Bandidas Taqueria

Throughout Vancouver there’s a yearning for more food options: healthier, more innovative, more sustainable. Since 2009, Bandidas Taqueria has been meeting this demand, providing a vegetarian menu with Mexican zest. If you’re looking for gluten-free alternatives, a vegetarian menu or just delicious, spicy fare, this is the place to go. Inclusiveness is part of the restaurant’s mission.

Owner Aiyana Kane hails from California, where there’s a rich tradition of Mexican cuisine; and with Bandidas, she and business partner Jackie Avery are bringing it north to a city not known for its Latin food options. Add a vegetarian focus, with vegan options for every dish, and you’ve got a winning combination. Situated on Commercial Drive at the corner of 12th Avenue, the restaurant has been a quick success, and it gains customers with each passing month.

Aiyana says that her core customer base is vegetarian and vegans, but as time has gone by Bandidas has been embraced by local residents of all stripes. The varied menu and down-home atmosphere are quite welcoming — and having heaping portions of nachos on the menu doesn’t hurt, either.