This is a local favorite Mexican restaurant in El Centro. The food is delicious. Love the authentic decor inside. Service was very nice. This is the kind of place to come when you want to meet the locals. read more

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We wanted to go to Celia's for special quesadillas but they were closed. We all ordered special quesadillas and were disappointed. They were leaden and not cooked enough. Also, very little cheese. read more

We eat here several times after our doctors appointments. Never a bad experience promt and friendly service Good food good price love the waitresses friendly smiles! read more

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White Menudo and Breakfast Burrito were delicious!!! Coffee was perfect and service was great. And prices were very reasonable.! 100 % Recommended. read more

By far the best authentic Mexican restaurant in the valley come here for business at least once a week never been disappointed. Always authentic food and warm hospitality. Never been disappointed whenever I come to imperial Valley. read more

This place is a mess, Don't go you will regret it. They served food on a stain plate that should be in the trash can. But Take my word if not GO Take that Chance but believe me you will waste your Money. Presentation was gross! One star for the ice water! read more

La Fonda Bar Grill - Taste like store bought not home made - Bars Near Me - El Centro, California

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This restaurant dont even deserve a 1 star!! An a inspector needs to come out and check the quality of this place. 1st thing you walk through the doors and it smells like the bathroom. Chips and salsa tasted old!! Plates used look so dirty disgusting we actually had to walk out after seeing the food served. We did pay for food that was not even close to looking inviting to eat. Service was terrable!! We tryed but it was way beyond 0 serves and quality of food, just looking at it almost made me sick. I was even embarrassed to say anything we paid and walked out. read more

Food was not hit it was lukewarm and too heavy on the salsa over the ribs. It was so salty. Was not able to eat much of it. The service could improve. We had to waive a couple of times to get a second drink from the bar. Would not recommend it to others. read more

The service is great and the prices are reasonable. I am giving it a three star because it wasn't very clean, and the food was average tasting. I'm not sure how this compares to other places in the area. read more

We had our class reunion there from Central Union high school, it was great. Antonio and his wife were very accommodating and they had great service. The food was good and the bar drink prices were extremely reasonable. I will definitely be going back. Tuvimos reunión de la escuela y Antonio y su esposa fueron muy lindos. La comida estuvo rica y los precios de las bebidas muy razonables. Definitivamente regresaré read more

La Fonda Bar Grill - We filled up the bar and they stayed open late for us - Bars Near Me - El Centro, California

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We enjoy the food here. We have been coming here for the last 10 years and highly recommend it to anyone looking for authentic Mexican cuisine. The service is great; all of the staff are friendly and quick with a recommendation from the menu. read more

The food here is really good. I like the welcoming atmosphere. Have been here a few times now and will continue to visit when I'm in town. read more

La Fonda Bar Grill - The Menudo hit the spot. - Bars Near Me - El Centro, California

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Not being familiar with the culinary scene in this area, the La Fonda Bar Grill was recommended by a business friend who insisted we visit for great food, customer service and ambiance. The place is huge, with many photos, artwork decorating the walls, and there are many seating options. Upon entering, our group was greeted nicely, sort of like we were family relatives. Our server was very nice, attentive and efficient. After being seated, we immediately received our chips, homemade salsa and drinks. The chips were nice and crunchy, and salsa tasted great. My friend recommended I try the "special quesadilla plate" and I did. The Special Quesadilla plate is a homemade deep fried tortilla dough with Jack cheese and comes with rice and beans. We also ordered a spicier salsa, and a Chille relleno salsa which were equally diecious. The quesadilla was cheesy crunchy, delicious, and I couldn't finish it, so I took the rest home for a late-night Scooby snack. I really enjoyed my meal here and there are many more traditional Mexican American culinary inspired options to choose from. Free parking is available. read more

La Fonda Bar Grill - Menu page 1 - Bars Near Me - El Centro, California

after reading several mixed reviews i decidd to give this place a shot. not regreting it at all. ordered a carne asada burrito and it was fire. meat was tender and had great flavor. excellent service. clean place. read more

Food delish. Great customer service very attentive. Authentic food. Nice and clean and friendly people. read more

La Fonda Bar Grill - Tacos al vapor . - Bars Near Me - El Centro, California

The food was cold and chips were stale. Will not return nor would I recommend. Had fish tacos & carne asada taco. The bathrm was dirty.

