Rose Burillo – Why The Fonda is The Perfect Place For Mexican Lunch

When people say that Mexico City is a cheap place to live, something which they overlook is that the key to living here is about balance. I say this because you can quite easily find a life here which costs just as much as any US city. There are areas here which are incredibly expensive, in terms of food, rent and life in general, but there are also some very cheap options.

I wasn’t necessarily looking for the cheapest way to live, but it is always nice to know where you can go for a cheap meal every now and again. This is one of the reasons that I adore restaurants which are called ‘fondas’ and here is why they are the perfect place for lunch.

Breaking Down The Fonda

Simply put a fonda is a place which has a set menu, and the idea is to get you a lunch in good time and to high quality. The set menu will feature a starter of a choice of soups, followed by pasta or rice and then followed by a main dish of your choosing. There are usually 4 main meals to choose from, and these will be followed by a small jelly or flan, accompanied with a flavored water.

Low Cost Food

The main reason why so many go here each day is because of the fact that they offer incredibly low cost food, and most will charge no more than $2.50 for the entire meal. Even if you grab some tacos you will not be paying this much, which is why it makes so much sense to enjoy this kind of dish inside a restaurant.

Home Cooking

The best way in which I can describe this kind of place is that it offers what can only be considered as home cooking. My friend Rose Burillo, a chef here in the city, always talks about how the food at the fonda is almost the same as what her mother used to prepare, and she talks about this in terms of style rather actual dishes. This is why so many people love to go to the fonda for lunch, because they get that wonderful feeling of eating home cooked food.

Fast Food

Most fast food outlets these days have seriously lost their way in terms of how quickly they serve the food, and that is why many refuse to go there anymore. When it comes to the fonda however, they serve what is called comida corrida, or fast food. Because they only have a small menu, they are able to prepare everything first and then they can deliver it to your table in no time at all. This is truly fast food and it is ideal for those who only have an hour for their lunch, which was the design in the first place.

This is a great place to eat which is low cost, delicious and will make sure that you get full in no time at all.