Bandidas Taqueria

Vancouver, Canada

4.4

Open now

21 reviews

Free Wi-Fi

Contacts

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Telephone:
+1 604-568-8224
Website:
www.bandidastaqueria.com
Address:
2781 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5N 4C5
Kensington-Cedar Cottage
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
230 ft58092
810 ft58093
930 ft52102
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Bussiness info

Takes Reservations
No
Delivery
No
Take-out
Yes
Accepted Cards
Credit, Debit
Good For
Lunch
Parking
Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
No
Good for Kids
Yes
Good for Groups
Yes
Attire
Casual
Ambience
Casual
Noise Level
Average
Alcohol
Full Bar
Outdoor Seating
No
Wi-Fi
Free
Has TV
No
Dogs Allowed
No
Waiter Service
Yes
Caters
No

Today

Today 9:00 am – 1:00 am
Open now
Local time (Vancouver) 12:55 PM Friday, November 29, 2024

Business hours

Monday 9:00 am – 12:00 am
Tuesday 9:00 am – 12:00 am
Wednesday 9:00 am – 12:00 am
Thursday 9:00 am – 12:00 am
Friday 9:00 am – 1:00 am
Saturday 9:00 am – 1:00 am
Sunday 9:00 am – 12:00 am

Description

Specialties

Bandidas serves a Mexican inspired menu of amazing vegetarian and vegan dishes. Our entire menu is vegetarian, and every dish has the option to be made vegan. Yum! Vegan breakfast, vegan nachos, vegan corn bread. Our food is handmade and fresh. We make everything in house and are one of the few restaurants in the city with handmade corn tortillas. We serve breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner 7 days a week. We are open late! Come down for late night beer and nachos or desserts and cocktails. Our fresh handmade juices and hand pressed citrus make our cocktail menu unique, fun, refreshing, and delicious! We have a great beer list with all local BC beers.

Almost everything on our menu is gluten free. We serve gluten free beer. Our dessert list is extensive and yummy! Lots to choose from including gluten free and vegan options.

We look forward to serving you!

late night cocktails

fresh juices

vegan

vegetarian

breakfast

dinner

lunch

organic

History

Established in 2009.

Aiyana Kane and Jackie Avery are the owners/​operators of Bandidas Taqueria on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive. Teachers before they opened the restaurant, Jackie and Aiyana decided to go into business together, with dreams of bringing good food to Vancouver while also creating a warm and responsible community space. Aiyana and Jackie run their business with the goal of making decisions that are ethically motivated. If there is one word that describes the driving philosophy of Bandidas, it is «health»: healthy food that nourishes the body (fresh and whole ingredients), conscious resource use for a healthy planet (vegetarian food, compost program, biodegradable packaging, and bikes instead of cars), commitment to human values for a healthy team (egalitarian leadership, respect, joy, support, and cooperation), dedication to our neighborhood for a healthy community (supporting local causes, working with local businesses, involvement with community projects, and connection with our customers).

Meet the Business Owner

Aiyana and Jackie K.

Business Owner

We started this restaurant with the dream of creating a community hub, where customers could gather and enjoy healthy food in a comfortable environment. At Bandidas our goal is health: yummy healthy food, a healthy planet, healthy community, and a happy and healthy staff. We work hard to reduce waste and use compostable packaging for to-​go food. We serve only vegetarian and vegan food, which reduces the impact of food production on the planet. We make all of our food from scratch, so the dishes you eat at our restaurant will be fresh and made of whole ingredients, with no hidden sugars or preservatives. We buy local when possible, and try to buy from smaller local distributors. We support local causes and hang the work of local artists.

Our bar is full of fresh, house made juices, local beer and wine, and deliscious cocktails.

We are committed to being leaders in caring for our staff, financially, communally, and personally.

We look forward to serving you in our cozy dining roo

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21 reviews of Bandidas Taqueria

