La Fonda Restaurant – Baja California

A place of rambling and rustic charm, the La Fonda Restaurant is a seaside Baja restaurant that you will not soon forget. For decades guests have returned to this Baja restaurant on the cliffs of Baja California Norte to watch the sun set and dine into the evening. Almost every night there is live music and should the weather get brisk, the hosts have a handy supply of colorful Mexican blankets and heaters. If you arrive during the day you can watch surfers and dolphins enjoying the waves, while you savor a Mexican lunch out on the patio. There are several dining area options and a generous sized bar, equipped with TV’s for sports viewing. Most guests head right out to the patios set into the cliffs and decorated with colorful tables, wicker chairs and umbrellas. However, the inside dining area has its own charm, with a number of toasty fireplaces and candlelight. It’s a perfect option for a romantic evening, especially on a chilly night.

The menus are on tall, standing chalk boards that are dragged over to your table. The chalk gets a little smeary so don’t hesitate to ask the wait staff for help if you can’t quite read all the menu choices.

As long as you are at La Fonda, hike down to the beach via a cut through  path in the hotel area. The beach is one of the best in Baja California between Rosarito and Ensenada and well worth the effort in the hike down to the sand.

Food Recommendations:
The hand-made flour tortillas are delicious. They are used for the flour tortilla chips, so these are yummy also. The pork brisket dinners are very good. You have a choice of one with gravy and spicy cinnamon, apple sauce. Or pick either the chili verde (green sauce) or chili Colorado (red sauce) pork dinners: both are good choices. A word of warning; these meals are large and you might want to split one if you have a smaller appetite. The ribs are excellent and La Fonda’s steaks are also well regarded. We particularly like their bean soup which comes with a full dinner.

If you happen to order a Pina Colada, you’ll have a real treat in store, as it comes with a banana speared to the top of the tall glass that the drink is served in.

Specials:

Early Bird: Before 6PM week nights, La Fonda offers an Early Bird menu at reduced prices. However, you must request the early bird special or they’ll drag over the full menu with its full prices.

 The La Fonda Sunday Brunch has an incredible selection of delicious courses.  It is $13.95 and supposed to include Bloody Mary’s. At a recent brunch there, we forgot about the Bloody Mary’s and they were never offered to us. The coffee we consumed was paid for “ala carte” and not substituted for the drinks.

So lesson learned at La Fonda: always ask for the Early Bird menu if you arrive on time week nights and don’t forget to request your free Bloody Mary’s at the Sunday Brunch. Unfortunately, the waiters are uniformly not forthcoming with either “special”.

La Fonda Spa and Hotel:

The hotel is perched adjacent to the restaurant. We haven’t stayed there in years due to its need for a substantial overhaul. Back then it was rustic in the extreme and even the gorgeous views didn’t mitigate that fact. Refer to other sites for more current reviews of the hotel itself.

However, we have used the Spa recently and it does offer a nice selection of services in a very lovely location and at acceptable prices. Before or after treatments or manicures, you can take advantage of relaxing on their pretty ocean view patio.