Review: Chico Bandito, Shoreditch

Serving Mexican food and Cuban Cocktails.

Chico Bandito (image courtesy of their website)

What Hayley ate: Spicy Beef Chimichanga

Hayley’s Friend 1 (HF1) ate: Chilli Con Carne

HF2 ate: BBQ Cheeseburger

HF3 ate: Hickory BBQ Ribs

Drinks had: Apple Mojito, Mojito and Sol beers. 

As fate would have it, we had originally booked a table for a European restaurant nearby, but after a mix up with the booking, someone in the group mentioned a Mexican place, and so we went.  Bearing in mind that this was a Friday night and quite a small venue, Chico Bandito was able to fit 5 of us (1 was running late and did not eat) straight away even though the place was already quite lively. 

Hayley had been here twice before and so tried a different dish on this occasion; the Spicy Beef Chimichanga was excellent.  The Mexican rice that came with the tortilla wrapped beef was delicious.  As a mild-spice eater, it was perfect, it was only the mixed bean salad which was ultimately mouth-burning (in my opinion), but the sour cream and guacamole helped soften the blow. 

HF2 has a ‘thing’ where he has to order the burger at every new restaurant he goes to, not because he is unadventurous, but he likes to test out the quality of the meat used.  At the end of his meal (and finishing off HF1’s Chilli), his verdict was that it was 'very good’. 

This place is hidden away from the main streets of Shoreditch, but almost every night there are always diners either having dinner, or sipping on one of their many authentic cocktails.  There is always music, friendly waiters and even a sombrero to make your meal a rather fun one.  To add to the experience, HF2 only realised the next day that she had left a cosmetics bag there, as we live close by, Hayley went back in search of it (they’re open from 11am).  The staff were all very welcoming and helpful, even better was that the bag had been found.

If you want a ‘proper meal’ and genuine fun service and no frills then this place is perfect.  There is so much to offer and value for money.  The only downside is that the lighting is quite dim and if you are lucky enough to be given a sombrero to wear, it can occasionally block out your view of your dish, however this is purely clutching at straws.  As Chico Bandito would say, “Don’t Siesta, Let’s Fiesta!”

Overall rating: 9 out of 10