Fonda Balam

Restaurant · Trinity Bellwoods

Fonda Balam

Restaurant · Trinity Bellwoods

802 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1V3, Canada

Highlights

Nestled in a cozy setting, Fonda Balam delivers crave-worthy Mexican fare, from iconic birria tacos to addictive guacamole, making it a must-visit hot spot.

802 Dundas St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1V3, Canada Get directions

fondabalam.com

@fondabalam

@michelinguide

"Is that the best lengua taco you’ve ever had? Is there a better birria in the city? You might find yourself asking a lot of questions at this casual fonda where it’s impossible not to over-order. What started out as a summer birria pop-up by celebrity chef Matty Matheson and former Quetzal chefs Kate Chomyshyn and Julio Guajardo quickly evolved into this brick-and-mortar where tortillas are made in-house. The menu has expanded sensibly with aguachile de camaron, spicy seafood cocktail and sweets like chocolate cake with coconut flan. This is food you crave on a regular basis served in an easy-going setting that doesn’t care how you’re dressed. Low-flung counter seats, sunshine-yellow napkins and cacti in every corner add to the charm." - Michelin Inspector

Fonda Balam

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@infatuation

"Birria Balam started as a pop-up, but has now settled into a permanent home in Trinity Bellwoods. The menu features a range of tacos, including a really good rendition of birria with an incredible consommé. The atmosphere is pretty relaxed with some outdoor picnic tables, food served on plastic trays, and a no reservations situation, but it’s a great place to start the night (especially with their solid selection of beer and cocktails) before venturing to other bars along Dundas Street." - julia eskins

The 24 Best Restaurants & Hotels In Toronto

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@infatuation

Fonda Balam - Review - Toronto - The Infatuation

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@michelinguide

"What started out as a summer birria pop-up by celebrity chef Matty Matheson and former Quetzal chefs Kate Chomyshyn and Julio Guajardo quickly evolved into this brick-and-mortar where tortillas are made in-house. The menu has expanded sensibly with aguachile de camaron, spicy seafood cocktail and sweets like chocolate cake with coconut flan." - The MICHELIN Guide

2022 Toronto MICHELIN Bib Gourmands

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@canadas100best

"Julio Guajardo and Kate Chomyshyn — the husband-and-wife chef team who helped get Quetzal off to its great start and then unexpectedly upped and left — are now in the taco business with Matty Matheson. Their Spadina Avenue pop-up purveys two versions of that social media darling of tacodom: birria."

https://canadas100best.com/the-100-list-2021-birria-balam-tacos/

Canada's 100 Best 2021 - Ontario

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Carol F

Google

Open until June 8, 2024, Fonda Balam offers a cozy atmosphere and delicious Mexican cuisine. The restaurant does not take reservations in advance, so guests must walk in and place themselves on the waitlist. They have been recognized on the Michelin Bib Gourmand for two consecutive years. It's recommended to visit Fonda Balam before its closure! During our visit, the special of the day was the Chorizo Sope which consisted of chorizo and potato. The Taco de Birria was particularly noteworthy, and the Guacamole and House Salsa, especially the Salsa Verde, were crowd favourites. The Totopos was crunchy and only was $1 to refill a side portion. The Quesabirra Con Consome, Taco de Lengua, Taco de Carnitas and Cuba Libre were equally satisfying. The restaurant has 48 seats arranged in double U-shape seating and window seating. The restaurant features two bathrooms and a dedicated team comprising one member on drinks, two on service, and one on cleaning. For our dinner time, we arrived at 5:15 pm and were seated at 6:16 pm after receiving a text notification. The staff managed the increasing crowd, and by 7 pm, they had to close the waitlist due to reaching full capacity before 10 pm closing time.

Noelle

Google

We did not place a reservation and waited for an hour to be seated but it was worth every minute of the wait. I can see why this restaurant is so busy, the decor is vibrant and lively. The bar-style seating made the atmosphere feel inviting and intimate. I ordered the quesabirria tacos and the combination of the tender, juicy meat and savory broth was out of this world. The dipping sauces that came with our appetizer complemented the chips very well, they were addictive.

DK Food Diary

Google

Dinner on a Saturday, no wait around 4:30PM. As soon as the server brought our tacos over, I could tell the birria and carnitas was drenched with juices. I snapped photos in less than 5 secs, took my first bite and it started falling apart. Flavours were good but soggy tacos are definitely not enjoyable. When the server asked us how were the tacos, we mentioned that they were soggy.... she giggled and walked away. Some salsas would of been nice, especially for the lengua. I tried the quesabirria tacos last time I was here and loved them! Would only come back for those quesabirria tacos.

Jessica R

Google

This was truly an incredible dinner… one of the best Mexican restaurants I’ve dined at in the city. I loved their shrimp aguachile- super flavourful and just the right balance of spice. Their octopus tostada had an amazing base (not sure what it was but it was DELICIOUS).. their birria taco with consome (broth) was also super rich and delicious and lastly their pollo pibil was also amazing. For dessert their sorbet is also a must try - it’s an avocado based sorbet and super tart (not overly sweet at all). Thanks for the attentive and friendly service :)

K Wyn

Google

I loved the pleasant customer service and the cute yellow-accented decor. The food was ok too. We had guacamole and chips. The only thing I would change is to have the guacamole served at room temp instead of cold (I know the chill was to keep it fresh). I had the spicy potato tacos. It was good. I tasted the pork ones and the beef. Both were not bad. I would go back and recommend it for a try.

Jasmine Chau

Google

Over the food was quite good but expensive for what it was. For $9 a taco I feel like there are tacos just as good elsewhere for less. I wouldn’t recommend the drinks as the Cuba Libre was very watery and not fizzy. They kindly changed the drink up for us but it was still not great. We also realised that the waitress was introducing specials to both tables beside us but we weren’t told about the specials.

Jessica Shaw

Google

Totally worth the hype. Delicious food, relaxed but hip ambiance, friendly staff, but the seating is around 2 u shaped bars, or straight across a wall, so i personally think going as a group of 2 is ideal, and up to 4. There are also No resos so it can be kind of hard to get a spot (you put yourself on a waitlist once you get there and we’ve been quoted very long waits the past couple of time but have been called back within 30 mins) I have been twice now, and I found below to be the highlights for me - shishitos - the sauce is wildly good and we kept it to dip other stuff in. It’s the perfect blend of spice, salt, and acidity and you get a pretty generous portion of shishitos too - taco lengua - got this my first time and it was so good that I couldn’t stray for my second visit. Generous portion of perfectly cooked tongue. I actually liked this even more with the sauce from the shishitos lol! - quesabirria con consommé - 2 tacos stuffed with cheese and meat and cooked on the flat top. Comes with sides of sauces and consommé for you to dip in. This was delicious but pretty heavy, so definitely recommend sharing. if you are getting other tacos on top of this, I recommend ordering this first so you can use the sauces for the tacos We’ve also had the guac (can’t go wrong) and ceviche which were very tasty, but I would say the above are my musts! The portions are definitely big here. I would say for a group of 2-3, splitting an app or 2 and then getting 2 tacos each will definitely get pretty filling (and I’m a big eater). I’ve never actually saved enough room for dessert so can’t comment there!

Gustavo Mozzato

Google

Heard so many good things, I had to finally check it out...think these might be my favorite tacos in the city so far!! The fish taco was a special but probably my favorite fish tacos in the city and that's saying A LOT because there are some incredible fish tacos in the city. Also the Queso birria was unbelievable. Vibe is absolutely immaculate and the cold brew drink to end is the perfect cherry on top. Must try!