Ambiance: big spacious restaurant with outdoor patio. Great vibrant artwork Service: there was a political gathering at one end of the restaurant and our party was at the bar. They were understaffed and the bartender kept on forgetting to get me a napkin after I asked her 3 times. Food: food was average I came for a meetup and thank goodness my friends were there. read more

Banditos Bar & Kitchen Fairfax - Tacos Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Came across this place and decided to go in. I mean, it says tacos and ya just can't go wrong with tacos. The front staff was nice and thoughtful as we brought our little peanut. They do provide high chairs and seating option to ensure your peanut is ok. The menu had a variety of options. We went for the tacos. My fave was just the avocado. It was filling. I think two is good unless you're starving, go for three. We tried their refreshing cocktails and it was good. I recommend going for happy hour to save a buck or two because the full price is not worth it in my opinion. Overall I'll come back when I'm in n the area. read more

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Happened to be at George Mason for a function and decided to grab dinner at Banditos. Sat at the bar because there was a wait due to the fact that it was Cinco De Mayo. I initially didn't mind the wait because I had a few margaritas while I waited for my chicken bowl and chicken tacos. Unfortunately, 45 minutes later I still didn't have my food. I eventually asked for my check and magically my food came out, but at that point I asked for my food to be boxed up to go. So I don't have any pictures of the food nor can I attest to the taste. Joseph, our bartender did discount the food and drinks but it's hard to overcome a 45 minutes wait for food. They did have a live mariachi band which was entertaining. If you're looking for quick Mexican food, Taco Bamba is right next door and you can get your food in minutes. Wouldn't recommend Banditos. read more

Banditos Bar & Kitchen Fairfax - Maricahi - Tacos Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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We like to come here every once in a while as a fun not too casual not too fancy place to get a sit down meal. Given it's next to another taco establishment the tacos are a cut below but sometimes you want to eat out and sit comfortably. The service has been fine and plenty of space. There are kids meals. The last time we went on a Wednesday (with free kids meal!) there was musical bingo and it was pretty entertaining. My favorite thing was the jalapeños popper empanadas. Not a fan of the K-pop taco. Nothing else was super memorable. Churros ok and available with chocolate sauce. Perfectly fine place to eat with family and friends. read more

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Happy hour at Banditos is my go to place for good food and drinks. The Nashville hot chicken taco is by far my favorite on the menu. It's perfectly crispy, with a delicious relish and cream on them. I tried the pollo asado and it was pretty decent if you're looking for a plain grilled chicken taco. My friend ordered queso and a quesadilla that was pretty huge. The Baja Rita was pretty okay, I thought for some reason it would have been sweeter in flavor but the passion fruit agua Fresca Mocktail was delicious and refreshing after the tacos. Happy hour runs from 3-7 on the weekday, I highly recommend it. read more

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Went out for a date night and had a decent experience. The food is good and I highly recommend the blackened fish tacos. However, I am sad to say that the Al pastor taco was not good. Al pastor is always my favorite and I was really looking forward to it, but it tasted completely burnt and had no flavor. My wife had the Carnitas taco salad, and that was pretty good. The staff were all very friendly and the service was quick. Overall, we had a good experience, but I was very disappointed with the Al Pastor taco. read more

Tacos were unique and DELICIOUS! Seriously A+. I want to write poetry in honor of the fried avocado taco. Only downside is that the food and drinks took quite a while to come out despite the restaurant not being too crowded. I'll overlook that tho and happily come back because the food was amazing!!!! read more

Food was decent, mocktail was pretty good, service was fine, but what really sells me on this place is how they give back to the community. We tried them because they are on my son's football team discount card, but I will keep going because of the paid meal program they advertise. read more

Banditos Bar & Kitchen Fairfax - Giving back to the community - Tacos Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

