La Fondita De Milwaukee

I have a new favorite Mexican Restaurant in Milwaukee. On so many levels this place rocks. Ok for fun on the side I drive for a Lyft here in Milwaukee and had a passenger who moved here from Mexico. I asked hime what his favorite place was and he said La Fondita. He said if he could eat there every day he would and it reminded him of eating at his Grandma’s.
First they make their own tortillas (which were wonderful) My new friend recommended the Chicken Milenesa which came with a generous portion of breaded and wonderfully seasoned Chicken, beans, rice avacodo’s and all the fixins. I will be back again and again as the food really stood out. The service was really good as well. Very friendly and helpful. The menu is only in spanish but they told me the new ones are coming in a couple weeks and will be bi-​lingual. they were super friendly and welcoming of a gringo like me and I can’t wait to come back.
p. s. they even have a Blue Ribbon award from WTMJ 4 for a clean kitchen! Excellent food can’t wait to go back.

I believe La Fondita has been open less than a year, but not sure. I heard about it from a cousin this past summer. I stopped in a few months ago, but no one was there to greet me after sitting for several minutes so I left, but I gave it another go today and someone came out of the kitchen as soon as I entered (progress). La Fondita fits your typical «hole in the wall» category, which is typically a good thing. The décor reminded me of my grandmother’s house (a hodge podge of bright colors and objects), which gave it a homey feel. Mexican Christmas music was playing in the back ground, including Rudolph the Red-​Nosed Reindeer, Cumbia style (nice!).
When I sat down, they brought out chips and salsa. The salsa had more to it than the «runny» salsas you find at some places, yet not as thick as a pico de gallo. I liked the flavor and consistency. It was topped with fresh cilantro. I also enjoyed the horchata, a perfect balance of ingredients. Often horchatas are too sweet or not sweet enough. I thought this one was perfect.
The menu is one page, two-​sided and laminated, smaller than some of the more popular Mexican restaurants. I think that’s also good because a place this small should really be focused on a few items that they do really well. You’ll find staples like tacos, quesadillas, tostadas, enchiladas, and gorditas, but what I was interested in were the main dishes. I wanted to know what cooks in the kitchen could do, and they did not disappoint.
For my entrée, I ordered El Recorrido, which consisted of rice, refried beans, a basic salad, cactus salad (I discovered I had a love of the Nopales cactus in a salad at a banquet last year), tortillas, and your choice of up to four main dishes (smaller sizes of course). Choices included milanesa (breaded chicken breast or breaded steak), carnitas, adobada which similar to shredded pork Al Pastor (YUM! — yes, I chose this one), potatoes with chorizo (YUM again!- I chose this too), and fried skirt steak (I chose it, but less excited). The skirt steak had good flavor but the meat was tougher than I expected from skirt steak. I loved the adobada and the papas con chorizo… great flavors!
When my meal first arrived, I opened the tortilla warmer, pulled out a tortilla and immediately noticed how thick it was. WAIT! DO THEY HAND MAKE THEIR TORTILLAS HERE? I had to ask my server to confirm. The answer is YES THEY DO. Big time bonus points for that! I have to give them 4 stars. That is a RARE find in Milwaukee.
There is a Mexican restaurant across the street and another more well-​known Mexican restaurant a few doors east. That’s serious competition, but if others experience what I did today (and you’ll go try them now too, right?), hopefully they’ll be just fine. I plan to return and try more of the menu to see if they are consistent. I hope they are. I would love to add this to my «hidden gems list.»
By the way, while I was dining, a woman came in to fill their fresh bakery order, a combination of Mexican sweet rolls and cookies (one local business supporting another — I like it). I wonder if they Unilocal