Editor Pick
My Husband's Favorite Mexican Restaurant - Bandito's Cantina
- August 3, 2008
- Rated 4 of 5 by
golden101 from Honokaa, Hawaii
Every time we go to Honolulu my husband always wants to eat at Bandito's at the Pearlridge Shopping Center. He will drive over 10 miles from our hotel in Waikiki to eat at this restaurant. I like the service, the food, and the Mexican atmosphere of the restaurant. We went to Bandito's a few weeks ago and it was wonderful as usual. The hostess was friendly and immediately found us a table downstairs. My husband ordered their Mole Enchiladas which are
two shredded chicken enchiladas with fresh homemade flour tortillas smothered with a sweet and spicy mole poblano sauce and topped with piquant sour cream. The chicken enchilada came with refried beans and Mexican rice. Since I can't eat a full meal, we decided to share his meal. The waitress bought us a basket of tortilla chips and salsa for an appetizer (free of charge). I ordered a glass of milk (it was huge) and my husband ordered a margarita (in a large glass). I noticed that the food at Bandito's does not taste like the food at Pancho and Lefty's in Kona or Luquins in Pahoa. The salsa at Bandito's is not spicy but it is really thick and it tastes like tomato paste. I ate part of my husband's chicken enchilada which tasted a little sweet. He told me that the cook probably added cinnamon or nutmeg to the sauce so it tasted a bit sweet. Also I noticed that the cook uses a flour tortilla for the enchilada instead of a corn tortilla which other cooks at other Mexican restaurants usually use. Their Numex Specialty plates (which we ordered) are reasonably priced (around $11.95) and their portions are large (their plates include refried beans, whole pinto beans or black beans with Mexican or steamed rice). Some of their other Numex Specialty plates included their snowcrab enchiladas, blackened tacos, and chile Colorado steak, and tacos al carbone. They also have appetizers (like Bandito's sampler, jalapeno poppers, nachos, potato skins, quesadillas), salads (Ceasar salad, taco salad, steak salad, nacho salad), and sandwiches (Bandito's burger, chicken sandwich, kalua pork sandwich). These items range from $6.00 - $9.00. Our waiter was very attentive and came to our table several times to make sure that everything was okay. He asked us if we wanted dessert but we were both full. The restaurant is like a dark maze since you need to walk upstairs then downstairs to get to the dining area. The interior of the restaurant is dark with brick walls lined with Mexican hats and blankets. There are booths that line the outer edges of the dining area that are ideal for families. The noise level is very low so you can have a quiet lunch or dinner. When we went it was not very crowded so service was fast. You don't need to make reservations at this restaurant for lunch but it may get crowded for dinner. There is a lot of parking across the street at Phase II. They are open daily from 11 a.m.
From journal Dining on Oahu