Phoenix Foodie: Chinese Takeout in a Quesadilla? Get Your Asian Fusion Fix at This Hole in the Wall

Perhaps one of the hottest food trends of the last decade or so has been fusion food. This type of cuisine was created so that different cultures could blend their unique ingredients and culinary traditions. Undoubtedly, the most popular of all the fusions (and there are certainly many great cultural combos) has been Asian-Mexican. If you find yourself on the north edge of Phoenix wanting to give it a try, look no further than Chino Bandido.

For now, you can check out Chino Bandido at 15414 North 19th Avenue. Soon, however, the restaurant will be moving to a new location, 2.5 miles away at 310 West Bell Road according to the Phoenix New Times.

While the restaurant’s current humble location certainly qualifies as a hole in the wall, the food offered on the menu is nothing to scoff at. In fact, it is addictively good. When it comes to combing Asian and Mexican cooking, very few can claim to be Chino Bandido’s equal.

Main Courses

The Chino Bandido menu is extensive, yet quite easy to navigate once you know what you’re doing. For starters, there is a variety of main dishes including many meats that one would expect to find at a Chinese restaurant — including Chinese BBQ Pork, Jen Red Pork and Emerald Chicken — some Mexican dishes — including Chile Rellano and Machacha — along with a few unique options, such as Egg Foo Yung, Jerk Chicken and Veggies.

For sides, there are the typical options for beans: refried or black. When it comes to the rice, however — oh boy, are you in for a treat. After the standard steamed white rice, customers can choose from a variety of incredibly delectable fried rice options: chicken fried rice, jerk fried rice, plain fried rice and pork fried rice — the two standouts being the chicken fried and jerk fried options.

Choosing between these mains and side options, you can put together your own combo which includes one or two main dishes and some sides. In the combo, you can have the mains plain, in a quesadilla or in a burrito.

Bar none, the best meat on the menu is the Jade Chicken. This writer’s number one recommendation is to get the Jade Chicken in a quesadilla. Until you try this, you don’t know what you’re missing.

Dessert

The cherry on top to the combo meals at Chino Bandido are the complimentary cookies. Every combo meal purchased comes with a snicker doodle cookie. Also available on the menu are a chocolate-fudge version of the snicker doodles called volcanoes.

Where do snicker doodles fit in at a Chinese-Mexican fusion restaurant? No where, really. It doesn’t make very much sense. At least, not at first. When you first bite into the soft, sweet goodness of those cookies, things start to come together.

Final Verdict

Between the strange mascot, hole in the wall location and unorthodox food combinations, eating out at Chino Bandidos is sure to be an unforgettable experience.

More importantly than any of that, however, is the fact that the food is fantastic. Whether you’re in the mood for Chinese takeout or some Mexican food, Chino Bandido has established itself as one of the best options in the city.

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