Pepitas

Not terrible/​horrible or disgusting, but really not worth it. Their sangria was bitter and not really drinkable, The rice was yuk. After a bite of my Chile releno, I end up with the head and hard, sharp, 2 inch stem in my mouth. Wtf.
The do make paella, which we ordered in the past and wasn’t half bad. I’ll stay home though and stick with my own recipe.

After climbing the stairs to the second floor, I felt uncomfortable taking up a big table for myself. So I sat at the bar. I’m glad I did. My chile relleno was average, but the bartender elevated the experience. It’s a family business, so he’s been helping out off and on for years. His father was coming later that evening to celebrate his birthday. What’s more family than that? He urged me to come back on a weekend and listen to the live music — an Italian woman who sings in Spanish. The next time I’m in the area, I just might.

Tried to steal from us earlier this week. Paid bill asked for the bill and money back to give more and change our bills over. Dude hides part of the money in the billfold and hands us the money and receipt separately in obvious hopes that we don’t know what we put in before. Needless to say we didn’t add more to his tip. Don’t go here, they will scam you and the food is crap.

Food is standard Mexican fare. We were the only two people in the restaurant on a Friday night so it was a little odd that the waitress could not remember what we ordered. Also made no sense to have the singer’s mike turned up so loud that we could not hear each other even yelling across the table. If your only customers are one couple having dinner then turn the music down.

We came in to an empty restaurant so we should expect quick service. The restaurant filled up around us, everybody ate and our food was nowhere to be found. We had a hockey game to get to and she knew it. No apology. One free drink… Seriously?
FAIL!

I’ve always wondered what would eventually compel me to register my first ever Unilocal review. Turns out, the only motivation I needed was eating one of the worst meals I’ve ever had in Vancouver. From the margaritas (which were sickly sweet and clearly made from mix), to the main courses (the chimichanga was essentially *just* a deep fried and folded tortilla, and the seafood enchiladas with their indescribable odd flavour — both of which were served nearly refrigerator cold), I can sincerely say we won’t be back; bit of a shame too, since we were digging the live music and almost legitimate Mexican-​hole-​in-​the-​wall atmosphere.

I could hardly think of circumstances under which diners would deserve this kind of treatment in ANY restaurant.
Upon arrival, we were seated promptly in the unspectacular dining room. The food lacks balance, is poorly seasoned and the service is downright arrogant. Ultimately, if there was one thing that seemed to be amiss, it was no one, and I mean no one at Pepitas appeared to be enjoying themselves.
In the wee hours of the following morning my husband woke with intense stomach cramps and proceeded to eject what he ate at Dinner over the next few hours. He says he has never been so sick in all his life.

So… date night with my boyfriend and we are walking down the street to go to Grandville island. We originally were going to grab sushi but then… I saw Pepitas. I mention how several people I know love it and carry on, convincing my hungry boyfriend to go there.
We go in and get seated fine but then 7 minutes go by and no one comes to our table. Two more tables get seated, drinks given and chips on the table… still nothing for us. Finally our waiter comes, we order. We wait another 8 minutes still no waters, no drinks, no chips, not even any waiter service. Nothing. Finally 20 mins in we pull the card and leave .
Won’t be going back. No matter how good your food supposedly is, service is just as important.
As the old Unilocal goes we’d give 0 stars but you can’t.

There’s a reason Pepitas left Mexico! It would have been better to not have had any dinner at all. Only good thing was the server girl trying her best to do a good job, which she did. The food and drinks were so poor, I can’t even rate them.
Will not go back, even if I had discount coupon!

I don’t know how this place is in business. We should of took the hint when we went in and we were the only ones there. I think people only get attracted by the colourful Mexican motif. We ordered 3 appetizers 1. Quesadilla– which was the size of a small pancake and only had a ton of white cheese inside, nothing else. 2. Chorizo with potatoes and onions. The potatoes were warm and very dry and the «spicy» chorizo, I think was just a sausage had no flavour and it came topped with burnt grilled onions. 3. Was the prawns with bread, this was ok, atleast it had a bit of flavour. Defiantly will not go back. I went home after that and cooked my own dinner.

