Reviews
Hi Casa De Bandini Staff,
I wanted to write you all a complement for the service I received last week at dinner.
Some friends were town from far away who wanted a good Mexican Food experience. My family has always loved Casa de Bandini, so I invited them there.
We had an excellent dinner. Arni was our waiter–he did an excellent job! The food came out quickly and was perfect (thank you to the kitchen staff).
Thank you so much for so many repeated excellent dining experiences. I am grateful for the gluten-free menu too–this is one of the few places I can come often and feel comfortable.
Keep up the good work!
Sincerely,
Lauryn
“Well, finally found a Mexican restaurant, that cooks delicious Chile Verde, and the tortillas are handmade, but of course. Ate at Casa de Bandini for the first time this past Monday,with two girlfriends and I will be back. It reminded me of my late mother’s cooking. Delicioso!!!” – Celia
“Wow, Good food and great atmosphere! Don’t miss this!”Mary
“During my recent visit I didn’t really get a chance to express how I love Casa de Bandini, so I just wanted to say thank you for the best service that I have ever had at a restaurant! The food was great andthis is the best Mexican restaurant in the county. I come all the way down from Temecula to enjoy this beautiful restaurant with friends. Good job to all the staff!!
Enzo
The concierge desk at our hotel recommended Casa de Bandini when we asked for a fun place to eat good food and they were right on the mark!
The food and the drinks were fantastic, they even had musician who serenaded every table, it was so beautiful there with all the plants and the pretty lights over that patio.
We had one issue in the beginning- there was an hour wait and the hostess handed us a pager. Approx 45 minutes later she came outside and found us and was very rude and upset that they had been paging us on the pager and we hadn’t come. We showed her the pager and that it had not gone off and she still was very annoyed. I almost left then. I am glad I did not because we would have missed out on a great experience, but I would be hesitant to deal with that hostess again.
Loved it ! Great food Great service. My son totally loved the mariachi Great family restaurant. can’t wait to go back !!!
Paula M. – Courtesy of TripAdvisor
This is our favorite Mexican food in the City of San Diego. We have drive 30 minutes to get here. Our family has been eating here since 1970’s when it was originally in Old Town. They’ve moved to their large, lovely casista’s in Carlsbad. My favorite is the shrimp tacos..off the charts delicious. The house speciality is my “men’s” favorite, carne asada with enchilada and I can’t remember the other items but it’s enourmous and equally delicious and they eat every bite! The Chili Verde thumbs up as is the Arroz con Pollo. These are our family tried and true. Of course everyone loves their margaritas they have many to choose from…Yes this place is busy you may have to wait at lunch, you will have to wait on a Friday night. It’s a lot of fun, get in the spirit of it expect it to be busy because anywhere there is good food there are loads of people enjoying themselves! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
My friend Bonnie and I had the pleasure of having lunch at your restaurant on Sat. April 7th. We were very impressed with the restaurant itself. The decor, the beautiful art pieces and the authentic costumes that the hostess and waitresses wore all added to our dining experience. I am writing on both our behalves to let you know our waiter, Arnie, went above and beyond in making us feel welcome and cared for. He took the time to talk with us about the restaurant itself, the care and effort that goes into training the staff and educating them on the food they serve the customers and the hands on way you and the owner manage the restaurant.
While waiting for our meal Bonnie excused herself due to a slight upset stomach. While she was gone I asked Arnie if he could bring her some saltines hoping this would help. He not only did that but on his own brought her sparkling water as well. We ended up enjoying our meal immensely and wanted you to know that he was a big part of our wonderful experience.
We look forward to our next visit to your restaurant.
Sandra H. and Bonnie H. – Courtesy of TripAdvisor
If you cannot get over the border to experience Mexican food in Mexico then you should try this place. It has a vibrant atmosphere, margaritas that aren’t watered down and an extensive menu. Go with the Season specials.
Belinda M. – Courtesy of TripAdvisor
Loved it ! Great food Great service. My son totally loved the mariachi Great family restaurant. can’t wait to go back !!!
Paula
Just celebrated or 30 wedding anniversary by dining at Both Casa de Pico and Casa de Bandini this past weekend. We have been customers of all of Ms. Power’s establishments since 1976. We miss the “old” Bazaar Del Mundo when Casa de Pico was there, but are so glad that you relocated. It was our first visit to Casa de Bandini and it will now be our regular dinner stop when returning from San Diego… Keep up the GREAT work!
