fonda san miguel

some definate high notes, but not enough .... this evening some friends and i went to fonda san miguel, and i would say that i have mixed feelings about it. the setting was wonderful and the service was the best i have had in awhile, so high points there. they brought the traditional chips and salsa to start - the chips were decent, the red salsa was poor (some heat, but no real flavor or complexity at all) and the green salsa was very good, bordering on excellent (needed a little extra kick of heat or something to take it over the top though).

we ordered two aps at our table - the tamales special with two cheeses and nopales were perfectly done, tender and very tasty. the callimari were slightly (though not badly) overcooked and thus lacking a touch in the tenderness, but the seasoning and breading was delicious, and it was a very tasty appetizer.

there were 5 of us dining: at our table for entres we had three people sampling various versions of chilli relleno and all of them were pleased with their entre (though no one exhuberant). my date had a burrito special of the day which she wasn't too fond of. she shared a bit with me and i thought it was decent to good, although somewhat dry and not anywhere near up to either the price or the reputation of the restaraunt.the dishes were all served with a side of rice and beans (very tasty) and the table was given fresh corn and flour tortillas (also very tasty).

and that brings me to my entre. i had the enchiladas de pato (duck enchiladas) which come covered in a spinach based green sauce. let me start with the sauce; by the time it reached my table it had developed a film on top of it as though it had been just sitting there for far too long. the sauce was miled and understaed, but i would still class it as a decent component of a dish. the presentation of the dish was great. but the dish itself? the filling was entirely made up of an overstuffing of extremely bland duck. there was no spice, no other ingredients (at least not dicernable). the taste of the dish was extremely one-note, and very bland and lacking in flavor.

so my thoughts ultimately? there were some definate high notes and all other things being equal i would really love to come back and try some other dishes. my problem is that when i am paying $17-20 a plate for an entre at a mexican restaraunt i get two extremely underwhelming entres i am very hesitant to want to come back and waste that large of an expenditure again.

very upscale mexican fare. fantastic food fun place.

after all these years, fonda continues to amaze! just had the most incredible grilled lamp chop dinner with a perfectly complementary sauce and delicate scalloped potatoes - yummy!

great for locals. we enjoyed our visit, sat at the bar, had two beers and appetizers, i could see this being a hang out for locals in the area.

wow! everything was superb, from the decor of the restaurant to the food. service was amazing with our server demonstrating fantastic knowledge of the food and drinks. the main difficulty was deciding what to order form the menu because it all looked fantastic.

would i go again? absolutely i would - unfortunately i live in england :-(. a brilliant place. my favourite mexican meal ever!!!

in nearly any other city in america, this would be the best place in town! more than 30 years old, this hacienda-style culinary theme park has it all over the migas trucks and hipster fusion joints that crowd downtown. it's absolutely gorgeous inside, with multiple dining rooms and a bar serving up downright delicious margaritas and cocktails.

the atmosphere is cool and the sunday brunch food was decent... but it was in no way was it worth $38.95 for the buffet. moonshine's brunch buffet has much better food (quality & variety) and it's only $18. as far as sunday brunch goes.... stay clear of this place.

happy hour is a great way to try several dishes in small bites for incredible prices. i would also recommend that you goto their brunch. the atmosphere inside is large paintings and plants- for those who are not sure their food is very interior mexico. so brunch and hh are the best choices other than that you might as well be taking your boss out for dinner and drinks to discuss your next promotion.

i love the atmosphere of fonda san miguel! it's so gorgeous. i've been two or three times, for brunch and dinner. i was advised to try one of the shrimp dishes on the menu, but i cannot recall if it was the chipotle or garlic one. i'm almost positive it was the chipotle, but i recall it was delicious. i also tried their brunch buffet, which was authentic-style foods. it was pretty good. they also have good margaritas. great service. parking is good.

you can't come here often. it's not cheap. wear long pants. the food is rather good, however. actually worth the money for a special night out. the service is of fine dining standard. the place is also devoid of kids and loud music; two notable positives.

president. the restautrant is ok but sunday brunch is way over priced at $38,95 each kids and adults all the same.. yes a buffet. i would need a 75% off coupon to go back.

really?. i am a bit miffed by some of the less than favorable reviews of fonda san miguel. in a local scene that is constantly growing and changing fonda remains one of the best in austin. i am a regular diner at fonda and the food and service have always been impeccable and it is an austin institution that has stood the test of time.

it is great for locals,entertaining guests and/or out of town visitors and you will be hard pressed to find a mexican restaurant featuring interior cuisine that in a beautiful environment with friendlier staff and high quality dishes and ingredients.

i have yet to find anything on the menu that i havent enjoyed and there is something to please every palate. a hint ... order a mezcal margarita or a silver coin and the wine list is not what you would expect so please enjoy one of our favorite places in austin.

very disappointed. this used to be one of our favorite dining places, but that came to an end last saturday night. we arrived with a reservation and were happily seated right away. however, our table was practically on top of the table next to us, chair unable to be moved to get in and out. the food was mediocre at best. our table had good appetizers, and we should have stopped there. for dinner we ordered what our waitress called tenderloin, but was more like a flank steak, shrimp with garlic butter and two different chili rellenos. the only one with positive reviews was the shrimp. the margaritas were below average even when we got the top shelf and specified the higher end tequila. our waitress is leaving the restaurant to pursue a career in videography which i hope she's better at than making a table feel welcome and taken care of. we used to take guests here as a real treat, but we won't make that mistake again. we spent over $450 for a table of 6. what a waste!

great place for a unique brunch. i can only vouch for the weekend brunch, and it was awesome.
the restaurant itself is beautiful, and the food was fantastic.
for brunch, it's a buffet style consisting of a smorgasbord of mexican foods.
highlights: i enjoyed their black beans (as basic as the dish is, it was tasty). the guacamole was really well done. there was something about the guacamole that made it really excellent. the ceviche was good too, texture was a hair on the tough side, however it tasted great with a pleasant acidity to it. the mole had excellent rich and spicy/warm flavors and it was cooked to perfection. the other 2 entree options were great as well (chicken and a beef), with flavorful sauces (the green was my favorite). the dessert spread was excellent as well. lots of choices to select from, and of course, some better than others with so many things to choose from. the flan was definitely better than average but not crazy fantastic. the texture of it was a tad too solid for a flan. the mexican wedding cookies were great, perfect amount of sweetness and level of crumbliness. there were other yummy looking cakes and things, but i was pretty full at this point, so i just sampled a few small things.
the meal was overall great, with a wonderful atmosphere, and crisp watermelon margaritas to weave it together.

nice with one big problem. my husband and i went out early on a sat. night for our first visit to fonda san miguel. it is beautiful and the food is good. unfortunately it is 100% disability unfriendly. my husband is in a wheelchair and the staff were not considerate of this. this includes me pushing his wheelchair and struggling to open the doors despite 2 valets sitting 10 feet from the door, a hostess that led us through the entire restaurant and tried to take us in between tables in the back, just to fail getting the wheelchair through and then deciding to take us back to the very front where there were several open tables, and ended with wheelchair inaccessible restrooms. thumbs down.