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Cafe La Fonda

3.8 (53 reviews)
Closed 8:00 am - 4:00 pm

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CAFE LA FONDA ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for kids
Dogs allowed

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Recommended Reviews - Cafe La Fonda

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Front View Decorations After Closing the Restaurant
Celso G.

Just had my wedding reception here and it was beautiful! The service was amazing, the food was DELICIOUS, and the decorations they set up were perfect. The owner worked with my mother-in-law closely and helped make our day beautiful! The service was so good that the staff were actually asking us if they were doing well because they were nervous! You don't get that kind of care and attention anymore! I'd highly recommend Cafe La Fonda to anyone who wants to have any event because you will have a blast. We sat 100 people comfortably and just helped make our beautiful day even more so. Thank you to Cafe La Fonda, we will definitely see you all again!

Chilaquiles, eggs over easy, al pastor, and Cafe de Olla
Ricky E.

I was driving around SB looking for a place to grab late lunch. Drive by this place and thought I'd give it a shot. I love the location and the ambiance. It's very cozy and homey. I was the only patron at the time and the staff was very friendly and kind. They allowed me to select whatever seat I wanted. Of course I selected the best view, of the courthouse garden. I ordered the cafe de olla to start which was so delicious. It reminded me of home. I also ordered the jalapeño poppers. It's a great take of them. They use a wonton wrapper folded into a triangle for the jalapeño poppers. On their menu though, the photo for their poppers are different. It threw me off because I was expecting the actual jalapeño cut length wise with mozzarella and breaded. That's not really what I got but nonetheless it was good. I would order them again! It came with a creamy sauce and a mango habanero sauce which had a lot of flavor and spice! I ordered the chilaquiles with eggs over easy and added al pastor meat. It came with a side of potatoes and beans. I'll say that the portions are a great value. I was definitely full and had to take leftovers home. I wouldve like some salt and more of a kick to my chilaquiles. This dish is meant to be spicy, its on the name, but that was lacking in my opinion. However I used the salsa to pour over it and enjoyed it. They have Valentines Day specials coming up with taco shaped heart box so if you're into that, you gotta come here. I'd come back and try more of their menu items. I also want to add they are so sweet because they brought me a heater when it was cold. I didn't even ask but that's so sweet of them! It was a chilly day.

Chilaquiles rojos with steak

This place it's cute, food it's amazing I had the Chilaquiles rojos, they were amazing !!! Service was also very welcoming. It's definitely a try out place. Very good food.

La Fonda Mini Burrito Breakfast - really good!
Amber E.

Such a lovely spot, overlooking the beautiful sunken gardens of the Santa Barbara courthouse. Nice ambiance, Mexican music playing, and our server, Ray, was so nice. I had already eaten, but he gave me some Mexican sweet bread to try, which was really good. And my husband got the mini breakfast burrito, which was very tasty. Will definitely be back!

Green Chilaquiles plate
Sarahi G.

Well I have never leave a 1 star review, but this time I had to. Call on Thursday to make a reservation for 11am to came up to this restaurant for the Saturday brunch and there entertainment show they said they have, came all the way from burbank CA, to an empty restaurant I had read the reviews and honestly though this will be a great idea to celebrate my friends bday the person the greeted us was super short to said the least he seems upset and bother ask about the Saturday brunch with a very rude reply they only do it on Sundays but doesn't said that in the website. Another guy he was nicer brought us chips and salsa for a Mexican restaurant to give you a pizza salsa with chips you know it's not gonna be good... Then started to order food with the other unpleased guy and was very unhelpful and short, got our food and was super salty order there supposedly famosos green chilaquiles, came with super greasy fries, order a croissant sandwich that was well greasy the rest of the food was ok per my friends. Overall it was a super bad experience not only according to an other nice guy he said they had change ownership and hadn't it update the menus or anything else. My mom got supper sick after eating here. Wouldn't recommend this place to anybody .. if I can give a negative star I would

Patio seating
Amanda P.