I hadn't been to La Fonda in possibly 30 years, I was craving a chimichanga & decided from my recollection that theirs was a memorable experience. In those years I recall they had moved several times, my first visit there was when they were located on Adams; they are now on 4th. The hubs & I decided to stop in after lunch to avoid the crowds & it was still busy but had an attentive waiter but not intrusive. As we were seated we were given chips & salsa. I quickly noted it was very watery with a few chunks of onion & tomato. Gosh was it spicy! Ordered the chimichanga plate that included rice & beans. The chimi was adorned with lettuce, guacamole, sour cream & the spicy watery salsa. It was beautiful & crunchy on the outside with delicious meat on the inside just like i recall the meat was exceptional. Halfway through my meal if became soggy. Why? That watered down salsa! I would order again with the exception of the watered down salsa to be placed on the side. read more

La Fonda Bar Grill - Watery spicy salsa - Bars Near Me - El Centro, California

We've passed this place dozens of times on our way home from Arizona to Los Angeles. My mole was excellent, my husband got a carne asada burrito and grandson a quesadilla.. They were also happy with their food. Also the service was great. This will be our new place to stop and eat when we head home. read more

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Food was good, hot and flavorful. Really good chips and salsa. Had the carne asada tacos and a cheese quesadilla. Both were good. Clean place, good atmosphere and good service. Very pleased with the food and service, will be back again when passing through! read more

Last time I take recommendation from anyone in the valley. Firstly, the place was packed so I had high hopes. We got seated quickly and our order taken, off to a good start. The chips and salsa tasted like shit! The salsa tasted old like actual dirt! It was literally gritty texture. I thought of leaving then but I hear the waitress busting her ass to get the food out. After 40 mins our food arrived and dropped off. Everything went down hill from there. My order was completely wrong. The rice had no flavor both me and my daughter couldn't even finish our food. No one ever check on us no refills nothing. Never going back and never recommending . La Fonda do better! You obviously high volume of customers you shouldn't get complacent. I noticed most of your customer are older so their taste buds may not be on point you shouldn't be serving them crap! read more

Had a great experience staying in the motel. We had a drink at the bar. The service staff were great.

Special quesadilla was better than Celias. The beef tacos were a little bit underwhelming. Kind of light and small. Overall, very good food and service. read more

Best special quesadillas. Super friendly service as always. Menudo and refried beans in point . Cool bar to have a drink after dinner.

I hadn't eaten at La Fonda in years so I decided to try their food again and ordered their barbacoa plate to-go. I'm used to shredded barbacoa like at Jalisco's, whose portion sizes are always enough to have leftovers or for two people to share. What I received was nothing close to what I was expecting (see photos). I basically received barbacoa soup. I had to serve it in a bowl there was that much LIQUID. The meat was fatty, the bean and rice sides were tiny, and the taste was lackluster. I called to complain and the manager said they always serve barbacoa whole, in a bowl, and the rice/bean sides are the same portions. I was done eating in less than 10 minutes and still hungry. Afterwards, I checked Google and found a review left 11 months ago (see in-restaurant photos) with pictures of plates more in-align with what I was expecting to eat. The portion size was not enough for $18.39. read more

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Food was good and beer was cold. Doesn't get better than that. Pretty busy so a little slow on getting bill to us, but overall a good experience. read more

Food here is ok I wanted to give them a 3.5/3.75 but gave them a 4 because yelp don't have .25s but the food is ahhh I got nopales with carne the meat was ok nothing great not that tender or juicy the really good part for me was the sauce, some people might disagree with me but I liked it , it was the same you would use for enchiladas, it really should be a different style of sauce but that's how they do it and for that reason and the service was really good I'd give them a 3.5in stars nothing great or nothing bad , oh my buddy got the fajitas and he said the meat was rubbery but he eat his whole plate read more