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Place rating: 4
Richmond, Canada
I didn’t think I’d like Mexican food that was vegetarian, but to my pleasant surprise, I really like this place. For my second visit I had the Ronny Russell baked burrito and I really liked the mild sweetness of the burrito. I had their ginger beer and while I prefer mine to be sweeter, it was still tasty. I’ll be back for a third visit… And a fourth… And a fifth…
Place rating: 5
Vancouver, Canada
Love the chocolate quinoa cake! Rest all as expected! Servers could be a bit unfriendly or bland.
Place rating: 3
Hope, Canada
This place has great hours, which is probably why we ended up there in the first place. Unfortunately after a week long vacation in the Big Easy this vegetarian restaurant was actually a bit of a let down.
Everything was vegetarian! But I can’t complain about that, it being a vegetarian place and all…
A couple great things about it — has earnest ice cream on the dessert menu, also a great Habenero house made salsa.
I think they could have faster service, and better music. They were playing portishead, which was also a little bit of a downer. Really dreary. I couldn’t wait to leave. The menu has a lot of beans and tofu. I think if I was a vegetarian I might give it 4 stars, but I’m not, so I say 3 stars.
If you are a vegetarian you might want to try it out.
Place rating: 4
Vancouver, Canada
This place is awesome! The artwork is a little scary (changes regularly) apparently, and the service is typical of a vegan/​vegetarian joint (aka, slow).
The good news is the food itself is fabulous! I had the black bean enchiladas with guac and they were cheesy and delicious and loaded with black beans. You have an option of salad or rice and beans, I opted salad and was glad it did! This is a real salad with mixed greens (not that fake lettuce), onions, cheese, and other deliciousness I can’t remember.
The even better news? I heard their breakfast is outstanding and I can’t wait to try it!
Place rating: 5
Vancouver, Canada
Awesome place for brunch. Smaller space so it fills up quick but went with my mom and gf who were both veggies and we all loved it.
Place rating: 5
Yaletown, Vancouver, Canada
SO GREAT!
I loved my first night eating here. The food is delicious. Correction, the vegetarian food is delicious.
This unique take on veggie Mexican cuisine is so good because of the thought put into the menu. It’s not just a case of regular Mexican food with tofu or extra beans as meat substitutes, they’ve actually put (heaven forbid) serious brain power into how to make the food interesting. The fact that it’s all vegetarian is just a happy bonus.
Take one of the taco recipes for example: Walnuts, pinto beans, cheese, apple salsa, purple cabbage, roasted red pepper sauce. So good. Plus they supply an unbelievably great homemade salsa condiment.
Also a shout out for the homemade guacamole and chips (while you wait for your tacos., natch).
Place rating: 2
Vancouver, Canada
It’s funny how your experience at a veggie restaurant changes when you visit with non-​veggie pals.
Let me be clear: I don’t identify as veggie or vegan or omni or carni. I just eat what I like. And although I eat meat, it’s not uncommon for me to eat a week’s worth of meatless meals.
Bandidas has some yummy dishes. Like the breakfast burrito or tacos. And all my veggie pals rave about it. But last time I was there with a non-​veggie friend, I realized that the dishes are essentially all the same. Cabbage, yams, beans. So if variety is your jam, Bandidas probably won’t become your regular spot.
And the service isn’t great. Maybe they figure they don’t have to try so hard because it’s a popular Vancouver spot (LOTS of veggies in Vancouver).
Last time I was there, a dark haired waitress was SO rude I’m not sure I will ever return. She acted like I was invisible, refusing to make eye contact, lazily motioning at the debit machine on the counter when I was ready to pay. WAITING for ME to let her know I needed the machine. Uh, so does this mean you don’t want my money? Cause, yeah, I’m happy to dash. No hello. No goodbye.
You know, when they refer to Vancouver as an unwelcoming city, THIS is exactly what they are talking about.
Place rating: 3
Vancouver, Canada
Not authentic Mexican food, let’s get that out of the way first. It’s a hippie fusion food joint, clear and straight. The Mexican titles are more about the idea, than the contents. Tacos being corn tortillas holding things — plus overall expectation of salsa, beans, and avocado being involved frequently across the menu.
If you are a decent cook, you can cook like this or better easily at home. So on the good side — if you like to cook but are too tired, etc, this is a decent enough place to have dinner. But it isn’t the place for a WOW meal, or a treat/​special meal.
Has good vegetarian options, well-​priced meals, and is good for people who enjoy vegetables — I know I do! I appreciated the flavorful side salad, and the garlic-​y salsa on the table. My companion and I ate half the dang jar of the table salsa. If only everything was as flavorful as that salsa!
Scene? Its got the hipster vibe in full effect, and the hippie menu complete with tempeh and crazy menu item names.
My dining companion had the cinnamon flan for dessert. It was overcooked, and curdled. Maybe that was just an unlucky night for the dessert menu, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt on that one.
Place rating: 4