I checked out this place out of convenience and expected this place to be similar to Mexican restaurants in the states — large portions with generous sides of salsa, guacamole and sour cream for a low price. Upon entering the place, it was incredibly awkward. Just me, my boyfriend and another table who seemed to be the daughter of the owners, celebrating the owner’s birthday. There was a festive atmosphere going on, but it felt more depressing than anything having so many empty tables in this big restaurant. I really wanted to like this place since it is so convenient but the food was underwhelming and the service was too. For what they gave and for a Mexican cuisine, the price could have been better.
Overall, the entire experience was underwhelming and I will probably not be returning here again.

Standard Can-​mexi fare. It’s better than a bunch of places I’ve tried but it did not thrill me. My boyfriend had to return his plate because his «fresh roasted chicken leg» was freezing cold on the bottom… meaning it had been cooked, chilled, and reheated… poorly. Not a problem, it got reheated and returned with extra sauce which pleased him. My shredded beef was actually slow-​cooked chunks of steak that weren’t pulled apart or shredded. Also had a misunderstanding with my order which wasn’t really anyone’s fault, however, I wasn’t happy with the outcome.
Wasn’t unhappy, but also wouldn’t return.

Great mexican food and the ambiance has really captured mexico culture. Had lunch with officemates here and we’ve all decided to come back and try other dishes.

One of the worst dining experiences I have had in Vancouver.
When we arrived, the menus were sticky and the table grungy. On ordering drinks, the margaritas were watery and tasted more like a mix of lime cordial and ice with a bit of tequila. The food itself was bland, the guacamole going brown, and the cheese hard from having sat out.
Most alarming, though, was the ridiculous negligence and lying of the staff. A man and his wife beside us were ridiculously drunk, and the waiter (older man, facial hair, Latin accent) continued to feed them drinks. They consumed 2 full pitchers of beer, did over three shots of tequila each, then ordered another pitcher. They were slurring their words. They spoke with our table, telling us they were going clubbing after, and that they were from Coquitlam. We asked how they were getting home after and they said they were driving, and that the man could drive perfectly fine when drunk, and that alcohol didn’t affect him like a normal human being.
I informed the waiter who had served them that the couple was now drunk and planning to drive, and he shrugged. As soon as I was outside, I called the police. We had walked home by the time they finally told me to call the restaurant and get the waiter to tell them when the couple left. I called back and the waiter answered, pretending to not know what I was talking about, saying he had never heard of the matter and couldn’t see the couple. Unfortunately, we had to get to the airport and couldn’t sit for another hour waiting for the couple to leave!
Absolutely disgusting. Over-​serving drunks and doing nothing knowing they’ll be getting behind the wheel, serving awful food, and lying.
Finally, the décor is awful. A grimy false-​paneled ceiling with kitschy mariachi junk everywhere. I will never go back, not even if the meal is free.

I’d always seen this place for over a decade but never got a chance to try until now. This is upstairs, above the vitamin store.
Parking is available to the N of this location. Look on the side streets.
The interior is pretty charming, and a bit cozy. There are some neon beer signs, and the bar area is nice and colourful. There was only 1 staff working, which is fine as only 2 – 3 tables were occupied. The waitress was friendly and pretty quick.
Instead of placemats here, there are Mexican-​style tiles (looks like something you’d find on a wall) attached directly to the table tops. Kind of cute, and pretty effective.
Meals are in the $ 10 range, which is decent.
For appies they give you the customary nachos and salsa. The nachos are good but the salsa was a bit plain. I’ve had better at other restaurants.
The fish tachos were quite decent, and were served with rice and beans on the side. They were a bit plain, but actually quite tasty. No complaints there.
For the other tortilla rolls (I forget what they’re called), they let you pick the meat. I had the beef and shrimp. The beef ones were a bit dry, but it’s normal for brisket. The shrimp ones actually worked pretty nicely as well. No fishy taste. This dish was also served with rice and beans, with a slice of orange and cucumber on the side.
I heard there are salsa nights here once in a while, but can’t comment on those. But it looks like they’d probably clear out the middle area to create a dance floor, which would mean that there wouldn’t be too many seats.
Overall I’d give this place 3.5 stars. The food is actually quite decent. I’ll definitely be back.

This is my favourite Mexican restaurant! I work near by and go in for lunch regularly. They are always super fast and I have never met one person working there that I didn’t like (even the chef remembers me and what I order!).
They have loads of veggies options which is great for me and the portions are plentiful.
Be sure to catch the owner singing and playing music on weekends!