I visited with a group of friends, and unfortunately the experience was very disappointing. Our group is diverse, and it was hard not to notice that tables around us were seated and served much more promptly while we were repeatedly overlooked. Service was extremely poor. We were ignored by multiple waitresses and had to ask several times just to get basic attention. When we finally received our food, it arrived late and was underwhelming. The chimichanga I ordered didn't look appetizing at all -- it honestly resembled a large honey bun rather than what was expected. It became even more frustrating when we asked for our checks multiple times and were still ignored while other tables continued to be served. We also requested to speak with a manager, but no one acknowledged us. To top it off, they didn't have frozen margaritas available. Overall, this visit left us feeling overlooked and dissatisfied. I hope the restaurant takes steps to improve both service and food quality. read more

This is probably the last time we ate at this place as the delays are even more than what they have been in the past and the food is just not very good. Definitely not recommended. read more

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Banditos Tacos and Tequila was definitely a pleasant surprise. Despite it being a busy Friday night and not having a reservation, there was no wait for great booth seating - and the music was great. The Hamburger Nachos were scrumptious and were definitely shareable -- the portion size was huge!! I went with the Quesadilla Marina for my main course & devoured it!! The Old Bay seasoned shrimp and cilantro claw were THE perfect combo with the Chihuahua cheese Our server was super duper attentive and checked in often to make sure we had enough water and also weren't waiting to order anything else. read more

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Banditos was amazing! The food was bold and flavorful, the atmosphere was great, and Lyla made the whole experience even better her customer service was outstanding . I have to admit i LOVE their specialty tacos here and there Tequila old-fashion. Definitely a place worth visiting! Also you must try the CBR taco it's really good. read more

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The ambiance and decor is fantastic. The food wasn't very spectacular but it wasn't overpriced, either. Service was on the slow side and even though there were many tables, they crowded guests. The issue was the live band. Fantastic band who played well, however, IT WAS INSANELY LOUD. UNHEALTHY LEVELS THAT CAUSES PERMANENT DAMAGE. We had to leave immediately after they started and couldn't enjoy our meal. On the day we visited, they were hosting events for small children so there were about 30 children there and they thought it was a good idea to bring in nightclub level audio hitting 100db??! read more

Banditos Bar & Kitchen Fairfax - Tacos Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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I'd love to give it 2.5 but it's not an option It's fine... it's just not good but not horrible. My favorite part was the decor and atmosphere. It seems like you could have a fun group night here. Our server was friendly. The food... just boring. I want more flavor in my Mexican food. I ordered bang bang shrimp... no bang bang happening. They weren't bad just boring. read more

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Banditos was actually pretty bad , the food was bland, the portions small and I didn't see a Mexican in the whole place. Best stay away if you are under 60 or not from the mid-west. read more

Banditos Bar & Kitchen Fairfax - What is this? It was on my plate - Tacos Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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Food: 9 Service: 10 ‍ Ambiance: 10 Big party for sibling's birthday celebration-only one server but she did awesome even accommodating a couple toddlers. Banditos really shined with its extra holiday decor and unique murals/paintings especially around this time of year with the pre-Halloween and Dia de Los Muertos vibes going on. read more

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It was overpriced modern Mexican food. The service was a bit slow during lunch, but the staff was friendly and even offered us a booth. I really liked the interior decor; it felt cozy and had a good vibe. The tacos were delicious and cost four dollars each, which is pretty standard in NoVA. Personally, I would stick with just the tacos and skip everything else. Parking was easy. And if you are looking to spot a few hottie students, then this could be a spot : ) read more

Americanized taco restaurant. Low quality. Chips were undercooked, had to ask for new ones and some of it was still undercooked. The tacos were okay, nothing to rave about. It's a decent spot if you want drinks and watch some television, but the restaurant is underwhelming with service. The tables were bare, we had to ask for utensils and napkins. I prefer taco bamba over this. read more

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The tacos ($8) each were horrible. I've had better at Taco Bell. The service was mid and left much to be desired. The ambience was good, but the seating at the booths was worse than an economy seat on frontier airlines. I would recommend this to people I don't like. Take some cooking lessons, try a taco from Mancha Cocina Mexicana, seriously!!! read more

