In November 1990, Frank and Eve Collins opened a 1,000-square-foot restaurant in north Phoenix with seating for 16 and a menu that blended Chinese cooking, Mexican cooking, and Jamaican cooking into something that had no name and no precedent. Eve’s Chinese heritage and their shared Arizona roots were the starting point. The result was Chino Bandido — a cult classic that has been packing in the Phoenix faithful for 35 years. It appeared in Season 3, Episode 5 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives — “A World of Flavors,” aired April 7, 2008 — and Guy Fieri called it one of the most original concepts on DDD, with over 90,000 possible menu combinations. The restaurant has since appeared multiple additional times on the show. Frank Collins passed away in 2013. Eve continues to own and operate Chino Bandido, which relocated in 2021 from its original 19th Avenue address to a larger location at 15414 N. 19th Avenue Suite K — less than two miles up the road.
Quick Facts
Restaurant: Chino Bandido
City: Phoenix, Arizona
Cuisine: Chinese-Mexican-Jamaican Fusion
DDD Season: 3
DDD Episode: 5
Episode Title: A World of Flavors
Original Air Date: April 7, 2008
Address: 15414 N. 19th Ave., Suite K, Phoenix, AZ 85023
Phone: 602-375-3639
Website: https://chinobandido.com/
Status: Open
About Chino Bandido
The restaurant’s unofficial mascot is Pancho — a 7,500-pound black granite panda bear custom-made in Shandong, China in 2000 for $1,500 (it cost almost as much to ship), wearing a sombrero and a cartridge belt. He moved to the new location and now sits in the center of the dining room. Touching him is considered good luck. The menu is structured around your choice of vessel — bowl, burrito, or quesadilla — into which you combine a protein, a rice, a sauce, and additional toppings from across the three culinary traditions. Every meal comes with a complimentary snickerdoodle cookie made from scratch in-house. The new 6,000-square-foot location has an updated kitchen and patio seating for 30, but the food philosophy hasn’t changed since day one.
Eve Collins said of the DDD appearance: “It went from ‘Chinese-Mexican? See ya.’ to ‘Oh, yeah, I’ve got to go try this. Guy loved it, so we’ve got to try this.'” That’s as precise a description of what the show does for a restaurant as you’ll find.
What to Eat at Chino Bandido
The Jade Red Chicken is the house favorite — grizzled chicken hunks thoroughly glazed in a sauce that is simultaneously tangy, spicy, and sweet. Phoenix New Times named it one of the city’s essential food and drink items. Order it in a quesadilla or a bowl. The Pollo Diablo is the heat seeker’s choice. The Jerk Fried Rice is the Jamaican contribution that makes the whole fusion concept click. The Machaca with Mexican-style pulled beef and the Egg Foo Yung Burrito are the combinations that most regularly surprise first-timers. Free samples are available at the counter — ask, and the staff will walk you through the options.
After tackling 90,000 combinations, bring bold flavor home with Guy Fieri’s Flavortown Burger Joint Seasoning and Guy’s Top Secret Sauce — the starting point for any Flavortown-level kitchen experiment.
Plan Your Visit
Chino Bandido is open daily 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Order at the counter using the menu order form. Don’t skip the snickerdoodle.
Address: 15414 N. 19th Ave., Suite K, Phoenix, AZ 85023
Phone: 602-375-3639
Website: https://chinobandido.com/
Status: Open
Flavortown Approved
Chino Bandido’s fusion energy is the kind of creative cooking Guy Fieri celebrates in Guy Fieri Food: Cookin’ It, Livin’ It, Lovin’ It — 150+ original recipes from someone who thinks the same way about combining global flavors.
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Chino Bandido appeared in Season 3, Episode 5 of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, “A World of Flavors,” originally aired April 7, 2008. It has since appeared on the show multiple additional times.