We in San Diego love our Cali-Mexican cuisine. Flour tortillas, nachos, everything deliciously Americanized and covered in cheese. But after eating our weight in fish tacos and frozen margaritas, it is easy to forget that the huge country right below us is home to some incredible regional cuisine that bears only slight resemblance to what we think of when we think “Meixcan food.”
Fonda Don Diego is a Mexico-City inspired Coronado restaurant that might be your solution to breaking out of the Mexi-Cali food rut you’re in. Owner/Chef Alejandro Martínez de la Torre will guide you through the thoughtful and authentic Mexico City-inspired dishes that he hopes will start to shift San Diego’s view on Mexican cuisine to embrace some of the delicacies he grew up with.
The quesadillas, for example, are almost unrecognizable, made with corn masa instead of a flour tortilla and fried, kind of like an empanada. They’re filled with delicious options and topped with lettuce, cotija, tomato and onion. I tried the Chef’s favorite mushroom and cheese, an incredibly flavorful and delicate combination. Other options include oazaca cheese and epazote or chorizo, potato and cheese. Definitely a must-try on the menu!
Also highly recommended on the “Sharables” portion of the menu is the ceviche stuffed avocado, light and perfectly balanced. Also the queso fundido, set off with homemade tortillas that may actually make you re-think your devotion to flour tortillas.
Most of the entrees are what Chef Alejandro describes as dishes you would find in restaurants in Mexico City, special occasion dishes to savor and share. Try the Lamb Shank Birria, slow cooked lamb so tender it falls right off the bone, marinated in Guajillo chile and beer, served with rice (and more homemade tortillas, of course!), garnished with onions and cilantro. If you’ve saved room for dessert, try the tres leches. No room? They have a wonderful selection of coffee options (like Mexican Mocha) to finish your meal. The cocktail program is curated by Andrew Pringle and will get you out of your margarita rut with modern cocktails that stand on their own.
120 Orange Avenue, Coronado, CA 92118
