Napa favourite doesn’t really pull the punches
One final summer hurrah on the east coast of the island meant we also had to set ourselves up for a night out in the area. And when I say night out, I mean dinner and drinks.
Having been told that it can be quite fun, we headed to Los Bandidos in Ayia Napa. The fun started before we stepped foot in the restaurant as a large board with Mexican bandits on it and holes to put faces through is located at the door. And the waitress trying to locate our reservation was only too happy to take a photo of us posing as bandits.
Los Bandidos has been around for a very long time so they must be doing something right. It is famous for extravagant displays when it is someone’s birthday, so if you like being the centre of attention and wearing a sombrero, make sure you go when it’s your birthday!
We were brought menus and were surprised by what seemed like a lot of waiters. It only took one though to recommend cocktails based on our personal preferences and ensure the member of our group with special dietary requirements that changes could be made to the dishes to accommodate his needs.
As we were ordering dishes to share, we naturally started with nachos. They came with three different dips: guacamole, cheese and sour cream. The nachos were quite plain but the dips complemented them nicely. Warning, the cheesy dip is moreish.
In an attempt to be semi-healthy, we ordered the Ensalada Mexicana. I say semi-healthy because it comes doused in yet another cheese sauce, plus a meat of choice so we opted for chicken. I wouldn’t have thought it possible but the sauce enhanced the flavour of the salad. This was followed by chicken enchiladas topped with ranchero sauce and, yup, you guessed it, more cheese sauce. We also opted for a beef burrito, which again came topped with cheese. The flavour of the burrito was good but lacked the seasoning that you would expect from a Mexican dish. The texture of the minced meat filling was a little runny too which put a couple of people off.
Joining the line-up was the Quesadillas. A flour tortilla sandwich filled with cheese and a chicken filling. This was the “driest” (but still not dry) of the dishes and wasn’t exactly bursting with flavour but was fine. Of course, it wouldn’t be the full experience unless we ordered fajitas! When they were brought we could hear them sizzling which was great but we soon realised that the portion of meat was not generous, even though it initially looked so as it was piled on a mountain of onions.
After our meal, we asked if we could sit outside to have one last drink while enjoying the warm summer evening. We had felt a little rushed as it seemed they want a high turnover of tables. Seeing the queue of people at the door we understood why but still, it wasn’t the best feeling.
Outside, we ordered a pitcher of lemon margarita as it was highly recommended by the waiter. It didn’t take too long to arrive and we were looking forward to a refreshingly cold beverage. It was good but, it felt more like we were drinking a slightly melted lemon sorbet rather than an iced margarita. I didn’t mind it but had to remind myself that there was tequila in my sorbet and to take it easy!
The food at Los Bandidos wasn’t amazing but we didn’t leave thinking it was necessarily bad. Perhaps that was down to the selection of dishes that we chose? To be honest, before we agreed to share, I was eyeing up some of the grilled options, specifically the ribs cooked in Mexican spices. We witnessed one of the famous birthday celebrations and it did indeed look like it was a memorable experience. I wouldn’t rush back to Los Bandidos but would happily go if someone fancied doing a birthday there (maybe not mine though).
VITAL STATISTICS
SPECIALTY Mexican
WHERE Los Bandidos, Ari Velouchioti, Ayia Napa
WHEN 5-11pm daily
CONTACT 23 723258
HOW MUCH Enchilladas and Burritos €15.90, Quesdadillas €17.90, Ensalada Mexicana €12.50, Fajitas €18.50
