- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Fonda Del Mar
Category: Restaurants Mexican Mexican [Edit]
3749 W Fullerton Ave(between Ridgeway Ave & Hamlin Ave)
Chicago, IL 60647
Neighborhood: Logan Square
(773) 489-3748
- Hours:
Wed-Thu 5 pm - 9 pm
Fri-Sat 5 pm - 10 pm
Sun 4 pm - 9 pm
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
121 reviews for Fonda Del Mar
Review Highlights
"I ordered the Camarones Al Mojo De Ajo and it was delicious."
(in 6 reviews)
"The dessert of pineapple upside down cake was excellent."
(in 6 reviews)
"Each type of ceviche had it's own unique flavor."
(in 27 reviews)
Loading...
121 reviews in English
-
Review from HRH J.
Chicago, IL
12/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
Delicious!!! Very well kept and the BYOB was super nice!!!! They treated us so well and we loved the environment!!! Seriously the chef is great because all of their dishes were VERY DELICIOUS!!!
-
Review from Keely B.
12/5/2011
$20 Pre Fixe includes any appetizer, any entree (excluding lamb chops and fish of the day), any dessert. Considering that most of the entrees are $13-$18 alone, that is quite the steal. Also, this place is BYOB with no corkage fee! That would have come in really handy if either I or my dining companions had remembered to bring wine. Whoops!
They had some really inventive dishes, but they were all red meat or fish based (which I don't eat). There were chicken and vegetarian dishes, they were just a trifle more pedestrian. Still very good. I think the rice was actually my favorite part of dinner--it had amazing flavor. The beans were very bland. They and the enchiladas I had could have used a bit (or a lot) of salt.
We had the tartaleta for dessert, and it was fantastic. Chocolatey and warm with melty vanilla ice cream--the perfect finish. -
Review from Gloria Q.
Chicago, IL
11/27/2011
I love this Logan Square Mexican place, service and Food are good. They have a $25dlls special (appetizer,entree,dessert) Plus is BYOB Decor is nice and colorful...
Give it a try, you won't be disappointed! -
Review from Moe f.
Chicago, IL
7/31/2011
We headed over on a Sat night and snagged a spot on the back patio. Gave the waiter our bottle of tequila and he came back with a pitcher of delicious Margarita's(they charge $10 but it's still a deal).
I'm not a huge fan of their salsa but those chips go great with the ceviche. I went with the whole snapper and ate it down til it was all bones. Wife had the camarones that were the best shrimp I've had in awhile. And we finished with the pinapple-upside-down cake. They just need to hire another server cause there was one guy working the whole place. -
Review from Caitlin G.
Chicago, IL
4/22/2011
To discover a restaurant with awesome service and delicious food in the midst of fabulous company and conversation? Amazing!
On a chilly April Thursday night, Fondo del Mar was not busy. Aside from our table, there were maybe two or three other tables seated throughout the night. Such a small crowd might feel weird at some restaurants where the service, music or decor are no good, but everything jived perfectly at Fondo del Mar.
To get started, we ordered the guacamole. It was delicious, tasted a bit like it had a dash of citrus in it maybe, and was garnished with tasty cucumbers.
For dinner, we split an order of the Budin Vegeteriano--basically a Mexican veggie, tortilla and cheese casserole--and the fish tacos. Both dishes were so good--the fish tacos so fresh and flavorful, the budin oozed cheesy veggie warm comfort.
BYO tequila for their homemade margarita mix!! (Or hop down the street to the nearby liquor store if, like us, you forget.)
But even with all that delicious food, it was really the awesome, attentive, friendly service that made Fondo del Mar so great. Can't wait to go back! -
Review from Adam M.
Chicago, IL
Updated - 3/6/2010
When I first heard that Fonda had moved further north I was ecstatic. My first experience at Fonda on Fullerton was amazing. Delicious seafood, amazing drinks, and wonderful atmosphere. So when my birthday rolled around this year I invited all of my closest friends to experience the amazing dining experience that is Fonda del Mar.
Unfortunately I feel as though they may have sacrificed some of the things I loved about them for this new, larger space. The cozy authentic Mexican atmosphere is gone and has been replaced with a large, modern space that is so cavernous that the noise of the restaurant echos so much that my party could hardly hear each other over the noise.
The drinks, I will say, are just as amazing. Two margaritas in and I was feeling good. However, when the main courses arrived they were mediocre at best. Again, myself and some of my friends had been to Fonda's old location before several times so we knew what to expect. Our expectations were not fulfilled. The mahi mahi was underwhelming. Our party was most impressed with the dessert and coffee course.
Hopefully Fonda is still just working out some kinks after their move because I hope to keep this restaurant on my short list of favorite restaurants. I will give them another chance in a couple of months. For now, I might go back and sit at the bar to enjoy some of their delicious margaritas.Listed in: Good for Groups, Fabulous Foodies' Favorite…
1 Previous Review: Show all »
-
11/20/2008
First off, for those of you who are wondering, Fonda del Mar translates to "small restaurant or inn… Read more »
-
-
Review from Lisa B.
