Pepe’s Cantina Port St. Lucie — Restaurant in Port Saint Lucie

Here I am again, with one of my honest and upfront reviews. I don’t hold back, and call it like I see it. One of my biggest challenges with writing reviews is I provide both positive and negative input, which allows you the reader to judge for yourself. I read all the Pepe’s reviews that were negative, and realized that yes, this is a new business, open for only 2 weeks, and with most businesses you never know what it’s going to be like in the first few weeks, so patrons who review a business solely on the fact that they had to wait long, there wasn’t enough wait staff or bartenders, food issues, etc, etc is to me only half the story. Most of the time some reviews are written out of pure anger, resentment, pride, etc, etc. You get the picture……. Just remember there are restaurants out there, where if you don’t book in advance, you don’t get in, and they don’t care. Not every restaurant is going to be perfect for people, especially one that’s new, with even inexperienced people that are trying hard to make you happy. So with that, let’s get down to the review. E ent there around 4:30-4:45, so there were only a few patrons inside. There was at least 10 wait staff on the floor and visible at all times. We were seated within 2 minutes of entering, and warm chips, and fresh salsa brought to our table. We were greeted by our delightful server “Bri” who was not only familiar with the menu, offered us suggestions since it was our first visit. She smiled, was enthusiastic, and created an easy and open rapport. This goes a long way with me. We order up the “table guacamole”, now I love fresh made “guac” and most times it’s spot on. Yes, it was fresh, the right amount, size of the avocado cutting was perfect, yet I found that it might have been missing an ingredient. My wife also noticed this, so we mixed in some of the salsa we had and it was like “bang” it lit up the life of that mixture. I am not sure what was left out, but it just needed a little spice to kick it into gear. Our main dish arrived which was chicken fajitas for myself and a shrimp dish for her. Both meals were well balanced for flavors, and portions. I truly love when fajitas are well done and carmelized as it adds to the flavor. The only downside I found was the portion of sour cream and gauc to make three fajita wraps with the pico was not even. You need to bring up that portion as the sour cream looked like a teaspoon full. That makes for a big deal when dressing up a good wrap. The rice and beans portion were perfect. Pricing in my opinion may have been $2-3 dollars more than other places serving similar food, however you can’t beat the location being so north in the Torino area, it’s worth it. They do have specials on food and drinks throughout the week which is on a clearly written board before you enter. Plenty of seating with an open floor plan. I can’t comment on the bar as I didn’t drink anything from there. But it appeared well stocked from my view point. Also, it is very clean inside and sanitary….. Please think about turning off the fluorescent ceiling lighting earlier. The incandescent bulb fixtures make for such a nice ambiance, might be good during the day also!!!!! In closing, sure a new business is gunna be slammed busy, the kitchen is going to get over loaded, wait staff is gunna make a mistake, but give this place a chance, I did, even after reading the reviews and I was delighted.

I have gone to restaurants several times hoping it got better, but it failed and some of them closed even before covid. Not even the finest restaurant is gunna be 100% perfect. Try for yourself and make your...

My husband and I celebrated our anniversary at Pepe’s Cantina, and while there were some highlights, there were also significant issues that need addressing. Our server, Nixzat, was fantastic. She was professional, knowledgeable, and provided excellent service, which made our experience much more enjoyable. We also want to give a special mention to the gentleman who delivered our food. His professionalism, efficiency, and courtesy were exceptional, and we felt compelled to tip him for his outstanding service. However, the experience started poorly with the host. We had made a reservation and specifically requested a quiet corner table for a more private dining experience. Instead, we were seated directly in the center of the restaurant. When my husband asked to be moved to a quieter spot, the host was dismissive and rude, claiming it was the only table available, and this was done in front of other diners. When we pointed to a spot by the window and asked if we could sit there, she rolled her eyes and responded in a childish, pouting manner, which was incredibly unprofessional. Additionally, we had requested a booth but were seated at a table instead. The host could have simply informed us that we would need to wait for a booth, as one became available shortly after, but this was never offered. Instead, we were left feeling ignored and dissatisfied with the lack of courtesy. The food experience was a mix of good and not-so-good. The salsa that came with the chips was overly salty, and its texture was off, making it difficult to enjoy. The chips were fine, but the salsa definitely needs improvement. On the positive side, the tres leches cake and pina colada cheesecake were both delicious and a real treat. I had the birra taco pizza, which I thoroughly enjoyed, while my husband’s three-meat fajitas didn’t quite meet his expectations. He mentioned that he preferred fajitas from another restaurant, but he still found them okay. The horchata drink was also a highlight and something we thoroughly enjoyed. In conclusion, while Pepe’s Cantina has a lovely atmosphere and some great food offerings, the rude service from the host and the inconsistency in the food left us disappointed. As someone who has always had great experiences with reservations, this was certainly unexpected and concerning. If the restaurant works on improving its customer service and offers more consistent food quality, it could be a place worth...

Okay, so this is my second review of Pepe’s. My first review wasn’t favorable at all following our first visit, which was miserable. Second time went much better. While still needing a lot of improvement, mainly at the front end, our experience was actually pretty good. The hostess was still the weakest part of the evening but the food, drinks and a super engaging young server helped make up for the rocky start. This visit, we were able to make a reservation. Upon arrival, the hostess desk was fairly mobbed and the hostess was definitely looking overwhelmed. We waited while she tried finding tables for a couple walk-in’s. When it started looking like we might not get a table because so many walk-in’s were getting seated, I stepped forward and interjected that we had a reservation. She looked up and with a rather surprised look, she asked, “you have a reservation?”. When I confirmed and gave her my name, she looked around the room and quickly led us 5ft to a small table right next to the front door! There were literally people standing right next to us waiting for tables. I asked the hostess if there was a better table, she told us no. Personally, I feel that anyone who makes a reservation, should get better seating than a hot, crowded table by the door. Be that as it may, fortunately, our server was great. Brian B, a young, obviously new server more than made up for his inexperience with downright determination. He never gave up on trying to please. Super friendly and engaging, absolutely the kind of person that cares about what he’s doing. Between his efforts and the really good food and drinks, we definitely had a good experience, even taking the rocky start into account. Hopefully, management will make improvements to the front end but, I definitely think...