La Fonda Latina — Restaurant in Atlanta

Visited last Friday night 4-February in the evening.

Very disappointed with service and quality of food. Our server was not friendly, inattentive, and pushed us constantly for us to order. As soon as we sat down at our table he wanted our order and we hadn't even looked at the menu. And then again within 30 seconds - 1 minute, he pushes again for us to order.. over and over until we were ready. He wasn't helpful with any menu suggestions or checking on our satisfaction with any of the food ordered and delivered at our table.

The server spent more time at kitchen window located across from the front door just standing like a hawk waiting for customers to come inside... maybe first server that writes a menu ticket for any table gets assigned that table and the tips so he was more concerned about quantity of tables (turns) assigned to him than actual service (we don't know if that's policy, it just appeared that way).

As for the food the Tostones was good with garlic dipping sauce (hard to mess up fried plantains), Queso was cold (maybe had a 1/2 teaspoon or less of chopped Jalapeños... disappointing), Cuban sandwich was all bread with minimal pork and ham (not pressed long, cheese barely melted, served lukewarm), and the paella was probably the worst local Latin dish I've had in years. We ordered the "Original Paella" entrée for 2... it lacked any seasoning, had no saffron, no caramelized Socarrat... you know there's an issue when a paella dish that should take 30-45 minutes only takes 10 minutes to be served (fast food style).

$30 Paella had two roasted chicken thighs that tasted like it had been cooked days ago and was cold & super dry (no one could eat it), a few shrimp and calamari, and a couple tablespoons of veggies... we also paid upcharge for Chorizo and there was hardly ANY added (seriously like 4 thin little slices).

We wouldn't recommend any of their Paella dishes since you can find better options within ATLanta. Overall if you don't mind their speed of service which (1) may reduce quality of food with kitchen rushing to get food out ASAP and (2) your server pushing you constantly to order and out the door at restaurant and (3) enjoy bland mild seasoned food (Americanized), than La Fonda could be a good choice for you.

They do have other locations so perhaps our experience is representative of just this location and...

Food is fine, margs are fine. Atmosphere, chill. Feels like the converted a Waffle House into a Mexican restaurant which is cool I guess.

TLDR: average restaurant. Despite what you may be told on the phone, this location is not pet friendly (the one in Edgewood is fine with dogs). If you’re out with your dog at Fetch or the park, go to Taco Mac or Bartaco instead. The servers will be happy to see your pet and even bring them a dog bowl/offer chicken. Story below on the rude and uncalled for service:

We were out with our dog earlier in the evening at Fetch and CALLED AHEAD to see if their patio was pet friendly, to which the person on the phone confirmed “yes.” Upon arriving, the server we were assigned very sternly told me that our dog needed to be behaved, before my partner even brought my dog toward the restaurant (they waited in the car until I found a table). Didn’t bother me that much and I told her my dog was behaved, but I just asked again if the patio was pet friendly, and she responded “yes, to good dogs.” I get it, I’m sure there are some crappy dog owners, but she hadn’t even seen my dog yet who is more well behaved than most children.

Partner arrived with the dog, and she quickly came over and said “under the table and sitting down now.” Ummm… okay? My dog was practically underneath my partner’s chair already. We put her under the table, against the wall, and she laid down and slept for the 30 minutes we were there.

There was never once an issue - not in the slightest. No barking, movement, distractions, etc. Slept under the table after a day at the park.

Our server continued to be exhaustingly slow and took almost 10 minutes to check on us to get our food order after we ordered margaritas. We decided to just order a queso dip and that we’d eat/drink quickly since we didn’t feel welcomed, DESPITE BEING TOLD it was fine to have a dog on the patio. We had to ask one of the table bussers for our check twice because our server was sitting inside talking to another server for 8 minutes.

Again, table bussers food runners, lovely and polite. The server we were assigned acted like we were pests despite following all restaurant rules and calling ahead to confirm. It might have only been this one lady (I have seen a few other reviews that there is an unenthusiastic server), but she was...

I live in the Kirkwood area and often visit the La Fonda location on Hosea Williams. It's one of my favorite places due to the great food, service, and ambiance. I always appreciate the friendly and attentive service and delicious Mexican cuisine. I've recommended this place to all my friends.

On Saturday afternoon, August 24th, around 4:30 pm, my daughter and I shopped in the Sandy Springs/Buckhead area and decided to grab a quick bite. Since we've had positive experiences at the La Fonda location on Hosea Williams, we were excited to try out the La Fonda location on Roswell Road.

We chose to sit outside on their patio because my daughter had her mini schnauzer with her. No one was sitting outside, and only a few customers were inside. When we sat down, the waitress greeted us with, "If you stay here with the dog, the dog must stay under the table." We complied and kept the dog under the table.

The waitress seemed to have an attitude when she brought out the menu and took our orders. Another waitress brought out the food. No one checked on us to see if everything was okay. My daughter ordered a salad, and when she was almost done, she found a dead fly at the bottom of the plate. She didn't mention it to the waitress since she had eaten most of the meal. When the waitress returned, my daughter wanted to order something else. Our waitress dropped off the menu, and she never came back.

It was hard not to notice the stark contrast in treatment. A white woman was seated, and immediately, two waitresses were very attentive, checking on her numerous times. This behavior only emphasized the difference in service we were receiving.

I'm not one to play the race card, but I've never experienced such poor service with a side of discontent. We had to get the attention of the waitress serving the white woman to let our waitress know we wanted the check. Our waitress was uninterested in helping us, and we didn't need to order anything else.

It's unfortunate how a few servers can tarnish a restaurant's reputation and ruin the dining experience. We will not return to that location, and I will advise my friend to...