La Fonda On Wilshire

The service was slow, The food very bad and bland, the worst Mexican food I have ever eaten except for the chipotle Brownie everything else was very bad. The Mariachi did not sing any traditional songs and severely over priced for the quality of the food. I am never ever going back again. EVER!! more

This restaurant does not deserve any ratings at all. I've been ther a couple times. This last time I was there for a very special & exclusive event & I had the most disappointing experience.... I was actually part & invited by the production of an event held at the restaurant. I have no complaints about the place itself except the unisex restroom located on the bottom floor which is very inconvenient & having to travel to the second floor if the RR on the first floor is busy. Service: Very poor service to guest & promoters driving some of the most prestigious and reputable staff who work with celebs in town. From a celeb PR point of view I would never ever host any party's, CD re-leases, brunches, nor promote or recommend to anyone looking for a Traditional/historical Mexican ambient. I was very offended when my guests were removed from my own reserved table for not ordering any food on top of waiting10 minutes for a Waiter. Really?... The place was a full house (about 200 attendees) and there was about 90-95% event attendees who purchased either drinks or were covered under some sort of complimentary appetizers or food on behalf of the production. Food was not all that authentic either. Drinks were well served but not very friendly. I believe if there one thing business management/ owner should respond well to is key guests or team members involved with any production been hosted at the restaurant. On top of everything Management did not even offer extra complementary drinks nor food. Not coming back unless I really have to. more

La Fonda on Wilshire since the new management had capture my attention specially with those great events they had and also with the great Latin nights parties. Today i attended a press conference showcasing El Canelo Alvarez vs Hatton promoted by Golden Boy promotions so Oscar de la Hoya presented himself the fighters. I made plans to be at the restaurant before 1pm around lunch time so i can have a couple drinks, lunch and enjoy the conference and why not? get the Oscar de la Hoya's autograph. I walked in and i saw four people eating at the bar and i approached the bartender and asked for a beer and also an order of Taquitos same as the lady was having just besides me. And the bartender told me ""I am sorry the kitchen is closed"" but hey here is people eating right now?? and she said ""Uhh is because he is the owner of the place (Jimmy Roca)"". It was very disappointing i wanted to have lunch there and the kitchen was closed but none the less that the owner and his entourage was eating right at the bar because he ordered to the cookers food specially for him, but they could not serve regular customers. It doesn't make sense at all for me, five minutes later more food was coming out for the same individuals. Bartender was very nice and apologized for been unable to serve me as I expected. I noticed the owner treated the employees not very professional specially with the cleaning guy {but not the nice bartender lady} when giving orders to sweep the floor (totally unfair, would be better to treat employees with respect so they learn how to treat customers and make them feel special). Story long, short. it made me feel bad as a customer looking the special treatment he was giving to his friends and at the same time I was unable to buy food and spend some hard to earn money into this place by just buying a plate of food. Jimmy, i think that wasn't a good strategy. more

We had not visited La Fonda since last year and we were surprised to see that the Original Mariachi was not there anymore. That the last Mariachi event was at 8:00 PM. We were there for fathers day and got bad service, over priced food. After our food got to our table late and never even got water. After the show finished at 9:00 PM and our food got there almost 45 minutes after the fact...we decided to stay for the 10:00 PM show. To our amaze they started to taking the tables away and in no time it became a dance floor for these awful new techno music. We were disappointed and will never come to this place ever again. New management is misleading people and at least the Mariachi was good before...now it was a disgrace to Mexican culture. I was not going to live a good tip and after the check came....it was already taken ""That is why they don't give a F&#@ if they serve you good or not"". Save your $$$/time and spend your cash wisely in a different place ""It is not the same"". My dog would have gotten sick with the food. NEED A REFUND. Pros: Mariachi was so..so. Cons: The price of the food and the service was extremely bad. more

great food and music parking little hard I still give them five star more

We found parking on Wilshire blvd which was super convenient. We hadn;t been there for years and this is not the dingy old La Fonda. The group was talented and fun and visited our table for a happy birthday. I ate the lamb which was amazing and sampled chicken in a tasty mustard sauce. Pros: great food, terrific music, family fun more

La Fonda recently reopened and it is not owned by the same people as before. And it is not the same mariachi group, Los Camperos. My family and I recently returned and found the food to be awful. It's mostly a place for tourists or white people that don't know any better. My group and I asked for tortillas and they said they didn't have any. It's a mexican restaurant how could you not have tortillas! I waited 20 mins for water. However, the mariachis weren't bad but in l.a. there are far better places. Pros: Mariachis Cons: Food & Staff more

This place is overrated. The food is overpriced and mundane. Ceviche was average , the soup was gross. The mariachi which plays there is entertaining but does not compensate for poor service and bad food. I had to request multiple times that my drink be refilled as did the rest of my party. Pros: Mariachi Cons: food, service more