We visited here for the mariachi brunch. The brunch buffet is small and has your basic eggs (made to order), breakfast meats, pancakes, etc. You can have them make you an omelette but they provide minimal toppings (onions, tomatoes, cilantro). They advertise that they make chilaquiles but when we asked the attendant said they don't make them for the buffet. The service was good and the server was friendly. The food was ok, the best dish was the enchiladas. The patio was nice to sit at and enjoy the beautiful weather.

Excellent Margaritas and guacamole.
Colleen M.

Pure perfection, shrimp cooked perfectly. Rich flavors, definitely going back. Beautiful views of the Courthouse's sunken garden.

Chicken tortilla soup.
Victoria M.

Found this place on accident. Everything was really good. Steak quesadilla with steak was very flavorful. I can't wait to come back and try it again.

Menu
Steve H.

There are lots of respectable Mexican restaurants within easy walking distance of my home downtown. The newest is La Fonda, so I went to try it out! Very good food, a good price, and very good service. Big menu. I had the chili relleno with rice and beans, my standard. It was tasty and well-presented. AND the price includes soup AND salad AND chips and salsa AND warm tortillas -- that's a real meal deal that's rare these days! I took leftovers home for a light lunch the next day. Vegetarians take note: the tortilla soup has chicken broth, so they substituted an order of guacamole (fresh but bland, and little more spicy would be good), and their refried frijoles are not vegetarian, so they substituted whole beans. The side salad was a baby salad mix with spinach and tomatoes and warm nuts on top. A pleasant interior (candles on the tables), and a outdoor deck with a glorious view of the Courthouse. Live Mexican music on weekends. I'm concerned because there's been a number of failed restaurants at this location, and I hope it's not "haunted," and that the public will give them a go. I was the ONLY patron on a Tuesday night. A history note: Do you remember way back when this was Ray Klein's The Bakery and it was PACKED (in the 70s)? And this is for REAL long-term Santa Barbarans: Do you remember when it was it was the Irene Davis Bakery, a classic American small town bakery selling rolls to donuts?

Avocado Toast Breakfast

Don't miss this place! So delicious and the perfect outdoor morning setting. We had the chili verde omelette and avocado toast. Both were !

Folklórico on the Patio

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LaFonda C.

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Amazing local spot for amazing Mexican Food, everything was super fresh and the staff was incredibly kind!

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2 years ago

Terrible service, terrible food. I waited 30 mins for a drink, the servers were rude. The food was gross

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2 years ago

Everyone was so friendly and the food was delicious. My favorite, the cafe de olla! De Mariachi was a pleasant surprise

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Los Agaves

Los Agaves

4.5
(4.6k reviews)
0.9 mi
$$

Absolutely best Mexican food I have tried in USA. Their Salsa options are amazing and food was…read moreabsolutely delicious. Ambience is pretty cool and they have outdoor seating as well. Service is great. 100% recommend it when you are in the town.

Los Agaves On De Lavina St. -- A Rare Review from Someone Who Hates Writing Reviews…read moreI spent 25 years owning a business. I know what good service looks like, and I know what entitled looks like. I never write reviews -- I watched Yelp destroy good people over bad nights, and I swore I'd stay out of it. Tonight changed that. I sat at the bar. It took the bartender over five minutes to acknowledge I existed. Another five to ten to deliver a Coke. I ordered dinner and waited forty minutes -- which I might have forgiven, except getting his attention was nearly impossible the entire night. No eye contact. Body language that made clear I was an inconvenience, not a guest. Every interaction felt like I was interrupting something more important. When I finally got him to check on my order, he went to the computer and discovered he'd never placed it. I walked out. I noticed the people around me weren't faring much better. The slowness wasn't just my experience -- it was the room. Los Agaves appears to be a popular place, and maybe on another night with another bartender it earns that reputation. But entitlement has a way of spreading when nobody checks it. I hope management is paying attention -- because a beautiful restaurant dies one invisible guest at a time.

