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Fonda Mexican

3.0 (22 reviews)
ModerateMexican
Closed 11:30 am - 9:30 pm

Fonda Mexican Photos

FONDA MEXICAN ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Loud
Outdoor seating
Good for groups

Recommended Reviews - Fonda Mexican

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Cheesy corn!
Alice L.

Serviceable, no bookings. Came around 8:45pm on a Saturday night and told a 45min wait, so left details and went up the road for a drink. No table service so gotta get your own water, order food and drinks at up the register. We opted for the "Feed me" option which comes with the tortilla chips, charred corn, fish tacos and a pork quesadilla. Tried the guava and the mandarin sodas - the hip red and white paper strawers were unfortunately too short for the bottle. Food was ok, tried the two hot sauces too and they were not bad. Overall I'd struggle to rate it more than 3 stars, seems a bit mismatched to have a "fast food" style order and pay for the price point.

Chopped beef burrito AUD14 - Fonda Mexican, Windsor. Best burrito in Melbourne!
Alpha L.

As good as Fonda Richmond in a huge space, upstairs and downstairs. The staff are friendly, but understandably green, being only open for 5 days. The chopped beef burrito was good, the pulled pork quesadilla was filled with oozy cheese and tender fall-apart pork.

Tresna L.

Pros: - It's quick - It's reasonable priced - They have a nice selection of Agua Fresca and cocktails served up in so-hipster-it-hurts mason jars - There's some healthy options Cons: - Certainly not the most authentic Mexican you'll ever have - No table service. Order at the bar... yup, every time you want another drink too! - It's a bit loud and manic A solid 3 star experience. I wouldn't go out of my way to visit Fonda from the northside, but when in the area and stuck for a dinner choice without having a lot of time to spare then I'd absolutely consider it.

Beef Burrito - easily the best Mexican Food I have had.
Georgina N.

Fonda had been on my radar for some time and on a recent trip to Melbourne I came here for lunch. I absolutely loved their take on Mexican fare! Whilst I wouldn't call it authentic, I would definitely rate it much higher then the stock standard Mad Mex and Salsas. I visited Fonda for lunch and tried the Chopped Beef Burrito which was delicious. I found these to be quite big serves. I ended up eating dinner here a couple of nights later having been turned away from a couple of local restaurants with significant wait times. We had a short wait but were able to sit upstairs and have a drink at the bar whilst we waited. For dinner we tried the Charred Corn, Fish Burrito/Chopped Beef Burrito and Mexico City Taco - the Charred Corn was a great starter and I would highly recommend it, I loved the Fish Burrito, the Taco was average in my opinion, it seemed to lack flavour. I tried the Sir Veza Pale Ale, which was a great beer, and I will be checking to see if there are any stockist of this in Perth. Service was good both times I went, and food came out quickly! A great option if you are just out to grab a bite, and not wanting anything too over the top or a 45 minute - 1 hour wait.

Jarritos!
Vincent F.

Big fan of this place, went once and liked it enough to go back a few times. The tacos are delicious, whichever combination I've went for, they have always been amazing. They also do some pretty good sides and it's just a nice, cool new establishment with relatively friendly and younger staff. A cool place in a street with a lot of competition, Fonda is up there with my favourites - although beware it gets extremely busy especially evenings on weekends - I love a few tacos here for lunch with some Jarritos!

Grilled chicken salad.
Natalie Z.

My friend and I escaped the rain and had a nice lunch at this location. It was a very spacious place with nice high ceilings. I ordered the Grilled Chicken Salad and it was very flavorful. Nice mix of textures with the chicken, pepitas and tortillas. My only issue is that it is very pricey for the serving size. Definitely not a cheap meal but it was tasty.

Adobo chicken burrito (w/baby spinach, charred corn, chipotle aioli & tortilla chips) (A$15).
Darryl S.

