Review: Fonda Lola stands out from the Mexican pack with Aztec recipes and kombucha-spiked sangria

Fonda Lola ★ 942 Queen St. W., 647-706-9105

Chef Howard Dubrovsky cooks ancient Aztec recipes inherited from his aunt, a Mexican anthropologist. He’s hoping the gimmick will help his place stand out among the city’s numerous other taco spots and, for the most part, he’s successful. He brightens a pozole verde soup with tomatillos and plenty of cilantro, and packs tiny quecas with molten oaxaca cheese and huitlacoche, a fungus that grows on corn. The fried panela poppers, made with smooth cow’s cheese and cornmeal, are at once crunchy, gooey, salty and sweet. Also unique are the sangrias, made with house-brewed ­kombucha and smoky horchata.

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