Vancouver, Canada
I think I would give this a solid 3.5 stars but went with a 4 since 3 seems a little too low for me.
I had dinner here last week and had no real complaints. My partner and I shared a small portion of guacamole and chips and then I got 3 tacos and he got a baked burrito. We were happy with the flavours and found the serving size to be generous and left feeling satisfied.
Is this authentic Mexican food? Probably not. But does it taste good? Yes!
The flavours might not be mind blowing and perhaps the meals lack some finesse but we still enjoyed our dinner and would definitely return. The pricepoint was great, service was warm and the venue was really nice and cosy (especially on a rainy night).
Place rating: 5
Vancouver, Canada
Banditas, I love you. As a kid I used to watch that horrible Ritchie Rich movie where he had his own McDonalds, and wish I had one, but now I wish I had my own 24hour Banditas.
I have never had a bad experience here, and I have come here a lot. The service is always great, and not over-​the-​top, table waits aren’t outrageous and there is so much on the menu to choose from. The tacos are delicious, the ronny russell burrito in a bowl is my go-​to. Chips and guacamole are tasty as well, and the portions are generous but not too generous (which I actually really like, I hate when potions are too big). The ratio of avocado is great (most places skimp) and the yams are fresh, and the dish isn’t overrun with rice. The food always comes out promptly and the home made hot sauce is a must try. They also have a vegan dessert option and ice cream, so you can join in on dessert too.
The ambience is always fun and jovial and the stafff friendly and knowledgable about the menu items and they’ll modify/​change things to suit your needs.
It’s so nice to have a place that has lots of vegan brunch options, but also a lot of other delicious options for those who eat anything. The brunch options are just amazing, and try the almond milk horchata with whatever you order.
I will keep coming back, and bringing my friends because this is a place for anyone to go and have good food and good service. The place feels cozy and welcoming. I hate the social eating stigma attached to being a vegan but this place makes it easier, so thank you Banditas!
Place rating: 5
Vancouver, Canada
Food was soooooo good!!! And the atmosphere of the place just makes you instantly happy when you walk in the door, it definitely woke me up and made me smile. I had breakfast there and it was 100% filling the plates are fairly big and the food is so homey and not to mention tasty! I recommend to anyone its a great place to go to!
Place rating: 4
Vancouver, Canada
The flavours are awesome!
Being relatively new (2 months) to veganism this place was bookmarked long before I arrived.
The restaurant has the bohemian-​commercial drive feel and look, right down to the mildly sketchy washrooms. It’s average in cleanliness. Service was average, slightly friendly… Although she lightened up throughout our meal.
The homemade hot sauce placed on your table when you sit down kind of grosses me out; someone could lick the spoon, double dip, or put something in there. So not a fan of that, I feel small dishes or a squeeze bottle would be more hygienic.
I ordered a plate of tacos and my carnivore partner ordered the chipotle tofu enchiladas. The rice and beans and guacamole add on were worth it. The tacos were awesome, the tortillas were just a tad soggy but the flavours and textures were delicious! The enchiladas were good, although perhaps too much of a mass of tofu to enjoy in one sitting — they were pretty dense. The flavours of the enchiladas were excellent, carnivore approved.
Delicious hot and fresh salt spring coffee and Earnest vegan chocolate ice cream capped off this great meal.
We’ll be back for sure!
Place rating: 5
Vancouver, Canada
Frais et délicieux! Je recommande vivement cet endroit! Ambiance décontractée, l’endroit est cosy et a un charme un peu à l’ancienne.
On né se sent pas en manqué de viande car on nous sert des aliments relativement consistants.
les tacos né sont pas spicy et c’est très appréciable! Par contre attention à la sauce qu’on vous donne au début, c’est vachement hard!
Ce n’est pas cher du tout, le personnel est agréable. Very nice place!
Place rating: 5
Burnaby, Canada
i’m doling out five stars for bandidas: it’s become my go-​to spot for brunch, and andale andale amiga, it’s delicious, yummy, and über filling.
went to bandidas when they first opened years ago and was pretty unimpressed. forward to this summer, and mmm, i’m a convert. in fact, i crave their food from croatia. how’s that? (mind you, it could be that the veggie, much less vegan, options are seriously limited, as in null & void, nil, diddly squat, jack sh*t and sweet f*ck all, y’all).
ok, soooo… the last two times i’ve been there, i ordered the hick’s benny, veganised. the guy at the next table ordered it and it was colourful, filled with veggies, smelled insanely delicious, and packed to the brim. i actually said, «i’ll have what he’s having.»
here’s what vegan hick’s benny entails: a plate filled with tofu scramble, butternut squash, roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes, pinto beans, guacamole, and salsa piled atop corn muffins. see what i mean? a veritable rainbow of vegan goodness.
see the pics, then go and get one of ‘em vegan hick’s bennies. fark.
Place rating: 5
Vancouver, Canada
Always amazing!
