Chino Bandido, the Brady Bunch of Cuisine

Here’s the story, of some Chinese chicken… served with different styles of rice… all of them had different sauces, the lightest one not very Spicy.

Here’s the story, of beans and burritos… some black beans, others refried. Both of them were very tasty, but also guaranteed to keep you on the pot all night.

So, this one day when the chicken met the beans and burritos… they knew that it was much more than a hunch… that this group should somehow join together, and that’s the way they all became my greasy lunch.

While I was developing this article I tried to categorize Chino Bandido. I went back and forth between Mexican and Chinese over ten times before I just put it under both categories. However, Chino really isn’t Chinese, Mexican, or Chinese-Mexican Fusion; it’s really its own type of food. Speaking of Fusion, what the hell is that? The only Fusion that comes out of Chino Bandido is the mix of ethnic food in your stomach that will prohibit you from any sort of activity while it’s digesting. Anyway, let’s get into it.

Chino is nothing fancy. It’s discreetly hidden behind a Walgreens off the main road. When you walk in you will notice that it is furnished with Costco folding tables and chairs, exposed duct work, concrete floor, and very little decoration on the walls except for an autographed Guy Fieri poster in the back. It’s pretty simple. Gentleman, a word to the wise: don’t expect to get laid if you bring a lady here on a first date.

As usual, I checked out Chino’s menu on their website before I left the house. I’m no rocket scientist, but you need a quantum physics degree to figure out their ordering system. However, Chino has attempted to make ordering a bit easier by implementing ordering instructions and a simulator on their website. The staff at Chino’s is awesome and will guide you through the ordering process and let you sample everything on the menu first anyway. If you read my previous post on Costco samples, you know that Chino giving samples wins hearts and minds in my book.

My first time at Chino I tried the Jade Red Chicken, the BBQ pork in a burrito, refried beans, and Jerk Fried Rice. The Jade red chicken was decent. It was like a General Tso’s Chicken on steroids. A fried texture; super spicy and super sweet. The BBQ pork was alright but a little bland. While reading Yelp I remember running across someone’s Yelp review that stated he loved the Jade Red Chicken so much that he was pissed off that the BBQ pork had to share the plate with it. Uh yeah, it didn’t bother me that much. The Jerk fried rice was pretty good as well… it included jerk chicken and green onions. Chino’s gets props for originality, giving you a lot of food, and making it easy to take home the leftovers. Once you slap on the cardboard lid you are all set to take it home and have it for breakfast the next day.

The best part about Chino Bandido (and best value) is the bonus they give you; the Snickerdoodle or Chocolate Volcano cookie (baked during weekends).

I opted for the Chocolate Volcano cookie and let me just say that thing was damn good. I will admit that the food was probably not enough to bring me back to Chino Bandido that often, but that cookie just might make it happen. And as for fusion, maybe next week I will try some Korean-Ethiopian-Chilean mix. You just never know.

Chino Bandido
1825 W Chandler Blvd
Chandler, AZ 85224
(480) 889-5990
www.chinobandido.com