Vegan-friendly
Lacto
Ovo
Delivery
Take-out
Mexican
Serving bountiful, fresh, Mexican-inspired meals in a warm inviting space in the heart of East Vancouver since 2009. Also offers weekend brunch on fresh baked cornbread. Everything can be made vegan. Formerly known as Bandidas Taqueria Open Mon-Thu 4:00pm-10:00pm, Fri 4:00pm-11:00pm, Sat 10:00am-11:00pm, Sun 10:00am-10:00pm.
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2781 Commercial Dr, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V5N 4C5
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- Wheelchair accessible
- Accepts credit cards
- Free Wi-Fi
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Last update on 12 Aug 2023 by geometric-noise
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59 Reviews
First Review by christine_bean
caw
Points +2766
Great - Edit
Great vegan and veggie options, friendly staff and good atmosphere :)
Read moreGuest
thelifeofpie
Points +172
Great vegetarian and vegan options - Edit
This place is awesome! They ask you when you are ordering about any allergies so they can make your dish perfectly for you. Vegan burrito is life!
Read morePros: Allergy sensitive menu
Cons: Very crowded
Guest
Veggiedancer
Points +244
Good veggie Mexican - Edit
The food was pretty good, and the place is always busy!
Read moreGuest
MacGuru96
Points +115
Amazing (for this latitude)! - Edit
I came here to escape the scorching heat and fill a gaping, Texas-sized hole in my heart for Mexican food (quite certainly the only non-familial thing I miss from that boiling, car-addicted place that really isn’t suited for human habitation), and I wasn’t disappointed. In fact, given that this was one of the first Mexican restaurants I’ve been to where the vegan or veganisable options did not consist almost exclusively of grilled ‘fajita’ veggies and some corn tortillas, I was really quite chuffed!
Read moreThings were going brilliantly right from the get-go, as a friendly staff member—perhaps gathering from my Reykjavík tee that I wasn’t terribly fond of the relentless sun—brought me straight back to a wonderfully cool, dark and sun-devoid corner of the restaurant, from where I was approached by my server promptly thereafter. Having already seen what I wanted to get on Instagram (yup...this is 2018 all right!), I was able to order my veganised Hicks Benny on the spot, and it came out before I’d even finished replying to yet another apartment listing I’ll probably never get a response from on Craigslist. :D
The food itself? Well, considering it’s been at least a year since I’ve had my beloved cornbread, and far longer since I’ve had a benny that wasn’t just a slab of unseasoned tofu on a limp, barely-toasted English muffin, it definitely ticked both those boxes—or cut two carrots with one knife, if you will. If I had any criticism, it’d be that neither salsa they offered was particularly spicy or all that flavourful, though similar to my Mexican experiences in Vienna, Austria, I suppose I wasn’t expecting much else at this latitude. In any case, a spicier salsa, in heat and complexity alike, would be more than welcome.
I walked in for my first meal of the day and left with a full, happy, more-than-satisfied belly. Muchas gracias!
Pros: Nearly anything on the menu can be veganised, Great ambience, Friendly staff
Cons: Could be a bit more flavourful, Needs a spicier salsa
Guest
lmcc
Points +1203
THE breakfast - Edit
I had 'The Breakfast' made vegan and it exceeded expectations! The tofu/butternut squash scramble was unique and satisfying, the pico de gallo was fresh and zesty, the potatoes and sweet potatoes were great and the beans were really good. What was amazing was the corn bread - super delicious, warm, and even came with a vegan sweetened butter, rather than the menu standard 'honey butter'. If I'm in the area again, this place will be at the top of my list for brunch.
Read morePros: Friendly staff, Delicious and unique offerings
Guest
JessicaKlose
Points +552
Amazing Vegetarian Burrito Spot - Edit
Love this place. Cool vibes and great food what more could you ask for? I highly recommend always getting your vegan burrito baked and if it's breakfast get a side of veggie bacon!
Read morePros: vegetarian, quality food, good atmosphere
Cons: serves dairy
Guest
LindseyElizabeth
Points +739
Baked vegan burritos - Edit
Best baked burritos I've ever had. I love the amount of vegan options they either have or can alter to be vegan. Usually have at least one vegan dessert available, too. Definitely delicious :)
Read moreGuest
BrittanyMExplores
Points +341
Funky & Charming Mexican Restaurant with Delicious Vegan Options! - Edit
Bandidas Taqueria is a funky Mexican restaurant in the hip neighbourhood of Commercial Drive. Their menu features lots of vegan-friendly and gluten-free versions of classic Mexican meals and dishes like tacos, burritos, enchiladas, nachos, etc.
Read moreI ordered four of their mix and match tacos, all of which were very flavourful, unique and delicious. My favourite was the one with roasted pineapple! Their vegan horchata made with soy milk was also amazing.
The restaurant was cozy and casual and had a relaxed, charming and welcoming vibe and the decor was unique as well. There were large windows at the front, allowing in lots of natural light and the interior was spacious with lots of seating. The service was friendly and fast as well. The music was quite loud but other than that, I loved my experience eating here.
