La Fondita

It is hard to distinguish the unique Mexican bakery, La Fondita, seeing as it is nestled between the McDonald’s and Wachovia bank running along Little River Turnpike, perpendicular to Hummer Rd.  Recently opened, it is a surprisingly good find as far as Mexican food goes.

It is extremely rare to find an independent authentic restaurant that is not part of a chain. Close to all chains are restaurants offering the same tastes at every location.  

Parking is a little tight at La Fondita, but on the weekends there should be little to no problem seeing as the crowd flow is fairly minimal.

It is evident that there are many regulars who venture in after working all day for a drink or a small bite to eat.  It has a very authentic feeling with a fun ‘after hours’ atmosphere.  A jukebox keeps customers occupied, as well as various televisions playing Spanish and American channels.  

Décor is a little lacking but to give the restaurant the benefit of the doubt, it is still up and coming in the area –maybe not entirely moved in yet.

There are few pictures displayed on the wall but the colors are earthy.  In the far back corner is a long counter display that shows off the bakery part of the restaurant.  It displayed various dishes, pastries, and foods that are available for purchase or order.

It is confusing upon entering what customers are supposed to do but a very friendly waitress directed us towards a table that was pretty self-explanatory from there.

Though unknown to most, La Fondita is the best kept secret in the food department.  After ordering a simple round of nachos and chicken quesadillas, I was taken aback by the unique taste each brought to the table.

For starters, water was brought out served with lime, as opposed to its usual partner of lemon.  It switched everything up a bit and added a new flavor.  This was only the first of many surprises to follow.

When asked whether we preferred chicken or beef on the nachos, we were all in agreement that we were beef people.  Expecting the typical ground beef that most places serve on nachos, we were served pieces of steak.  Yes, thick pieces of cut up steak atop the mound of chips and cheese which were below it.

The nachos were a little heavy on the beans but the beans could easily be scraped to the side and in my opinion they were a great addition to the dish.

With regards to the chicken quesadilla, how much fancier can you make a chicken quesadilla?  There really is not much to it besides the tortilla, chicken and cheese.  Well whatever ingredient the chefs at La Fondita added to it did something great for the taste buds.  

Somehow the chefs conjured up an amazing plate of chicken quesadilla.  It was a large serving, worth every penny paid, but kept very simple.  

Served with sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, and tomatoes it was up to the customer’s discretion how they were to dress the dish.  

Each employee was very friendly and the service was good.  At times it was hard to understand the waitress and it was apparent that her first language was Spanish, but it added to the authenticity of the experience.

One complaint I had was over the prices of menu items.  It was surprising that they were as high as they were, but come to think of it, it is probably the same for any chain Mexican restaurant.  Plus the food quality was much better.

La Fondita is a small place so it is not good for large groups, but it is a great hang out place for a small group of friends or if you are simply just looking for a quick bite to eat.  

It continues to have fairly slow business during the day but after work hours it livens up quite quickly.  

Go and discover one of the greatest Mexican restaurants that has hit Annandale so far.  

It’s authenticity and great food and service really make for a fantastic experience.