The hardest part of visiting Banditos was finding parking. After driving around a bit, we found a metered spot not too far away. Unfortunately, we only had enough change to buy 38 minutes. We decided to go see how long the wait was at the time.
The doors were amazing. When you pulled on one, they both opened!
It was pretty cool. Go use those doors and try to
tell me you didn't smile.
We arrived around 7:40, and the quoted wait was 30-35 minutes. I sent Mark to the bar to see if the bartender could provide us with quarters for the meter. When Mark came back, he didn't have any quarters. He had, however, found out that we could park in the lot across the road. There were signs saying it was $10 for all day parking, hence the reason we didn't park there to start with. The good news was that if you show the attendants your receipt from Banditos for at least $25, they'll give you your money back!
After moving the car, we settled in to wait for our table. The entryway was pretty, with a few benches and chairs sitting around, but I was worried. There were a whole lot of brightly colored plastic pieces of drink memorabilia It just screamed out "Spring Break!"
Imagine my surprise when we actually get seated and discover that the restaurant is actually a bit on the classy side. The atmosphere is calming. The restaurant sounds noisy, but Mark and I had no problem hearing each other across the table.*
You're seeing about half of the table.
The menus are very large, with an impressive selection of dishes. There really is something for everyone. I'm concerned about the restaurant keeping up such a varied menu for very long. I could be wrong, but I could see them reducing your choices. Right now, the menu is actually a bit daunting in its length.
The logo did not inspire confidence, but
he grows on you...like a rash.
Our very nice server took our drink order. I opted for a Coke, which later changed into a Sprite. Mark got a Mexican beverage that was essentially a carbonated fruit punch. It was pretty good, but you payed per bottle. I'm too cheap to do that. If I wasn't too cheap, I would have had myself a Mexican Coke.**
By the time he returned with our drinks, we had settled on appetizers. Now, most restaurants would have taken our entire order at this point. Banditos did not. It felt uncomfortable because I'm used to getting my order out of the way, but it was nice to see our appetizers before ordering. It helped cut down on us ordering too much food.
We ended up with queso and a cornbread skillet. I will judge a Mexican place solely for the queso. I am happy to report that Banditos delivers. The queso was a bit mild at first. The flavor is subtle but picks up. It ends up being a bit spicy with a good cheese flavor. The chips were pretty generic, neither good nor bad.
The cornbread came with honey butter and some type of jam. I don't recall what the jam was made of.*** The bread itself tasted less like cornbread and more like a hearty vegetable bread. There were green chiles baked into it, which made it interesting. It wasn't my favorite, but I was hoping for cornbread similar to what Smokey Bones offers. I was also a little put off by the slightly burnt appearance/flavor of the outside of the bread.
After Mark and I split one wedge, Mark realized the center wasn't properly cooked; it was still all doughy. We waited over fifteen minutes before our appetizers ever came out. Shortly before they had arrived, the server told us it was because the cornbread is fresh baked. After discovering the squishy center, we were a bit turned off and ate no more cornbread. The server, being attentive, noticed this and asked if everything was okay. Mark told him it wasn't cooked all the way through, so he took it back and had management take it off the bill. A manager quickly appeared at the table to apologize. You can tell they have been open less than two weeks because it is apparent they're still working out the kinks. The bread was raw in the center and overdone on the edges. We gave them a pass though, since they were so quick to deal with it. They offered us another appetizer, but we declined.
It was around this time that the server took our order. He knew he was going to be getting caught up with a large table seated next to us, and he wanted to make sure we were situated. Mark ordered a platter with a fancy name that came with four different kinds of meat. To balance him out, I ordered some street corn and a salad.
Observe: Mark's unholy plate of meat.
Mark's dish was incredibly well displayed. There was sirloin, pork loin, chicken breast, and chorizo. Each and every meat component was cooked perfectly. I was afraid the chicken would be dry, as it was such a thin piece, but Banditos punched me in the mouth with perfect chicken. When I've had chorizo before, it was usually ground. This chorizo was a slice, and it was tough to eat. It was well worth it though; the flavor was amazing. I may actually like chorizo now.**** The meat made a pyramid over the pepperjack mashed potatoes, with the grilled vegetables acting as foundation on one side. The potatoes were acceptable but not my favorite part of Mark's meal. I'm very picky about my taters, so I can't really fault the restaurant. The side of vegetables consisted of onions, squash, and zucchini. Mark, who hasn't been a fan of zucchini, liked it a lot. It was served much firmer than most places. I enjoyed the veggies; they had a smoked flavor that surprised me.
My meal, while sparse, was also very good. I prefer the street corn at Nacho Hippo, but Banditos serves up a pretty good piece. One half was a little scorched, but that's a personal problem I have. The cheese was more on the plate than the corn, and there was cilantro in accompaniment. I don't care for cilantro, so I picked that off. Since I didn't want it, Mark at the scorched half. I had the pretty yellow side.
My salad was very basic. It was just chopped romaine with pico de gallo and cheese. It was supposed to have black olives too, but I'm not a fan. I had them left off. The highlight was the dressing. It was a chipotle ranch, which worried me; I thought it might be spicy. It was a little spicy on the back end, but it was amazing all over! Apparently, they make their dressings fresh in house, and it shows. I would go back just to get another salad.
All together, tip and all, our meal came to well over $50, but we really enjoyed it. We went in expecting subpar Mexican and got classy food. The flavors were good, and I love the building and all the little details. While it didn't look like a specific Disney restaurant, that's what it reminded me of.
After imbibing many waters, Cokes, and Sprites, it was time for a trip to the bathroom. Behold, pictures from the bathroom.
Is this not the most beautiful sink you have ever had the pleasure
of looking upon?
This hangs in the men's room.
Don't ask how I got it.
I think I'm done yammering on. Let's just say that Banditos is well worth a visit. From the time we were given our beeper to wait for a table to the time we were leaving, it was about two hours. The only real place the restaurant needs to improve is in their timing. It took a long time to get through our meal, but since we had no place to be, it wasn't a big deal. I would beware of going if you're in a hurry. I'm sure they'll get that ironed out soon. Just remember to take the time to relax and enjoy yourself. Also, if you're a drinker, we saw two bars but heard there was a third. You can definitely get your drink on.
*And it was a big table for just a party of two. I actually want the table, but I didn't think I could sneak it out...too far from any doors. Someday, I'm going to go down there around 4am and take the front doors. Then, I'm going to take a table and two chairs. Most people would go for four chairs, but I don't want to be greedy.
**They're amazing. If you have had one, you know that. If you haven't had one, come visit me...I'll hook you up.
***I was planning on visiting their website, but it isn't up and running yet. Since I didn't take pictures of the menu, I'm not sure of all the names and prices.
****Well, I liked it more before I found out how it was made.
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