Tio Pepe
“The guacamole is freshly prepared and presented in front of patrons which is nice to see the details of the preparation.”
“Still the hands down best coconut marg in the city!”
“A friend and I were looking for a quick bite to eat and we stumbled upon Tio Pepe after discovering that Las Ramblas next door was so small.”
Tio Pepe
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Has Pool Table: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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I had a travelzoo voucher for a Sunday brunch for 2 which consisted of 2 hour bottomless mimosas/bloody mary's and 2 entrees. Not a bad deal at all. I didn't know what to expect since the reviews varied but I wasn't satisfied with my experience at all. My friend and I both ordered the steak and poached egg & potatoes. When my food arrived there was a long hair in my eggs. I was pretty turned off at that point but they brought me out a new plate quickly. The food was fine but the cut of meat was really fatty and lacked flavor. Our server was great though about keeping our mimosas topped off so that kept us happy. After we left we ended up eating somewhere else not too soon after to make up for our bad brunch.
This is my 2nd experience at Tio Pepe. My first experience was here for a party 2 years ago, and I thought the food was rather bland. I really wanted to come back here to try their food a la carte. So my friend and I came here for brunch this afternoon. Restaurant opened at 12pm, and we were outside on the dot! Loll
We were greeted by a waitress. She was courteous..but her facial expression looked like she was unhappy to be there..Just an observation my friend made..loll They have a small brunch menu with about ten dishes, and a $10 for 2 hours of unlimited mimosa or bloody mary special. We didn't feel like a boozy brunch..so we just opted for ice water.
Around 12:10pm, we started off with housemade guacamole made table side, from the lunch menu. I give credit where it's due. That guacamole was F'ing DELICIOUS!! And it was awesome that it was made table side..so you know it's fresh! Came with some chips on the side. Absolutely delicious! An excellent appetizer!
Around 12:15pm, while we were enjoying our guacamole app, my friend ordered a Ensalada con Salmon & I had a Bistec con Huevos (medium rare) from the brunch menu. 20mins later..we had finished our first basket of chips and a waiter had brought us a 2nd basket. At 12:45pm, our entrees were finally ready. First impressions…they both looked good. The poached egg on top of the steak was perfect.
However, when I cut into my steak, I found that it was not cooked medium rare as desired..but medium. Normally, I would send it back and ask for another..but due to time constraint, I didn't. The flavor on the steak was there. Just the temperature was off. Yep. I waited 25+ mins for a steak that was overcooked. NOT happy. My friend's salad…the salmon was nice and moist. Seasoned well too. The vegetables however, were soggy. There was way too much dressing. Again the flavor was there. Salmon, walnuts and dressing really paired well with the vegetables. But again, the execution wasn't good.
In the end we didn't stay for dessert. Well, now I have a feel of the food here. Guacamole was clearly the star of today's brunch. But there's many restaurants with excellent guacamole. Tio Pepe won't be one of my go-to spots for brunch.
I came here with some coworkers for dinner and some wine. The service here was timely and awesome. The waiter was pleasant and polite. We ordered some fresh guacamole for starters along with the calamari with chipotle aioli and mussels. The guacamole was made fresh in front of us and with our choice of spiciness level. The chips tasted very fresh as well. The Calamari was hot with a nice crisp. The mussels were so fresh and the sauce was such a compliment to the mussles. For entree we ordered 2 seafood paellas and 2 fajitas (1 salmon and 1 steak). The best part of the paella is the rice which was flavorful and the chorizo slices. There was chicken, shrimp, mussels, and clams in the paellas which came in a hot sizzling plate. The steak and salmon fajitas were also nicely seasoned and mixed in with some pepper and onions. We accompanied the good food with an order of sangria and a bottle of red wine as well. The sangria was very sweet with some diced apples and orange. This was absolutely more than enough for food for 4 people and the price wasn't too bad.
A friend and I came in for brunch on a Sunday at around 12:30. We had a Travelzoo deal, which included one entree each, and unlimited mimosas or bloody Marys. The place wasn't completely packed but starts filling up when we left around 2ish.
For my entree, I went with the Torta de Pollo (pulled chicken, avocado, black beans and cheese sandwich served with Spanish chips). It wasn't bad. The chicken wasn't dry but it did have this weird microwaved after taste to it. My friend ordered the Bistec con Huevos (grilled sirloin steak with poached eggs and Tío Pepe potatoes). It should really have been called Bistec con Huevo because it only came with one egg and the portion was small overall. Plus, the steak was super salty. I tried one bite and was glad I didn't order that.
