Lona Cocina Tequileria — Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale

Okay so if you want to have an amazing view of the beach while your having Breakfast, brunch or lunch this is absolutely the place! I went here with my friend for Brunch. She ordered a mimosa which she hadn't had in a while and she said was absolutely delicious and I ordered a spicy avocado margarita. I don't know if that's the exact name but I know it definitely has avocado, spiciness and it's a margarita. I did not specify that I wanted salt on the rim so when my margarita was brought to me it did not have salt. It probably would have been 10 times better with salt on it but that was my fault. I also didn't want to ask the server to give me a new cup with salt because she was really nice and I didnt want to make her have it re-made. We ordered the guacamole appetizer, the classic guacamole appetizer. It was very good (but again needed a little more salt). We did have a hard time choosing what we wanted because there are so many good things on the menu. With that being said, the menu isn't overwhelmingly large to where you can't choose, they just have so many things that sound so good. I ended up ordering shrimp tacos and they were phenomenal. I don't like coleslaw on any kind of taco I have so if you see my picture, those are the shrimp tacos but without coleslaw. I got pico on the side to add instead of the coleslaw and it was amazing. My friend got the Carne Asada tacos. I did taste a little of the meat and OH MY GOODNESS...... So tender and juicy. Flavor was Amazing! By the time we were done we were absolutely stuffed but of course we realize they had flan and we could not pass that up. The texture was perfect, the flavor was perfect and they had strawberries with it 😍 the two of us were in heaven and we split the flan. It was small, we could hardly finish it but we managed. This is the kind of restaurant where when you really just want to have a good, delicious, flavorful meal you go here and it just makes you happy. You just want to do the happy dancing entire time you're eating. Frank is one of the managers, he was very nice and attentive. Checking to make sure everything with our meal and service was good. Again, I was too shy to mention this all of my margarita 😂. Nicky was our server. She was extremely sweet and got our order correct. Very attentive. Nelson was not our server, Nicky took our order before Nelson could but he definitely made me and my friend laugh when he was "offended" we already had a server who wasn't him. However, his energy was so contagious. He was serving some of the tables next to us and he was just so happy and jolly that while we were having our meal we literally just enjoyed watching him interact with other guests. It is so nice to see somebody who loves their job and loves to be at work and enjoys doing their job. The energy and the excitement is just contagious. At the end of the meal I specifically asked Nicky what his name was so that I can make sure to mention him in my review. Overall great experience, great food, great atmosphere abd beautiful view. As a native Floridian this is definitely somewhere I would want to take people who come into...

Lona is such a beautiful oceanfront spot with good music and even better food. (Disclaimer: this is a repeat spot but I wasn’t reviewing restaurants at that time so bear with me.) Upon our arrival, we stood at the hostess table for an awkward while staring at the girl staring at another girl on the phone, but they sat us rather quickly after we asked for a table. Our server was friendly but not the best. He would run off super fast and when we mentioned we were ready to order- he ran off to assist another table and we sat there rather awkwardly wondering what happened. Once we were able to order, we started with a LIIT that was very strong (which we’re not complaining about lol) and, a Pasion Picante margarita which was spicy and smoky yet bright and just the right amount of sweet. When you’re seated, you are greeted with chips and salsa which was nice. We ordered a lump crab guacamole but when it arrived, the crab was missing lol. Once the food runner noticed, he immediately brought out a side of crab and we dumped it on top (hence the not-so aesthetically pleasing photo). It was delicious but lacked acid so we had to request extra limes and once we did we couldn’t stop eating it. The hubby ordered the lobster quesadilla and an extra side of esquite and we were obsessed! There were large pieces of lobster in every bite and the quesadilla itself was cheesy and flavorful. (pro tip: throw away the sauce that comes with it and top it with the table salsa and guacamole for the best bite) my husband liked the esquite way more than I did, but tbh I just wish they added more of the toppings it comes with because it felt dry. I ordered the Lona steak (medium-rare) and frites with an extra side of plantain that were topped with cotija cheese and crema. The steak was perfectly cooked just needs a pinch of salt over the top to really bring out the flavor of the meat. The fries were super tasty and the seasoning they toss them in is was on point! The shocker of the night was the plantains! My husband HATES sweet plantain and was converted as of today! The saltiness of the cheese and the tang of the crema really balanced out the sweetness of the plantains were such a yummy bite. Overall, we had a pleasant evening and would definitely come back with hopes that these observations are taken into consideration, and will recommend this place to anyone...

Let me start off by saying that Lona and Tinta are one and the same, Tinta being the breakfast-brunch opening and Lona is the overall all day everyday kinda thing with breakfast, lunch and dinner. With that out of the way, I had a brunch reservation for Tinta on a Saturday only to find out that they don’t do brunches on Saturday (only serves breakfast Mon-Sat and brunch only on a Sunday till 3pm). So, dejected, I anyways sat there to get lunch instead (which is served by Lona, again, one and the same but with different menu, obviously).

Let me get the obvious out of the way, the views, and I mean THE VIEWS! It’s right across the beach and the entire experience is just fantastic, albeit very hot in the afternoon. They have high top and low top seats (the high tops have fans above and the low tops are right besides the side walk which is a cool experience as well but I’d prefer that during the nights). This restaurant is a part of the Westin hotel and situated right besides the street for visibility. I couldn’t find parking here so had to park a street away, but parking is limited (I guess they have valet parking but didn’t ask if that was for the hotel guests only or was it available for diners, maybe someone can confirm this later)

Let’s talk about the main event: the FOOD. They serve complementary chips and salsa (honestly, we didn’t like the salsa, it just didn’t taste fresh and had resemblance to canned salsa). We went with Mushroom Empanada, Veggie Quesadilla and shrimp tacos. For drinks, we had a couple of mimosas and Jardin De Roasas. The drinks were fantastic and fresh. The food was unbelievable and very Mexican-esque. The tacos were delectable and the shrimp was just exquisite. The empanada was a perfect amalgamation of mushroom, beans and cheese. The veggie Quesadilla was on request and it was remarkable.

I wanted to have brunch on a Saturday afternoon but instead had lunch, which, to my surprise, was absolutely appetizing. From drinks to the food, everything was well presented and was flavorful. The views definitely give this place an edge and the service also didn’t disappoint. Parking can be an issue here and you’d definitely feel the heat if it’s bright and sunny outside, but the overall experience would still leave...