Photos
Inside
Inside
Ceviche Tostada (amazing!)
Ceviche Tostada (amazing!)
Margarita Flight

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Margarita Flight
La Super-Rica Taqueria

La Super-Rica Taqueria

4.0
(2.1k reviews)
0.9 mi
$$

Get the special (adobada, peppers, cheese), it is spectacular. That's all I tried though. Prices…read moreare reasonable. Be sure to order what you need because the line gets long and you don't want to get back in it if you didn't order enough beers. Bring cash. I didn't realize how hard it was to find a cash machine in SB. I found more bitcoin atms than cash atms which is wild. I stayed at a hotel near state st and walked back from here and it only took about 30 min, but I would recommend driving or taking a $6 uber.

Came here on a Saturday around 2 pm. We were planning to go to Los Agaves just a block away but…read morethey happened to be closed. Parking was very easy on the street and free. There was a line of people waiting. Took us a little over 30 minutes from getting in line, to ordering and receiving the food later. CASH ONLY. Their specials menu seems to change every day or so. We ordered a taco de hongo (sautéed mushrooms with epazote in a light cream sauce w/ 2 homemade corn tortillas), enchiladas de plaza (chicken breast, potato mushroom, red chile sauce, topped with cheese, chile pasilla strips, cream sauce, avocado and radish), a tamal norteño de puerco (pork tamal), #16 súper-rica especial (pork on 3 tortillas, a modelo, and a piña pepino agua fresca. All for around $63 without tip. They had a tomato salsa, salsa rojo, and salsa verde options. All were delicious. All of the food was excellent and super flavorful. I would say my favorite was definitely the tamal. So savory and the masa was the perfect texture. The pork tacos and mushroom taco were close behind, also delicious. The enchiladas were my least favorite. Still good but I just don't think I can be an enchiladas fan no matter how hard I try!! I just am not a fan of the texture of the tortillas when sauced up. Nevertheless, everything was finished up and nothing left behind. The agua fresca was also super good and refreshing. Very sweet and a little thick so we thinned it out a bit with some water. They have limited outdoor seating but a lot inside. A single bathroom right by the parking lot entrance. Nice and cute spot with hard workers. Would definitely come again!

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La Super-Rica Taqueria
La Super-Rica Taqueria
Menu and counter to order December 2025

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Menu and counter to order December 2025
Loquita

Loquita

4.4
(1.7k reviews)
1.0 mi
$$$

Excellent higher-end Tapas restaurant well worth a visit. Be warned, the serving size is…read moresignificantly more generous than you would expect from tapas. We over ordered by 2-3 dishes and if you aren't starving I'd say 2 appetizers and 2 tapas is more than enough for any two people. Cocktails were great, service was highly attentive and considerate. As a Patatas Bravas enthusiast these were perfect, the sauce was more pepper forward than most which was a great touch. Jamon was delicious, but the bravas would have been great on their own. The croquettes with mushrooms were rich and filling, packing a whole lot of deliciousness into a small bite sized package. The prawns were lovely as well, but the Bravas stole the show. Next time I am coming back for just those and a couple of cocktails.

This place is hyped as a date place…read more It's in a fancy location near the beach, nice patio. It is good food but overhyped IMO. $16 for patatas bravas is a bit on the silly end. lts also one of thoses places that defaults to 20% tip on the low end. I have no problem with paying a 20% tip but the service was poor on my visit. We gave one instructions/request that were just completely disregarded. Very little in terms of service other than attempts to upsell with more Tapas when we were done. Sorry, just being honest.

Photos
Cake table set up by staffers.
Cake table set up by staffers.
Piquillos Ahumados
Piquillos Ahumados
CROQUETA DE JAMÓN 3 FOR $16  paprika aioli, crispy potato nest with  Add truffle manchego $5

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CROQUETA DE JAMÓN 3 FOR $16 paprika aioli, crispy potato nest with Add truffle manchego $5

Cafe La Fonda - breakfast_brunch - Updated July 2026

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