Oak Park, IL
2/16/2009 ROTD 4/5/2009
As has already been established, I am a lame suburbanite who is goaded to try new places after watching "Check, Please." Usually I wait a few weeks or months for the fervor to die down, but since Fonda del Mar was enroute from point A to point B, we stopped in for an early dinner. Even though the episode just aired, the place wasn't packed -- but it was 5:30 on a Monday night, so I wouldn't imagine anyplace would be.
We ordered tamales for an appetizer, and were really impressed with their light and fluffy texture -- like a really good matzoh ball, texture is key. Each of us enjoyed our entrees very much. I got the tilapia, hubby got the pork shoulder, and the boy got the shrimp. The sauce that came with my tillapia was almost too spicy, but then I got the idea to mooch some of the freshly-made corn tortillas that came with hubby's entree, and after wrapping grilled fish and veggies in one with a smattering of sauce, I found the dish irresistible -- and they were very nice about bringing us more tortillas. For dessert we split a coconut flan with fresh fruit, which really helped cool our mouths off.
Atmosphere was spot on -- loved the open kitchen. Service was attentive but not hover-y. We have been searching for a "shmancy" Mexican restaurant ever since our fave spot, Salbute in Hinsdale, closed up shop. This seems to be a worthy successor.Listed in: My ROTDs
-
Review from Rachel H.
Chicago, IL
10/17/2011
In a not-so-great area, but a really nice place with great food and good service. Rolled up and didn't expect too much from how the street looked, but I was pleasantly surprised. Waiter was knowledgeable of all of the food and everything was delicious. Clearly freshly made guacamole and inventive quesadillas. Lots of vegetarian options. If only this place could transport to a better location, I think it'd get a lot more visitors. Worth the trip.
-
Review from Dave S.
8/17/2008
I enjoy a good meal of Mexican food. With the veritable plethora of options in Chicago it can sometimes be a difficult decision to make on where to go. I was eying up this place for a bit and Lara and Rebekah and myself tried this place out.
To get the great big negative out of the way I will also agree that the vegetable plate was terrible. The flavors did not work well at all with each other making for a rather abysmal offering. The waiter was asked if there were any other vegetarian option available but the way he described the other option sounded very much like the menu item with the ingredients arraigned in a different way. Very Taco Bell-ish if you ask me. They did not charge us for the plate of slop though.
Maybe Monday is a bad day to go here because they seemed to be out of quite a bit of stuff. They did not have the skirt steak for my Carne Asada and they were also out of the fish they made Lara's dish with. They were able to give me a butt steak and some other fish for Lara.
I was the only one pleased with their meal. My steak was very good and had an excellent flavor to it. I was pleased that they served me black beans instead of the typical re-fried crap that most place serve.
The service was beyond slow. There is a fine line that is drawn between leaving us be to enjoy our meal and conversation and ignoring us. They well crossed over this line to the latter as our waiter who was friendly and helpful but invisible for a good portion of our meal.
Although my food was very good and the place is very pleasing to the eye and well kept, I don't think the prices were justified. I would not mind giving this place another shot in the future but they would really have to wow me to earn their business repeatedly. -
Review from Lindley E.
Chicago, IL
10/18/2006
first a caveat: I've had bafflingly awful experiences waiting for tables on a Saturday night. Despite that, Fonda is a perfect place for take-out. Yes, takeout. Call ahead and you can eat your dinner in the company of your cat, your homemade margarita, your Leif Garrett poster, and your bean bag chair. If you live within a few minutes walk or drive, while your food won't look as lovely as when it is plated in the restaurant, it will taste nearly as good. Even the fish.
Good tortillas, too.Listed in: Logan Square is Wicker Park Jr
-
Review from Amanda S.
Napa, CA
7/11/2011
Went here on a Saturday night, and the service was a bit slow, but that's because there was only one server (I'm actually friends with one of the servers there, which is how I found out about the place, but he requested the weekend off). And that's my only complaint. I didn't find it to be that big of a deal though since the food, atmosphere, weather and company was excellent.
The food: I'm generally not a huge Mexican fan, because most Mexican places focus on dishes every American who's ever been to a Taco Bell knows (tacos, chimichangas, burritos, flauta, taco salad, etc.,) and the only variations are within those dishes. Or maybe they have variations in spiciness, but since I'm a major gringa, I like to actually taste my food, not the burn. This place is still Mexican, but they concentrate on doing food that tastes fantastic, rather than being super familiar.
For starters:
Free tortilla chips and tomatillo salsa - made in house as far as i can tell, and salsa was a nice medium with a hint of fruitiness.
Uchepas - sweet corn tamales in a creamy poblano sauce: sweet and slightly spicy, but without that really starchy texture you sometimes run into
Ensalada Fresca - a salad of julienned jicama, cucumber, fresh mango, and a dab of hot sauce on top: the PERFECT salad for a hot day
Main course:
Camarones - the grilled shrimp that every other review talks about: good, and the vegetable hash that it was over had cloves of roasted garlic in it - super yummy
Lamb chops - EXCELLENT mole. Earthy, toasty, slighly sweet, with a slow burn at the end that doesn't overpower the other flavors. The lamb chops were prepared lollipop style, which means I couldn't help but just dip them in the mole, and eat them caveman style. Though the mashed potatoes served alongside were rather forgettable.
