Carnitas Don Pepe — Restaurant in Brownsville

OK. This is going to be a long one peeps. So to start off I love carnitas or better yet anything pork. I forever have been trying to find a place that's comparable to my nostalgic favorite place somewhere down a long straight road on the way to the rancho in Matamoros that would more than make up for the all-day infused heat visits to my grandmas home when I was a kid. It was simple and yet so good. Cubed carnitas (not shredded, or flattened, or any other freaking shapes) on a plate. Then you buy an avocado or two next to the cashier and tortillas and sit down. There were lime slices and a bowl of salt where youd pinch ( no covid back then ) to pick up and sprinkle onto your tacos. Yummmmm.

Wellll, lemme tell you guys from the start. This freaking place isn't it. First, there's no one there. I should've left at that point. But I like to give everyone a try. And I like to consider myself an easy going guy but when you push my buttons I will push back. Anyways, so I ask to see the inventory and they only have like three trays (kinda like the ones at a buffett) full of meat. The first is the carnitas swimming in a bath of oil, then the beef, then the tripas all in oil. Which is ok. I don't mind the oil bath. Maybe its a mexican style of cooking them I don't really know. Anyways, so I ask for half a pound of carnitas and a pack or tortillas. Then I go pay for it and it was exactly 15 bucks. I thought it was kinda pricey but I really don't care if the taste is bomb. Well, it was the worst carnitas I have ever had. Super dry as hell, no seasoning whatsoever and just plain blah. Now remember what i said about paying for overpriced carnitas two sentences ago. Well, now I minded. So I went to my car and was about to drive away and went to there Facebook page and low and behold a day earlier they had posted that on Wednesday and Thursdays the carnitas were 8 bucks a pound. So my half pound and tortillas should have been like 6 bucks and some change. So I went back inside to ask the cashier if my half pound of carnitas should have cost 4 bucks and not 15 (as I showed her there FB page) and she was wide eyed not knowing what to say. So then I here from behind me a voice from the guy that served me I guess he was the cook and/or the owner saying that that special was on Martes (Tuesday) which I replied to that it clearly says Miercoles and Jueves which is Wednesday and Thursday. Then he says oh well then you should have asked for the carnitas that are of the special. At that point I gave him this sly look like you gotta be kidding right. You only have one tray of carnitas which is all the same. So I am not one to argue so I just said, "so instead of making this right and have a customer who'd return, you just wanna end it this way." He just shrugged his shoulders.

So that's what happened peeps. I don't like to say don't go to this place. That's not my intention. If you wanna go, go. Try it out and it might be your best carnitas for you. But it definitely was not for me. I don't like to give my money and business to...

Unfortunately, we didn't receive good service here. I ordered the flauta plate from their limited menu for Sunday lunch & they got order totally wrong. Also, the chicken smelled like it was going bad already. After my order was replaced, it was still half wrong. I guess they thought I wouldn't say anything a 3rd time or they were trying to get rid of their chicken. I was brought 2, not 3, of the wrong flautas plain on a plate. Waitor said cook counted 2 not 3 flautas returned. I guess they don't know how to count either. Needless to say, my family & I will not be returning. The other plates ordered were greasy. Positives for this place is they do serve plentifully for the price they charge and our waitress was friendly. The buffet I DO NOT RECOMMEND unless you like very greasy, spicy food. The beef chicharrones were very overcooked too. Sorry, but it...

I came to this place based on the 5 star review rating. People say it's great food but I just don't see it. First of all the service was bad, we had to wave down a waitress and even then she took only half of our table's order. It was full of people but I don't know why. The barbacoa mixta was super greasy as was the birria de borrego and the carnitas. The Pico de gallo and the onions and cilantro were probably prepared the night before and the salsas were sour, sour as in old and no longer edible. Add to this, that everything is charged extra, if you want more Pico, tortillas etc it will cost you extra. The rice side was stale and the charro beans were too salty. The menudo was room temperature and a cape of grease covering the top layer. Needless to say, we will not...