Overall, 3.5/5 - really wish they had .5 stars on Yelp but will bump it to a 4/5 since my overall experience was OK. Banditos Tacos is definitely a pretty Americanized taco place with cocktails and other drinks. The interior has a lot of neon colors and modern-retro night life feel. Seems like a local tacos chain in the DMV with one other location in Florida. You'll find that the tacos are $4-6 each which isn't cheap if you're getting multiple. My friend and I came here for dinner this past Wednesday and the service was relatively fast (maybe because I had low expectations after reading the Yelp reviews). My friend and I each got three tacos (as recommended by our server) and an appetizer to share. CHIPS & GUACAMOLE - 12 This was actually a sizable portion. Between my friend and me, we weren't able to finish all of it. The guac was decent as it was creamy, chunky and well-seasoned. The chips were super thick and much too fried (too heavy for the two of us). Some of it didn't have much seasoning (which is fine since we have the guac) but other pieces had way, WAY, too much seasoning and it was gross. Overall, not a bad appetizer to share. I'd probably get it again if I had 3-4 others to share it with. DYNAMITE (BLACKENED) FISH TACO - 5 The cod was surprisingly soft, flavorful, and perfectly cooked. The sweet chili slaw and chipotle mayo were tasty but made the taco too creamy and heavy, in my opinion. This taco came with a flour tortilla but I think you can substitute it with corn. Overall, not bad if you like a creamy fish taco! BIRRIA TACO - 5.50 This was probably my favorite taco I had out of the three I got. It was also the heaviest one (sadly) with the braised birria beef and birria consome (which was flavorful and delicious). The taco was a bit too oily (it was dripping everywhere haha) but definitely the tastiest. I would highly recommend giving this taco a try and it comes with a corn tortilla (that's pretty crispy). AL PASTOR TACO - 4.50 By the time I got to this taco, I didn't want any more tortilla or carbs. So I just ate the al pastor, onions and roasted pineapple chunks, which were all pretty good. Nothing to complain about but also nothing to write home about. Maybe three tacos was too much since we also got an appetizer. Overall, not a bad Americanized tacos location but not sure if I'll be back since I live so far from here, lol. read more

Banditos Bar & Kitchen Fairfax - 78002Chips & Guacamole - Tacos Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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I came here for the first time for lunch with a girlfriend. I'm in LOVE with empanadas at Banditos. Probably the best from a restaurant I've had in my life! I ordered a strawberry margarita and had a steak bowl which were both really good. We had wonderful service! read more

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Solid 3. Cute place and good margaritas, but food portions and taste need improvement. First we Sat for 10 min with no one coming by to check. We flagged down a server and apparently the server who was in charge of our table disappeared and no one knew where they went. Ugh, what? Once we got that other server, he was decent, but then the food was disappointing. Ordered quesadilla and got there little pieces for $15-16? The dito bowl with mushrooms were so lacking in flavor, I didn't hardly touch it. The only saving grace were pineapple margaritas, reg margarita but at $17 they could give us more quantity. read more

Amazing service from our bartender Caleb last night. Drinks were quick and tasty. Would highly recommend! read more

Banditos Bar & Kitchen Fairfax - Tacos Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Tacos were yummy with unique toppings, service was quick and attentive, and ambiance was cool. Nothing to complain about! The tacos I tried were: Bang Bang Shrimo, Seoul Man, and Birria. All of them were amazing! I loved Seoul Man the most - the chicken had great flavor. The birria tacos were so juicy and flavorful with the consomme. The churros could've been fluffier and less dry, but they were decent and tasted good. Still, I would come back and recommend Banditos for some good tacos! read more

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The food was below average, in fact I felt bad that I had to pay. The place was dead in Tuesday, cold and no vibe. The service was subpar event when the place had only few tables busy. read more

The ambiance is cool, clean and comfortable. Open seating, large side bar, cool Mexican pictures and the best tequila option. Expensive but quite a cool story about tequila. No patron tequila, option. Restaurant bathrooms are spacious and clean. Cool vive. The manager Megan, came and made a presentation and good welcome. The salsa, was amazing. Real tomato's good spicy kick. Tacos, have flavor, not your average taco place. Sweet, salty and spicy tacos that even moms tacos could compare. 10/10 food, drinks 7/10 good price, ambience 10/10! Recommend to friends and family. Good for large groups. read more

