Pepitos Place — Restaurant in Pittsburgh

Tonight my wife and I wanted to try something different as our eating out experiencing have been very lacking in quality, customer service and enjoyment. I found to my surprise this new little gem nestled on the strip of Brookline Blvd in Pittsburgh. From my point of view eating out has really nosed dived in the city and really has not fully recovered since Covid.

Upon entry you can tell that this small family owned establishment has done their best to place their mark in an already saturated restaurant city. Small and not fancy, the establishment was upgraded, clean and filled with reggaetón music. The atmosphere is that of a quick walkup bodega that you may find in New York or Chicago. Inside the walls are a collage of culture, ingredients, novelty and home. (Big Ups to Biggie Smalls hanging out proud). It was a nice representation of their Venezuelan heritage but also the home where their business now resides.

Everyone was every helpful and kind. The man running the pass was also juggling incoming and out going orders was very nice. He greeted me with a smile and was helpful in explaining what options were available. Since it is such a small place the chef was also helping from behind the pass throwing out suggestions.

Main dishes that are their primary focus up are upgraded hamburgers and hotdogs. Their spin is to use these simple dishes as a platform to elevate with enhancing flavors and ingredients. Some of the selections spotlight Latino flair and others just American style but with Swag.

The portions I have to admit were huge. This would also explain the price. Understandably with the economy the way it is, some might feel that it is a bit high. In my opinion, you are getting what you are paying for. You want quality and taste, fork up the extra few bucks and be satisfied with your meal, otherwise you can eat that cardboard schlepped up at McDonalds.

Tonight we had sampled 3 dishes and I will tell you we are floored. We ordered the American Standard, Black&Bleu burgers and a house special which was not on their published menu.

I will start with the burgers. Both were cooked perfect. The flavors on each burger was well seasoned well. And were served with a generous portion of crispy shoestring fries lightly drizzled with a cheese sauce and bacon.

The Black&Bleu was not what I was expecting. The balsamic glaze (traditionally overused) is killer as it really complements the pesto aioli used. I would not figure that it would work with the funk of blue cheese, but it does. You will not find one like this in Pittsburgh. Would give this one a 9/10.

The American Standard was also a surprise. Not a normal burger that I was visualizing. The Caramelized onions paired with bacon and truffle aioli should be illegal. Mac & Cheese as a base I have never seen before. I would give this one a 8.5/10.

Now on to the special. I being from Chicago where the Latino food culture is extremely high, found it extremely refreshing to see that they were serving Venezuelan dishes. This dish by far was my favorite. With a heaping mixture of proteins (Carne Mechada) Shredded Chicken, Shredded Beef, Pork & Bacon with hardboiled Eggs. This is a ultimate indulgence. Everything was piled high on top of their (I am assuming) hand made Araperas (Corn Cakes). Then finished with a beautiful light cheese and sour cream. This was an amazing dish and would give it 10/10.

I wish the greatest success to Pepitos Place. I can't wait to try them again. Go an show them some love and give them a try. Your taste buds...

I'm not Venezuelan (if it wasn't obvious)/have never been, really can only directly compare to Pabellon and Cilantro y Ajo (the latter being markedly better than Pabellon). What is available here for one to one comparison is better than at Cilantro y Ajo, very different menu though as Cilantro only serves street food on Saturdays.

Three edits deep, updating as I work my way through the menu: The American Standard is sublime. Do not get hung up at the idea of mac and cheese on a burger. I almost walked back in and ordered a second one.

Bacon cheese fries solid, truffled fries really good. Salchi reloaded fries are unique and delicious. I don't even know how to describe them. Just eat them.

Loaded dog (mechada), stellar.

Black and bleu burger is the best smash burger I have had (written before I had the American Standard).

If you're in the south hills do yourself a favor - next time you're itching for moonlight, do yourself a favor and get a burger from here.

Pepito is kind of mind bending to see assembled, like, how can more things keep going on that bun?!? I was really impressed how well seasoned the meat was given how easy it would be to hide behind all the other flavors at play. This is a sharing dish or some now, some later dish unless you are a D1 athlete or have an otherwise superhuman appetite. Huge sandwich, very good.

Feel like I just ate good flan for the first time. Super smoky and creamy.

Check it out, you...

Always great when a new Venezuelan place opens up! Pepito's is somewhat unique in that they not only serve traditional Venezuelan cuisine, but they also serve American classics with a twist. Some are fusion items and others are American classics just spruced up. They have burgers, hot dogs, cachapas, and numerous other great items. I got to try their cachapa and coco fudge chucheria.

The cachapa was definitely quite good, but not the best I’ve had. It kind of lacked flavor. Still, they used an adequate amount of cheese, both on the inside and the outside. The outside cheese was somewhat rubbery. They also served it with a nice creamy sauce, which was very good. The portion wasn’t as big as I thought given many of the reviews, but it wasn’t bad. Price was somewhat high.

The coco fudge sweet was nice and a reasonable price. I think it’s fairly common as a snack bar (it’s a wafer bar) in Venezuela, and it’s got a subtle coconut flavor. You get 2 pieces in a bar.

All in all, I quite like this spot. Nice cachapa and sweets. Not too crazy in terms of flavor, but good nonetheless. I would go back to try some of the...