Banditos Bar & Kitchen Pentagon City

Not bad! We ordered for pickup and they forgot the Baja bowl. We live nearby so it was easy to come back and pick it up, and they gave free churros as an apology. Birria tacos were good and the dito burrito was my favorite. The Baja bowl was good but the fish was a little dry.

I love Mexican food. Like SO much. But finding good Mexican in the DMV area feels impossible sometimes. This place cannot be considered Mexican food. I left feeling gross, and the food was a sad attempt at an imitation of an imitation of Mexican food. (Because don't get me wrong, I love Tex-Mex, too) The salsa had decent flavor, but was very runny. The chips were fine. I ordered the chicken tinga enchiladas. I saw they had queso Blanco on them on the menu, and I got excited. I should not have been 🤪. The enchiladas were tightly rolled with very very shredded and weirdly floral spiced chicken in the middle. The queso was not flavorful, and got cold quickly, leaving the enchiladas heavy and uninspired, with too much corn tortilla per bite because they were so tightly rolled. The Mexican rice was awful. Like SO bad that I took one bite and then didn't touch them again. The beans were fine. I like beans and they're hard to mess up. (I would have said the same for rice though, but here we are.) My friends each got a salad and a burrito bowl, and they said they were alright ("I've had worse.") so maybe consider those. At least over the enchiladas. Food quality is most important to me, but just for kicks, our server was off the cuff. He got our orders without writing them down, and then bragged about it when our food came out. He only got us refills when our cups were entirely empty and we asked for refills specifically. I don't actually care that much, but I thought it was funny.

Excellent place to come for happy hour. My bartenders Riley and Max had great energy and made sure we were taken care of between drink quality and food service. They gave great recommendations and made me feel at home while being here! Thankyou guys, I will be back soon!

Visited Here For My Daughter Graduation Riley did an amazing job with our table. everything arrived super fast and hot!!! will definitely be returning. Food was amazing and the DRINKS were perfection!! 10/10

Banditos Tacos & Tequila is a fantastic spot! From the moment you walk in, the vibrant atmosphere and friendly staff make you feel right at home. The menu is diverse and offers a great variety of tacos, each bursting with flavor. The tequila selection is impressive, and the margaritas are simply the best I've ever had. The outdoor seating area adds a nice touch, perfect for enjoying a meal on a sunny day. Prices are reasonable, and the service is top-notch. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a fun and delicious dining experience!

Went here right before closing last night. Our server was great and attentive, but the food however was HIGHLY disappointing. Spent over 70 on our bill of two birria grilled cheeses, Nashville hot taco, bang bang shrimp taco, and two birria tacos, and the chorizo queso dip. Every thing tasted old and dry. Not sure if the cook was tired or if it was just all leftover meat but the birria was dry asf, the chicken in my taco was over fried, there was nothing hot about it, bang bang shrimp taco tasted unexplainably disgusting. The queso dip was probably the best part, but I was very excited to eat here, we drove from dc just because we loved the dip so much last time and wanted to try the other food. My thing is if you’re about to close and know you’re not going to put in the same effort in cooking, close the kitchen sooner! The menu has so many birria products, but couldn’t even get the taco right :( sad to say I did not enjoy my experience. It’s crazy taco is in the restaurant name but the tacos were that bad.

First time experience at Banditos. I was not disappointed! The atmosphere was the highlight for me, but also enjoyed the food for a good price. I would definitely recommend you check it out.

This was my first time dining here and it was totally worth it. My daughter has Celiac Disease and we often struggle to find places with options for her, let alone multiple options, and Banditos delivered in spades! She had so many options she struggled to pick what to get. Yoyo was our server and despite it being very busy in the outdoor seating where she was the only server she handled the tables very well. Despite a really rude customer at a table near us, she remained professional and polite. The food was delicious and fresh and they were diligent about my daughter’s allergy and took great care to keep her food safe from cross contamination.

