La Fonda On Main

It was a long day at work for both my wife and I. We arrived home and sat down both unwilling to begin the task of making something for supper. I had recently passed this cute restaurant around the corner from our house. I suggested it and my wife was a little hesitant. She wasn't in the mood to get dressed up and go to a nice place. I assured that her cute top and jeans would be perfect for the setting. She finally agreed to try it.

So off we went to "La Fonda on Main". It is important to note the name because there is another La Fonda here in town, but it is different. This one is located on Main Avenue and Woodlawn. To get there you leave the main through ways of McCollough or San Pedro and make your way into the Monte Vista Neighborhood. The traffic disappears and the street lights are replaced by stop signs on quaint little streets that are lined with beautiful homes. This is certainly not the place you would expect to find a restaurant. But sure enough, in the midst of this neighborhood sits a little restaurant.



Upon entering the restaurant we were immediately helped to a table. The lighting was low and warm and the crowd was enthusiastically eating and conversing. My wife felt very out of place due to her state of dress. But after we were seated and started to look around we began to feel better. The crowd consisted of a wide mix of people from large families to couples. All dressed in anything from formal wear to jeans and t-shirts. We ordered drinks and began to dive into the menu. Before long we knew this was going to be "our" restaurant. It just felt too right.

The restaurant is a modest home that was built in 1920's. Berry and Nannie Randall had the opportunity to buy the house and used it to expand their food-to-go shop into a full fledged restaurant. They converted the home into a restaurant and opened for business in 1932. In the early 1930's, San Antonio was a very different place. Houston had just surpassed San Antonio as the largest city in Texas, with Dallas in third place. Laurel Heights and Monte Vista were affluent suburbs at the northern edge of our city. Model-A's and trolley cars were the primary means of transportation to and from the busy downtown area for San Antonio's 235,000 residents.

According to their history they have served many celebrities over the years. Every famous officer in World War II seems to have eaten here, including Generals Eisenhower, MacArthur and Hill. Even American presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson enjoyed La Fonda's fare. Gary Cooper, John Wayne, Yul Brenner, Veronica Lake, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, along with many other stars, visited this historic restaurant.

While eating there there are two essential starters. First you have to get the Cactus Pear Margarita. A delicious pink bodied margarita made with Cactus Pears. Then a bowl of Queso Fundido must be ordered to enjoy with your chips and salsa. Upon glancing at the main dishes one finds that this isn't your typical Mexican food restaurant. The food is more of a Veracruz style with healthy portions of squash and Nopalito's. The Tex-Mex dishes are available, but they aren't what you want to be getting here. You want to stick to the dishes they are famous for like the Fajita Salad made with oak grilled tenderloins drizzled with a ancho chili sauce or the Roasted Poblano Relleno de Queso.



Our favorite place to be seated is in the patio garden out back. The patio features lush vegetation and plenty of fans that keep you cool on the hottest of days. All centered around a giant old Oak that towers above the building. It is the perfect way to unwind after a long day at work.






This place doesn't feel like a restaurant. It is like going to a friends place and be treated for the night. The waiters carry themselves as if they worked in a 5 star establishment. Each week Chef Javier Flores creates a unique Special in the style of old Mexico cuisine. The specials are frequently what I go for because you don't know how long the dish will be around.

La Fonda on Main
2415 Main St.
San Antonio, Texas 78212