Yuck. Food is horrible or my burrito was anyways. Can tell they have a big pot of stuff they throw on top of a tortilla roll and put in oven with cheese on top. Sour cream is like milk consistency and chips and salsa yuck.
Maybe people come just to smoke and pound beers but don't expect good food. Not the Banditos of the late 90s. Food has gone way downhill.
The bartenders and waitresses are fantastic. Its an awesome bar with a strong clientele. Its really awesome when the weather is nice for them to open the garage doors. I am a huge fan of the food here, some of the best Mexican in town. The food is really great and there are many vegetarian options on the menu.
Review Source:This place gives me mixed feelings. I like coming here for dancing because I can really get my dance on and love it. I've only been here a few times for eating and it's always "pleasant." Certainly nothing to write home about, but i'll take it. It's interesting because I always seem to get the waitress who apprentices at the tattoo shop. So plus one for dancing and a-ok food.
Review Source:First let me say I went there for lunch on a Tuesday, so I can't speculate on dinner/late night.
Lunch was great. The service was exceptional; fast, friendly, and personable. I got the "chipotle pollo" burrito and my wife got the shrimp tacos. When they came out my burrito was HUGE! I had no idea you could get tortillas big enough to make a burrito that big. I ended up taking half of it home. The quality and flavor of the food was great. My burrito was very tasty; better than my usual Mexican place, and my wife's shrimp tacos were good too.
I will definitely try to go back for lunch. Not to sure about night time, because I am not a big bar type of person and I'm not sure how much of a restaurant it would be as opposed to a bar/club.
I'll never understand the draw of this place. I've been here many times and given them chance after chance but I've always left wondering why I went there again. Usually at the behest of a friend or group of friends. Always, ALWAYS poor quality over priced food and crappy service. Don't order the huge margarita thinking it will be enough to maybe share with a friend. They fill the bowl to the brim with ice before they add the margarita. It equals roughly 1 regular sized rita at 3 times the price. Never again, Bandito's... Never again...
Review Source:Hands down, Banditos has always been one of my favorite lunch spots in Richmond. They have awesome deals on various plate combinations, and the food always come out within minutes of ordering hot and ready to eat.
I took my son there for the first time on a Sunday night to watch football, probably should have re-thought that decision as i first walked thru the entrance. It was around 5PM or so, but even for a Sunday it wasn't very family-friendly. First off, there was limited seating in the non-smoking section because there were several inter-mural sports(kick ball/flag football) teams watching the games as well. They had several tables place together to host large parties and they were extremely loud. Now, I know people get excited watching football at just about any bar, but it was hard to enjoy the game when large parties are at any restaurant and they're only drinking and entertaining one another. I noticed a few other families that seemed to be making the best of the situation, but you could see the discomfort from the language these large parties were using. The main smoking area had more individuals rather than groups so that was a better place to watch the games, i just cannot tolerate smoking which is allowed in that area that you have to walk thru. Me and mini-me toughed it out and enjoyed what we could, I just kept him engaged in football convo so he didn't become distracted by the groups.
Our waitress tried her best to keep up with the large parties while serving between the smoking and non-smoking areas. I kinda felt bad for her. This is completely different from the lunch crowd where barely anybody is there to be served besides the bar. Our order was off (nachos with shredded beef not spicy ground beef) but it was corrected within minutes. If you decide to get the Banditos nachos to share with children, go with the chicken*. My son didn't like the shredded beef texture, and the spicy ground beef is pretty spicy for a child to really enjoy. We got our check pretty quickly, but overall this visit could've been a lot better in my book.
I will still continue to go to Banditos, as far as i'm concerned, the food is still awesome. I would not recommend this place for families on any game nights. Its probably better to go to a more traditional Mexican spot for that. As for the mature crowd, you could definitely have a good time with the 1 dollar PBR's and 6 dollar pitchers.
As smokey as that place is when u walk in the door (give the smokers the back room, not the cool bar area!) it can't ruin the great burritos that place cranks out. I give all 3 stars to my burrito & 0 stars to the tar and nicotine coated table i had to sit at while waited for my takeout. Yuk & yum at the same time?? A really great spot that needs a new vibe.
Review Source:Another Richmond bar/but not bar. Â I think I've eaten food here and that was probably the I-too-drunk-to-know-better type of drinking night.
