Reviews for Bandido's Mexican Cafe in Chapel Hill, NC

I purchased the Sonora Shrimp under their "On the Lighter Side" section of the menu while at the nextdoor brewery. Bandido's... provided the menu and brought over the food. I had not planned on ordering, but had missed lunch and dinner and needed somethingto hit my protein goal. I ordered the Sonora Shrimp. I have to say, with great hesitation because I don't want to drag anyonedown, that this was the worst Mexican food I have ever eaten. There were five dime sized shrimp buried in sauce and cheese. Iwould have been better off microwaving shrimp at home, which is a shame because I was ravenous. I was disappointed and couldpractically see my $15 burning in front of me. I tried, but after I picked out the few shrimp I really couldn't eat anythingelse. It was certainly not a "light" meal nor anything that I imagined. They sure weren't as shy with the sauce, cheese, andrice as they were with the shrimp. I would have spoken up, but they were serving from across the street and I was not in theirrestaurant. I pray that the quality is better if you are physically there. I felt compelled to write this review so thatsomebody with a lick of sense can change things. However, I will not be giving them my business again. Please note that I wasnot IN their restaurant. The attached photos are my leftovers from the evening prior. So they don't look like they did in theirprime, but I assure you it wasn't much different. This is after I sifted through to find my five baby shrimp. They were buriedin the sauce graveyard. "On the lighter side" my tail. I hate to see Mexican food disrespected like this. I hope thingsimprove. They at least have to change their menu description. This was not "seasoned shrimp (...) grilled to perfection." Ittasted reheated and totally unseasoned. You can't hide the fact that you gave five measly shrimp by covering it in cheap filler.Especially for almost $20. Read more

Employees were friendly but food was terrible. Absolutely the worst food I've had in a very long time. Mostly inedible. Also,... there was a strong odor or fumes that were really offensive. Not a good experience. Read more

A UNC and Chapel Hill staple. Have been going here for many many years and will continue going for many more to come. If you... want good Mexican on campus, this is it! Read more

I got the Margarita Chicken Rice Bowl, and left satisfied. If anything, I would have traded a bit of the chicken for more... avocado/veggies. The size of the bowl makes the portion look a bit smaller than it is. The chips and salsa were also good (salsahas some heat) and I used some of the chips to dip in my bowl. Dining room was full of college students, some of whom were a bitloud, but that might have been the particular night (post finals). Read more

I?m not usually a fan of Mexican food, but Bandido?s is one of my friends favorite restaurants and we now go here every week!... I?ve loved almost everything, the quesadilla, the tacos, the pollo Acapulco, the rice, except the mole was a little more on thespicy side with not enough of a chocolate flavor for me. Also a little pricey to go too often. Staff is extremely friendly andaccommodating. Very busy on Thursday nights. Read more

It was our first time coming here and it was a great experience! They were very kind and the food was delicious. It can be hard... to find good authentic Mexican food these days but whenever in doubt, this is the place to go! Read more

My favorite place in Chapel Hill, do not let the lower rating make you think this isn?t the BEST Mexican restaurant in Chapel... Hill. I?ve been here more than 15 times in the years I was a student at UNC. The chicken enchiladas are so good. If you read thelower reviews it?s from years ago and it?s about the service and it being slow (I never had issues years back but I assure youthe service is amazing). The margarita pitcher is nice, but get the chose 3 chose 2 sides of chicken enchiladas. It?s so muchfood for an excellent value. You will not finish it, so split with person. Excellent value basically 6 bucks a person for a lotof food. The salsa table is nice, they refill the chips. I WISH I could give this place a higher rating. Also, they have actualhot salsa, the habanero has a very nice kick to it and if they have an excellent selection of other salsas. Read more

This was our first visit to Bandido's Mexican Cafe and we loved everything about it. The food was delicious, the service was... wonderful and the atmosphere was so charming and fun. We will definitely be back! Read more