Chico Bandito

Absolutely the most hyper tacky Mexican place I have ever been too… and I thought the Americans were the experts at this.
They seem to completely think that people which just come into their place for the ghastly Mexican cliché décor and it kind of shows with the people in there who seemed less than impressed when Their food came
The food is plastic and boring, not fresh and cliché. I had the tacos and chicken burger and also tried the chimichangas which were all dried out and tasteless. There are much better Mexican places that you pay the same for like Lupita, Wahaca or Mestizo… Go there!!!
Service was slow and short staffed and they added three or four drinks to our menu which is a cheap tactic a place like this would do …
The good thing is the happy hour and cocktails as well as the hilarity of joining in with wearing the tackiness of the sombreros
Go there drunk and you will probably enjoy it more

Food was good and service was prompt (very prompt in fact!)

I shouldn’t like this place but I do. Owner, at least of this branch, is fun and we often chat outside. Get the nachos.

This is a semi-​regular favourite for me. Purely for pricing and easy taste card usage. No bookings required (to use the taste card), and as the Tastecard deal makes it handy even as a solo diner. for me it’s handy as I only work around the corner and it’s great for lunch (NB: if you use taste card you will have to order from their dinner menu, basically same food but with slightly higher price)
I usually order from the burger section as it’s the most cost effective, but I have also tried the ribs and they were pretty good.
The food here has always been satisfactory, serving size is good and does the job of filling me up for lunch. It’s not classy nor spectacular in any ways, but it does have a good location and service is pretty quick for a work lunch. Apparently they have various evening specials so might give that a try one day.

Good Mexican Food and a good atmosphere

Seemed to be relatively popular locally. If you just stop in for some margaritas and chips/​salsa as we did, however, I would not recommend at all. Probably the weakest, limeade tasting margaritas ever. The chips appeared to be from the bottom of a box off the grocery shelf. T&E salas — not so much either. Stick to bottled beer at this restaurant.

Another Tastecard owner here! I went with a girlfriend for Sunday hungover lunch. The woman who took my reservation absolutely did not understand me. When my friend arrived, there was no reservation under my name for that day (who knows when it actually was scheduled for). The server was really nice about it though and still let us use the card. Many places are strict about the «no reso, no Tastecard» rule, so it was a relief that they were chill about it.
It got busy after 2 but was pretty quiet when we arrived at 1pm. We lingered for hours catching up and slowly trying to eat our massive portions. There was no pressure to hurry up and the service was fine. I ate approximately half of my vegetarian chili bowl, which was very yummy and warming. Flavour in general was more mild than North Americans would probably be expecting/​hoping for, but that’s par for the course in London.
The drink deals look super but stuck to Coke after a rough night.
Worth trying for people seeking out passable Mexican food in London!

I came here on a Sunday afternoon with my boyfriend. We has reservations so we could use our Tastecard which wasn’t really necessary because they was only one other family there. The restaurant is brightly colored and decorated in the Mexican motif. It seems like it would be a good place to come out for drinks at the weekend.
We ordered some coffees and nachos to start. The coffees didn’t come out until we were half-​way through our starter and the waitress told us it was because they ran out of milk and had to go get more. This was the down point of the meal, but she was very friendly and bought us refills on our waters when they were nearly finished without us needing to ask, which I always appreciate. The nachos were pretty good and fairly spicy. I ordered the spicy chicken burrito and my boyfriend had the ribs and wings. The burrito came with Spanish rice and a side salad with lettuce, chickpeas, corn and a spicy salsa. The chicken wasn’t very spicy but the sour cream and guacamole on top made up for it. The side salad was fresh and tasty but the rice just tasted like instant rice. The ribs and wings had a spicy BBQ sauce with a Mexican twist. It came with fries and cole slaw and he enjoyed it. With the Tastecard our bill only came to about 16 pounds. We also saw that they had cocktail specials through the week so we would probably come back for those. The food was pretty good, not the best, but I would definitely come here again because it was good service and a price.

I wasn’t overly impressed with Chico Bandito, although I’ll probably return a couple of times before writing it off completely (you know, to triangulate my findings). Walked in and was completely ignored by staff, eventually just accosted one of them to ask where I could order take away (go straight to the bar, fyi).
Ordered a peri peri chicken burrito which I guess is probably some kind of travesty but it tasted ok. It was a bit odd because the burrito was about half the size of what you might expect and rice, sour cream, guac and salad were all on the side (see photo). It was incredibly sloppy and you definitely need the awesome little dining kit they provide for you (wet wipe, giant napkin, knife and fork). I don’t know… it wasn’t awful but nor was it delicious. Guacamole looked weirdly smooth, like it came from a tube. According to the menu it actually should have come with chips, not rice, but as the latter seems more logical I was happy enough to see it instead.
At £5.65, this was pretty good value. A 500ml coke was 99p… because it came from the soda fountain. Soft drinks from soda fountains are my pet peeve. WHY. WHY. NO.
I’ve just looked at their take away menu on line and seen a half back of baby ribs for £4.50 — what?! That’s got to be worth trying. Only issue is how acceptable it would be to return to my new office with such a dish. Still, it’s better they know who they’re dealing with.

Bad, very unprofessional service. They dropped the dish on the table pouring sauce on my shirt, drinks arrived when first course was almost over, difficult to get one additional napkin, impossible to listen to my partner due to the incredibly noisy atmosphere. Tables so packed that permanently somebody is asking you to move your chair to get through…
Avoid this place.

Good service, and the best Mexican I’ve had since moving to London from NYC (except when we make it at my flat)… Portions are just right and the waiters are super friendly. Spicy chicken burrito and veggie chimichangas were spot on. Nachos had some sort of special seasoning. Sangria was worth getting the pitcher. Some of the customers were wearing sombreros– not sure what that was about but it’s all good. Would definitely return when I get a craving for Mexican. Give it an extra half star.

This a good Mexican restaurant. The four of us had different meals and drinks. All were good.

I think that every single American in London is on a continual quest for decent Mexican restaurant. I join that crowd without reservation… Mexican food is my absolute favorite.
Last weekend I had dinner here with three of my classmates and a restaurant full of hen and (bachelor… I don’t know the British equivalent) parties, and not nearly enough hats to go around (they give out cowboy hats, if you want one). We had two pitchers of margaritas (tasty, averagely alcoholic), a round of tequila shots, and dinner all around. I liked my vegetarian enchiladas… the mexican rice and guacamole were very similar to what you’d get in the State’s. The portion size on the enchiladas was a little disappointing– the filling to tortilla ratio was sad. The plates also came with nice little salad, with tomato and chilis and beans.
I wouldn’t run back here for the food, but it was a nice environment and I wasn’t at all let down or sad afterward (a definite possibility when dealing with one’s favorite food). It worked out to £22/​person for all of the drinks and dinner, so the price was right, too.

This Place is a true hidden Treasure!!!
The food is amazing and the cocktails are to die for!!! and if you have a Taste London card. Its 50% off your food bill for up tp 4 people!

I’ve been in London for about 9 months now and I do run into a few Mexican restaurants here and there. I go to this one often since it’s near the office, I’d have to say the lunch menus are great.
They are pretty close to authentic mexican, but with a little bit of a twist. The most important thing is that the prices are pretty good and the food tastes great!
The atmosphere is what I like most. Very casual during the day and the staff are super friendly. What I noticed here in London is that the service is usually so so, in most places people are a tad rude and don’t really check up on the customers. Anyway, this place they’re super nice and they make sure you’re happy with what you’ve got.
The best part is that they have sombreros for everyone, so if you want to eat with one on, you can have one!