Mackensy Lunsford

mlunsford@citizen-times.com

In West Asheville, a taco cart turned favorite eatery has closed.

Bandidos Latin Kitchen was first opened by Justin Smudde as a cart selling burritos, tamales and tacos. It was a quick, cheap stop for lunch on the streets of downtown Asheville and at a select few local breweries, including the Wedge.

In 2011, Smudde opened a storefront in West Asheville, near what was then Burgermeister's. While it was never fancy, the brick-and-mortar focused on big flavor and a menu filled with the type of Latin fusion that brings to the table dishes like Banh Mi tacos with tempura-fried Southern trout.

The restaurant also boasted some of the best Cuban sandwiches in Asheville. Here's what we said about one of those beauties in the 2015 article, "Where to find the best Cuban sandwiches in Asheville":

It's hard not to dig bread that's butter-griddled, especially after the kitchen layers on mojo-roasted pork and thin-sliced ham. This is a tightly pressed sandwich, but still the bread walks the proper balance between crisp and soft. The pork, from Apple Brandy Farm, is slow-roasted and pulled, rather than sliced. Moist, with plenty of yellow mustard and tart pickles, this sandwich was arguably the best of the bunch. 697 Haywood Road in West Asheville. - Mackensy Lunsford

And Scene restaurant reviewer Matthew DeRobertis also had praise for the food, even if he wasn't quite so effusive about the service:

I'm confident I won't let Bandidos slip from memory again. What of the new seated style of service? It was my least favorite part. The service was lackadaisical, and the server seemed put off that he had to do his job. It wasn't that it was slow, although the check was delayed; it just was a little inattentive. I didn't mind ordering at the counter and, in a restaurant tucked into a strip mall (and born from a burrito cart), it seemed suitably apt. Still, the place is a casual enough setting that I wouldn't be deterred by the less-than-stellar service. In Asheville, we'll eat in gas stations, strip malls or truck-side. If it's good, we'll find it. So if you've not found Bandido's yet, you should. And it's nice to not have to chase them around downtown.

Will Bandidos return as a cart, or even as another brick-and-mortar joint? No word yet; we've reached out for comment but haven't heard back.

Adios, Bandidos. Until next time.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Asheville's Tupelo Honey Cafe to expand

LaZoom gets a room and a dance party, too

Think small during NC Beer Month