1510 Sebastopol Road, Santa Rosa CA 95407
(707) 545-7425
Parking: in parking lot
http://pepesmexrestaurant.com/
Last Visited: December 22, 2005
Food: 2 to 3 stars
Atmosphere: 3 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $ to $$$
This visit was to the Fourth Street location (the corner of Fourth Street and college) – which has since closed, but the review may or may not apply to the other location. The parking is a bit awkward, since it meets at this intersection in an unusual space. The parking lot and restaurant are both shaped like a L – very angular.
Enter the restaurant and see the counter immediately with a sign above the counter showing the menu. The counter extends for stool seating, and ceramic vegetables hang from the ceiling. There are red and white vinyl booths located on both sides of the restaurant. Some of the spaces are a bit cramped, so be prepared to get cozy. Above the booths on the side near the wall are small pieces of fabric shaped like a Mexican blanket with ceramic vegetables glued to the fabric. There are also various pieces of art. On each table is a colorful painted napkin holder containing the good kind of napkins (the type where you’ll probably only need one). There are a number of windows that bring in lots of light.
On each side of the restaurant, there is a salsa bar with tomatillo salsa – red and green. There is also fresh salsa available mild and hot. At one of the bars, you’ll also find some vegetables – carrots and potatoes. When you have completed ordering at the counter, you are given a tray with a number, a bowl of chips, and two plastic cups for salsa.
- Burrito – A regular burrito contains your choice of meat, rice, beans, and fresh salsa. The menu specifically states that that the salsa is not hot. The tortilla is fresh and comes warm. The meat selection is fairly extensive – including grilled steak, grilled chicken, chile verde, chicken, chorizo, carnitas, and chile Colorado. I selected carnitas. The meat was well flavored and came in large chunks, but the burrito seemed dry. In my mind, a burrito should taste good without making it super (additional ingredients), and when the super toppings are added, it just gets better. I didn’t have time to read the menu thoroughly upon ordering and was disappointed to find that I needed to order a super to have lettuce in the burrito. Although it’s my error for not reading thoroughly, it was still disappointing, and left me with a dry burrito. Although I supplemented with fresh salsa (which was pretty good, but not the best I’ve had), my burrito still didn’t seem moist enough for my tastes. The portion was quite healthy though. $5.75
- Super burrito - A super burrito contains the same thing as a regular burrito with the additions of lettuce, guacamole, cheese, and sour cream for a dollar more. For my second visit, I ordered a grilled steak super burrito. The steak was plentiful, but despite the additional ingredients, I still found my burrito a bit dry. It was much better than my initial experience with the regular burrito, but much drier than I prefer. $6.75
My fellow dining companions ordered soft tacos and enchiladas. Both contained an abundance of meat, but from the looks of it, the meat was still on the dry side. The enchiladas come with a lot of enchilada sauce, so perhaps that would be a good thing to try next time. The portions of the quesadillas are also large.
The restaurant is clean, and the food arrived very quickly. Just after getting seated and getting my salsa, the food came. The chips vary in freshness – some are better than others, but overall, they’re still good. Other menu items include seafood, and on weekends, they offer menudo.
Pepe’s is voted one of the best burritos in town by readers of the local newspaper (and this is also stated on the menu), but you’ll have to decide for yourself.
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