Legendary Mexican Restaurant Closes in Middletown, New York

A staple in Mexican food in Middletown, NY has closed its doors after 40+ years of serving the Hudson Valley.

After 40+ years the family that owns and operates one of Middletown's most familiar names in Mexican restaurants has announced that they have closed. El Bandido in Middletown, NY made the announcement last week on social media saying, "El Bandido has come under hard times and unfortunately we will be closed until further notice."

El Bandido in Middletown, New York Closed

The family behind El Bandido located at 536 East Main St, Middletown, the Tello's shared a heartfelt message saying,

"El Bandido has been a staple in the community and one of the oldest restaurants around. We will be back soon and stronger than ever. Our family thanks all our loyal customers for sticking by us all these years. The Tello Family"

Why has El Bandido Closed?

It's unclear exactly why the restaurant has closed beyond their Facebook message, but we have reached out to them to see if they could share any more information but haven't heard back from them yet. A few folks in the Middletown area who have driven past the restaurant have told us that they noticed an orange-colored sticker on the door to the restaurant and think that might have something to do with them closing.

SEE ALSO: Rent 'Freeze' Coming Soon to Newburgh, New York?

Fans Sad to See Them Close

El Bandido has been serving guests from all over the Hudson Valley for 40+ years and when news began to spread that they have closed many fans began to share fond memories of meals they enjoyed at the popular restaurant. Memories like:

"This can’t be!! My family has been coming here for over 30 years!! Please reopen soon 😢"

NO!!! One of my favorite places to go! What happened??? I hope you open again soon!!

"As someone who has been going to El Bandito since I was young with my family I am so saddened by this news and wonder if their is something we can all do as loyal customers to help out. Does anyone know if this is a financial issue maybe backlash from the pandemic or something maybe we can start a GoFundMe? We can all pitch in and help?"

If and when we hear back from the Tello family we will update this article with any new information. Until then if you are looking for a place to grab a meal in Middletown, here are a few suggestions...