Drinks are strong if you get the right bartender, which means a dude at the main bar.
Dance floor in the back room - wtf?
Dear DJ guy on Thursday nights - look alive. Â I mean look like you are actually enjoying being alive. Â No seriously stop looking so angry, relax. Â Maybe if you played more Frankie Goes to Hollywood you'd feel better about life.
Stuff can be made vegan, but every waitress I've asked for bean tacos (on $1 taco night) looks at me like I just put my hands up her skirt... and I didn't.
The more I come to this place, the less I'm liking it. Â They have a smoking section and Red Stripe, so points for that. Â However, the restaurant part of it is seriously lacking. Â No wonder they were voted Sexiest Staff last year in Style mag! Â The food is nothing too interesting.
I mean, pretty standard Mexican food. Â Chips and salsa to snack on, burritos and quesadillas, etc. Â I suppose its not all that bad, its just nothing worth coming back for. Â An acceptable place to get drunk with friends, though I agree with Ryan C., this place gets too crazy and annoying when any kind of big game is being watched. Â Go to Little Mexico for dinner, come here for a beer and a smoke.
Bandito's I would say is okay, and okay at best. The restaurant isn't my kind of place, but that's why I'm not giving the low score. If a restaurant aims to hit a certain clientele of people and making money by doing it, then I see no problem with it.
However, my problem is with the food combined with the restaurant's aimed target audience. I've had Mexican food before and what they sell at Bandito's is really just average. It's not bad, but there's no wow factor. It seems they could do even better with their food and deliver excellent dinners for their guests.
Bandito's has a great atmosphere if you're into cars, motorcycles, rocker chicks, and watching games on TVs. I'm personally not into that, but they do a great job and I could see why people would like it. However if the furthest you've gone outside American food is Chinese and Taco Bell, then Bandito's will seem like amazing Mexican or Tex-Mex food.
There are better places with Mexican food that'll put Bandito's to shame, but on the flip side there aren't a lot of places that offer Mexican food combined with watching sports, cute bartenders, and a rocker-type atmosphere. It all really depends on what you're looking for. Not my cup of tea, but there are plenty of others who love the place.
I can't say enough good stuff about this place.
First, we always get top notch service. The wait staff never misses a beat and they always pinch hit for each other so you never have to wait for your food.
The shrimp tacos are hands-down the best I've had anywhere (I always get the soft tacos). This place goes through a TON of food so you know whatever you're eating will always be fresh.
Portion sizes are huge so you will always have leftovers for another meal (always a plus in my book--assuring me a night off from the kitchen!)
Oh, and they're within walking distance from our house so it's a no-brainer on nights we want something delicious and healthy to eat.
Ah Banditos, I've been going here for god knows how long. I started off at the old location and followed them to the triangle. I don't know of another single place in Richmond that always hits the mark for tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and beer. You can go to other mexican/tex mex/socal joints, but their food isn't any better and their beer selection is usually limited to domestics and Corona or Modelo. Sometimes I want a stout or a pale ale with my burrito.
I really dig their chips and salsa, great flavor and the right amount of heat. The fish tacos are ridiculous, but I usually settle on a combo platter for lunch. Most often it's the taco and enchilada. I love the Lodi and the Baja, and they sometimes have a special burrito with steak that is so good you'll want to punch your mother.
The other great thing is that your experience at Banditos changes at different times of the day and different days of the week.You can do it all here, eat wings while you watch a game with friends, zip in for a quick lunch, meet folks for happy hour or dinner, get schnockered watching bands play in the back room, as well as bring your family and kids in on Sunday for brunch.
I can't think of one time that I have had bad service. I'm not remotely close to being a regular, but my fiance and I agree that whoever is managing that place is doing a bang up job picking the waitstaff. They are always friendly and attentive, unless it's at night then the bartenders deliver the right amount of sass while still being attentive. Of course there have been times where they've been busy but at least they're buzzing around and they all seem to be on the same team, you can ask anyone and they'll get you what you need even if they're not your server. I've been other places where they're busy and you only see your server once every 10 minutes and if you ask another server they say they'll find your server for you.
I was walking around this neighborhood with a friend who was apartment hunting and we got hungry. This seemed to fit the bill and was a good choice.
