fonda lola

bland, surly. surly waitress, bland crappy food. loud, deliberately so thanks to mirrors, tile, and steel on the walls. great place to shout your conversation while eating bland food shoved at you by a surly person. basically, it sucks.

adiós lola for you bad service. me and my wife had dinner at fonda lola with some friends and were appalled by the bad service of the waiter serving our table, and the stunning 20% gratuity she added to our bill. can the costumer reward service? apparently, fonda lola dice no! the sangria we were served tasted more like bad pop than anything even closely related to a really good sangria, and for $10.50 a glass!?!?,it is insulting, just unbelievable! the food was ok, the place looks nice, but we won't go back. better options in the neighbourhood! adiós lola.

sadly disappointed... was there on friday after craving good mexican food. the drinks and food were overpriced. the tacos were very basic and lacking flavour. definitely other restaurants in the area that i will go to next time and won't be returning to fonda lola...

we arrived around 930 to find the place still full. it’s a small venue which maybe seats around 30 or 35 including the bar. the decor had hints of mexican influence but also had metal blinds covering the windows. the bar was a good size and had knives and forks fused into the covering. after a short wait, we were seated together and it was margarita time. i was intrigued by the kombucha (a new and emerging food trend) margarita. it was easy drinking although not what i would call traditional other than the 2 ounces of tequila. the menu, like the restaurant itself, was rather small, offering a dozen items including dessert. it offered a mix of traditional mexican dishes combined with some dishes more indicative of the queen street dining scene.

trout aguachile ($8.5)- a nice example of the combination of a trendy fish prepared in the style of a traditional mexican ceviche.

frijoles and cinnamon chile rice ($8)- disappointing dish. the runny beans were confusing and the rice was unspectacular. i was hoping for popping mexican flavour that wasn’t there.

panela popper- ($7.5)- an attempt at a jalapeno popper, they were gluten free so there was some excitement at the table. the jalapeno was almost undetectable and in the end they tasted like blandly battered cheese sticks. the sauce on the bottom created a bit of a punch but nothing really memorable.

taco al pastor-pork ($11)- the pork was decent but there were no condiments other than the pineapple which seemed seperate from the meat as opposed to the pator package. for $11 you got 3 or 4 shells full of boring.

my take

the concept of fresh is great, especially with mexican cooking but it can’t come at the expense of flavour. the margaritas were fun and delicious even if not traditional. from a food perspective, the trout ceviche was smart..the rest wasn’t. the tacos were substandard, especially when compared to others which have graced the palates of hipsters over the last couple of years. the fried cheese was a poor attempt at healthy bar food and the rice and beans were a sad interpretation of the traditional mexican dish. i can’t say i was fonda fonda lola.

the tacos were substandard, especially when compared to others which have graced the palates of hipsters over the last couple of years. the fried cheese was a poor attempt at healthy bar food and the rice and beans were a sad interpretation of the traditional mexican dish. i can’t say i was fonda fonda lola.

this restaurant is amazing! 10 out of 10 for the food, and service. the owner was extremely friendly and the rest of the staff was very accommodating. i recommend the chicken or pork tacos and margaritas! if you book in advance, ask to sit in the back patio - it’s a beautiful space for dinner and drinks in the summer.

came for a birthday lunch and it was a less than pleasant experience.  the fish tacos were okay, but the portions small and at $15, definitely overpriced.  the churros we ordered for dessert were leaden and without flavour.  although we were the only people in the restaurant, we had to chase down the server to order wine and later coffee, and had to ask for milk for the coffee.  definitely won't be going back to this poor excuse for a mexican restaurant.

fonda lola is a mexican restaurant by trinity bellwoods that serves a variety of tacos and magaritas. i had the pleasure of trying some of their menu items while sitting at their back patio on a gorgeous saturday afternoon. the manager recommended a couple of their best-selling items, which were the candied jalapeno bacon and the baja fish taco. i ended up loving both of those items! the candied jalapeno bacon has a spicy kick to it, but is still manageable for people who usually avoid spicy food. i thought the baja fish taco was absolutely delicious. it has a great combination of flavours that melts into your mouth. the other taco i tried was the tacos al pastor. i say to pass on these. the pork was not very tender and the pineapple did not make for a great combination.

i ordered one of their margaritas, the guadalupe. it was alright, i wasn't completely wowed by the drink as it was a bit more sour than sweet. i did try the horchata for the first time and loved it. it's non-alcoholic as well! it's a light and naturally sweet drink. i learnt that people would drink horchatas to clean their palate while eating. i highly recommend drinking this if you order some spicy food!

fonda lola has a great array of food, which some are hits and others are misses. the downfall is probably their price point. the portions are smaller and best if you want to eat something light to share but don't mind spending a little bit more on.

last weekend, i went for birthday brunch with my friend at fonda lola, a cozy mexican restaurant at ossington station. there were a lot of cute decorations like mexican wrestlers everywhere. i ordered the hangover chilaquiles: salsa mexicana soaked tortilla chips topped with jalapeños, crema, oaxaca cheese and a fried egg, avocado with a side of refried beans. the chips were soaked in a delicious sauce and had flavour in every bite. now looking at the photo, i realize i never received the side of refried beans!