The mood was for Mexican on this scorching Friday afternoon. We've walked by Fonda on Chapel many times and the place is always hopping on weekend evenings; and, reading some of my fellow Yelpers' positive reviews, it was time to check it out. To be honest, Tex-Mex Yellowbird is right down the street, and Mad Mex is a hop away -- two other joints we haven't been to, as well. We skipped Mad Mex this time, because we were feeling for a sit-down/wait service kinda deal, and Fonda was closest. We grabbed the last, open sidewalk table. Naturally, not having been there before, we were disappointed that it, too, was simply one of those go-inside, order, and have a seat kinda place. (Bloop!) On the positive side, the fold-open menu was pretty straightforward and the font-size was easily readable.... The menu selection wasn't anything special, but looked wholly decent. I ordered the Adobo Chicken Burrito (w/baby spinach, charred corn, chipotle aioli & tortilla chips) (A$15). (The menu read that "[a]ll burritos come with toasted quinoa and spiced black beans.") (My mate ordered the fish burrito. A$16.) Well, the orders arrived on narrow white plates both looking like naked plain Janes. Two halved burritos. That's it. When we enquired about the tortilla chips, the waiter said that the chips were inside of the burrito -- a few thin strips to give it a little crunch. Okeydokey. The toasted quinoa and spiced black beans, as well, are inside the burrito, not a side. I did my best to contain my befuddled countenance! For 15-bucks you get a no-frills burrito. I suppose coming from the States, where real Mexican restaurants serve real Mexican dishes that always come with sides of Mexican rice and beans -- maybe a little lettuce and chopped tomato salad; even a dollop of guacamole -- and baskets of gratis chips and salsa, we simply expect more, esp. when paying 31-buckeroos for two burritos! That said, we are now Melburnians, and have come to understand that free baskets of chips and salsa are not the norm in Melbourne. That's fine. However, when the menu reads tortilla chips, one reasonably expects a small side of crispy, triangular-cut chips; not a few thin strips INSIDE of the burrito! Anyway, maybe our standards have been set high from all the great California and South Florida Mexican joints.... Fortunately, our burritos had nice flavors; and, ultimately, were filling. The food server was nice, but there was no offer for more water, or a return visit simply to see how things were, or how we liked our dishes. In other words, it was, indeed, a more expensive fast-food version of the nearby Mad Mex: Once the food is served, there's no need for any further contact.... On the positive side, the open-plan dining room inside of Fonda looks great. And, too, like most of the restaurants on Chapel Street, having the outdoor space is a real plus. 2-1/2 stars from me. (Afterwards, I was yearning for Paco y Lola at South Melbourne Marketplace.... Can't wait to try Mad Mex next: The menu looked good and was a lot cheaper!)

Healthy and tasty: the chicken and quinoa salad

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10 years ago

My favorite mexican restaurant south of CBD. Great atmosphere and delicious falafel burritos.

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Review Highlights - Fonda Mexican

As good as Fonda Richmond in a huge space, upstairs and downstairs.

Mentioned in 2 reviews

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Juanita's Kitchen

Juanita's Kitchen

4.7(3 reviews)
12.0 km

Juanita's does a taco night on the first Friday of every month. We decided to check it out tonight…read more... and we weren't disappointed! The shop itself is very unassuming - a diamond in the rough. Juanita (or who I assume is Juanita? Should have asked! ... ) was very friendly. She made us feel very welcome and ensured we had everything we needed. We tried the taco mix, pork and chicken tacos. The tortillas were rustic. They come with an array of sides (& plenty of them!) including a pineapple/cucumber salsa, a cabbage slaw, some diced onions, coriander, tomatillo with avocado and chipotle sauce. There was also a couple of Juanita's home made sauces on the table to use. We enjoyed it all! Although quite full we couldn't resist trying the salted caramel Cheezecake. It was really delicious, thick and rich but well balanced with the addition of yoghurt, honey, bitter chocolate and praline served with it. This is a vegan option FYI! BTW - Juanita's sells delicious sauces and spices to take away ... we just had to grab one. We'll definitely head back.

Cute little place with outdoor seating in the back. Our first time there this weekend, just for…read moretake away. The chorizo quesadilla was spicy and tasty! The chicken mole was the best I've had in Oz, as were the corn tortillas - the latter had real flavor and must have been prepared by someone who has eaten real ones for many years in Mexico. Don't be put off by the street scene outside. The place itself was cozy and service friendly.