It is BYOB, and we brought a bottle of white wine, and they provided a bucket of ice to rest it in to keep it chilled on a 90 degree night. Bonus points. Rumor is that if you bring your own tequilla, they have a house-made mix and will make a margarita for you.
It was a perfect night, so we sat on the patio, and I have no complaints there either, Cute decor, nice music, just a perfect dinner out. -
Review from Christmas D.
Chicago, IL
6/7/2007
OMG....Mole! I didn't like it 'til I had it here. Come to think of it, I didn't like Flan until I had it here, either. More like custard, less like snot.
The Trio de Ceviches is another fave of mine. I will often order it for my entree, it's so much food.
They seem to change up the menu frequently, leaving (thankfully) my faves as a constant. There are plenty of exotic options for the more adventurous. This is NOT your typical Mexican-American fare.
I would put this place up against Frontera/Topolobompo any day - and it's much less expensive.
Admittedly, I prefer coming here in the summer when I can sit on the lovely patio, away from Fullerton Ave. traffic, enjoying all the twinkly lights, candles and the really cool half-boat planter they have along one fence.
Lastly...NICEST PEOPLE EVER....and surprisingly kid-friendly.
I'm glad they're no longer BYOB - who wants to mix their own margarita?Listed in: Superior Eats, Stuff in West Logan…, Yummy Delivery & take-out!
-
Review from Carolyn S.
Chicago, IL
11/20/2008
Our food club had a little too much fun at this place. We might not be allowed back. Especially after I turned to my waiter after he asked "Maam, would you like another margarita" and I reported "No thank you, I am drunk".
But I sure hope they let us return because this place had some damn good margaritas and inventive cuisine. I recommend the talipia, spicy shrimp in a red sauce, margaritas, mahi-mahi served with some damn good mash potatoes, best darn flan ever.
Really good experience overall but there were some misses. Don't get the guacamole or the scallop dish served in a mole sauce.
The one questionable dish was the desert consisting of Papaya and Peaches and Sprinkles and Cheese. Super strange flavor combination which some loved and some hated.
Nevertheless, the desert left us with a cheery chant which we all belted out as we left the restaurant. "PAPAYA AND PEACHES AND SPRINKLES AND CHEESE!" Yes, Fonda Del Mar, we had a little too much fun and I blame your fantastic margaritas! -
Review from Donato C.
San Francisco, CA
2/16/2009
Every now and again, one is lucky enough to find a restaurant like this. You walk in, sit down and just from reading the menu, you know you're in for a great evening. It is very difficult to find Mexican food of this quality in the US. We started with two house margaritas and two starters: the calamar con esquites and a crab ceviche. The squid was sauteed and served in a bed of arugula, corn, and roasted red peppers, with a tart ajillo sauce. The crab was equally delicious. Imagine a pico de gallo with a bunch of crab in it....Lovely.
For my entree, I ordered the cochinita pibil, a perfectly braised pork shoulder with black beans and pickled onions. It is served with a very spicy habanera sauce which is not for the faint of heart. If you can handle the spice, though, it has such a fantastic flavor! My friend ordered the carne asada huasteca, which was equally fantastic. They really know how to scar the meat to give it the maximum flavor from the fire.
We ordered two desserts: The natillas and the chocolate maya. I don't think we really had the room to eat them, but we did it anyway! Both were exceptional, but the Natillas really was something special.
I can't wait to go back! It's a restaurant where I hope to eventually have everything on the menu. -
Review from Kathy H.
Chicago, IL
11/6/2006
SPICEY baby SPICEY...
LOVE it. Went there for a delayed birthday get together and even though the whole group wasn't enthuised with the seafood choices everyone found something very tasty to fulfill their hunger.
Carne Asada was great and about as traditional as the menu gets... pan seared shrimp in chile sauce (watch out)... and much much more...
BYOB - we brought a pitcher of margaritas and they had salt rimmed glasses with limes out in a matter of seconds... Great service - good prices. A definite revisit. -
Review from S G.
Chicago, IL
9/17/2006
After reading the reviews from other yelpers and building excitement for a decent Mexican restaurant we finally made our way to Fonda del Mar.
We went on Saturday night, seating for two was quick but we did not get a waiter until 7-10 minutes later, our waiter not being around was a trend that would continue for the rest of the night.
The place was lively and the music was great, a mixture or merengues and cumbias. When I saw the menu I was exited because it didn't seem like your standard Mexican restaurant menu, which is refreshing. After 15 minutes our waiter finally came back to take our order, I ordered the Cochinita Piblil which is a braised pork in achiote, sour orange and spices, served with black beans and spicy habanero sauce. My wife ordered the Pescado Tikin Xic anato marinated mahi baked in banana leaf served with room temperature molcajete habanero salsa and served with garlic mashed potatoes.