Our experience was so good, I enjoyed the food so much and our server was so helpful and nice, thanks Aali for your service. I'll come back

Good food and drinks even better bartender Max keep doing you had a great time out with the homies good laugh great vibes

Within walking distance from the Pentagon, I stopped by one evening to celebrate a co-worker. To ensure we were accommodated properly, a reservation was made. We had no issues and this location is capable of hosting solo diners, taco Tuesday enthusiasts, and group diners. I enjoyed the pineapple margarita and the bartender made it like it was for him (IYKYK). For food, the chips and salsa came out for the table and each tasted fresh. For my tacos, I went with the birria and the soft-shell shrimp taco. Adding a dollop of the salsa made them even more flavorful. The bathrooms are in the rear and were very well maintained. Sometimes you can go out to eat the bathroom looks like a crime scene. Where are Stabler & Olivia when you need them? Looking forward to coming back to explore more of the food and drink menus.

Al pastor was delicious. Went with a big group and the food came out pretty quickly. Very colorful inside

Ordered 6 tacos from Banditos Tacos and only enjoyed the Rus and Gus and the CBR, rest of the tacos were either soggy or flavors did not go well. I liked the creativity and variety of tacos but overall a let down.

Came by Banditos to round out my unsatisfying experience at Kusshi Sushi located in the same Courtyard area. Banditos had my non alcoholic Corona and some Carne asada street tacos which were not the greatest that I had but were definitely okay. Four stars for the 2 bartenders who engaged with me one of which who was not my main bartender asked how I was doing prior to have my first bites. Definitely a better experience than Kusshi Sushi

Nice place to hang out. Looks like a fun tequila bar. Just popped in for a couple of cervezas. They have outdoor and indoor seating

This is such a great place!! We popped in during a travel trip and were thrilled with the friendly staff, clean tables and generous portions.

Best way to summarize Banditos is an American-style Mexican chain restaurant. I visited twice - for Cinco de Mayo & on Taco Tuesday. Cinco de Mayo was very chaotic and I could tell the servers were exhausted and overwhelmed. For Taco Tuesday, despite the restaurant being nearly empty the service was still extremely slow. The tacos are fairly priced, decent size & filling, but nothing near authentic which is to be expected. The chips & salsa and drinks are also just okay. Between the slow service & average food I wouldn't suggest visiting - especially if you're craving authentic Mexican food.

Solid spot for tacos & beer in Crystal City. They offer a lively, casual atmosphere with some brightly colored decor. The flavors on the birria, carnitas, and pastor tacos were top-notch, and they offer some more innovative ones as well (Nashville hot chicken). Service was friendly and quick.

Loved it! I'm a Texan and the guac and salsa is roasted traditional like we make at home. The ground beef taco is great. Service was great. I ordered a fried fish take but they brought me a blackened one but without hesitation I was able to keep it on the house and they brought me a friend fish taco. And thank goodness the fried Baja taco is sooo good! The margarita in the picture is their express pineapple marg but we asked for muddled jalapeño and it was BOMB! The pina colada cake was okay. Comes with a poor of rum but it was a little in the sweet side. If you like pineapple you will enjoy it. I do plan to return!

We were a little worried to come here due to the reviews but this place is AMAZING! Drinks were well made, strong but still tasted good. Salsa and chips were good with free refills and large cups of salsa. Server was prompt, friendly, and patient with a large party. Food was hot, quick, and DELICIOUS. Overall, we had a great time. Would definitely eat here again and the decorations were cute. The bathrooms were also such a cute design.

Cool spot, Big bar. Food was comparable to a Chipotle but reasonably priced. With the big front windows open, makes a good spot for a nice day in the fall or spring.

AMBIENCE The first spot we tried in the Pentagon Row plaza and we were satisfied! We sat outside and the atmosphere was a great spot to enjoy the weather outside with space for kids and pets. SERVICE They were busy, so service was understandably a bit slower than usual. Not a dealbreaker. Our server was very nice and accommodating. FOOD For the most part we enjoyed the food. It was not over the top flavor, but just the right amount. We ordered: * Monster Nachos ($15) - 4/5 * Tacos ($5 each) - 4/5 * 'Dito Steak Burrito ($17) - 4/5 * Churros - 3/5 Honest review, the Monster Nachos were a good portion, I enjoyed them the most. The tacos and the churros were standard in my opinion, nothing special. The burrito was pretty good, but could use some more toppings and sauce. But overall, satisfied with the experience! Definitely a good spot for the family or for a happy hour with a group.