If any of you have read my reviews when it comes to Latin-influenced food, I'm usually looking for something that I call "authentic". Â Since I've not spent much time in Mexico other than the occasional Tijuana road trip while studying in San Diego as a college youngster, I don't really have an "authentic" reference. Â I did grow up in California though, a state with a significant Latino population and therefore, a significant opportunity for great burritos and tacos. Â Bandito's didn't meet that standard but it was tasty and filling. Â I ordered the Bandito and was filled up by the time I left. The chips and salsa were bottomless and the ice tea was cold. The stellar memory was the service. She was friendly and perfectly timed with the refills. It isn't my normal neighborhood but if I was hungry and in the area, I would go again.
Cheap prices, excellent food, free endless chips and salsa even if you're just there to drink (got to ask the bartender), the bartenders are pretty swell, yet there's only one good waitress out of the entire floor crew.
It's always a great place to hang out and I love that it is nearby. Beware that some nights are college/frat boy nights but those don't happen too often.
Meh. Â Dollar tacos are good. Â Service is always pretty sexy but not too attentive. Â Very frat boy esque at times as well. Â Don't come here when a game is on, you'll regret it. Â Unless you're into that sort of thing. Â Food off the menu isn't great but not too bad. Â Little Mexico and Don't Look Back are a thousand times better. Â Go to those places instead.
Review Source:We began with corn and onion fritters and Fat Tire amber ale. Â Believe this, Â New Belgium Brewing Company makes some awesome beer. I had the Low Rider combination which is a spicy ground beef burrito, Â a chicken enchilada and a pork tamale. Â She had the Steak Quesadilla. The food was great and the service friendly, only reserving the fifth star because the margarita sss she had were on the weak side.
Overall a great place with nice servers and fast kitchen. Â They have somehow circumvented the smoking law so that the main dining room is for smokers so its a little backwards than most places but we did enjoy that option and found that the ventilation was very good and didn't feel like we were offensive to other diners.
One more note, the location is an easy walk from the Richmond Museum of Fine Arts.
If each item was about $3 cheaper, it might be worth it, but it's way over priced for food that's mediocre at best. Â
Wait I lied, it still wouldn't be worth it, the service is TERRIBLE. Â The hostess was rude and the waitress didn't seem to want to be bothered with, you know, doing her job. Â She didn't take down our orders correctly and some of the table's food didn't even come out till we asked for it 3 or 4 times. Â Â I'm guessing she was more interested in some sort of career in adult entertainment or something. Â This girl's shorts were so short, I'm pretty sure she would have had to put a hairnet on her pubes just to avoid a health code violation. Â Seriously, the chicks at hooters wear more clothes than our waitress did. Â
You're better off getting take out from Chipotle or Qdoba.
Pretty good lunch option.
I had a "bowl" there, which is just a burrito without the wrap. I enjoyed mine, Â but it wasn't any better than most tex-mex style places I've had (I read someone's review saying it isn't real Mexican, and doesn't pretend to be-and I totally agree).
Looks like a pretty cool bar with tons of TVs, but the waitress asked if we wanted smoking or non-smoking. Haven't been asked that question in a long time. We went with non-smoking and the section was packed. Smoking section was empty and easy to see why, you have to walk through it to get to non-smoking and boy does it stink.
Anyway, a nice option for solid food and big portions for a descent price.
One word: Faco.
In a city filled with vegetarians and vegans, you'd think more restaurants would offer meat alternatives. Â But no, Bandito's is one of the only places I've found that offers fake taco meat (aka Faco). Â It can be ordered with any dish to replace ground beef and it is oh so yummy! Â Bandito's gets it right with their seasoning and texture- this element alone keeps me coming back again and again. Â
And on that note, I must say that I typically call ahead and order take-out. Â The main dining room is extremely smoky at almost all hours of the day. Â Although they do offer a non-smoking section, the overall atmosphere is definitely more conducive to a margarita-filled night out than a leisurely lunch.
I've loved Banditos since it was on Cary Street near VCU. Â Remember when? Â It's been in this converted gas station for many years now, and it's still a great spot for food and fun mostly for 20 or 30-somethings. Â More bar than restaurant. Â Hip waitstaff and bartenders. Â They always have something going on music-wise on Saturdays. Â It's not a sports bar, but they have TVs. Â Not standard Mexican, but Mexi-Cali. Â The Blue Moon and the Lodi are my favorite of the specialty burritos. Â Huge portions. Â Enjoy!
