Pepe's & Mito's — Restaurant in Dallas

I am reading these reviews and want to know how anyone could ever give this a 5-star or even close to that. To be fair, I live in a geographical area that is a melting pot for many different cultures to include different regions of Mexico. Because of where we are located, we have eaten our fair share of Mexican food. This includes just not at my home region, but also border cities and other border states. This is the farthest thing from a 5-star authentic restaurant I have ever eaten at.

For those of you that think I am crazy by my opening paragraph let me ask you this. Have you ever been to an "authentic" Spanish restaurant and received canned jalapeno's? Not fresh, literally canned jalapeno's.

We were in the area and figured why not give this place a try. I mean it has some amazing reviews. We enter, get seated, and our order is placed. One appetizer we ordered was the nachos. Had five million times before from other restaurants. The nachos come and they have canned jalapenos. I am absolutely appalled and shocked that this is going to be their presentation. Somehow a canned item does not scream authentic. Fast-forward to the main course.

I eventually get my main course, which was chicken enchiladas. This is another item I have eaten five million times also. The enchiladas come out and they are the smallest I have ever seen. Literally, it turns into a joke at the table. It was almost like they took a streetcar vendor tortilla and tried to stuff it, except they hardly put anything in it.

If this was my impression of an authentic restaurant, it would have me wondering. After eating here, I think Taco Bell is a trillion times more authentic than this place. Save the money, time, and aggregation and find another...

Possibly the worst dining experiences I've ever had! We came here during our visit to Dallas based off the stellar online reviews. We were told we'd have a 10-15 minute wait ... and we ended up waiting about 40. As we waited I sat and watched while several patrons left, but tables were not bussed in a timely manner. As many as 4 tables sat cluttered with dirty dishes before someone finally cleared one off for my party. A waiter came to take our drink orders, delivered our drinks and then disappeared for what felt like at least 20 minutes. When someone finally came to take our order, it was a completely different waitress. Then came the wait for our food. While we waited, three tables who were seated AFTER us got their food. After more waiting, we were treated to a reappearance from the waiter who originally took our drink orders. He delivered our food ... minus one of the entrees we'd ordered for our son. He left and we had to flag down the other waitress to ask where our missing food was. She told us it was coming, but then we see her rushing over to the computer to out the order in. So, she'd forgotten our son's food altogether. She rushed the order out, but was very flippant about it and muttered a half ass apology. She didn't care at all. It was very telling how everyone in the building seemed to get great service ... except for my family. We were basically ignored and then treated as if our smallest requests (such as bringing out my 6 year old's missing food) was such a burden on the staff. We were too angry to even enjoy the food once it had come. It was decent, but I've had food just as good and better, with far superior service. This is one place we will actively avoid...

We’ve been going to Pepe’s Y Mitos since they opened on Elm. They were a few blocks from my store. We loved them better when they were on the corner with the corner patio (hence the atmosphere rate. I also understand they had to expand.) I miss the waiter Arturo. But most of the wait staff follows in his spirit. The wait staff are top notch. They make the best spinach quesadilla. My favorite is the fajita-beef chimichanga. The tamales are made the way my people do them - smaller with seasoning in the fluffy masa and the filling is the absolute focus. PyM serves an amazing tamale but it’s also the carne sauce. It’s equally good on the enchiladas. And if you’re looking for something a little less heavy- the spinach enchiladas are tops. (They kinda know how to work with spinach and I think maybe that’s what the difference is.) I don’t drink alcohol anymore but when I did their margaritas were a top hitter. You can get alcohol anywhere and if you’re in Ellum chillen then you prolly got a chest in the trunk. But PyM is the best. The ability the ownership has to transfer their recipes across the cooking staff and serve nearly the same taste quality and presentation whether lunch or dinner was I think something they figured out when they opened a second location. Maybe a lesson learned late but it definitely benefits them now and I no longer have to ask if Pedro is in the kitchen. We’ve been going to PyM for probably over 30 years - If you want an exceptional meal - Pepe’s Y Mitos is the answer. I’m no longer in downtown or Ellum daily and we still drive an hour one way to get the best chimichanga served by a family that cares....