiches or the Paellas in the ‘Tradicion de Espana’ section. In the Mexican section, I’ve tried the chicken tacos, which were A-mazing (a special delicious spicy sauce on them) and the quesadillas are fabulous. However, the burritos and enchiladas are just so-so. Beware… with all of those chips and dip plus the entre, you will feel like a huge jelly-belly afterwards and want to roll out of the restaurant, so sharing a dish is definitely an option.

If you like La Fonda Latina, check out our spicy shrimp recipe!