El Bandito

Fab food. Good service. Good prices too. A little gem. Need more places like this in South East London. Can be very noisy on a Friday night though. Will be coming here again... and again... and again!

Had to give it one star as I had no choice. Over all very poor service, food was just like microwave you can do at home. Took our drink order come back saying they had run out of one of the beers, girls ordered a pitcher of cocktail when it arrived and we poured it out waiter then asked for ID after, unfortunately we had no ID but it was a family 50th birthday. My beer was warm, wrong salsa delivered and plates were collected whilst still eating. Left at 2045 on a Saturday night 28.07.18 to an empty restaurant. Totally ruined the birthday.In response to your reply (see below), the children" are 19

Oh dear. I went to this restaurant on the recommendations of other reviewers. Unfortunately, the food is not good at all. We ordered a number of dishes and found that the beef chilli nachos had almost no chilli on them at all, the fajitas were extremely bland and lacking of sufficient accompaniments, and the beef tacos were also disappointing. The place is as it appears, a restaurant serving Mexican food without any real consideration to quality. It's hugely overpriced for what is.

We had a party of 29, the food was amazing, the wait was 10 minutes or less, the prices were reasonable, staff were helpful and friendly. This is my 3rd visit and would definitely go again

Very good restaurant. Cocktails are excellent and there is no stingyness like a lot of central London bars. It actually feels like good value for money. The staff are brilliant. My steak was overdone (though still perfectly edible and tasty) and the staff almost insisted I had a new steak, which was cooked absolutely perfectly. There was no fuss and no problem. Fantastic place with a good atmosphere.

Came for dinner with my partner for Valentine's. It has to be the nicest Mexican ive been to and ive visited a lot of these as its my favourite food. The interior is clean and spacious, music is mostly authentic and our food was served quickly. My partner had steak and I had the chicken. Both dishes were very good and there was no room for desert as you get plenty on your plate! The staff were friendly and attentive and we left talking about our recent holiday to Mexico as this place took us back there. Well done, we will be back!

Highly recommended!! Beautiful food, friendly staff and amazing cocktails. If your in the area you wont be disappointed. I recommend trying the Baileys Banana cocktail!! Oh and not forgetting the Sizzling Chicken Fajitas.

Been go to El Bandito for years. My fav restaurant. Will never return after last night. New staff. No atmosphere at all. Cocktail watery and tasteless. Sizzling meals changed now comes in sweet chilli sauce which I love, but was peppers potato broccoli and carrot sauce. So disappointed. First time ever had one cocktail and did not eat food. So sad my bestest restaurant has disappeared.

I haven't had a chance to eat at the El Bandito to rate them for their food but would give big zero for customer service and attitude and that was just over the phone! I was planning my birthday meal with friends and wanted somewhere local, fun and friendly so Mexican cuisine restaurant was perfect! I phoned about a month in advance to secure a table for 10 people. Although the initial contact was friendly I was asked to move the booking for half an hour later to fit with the restaurant system. I was asked to call back to confirm the numbers and pay a deposit in over a week before the date. I admit that I missed the agreed call back date being busy with family matters. About three days to my planned birthday meal I received a voicemail that my booking was cancelled. I phoned back to reconfirm my plans but was greeted with so much arrogance and bad manners while being lectured on how business runs suggesting I was wasting their time, won't turn up and being made to feel as though I serve them rather than being treated as a customer!!! I really have no problem with businesses taking deposits or card details for peace of mind as I often dine out locally and in central London but won't be bullied into it.... Needless to say that I completely lost any desire to go and take my friends to El Bandito and they lost 10 customers!!! Also being self-employed myself I don't understand how an independent business can go and upset potential clients gaining themselves a negative reputation on a very essential part of any trade which is Customer Service! Subsequently we did book and had an absolutely brilliant time at another new Mexican restaurant Cucarachas on the Sidcup High Street with great food, friendly staff and attentive service!!!

We found the atmosphere and service to be great however the food falls a little short. Some of the dishes were a little cold on arrival and I was disappointed that the guacamole was not freshly made (it tasted as if it was from a big pre-made tub). The dishes were lacking on meat and I thought on the cheese too. We were comparing it to the Mexican restaurant that used to be in Sidcup High Street so they had a lot to live up to. I think if you expect cheap and cheerful then you will have a great time.