Pepper's Mexican Grill & Cantina — Restaurant in Port Saint Joe

Pepper’s – Port St. Joe, FL (Panhandle) This is the flagship location of a local Tex-Mex chain that’s been around since 2005, and it delivers exactly the kind of fun, casual atmosphere you want after a day at the beach. The covered outdoor patio is spacious and breezy — ideal for groups, families, and anyone chasing margaritas in flip-flops.

One of Pepper’s more unique features is their private-label tequila, imported from NOM 1455 (Fábrica de Tequila El Nacimiento, S.A. de C.V.) in Jalisco. You won’t spot any well-known names on the registry, but the house blanco and reposado are both quite smooth. They’re asking $50 for a bottle of the blanco — that’s a pass from me, but a flight of three pours for $25 is worth it if you’re curious. The añejo, though, is heavy on the vanilla from oak aging — I’d skip it.

The complimentary chips and salsa were fresh and plentiful — classic, no-frills style with a mild heat. I had the carne asada street tacos, which were nicely done: soft corn tortillas, tender meat, and a generous topping of chopped cilantro and onion, served with a solid tomatillo salsa on the side. The rice and beans deserve a shout-out too — warm, well-seasoned, and much better than the usual filler you get at places like this.

Rachel ordered the taco salad, which is apparently a Pepper’s legend — the WiFi password is literally “tacosalad.” Hers came in a crisp tortilla bowl loaded with lettuce, tomato, cheese, and sour cream — a crunchy, creamy combo that she...

Review Date: March 3rd, 2012

Bienvenidos Amigos!

Another great restaurant during my great Spring Break getaway. My friends had been here before and raved about how good it is, so naturally, we stopped by while in the area.

How I am about to describe Pepper’s can not be easily put into words. Delicious. Amazing. Fantastic. Everything you could want and more. Perfect. Delectable. For me, these are just a few ways to describe my love for this place.

I have been traveling since 2012 and I have yet to eat at a Mexican-themed restaurant as delicious as Pepper’s. I ordered (possibly, I don’t quite remember) the California Burrito and it was amazing. Looking at their online menu, I don’t see exactly what I had, but what I had was worth the drive to Florida alone. It was a bean burrito with your usual stuff inside, but it was smothered in queso blanco. The queso blanco is what put it over the top. I just love that stuff!

Conveniently they have places in the Port St. Joe region, so if you are in the panhandle of Florida, you could easily make the drive to one of their 5-6 locations and feast like a Rey (king in Spanish). Sadly, as with most of my Spring Break photos, I deleted them. But that just gives me an excuse to go back and snap a few more while trying another...

We visited the Mexico Beach & Port Saint Joe area for vacation. Peppers sits in PSJ’s strip of shops and restaurants.

When walking the strip we kept smelling incredible Mexican food from hundreds of feet away and realized it was Peppers.

We stopped in for lunch and this place did not disappoint. This was true authentic Mexican cuisine at its finest.

A great atmosphere, music, and decor. Our server was incredible and was on the ball with getting us situated.

They provided us with a GIANT bowl of freshly made tortilla chips and salsa. It was the best salsa I’ve ever had, no exaggeration.

The menu pricing was incredibly fair. I ordered the “Speedy Gonzalez” and my wife ordered the “Taco Salad”.

The food was out within ten minutes of our order being placed. The serving sizes are HUGE! They do not skimp you at this place!

My meal was only $7.99 and I got a large taco, enchilada, and a huge serving of Mexican rice. My wife’s meal was only $10 and she got a huge shell stuffed with taco salad.

We spent right under $20.00 before the tip. Cost effective, quick, great service, will 100% be back on our...