Great happy hour specials, $3.50/4.50 tacos, and drink specials. Service was okay- the music was a bit loud so we really couldn't hear our server The food was average- the shrimp taco was a bit spicy and the mushroom taco had a bit too much seasoning. I would recommend going for HH

Service was fast. Our waiter was very knowledgeable of the menu and helpful us making selections. The food was decent. Wasn't a fan of the quesabirria dip. It was not tasty to us, and we ended up sending it back. No problems from management. The birria tacos were great, though! Ambiance is laid back, and the bar area had an open walk-up option.

The location is great! There is ample parking and lots of other bars / restaurants that you can hop around to. My tacos were good! I would recommend the crispy tofu, avocado, and ​Nashville hot. The cheesecake and churro dessert was good but too sweet for me and a larger portion than I was expecting - definitely something to share with a few people. The service was a little slow but my waitress did provide some good recommendations. The decor is fun and bright! There were TVs and light music but not too loud that you cant enjoy a conversation at your table.

A great place to add to your rotation, especially if you work or live in the pentagon city area or just find yourself at the National Mall often. This is my go to Mexican food spot in the area. Going with a group we always get the nachos with three dips as well as the 3 taco combo. They have a unique taco option here where you can get two tacos with rice and beans on the side. We tend to mix it up though I do with the rice portion was a bit larger. They have a taco option called "Nashville Hot" which was quite fun to see. Additionally I was impressed by the shroom taco. Typically I'm sceptical because places that work with mushrooms often fail to disguise the flavor. I thought this taco masked the flavors well. Bandit is also has a rewards program so if you find yourself being a regular definetely sign up!

Food is amazing. I got the CBR and the Bang Bang Shrimp Taco, yummy . I also got the Baja Rita which was nice and strong

I think the service is good, so is the music and the drinks. The food not so much. They have a variety of options that sound very appealing but the execution is inconsistent. I've been here three times and each time my food experience was different and worse.

Came for happy hour during the week which is from 3-6. It was nice weather is we were able to sit outside in the outdoor seating area but they do have indoor seating. The tables needed a little cleaning but other than that it's a chill spot. I had 4 tacos: CBR, Al pastor, pork belly and blackened shrimp. Of all of them the al pastor is the only one that I didn't fancy- it was bland. We also had the desert which is cheesecake and churro wrap and the churros were hard and it was meh. Other than that our waitress, Kristin, was very nice. Expect their to be long bouts between service because we ended up getting our food before our drinks.

Been back many times since this original review when I lived across the street. The food has never been as good as the first time I was here. A real shame cause I loved this place when I first moved here. Hope it gets better

Don't know why this place get so much hate. Got the pastor , birria and Nashville hot. All of them were excellent. Service was fast and food came out within 15 mins. Although the tacos might not be authentic they were still fantastic tacos.

The location is great and the server was attentive but unfortunately that's about as far as the positive aspect of the experience went. We ordered the guac and chips to start and four the price it was definitely quite disappointing. Not sure who prepared it but both the guac itself and the chips were extremely salty. Should have made a comment at that time but visiting from out of town unfortunately I'll just not return. For entrée, I had the chicken burrito which lacked flavor just because there's a lot of ingredients inside the burrito doesn't mean you don't have to season them individually. Probably a decent place to get happy hour or drinks with friends and I'm sure they will continue here pretty good business because of the location. Music was good.

This place was one of the best tacos places I've ever been and we just returned from Mexico! The Nashville hot taco is a MUST. The chips they bring when you arrive were seasoned and the salsa homemade. Even the Mango Mojito was amazing. Hidden gem - A MUST TRY

Very disappointed in my first visit. This Pentagon Row option benefits from great location at the former Thaiphoon location. I enjoyed the decor with lots of loud pics of famous and not so famous people with "day of the dead" overlays. Huge disappointment with my food choices. I had the happy hour Tacos and Cheese (Queso). The chips were pretty hard to chew. The seasoning was so salty that I had to brush most of it off just to eat. When I asked, I was told that was typical. I couldn't finish it. The bartender was nice enough to take 50% off. I tried two tacos, the Bam Bam Shrimp and the Chicken Tinga. Both came out looking packed full of ingredients and on a taco holder (which I love because it limits soggy tacos). The flavors were bland and there was no Bam in the Bam Bam. The soft taco shells were tough to chew in parts. Overall, it was a disappointment. I'm not sure I'd go back, especially with so many choices in the area.