Review Source:This is a solid destination for a Wed night out. This night is all I can attest to since the two times I have partied here were both Wed. Its Karaoke, and you don't have to sing to have fun. Once everyone has a few drinks in them, we are all singing along with whoever is up there on stage. And if your'e not drinking, its just as fun to watch the mayhem. Last time I split a giant burrito (I believe it was the pollo chipotle or something) with my husband and we were both stuffed. The nice bartender got the kitchen staff to make it even though the kitchen was closed. Thats good service.
Review Source:Prior to sitting down here, make sure you have an exit strategy in place for the end your meal. This was a fantastic exercise in gluttony. The portion sizes would make those personal trainers from the  show "The Biggest Loser" wet their pants in fear, and the quality of that food just adds to the experience. Great service is the standard here, with heavily tattooed waitresses hustling from table to table. Stick around long enough on a Friday or Saturday night, and you will witness a busy bar, centered around the largest dance floor in the fan. Worth the time, worth the trip. It is rare to find a place that has a great dining experience and the potential for embarrassing yourself with those "awesome dance moves" you picked up from the movie "Step Up 3". Seriously... stop dancing.
Review Source:The food here is good but I've never been impressed with the value. I don't have any complaints about the food, but there's nothing on the menu that I'd say "omg, you absolutely have to try _____."
Once it turns into a bar scene, I turn into a crotchety old man because they blast the music so loud that you cannot hear the person across from you. It's not a good late night spot if you're looking for something chill. It ties with BlackFinn for places where someone will definitely try to hit on your girlfriend. If you live near Monument and Boulevard it's one of the closest options for dancing or karaoke.
WARNING! MALE CHAUVINISTIC TIP AHEAD:
It used to have the hottest bartenders and waitstaff around, especially if you dig girls with tattoos, but te eye candy quality has decreased. But they still have that reputation, it's even advertised on their website.
Bandito's is one of my favorite places in town for consistently great food and a really great bar scene at night. I was a fan of the old location on Laurel Street, and like many other regulars, followed them up to the new location.
Fifteen years later, the menu still offers my favorite "specialty burrito" just like I remember (My favorite is the Godfather) along with all of the expected taco/nacho/enchilada Mexican-type fare with a Tex-Mex flair. The ingredients are fresh, and the portions are big, so bring an appetite.
If you like to go for drinks, you'll love the bar staff. How many times have you stood at a bar, waiting for bartender to take your order, and then waited for that drink for five minutes? Yeah, that won't happen here. I worked in the industry for almost 20 years, and these bartenders have it on point. Even better, they know how to make a great drink, which sounds easy, but I assure you, a lot of places can't make one. The staff isn't hard to look at, either. They didn't win "sexiest staff" in the 2011 Style Magazine's "Best-Of " issue for nothing.
I love (and so does anyone who smokes in the town, which is quite a few people) the fact that I can sit and have a drink and and a cigarette....INSIDE. Of course there are separate ventilating systems and a non-smoking area as well.
Bandito's has free shows most Sundays, and dance nights on Fridays and Saturdays. Unlike some fan bars, you will not be the only person over 30 here.
They also offer brunch, which I have yet to drag my myself out of bed for.
Well, it's a Burrito Lounge, whatever that means, and if you keep that in mind you'll be fine. Â It's in no way 'real/serious' Mexican food, but it's pretty great if you stick with what they're known for -Burritos-. Â I personally love the Tel Star, and they have excellent guacamole... Â The crowd at night is a mixture of scene kids/hipsters/and frat boys, but everyone seems in a pretty good mood and friendly. Â The service is generally ok. Â I've found the waitresses to be a little slow-ish? so I generally pull up a seat at the bar if I am planning burrito's + beer. Â Another positive thing about this place, you can smoke inside... Â I'm sure I'll go here many more times. :)
Review Source:I have been here for drinks and especially for 80s night several times. Â 80s night happens around 11pm on Friday nights and is DJ'd by locally famous DJ Rick Danger who possesses a huge knowledge base of all things 80's. Â The energy is electric and seeing people having so much fun to music I fondly grew up with, is always a good time. Â They open the rear bar later in the evening ( I hear that it is now the non smoking side of the restaurant and, frankly, the less nice side. Â
The main restaurant area and bar have glass garage-type doors that are opened on cooler nights and this is always enjoyable. Â The bar service is speedy and the bartenders I have interacted with have been amazingly friendly even when super busy.