The staff are friendly and the service is quick. The food is unreal! I always recommend that you get a burrito and treat yourself to the hibiscus lemonade.
I love taking people that have never been because it never disappoints!
It’s the one place that never makes me miss meat.
Place rating: 5
Vancouver, Canada
If you have a dancing plethora of food sensitivities but still want to eat food that doesn’t fall apart in your hands, look no further!
I’ve been here a few times, and I’ve heard it can get crazy busy, but somehow whenever I’ve gone I’ve been lucky and it hasn’t been too insane. I’ve always been able to find a table.
I’m lactose/​gluten intolerant, and quesadillas are usually a distant dream for me, but Bandidas has corn tortillas with Daiya soy cheese as well as in-​house dairy-​free sour cream! I had my fill of delicious quesadillas and I didn’t even feel like my world was going to fall apart afterwards –I would give it 5 stars for that alone.
I love the ambiance, the décor is awesome. It’s kind of like hipster with a bit of knick-​knackery vintage. It works.
They also have an awesome array of beverages, including Moscow Mules! Their Hibiscus Lemonade is delicious as well.
Love this place, love that it’s in my neighbourhood, will absolutely be coming back often.
Place rating: 5
Barcelona, Spain
This place is phenomenal.
Plenty of options, reasonable prices, agile service, and top notch quality. We went there for breakfast, where your cup of coffee is filled every now and then.
I highly recommend this place!
Place rating: 4
Surrey, Canada
Mexican vegetarian = mexitarian???
Not a lot of Mexican vegetarian places in Van so this place fits the bill. The food is flavourful and overall decently priced. I’m kinda on the 3 – 4 star rating fence. Here’s why.
I came here on a Monday evening and the place was packed until 930. Was the food good enough to warrant this? You bet. I had the fajitas ($ 12) and two tacos ($ 6).
The filling for the Fajitas consisted of mushrooms, poblano peppers and weird looking tofu. Flavourful regardless. My only gripe about the tortilla was that it was pretty dry and ripped too easily. Not a big deal, except the food here is kinda wet and soggy. I can’t really describe it better. The food is good… but I feel like straining the food would have helped. Beans were good, rice was OK. Purple cabbage was tasty.
The two potato tacos were decent. Pretty solid but again… just… Soggy. I’m led to believe this is just how they wanna serve it. I’ll go with it. And is it just me or are Vancouver tacos overpriced? 3 bucks per veggie taco…
Special mention to the table side hot sauce — nice kick and has decent flavour.
This place gets 4 stars cuz its got good food (despite my nitpicking) and a decent atmosphere. I’d come back and maybe give the burritos a try.
Place rating: 5
Seattle, WA
Bandidas Taqueria is my favorite Mexican food restaurant. The dishes we ordered were absolutely delicious (you can order any dish made vegan).
I loved the chiles rellenos and enchiladas in green sauce. The horchata was delicious. The house sauce is so good, but so very hot!
No frills restaurant with super authentic menu.
Now, can you please open a restaurant in Seattle?
— — — — — —
Bandidas Taqueria es ahora mi restaurante favorito de comida Mexicana. Los platillos que ordenamos estaban absolutamente deliciosos. Los platillos pueden ordenarse completamente vegetal (sin ingredientes animales).
Me encantaron los chiles rellenos y las enchiladas en salsa verde. La horchata estaba riquísima. La salsa de la casa está super rica, pero muy enchilosa!
Restaurante sencillo pero todos los platillos están riquísimos.
Porqué no abren un restaurante en Seattle?
Place rating: 5
Vancouver, Canada
This place is like Mexican-​vegetarian food heaven. I ordered the baked burrito called Leona Gayle. It’s so yummy. It had pinto beans, cheese, tofu, lettuce, seeds wrapped in handmade tortilla.
Everything looks delicious. I kept ogling other tables orders. This is a busy place. You can tell everyone’s worshipping their plates before devouring what’s in it.
I will definitely come back and try everything on the menu.
Place rating: 5
Vancouver, Canada
This is everything great vegetarian food should be: hearty, delicious, healthy. I was (mostly) vegetarian for the first 18 years of my life and the food at Bandidas is so good I (almost) want to go back to my meatless life!
I’ve never been a fan of tofu and I love that there are so many protein rich options that don’t have tofu. I keep trying to eat other things here, but their baked burritos are just too darn good! I’ve tried almost all of them but the Bobcat has to be my favourite — there’s nothing like carbs on carbs slathered in cheese! Potatoes, caramelized onions, pinto beans, cheese, sour cream, & roasted salsa all bundled into a cozy wrap and slathered in more cheese that gets baked until bubbly and melty. Serve that with a killer little salad, coat the thing with hot sauce and dig in! Their hibiscus lemonade is also unreal, especially when tequila gets added!
The cornbread with brunch is stupid good, although I find it gets a little soggy with the bennys — all the better to smush everything together and inhale it!
The décor is pretty hipster, but crossed with your kooky Aunt’s kitchen — think lots of plants, linoleum tablecloths, and tiled floors. Everything is a little older, but very comfortable. It gets super busy so make sure you get there early as there’s usually a line out of the door!