I was served my drink in a cracked glass and after repeating our food order 3 times to make sure we flour tortillas, my bf got all corn tortillas. We weren't offered anything for the disastrous and slow service or all the mixups. There was 18% gratuity charged on the bill because "it was over $100" and the server expected more than that from us with the POS device. I had a bad experience at the Fairfax location recently too which I thought was a one time thing. Now I'm realizing it's a pretty standard experience throughout the chain. Needless to say I don't recommend this location or any of their other locations.

Been here a few different times at different times of the week. Never that busy. But without fail every single time the service is excruciatingly slow. Drinks from the bar come out with entrees. Doesn't seem to be a staffing issue either as there are plenty of staff standing around. Food is decent but not worth dealing with the horrible service in my opinion.

Had a lovely time with amazing food and service from Chris! He was very attentive and made our evening so fun!

We were told there were no tables available. Not even offered bar seating or to be waitlisted as it was 3+ hours before their closing. Just a really weird, unwelcoming vibe.

Came here for Happy Hour , was greeted immediately Lindsay was our waitress!! she suggested thing on the regular menu and happy hour!. Ended up getting Happy Hour Margaritas Both one strawberry and the other strawberry lime ‍ let me tell you whether you're light weight, heavy weight drinker these Drink will have you done tippin sideways! (Paul wall reference) with the Liquor they put in the ratio is great!! The fact it's frozen is even better the only place you can get them frozen. The Manager Tray came around checking in on the tables as well as the staff! Which is excellent management skills because not every manager has their spot in order. We got tacos!!! Lamb shank and one pork , the braised lamb was my favorite tho both meats were soo flavorful and tender the star of the show tho!! Was the Mexican Street Corn!!! . It was cooked right roasted right buttered right whatever the toooing was heightened is grilled ness We both agreed it was THEE BEST STREET CORN WE'VE EVER HAD!!! hell it's like once you pick it up and take a bite you won't wanna put it down!! Next time I'm just buying wings and this corn!! The complementary chips and salsa was great and had a niiice kick to it !! The ambiance was very welcoming and pretty and sooo cute definitely would come back here!

Solid. Finally went here after the gf and I were feeling some tacos. They have a ton of options, plenty of happy hour deals, and a dope atmosphere. We started with some chips and queso. Top tray (left to right top then bottom): avocado, birria, CBR, chicken tinga. Bottom tray: nashville hot, birria, cbr, pork belly. All solid, check it out.

We should have checked with Yelp before trying this place. The Google reviews were actually mostly good, so now we know not to trust Google reviews. Service doesnt exist here. It looks like they DEI hire and manage here. Everytime I've been here it's like lord of the flies. The Gen Z waitstaff is not motivated to actually work or are to make their guest happy. I work close by and have been here several times for lunch. Its inexpensive very convenient and I'll probably still eat there because of that but I would never try to bring friends here. It would be embarrassing.

Sat at the bar for happy hour and the tacos and drinks did not disappoint !!! Unfortunately the tacos were so tasty I forgot to capture a picture but my favorites were: 1. Honey hot chicken - actually not spicy but the chicken was tender and loved the pickled relish 2. Pork belly - fried pork belly made to perfection. Loved the crisp 3. Bang bang shrimp - fried shrimp taco with delicious sauce 4. Beef taco- traditional taco but loaded with beef Enjoyed the outdoor seating and decor of the restaurant as well. & special shout out to our bartender Jameel for providing us quality service

My second visit here convinced me that this place is *criminally* underrated. This time I got the birria tacos and a strawberry margarita ($3 off for happy hour!). The birria tacos were unreal--I love birria, so I may be biased, but the shells were crunchy, the cheese was perfect, and the goopiness level (which can get out of hand) was ideal. They're also huge, which is good for $5.50 each. I typically get three to four tacos for a meal, but two was plenty even though I came in starving. I honestly don't know why this place isn't 5 stars already. I will be back for sure!

