Pepitos Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Riverside

Misleading charges and unclear service

I went with my family to Pepito’s (not to any restaurant next door). We arrived at 10:40 a.m., and although they opened at 11:00, they kindly told us we could wait and come in a few minutes later.

The issue wasn’t the kindness, but the lack of transparency. The server offered things in a way that made them seem complimentary: “Would you like me to bring you some guacamole?”, “Want another refill?”, “More chips?”. At no point did they mention that these had an extra cost.

While we waited (the food took about an hour), they brought us more chips “so we wouldn’t wait hungry,” and later charged for them. They also offered refills of aguas frescas, and each refill showed up as an additional charge on the bill.

My husband, who ordered quesadillas, was asked if he wanted them with rice or beans. He thought it was included, but they charged extra for the rice. My father and I, who ordered the two asada tacos plate ($16.99), were served rice and beans on the same plate without being told they were extra. We assumed they were part of the meal, but later saw they had been charged separately.

On top of that, the drinks had no flavor, and the guacamole on our plates had black spots, which gave a bad impression about ingredient freshness.

Our mistake was trying this place out of curiosity, thinking it would be great based on how they offered things. My family was impressed by the nachos, the guacamole, and the drink “refills”… until the bill came. For the prices they charge, you’d expect transparency and honesty—not hidden fees.

Also, I’ve noticed that in negative reviews they often blame the restaurant next door, but I can say with certainty that we were at this Pepito’s (not anywhere else).

I’m not someone who usually leaves bad reviews for restaurants, but this was...

I ordered the Carne asada plate. The meal came with a chimichurri sauce on top of the medium rare skirt steak, roasted jalapeño, beans, rice and tortillas. I added the bacon wrapped shrimp to the dish.

The skirt steak cooked perfectly, it was very tender, easy to cut, juicy, and had a nice crusted seasoning, the chimichurri was not necessary but it added a little bit more savory flavor. I cut a piece of the shrimp and a piece of the steak and ate it in one bite and the flavor combination was fantastic. The beans and rice were nice, they were fresh, simple, and seasoned perfectly.

We also ordered chips and guac……..that guac was so fresh and delicious! No bitterness. Just creamy. I’ll be back just for the chips and guac.

The bean and cheese burrito my son had was delicious. It was a very large burrito that was perfectly priced.

The service was sub par. We had a large party which means we are going to require more attention - the waiter did not get that memo. With 14 people there we all have different needs, we have many questions about the menu and options, we want different drinks and refills at different times. This waiter gave us our first round of drinks (before the food or appetizers), the appetizers, the meals, and he did not come back for refills until everyone was finished with their food. He did not come to check on us once. He only came to place our initial orders, bring the food and that was all. I eventually went down stairs and informed the staff that our service was lacking and rather disappointing.

With that being said, I will definitely go back. The food was delicious. Hopefully we get better service.

I would definitely recommend eating here, just keep in mind that you may have to flag someone down to...

Went in with high hopes because of the pictures online. I ordered the (meat lovers) fajitas. Which sounded amazing and filling. My wife ordered the Chile relleno. My fajitas were so bland and boring. Usually when you go to an authentic Mexican restaurant they come out sizzling and have that dust into smell from the cast iron that scream deliciousness. We'll that wasn't the case for me. The veggies were so undercooked and unseasoned. Not to mention that the (meat lovers) wasn't so much of a meat lovers as it was a tease. They gave me a sad ration of protein that was underwhelming considering the description of the plate. The meat lovers consists of 4 slices of Carmen asada, 3 shrimps and 4 slices of chicken. The meat was so overdone and just tasted like beef jerky. The chicken tasted frozen and just dry from end to end. The only okay protein was the shrimp. My wife's chille relleno was worse than mine. My wife's not one to complain about food and will usually just eat without complaining. But this chille relleno was just so bland. The salsa or sauce they use to top it is overwhelmingly seasoned with cumin. Hardly any cheese inside the chille relleno. Lastly the staff was so unwelcoming. It just set the tone for the night. When we asked to talk to manager about our dish, he refused to talk to us and told his staff to tell us to just leave. I could see him mouthing off. Pretty sad that he couldn't at least acknowledge me and my wife. We weren't trying to be difficult, just wanted him to see what his chefs are doing. Needles to say we only took 3 bites of our food and left the rest on the table. We offered to pay for at least our drinks but we're told to just leave. If you want some good fajitas or chille relleno, get...