I really wanted to like Andale, as it’s one of the few Mexican places in Otago. It’s OK, but not great. There’s something about the food that doesn’t click and I can’t quite out my finger on it. Comparing it to Viva Mexico in Wellington (which I feel is the best Mexican in NZ), the Mexican flavours and spices, e.g., coriander, lime, cumin, etc are not apparent enough, and there’s too much cheese. The prices are also steep for what it is. The owner mentioned they will be moving to central Dunedin and focusing more on a cheaper $10-$12 lunch menu. I think that’s a good idea and wish them all the best, as this sort of food will be a hit with the student crowd. But in terms of fresh, home style Mexican food, it’s not quite there.

After reading the reviews on here but hearing from friends and family how good the food was, decided to give it a go – so the food did take a while approx 45mins but was totally worth the wait, all the food we had was great, so much flavor and fresh salad.

Obviously the old pub restaurant is less then desirable for a Mexican restaurant but it’s not hard to tell that these guys are starting out and I’m sure rent and overheads are a lot cheaper there than central Dunedin.

Service was good but awkward, the owner was very friendly but I doubt he has worked in front line hospitality for very long.

With a little work these guys could be one of the best places to eat in Dunedin and I wouldn’t be surprised in a few years time if it is!

I will be going back 100%

Bought a voucher to dine here through Treat Me. The restaurant was almost impossible to find — it was necessary to walk through a pub and several other establishments just to sit down. The food turned out to be very average, lacking in flavour and presentation. When combined with the high prices, long wait times, awkward service, and obscure location, it’s difficult to justify returning. One of my stranger dining experiences in Dunedin.

After hearing mixed reviews for this place, I tried it myself and enjoyed my meal
No one at our table of 8 had any complaints

The speed is slow but it does mention that on top of the menu

Incredible!! So great to finally have a decent Mexican place in Dunedin. The ingredients used are perfectly Mexican and tasty, and they are so accommodating and able to cater to all kinds of orders..even vegetarian, gluten-free/ vegan and for fussy kids like mine. simply the yummiest I’ve ever had. Thank you…also for the nice relax atmosphere. Well Done!!

First time here and absolutely loved the food. Wanted to try something new and Mexican it is to me!!! Great friendly service, nice music. Will be coming back for more along with more family and friends to this awesome Mexican Restaurant!

I came to visit the restaurant and felt very satisfied. The restaurant is very clean. I like the music and make me feel very happy. I ordered the Quesadilla and is was very nice and tasty and I did not wait that long to have food served.
The waitress is very obliging when ever I need anything she try to give to me.. My son really liked the Chimichanga. We plan to come back again before we go back home to my country.

It was my first time here and absolutely loved it. Loved the food. Loved the service. It makes me so happy to know that I can now find good Mexican good and also vegan!!! is extremely delicious! Will be back again for sure and will recommend to all.

The food, ambience and service can be easily summed up by: WTF…. I think thats what was on everyones mind that was dining that night.

Seriously shut it down! I am surprised that this restaurant is allowed to continue serving food.

My partner and I decided to eat out here as it’s local. Room is far too big and open and as it was a cold Dunedin night and I ended up having to keep my big winter woollen coat on, despite almost sitting on one of the 4 oil filled heaters they had going. There is no ambience in this restaurant at all. I had checked out their website so I knew exactly what I wanted. It clearly said on the menu “every dish made to order” so I ordered a vegetarian enchilada, only to be told they didn’t have any, so I had to get a chicken one. I would have thought if it was made to order, that they could make one and just leave out the chicken. It took nearly an hour to get our meal and I’m pretty sure it had been microwaved!! I also felt $40 for two very average mains was far too expensive.