Jacobi was great. Best bartender in Virginia. I can't wait to go back. You can buy the bottle and keep it there

Came here on a Tuesday evening as they were participating in Taco Tuesdays. Select tacos were going for $3.50 each, compared to the typical $5-$6 range. I personally ordered from their Taco Tuesday menu: Chicken Tinga Taco, Carnitas Taco, Nashville Hot Taco, and Chorizo Taco. The most unique one I haven't seen was the Nashville Hot Taco. Essentially took the Nashville Chicken Sandwich and made it into a taco version. Wasn't as spicy as I thought it would be. The other ones got pretty messy as a lot of the liquids came out. Besides that, they tasted great. The four tacos wasn't filling enough so I decided to order two more tacos, this time ones not from the Taco Tuesday menu: Rus & Gus Taco ($5.50) and Pork Belly Taco ($5). The Rus & Gus Taco is essentially a battered shrimp taco and the Pork Belly is pretty self-explanatory. Both also tasted amazing. You really can't go wrong with any of the tacos here. I also ordered the Oaxacan Old Fashioned ($14). First impression of the drink, thought they screwed up because of how clear the liquid is compared to a typical Old Fashioned. Upon taking a few sips, that typical Old Fashioned taste was there. I wouldn't order this again though. Service is somewhat slow here. The tacos took some time to come out. The staff behind the bar were pretty good for the most part. Not as attentive as I would like though. Pretty much kept myself occupied with my phone and whatever sports game they were broadcasting on the TVs. If you can look past the service, then you'll have a good time.

After a few hours of shopping at the mall a friend I were in need of some fuel. We came across Banditos and decided to give them a try. Unfortunately the experience began with a few hiccups. It was 3:30 pm on a Friday so we asked the hostess if we could be seated for HH. She insisted that didn't start until 6 pm. We showed her where it SAID that it was HH on all the menus posted on the door. Management had to step in because apparently she was confusing it with Fiesta Friday? Then when we actually did get seated outside the tables were incredibly close together resulting in a waitress dropping food on me. So needless to say there were a few road bumps, hence the missing star. Our waiter was very nice and took our food and drink orders quickly! Both of which were delivered to the table quickly. My favorite taco was the blackened shrimp and my friend enjoyed her chicken tinga. We were able to fill up on 3 each (plus a delicious margarita). Both indoor and outdoor seating is available it's worth giving a try if you like tacos.

FOOD Banditos is a taqueria and bar located in the heart of Arlington. It's located on the ground floor of an apartment complex, and there's a wide selection of food items-- from nachos, quesadillas, bowls, burritos, tacos, drinks, and more. We ordered the buffalo chicken quesadilla and the steak and elote bowl, and both were delicious. The portions were well worth the price, and we ended up bringing half of what we ordered home even though we came in ravenous. SERVICE We came in at around 3:30 p.m. on a Sunday and were seated right away. The outdoor/indoor bar area is a hot spot, but we were eventually able to change seats to sit there. It's a great view of both the indoors and outside, and the vibes were immaculate. Our waitress was very kind and quick in getting in our orders. We got our food within about 10-15 minutes of sitting down. It's insanely quick. AMBIANCE The atmosphere here is very vibey, and is perfect for a casual date night or get-together with friends. The lighting inside is dim and colorful (purple hues), and the decor catches your eye immediately. PARKING We were lucky to have found street parking a couple blocks down, and it's free on weekends! Weekdays is unfortunately pay by hour parking, so beware. Overall, if you're in the area and craving tacos, I would definitely come here, but personally, it was a great place to visit, but I'm not sure if I would go out of my way to come back again.

The patio seating is nice! The service was also really nice. The food however was not great nor good. The cauliflower tacos was horrible, greasy, and was just not a good idea. The fish taco was not good but tolerable. Lasty, the bean empanda was embarrassing. I'd go back for drinks and patio never again for the food. Food: 2/5 | Service: 3/5 | Atmosphere: 4/5

I wish there was a no star review. This place horrible service if you want to get an experience horrible service this is the place. Me and my husband walked in sit down by the bar there was 2 bartenders and at least 10 employees around none of them noticed us didn't even say hello. We waited about 20 minutes just to get a menu.

Coming back for Meel!!!!! The sweetest bartender ever!!! I wasn't super impressed with my tacos but Meel HOOKED UP my margaritas yall. I would say this is a great spot for happy hour. I wasn't disappointed with my margs & salsa. That's for sure. Thanks for a great time, Meel!!!!