last weekend, i went for birthday brunch with my friend at fonda lola, a cozy mexican restaurant at ossington station. there were a lot of cute decorations like mexican wrestlers everywhere.

i ordered the hangover chilaquiles: salsa mexicana soaked tortilla chips topped with jalapeños, crema, oaxaca cheese and a fried egg, avocado with a side of refried beans. the chips were soaked in a delicious sauce and had flavour in every bite. now looking at the photo, i realize i never received the side of refried beans!

not entirely sure why, but they had a tendency to be out of stuff like ketchup or juice for a margarita. i made due and ordered a basil mojito: fresh basil and mint purée, citrus and housed aged bacardi with a splash of soda.

since we did just all wake up there was also a lot of coffee to go around.

overall, i liked what i ate (or what i received of it).

had a fantastic time at this restaurant! went with three friends on a saturday night and managed to get a table without a reservation and i'm very happy we did! the food was delicious and the staff were extremely helpful and very patient. the entire menu (minus desserts) is gluten-free, which was was brought me here in the first place, and my expectations were exceeded regarding the gluten-free menu. it was so nice to eat at a place that isn't vegan/raw/etc. as so many other gluten-free places are - i don't need to add even more restrictions onto my gluten-free diet! the staff were very knowledgeable about gluten-free restrictions and i loved having so much choice. i recommend fonda lola to any other celiac who is tired of restaurants that don't know what they're talking about putting out half-assed "gluten-sensitive" menus. fonda lola is for real - delicious food, a cozy environment, and a legitimate gluten-free menu. will be returning!

who would want to go home straight after work when you can have a delicious mexican meal at fonda lola? definitely not me! i’m constantly craving mexican food so when i was invited to sample items from their upcoming 2 day event – i jumped on the opportunity without hesitation. for 2 days only (august 26 + 27, 2015), the fonda lola (@fondalola) menu is being turned over to the restaurant owner’s mother to create and serve an authentic eight course mexican meal featuring her specialities  and favourite dishes to feed a crowd. passed down from generation to generation, these recipes are sure to give diners a true taste of mexican culture and will take their taste buds through years of home-cooked tradition. at 65 years old, vickie has had several years of practice to perfect the art of a pinch, dab and dollop to make each dish perfect in its delivery. customers will be able to experience mexican home-cooked cuisine like never before.

fonda lola started their business as a pop-up in 2012, and was one of the popular vendors at the the stop night market. due to gaining a following, they quickly acquired a spot on queen st w, and opened a restaurant by 2013. fonda lola's space was quite warm as it was designed with rustic materials, painted ceramics, and other mexican mementos. to this day, fonda lola strives to remain an ambassador of the mexican culture, and have brought the food, tequila and customs to the multiculturalism of toronto.
 
for two nights only (august 26 & 27), the fonda lola menu is being turned over to the restaurant owner’s mother, mama vickie, to create and serve an authentic eight-course mexican meal featuring her specialties and favorite dishes to feed a crowd. passed down from generation to generation, these recipes are sure to give you a true taste of mexican culture and will take your tastebuds through years of home-cooked tradition. at 65 years old, vickie has had several years of practice to perfect the art of a pinch, dab and dollop to make each dish perfect in its delivery.

i had the pleasure of  being invited to the media preview at fonda lola last week with a few fellow food bloggers, and instagrammers. we had a taste of four of the dishes that will be on the special 8-course menu that mama vickie will be creating. the dinner is $42 per person, and you can book your ticket online.

this post contains images of our recent brunch at fonda lola.we drank bolldy caesars. we ate candied bacon; guacamole - keeps you busy (fried-on-site tortilla chips made by la tortilleria); chilaquiles with egg $12 saucy tortilla, salsa, melty oaxaca cheese, onion, sour cream, fried egg; huevos rancheros! $12 montreal style scrambled eggs, burnt salsa, beans and mex french toast $10.50 concha pastry, coconut, sugar, whipped cream, fruit compote

we didn't get any hand-held caesar salad which was an avocado caesar mousse, candied jalapeño bacon magic and parmesan cheese in the middle of a large leaf of boston bib lettuce or any candied jalapeño bacon when we went for brunch at fonda lola. however, the bloody caesar was made with v8 juice, aguachile, tequila & there was a large piece of jalapeño candied bacon on top. the tiny restaurant on queen west is run by chef howard dubrovsky and andrés márquez, who both spent much time in mexico researching and learning mexican cooking. we did get a large portion of guacamole with fried-on-site tortilla chips made by la tortilleria. there were just a few items on the brunch menu. most enjoyed was the huevos rancheros consisting of montreal style scrambled eggs, burnt salsa, and beans with a couple of slices of jalapeño for heat. the mex french toast was quite sweet made with coconut, sugar, whipped cream, and fruit compote. this is certainly not fine dining, but the quantities are large and elements of each dish do meld together. (chef howard dubrovsky has since packed his knifes and departed the premises.)