Overall score now: 3/5 stars Second visit 2/5 stars: Came here again for lunch. They had a lunch special of 2 cheese enchiladas with rice & beans. They don't have a lunch menu so I had to get one shrimp taco, one carne asada and refried beans off the separates section. The shrimp were a bit greasy and the flavor of the carne asada meat tasted off to me. The cheese enchiladas were overly greasy. We would not do either again. The dinner menu is too big and too $$ for just a lunch so we will probably try another place for lunch. Today, overall wasn't as good as our first visit. Too bad. First visit 4/5 stars: I've had this bookmarked for a good while. The reason is that we haven't found our favorite place in town and La Fonda has a full bar so we can get a margarita, if we want, when we have Mexican food. We tried one other place that was ok but not some place we look forward to going. We finally stopped today for lunch. We entered, got to choose out table, menus given and drinks ordered. This was Super Bowl Sunday so we didn't have a margarita but we can look forward to that next time. The menu isn't huge-which is good. Many places with huge menus do not make food from fresh ingredients, so I was ok with it. They have all the main Mexican entree selections. Hubs chose the 3 enchiladas-and got 1 beef, 1 chicken and 1 cheese. I always get my test Chile Rellenos to determine if I will like a place. We got a nice basket of chips with salsa. The chips were fresh and crispy and the salsa had pieces of onion & cilantro and a nice spice (for me, too much for my hubs). The chips were so good that they were pretty well gone. Oops. It's Sin day-eat heathy tomorrow! Our hot platters came out steaming and filled with food. After photos (and so we don't scorch our lips!) we dug in! Hubs said they were awesome and the best he's had. The enchiladas were filled with meat! And the shredded chicken was tender and had the best flavor! My Chile Rellenos were wonderful! The chili was soft and stuffed with cheese. The sauce was a bit milky looking as opposed to the clear one that I'm used to, but it was very flavorful. I could have used more of the sauce so next time I will request it. The beans were house made and delicious. They were smooth with a very tasty flavor. The rice was good too. The good news is that I had some left over. I will add cheese and serve as a dip with chips. Rice can be a side for another meal. I'm so glad we finally came here. We will definitely be back-on a Thursday for Albondigas! And a margarita. Can't wait! read more

La Fonda Bar Grill - Bars Near Me - El Centro, California

Walked in and was greeted right away! There was a bunch of TVs showing the basketball games, which was cool. The kitchen was quick with cooking my food too! The rolled tacos HIT THE SPOT! I'll definitely be back! read more

La Fonda Bar Grill - Rolled tacos with rice and beans - Bars Near Me - El Centro, California

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The food was very tasty. Service was great and the ambiance felt like home. Try it you might like it.

Best Mexican food in town, super friendly staff and great ambience! Had the carne asada burrito and it was so delicious, 10/10 recommend!

Good food, great atmosphere! Antonio and his family are so personable--40 years in business says it all. Great place to stop on your way to or from Arizona. read more

La Fonda Bar Grill - Antonio and Claudia - Bars Near Me - El Centro, California

Food was delicious. Had pc of steak from gf, best tasting steak. Not tuff at all, I could cut with my fork. Excellent service. Only thing was my plate was too small. Need maybe papas on side or something. read more

La Fonda Bar Grill - Huevos Rancheros - Bars Near Me - El Centro, California

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This place clearly has its local followers I just couldn't understand why. Chips and salsa not fresh seemed store bought. Menudo smelled not prepared correctly, I can say the napkins were of high quality read more

La Fonda. Mexican food. Yeah noooooo. They serve chips and salsa. Chips were from a bag, and stale. They have horchata, but if you ask for no ice, they'll bring it to you in a smaller cup. Every single plastic cup we had had badly chipped rims. I ordered the breakfast chilaquiles. More an egg and cheese topped fried bean plate, with a few stale and mostly soggy pieces of tostada at the bottom. The egg, strangely, did not taste fresh. The beans were fine. The horchata had a chalky consistency. It tasted ok though. I continue to be perplexed that Imperial Valley, being within minutes of the border, lacks decent Mexican food, whereas Los Angeles sets a sky high bar, and has an abundance of too notch Mexican food of all the regions. Maybe it's the lack of competition, and lack of population density. Maybe the heat fries the cooks' brains The name La Fonda, decieves one into thinking this will be legit Mexican food. It's not. The heavy set people at the table next to us were eating a burger and steak fries. This place blows. read more