They replaced the tofu tacos with a cauliflower option. So disappointing. The tofu tacos were the best and so sad to see the menu change. :( Waitress was so nice could be her best friend. Just sad to see the tacos go

I always get the steak Elote bowl. It's SOOOO GOOD!! A bit pricey coming in hot at $17. However, it is a decent portion size. I wish they gave a little more steak. I usually do a to go order on my lunch break. All my coworkers do like this spot and say the tacos are good.

Hola! Así que Banditos acaban de abrir y esta es mi opinión sobre este restaurante/bar...... Por que he estado hablando mucho español recientemente y me gusta mucho comer la comida mexicana y beber cerveza mexicana, así que decidí probar este lugar. Esperé 15 minutos por un modelo. (I waited 15 min. For a modelo) Todo el mundo estaba muy apresurado, excepto este servidor tan hermoso que ha estado en España. Definitivamente volveré, tal vez hoy. Pero espero que la próxima vez podáis hablar español Gracias y que tengas un buen día (Thanks and have a wonderful day)! 再见青春，再见美丽的疼痛。 (Yo también habló chino Jajajjajajja) Asta luego, David Shinay 小宋

Holy Wow! Aye Chihuahua! My wife was having a tough day, so we decided to step out for the afternoon and find a pleasant distraction. We heard that Bandito's was going to open soon, and just happened to notice that they were open a day early! So, we stepped in to see what we could discover. Let's start with the street corn! It's so legit you have to have a napkin to eat it with any dignity. It is exactly what you'd want an elote to be. Good and charred! And perfectly messy. And now the Cucumber Jalapeño Crush. Very refreshing with a hint of spice. Not too hot, just right for a summertime treat. I can see many more of these in my future. But--there are so many more options, it will take a year for me to explore all the specialty cocktails available. Not to mention the humongous list of tequilas and draft beers to check out ... My wife and I each ordered two tacos for a total of four: ground beef, Old Bay battered fish, steak and queso, and carnitas. Ground beef: flavorful, but not excessive, nor subdued. And it was a decent serving portion for $5. I'll order them again! Old Bay Fish: loved every bite! I had to choose between blackened or battered. Next time I'm going with blackened, but only because I want to try them, too. Steak and Queso: So. These were absolutely delightful! With sautéd onions and bell peppers, it was almost like a fajita. These are on our frequent flyer list. Carnitas: A little more complicated response. The carnitas were high quality meat, with almost no fat or "extra" things that often accompany shredded meats. But, they were slightly bland, as if they needed some salsa or an extra dash of salt. So, I added a few sautéd onions left over from the steak and queso, and found them delightful as well. So, it's probably a one-off of the carnitas. I expect that will only be an issue once. After all, this was their first day open. Let's give them some wiggle room! Over all, our experience was exactly what we hoped for. The wait staff was all about making us comfortable, and saw to our every need. The food was amazing, and we are excited to know that there will be more chances to explore this menu. My wife was able to destress from her midday struggles, and enjoy a quality meal. Well done, Banditos! We'll see you on the flip side! #todaysdiscovery

Their takeout business needs work, which is a shame because their tacos are very good. Phone lines go straight to voicemail or hang ups (I gave up after the 4th call). The website links to all locations except Arlington National Landing (looks like this was fixed now). And sites like Uber Eats don't have the entire menu (excluding options like Baja Fish). Their food is great. We enjoy the bang bang shrimp, baja fried fish, and steak and elote bowl with cauliflower rice options (but the last two are not offered any more). 3+ years open now and this has become a dine-in only restaurant for us because there's always some issue with them accepting a takeout order.

Food and drinks were spot on. Delicious salsa and chips included. Service was great. Chicken and barria tacos tasted flavorful. Dito margaritas for $9 was worth it. Would come back if I was in area.

Nice restaurant located in Pentagon Row that I'd visit for the drinks and the chips and guacamole. I'd have to say that bag bang shrimp taco was the more flavorful taco out of the three that I had. Everything else looked good but lacked flavor. I think if they tweak the recipes then this would be a great place to eat. Their take on the Old Fashioned was interesting because they used tequila. It wasn't bad at all. The service was good and the ambiance was really nice.