La Fonda del Polo - Buenos Aires

La Fonda is one of those parrillas of Buenos Aires where you always want to go back. Reason: the warm atmosphere, the excellent service, the meat cuts, of excellent quality, plus a very inclusive menue, offering excellent pasta, fish, elaborate salads, very good desserts and much more. It is a classic. You will always be satisfied.It is a place to go either with family, friends, couples.Tip: they take reservtions,though it is not imperative, in order to get a table. Tables on the level floor are less noisy when the resto is full. Enjoy !!

I ate here on a Monday night, when many places in Las Canitas are closed. I was staying at a nearby hotel, in town for work. I actually entered a few minutes before they opened for evening service (8 PM), and they graciously allowed me to sit while they finished preparations. Already, they exhibited the good service that would continue through the evening.They have a menu in English, with the descriptions juxtaposed against the original Spanish. This is helpful for me and the staff. Several of the staff spoke English, an unusual bit in these parts, though I got the idea isn't wasn't necessarily a part of the staff requirement. Therefore, your mileage may vary.I asked the waiter to recommend his favorite meal. This turned out to be a caprese salad, steak bife de chorizo (pretty much a NY strip), and fries.The salad was described as having tomato, mozzarella, and basil. It arrived with no basil, but with black olives. This wasn't a problem for me, and was tasty.The steak and fries were really quite good. Lots of beefy flavor, and the fries had some kind of garlic smashed up in bits all over them. Really nice together.The service was good. This price was reasonable balanced against the quality and type of place. It was comfortable and the staff very thoughtful and talented. The food was tasty and the portions quite large (difficult for one to get a variety while finishing). I would recommend some or all items be split or to do a family style if you have a group. This includes the beef main.

I had the Chicken Cordon Blue which was fantastic. One of the people at my table had a dish that was potatoes chopped up with ham, eggs and a few other items that was unbelievable. The outdoor setting is great, and the neighborhood is fantastic. We spent a couple nights in this neighborhood because it was so much fun and packed with people and restaurants.

As said, a proper restaurant with good food and well trained waiters and all for reasonable prices. One remark though; we saw the owner of the place having dinner with his wife. He definitely seemed nervous about everything. He asked for a print of the cash register and continuously directed the waiters although they did a pretty good job. Such a boss would work on my nerves... Relax, your staff is good enough.

Atmosphere was good. Came here for a solo dinner. There were lots of groups that came after a big polo event nearby. Empanadas were good. Shrimp salad was edible, but terrible. I didn't touch it and ordered the caesar with chicken instead. If I had been a home I would have argued to get the shrimp off my tab. Instead they boxed it up for me. It smelled so bad, I had to throw away the box before I got back to my hotel. I learning to not order shrimp in BA though, as it is imported and nothing like the gulf shrimp I'm used to back in Texas. I probably won't be back to this place, there are many other better places to eat on this street.