I would recommend Bandidas Taqueria for anyone wanting healthy, vegan and gluten-free Mexican food for a great price. I will definitely eat here again when I return to Vancouver.
Pros: Vegan and Gluten-Free Options, Delicious Mix and Match Tacos, Welcoming, Relaxed and Cozy Atmosphere
Cons: Loud Music
Guest
Shannonlea
Points +74
Best meal I ate in Vancouver - Edit
My husband and I took a recent trip to Vancouver and we ate breakfast here. It ended up being my favorite meal of the trip. I had the vegan benny. Amazing!
Read moreGuest
Traveller_for_liphe
Points +155
Absolutely amazing!!! - Edit
I have been here an uncountable number of times because I love this place so much. The burritos are such an amazing price and you get a big sized portion and they taste like heaven. I have taken meat eaters here too and they love it. It is so delicious I would eat it every day if it was closer to where I lived. I love you Bandidas!!!!!!
Read morePros: Most delicious burritos in Vancouver, Cheap, Big portions
Guest
Dopethrone91
Points +28
tacos y burritos - Edit
My new favourite restaurant, shared enchiladas, burritos and tacos, got everything veganized, delicious.
Read morePros: veganizable menu, close to sky train, whole foods
Guest
Posi Britt
Points +679
Amazing! - Edit
I can't believe I'd never been here before. One of my friends told me this place was ok but not on the must try list. I disagree. I REALLY liked this place. I only ordered a small lunch because I knew we were having a huge dinner later. I regret not ordering more. I had the tacos with the walnuts and apple and they were the best tacos I've ever eaten! My husband ordered a huge enchilada and I'm surprised he finished it. It was ginormous. The only downside is we went at a weird time during the day and it was still packed. The music is insanely loud but the food was totally worth it. Sad they didn't stay 24 hrs like they had planned to earlier in the year.
Read morePros: Best tacos!, Interesting flavour combinations, Neat artwork
Cons: Very loud, Always seems to be busy
Guest
VeggieVag
Points +160
Why do I keep going back? - Edit
Update:
Read moreI gave this place another shot a few months ago (which took a lot of convincing) and I'm glad I did. The attitude of the servers has changed from majorly snotty and stuck up to friendly and accommodating. The food has drastically improved and I order the drool worthy enchilada almost every time I go. The vegan caesars are killer and loaded with picked carrots which I could eat all day every day forever and ever. The one continuing problem is the wait. It is always packed and I've waited almost an hour before. It'll be nice when they complete the renovations and expand so this problem becomes less of a deterrent. It's also going to be 24 hours! Awesome!!
I'll tell you why, because I like creative vegan mexican food. I make it on the regular at home and it's a staple. However, this place has been bland time after time and the staff are simply horrible people. The flavours have improved a bit and the portions are a good size for the price but being treated like a POS is not the way you want to be treated when spending your hard earned dollars in any establishment. I'm always surprised at how packed it is considering how awful the staff are. I can't go back based on principle at this point. My tacos are pretty darn tasty too so I'm stacking to home cooking these days.
Updated from previous review on Monday October 20, 2014
Pros: Lots of vegan options, Huge portions, cool atmosphere
Cons: Lineup, took a long time to improve, they serve animal products
Guest
MadelineFrances
Points +46
THE BOMB DIGITY - Edit
This place is one of my favourites living here in Vancouver, fresh from T.O. It is always lovely to pop over to Commercial Drive to grab my delicious vegan tacos and burritos, I love the Wolf and Goat taco/burrito. I usually get a whole bunch of different ones like the Leona Gayle and the Connie's. Whatever you get it is going to be great. Price is great for what you get!!
Read morePros: DELICIOUS, GREAT PRICE, Easy to Veganize!
Cons: Would love to see an updated interior!, I'm imagining like a rustic desert look, It would be bomb
Guest
Nutmylk
Points +404
Great vegan options! - Edit
They have amazing vegan and vegetarian options here, I dont think i've seen any meat on the menu. Mostly everything can be turned into a vegan dish here! Their nachos are great, and I think it's called the 'wolf' taco, but that was great too. The food is always super fresh tasting and the staff love to joke and laugh with you. I also had a vegan spiked horchatta, it was a bit strong imo but it was very good. Went there twice, both with my vegan friends and my meat eater friends and everyone loved it!
Read morePros: vegan otions, fresh food, interesting
Cons: very busy
Guest
mooglemeadow
Points +17
best veg enchilada ever!!! - Edit
order the chipotle tofu enchilada with the house salad!!! soooooo good ❤️
Read morePros: good side salad, good portions, cool atmosphere
Cons: slow service, busy (long wait time), cramped
Guest
Elizi1549
Points +95
Really like it! - Edit
Having just read the last review of Bandidas I'm surprised by how different that person's experiences have been to mine! I've never had terrible service (although I admit I've had some definite apathetic service there) and I've always found the food to be really tasty. Particularly the enchiladas. I usually order the same thing each time because it's so good. It's usually packed and noisy, but I like it. The prices are reasonable too.