Honestly, if you want authentic Mexican food and great entertainment, La Fonda is the place to be! Was a little apprehensive taking my aunt there for her birthday celebration (because of the below low recommendation....btw ""priced"" not ""prized"") but from the moment we walked in the doors we were quite pleased by not only our hostess (prompt and courteous) but our service. When we sat down our waiter saw to us immediately, taking our drink orders (get the margaritas!) and then giving us time to settle in and then took our order. But wait, there's more! The entertainment...WOW! These guys, the Mariachi band, were to say the least, extraordinary. They were such characters, drawing the crowd in to sing along or to dance. Also, something to look forwad to is the folklorico dancing. THE COUPLE WAS GREAT! Pros: everything! Cons: parking...boooooo more

After reading decent reviews about this place my family and I visited the restaurant in early October to celebrate my brother-in-laws birthday. Pros: Mariachi Cons: Food more

This is really a historic place, hadn't been there since they closed, went this past weekend and it was incredible. The place looks amazing with all the new updates made to it. They still have some of the great servers from before. They are also having on display some beautifull art paintings, in fact it is a working art gallery within La Fonda. The food has been revitalized with great dishes. The food is a totalk experience in itself. The Mariachi is familiar as well, they are the previous Mariachi that played when Los Camperos where out of town. They are sounding great and there many members from Los Camperos playing there now. The group name is Mariachi Monumental De America, i bought there CD and it has great hits as well. I truly recomend the newly remodeld LA FONDA ON WILSHIRE. fyi there open for lunch and Happy hour now!!!!! more

I visited this establishment on a Wednesday and they claim to have the best Mariachis. I am not an expert but they seemed to perfom well. The margaritas were good (its hard to mess it up though). I had the Boracha shrimp dish was satisfactory but really wasn't worth it. I had the appetizers plate that was good, but hardly worth $30 for a few quesadillas, guacamole, taquitos (small), and ceviche (I have had better). Oh and there was this mystery dip that had cheese and was solid in the middle. To sum it up, you pay for the entertainment, and if you want entertainment, they got it! Pros: Mariachis Cons: Sub-par mexican food for $$$ more

A buddy of mine turned me on to La Fonda, when he went there on a date. He told me it was a great first date place so i went out for myself hoping I had the same luck as he did. The food was good, but it's weird when the mariachi came out the food got that much better. Come to think of it everything got much better. I don't really speak Spanish but I understand so it made the night fun. It's worth the drive, and the food was great. Get the Mole chicken (I think that's how you spell it?)... Pros: Free show with food. Cons: To much Mariachi music during the break. more

I dined here for the first time a couple of days ago for a business meeting and ordered a oaxacan quesadilla and the mole chicken. I enjoyed both very much, especially the quesadilla. The restaurant is not super beautiful, but we were told that the owner(s) have great plans for expanding and beautifying the restaurant and I am looking forward to seeing the finished product. What really made the dinner fantastic was the live mariachi band and traditional dancers. Every member of this band has a beautiful voice and a great talent for the instruments they play. My entire group was mesmorized by the music and dancing. The crowd participated as well as one of my colleagues! This is a great place for families, celebrating birthdays, special occasions...everything really. I will be back! I am not of latin decent so, trust me when I say anyone would enjoy this venue!!!! Pros: Live Entertainment and great food! Cons: Hmmm..could have more choices on their menu more

The food is here is very good and the portions are as well. We were a big group of about 10 and we had a great time with the Mariachi show as well. Very nice place to go for a big party or a a nice evening for 2. more

La Fonda de Los Camperos is the best place for Mariachis more

LA FONDA IS ONE OF THE BEST RESTAURANTS TO GO FOR MARIACHI, THE FOOD ISN'T SO GREAT BUT THE MARIACHI IS ONE THE BEST! THE STAFF IS NICE, YOU SHOULD DEFINETLY MAKE RESERVATIONS AND IF YOU ARE ONE OF THE FIRST PEOPLE TO SHOW UP MAKE SURE YOU GET A GOOD TABLE... WHEN YOU WALK IN YOU JUST FEEL SO WELCOME. aNOTHER THING IS THAT IF YOU ARE PLANNING A DINNER WHER IT'S GOING TO BE MORE THAN JUST 5 OR SIX MAKE SURE MAKE RESERVATION AT LEAST A COUPLE MONTH IN ADVANCE... THEY CAN FILL UP QUICKLY. Pros: MARIACHI, GREAT SERVICE more

This is great for a special date, specially if you enjoy Mariachi. Margarita's and other drinks are well served and you don't have to wait to long. The food might not be the best but it's a great place to be for a few drinks. This place has been my favorite spot since I was a teenager. more

My fathers love of Mariachi music and Margarita's has found my family here on many a birthday or special occassion. Weekend reservations are a must especially for larger parties. The intimate setting is enjoyable, but may be a little too overwhelming for the ears as my young sons so happily reminded me in the middle of a set! Highly recommended. Pros: Music, Ambiance, Friendliness Cons: Can get loud more

An excellent restaurant but not because of the food but because of the Mariachi! The restaurant is not very big (2 small floors) which makes the show even more intimate. If you want to miss the crowd and get a table quick - catch the later shows. Pros: Excellent Mariachi, Real Drinks, Great Atmosphere more