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Wait...... I've never reviewed La Fonda? um How is that possible. I've been a faithful patron since 1988 when you used to have to fight bums on Adams Ave to get from the parking lot to the front door. I'll keep it simple and short... I don't care which location you have visited the food is consistent wether it was Adams Ave., Broadway or at the mall this place has never disappointed me. Machaca Verduda con Verduda with taco sauce and if you're feeling extra hungry order a special quesadilla on the side. read more

Pathetic. Shredded Beef Tacos were sparse. Beans, gross. Rice, gross. Guacamole was straight water. 1 star because it won't let you rate it ZERO read more

La Fonda Bar Grill - Bars Near Me - El Centro, California

Ordered take out and I was impressed on how fresh and fast our food was! We drove all the way from Northern California just for their special quesadilla and machaca burritos. The employees are personable and the atmosphere makes you feel like you're at home. I will definitely be stopping here on my next trip back! read more

La Fonda Bar Grill - the front of the restaurant - Bars Near Me - El Centro, California

Great Mexican food option. I go frequently and they always provide great customer service.

This is a the best All around Mexican Restaurant in imperial Valley. The consistency of their food is always great. The service has always been friendly and quick even on those busy NFL Sunday morning. read more

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Had a very bad experience yesterday, Monday, June 19. I got to the restaurant about 12:15 pm. Was seated and the lady server came to take my order a few minutes after I got there. She took my order and then brought salsa and my drink with a lemon wedge. She dropped them off and walked away without saying anything. I noticed there were no chips. No big deal. I thought maybe there were not chips ready and that she would bring them later. While sitting in my seat, I would observing the server clean off a table near the table I was at. I noticed she picked up an unused straw off the floor under the table she was cleaning where people put their feet and put it in her apron with the rest of the straws she was going to pass out the customers. That was the first disgusting thing. I then noticed another server bringing out chips to other customers, so I asked another server for chips because my server never brought me any, and she did. While I was eating the chips and salsa and observing my waitress walking around, she put her index finger up to her nose and slowly wiped her finger inside the nostril. Very disgusting! I then watched her bring out an order to another group of customers. The first thought that came to my mind was "Did she pick her nose prior to picking up my lemon wedge and then I put it in my mouth?" I did not see the owner sitting in his usual booth, so I asked a different server than mine who the supervisor was. She pointed out the server at the cashier with wavy hair. I approached her and informed her that my server is walking around picking her nose and touching food orders and that I would like to have another server since I don't like to have people who pick their noses giving me my food. I saw the supervisor speak with my server, but then, after I very short time, I saw my server bring out another food order. I walked up to the supervisor and said that she is serving food again. The supervisor told me that she had washed her hands in the back area, and I said, "Oh, okay." She then raised her hands up and told me to calm down. That was when I decided to just leave. There was no reason for her to tell me to 'calm down' since I was not loud, nor was I rude to her. She should have said she washed her hands and just leave it at that. Furthermore, it's very disgusting to have a server with such nasty habits serving food to customers. If there are cameras in this restaurant, I would encourage the owner to watch them to verify what I am saying did occur. I got there about 12:15pm and walked out around 12:35pm. The server picked up the straw off the floor at the second table to the left after walking into the restaurant. Just watch this server during this time period and also see how she picks her nose and then walks around with food orders. I usually come to this restaurant twice per week, however, my family nor I will be back. The owner who is usually there, but was not this time, is a very nice guy and usually sits at a booth near the front door greeting customers and thanking them when they leave. I always liked that about this place. However, it appears some of the servers act completely different when he is not there. I hope the owner will watch any videos and speak with this server so she does not continue to serve up boogers with food or straws that have been sitting on the floor where other customers put the bottom of their shoes. read more