FONDA Enters 2023 with its Expansion in Full Swing

Photos: FONDA                                                                                       

New York City’s top chefs continue to expand, and you can add Roberto Santibañez to that list.  Santibañez is the Chef/Owner of the popular FONDA Mexican restaurants. His first New York City location in Park Slope, Brooklyn drew instant praise. He has since opened restaurants in Chelsea and more recently in Tribeca, which just made our list of the Top 45 new restaurants of 2022. Santibañez has also been expanding outside the city with Mi Vida and The Grill in Washington, DC.

Chef Santibañez (above) was born in Mexico City and graduated with honors from Paris’ prestigious Le Cordon Bleu. He continues to showcase the foods he loves with lots of Mexican flare.

From its pastel colored banquettes to lively Picado, or “fiesta” banners, and custom metallic screens that gently divide the towering space, FONDA Tribeca is a true gem.  Santibañez said, “When my partner Marco and I lived in Tribeca, we dined regularly in this space, and we always felt that it would be perfect for a FONDA.”   It now is.

The food at FONDA is just as lively ranging from refined street snacks to sophisticated riffs on regional specialties. Signature dishes include Zarape de Pato - braised duck with roasted tomato-habanero cream and hand-pressed tortillas, and fan favorite - Enchiladas de Mole Negro Oaxaqueño - Soft corn tortillas filled with braised chicken topped with a stone-ground Oaxacan black mole made with more than twenty ingredients. Vegetarian options also abound.

At the bar, visitors will also find innovative new cocktails like the Rosalita Margarita - a frozen hibiscus margarita with silver tequila, hibiscus, orange liquor, lime juice, and a hibiscus rim; and Sonic Tonic – a refreshing and smokey cocktail that is not overpowered by mezcal.  

As we enter 2023, look for more exciting moves from Chef Santibañez and his team.

For more information, visit https://fondarestaurant.com/