Fonda De Paula Seeks Liquor License For Former Bar Chido Space

DOWNERS GROVE, IL — Fonda de Paula is seeking a liquor license for the space at 1012 Curtiss St. that was once occupied by Bar Chido. The Downers Grove liquor commission will consider the application at its May 1 meeting.

The Mexican restaurant plans to offer beer, wine, margaritas, spritzes, sangria, signature cocktails and other drinks, according to village documents. The drinks will complement a menu that focused on cuisine typically served at fondas, which are intimate, family-owned Mexican restaurants.

A sample menu for Fonda de Paula states, "Fondas are not just restaurants, they are the beating heart of everyday meals. Simple and copious, these meals are made from the heart...intimate, they function as spaces facilitating social interactions, quasi third places where regional identities are expressed through family recipes, walls wallpapered in photos and stories aplenty."

Breakfast, lunch and and dinner options will be available to diners, with dishes that include chilaquiles, rajas and queso omelets, pescado veracruz and carne asada. The menu also features tacos, burritos, burrito bowls, enchiladas and other traditional Mexican favorites.

Owner and manager Carrie Nahlawi also owns Mago Grill and Cantina, which has locations in Arlington Heights, South Barrington and Bolingbrook.

Like Bar Chido, Fonda de Paula will have al fresco seating along the sidewalk in warmer months.

Fonda de Paula aims to be open Sunday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m.