Fonda Review — Mexican Food and Interiors Get "Bolder, Brighter, and More Playful" Than Ever at This Tucked-Away Gem in London's Soho

It is the first balmy night of the year when I arrive at Fonda, celebrated chef Santiago Lastra's easy-going sibling restaurant to the Michelin-starred KOL, the eatery he opened in Marylebone to offer a more experimental, British-inspired take on traditional Mexican cuisine back in 2020. Walking there from the ever-busy Bond Street, I meet crowds of suddenly revitalized workers who, caught by surprise by the unusually hot, late March weather, have left the office to pour into the streets, now perching around each of London's hyper-central pubs, glass in hand. It is an apt prelude to my dinner at Fonda, which, scheduled for 8:30pm, allows me just enough time to enjoy a couple of drinks at a nearby bar myself, immersed in the evening frenzy of Soho before reveling in the restaurant's own.

Hidden away on the pedestrian road where photographer Brian Ward shot the cover to David Bowie's iconic record Ziggy Stardust in 1972, Fonda is as electrifying as the sounds that made that album one of the most boundary-pushing projects of the last century. Now an evergreen classic, the release took the world by storm by introducing glam rock and Bowie's alien, flamboyant alter-ego to the global music community, both of which continue to inform the work of rising and established artists to this day. Something similar, albeit in the culinary realm, happens at this new eatery, which, since launching in October 2024, has already earned itself a reputation as one of the best restaurants in London through its artful, daring, and mouth-watering reworking of Mexican delicacies.

"All traditions start with innovation at some point," Lastra tells me, hinting at the vision behind his latest opening, which takes its name from the home-style, family-run eateries that dot the sides of the roads in his homeland. "At Fonda, we don't necessarily base the dishes on traditional recipes. Instead, they're generally my interpretation of my favorite dishes from all over Mexico. Presented in a beautiful, minimal way using the freshest ingredients available in the UK, the result is a completely fresh take on ideas that are traditional at their core."

When it is time for me to step inside, the evening service is at its peak. Entering the space, I am immediately taken by how expansive it is and feels, without compromising on its intimate, warmly suffused atmosphere. Here, wood and terracotta tones are the background against which a tile and textile extravaganza unfolds across the dining room's geometrically decorated blue, pale pink, and brown bar counter, the textured upholstery of its banquette seating, and the spirited selection of artworks that adorns anything from its walls and ceilings to its shelves — the brainchild of different independent creatives. Naturally immersive, Fonda is the definition of aesthetics, but as A-nrd's co-founder Alessio Nardi tells me, it's not just about the looks, "it's about character and story."

After conceiving Lastra's first restaurant, KOL, alongside his creative partner, Lukas Persakovas, the duo approached the chef's initial brief for Fonda as a natural extension of it. Still, "as the concept evolved," he recounts, "Fonda took a new direction — bolder, brighter, and more playful — to establish its own identity and stand out from competitors." Today, the firm's masterly use of contemporary Mexican artistry, rich materials, and thoughtful detailing imbues the space with a distinctive edge. It is something visitors can, quite literally, see for themselves while waiting for their food. Sitting across the sculptural kitchen of Fonda with my eyes fixed on its comals (the built-in, round flat skillets used to heat up tortillas), I feel the unevenness of my table's glazed, water green tiling under my fingertips as I move a hand over it, and the slight fuzz of the stripy olive banquettes that turn our spot into a cozy little booth.

I can catch the brigade at work behind the fires, large groups of friends celebrating birthdays on the right-end side of the restaurant, and double dates deep into conversation, all without having to stand up. After all, "the kitchen is the heart of Fonda," Nardi says. "Theatrical, open, and inspired by the design of traditional casonas, it draws guests into the experience while boasting a modern sensibility that fits perfectly in central London. Authentic, expressive, and joyfully connected across cultures, it sums up everything Fonda stands for."

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From a bittersweet, creamy starter of ceviche, with cubed, hyper-fresh seabass as its protagonist, and the smoky Tetela — a crispy on the outside, soft within toasted pocket of chorizo, mashed new potato, and hispi cabbage — to the soul-warming earthiness of the Suadero's Maitake and oyster mushrooms, and the nutty, lingering aftertaste of the Spenwood cheese in the Gringa tortilla, my experience of Fonda encapsulates the breadth of the eatery's globe-trotting inspirations. Need another example? Take the Baja fish taco, Fonda's reinvention of those served on the northern beaches of Mexico, which, the chef explains, is made "using a Japanese tempura technique for a very light and crisp batter, adding a small amount of Marmite for umami, and has become our take on the texture combinations of fish and chips."

As a die-hard Mexican food lover, I am initially skeptical, or rather, surprised, to hear that no limes or avocados are used in any of the restaurant's drinks and plates. Sourcing 99% of the ingredients from local farmers in the UK, Fonda spices up its cocktails with gooseberries, using mashed pistachios for guacamole. But by the end of my meal, perhaps also thanks to my crisp Champagne Paloma, not only do I forget about it, but I am left craving for more.

It isn't a surprise for an eatery whose main gastronomic goal is, to put it in Lastra's words, "for it to be delicious" — something the team at Fonda achieves by working with British suppliers and assembling seasonal products into sublimely presented, moreish dishes that put a worldly spin on Mexico's flavors. To make the dining experience even more quintessentially Central American, though, it is the shareable essence of the menu. Because, as the chef reminds us, "there's nothing more intimate than sharing a meal together. It's such an important part of our hospitality and how open we are as a culture. It breaks the boundary [between people] and helps make relationships stronger."

Whether culinarily or visually, Fonda wants to be a celebration of Mexican heritage, and booking a table at it is enough to feel some place else. Heading to the second bar of the eatery, tucked away on the lower floor, a series of original creations — from totemic statuettes in painted wood to flowy textile installations and amusing, creature-sque floating sculptures — accompany me downstairs. Inspired by the grand haciendas of rural Yucatan, the mesmerizing fabric tradition of Guanajuato, and Mexico City's contagiously uplifting energy, each nook of Fonda is a destination of its own.

"Every piece had to speak to the spirit of craft and narrative we were weaving through the space," Nardi says of the restaurant's art collection. This was developed in collaboration with Mexican designer Fernando Laposse, the mind behind its "perfectly imperfect", patchworky gradient tapestries, like the monumental Of Bugs and Buds, which hangs on the wall of Fonda's ground floor dining room, and Pancho, the quirky sloth that, carved from agave fibers, floats from the ceiling, along with M.A Estudio, who contributed the woollen wall hangings, among the others.

Just like the food, which is meant to be savored in company and bridges seemingly unrelated gastronomic traditions into an indulgent feast, the modern rustic decor of the eatery, filled with unexpected joyful moments, exudes a comforting, familiar feel. "I want people to leave with a 'birthday feeling', even if it's just a normal day," Lastra says. So, who's blowing the candles next?

Book your table at Fonda.