Overall, the food is meh so if I was judging solely on that, Tio Pepe would probably get two stars. So why the 3? The bloodies were surprisingly good. Every time I order a Bloody Mary at a brunch place, it tastes weird – whether it's too much vodka or too much horseradish, something is just off. But I actually enjoyed the ones here. Might even come back for another brunch session, even without a deal (unlimited drinks is only an extra $10 on top of your entree). Next time, I'll stay away from the steak and egg, and chicken sammie.
*** HAPPY HOUR ONLY ***
I think this is an excellent place for happy hour. While I can't speak on the food other than the bar salsa & chips, having a good happy hour will entice me to revisit as a dine-in.
The bartender whom I didn't get the name of was very friendly. All of the drinks that I ordered (refer to my photos) were made well and carries a nice punch.
I could have probably sat their for the 2 hour duration of the happy hour but I did want to walk home and not crawl. And I also had a few more happy hour places to check out before I did that so I guess I will have to revisit to try out their many other margarita flavors & a few wines.
FAN.
I came here for dinner with a friend and it was quite nice: Spacious yet cozy, dim lighting but not too dark and lovely overall feel. It took me awhile to decide what to order. I finally chose the prix fixe meal option, which I thought was a decent deal.
We were served both chips + salsa, as well as sourdough bread. I always enjoy complimentary sides. I really liked the chips!
For the appetizer, I chose the chorizo and my friend got the shrimp. The size of the appetizer was great! They definitely gave me many pieces of chorizo, with onion on top. The meat was pretty good, with nice flavor and juiciness. The shrimp was also yummy, with really wonderful tasting sauce.
I selected the paella with shrimp, chorizo and chicken for my entree, and I got to try the salmon from my friend. The salmon was salmon fillet brushed with honey mustard, served over brussel sprouts. It tasted amazing- Slightly crispy on the side, cooked and sauteed to perfection, tender, full of great seasoning. I almost wish I had ordered that instead. My paella came in a huge cast iron skillet and there was a lot of it. The paella was made with saffron rice, green peas, slices of red peppers, cilantro, along with shrimp and chorizo on the side, as well as chicken (with bones) in the center. I wasn't expecting that… I expected the chicken to be cut into small pieces and distributed throughout the rice. Besides that, it was pretty tasty. There was plenty of nice spices within the rice, which was also moist and worked well with the rest of the ingredients. I enjoyed the shrimp, chorizo and vegetables very much! I thought the chicken was just okay though. But overall, a solid choice!
Dessert was tres leches cake and it was delicious! The cake was plated beautifully on top of a latticework of chocolate sauce. The piece of cake had a nice layer of white frosting that was not too sweet and there was a pretty dab of whipped cream, as well as a mint leaf on top. This cake was incredibly moist, yet not soggy at all, velvety smooth, sweet and rich but light at the same time. I enjoyed every single bite!
The service was okay. The waitress gave some suggestions about the menu. She was attentive and efficient. I would consider coming back to try other menu options.
We had an amazing dinner last night! We were seated by the opened window and were able to people watch and feel the cool evening summer breeze as we ate our meal.
We started off with the chicken, corn, and avocado salad and the homemade empanadas! These appetizers would have sufficed as a meal!! The dressing for the salad was delicious. The empanadas were out of this world, and hands down the best I've ever had! Stuffed with shrimp and chorizo, they are lightly fried and will solely fill you up!
Our entrees – and we only barely ate half of it from being full during the appetizer round- consisted of the chuleta in the brown sauce and the salmon in honey Dijon sauce. While the chuleta was a little dry, it was huge and I found it tasty. The salmon was perfect! The accompanying sauce was very fine and the little fingerling potatoes with it were a great addition to the dish.
To top off a delicious meal, our waiter was very kind and patient and super helpful with the menu.
A lovely little spot that I should probably frequent more often. Stumbled in here on a rainy Tuesday night after a friend and I decided we were hungry and I recalled seeing an Amazon Local deal for a $25 discount. It was quiet inside but the service was excellent. Instead of main dishes we opted for tapas and a 1/2 pitcher of champagne sangria. The Sangria was really good, with huge chunks of fresh fruit. Definitely get the guacamole! Love the entertainment aspect of it being made tableside and it was soooo delicious. Doesn't get any fresher and we got the exact spice level we wanted. Calamari was good, the sauce was tasty but made the batter soggy. Next time i'd request it on the side.
It was easy to use the amazon deal but I would go back anytime.