Randy S.
Mr. Gastelum,
Please pass my hearty THANKS for the exceptional service provided by our server, Cheryl, this afternoon. She made us feel welcome and even provided a complimentary desert as my wife and I chose your restaurant to celebrate our 27th weeding anniversary. Very personable, professional and made us feel like family in such a short time. We will definitively be recommending this establishment to our friends and we will not wait until our next anniversary to visit this fine restaurant.
Thanks,
Walter G.
Glad to see this place is still around! It used to be my favorite Old Town restaurant when I lived here, so I was ecstatic to find it right there in Carlsbad at The Forum Shops. We came during restaurant week so we scored an amazing 3-course deal for $20.
1. Get the hand made fresh tortillas!
2. Get the humongous margaritas! (Daddy’s happy!)
3. Get the huge platters of food and make sure a CRAB ENCHILADA is in there somewhere. (Mommy’s happy!)
4. Free chips/salsa refills!
5. Mariachi band even plays “It’s a Small world” (Kids are happy!)
6. Kids’ menu has chicken tenders and cheese quesadillas. (Everyone’s happy!)
7. Get there early because it gets super busy and crowded!
8. The dessert with the ice cream and cornflakes with caramel was awesome!
MUY BIEN!
Lori L., Honolulu HI
This is our go to place to bring in friends from out of town, never had a bad meal or margarita.
Kevin P. from Carlsbad, CA. Yelp Review
I’m posting, simply because I’m appreciative that this establishment has returned…and to remind those posters who do not remember, or never went to the original restaurant…that this is hands-down one of the better Mexican restaurants in all of San Diego.
North County is fortunate to have this slice of what was at one time synonymous with Old Town San Diego. It will never really come close to the allure and flair of the original Bandini house with its wonderful estate circa the Rancho period in early California…as some seem to keep hoping it will.
What some yelpers have called the vintage Bandini that resided in a 200 year old mansion, just can’t be replaced folks. Let’s be real Californios, you can’t recreate that here…this is situated in nothing more than an upscale strip mall…not a piece of California history from the 18th century.
But, listen, not to worry, because what they have done is at least recreate the same wonderful foods and salty margaritas found at the original. The only time I ever ate a bad meal from the Casa was the two times I ate here in the first 3 months of its grand opening in Carlsbad/Encinitas. Otherwise it has been everything I my taste-buds remember from the 80’s/90’s…great food for reasonable prices….and you do not leave hungry. Plus many of the dishes are authentic to what you would find in Mexico.
Thank you Señora Powers for bringing the Bandini back! I appreciate your restaurant everytime I have the pleasure to eat there.
San Diego N., Solana Beach, CA Yelp Review
I love this restaurant. Enough said.
When you walk in you can see into where they make the tortillas.
The bar is perfect to sit and have a pre lunch/dinner margarita, they have an impressive variety of tequilas too.
The servers and hosts wear very ‘authentic’ costumes as their uniforms, and sometimes they have a mariachi band. It is a large restaurant, but the decor makes it very warm and inviting. I had lunch there around Christmas last year and the decorations were ornate. I thought maybe without all the holiday regalia it would be bland, but a few months later I went back for dinner and I was still impressed.
Both times I have been, I ordered the seafood salad. It is to die for, no imitation crab meat here. The guacamole is delicious too.
Writing this review is making me want to go right now.
Living in OC makes this a little of a trek to get to, but is worth it. The shopping in the area is great too, perfect excuse for a day adventure.
Alexis W.
Mariachi bands, watching people make the fresh tortillas, fantastic. I take everyone here from out of town. Great atmosphere. Feels like you are in Mexico. They wear the traditional clothes, etc. Favorite dish: tequila lime shrimp.
Eneetra L.
So much fun!!! I LOOOOVE the free chips & salsa, the environment and service, and most of all, the mariachi band!!
The flautas I ordered were yummy, too! Everything seemed reasonably priced, and the portions were really large. Oh yeah, and I had no idea i was next to a street/parking lot!! It truly felt as though I was sitting in some garden or something…I’m not a fan of Mexican food, but I’ve already made plans to return!!
Michelle N.
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