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We came to Banditos for happy hour recently. They took over Brion's Grille but it seems much bigger than before. There is plenty of space inside and outside to enjoy tacos or a drink. I ordered a pineapple margarita and some tacos from their happy hour menu. Our food and drinks came relatively quickly. My margarita was tasty and the tacos were good. Service was good throughout our meal and our server was friendly. Not a bad spot for tacos. Good location being right across George Mason. But in my humble opinion, I prefer Taco Bamba which is next door. read more

Banditos Bar & Kitchen Fairfax - Tacos Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

Got my delivery order wrong again and won't refund or make right. Has gotten progressively worse over time. I suggest to find another place to eat. read more

Food wasn't very good at all. Problems in back with cooking appliances causing long delay for food. Apart from that our server, Tony, was great! Pleasant and helpful, kept us informed of issues in back. Would have been a miserable night all around if not for him read more

A stones throw away from GMU, Banditos is nestled away in University Plaza. The outside is unassuming, however, once you walk inside you're greeted by friendly wait staff and a sprawling dining space. We ordered the Tres Amigos as an appetizer, and was large enough to be a meal of its own. As a main course, I ordered the steak burrito. This girthy flour tortilla was filled to the max with steak, beans, rice, guacamole, and pico. There was so much stuffed inside I had to take it home! Don't sleep on the Choriqueso, white corn tortilla, chorizo, chihuahua cheese, poblanos, and chile salsa packed a flavorful punch with every bite. I will be coming back again. read more

Service was slow for carry out. I ordered 2 tacos and 2 people ordering after me but eating in received their food before me. read more

Banditos Bar & Kitchen Fairfax - Tacos Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

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We just tried Banditos for the first time and had a wonderful experience! Trevor provided excellent service - he was very friendly, made recommendations, brought stickers for our kids, and checked on us multiple times throughout the meal. When my son didn't like his drink, Trevor offered to bring him something else. All the food we tried was very good! We had chips and queso, the fried avocado appetizer, 3 tacos (cheeseburger, Nashville hot & birria), and 2 kids meals (chicken tenders & cheese quesadilla). I also tried the strawberry margarita, which I would order again - not too sweet. Portions were big, which I felt resulted in some waste (too many chips on each plate) but otherwise no complaints. We will be back! Thank you! read more

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Came here on a Saturday afternoon and sat at the bar. Tacos were realllllyyy good and the service was quick. My soda was flat but still had a really good experience. They weren't sitting too many people at tables because they were about to host an event but the vibes were still pretty good. I would come back read more

I've gone twice and the food is great. Servers were also very nice and the ambiance was nice

The food and service here is absolutely fantastic, one of the waiters ran over to get candles for a birthday cake we brought in. It is one of the nicest things that has happen to us at a restaurant. read more

Great food, lively atmosphere, and excellent drinks! The bartender Diego was fantastic--friendly, fast, and made amazing cocktails. Will definitely be back! read more

LOVE this place, my friends and I like to come here for happy hour. it's always kind of dead in here though, hoping it doesn't go out of business. service is always great. the happy hour prices arent bad, wish the birria taco was included in happy hour because it's the best. ngl the black toilets in the bathroom always throw me off. read more

Banditos Bar & Kitchen Fairfax - birria and carnitas tacos - Tacos Near Me - Fairfax, Virginia

First time I have been to this restaurant. They were supporting GMU Archery with a percentage of their business today going to that club. I ordered online. It was ready in 20 minutes. I arrived 2 minutes early. It was ready when promised and the food was delicious. Recommend this restaurant in Fairfax University Mall location. read more

This place was cute! It was my first time here and Julie was my server. She was very helpful with explaining the menu, and was an overall great vibe! The food and drinks were great, I'll definitely be coming back! read more

Had to try this place, it was awesome! Tacos are different than at any other place. My friends and I ordered drinks and they were all on point. We had the quesabiiria dip and it was solid. Loved it. Their bang bang Shrimp, Midnight Havana and pollo asado were recommended by Grace, our server. She actually helped us pick out our food since some of us were allergic to some ingredients. She was awesome! I would definitely comeback soon and recommend this place to anyone craving some good tacos! read more