Fonda on 12th | Nashville

What a great place to dine. Wonderful staff and amazing food.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Migas Taco Board, Carnitas Bowl, Side Salsa

Attended the Taste of the Yucatan private event here on Nov 12, 2024. This was a great intro for locals to get to know a fairly recent entry onto the 12 South scene-- and let me tell you they made a very compelling case for why they should be the Go-To neighborhood spot for area diners. Out of town foodies will love it too, but the owners really wanted to pitch local with the event. The menu for the evening featured flavors from the Yucatan peninsula, which also pull from the Caribbean apparently. The flavors on many of the plates were complex, yet some of the dishes had a home cooked vibe, like a handed-down family recipe-- made new by Chef Santibañez. Cocktails, wine, and other bar offerings were all exceptional. Overall, the food was stunning, and the entire evening was a treat. Another notable highlight was the service: having well-trained and attentive servers add to the atmosphere seems rare to find these days, but Fonda fielded a great crew for the event. Lastly, as a local, one of the more frustrating challenges in convincing my wife and I to go out in Nashville for dinner is dealing with parking, especially in areas like 12 South. Some friends who also attended were able to walk over from their home near Belmont, while we drove over from Green Hills. So a huge asset (for me) is that Fonda has their own parking right behind the restaurant! And it's validated! I highly recommend giving this restaurant a visit.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Fonda is a fantastic restaurant in the 12th South neighborhood. The dishes are plentiful and meant to be shared. We ordered the chips, salsas, kale salad, short rib enchilada and hibiscus tea. The chips were freshly made, the salsas flavorful, the kale salad delicious and the short rib enchilada devine. Our waitress was friendly and engaging.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Kale Salad

Attended a "Taste of Yucatan" event and had a great time. Drinks and food top notch. I plan to go again to sample their regular menu.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Guacamole En Molcajete & Queso Fundido

Fonda could not be a better addition to the 12 South neighborhood. The restaurant is beautiful inside, light, bright and very fun atmosphere all while being a welcoming and comfortable environment. I've eaten at the restaurant probably about 10 times since it has opened and it is consistently delicious. Don't miss the pomegranate margarita! You can have a meal of delicious tapas or you can go more family style and get one of their taco boards or enchiladas which are both very shareable. The enchiladas are served in a skillet - all incredibly delicious. They also offer guacamole made to order which is fantastic. The service is also incredible, I have only had really great experience with the service every time I have been to the restaurant. We recently went to the Taste of the Yucatan dinner which was a very memorable experience, the meal was incredible and I can't wait to attend more of these types of events in the future, join their mailing list to find out about when they are offered. Overall, would highly recommend this restaurant!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Excellent special Yucatan meal! The food was delicious across the board, and service was top notch! We'll definitely be back to sample the regular menu, as well as to attend more special dinners.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

twas excellent

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

This place has outstanding customer service and the food is heavenly. It is a most in Nashville.
I waited for over 30 minutes in another restaurant near by. Then when o got here service was immediate and food was great. Can’t chose between the two both are grate. Flavors and environment are awesome!!!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Fonda was a fabulous experience. Not your typical “Mexican” food. I wanted to try everything on the menu! Lots of small plates or meal platters with regional flavors.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Love love love

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Queso, Migas Taco Board

I had the arrechera bowl at Fonda in Nashville, and it was fantastic! The steak and shrimps were perfectly tender and flavorful, complemented beautifully by fresh, vibrant ingredients. The balance of spices made each bite satisfying. Highly recommend this dish if you’re looking for authentic, delicious Mexican cuisine.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I think we were the unlucky ones to experience the first Tuesday night opening hours this week. We went for our 7pm reservation and didn’t even get served water until 7.30pm. On top of that, we had our 3 year old with us and the food service was incredibly slow. Usually restaurants go above and beyond to help when they see you have children, however we weren’t even served our food until 8pm. We ordered the guacamole which was decent, a salad which was fairly pitiful and a fish starter which was the nicest of the three. The enchilada with birria was so salty w could hardly eat it, and we didn’t even contemplate desserts because of the sheer length of time it took to get anything. Won’t be going be back in a hurry until the service improves.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 2

Service: 1

This place wouldn’t take my cash only would take credit card, which cost more because the rates that credit cards have

Not your regular Mexican restaurant. Menu is authentic with a lot of sharing selections. Desserts are shareable and fantastic.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 4

Recommended dishes: Guacamole En Molcajete & Queso Fundido

Fonda was such a great experience! This was out first time at this restaurant and we will certainly be back. I called ahead and made reservations and when having to call and pivot with number the staff was flexible and very attentive. The food and staff were fantastic. Highly recommend the wagyu but everything was delicious! Atmosphere and service were top notch! you can tell that the manager takes pride in his restaurant. If you go, you will not be disappointed.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Guacamole En Molcajete & Queso Fundido, Queso