Bandidas Taqueria

Bandidas Taqueria
2781 Commercial Drive
Vancouver, BC

When I think counterculture in Vancouver, the first place that will pop to my head is Kitsilano. Not far behind? Commercial Drive. One of the great attractions of The Drive is the combination of houses and business, plus the ethnicity of the area. For example, in a couple of blocks, you can “feel” Italian and Portuguese; but you can find almost any restaurant types there, like Ethiopian, Jamaican, Salvadorean and so on. Just outside of the unofficial boundaries of The Drive is Bandidas Taqueria, a place that caught my attention thanks to fellow Urbanspoon reviewer vanfoodman.

How “outside”? Broadway/Commercial SkyTrain stations are usually referenced as the boundaries but, technically, Bandidas Taqueria is in Commercial Drive (the street) so it should be considered to be part of it as well, right? After all, three blocks south is just a stone’s throw away…

Once you walked in, you can feel the same charm as several Commercial Drive cafe’s. Sure, if you look at the pictures above, it looks like it is still under construction, a work in progress. If that’s the case, don’t be taken aback; instead, think it is part of the charm.

For drinks, I went for the fresh cranberry soda.

While fresh might be an exaggeration, it was quite interesting. I will admit this might not be for everybody: it was not sweet at all, in fact, to some it might be flat. However, I found it refreshing.

Now, for the food. With the word taquerias, the first thing that will come to mind is Mexican. While that is true, let’s just say it is Mexican with a twist. More on that later. I ordered an item called Ronny Russell tacos, which has roasted yams, onions, avocado, black beans, green salsa and purple cabbage salad. In my case, I ordered four pieces.

Not mentioned in the description, it had some pumpkin seeds on top. Whether this was added because I was snapping pictures or it actually comes with it, I can’t say.

Now, here is the twist. A lot of you might have noticed based on the description of this item above: no meat listed. Yes, this seems to be a mostly vegetarian place (though they have eggs in the breakfast items and use cheese). Being a meat eater myself, the question was how much I would enjoy it. And enjoyed it I did, as the combination of the sweetness of the yam plus the slight crunchiness of the cabbage made it interesting enough. Of course, other meat eaters will have a different perspective so YMMV!

Finally, to finish the meal, I had a brownie, again, as per vanfoodman’s suggestion. Of the whole meal, I will have to say this is the one part that disappointed me a little bit. When I have a brownie, I expect certain degree of moistness; however, this one dry. Probably high expectations.

Overall, I like this place but this might not be for everybody. Sure, it has The Drive’s feeling but that might be a distraction to some. Also, the fact their menu does not contain meat might, again, be a distraction to some eaters. But, regardless, I think you should give it a chance. I gave it a chance and I am glad I did.

Tagged under: Mexican • Vancouver