My dish the Cochinita Pibil was too salty for my taste, a nice touch was the fresh made tortillas. My wife felt that the Pescado Xic was flat tasting althouth the presentation of the plate was creative. But what earned this restaurant the 2 star rating was the poor service from our waiter, whether he had too many tables or he just didn't care it's part of the whole dinning experience and in this case it was poor.
I sadly have to say that I would not visit this place again because of the poor service from our waiter and the food while creative in it's presentation it did not leave any memorable sentiments. -
Review from Rob L.
Chicago, IL
2/19/2010
The night, chilly with a light flurry in the air. The feeling of being transported to a warmer destination through margaritas and moles was warming our minds and our souls.
Walking in, it was sparse. Barely a soul in sight. Not to worry, it was barely in to the new year of aught 10 this night, not something I was worried nor surprised about. The layout, very open, but there almost seems to be a need of a lil' somethin' somethin' to make this place cozier. Perhaps a little more fuller with heartier tables, softened colors, a few more decorations to bring the place together. Warm and lively, not as stark as it was. We were seated quite quickly and even quicker we were perusing the menus. A smokey margarita? Yes, please! A glass of wine? Not bad selection. The drink list is specific and yes, they have a ton of tequila to quench your taste buds or to give you that "What the hell did I do last night?" feeling when you wake up the next morning. The margaritas were indeed slightly smokey and tasty, but beware, like most, they can go down a little too quickly.
We were starving, so a copious amount of food needed to be ordered. Some highlights. The ceviche was wonderful, bright and tasty. Tlacoyos, soft and delicate, warm and filling. Conchinita Pibil, with a searingly hot and spicy habanero sauce on the side. Puerco en mole verde was wonderful, I opted for the two moles, (who says you can't have it all!?), and was happy with my selection. I will say as tasty as the dishes were, they could have used a scant more seasoning to really bring out the flavors a wee bit more. For the majority I was pretty happy.
Then came dessert... oh how I hate des... okay sorry I can't even type that with a straight face....
Yes, dessert was great and certainly topped off our stomachs to the brim. I will say the chocolate pecan pie we had that night made me have sweet sweet dreams of it for days. Certainly if available, a must have. But really, I am a sucker for chocolate.
My friends and I had a great time, but like any event, the company always helps to make the evening even better. Although sadly my friend Jeff and I hoped they had the grasshoppers and worms still on the menu next time, (Yes. I am being darn skippy serious about that!), they were out that night and now seems out on their menu online. Hopefully when I make it back they will have them on the menu, but if not there is plenty to enjoy, just sit back and let those margaritas take effect. -
Review from sara k.
Chicago, IL
7/10/2011 4 photos
i have a bit of a love letter to write to this place since they have done much more than just serve me dinner.
this past june, i held my wedding at fonda del mar. we only had three months to plan (which is unheard of in many circles) and wanted to keep our event in the neighborhood of which we lived--logan square.
our contact's name was will, and he was unbelievably accommodating. will was laid back, let us know our options for choosing a menu for the event, and made the whole thing seem totally under control. now, i'll admit, i can be a bit left-of-center, and will was completely on board with all the bizarre requests i made (yellow table cloths and orange napkins? sure! i can rent those for you!)
now, every wedding has its panic moment and mine was no exception. the friday before our wedding, the air conditioning went out in the restaurant and couldn't be fixed until Monday. and then, on saturday, the BIG day, it rained like hell and we were having our ceremony on the back patio. well, those two events that would have otherwise been tragic ended up coinciding perfectly--the rain cooled the weather and the AC became a non-issue. *whew* will and his crew of servers who were working the event, were immediately on the back patio right after the rain stopped and were toweling off the chairs and getting everything re-situated so that it was all perfect by the time the guests arrived.
we had about 70 guests and the restaurant really shouldn't accommodate for that many though they did a great job handling our party. i would say, 60 guests should be the maximum for anyone else planning an event here. the food was unbelievable (of course), and the team of servers worked their assess off to make our guests happy. One server was running food and working the bar, and he was unreal! The restaurant is BYO, so we brought in cases of liquor, and the folks at fonda handled the rest.
while the guests were eating, will and the crew moved the chairs around on the back patio to make room for a dance floor and once dinner was over, the party moved out back and went late into the evening without a hitch. PERFECT!
i truly cannot thank the fonda del mar team enough for giving us a great wedding day. i'd recommend them to anyone who has a formal event and is looking to hold it at a place where the food and atmosphere are key. -
Review from shik s.
Chicago, IL
4/12/2007
You come here for the food... the atmosphere is lacking. The ingredients are fresh and the taste is superb. The camarones will exceed all expectations. Rick Bayless would be very envious...
Ceviche trio is a phenomenal starter - the portions are generous and the flavors are powerful. -
Review from Mark S.
Chicago, IL
7/20/2006
This place is great- really good, creative, fresh food at fair prices. BYOB makes for quite the bargain- beware that the liquor store three doors down is not the place to go for wine though- duh...But the food's just as good with beer.
