Fonda is Mexican restaurant coming from KOL's Santiago Lastra, due to open in September 2024 on Heddon Street in Mayfair.
Lastra's first restaurant KOL has become, arguably, one of London's most successful over the last ten years, so it was really a matter of when, not if, he would open a second site somewhere. That second site is Fonda - a restaurant that Lastra says will showcase some more regional Mexican cooking from all over the country. Where KOL has become steadily more experimental and interesting, Lastra believes that Fonda will fill the figurative space left underneath KOL with some more down-to-earth, traditional Mexican cooking.
As part of that, the restaurant will by styled in a way that 'pays homage to the old haciendas of the Yucatan, the textiles and crafts of Guanatuato, and the emerging designers of Mexico City.' Given that KOL is one of the most beautiful restaurants in London, we're expecting more great things in this department. Aside from that, there are few details set in stone as of this moment - MJMK are staying tight-lipped about what else the restaurant will feature, other than that it will 'elicit the flavours of Mexico in a modern way'.
Santiago Lastra shot to prominence with his debut restaurant KOL, which quickly became a darling of the London restaurant scene when it opened in 2020. Lastra's concept was to take a Mexican approach to food and apply that to British ingredients, finding ways to replace ingredients that come from further afield. KOL has since won a Michelin star and is understandably seen as one of the most exciting restaurants in the world. As a result, Fonda is easily one of the most anticipated new openings coming in 2024.