Read moreI only have one negative point to add: when my friend from the UK visited she went here by herself, and being the first restaurant in Canada she went to didn't realise that tipping 15% is the norm here (it isn't in the UK). After paying the bill and walking out, the server literally chased after her telling her she thought she was being rude for not tipping! Whilst I can totally understand that not tipping would indeed be insulting to the server, it was genuinely an honest mistake to make and my friend left feeling completely mortified. I'm sure this could have been dealt with in a kinder way.
Pros: Tasty enchiladas, Daiya cheese can be subbed, Good prices
Cons: Noisy, Not always very engaging staff, Long waits for tables sometimes
Guest
DM
Points +168
Great vegan breakfast - Edit
Love the vegan breakfast options. Especially Huevos Ranchero-style tofu scramble.
Read moreGuest
kenvegan
Points +13128
Healthy, Delicious Mexican Food - Edit
Based on other HappyCow reviews, I had a feeling this restaurant was going to be a good choice.
Read moreIt was later in the evening, and most veg-type restaurants close in Vancouver. Not Bandidas! They were open until 1AM.
Upon arriving, after looking through the window at what others had ordered, I had even a better feeling about this restaurant.
I ordered the tostadas with vegan cheese. Yes, this is a vegetarian restaurant, but all of the dishes can be made vegan. My dish was wonderful. Flavorful without being too salty or spicy. A fresh habanero sauce was put on our table, and I decided to spice things up a bit on my plate.
The portions was ample, the prices were reasonable, and the food was delivered to our table very quickly.
This restaurant is one of my favorites in Vancouver.
Pros: Fast service, delicious food
Guest
heywood100
Points +334
Busy, and with good reason - Edit
Like a lot of the good restaurants we went to in Vancouver, this one is randomly located on a road that otherwise looks like a suburban strip mall. It was very busy, and we soon found out why - the portions are large, and the food is tasty and filling. Recommended.
Read moreGuest
TableForOne
Points +310
A really cool find - Edit
This Mexican vegetarian restaurant is in a great area with lots of other veg eateries and health food shops nearby. I had the fajitas and they were excellent. I was dining with two omnivores and they were both happy with their meals too. For dessert we had the vegan choco-chip coconut cake. It was excellent and one slice was big enough for three to share!
Read moreIt was open till 12am so i went back for take-out later on. I got the house salad with tofu. It was great and i'd definitely come back. A really cool place with friendly staff.
Pros: Good food, Plenty of vegan choice, Friendly staff
Guest
lovela5
Points +232
amazing! love it - Edit
This is one of my favourite Mexican spots They are fully vegetarian so I don't have to worry about finding some meat in my food as it happens in those "vegetarian friendly" places.
Read moreI've been to Bandidas only once and I ordered soft tacos and tortilla soup. Besides that I also had their homemade lemonade. Everything was delicious and I will come back for sure.
Pros: Delicious food, Vegetarian! No meat, Lots of options
Cons: far from downtown :(, small restaurant, not enough sitting
Guest
shirley1
Points +340
Yummy - Edit
I had the Ronny Russell in a bowl as I wanted it gluten and corn free. I also had it vegan.
Read moreIt was a yummy bowl of food with roasted yams , blackbeans , avo , rice , and cabbage. It was very good and tasty.
I also had gluten free and vegan apple crumble. Very good.
Pros: Big portion, Yummy, Good price
Guest
philjdomm
Points +945
I had Better Brekky - Edit
title says all
Read moreCons: busy, tight, line up
Guest
DollyWiggles
Points +604
My go-to restaurant on The Drive - Edit
My favorite is the Stella burrito, but I've pretty much tried them all.I love how you can veganize anything. It's all pretty fantastic.
Read moreI also adore their two-bite vegan brownies and I any time I see that they have their vegan apple crumble on the desert board I almost always get it.
Depending on the time of day it can get pretty busy so sometimes you'll have to wait a bit. It's worth it though because you get a great meal in a really nice atmosphere with pretty helpful staff.
Pros: lots of vegan options for dinner/lunch, great atmosphere, good value
Cons: new breakfast menu not as vegan-friendly
Guest
kimward8
Points +574
Great vegan burritos! - Edit
The jicama salad is really good, and the vegan nachos with homemade sour cream are good too. The vegan burritos made enchilada style are still my favourite though! For drinks, the vegan horchata is delicious, and the hibiscus ice tea is very refreshing.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on Saturday May 29, 2010
Guest
Ape Wonder
Points +72
Walnut filling on homemade tortillas - Edit
Bandidas makes their own corn tortillas and fills them six different ways. My favorite is the Camillo which is filled with a spicy breaded walnut mix. The crunch really gives it a nice heartiness. Poblano pepper stuffed with beans and rice makes a great dish of comfort food. The soy milk horchata is my favorite. But don't miss the vegan two-bite brownie.
Read morePros: Lots of options, homemade tortillas, environmentally low impact
Cons: can be busy, parking may be hard to find
Guest
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