The crowd is mostly 20 and 30 somethings and is far more bar oriented then it seems it is geared towards diners. Â It is casual and there are neighborhood regulars and it tends to be a pretty hip spot. Â It can turn tool bag when college is in session very quickly however
Came here on a Friday night looking to have a few beers with some buddies and meet some ladies.
Crowd: 4/5
Mostly VCU students, 20-30's, some odd standouts, but overall a decent crowd. Plenty of women to chat up. Good place for singles. Very casual feel, boys get your sandals and boat shoes ready! A lot of guys were in t-shirts and shorts, I felt like the most dressed up person in there with my jean and button down...
Music: 2/5
The DJ or whoever was choosing the music sucked. Lots of 80's radio hits, as previously stated, with some newer hits mixed in. Strange variety, but the music wasn't so loud it was annoying, just kind of blocked it out. Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Too Sexy for my Shirt...wtf...
Service: 4/5
Everyone was really nice. Bartender had my beers in less than a 60 second wait. Table service was friendly and better than expected as well. Owner seems to know what he is doing. I would say they were at 80% capacity. Hopefully they keep the same level of service when they are at 100%
Food: 3/5
Face it. You don't come here for food. You come here to get drunk and socialize. Bars have to have food in Richmond because it's the law. With that said, if you must eat, stick with the burritos. If you're looking to go out to dinner, there are much better options in the fan.
Overall, I thought it was a fun experience and I look forward to returning for another night of drinking and socializing.
Bandito's is great for lunch and happy hour. First off, the menu is Tex-Mex, not Mexican, so be prepared for more Americanized versions of the menu items. Once you realize this, everything is pretty good.
The lunch specials are very affordable. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, you can order off a special menu. Half orders of nachos are $5.50-$6.50 depending on the toppers. You can get burrito/taco/chile relleno combos for $6.50-$7.50. It's just the right amount of food and the prices are pretty good.
I also enjoy the Diablo Salad with crispy flour tortilla strips, shredded chicken, black beans, cheese and guacamole on a bed of salad greens with tomatoes and onions. I always skip the dressing and get an extra side of their well-balanced salsa. Â The Mexican pizza is tasty, and the Kickin' Chicken Bowl is an indulgent combination of grilled or blackened chicken (I go blackened), black beans and cheese served over Mexican rice with a side of sour cream. The menu is really big.
I also like that you can substitute "faco" taco meat, a soy-free all-natural meat alternative, in place of any regular ground beef in any menu item. Whole wheat tortillas are also available upon request.
My coworkers and I frequent happy hour here, which features cheap Tecate cans, Dos Equis on draft and $3.50 margaritas on the rocks. The margaritas are very well made for the price.
The night crowd here is kind of young and college-y, but it's pretty much the only place to dance in the Fan/Museum District area. Wednesdays are Karaoke night, there's a DJ on Thursdays, Friday nights feature 80s parties and Saturday features a different DJ. There are also cheap taco, wing and pitcher specials during Monday night football.
It's not a regular spot on my hang-out list, but it's fun for a lively night every once in a while.
Let's not pretend here. Â This is not - does not even claim to be -Mexican food. Â With that said, for it is it isn't bad.
This is a very casual, low-key place. Â The crowd is sort of mix of VCU students, Fan residents, and urban professional types. Â Not a family place by any means. Â It's basically a bar with some pretty good pub food.
Try the Voodoo burrito. Â It's a tasty mix of shrimp, chicken, sausage, and crawfish tails with sort of a creole flavored sauce. Â Not as spicey as I expected but still pretty good. Â The chips and salsa aren't bad and chili con queso is awright.
The biggest negative is that you must enter through the very smokey smoking section. Â One of those things I guess.
The prices are reasonable and there is Dos Eques on tap. Â What more could you want?
