My mother grew up in Cuba and Mexico, so I have come to love their native foods—including my mother’s delectable homemade Cuban black beans and rice. However, I have not found a restaurant that delivers anything out of the ordinary—dishes are fairly predictable and somewhat bland, though enjoyable nonetheless. Entering the quaint dining room, I wondered if La Fonda Latina would be able to produce the exciting and memorable cuisine that had evaded me until now.
La Fonda Latina is a part of a group of restaurants in Atlanta, with other locations in Marietta, Buckhead, Home Park, and East Atlanta, located within easy access of most of Metro Atlanta. Prices are a reasonable $7 to $13. Instead of offering cuisine from a specific location, they have sections of the menu dedicated to Spanish Traditions, a Taste of Mexico, From the Cuban Grill, and Cuban Sandwiches. In order to fully test the restaurant’s merit, I brought along four other hungry individuals, and after some deliberation, the five of us settled on five different dishes from all four sections of the menu—Arroz con Pollo (Chicken with rice), Reuben Cubano (Cuban Reuben sandwich), Sopa de Pollo (Chicken soup), Chicken Enchiladas, and Verduras a la Parrilla (Grilled vegetable kabobs).
While the food was being cooked, I quickly started on the customary chips and salsa. The homemade chips were delectable, containing the perfect mixture of warmth and crunch that was perfectly balanced out by the smooth, refreshing salsa. The salsa could have been a bit spicier for my taste, but nonetheless it was very enjoyable. All too quickly, the chip and salsa bowls were empty and we had to wait a few minutes before they were full again. However, our food arrived so quickly that we barely had time to dwell on the issue.
Plates laden with food filled the table, amidst exclamations of how tastefully the food was arranged. However, silence soon surrounded us as chicken, rice, sandwiches and soup disappeared. Personally, I started on my dish, the Verduras a la Parrilla (Grilled vegetable kabobs), which was vastly unfamiliar to me except for the included rice and beans. However, even my first bite of those startled me—I tasted the beans, and instead of conjuring up memories of spiced refried beans from the can, they teased me with rich and spicy, yet sweet, flavor.
Impressed from the first bite, I eagerly continued my adventure with the grilled vegetable kabobs. The squash, onions, whole tomatoes, green peppers, and zucchini refreshed with their juicy, cool taste, while the potatoes and mushrooms added variety in texture. I have never tasted such a dish at a Latin restaurant, but was pleasantly surprised. Portions were of a healthy size—even I got full partway through the second stick!
Chicken Enchiladas and Sopa de Pollo (A light chicken soup) both were, while definitely tasty, were nothing particularly memorable. However, for the person who doesn’t particularly enjoy the standard Latin cuisine yet is along for the ride, the Reuben Cubano, described as “Grilled boneless breast of chicken, Swiss cheese, Cuban coleslaw, pickles and Cuban dressing on Cuban bread” is the perfect solution. Every bite is filled with delectable taste that will leave you satisfied.
The last entree ended up being the extraordinary dish I had been searching for. It stated its uniqueness by arriving in a heavy cast iron skillet still hot from the stove. Advertised as one of La Fonda Latina’s specialties, Arroz Con Pollo is much more than rice with chicken; every bite makes your taste buds scream for more. It may be the peppers they use, the white wine for taste, or some secret mix of seasonings, but the chefs at La Fonda Latina have it right. Hear me—it’s spicy. However, I’ve had severely spicy food that is overwhelming, causing the result of the meal to be fighting tears rather than enjoying the chef’s proficiency in weaving together flavors. One gets the feeling that the pungent flavor in those dishes merely exists to cover the lack of quality in the rest of the ingredients. However, this is not so with La Fonda Latina’s Arroz Con Pollo. It is just spicy enough to add another dimension without overpowering the rest of the dish—I would go so far as to say a heavenly dimension. It is this dish that will bring me back to La Fonda Latina again and again—I can safely say it is in the list of the best entrées I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing.
As dinner progressed, I was able to scrutinize my surroundings more thoroughly. As mentioned before, this location located in Candler Park is a remodeled service station—complete with a sheltered area where the gas pumps used to be that is perfect for dropping off/picking up people in the rain. What used to be a pair of garages for quick car maintenance has been transformed into a seating area with tables—the garage doors are still present to add authenticity and seal off the area into its own “dining room” of sorts. Passing through the next door brings you to a long, narrow dining area with booths perfect for parties of four to six. It houses the cash register, openings into the kitchen, and the restrooms.
Herein lies our greatest error. As our group could choose where we wanted to sit, we naturally chose these booths as we believed they would provide easier conversation and be more private than sitting in the main dining room. However, we failed to consider that the restrooms, due to space constraints, are located across the aisle from the two booths. There weren’t that many people at La Fonda Latina during our meal, so this was not an issue until the very end of our meal when one of the employees took a restroom break. Unfortunately, in order to disguise the smell air freshener was liberally used and had a very overpowering scent. If unfortunate guests would be in the middle of enjoying their meal, it would be an issue that could lead to moving to another part of the restaurant.
This is one of the main disadvantages to having a small restaurant. However, this experience can be easily avoided—this story is merely presented to prevent people with the pleasure of dining at La Fonda Latina at the McLendon Avenue location from making the same mistake that we did. There is plenty of seating out in the main dining room to accommodate guests.
La Fonda Latina is a wonderful experience I will be sure to repeat. Yes, the location creates some minor issues, though most can be easily avoided with a simple choice to sit in the main dining area. One fact remains, and it eclipses everything else. The food is heavenly.
La Fonda Latina
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