First time I came here was on a Saturday night- totally packed and a forever wait to eat in a loud room with a crowd I didn't particularly care for. But the food was so good it was almost worth it! Now I go all the time, but never on a Fri or Sat. Sunday I went and ate out on their patio, it's nice back there- dig the boat!
Update- I eat here all the time now, I'm addicted. You will be too. I LOVE this place more and more every trip. My mouth's watering just thinking about it. Not many restaurants have food that makes me happy like this place's does. -
Review from Chris B.
Chicago, IL
8/12/2006
Wicked good...
Here's the secret reason: Platiyo -- the most downhill a restaurant could have sunk -- lost their chef (who also cut his chops at Mia Francesca)...to Fonda Del Mar! And wow, does it show in terms of how good FDM is...
Experienced management (the other owner was at Frontera Grill/Topolobampo), experienced restaurant staff (our waiter was one of the regular waiters at Mia for a long time), and amazing results.
As a BYOB, the check looks nice at the end of the night, and they have a great patio in the back. A slightly shady neighborhood (Logan Square), but once you're inside, it's cozy, friendly, and the food was tremendous.
We had fish dishes, a pork tinga, sopa, and loved everything.
If you're looking for a less crowded alternative to some of the more known Mexican/Latin restaurants, definitely drive over to FDM. The pedigree and amazing cuisine is there -- but the crowds are not! -
Review from Michelle R.
Chicago, IL
10/24/2006
INCREDIBLE!
I first tasted their fish tacos at the Logan Square block party this summer from a trailer and fell in love...
I normally wouldn't order fish from a trailer but they hand battered the fish in front of me then hand made the fresh tortilla and I had the best fish tacos of my life!
I finally made it to the restaurant last weekend and it was amazing food and atmosphere! Everything we had was perfect and can I just say PUMPKIN MOLE!!! WOW!
If you can get over there now take advantage of the pumpkin!
We had to wait about 20 minutes for a table on a Friday but they do take reservations and the wait was fine we went next door to grab alcohol. the liquor store is crazy the shelves have not changed since 1981 (the stuff in the cooler is fresh) it's a fun alcohol museum!
Then we watched the cooks make magic in the open kitchen while we waited, that was a great appetizer!
Amazing food fun place!Listed in: My Neighborhood
-
Review from Fred S.
Chicago, IL
1/27/2007
Fun little place. Kinda out of the way (well, for me anyways). Great place to bring a date (unless he/she/not-sure is allergic to good food).
I started with the $5 margarita... which is the cheapest margarita they have; the other swankier ones are $8. But since the beer is $4, I figured it would get me drunk faster. Always thinking, I am. Anyway, it was really good. I ended up getting two more.
For apps, we got guacamole and ceviche. Both were frickin' great. You have to try at least one of those if you go.
My entree was the carne asada. It was good, but nothing to write home about. It was basically a hunk of meat with some black beans and a pyramid of rice. That said, I got to try everyone else's entrees and they were really good - especially the pork dishes. The mexican piaya was just ok. Stay away from that and the carna asade unless its your fortieth visit and you want to try something new.
Overall, this place is a solid 4 star experience. I'll be back. -
Review from Eddy C.
Chicago, IL
4/24/2006
I am admittedly partial towards any new restaurant that opens up in my neck of the woods (Logan Square). That being said, I was very pleased that Fonda del Mar actually managed to live up to the hype.
My girlfriend and I recently had dinner there on a Saturday night. We started with a cocetele (sp?) for appetizers, which was basically a big bowl of oysters, shrimp and octopus in a hearty pool of cocktail sauce. It was surprisingly tasty. For entrees, my girlfriend had mahi mahi wrapped in a banana leaf (not bad) and I got grouper in a poblano cream sauce (delicious!). $14 per entree, which is a great deal compared to how much most restaurants in Chicago usually charge for fish dishes. For dessert, we ordered the bunuelo, which was basically a big piece of fried dough topped with ice cream, caramel syrup and sprinkles. We also got an orange flan on the house, which was a nice surprise. First time I've ever gotten free anything at a restaurant that didn't involve me complaining about something or ordering a boat load of drinks ...
One thing about dinner that night that I really liked was that our server also happened to be one of the owners/partners of the restaurant. I have a lot of respect for anyone who puts down a bunch of money to start a restaurant and then is willing to work as a waiter to not only cut down on costs, but also to better understand his customers. The free flan was a nice touch that left a good taste in my mouth (literally and figuratively) about the place.
One more thing about Fonda del Mar -- the place is still BYOB for the time being. BYOB restaurants automatically get extra brownie points in my book. On a related note, there was a party of four that got seated at the table next to us. One of the guys had a large grocery bag of booze, which he emptied after they sat down. First a six pack of Corona's, then a bottle of white wine and then ... a bottle of brandy! Talk about taking full advantage of the BYOB policy! The fact that these people were in their 50's only made it all that much cooler. Since we were already in the middle of our meal by the time they sat down, they proceeded to ask us a lot of questions about what we ordered and how we liked the food. Nice people, though given the amount of time we spent talking to them, you would've thought that they would've offered us some of their brandy. -
Review from Carrie W.
