Pepe's Mexican Restaurant & Cantina

Lorenzo Warfel

3 months ago · ★ 5

ENCHILADA EXCELLENCE & TACO-TASTIC! I rate hard when it comes to Mexican food and I can proudly say that this is some of the BEST in the IE. Pepe’s gives Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville (if it was good) and Emilio’s vibes. I highly recommend trying the vegan tacos, the mushrooms and salsa were superb. My other suggestion is trying the green enchiladas. Everything from chips, beans, and tortillas were worth the visit. Live entertainment and happy hour are the central attractions at this restaurant. I saw a sizable lounge towards the back of the restaurant with a full bar experience. Don’t be fooled though, the food keeps people coming back! Shoutout to Natalee, she was wonderful. Our drinks were refilled and the chips kept coming! Note: Pepe’s also serves BRUNCH!

Lisa Cabrera

7 months ago · ★ 2

The service was Ok. First off I don’t usually write reviews. I feel like the bar that is attached is where they make their money. The food was sub par. I ordered the trio Fajita. The shrimp was ok the chicken and beef were dry, and the peppers and onions were so burnt that I was not able to eat them. The rice tasted like uncle Ben’s out of a box. Probably won’t be back.

kitty frog

a year ago · ★ 5

I enjoy coming in here and visiting with the people. It’s usually quiet, which is perfect when you want to enjoy good company and catch up. The staff is friendly but never pushy, and they don’t rush you out the door like some places do. You’re encouraged to relax and enjoy your meal—which I really appreciate. Their chips and salsa are my go-to—always fresh and satisfying—and Margarita Mondays are a fabulous choice when you need to de-stress. I especially love getting my margarita with a sugar rim; it’s a simple touch that makes the drink even better. I also really enjoyed the surf and turf—the surf and turf burrito has been amazing every time I’ve ordered it. It was the last thing I got here, and hands down, it was really tasty. I’d recommend getting it dry or asking for the sauce on the side, especially if you’re sensitive to heat. The flavor’s still fantastic either way, and it’s one of my top picks. Definitely one of my favorite local spots—worth checking out if you're in the area and looking for a relaxed, flavorful experience.

Jana Myers

7 months ago · ★ 2

We used to live right by Pepe's 20 years ago. We went there all the time. The food was always good. I hadn't been there in a very long time, but had heard from others that it wasn't as good. Sadly, my experience was the same. We ordered a Chicken Tortilla soup after the waiter was honest and said their Albondigas soup came out of a can and wasn't good. I appreciated his honesty. The Chicken Tortilla soup was $10, so we figured it'd be a pretty good-sized bowl. It was a very tiny bowl, and it tasted nothing like Chicken Tortilla soup. I will say our server was amazing and attentive, and the chips and salsa were very good. We stayed quite a while, and very few people came in. We gave him a 50% tip for occupying the table so long. He was attentive throughout, and filled up my friend's diet Pepsi a few times. Other than that, it was highly disappointing.

Greg Vogel (Photo)

2 years ago · ★ 5

Pepe’s is a great local restaurant with excellent service and tasty food. It’s conveniently located between the 15 and the 215 outside the main gate of Canyon lake. It’s super big inside and has a large bar area, dining area and even a banquet kind of area game room. All the food is really good and the margaritas all are tasty. Standouts for me were the fajitas, the enchiladas and don’t sleep on Pepe’s burrito and the queso dip is pretty bomb too.