My boyfriend and I originally planned to go to Andales the Mexican restaurant that was on broadway and truth but when we got there it was shut down! So we hopped on the bus and headed to pepitas! Being our first time we checked out the reviews on the way and there were a couple complaining about live mariachi, who complains about live mariachi!?! We were hoping for it but it’s only fri/​sat evenings, we will be back to check it out for sure!
The server was awesome and always around and the food! The food!!! So Amazing!!!
We used a coupon and as we were leaving who seemed to be the owner, gave it back to us and told us to come use it again! We loved this place and will be back 100% many many times!
EVERYoNE go to pepitas!!!

From the street, I had always been curious about «that Mexican/​Spanish restaurant that looked like so much fun» upstairs on Burrard Street. From the outside, you can see multi-​coloured lights and once you walk inside, the excessive decorations are remarkable considering the relatively teeny space of the restaurant. It’s fun to imagine if you could pick an item to have from their decorations, what would you choose to have for yourself!
I quite like this place, and have had many memorable (and some not-​so-​clear memories due to sangria consumption) meals with good company, sometimes witnessing the musician play Spanish music. They bring out chips and salsa to start, and I always usually go for one of the quesadilla options. The food’s not insanely amazing, but it’s perfect if you’re not necessarily looking for an ultimate cuisine experience. It’s more about the atmosphere and the company you bring.
This place is fun, especially on the nights where the musician performs.

The food was all-​right but the service was downright horrible.
Is it to much to ask for a receipt for your meal?! All I wanted to know was how much I owed… how much tax there was on it and how my order of nachos ($ 12.95 on the menu) ended up being over $ 19!!!
I was there with a group of 8 and we asked for separate bills. The waitress said she already had us together and we could just pay our part when the bill came. She was simply too lazy to fix it and we hadn’t even ordered yet.
Some of our people left. When the rest of us were ready to leave, I asked for the bill. She brought it over and it had some scribble on it to signify some of it was paid. Hoping for some numbers that were specific to me, I said to my friend that I guess I didn’t really need it cause it didn’t tell me anything.
The waitress, being as condescending as possible then began to explain to me all of the things the bill told me. None of which was how much I had to pay. I said I didn’t need her attitude and it wasn’t appreciated and she continued with her rudeness.
When I went to pay, even though I had been asking since we got there how much I owed, the waitress didn’t know. She had to go get a calculator. Then she calculated it to be over $ 19. I asked how it added up to that, $ 13 nachos and a diet coke. She said taxes and extra sour cream, which indecently was very tiny. Then she said she forgot my diet coke and had to go again and recalculate!
I paid $ 24 for nachos and one diet coke. Ridiculous. And though I continued to ask, she refused to show me how it was so high. She kept referring to a bill that had eight people on it and was not separated at all. A $ 200 bill in total. She expected me go look at it and do the math in my head that her register does automatically and she needed a calculator for.
The entire time she has a rude, condescending and unpleasant attitude. I’ll never give them my money again. It’s not often I boycott a place and it’s a cold day in hell that I leave so disappointed that I wright a review.
All she had to do was give me a receipt for my meal.

I really wanted to like Pepitas. They’ve got this festive atmosphere going on with the streamers and lights across the ceiling and mariachi/​Gipsy Kings/​Santana on the stereo.
I went there for my friend’s birthday party, with a group of about 20 people. You might think that this Mexican restaurant, which has been a fixture on the corner of Burrard and 4^th for as long as I can remember, would have it down cold dealing with big groups. But they couldn’t seem to remember what anyone had when bringing out the food, had to improvise when splitting the check, and just basically left us alone except to come and clear plates away.
In fact, they seemed much more interested in making sure plates were cleared away than they were in refilling the drinks. Hello, I’m in a Mexican restaurant, I expect to be drinking! It was also boiling hot in the room (no one wanted to turn on the fan, it seemed), and I could have used another beverage or two to cool off.
The food wasn’t bad. They bring out nice little bowls of chips and salsa while you wait for food, and my beef burrito was filling, if not terribly spicy. Pepitas would do well to put out little bottles of hot sauce on the tables for those of us who like to turn up the heat (in our food).
A lot of restaurants do this with large groups, but I also didn’t care for the enforced 15% tipping. Especially when the server just hands you a piece of paper just a number written on it (this was the split bill) and mentions that it includes her tip. I was too tired to fight them on it at that point…