IL
9/24/2007
Fonda Del Mar serves up very well prepared and thoughtful refined Mexican food in a bright, festive setting with great service and even better margaritas. They specialize in seafood, which is probably not a shocker given the name. The surprising thing is that the meat and veg dishes aren't on the menu as an afterthought. The pork and lamb dishes I have had have been stellar--these folks know mole! Generally I get the ceviche appetizer, which is a delightful trio of preparations/seafood, and the fish tacos which are listed as an appetizer but are definitely sized enough for a meal. I also adore the music they play, and appreciate the volume that's loud enough to give your dining experience a punchy soundtrack, but not so loud you have to yell across the table.
During the warmer months the patio is a great place to lounge and eat, and oftentimes it's packed while the dining room is vacant. I am tickled by the halved speedboat that is used as a planter.
It's a great part of the slowly growing restaurant and bar community in Logan Square. -
Review from Amy H.
1/15/2007
Stop the world! I'm in love!!!
Oh my, where do I start? The decor. Definitely the decor. Bright colors, sunny atmosphere, funky artwork. It was cold and rainy the night I went to Fonda Del Mar, but I warmed up the second I stepped inside. The atmosphere was intimate, cozy, and bright. It cheered up my winter doldrums.
The food...oh my heavens...was out of this world! First off, instead of the standard chips and salsa, they served a cup of little crispy spicy things. I think there were some peanuts in there...something that looked like a red hot cheeto...some little green things. I have no idea what I was eating, but it was good.
Now, I luvs me some deep fried goodies so we had the crab empanadas served with a heaping blob of guacamole. My dining partner hates guacamole so I devoured it all. Yum! Then we split the ceviche trio. Three different kinds of ceviche!! I was ready to die happy! Each type of ceviche had it's own unique flavor. Out of the three, I liked the shrimp ceviche the best.
On to the entree! I had Fonda's version of paella. Every type of seafood mixed into some rice and a spicy sauce. DEEEEEELISH!!!! I couldn't stop eating it.
Dessert was the flan of the day. Coconut. It was very good. Just the right texture and not too wiggly. Yum!
Our server was very attentive and knew a lot about the items on the menu. The margarita that I had was interesting. It tasted like pink lemonade. I liked it, but I probably wouldn't order it again.
I'm so glad that I was introduced to Fonda Del Mar. I predict that my future holds many walks up to Fonda for some empanadas. -
Review from John S.
Chicago, IL
10/28/2009
I went here with my wife for our 2 year anniversary after hearing about it for a long time from my coworkers. I live right up the street and never thought to eat there. I thought the service was great, food very good - don't forget to try the margaritas and flan! Seafood was fresh and presented well. Sauces were great!
This place isn't super expensive and is great for a date. I want to go back when its warm and sit outside. -
Review from Mike H.
Chicago, IL
3/9/2009
Very surprised by the handful of negative reviews, especially for the atmosphere. The back patio area is great - bright and cheery with lights strung about and a speed boat cut lengthwise in half and filled with flowers. There is also some very vibrant art both indoors and out that I would love to know the artist.
The margaritas are spectacular.
Ceviche is out of this world.
Have been several times with a group where everyone enjoyed their meal.
Four stars because I agree that it's a tad overpriced. The quality of food suggests that these should not be $8.99 entrees, but pushing $20 per entree is a little high. $14-$15 per entree would be about right and would probably push my review to five stars. Can't wait for warm weather to go back and hit up the patio. -
Review from Esther Y.
12/27/2007
I've been to this restaurant a number of times now, and every time I leave, I always say, "I love this place."
If you love Mexican seafood or lamb mole, you should try Fonda Del Mar. The food is always fresh, good, and flavorful. I haven't tried anything I didn't like. Though the dessert is underwhelming.
Service has always been great. The staff is friendly, the owners work as servers and chefs, and they have been spot on with their reccomemndations.
Though this restaurant is pricier than the typical Mexican fare, it is worth the cost. -
Review from Carol M.
4/15/2008
My roomie raved and raved about this place for a while, so maybe my expectations were higher than they should have been but I was a little disappointed.
The guac was good, a little heavy on the onions though. I really liked whatever seasoning they use on their chips (lime salt maybe?). I had the garlic whole tilapia. The garnish on top (garlic, tomatoes, avocado, onions, cilantro) was really flavorful. The fish was lacking in that dept though. It was fun eating around the head though. That's probably the second time in my life I have gotten a whole fish.
They make one mean, stiff, minty mojito though. And you know what that means: mojitos, mo' problems!
48/52 -
Review from Bari L.
Chicago, IL
5/22/2010
The only thing that saved this place was the sangria. My friend and I had started our meal with the guacamole. I love guacamole and theirs was missing something the only reason I think we finished it was because the waiter was so slow coming to take out order and and see if we needed more drinks that we didn't think we were ever going to get eat anything else.
