La Fonda Tapas Restaurant & Bar in Leeds

As a concept, this sounds great but sadly, the restaurant failed to execute it on too many levels. Service was poor to non existent, 2 staff serving a small but full restaurant. We waited ages for our table, ages for our drinks (Sangria poured from cans into jugs, lazy). There was a long delay from ordering to the food arriving, obviously because the restaurant was understaffed. When it did arrive, most of it was at room temperature indicating it had been waiting to be served for some time after ordering. We had to ask for plates in order to eat the food which were delivered stone cold ,my biggest bugbear. Putting lukewarm food onto cold plates doesn’t need to be explained, food was cold as soon as you took a couple of mouthfuls. The food itself was okay, nothing was outstanding and everything could be easily achieved by a competent home cook. It was plentiful but took so long to arrive between plates that the whole experience felt long and drawn out. We were not offered clean plates or cutlery during the meal and after 3 courses and mucky plates, I felt compelled to ask for fresh ones. Overall, it was a very disappointing dining experience and our party felt very underwhelmed. If I were to pick a positive from the evening, it would be the staff were friendly and polite and it felt authentically Spanish. Sadly, I would not return.

Having read the good comments online, we decided to try this all-you-can-eat Tapas restaurant for the first time on my wife’s birthday. The waitress gave us a warm welcome and arranged the seating that was comfortable and spacious for us. Knowing that it was our first time in this restaurant, she patiently introduced us their famous tapas buffet. We thought it was a good idea to order six dishes in one round, so that each time the food served was hot and fresh. And we can try other things on the menu in another round when we finished. We enjoyed a total of 4 rounds of tapas, yet we still haven’t tried all the items on the menu. We loved especially the calamari, seafood paella, patatas bravas, anchovies in vinegar, pescado marinado, sirloin steak, lamb stew, etc. That gave us a reason to come back next time. Knowing that it was my wife’s birthday, the waitress treated us a lovely piece of cake with ice-cream scoops. We were truly impressed by the great service and wonderful food there. That gave us another reason to come back, probably with more friends next time.

A really nice evening out for Valentine's Day. They were doing all you can eat Tapas for £25.99 per person. We tried loads of different things and it was full of flavour. Good value, extremely good service from friendly staff and very tasty food. We will be back!

Fantastic food, good atmosphere and generous portions. Really enjoyed it all. The service was also amazing and I would highly recommend to anyone

Lovely food and amazing service! Great value for money! Would recommend the steak, calamri and muscles. Will be back again.

After being recommended this little lovely restaurant, we soon decided that we would go for the individual tapas menu of which we was not disappointed. The portions were healthy, fresh and had great flavour.

Was looking forward to try this restaurant after reading the reviews but it was a big disappointment. It is very expensive for what it is (£26 for the tapas buffet). It did not feel like fresh cooking which I expected from tapas. Some dishes are not too bad but for the price, it wasn't good enough.

Had a wonderful meal with family here tonight! Food was brilliant and the atmosphere was wonderful to enjoy some casual dining! Couldn’t fault anything. The sangria is fantastic!

Absolutely fantastic food, great service, great choice of dishes. Went with family who really enjoyed the various dishes, never left with empty plates for long

This was our second visit to this friendly Tapas restaurant for a family celebration. It is a fairly small, intimate setting, but they managed to accommodate 20 of us. The food and service were excellent for such a large, diverse and lively group! They also made the occasion special by playing happy birthday & providing 2 large sharing plates of dessert… not that we could eat much of it, as we were so full! Thanks again and well done to all the team!

We have been to La Fonda many times since it opened a few years ago. The first time I visited I just hoped it would survive longer than some of the other restaurants that traded from the premises. The food was great. It reminds me every time of my Spanish holidays. Thankfully the power of social media has helped this place to thrive and it deserves to. They offer an all you can eat tapas menu and a free jug of sangria on certain evenings. The food is great and the Spanish owners deliver excellent customer service. I’ll be going back this week for a family birthday and can’t wait.

We had an amazing evening here mid week! Unlimited tapas for an incredibly reasonable price, great service and lovely atmosphere! Will definitely be back!

The food was quite nice up until a hair was found deeply embedded in our halloumi. We literally couldn’t pull it out. We called over the waitress to show her, who then took it to the chef who said it wasn’t them and it couldn’t have happened, none of us sat around the table could have possibly of caused this, the hair was blonde and none of the party were blonde. It was quite a disgusting experience and greeted with even worse customer service. During receiving the bill we were offered 1x free jug of sangria on our NEXT VISIT! Of course we won’t be going back so asked if the gesture could be considered for the current bill. We were told no. We said this was disappointing so would need to feedback to other customers. We were told ‘ok go for it’. No sincere apology given just thanked and shown the door. Wouldn’t recommend due to customer service alone.

Visited here again last night for my partners birthday. When we first arrived we were greeted by a lovely young lady who was so polite and friendly. She wasn’t pushy and asked if we had visited before which we had and did we need to know how the menu worked. We could order 6 dishes at a time and the food was absolutely stunning. Everything that came was lovely and hot and so tasty. We had 24 dishes in all and some we repeated as we liked it so much. There was no pressure or awkwardness in ordering what we wanted. In fact even when we were full and could eat no more the lovely waitress said are you sure! Would 110% recommend to anyone, gluten free, vegan, vegetarian all are well catered for. Such a lovely traditional place. You could of actually been in Spain!

