Fonda San Miguel: One of our Favorite Restaurants

Austin is full of wonderful eating opportunities. There are so many new places to try and sometimes the focus on the new leads me to overlook an old favorite restaurant. I tend to focus our recommendations on places close by, however, when guests don’t mind a short car ride, one of our favorite old school recommendations is Fonda San Miguel.

For Jimi and I, Fonda San Miguel is a sentimental favorite. We’ve enjoyed many fine meals with family and friends here over the years, and it is a place we return to regularly. We are in good company when we say it’s a great place to eat in Austin – Zagat and Eater both agree that it is one of Austin’s best. The food is interior Mexican and they were among the first in the U.S. to serve authentic interior Mexican recipes. The regular menu has several great selections including four different rellenos & Jimi’s favorite cochinita pibil. If you enjoy fish, be sure to ask about the specials as they tend to feature dishes based on what they can get fresh.

This is one of the few restaurants in Austin where it is definitely recommended that you make a reservation as sometimes the wait can be over an hour. But, they have a great bar to wait in with a lot of comfortable seating at small tables. It’s a great place to hang out while you enjoy a mojito or one of their specialty margaritas along with some of their great appetizers. We’ve even had our dinner served in the bar when it is just the two of us.

Their art collection, housed in the Hacienda style restaurant, is also legendary. It’s almost worth a visit just to see the art, but who would pass up the chance to have such a tasty meal while there?

Special Diets at Fonda San Miguel

Guests with dietary restrictions are well cared for at Fonda San Miguel. It’s possible to have quite a few of the menu items modified to accommodate many dietary restrictions. They have modified their mole recipe so that it is now gluten-free, which is unusual for mexican restaurants. I have a hard time passing up the mole dishes now. Celiacs will appreciate knowing that the kitchen understands the precautions necessary to prevent cross contamination. Dairy free guests can find plenty of choices. Paleo and vegetarian guests alike will leave satisfied.

Directions:

Fonda San Miguel is a little over 7 miles from The Fairview so you will want to take a car. The most direct route is via Mopac (aka Loop 1) but it’s currently under construction so check with us while you are here for the current best route.

We hope you will check here again for more of our Fairview Recommends posts. Until then, let us know what your favorite restaurant is.