Visited here last night for a delicious mexican meal!! Great fresh flavours.
I have seen a few reviews stating a long wait, we waited no longer than half an hour which I find very acceptable. The young girl serving us was very friendly and polite, explained everything on the menu well.
We will be back

This restaurant is very amateur. From the waitresses and the service to the atmosphere (there is none).
Waitresses are obviously not experienced in service and it shows. The food is good however like others i waited over an hour for my food when there were only 6 others in total in the restaurant.
They state the make things fresh to order however this clearly isn’t working and they are losing customers that like to eat out.
Recommendation – get waiter/waitresses that know service and customers, make the turnaround time for food coming out about 45 minutes quicker!

I find this one of the most frustrating places to eat. The food is good authentic mexican food. But the atmosphere and the service leave a lot to be desired.
Honestly – I suggest phoning through in advance and getting your meal to takeaway – unless you are happy to wait close to an hour to get your food.
Buy the food – but don’t eat in.

Having just been inspired to eat Mexican after viewing one of the many travel/food shows, I thought a visit to the Andale was in order having noticed its existence while popping to the tip a couple of weeks back.

To sum up the experience in two words: Best avoided.

Very slow service, an inexperienced waitress, many menu items were not available and, worst of all, the ‘food’ was revolting, basically inedible and well overpriced.

On returning home I checked others reviews of the place and was surprised to see some quite positive feedback, in particular about the food, so I’m guessing the Andale has either taken a recent sudden and dramatic dive in quality or they were having a really, really bad night. Either way, I will sadly not be recommending Andale nor returning.

This was my first experience of mexican food apart from what I do at home. It was nice to have a choice of mild, medium or spicy and the medium option was perfect for me. I am happy to have finally tried this cafe.
I think the main point to remember is this is based at a pub and calls itself a cafe and not a restaurant so dont go expecting 5 star.

The food at Andale was delicious, BUT….the ambience was terrible!! The lights were far too bright, the decorations were sparse, no tablecloths, paper napkins….very unfortunate. It was also disappointing that you had to walk through to a separate bar full of pokey machines to order your drinks. We were expecting a range of classic Mexican drinks like Sol beers & tequilas…sadly no. Just standard suburban pub options
One of the waitresses seemed very inexperienced and had trouble taking our orders correctly from a menu that wouldn’t be that hard to learn and memorize.
The garlic butter tortillas (entrees) were delicious, and we also enjoyed the quesadillas and burrito. I ordered a medium hot quesadilla and found the spice level perfect.
We had a voucher which included desserts however we chose to forgo these for two reasons: 1 – we were actually really satisfied from the amount of food in the entrees and mains; 2 – we couldn’t face sitting in that excruciatingly bright and unattractive room any longer than we had to!

IN A NUTSHELL – awesome food, average service, terrible environment. If you could get the food to takeaway I would definitely recommend

I think this place is still getting some of their kinks worked out considering it is brand new, but I have to say that all of the meals our table ordered were flavourful and delicious. They take a little while coming out but it seems that there was care in preparing them. The only detraction is that we had to get our drinks from the bar in another room and pay those on a separate bill. Also, the waitress seemed to not really understand the menu or how to pronounce the items on it – again though, they are a new place and this should be sorted with time

A friend and I went to Andale because we both love Mexican. Unfortunately, there was no lunch menu or takeaway menu so a lunch time burrito will cost you $20. This is poor value for money. The burrito and chimichanga were very bland tasting and unexceptional, so I would not return. If Andale want to survive then they have to a quick fire, more reasonably priced, more tasty lunch menu. Next time if I want Mexican me and 4 friends can cook our own feast rather than spend $100 on 5 burritos.

Dined at Andale Mexican cafe recently and were very disappointed. Service was very slow and unhelpful. We ordered the Quesadilla and the Burrito – both were very bland, plus the burrito was cold and had clearly been sitting a while before it was served. The jalapenos, fresh salsa, etc that were listed on the menu were no where to be seen. Very poor value – the difference between the light meal ($12.50) and the main size ($19.50) was a small amount of rice and some refried beans. For the price we could have very easily made something much more tasty at home. Will not be recommending to anyone.