First off no place can do everything right, but when you do something so bad...just give it up. And at Bandito's, brunch is that thing. The place does seem kind of cool. I think its going for this edgy tex-mex sports thing and judging from the crowd, if you stick to beer and burritos your probably in good hands.
When I walked in I had some good expectations. The menu I read online put me in a "breakfast burrito / spanish" mood and thought to try something new this week and pass up a sure thing somewhere like Kuba Kuba where I would normally go to fulfill this latin craving.
The waitresses were all cute and seemed personable (until the place became packed), but I did have to ask twice to get a refill on my coffee and each of our meals (when they finally came out) arrived at different times.
We ordered a breakfast burrito, corn cakes, chorizo and cheese grits. All of which was some of the worst we ever had. And the last two, simply inedible.
To Bandito's I say give up brunch as you will quickly eliminate potential repeat customers for the other things you might do well and to everyone else, stay away from this place before 12. With all the incredible brunch choices Richmond has to offer, don't waste your time here.
I have a complicated relationship with this place. It is the closest bar to my apartment so I've been here countless times. This is what I've gathered:
If you're going to eat, stick with the burritos. They're fairly tasty and pretty satisfying. Stay away from anything non tex-mex-baja (or whatever they're going for). I had the burger once and it was the most vile food I have ever partially consumed.
Happy hours and GameDay: The only reason to come here. They do $5 pitcher deals a lot (beer light, usually) which is awesome and reminds me of Blacksburg bars. It's not a bad place to watch a game but where's the high def???
Night: I hate Rick Danger, the house "VJ," so much. His act is novel for 5 minutes if you're never been here. The same retro-revival 80s hit are played every weekend (I like 80s music...just not radio 80s hits over and over). It's super crowded and the crowd is mostly awful. I usually run into a lot of people here but I feel like no one is ever really having fun or they're working to get obliterated to numb the pain of knowing that life has brought them to Banditos and on a perfectly good Friday night.
Bartenders: The bartenders and servers tend to be scenester chicks from just a few years back. I dig that. They're always very friendly or funny and sarcastic.
The food here is great. Â There are some of the city's best waitstaff here. Â For that, I'd give them 5 stars.
Back in the day, Bandito's was closer to VCU and had more of the cool, tattooed kids hanging out. Â Now that it's moved farther into the Fan, you have to get out early to avoid the polo and khaki crowd. Â Luckily, most of the awesome staff has remained, so I keep coming back. Â Now, if I could just change the clientele.... and give the 2 remaining stars.
Alright- I went back yesterday 5/6/08. Â I have to give them another star because our waitress was so GOOD. Â She put up with my VERY talkative 4 year old explaining poker to her.... four or five times. Â And keep in mind that poker means something very different to a 4 year old, every time he tells you about it. Â She put us in the nonsmoking section- which was closed- just so he wouldn't be around the smokers. Â Why can't all waitstaff be like her? ::sigh::
The food here is really good, the salsa is delicious. I also enjoy it as a sports bar (not too far from my house). Lots of TVs, NFL package, etc.
Tuesday and Sunday they have poker and blackjack. Pretty damn good time. I used to deal cards Sunday and Tuesdays :)
You won't generally find me here Fri / Sat night - bit too crowded and the crowd is what i really want, i go to Starlite - which is similar but a bit less of the frat boy crowd.
should be renamed the congregation of the pop collards. Â It has the have-a-nice day cafe feel..but for 21. Â Anyone notice the dress code requirement and wondered ...why don't they just say they don't want black people in here? Â sometimes after 2am you can see some police brutality after a forceful removal of a yuppie.
Review Source:
The 5 best restaurants in the 2015 Denver Restaurant Week
3,611 Views | Category: Denver
The complete list of 2015 Denver Restaurant Week businesses
1,972 Views | Category: Denver
The tourists' guide to Portillos: 5 must have dishes
3,318 Views | Category: Chicago
Pho = Pronounced "fuh" not "foe" for pho-king sake
2,916 Views | Category: Denver
Indulgery selected to exhibit at Collision Conference
2,987 Views | Category: Press Releases
Not Logged In
BUSINESSES
Local Businesses
Near Me
My Favorites
SOCIAL
Blog & News
MY ACCOUNT
Login
Register
Contact Us
Add Your Business