Photos
Juanita's Kitchen
Juanita's Kitchen - Cake showcase

Cake showcase

Juanita's Kitchen - Taco bases

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Taco bases

Jalisco Mexican - Chorizo Street Taco
Margarita on the Rocks

Jalisco Mexican

3.8(4 reviews)
0.2 kmWindsor
$$

Jaliscos is a newish Mexican place at the Windsor end of Chapel Street. They have a few tables on…read morethe footpath, a front section with enough room for about 20 people, a second section accessed via a brick archway with seating for a dozen more, and a sizeable beer garden/courtyard out back. The menu is pretty much what you'd expect; tacos, burritos, quesadilla and a reasonable selection of tequilas. I ordered the Tequila-Lime tiger prawn fajitas which came with a plate of rocket, guacamole, Mexican rice and four flour tortillas. They were advertising litres of frozen watermelon margarita for $20 on the chalk board outside and as it was stinking hot that sounded like a good idea too :) The prawns arrived on a sizzling hot plate with slices of capsicum and onion - a very generous serve which was enough to fill me up without the need for an entree. There were the obligatory hot sauces on the table - four different varieties in fact - so I tried a different one on each tortilla. All good, but the Jalapeño was my favourite. Jaliscos is good and the service is fast and friendly. The total bill was $55 which included a shot of very tasty Patron Silver, so not bad value for the money.

Very average at best... We came here because Fonda down the road had a 50min wait. The service was…read morebright, cheerful and attentive. We got a jug of frozen Margherita which was tasteless frozen cordial that had little IF any tequila in it, you'd get more drunk sucking the alcohol out of a deodorant stick!! The food was a very poor representation of Mexican, they used very cheap ingredients and it was sadly obvious that this place is either run by a tight ass or has never actually eaten Mexican food before.. The corn was ok, he nachos tasted like stale Doritos with home brand cheese that had been microwaved and the tacos were flavourless on stale flakey.. Over all we were very disappointed and at a cost of $90.00 for 2 where grossly ripped off!!

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Jalisco Mexican - Tiger Prawn Taco

Tiger Prawn Taco

Jalisco Mexican - Interior

Interior

Jalisco Mexican - Exterior - 69 Chapel St

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Exterior - 69 Chapel St

Hecho En Mexico - Wall art

Hecho En Mexico

3.2(12 reviews)
1.1 kmSouth Yarra

I tend to leave more positive than negative reviews. And I don't give a 1-star review lightly. But…read moreif they would allow me to leave zero stars, I would. They should be embarrassed to call this Mexican. Heck, they can't even call it "Mexicanesque". It actually started off well, believe it or not. They got our hopes up with some decent margaritas. But even after drinking a jug of margaritas, this just didn't work out well. We ordered chips and salsa. The salsa was as close to ketchup as you can get without calling it ketchup. And it was small bowl for $12.50. Some poor pastor is turning over in his grave in Mexico because the "tacos al pastor" were as far from what we know they should be as possible. Imagine gristly pork done as a poor barbecue. Like really badly. And this was one step below that. I had a dish that came with french fries - and the french fries were the hit of the meal. My date and I actually dueled for them as they were the only enjoyable food on the table. Other highlights: - there was only 1 napkin on the table - even though we made it clear there was a severe avocado allergy one of the plates came with guacamole! Do yourself a favor and choose a different Mexican restaurant. Or you may want to consider fasting for the evening instead of giving these imposters any of your hard-earned money.

Let me start by saying I loved this restaurant. Recently the management changed and this is the…read morefirst time I made a reservation for dinner after the change. The food was fresh and the taste was as good as before. That was great. There were a few slip ups - idk if it's due to staff shortage or kitchen wasn't up to the mark. Nachos - I specifically requested sour cream on the side as we were all going to share it and I don't like it spread all over. We got it with sour cream on top. They were kind enough to replace it for us, just a giant waste of food :( We ordered one main each for 3 of us. 2 arrived together while I sat and whacked their face. My food arrived when others had almost finished eating, awkward! I ordered a drink that looked like was served in a martini glass. It arrived in what looked like a shot glass shaped in a form of a martini glass. The drink was good and well made though. So points for that. Dessert was a chocolate brownie sizzler. It didn't sizzle. Icecream was good. Chocolate sauce was good, brownie was cold and hard.

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Hecho En Mexico - Taqueila cocktail

Taqueila cocktail

Hecho En Mexico - Chilli con carne

Chilli con carne

Hecho En Mexico

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Fonda Mexican - mexican - Updated May 2026

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