A casual yet upscale Mexican concept with two locations west of Boston could soon be making its way to Andover.
Bandoleros Mexican Grill is hoping to open its third location in the former Tavern on 28 space at 429 S Main St, reports Boston Restaurant Talk. The eatery currently operates outposts in Devens and Concord.
Co-owner Elmer Melendez, who runs the restaurant alongside his wife Delmy, told What Now Boston that while plans have not yet been finalized, they hope to bring the concept to town by late September or early October 2025.
If the deal goes through, Andover diners can expect the restaurant’s signature menu, which blends authentic South-central Mexican dishes with a few Tex-Mex favorites for good measure. Think chicharrones, flauta taquitos, elote, and azteca de tortilla, alongside more familiar options like quesadillas, fajitas, and burritos.
Everything at Bandoleros is made from scratch, right down to the tortillas, which are crafted in-house from a specialty non-GMO and fair-trade blue heirloom corn that’s sourced directly from a 10-generation family farm in Oaxaca, Mexico.
“It’s a very native corn, very tasty, different,” Elmer explained. “When I started, it was hard for me because people thought the dark tortillas were ugly. But we educate them and really try to bring Mexico to each table when we serve tacos de carnitas, birria tacos, carnitas tacos, aguachile, you know… We really try to get the people at that table the closest they can be to Mexico.”
The Melendezes also operate Tacos Tequilas Mexican Cocina and Dario’s Ristorante in Fitchburg, with another Dario’s Ristorante currently under construction in Concord.
In Andover, Elmer says his goal is simple: “I really believe my concept is going to work very well for Andover and all the communities around it. That’s my goal and I think that is our success. I’m focused on the community. I don’t want to be a tourist trap restaurant. I want to be a community restaurant.”
