Fond

Mainline Today recommended 10 new restaurants in the area so Evan and I tried brunch at Fond BYOB (Ginny was working). It was okay. Long way to drive for good, but not great food. Probably cannot tell how dinner would be from what we tried at brunch. My butternut squash soup was good, but pretty standard. Evan liked his onion soup as well. We both got the double smash burgers on a brioche bun. Pretty good. Ordered some roasted potatoes on the side. They were good. Service was very good. The restaurant is very small (cozy) and I could fully expect it to be very loud when fully occupied. Parking was a little tight. Pricey for brunch.

Over the last few months we’ve been to Fond numerous times. For both regular dinner service and the Sunday Prime Rib night. Each visit has been great. Service is professional and personable. The food is outstanding: we especially like and order each time we visit a combo of the French onion soup, chicken liver pate and the foie gras. Entrees change but we’ve enjoy their shrimp dishes, Bronzino, and more. The desserts are not to be missed. Fond is a gem in Delco and we go any time we can (which isn’t enough.)

Fond elevates the game in Delco. It's a must-visit spot. It's great to see Lee and Jessie back at it again after Fond on Passyunk closed during C19. The duck liver mousse is still the richest, creamiest version of that classic you'll ever have. All of the apps are excellent, the entrées are very good to excellent. The Sunday rib roast was perfectly cooked, and the sides were solid. The wait staff is young but very well trained. They lined up on the wall next to the kitchen in between runs, never took their eyes off the room and hustled when they saw an empty glass to be filled or a napkin to be folded. The room doesn't have a lot of ambiance, but they do a lot with the little they have to work with.

What a wonderful venue for your next event! Lee and Jessie made their space welcoming and special private event for our son’s Graduation Party. We were all very impressed with the delicious food, deserts, space and service all of which were top notch. The could not have been more accommodating! I would highly recommend frequenting for dinner, but also considering having your next event at Fond!

Came here on a Thursday night and there were plenty of seats available. My party ordered the gnocchi, salmon and beef burgundy. The gnocci was ok, wish there were more than 10 pieces. Salmon was good, it did have a piece of hair in it but since the place just opened I decided not to cause a hassle and send it back. Beef was also good but it was so tiny. For dessert we got the Apple pie and chocolate cake. They were honestly, just ok. All the dishes were very small and left us still hungry. For the price Fond charges, you can get great French food in NYC. I’m a bit disappointed since I had high hopes. I think if they increase the portions and work on their presentation this place could be better.

We were glad to hear that one of our favorite Philly restaurants was now reincarnated in nearby Wallingford. The menu at the new Fond is a somewhat confusing mishmash, maybe to appease diverse tastes. While ostensibly French, there are dishes, including a Hummus appetizer and Lamb Kofta that one can expect pretty much around any corner of a Turkish (or European) city. The couscous with the lamb dish was the Israeli version of small pasta balls, served cold under the two lamb patties. I was interested in the gnocchi with roasted mushrooms but a server's information that truffle oil (a chemical formula from the flavor industry) was used in that dish dissuaded us. Very enjoyable: excellent tuna crudo in coconut broth, the carefully composed Belgian Endive salad, and hummus with house made pita bread. Someone in the kitchen took the searing of the foie gras a little too far but the small piece of liver was delicious. The roasted shrimp came with more of the very good pita bread, the beef burgundy had a satisfying rich taste. The small apple tart reminded us why we loved the old Fond: a flaky, scrumptious crust encasing warm apples with dabs of caramel. Addictively good. We came on a night when the restaurant was full and the noise was deafening! A decibel meter showed high 80s throughout our meal, with occasional forays into the 90s when someone said something funny at the neighboring table. We shouted at each other across the table the entire meal. Some type of noise-reduction remedy should be installed right away for times when the restaurant is full.

Interesting and inspiring dishes, excellent service, cozy and sweet atmosphere. We will definitely be returning soon to check out the new seasonal menu.

First time eating here after wanting to try it for nearly 10 months. Visited fairly often when it was La Canelle Cafe. Food was disappointing after reading all the positive reviews. Generally a little oversalted and too many flavors attempting to overpower each other. Best dishes were the oysters and the black bean hummus. Octopus was dry and overcooked. Lamb kebab is actually Köfte and not at all French in style. It too was over salted and the lamb was too dry. Branzino was ok but the presentation was a little haphazard and messy. Pork belly was good, and the pasta special with rock shrimp was tasty. The ceviche appetizer was made with raw shrimp and was very good. Service was very slow. We were seated at 6:45 and our entrées came at 8:20. The food took so long that our 21yo son bailed on us electing not to wait for his entree, and decided to walk home. That being said the junior staff was quite attentive and regularly filled our water glasses. Atmosphere was very nice and felt like a friendly neighbor’s living room. The sound proofing on the ceiling is very effective and conversations were quite easy to have even with 5 people at the table. Overall, I was disappointed and it didn’t really feel like a true French place. Ironically, it was more like a Moroccan/French place much like La Canelle was. That being said, I am going to go back in a month to give it another try and will update my review at that point.

The good: Food was delicious: onion soup, curried butternut squash with crab soup (although the curry overpowered the flavor of crab), mushroom risotto, beef burgundy, lamb. Everything was served hot, which was a plus, and the service was OK considering how busy it was on a Saturday night (only 2 servers plus one for water, clearing, etc.) They were clearly hustling to keep on top of things. The bad: we were a party of three seated right inside the door where it was uncomfortably cold every time the door opened (which was quite frequent). One of our party had to sit on a window seat that was very uncomfortable. It would be impossible for any person of a larger size or with mobility issues to sit there. It's obvious that they have squeezed in those extra seats where they should not be. I would be sure to request other seating before I'd return another time.

Wonderful dinner here last night with my adult granddaughter. I'm so glad Fond moved here. Visited on Passyunk but so nice not to have to deal with the city. Attractive place and friendly service. Very nice stemware is provided in this byob. The food is the star here! My granddaughter loved her tuna crudo and the French escargot, which was served with hazelnut butter and brioche. My gnocchi with mushrooms and hazelnuts was in a sauce worthy of the finest French restaurants. I wish we had room for dessert but it was a late dinner. They looked fantastic and I remember one of the owners is a pastry chef. Cannot wait to return.

Had a great meal here with friends. We started with a mushroom soup shot, which was delicious and very hot. I had the Escargot, which was very flavorful, followed by the Beef Burgundy - which was good, but the portion left me wanting more. One friend was not fond of the texture of the Gnocchi. Another friend enjoyed the Roasted Shrimp but felt a different side (pasta or grits) would be better than the pita. We shared two desserts and those portions led us to order another - one was not enough for two people to share. The service was good and unchanged from the previous restaurant La Cannelle. The other thing that has not changed are the acoustics. As a single large room with lots of windows the noise level gets very high when the restaurant is crowded. Will definitely return to try other options on the menu!