Lovely place and atmosphere. Food was very flavorful and good portions. Good variety of tapas options.

Had a birthday here it was fabulous. The food is authentic and delicious coming from a Spaniard! 10/10 I recommend. Priced extremely reasonably too

Lovely, relaxing evening with fresh, tasty tapas and perfect sangria. Service was brilliant. Authentic sangria. Can't fault anything.

It’s our 3rd time returning to La Fonda and I can’t fault a thing. Food is lovely and tasty and great value for money. The jugs of sangria are great and the staff are kind and friendly.

Lovely, fresh, very garlicky tapas. I’ve eaten here earlier this year and the food was good but unexciting. Three of us visited tonight (Friday). The restaurant was full so three chairs and a table were set up outside for us with drinks while we waited....

The service is very mixed in that the 2 ladies are excellent, knowledgeable and friendly, however the 2 men are useless, no knowledge of menu or even which table is which even though there’s only 8 tables, forget things and can’t serve. The food is...

Small but very friendly restaurant/bar. Excellent varied tapas menu,absolutely delicious food. Very helpful,unobtrusive staff. Now a converted tapas customer.

Such a great find, we were recommended to go by friends and it didn’t disappoint. We had 14 dishes and every single one was perfect, and we also had the dessert plate which was incredible! For the price of £21 per person it is such...

Amazing little find!! Decided to try somewhere new for a girls dinner night and this place did NOT disappoint! Staff and service were great, really lovely, helpful. Prices were really reasonable (£21pp) for as much tapas as you like. A large array of dishes to...

Amazing place. A new favourite. Staff attentive and polite. Plenty of choice and brought to the table pretty quickly. Choice of cocktails at decent prices. Food was delicious. Would definitely recommend.

First time and really enjoyed it. Great service and great food. We had the all you can eat. We were full after the eighth dish. I would highly recommend and will go back again

Great service, good food, reasonable prices. And consistently. 5/5 for me. If presented with the fixed priced menu for more than you want to eat, ask for the "other menu".

This restaurant is to be highly recommended. Excellent food, excellent service, expansive menu, exceptional value made all the more so by the warm, friendly welcome. The staff couldn’t do enough and happily explained the whole process of the all you can eat menu giving clear...

I'd highly recommend La Fonda! This place deserves double the customers. Everything we ate was delicious, I especially enjoyed the Chorizo Dela Casa, the chicken skewers and patatas bravas. The whole experience was made by friendly and welcoming customer service. The manager was very hospital...

We had booked a table for 6pm and were given our choice of tables, it was a wet Wednesday evening. Drinks order was taken promptly by a very friendly chap. We had the all you can eat option for £20.99 per head. The food was...

Food is sooo lovely here. We have visited a few times now with family or friends. Staff are helpful and nice pricing is reasonable. Small cosey restaurant definitely go again and again.

We decided to visit mid-week having never been before. The waiter recommended the set price menu, as we could try as many tapas as we wanted for the price. We were a bit suspicious of an 'all you can eat' set up, but we couldn't...

The food is lovely and such good value for money. The staff can’t do enough to help. Definitely worth a visit.

We had a very very nice evening here. Small cozy place. Every single dish we odred was delicious. Nice presentacion and also come very quick. Staff was very nice too. We left very satisfied and will be definitely back again.

This place never disappoints. Visit when they’re quiet and get to know the friendly waiter and Spanish chef. Visit when they’re busy and experience the joyful atmosphere. I could never get bored of the food here and often seem to crave it! Highly recommend. 5...

Not very often you walk into a place with endless food and a jug of very decent sangria on the house. The latter also applies to a bottle of house wine. Obviously this offer doesn't apply every night. The choice of dishes is not restricted...

Lovely meal after working all day. Highly recommend. Staff very helpful and friendly nothing was too much.

Staff are amazing, food is exceptional and extremely good value for money ! Highly recommend, even if you aren’t most keen on Spanish tapas specifically, there are tapas dishes of other cuisines to suit everyone.

This place is simply amazing.. the service and waiting staff are a credit to this place. Nothing is too muxh trouble. The food is just amazing and with the amazing all you can eat offer is faultless. Every single dish was done to perfection. 2nd...

The food is good value for the money. The paella tasted nice although the seafood in it was very overcooked. The mussels, chorizo, ribs, fried anchovies, cod, steak and meatballs were really good. The garlic mushrooms were nice but in my opinion needed more garlic...

We should really think twice when you see all you can eat for £22. We just wanted some good Tapas but unfortunately it was definitely quantity over quality and because we don't have massive appetites not good value either. Although I'd have paid twice as...

We went for dinner on a Sunday night, and had the tapas buffet option. The food was amazing, we had so many tapas, everything was delicious. We had Sangria to drink, which was so lovely. We had tapas style dessert too, which was beaufitul. The...

We visited on a Wednesday evening and opted to have the £20.99 eat as much as you want. The menu sounds great but the food served was not. It was tasteless and not great quality, not very well presented. I had seafood paella, it was...

I’ve visited la Fonda 3 times now, and never had a bad meal. The service and atmosphere is great!!!!! Feels very authentic 😍

My friend and I went on a Tuesday evening to try something new. It was all you can eat for £20.99. There was so much choice. The seafood paella was delicious with lots of fresh tasting shellfish. Everything we had we enjoyed. I had a...