What type of food can you find in a fonda

Let's talk about Mexican fondas, the restaurants every Mexican love and frequents.

Fondas, or fonditas (diminutive), are small home restaurants very popular all over Mexico.

They are cheap and serve homemade meals that are not only comforting but so delicious.

They are strategically placed in every neighborhood and they depend on how delicious and cheap their food is. The better the cook, the better the sales.

The menus in those places are normally this way:

• A soup. The most popular are fideo soup and tortilla soup.

• The main dish. Chili con carne, beef picadillo, or any other easy stew.

• A side. Spanish rice (like "arroz rojo" or "arroz blanco"), refried beans or de la olla beans, or some vegetables like zucchini or mushrooms Mexican-style.

• A Drink. Fresca drinks which consist of a soft drink made of fruit, water, and sugar.

• And Dessert. Something simple and always within the low-cost range, like rice pudding, Mexican flan, etc.

In those small restaurants, During special occasions, popular dishes are served, such as Christmas Salad or Capirotada for Lent.

Those restaurants are divided into 2 categories:

1. The traditional ones have some tables and serve to customers right there.

2. The ones that sell only for takeaway.

As in many other places where food is sold, you can guess the quality of such by watching how many people are eating there.

So, that's my best advice if you ever want to eat in those eateries: Stay away from those that have the place empty and try those where you see there's a lot of people consuming.

So, next time you will be in Mexico, ask around where to go there. I know everyone is so into street food, but try a fonda and you'll taste a bit of the Mexican culture, which by the way, is not only about tacos, quesadillas, or other sorts of street food.

For me, not even the best tacos taste like my mother's food, simply because she rarely cooked tacos at home, but oh boy...a good picadillo with potatoes will remind me so much about her, and that can be only eaten either at home or at a fonda.

I love cooking, eating, and learning from other cultures' gastronomy.