Fonda La Poblanita Serves Mexico City Specialties in Bevo Mill

The newest Mexican restaurant in Bevo Mill's growing roster offers authentic dishes that can't be found in many of its counterparts. Fonda La Poblanita (3830 Morganford Road, 314-282-0651), serves food from Puebla and Mexico City, where owner Hernando Rojas and his family are from.

The family had long dreamt of opening a restaurant. As they explain on their Yelp page, it was only eight months ago that they decided to pursue this dream and found the right location, a space that's experienced a fair amount of turnover at Morganford and Chippewa. They quietly opened their doors in November.

Dishes that are relatively new to the St. Louis area include cemitas, a type of sandwich served on a sesame-seed bun. And like Sol Azteca, which opened in December in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood, Fonda La Poblanita is serving huaraches, which are open-faced sandwiches named for their resemblance to a sandal, and machetes, which are basically two-foot-long treats akin to a quesadilla, only with a thicker corn base.

Fonda La Poblanita also offers weekend specials, including posole, the Mexican beef stew caldo de res, and barbacoa.

The prices are cheap, but the portions are big enough for even the biggest St. Louis appetites. At $11, the machetes are nothing short of a mouthful (and even so, you can add extra meat for another $2).

And good luck to anyone trying to make their way through the cemitas. For $10, the "Cemitas Poblanos" is stuffed with breaded chicken, cow feet, lamb, pork and a slice of ham dipped in red guajillo sauce, as well as avocado and mild white cheese. Chipotle chiles provide a kick of heat.

But not everything involves unusual ingredients like cow feet. Tacos are $2 each, and less adventurous eaters can enjoy asada or al pastor versions in addition to tongue or tripe. There's also a good old-fashioned steak burrito.

With staff speaking both English and Spanish, and menus in both languages, this family business is friendly. Full service is provided after you seat yourself.

Vibrant colors and natural light fill the dining area, which seats 38. It is a low-key atmosphere; no alcohol is served.

Fonda La Poblanita is open daily from 11 a.m to 9 p.m.