For my entree I had the Mahi Mahi. The fish was dry and lacking flavor the salsa was ok and the mashed potatoes were nothing to write home about. My friend had the fish tacos and seemed to enjoy them. They ran out of the dessert we wanted. So all in all I would go back for the sangria but nothing else. -
Review from Alice R.
Chicago, IL
4/25/2009
Crammed between a sea of dollar stores and travel agencies, I must admit that if Fonda Del Mar weren't right across the street from my apartment, I probably never would have patronized this delightful little eatery. The restaurant is clean and nicely decorated, and the service is exceptional. Being heavily seafood-based, they don't have a large variety of vegetarian items, but the three that I tried (the only ones on the menu, I believe), were absolutely amazing (somewhat pricey, but worth it, in my opinion). To top it off...on Mondays they have $5 margaritas with fresh fruit. Awesome!
Give them a chance. You won't regret it. -
Review from Slu S.
Chicago, IL
1/25/2007
Finally a set of fish tacos that can rivals those at Los Nopales. Well seasoned fish topped with cabbage, tomato, and cheese makes for a wonderful meal. The fish soup that comes with is something special as well.
The piece de resistance howeer was the lamb chop with the most tasty mole sauce that I have had in Chicago. It was absolutely exceptional. However, given the price, it probably should be.
The flan was unremarkable, but the fixins' that came with it (Pomegrantate seeds and mango) made for an interesting twist on a classic. -
Review from Daniel R.
Chicago, IL
5/13/2009
I wanted to like this place...but it's just not going to happen this time. First, instead of chips and salsa, you get a bowl of little snacky pieces. It certainly is a nice change of pace, but I suspected that they were Indian snacks. So, I felt a little validated when I saw the exact same bag of snacks at the grocery store the next week...in the Indian section. Hmmm.
Next, the crab ceviche. Pretty good. Different. Not mind blowing. Not worth going back for.
As for the entrees: my gf got a shrimp dish, camarones al mojo de ajo. Um, it was fine. Nothing special. The menu describes it as black tiger shrimp sautéed in a sweet garlic-extra virgin olive oil sauce with tomato, avocado, cilantro, black beans and green onions served with mexican rice...and that's exactly what it is. No pizzaz. No nothing.
And my entree? The arroz a la tumbad? It was a bit of a mess...literally. It was just a bunch of extremely mushy rice with bits of seafood. It didn't look like much more than a gray and red blob. Feh.
The highlight, though, was the home made tortillas being cranked out behind the bar. Those were fantastic. I was even a little gauche and started filling them with my rice just so I could keep eating them.
I would maybe give the place another try, but I can't help thinking that I would have enjoyed myself better and for less money somewhere else. -
Review from Tony L.
Oak Park, IL
11/6/2007
The wife and I haven't been out to a nice restaurant in a while and we decided to try this place based on a recommendation from a family friend. We were not disappointed. I was kind of unfamiliar with the neighborhood (well that part of logan square anyway) and kind of had an idea of where the place was at (google maps streetview, ftw), the outside looks kind of boring and kind of hard to read from the street. Only thing that caught our attention was the orange signs.
We got in and immediately saw a few groups ahead of us. They were waiting for a table. The front of the place was pretty crowded (the whole place was packed and pretty loud) and somewhat disorganized. This was the only reason I took a star off of the review. I asked the group ahead of me if they had already put their name in to the host and they said yes. I looked for a host, found a waiter who asked what my name was and was about to seat me and my wife ahead of these people who were waiting, I was just about to say something to the waiter when one of the people waiting piped up. I don't blame her for saying anything but I think she could have turned down the attitude sauce a bit. No matter, bitchy lady got seated and we continued to wait for about 30 minutes.
Fonda del mar was decorated nicely and the cooks were all cookin' in their open kitchen which I thought was kind of cool and kind of cramped at the same time. I hear they have a patio in the back during the warmer months. On to the food eh?
We started off with the fish tacos, crab ceviche, and the guacamole (oh how I love thee). All three appetizers were really good, fish tacos were fresh and perfectly made. the crab ceviche had great flavor and texture and the guacamole....you can't really screw up guacamole. I had the whole snapper and my wife had the mahi mahi. The snapper was ok. It was cooked perfectly but the chunky sauce of garlic was kind of lacking. I wish I had gotten the braised pork, but hey you're at a seafood place, try the seafood. My wife liked her mahi mahi, I thought the sauce was ok. Yes, I ate dessert too. I had the flan of the day which was a pumpkin flan (I think) and that was possibly the best flan I've ever had.
Dinner came out to about $100 for both of us including tip and I thought this was pretty reasonable for the amount of food I ate and how well it was prepared. Definitely worth a second trip back. -
Review from Jeremy A.
Chicago, IL
1/20/2007
I was expecting to be blown away by this restaurant based on other reviews, but my experience do not meet those expectations. With that said, I enjoyed the food and atmosphere and would not hesitate to go back in 12 months.
I highly recommend the guacamole appetizer - absolutely fantastic.
Also, no longer BYOB - there is an alcohol menu (and it looked like almost everyone was throwing back margaritas like there was no tomorrow). -
Review from Alison H.
