Pepe’s Cantina DeBary — Restaurant in DeBary

We had just finished our trip to Blue Springs state park to see manatees and wanted a quick bite before starting our 2.5 hour trip home. We saw this place and decided to give it a shot. The place looked fantastic! Wonderful ambiance! Music was just loud enough to hear and tap your foot to, but not so loud as to interfere with conversation. When we walked in, we were greeted promptly, but didn't feel pounced upon like at some places.

Our server was at our table within 30 seconds of being seated and she was a thoroughly pleasant person. Always smiling (as was all of the staff we saw), and happy to assist with our food choices. She was very knowledgeable about how everything tasted and was prepared. We asked for non-spicy, which can sometimes be a mistake because at some places, when they remove the spice, it also seems to remove the flavor.

But not at Pepe's! I love food. Truly. It's evident in my physique. And I was top of my class in my culinary school. But this place had flavors I have never in my life tasted and could never describe.

I ordered the ground beef enchiladas and was amazed at the flavor! There was the perfect amount of cheese, beef, lettuce on top, with a sprinkling of pico. Exactly the right amounts to make my mouth dance and sing with joy. I know that sounds corny, but there's no other way to describe it.

My wife loves her rice and black beans anywhere we go, but Pep's takes it to a whole other level. Usually, she will taste one thing, then taste the next thing, etc. But the food was so good here that she took one bite and just devoured that entire thing. One bite of rice and suddenly she couldn't stop until it was gone. Same with the beans. Same with her incredible quesadillas (which she only allowed me one bite of).

The funny thing is, as we were walking in, I said jokingly to my wife, "I hope it's not good food. I would hate to have to drive 5 hours every week to get good Mexican food." We have lived in Florida for 2 years now, and until yesterday, had not been able to find a REALLY good Mexican food restaurant. There is a decent one in West Palm Beach, but not really good enough for us to drive an hour each way to eat there.

But at the end of our meal, I was telling our server that I was sad that the food was so good because it was now going to start costing me hundreds of dollars in gas every week just to drive up here to eat. But as she had done our entire meal, she again was ready with helpful advice, and amazed us by telling us there was a newly opened Pepe's less than 5 miles from our house!

I cannot wait to go there later this week! As you can tell by my reviews, I enjoy words nearly as much as I enjoy food. But even I do not have the words to do Pepe's Cantina justice.

If you enjoy Mexican food, DO NOT MISS...

Stopped by this local (looks like new) Mexican spot to give it a fair shot and see what it had to offer. The experience was a bit of a mixed bag — some highs, a few lows, and a few things that left me unsure if I’d return.

Arrival & Service: I was greeted and seated right away, which was a solid start. But once I sat down, things slowed to a crawl. It took about five minutes before anyone approached — and even then, there was no offer for drinks, just chips, salsa, and water dropped off without any follow-up. Eventually, someone came to take my order, but it was pretty abrupt — no small talk, just straight to “what are you getting?”

Throughout the meal, I had three different servers, including the hostess who originally seated me — which was a bit disorienting. I had to ask for Pepsi refills, and oddly, no one offered a water refill at all. The service felt disconnected and inconsistent overall.

Food: I went with the beef steak fajitas with Queso Fundido, served with corn tortillas (as requested). The plate was well-presented, and the rice and beans were nicely seasoned and flavorful. My only gripe? The portions of guac and pico de gallo were on the skimpy side — would’ve liked a bit more, especially for fajitas. But taste-wise, no real complaints — the food was solid.

Atmosphere: This spot doesn’t give off a traditional Mexican restaurant vibe. It leans more into a tropical Latin aesthetic, with glowing neon signs and modern glam-style decor. If you’re into a more lounge-like feel, you might enjoy it. Personally, it felt a little out of place for the type of food they serve — almost like the vibe and the cuisine were speaking different languages.

Overall, The food is worth trying — especially if you’re craving fajitas with decent flavor. But the slow, scattered service and the unusual atmosphere may not be for everyone. If they can tighten up the front-of-house flow and align the vibe a bit more with the menu, this place could stand...

Ordered via DoorDash which is always scary cause you don't know if the food is gonna be even warm when you get it. Happily it was packaged well and made it from Debary to Deltona without issue.

We got the combo fajitas for 2 so we could try the chicken, shrimp, and steak. We were super pleased that it came with 2 of the side trays with pico, sour cream, guac, rice and beans so there was no need to try n split. The fajitas were well seasoned and perfectly cooked. The veggies still had snap to them, the chicken was surprisingly still moist, shrimp was plump and steak was tender.

Let's talk about their rice, my gawd!!!! Never have I ever wanted to write a review just about a side dish. Rice is rice, it's rice, tomato sauce, spices, it is what it is. Nay nay Pepe's said hold my Corona. This rice was moist with a teeny hint of lime. I want this rice by itself, at the bottom of rice bowls, everywhere. This is the best Mexican rice I've ever had.

House salsa has a nice kick to it and I was happy to see blue corn chips cause that's rare and they're so good.

My only complaint is the refried beans. These were a sauce consistency more than a refried bean consistency. Yes, refried beans are soft and mushy but you can still see a bean shape here and there. These were absolutely put through a food processor and made wetter. I'm not sure if that's just how the give them for the fajita side plate or if that's how theirs are. Don't get me wrong the flavor was on point but they're definitely a sauce consistency.

We will absolutely...