Chicago, IL
1/24/2009
Had a great dinner at Fonda del Mar on New Year's Eve. It was my first visit, but it won't be my last. Nice streamlined interior, with an open kitchen. The blackberry margaritas were incredibly good: just the right combination of fruit and tequila. (We also tried the passionfruit and the mango margaritas---also good.) We had crab cakes as an appetizer--very good, but watch the sauce unless you can handle REALLY spicy. I had the carne asada for dinner---cooked just right, with fresh homemade tortillas. I had the coconut flan for dessert, which was just as it should be, creamy and sweet.
Darn, now I'm craving a blackberry margarita.... -
Review from Gabrielle S.
La Grange Park, IL
4/21/2009
Did I just give this classy little Mexican restaurant 5 stars? Why, yes, I think I did!
I saw this restaurant on Check Please and it did not disappoint- it was a pain in the ass to get to from the suburbs, but so worth it.
It was totally clean, very cute, bright and colorful but not overdone, chic but not trendy and downright homey.
Our waitress was adorable and sooo patient- I was a straight up B* because I had gotten way to hungry and I was super crabby- but she acted like it was absolutely ok for me to be moody and pouty (until my margarita and delicious food came- then I perked right up!!)
We tried the mango and original margarita's- both were top notch and inexpensive -I think aroung $8- downtown they can be $12 usually! She even accomodated my daughter with fresh mango juice!
We LOVED the tamales exquisitos,(a vegetarian option-my favorite thing we had), the ceviche de pescado was tasty and fresh, the queso relleno was a favorite for people there but to much cheese for me, and the camaroes iguala was quite good too.
I shall be back! -
Review from Philip B.
Columbus, OH
5/6/2010
The original plan to go to Fernando's down the street on Lincoln for cinco de mayo didn't go as planned. 1) Long wait (somewhat expected), and 2) They did not accept http://restaurant.com coupons on cinco de mayo (unexpected, and was the entire reason I planned to go there). Another time, I guess..
So headed up to Fonda as I've been meaning to try it. The gf and I ordered the lamb chops with mole and the cochinita pibil. This is where I realized it may have been better to get a seafood dish, but they both sounded really good. The gf was disappointing in the lamb with mole. The mole was cold, and the lamb meat was minimal and nothing spectacular. The cochinita pibil was decent, but didn't have an amazing flavor (I should blame Rick Bayless for spoiling me). The salsa's really were the best part. The tomatillo/lime salsa to start was great, and the habanero salsa with the cochinita pibil saved the dish from being an entire let down.
Also got a couple margaritas which were pretty good. But this place only gets 2 stars, as the service was non existent. It was cinco de mayo, but the place wasn't packed (maybe 7 other groups were there). The problem was only having 2 servers who would only check up once every 15-30 minutes.
I would try again to order seafood, but for the price I think I'll go somewhere else. -
Review from Kristin M.
IL
7/14/2009
Oh dear... I hate to say it but Yelp steered me wrong on this one. I was so excited to try this place! It has been on my "to do" list for quite some time, and I'm sorry to say it, but it was a real disappointment!
We started off with the house margaritas and the ceviche, both were decent but nothing to write home about. The margs were run of the mill, and the ceviche, while it tasted good, looked terrible. The presentation of it... all the fish in it was a slight shade of unappealing grey and it was just tossed with tomatoes and a few sliced olives. In my opinion, really good ceviche should be a burst of flavor and full of vibrant colors, this ceviche had neither.
On to the main entrees, lack luster, yet again. My fiance got the shrimp with rice, black beans and avocado, supposedly there was a sweet garlic sauce on it, but if it was their it was extremely mild in its flavor, aka boring. I could just as easily put this dish together at home. Not to mention that the shrimp had not been shelled very well, and I got a couple of bites of shell when I tasted his entree.
My entree was the true travesty, I got the scallops. Tragically, they were so over cooked, completely rubbery and very sandy! The scallops were more suited for table tennis than eating! The sauce they came with was so-so, had a distinct coffee flavor, a little over powering for the scallops and slightly bitter. Almost as terrible as the poor over-cooked scallops was the "side" that they came with... I don't really remember what it was supposed to be, some kind of plantain cake... It looked like a sickly pale little brownie, I wasn't even sure if I was supposed to eat it, but unfortunately I did take a bite, and I definitely regretted it because the texture was appalling; think silly putty in brownie form.
Fonda's saving grace may be the service, I almost never complain about a dish, but after trying the scallops and weird brownie, we asked the server to take the plate back (I didn't even want to look at it any more). Our drinks and desert were on the house, and of course they took my entree off of our bill. I suppose places have their highs and lows, but I won't be returning to Fonda del Mar any time soon.
On a final note, the restaurant has an adorable outdoor seating area in the back, however they have very strange neighbors! While we were waiting for our entrees the people next door must have been having some kind of pool party/fight club/weird sex ritual or something from all the noises they were making... There might have been a monkey involved... It was kind of entertaining, I guess, but I really just don't want to know what was going on over there, nor do I want to think about it while eating dinner.
