Tio Pepe’s Restaurante Mexicano

Let me start of by saying that if I could give this less than one star rating I would; this is by far the WORST Mexican food one can ever have. To compensate for their banal, insipid, flavourless food, they cover everything with a heavy layer of cheese. There is no spice, no flavour, nothing! I wasted $ 52 on dishes that, and I don’t say this with hyperbole, could have been cooked better at Taco Bell. To top it off there was very little meat in the dishes. I ordered the chicken chimichanga and my wife, the beef enchilada (in addition to a few other things). Both dishes had very little meat; however, my wife’s was the most disappointing: the beef should be a good quantity and good quality. The meat they had was in little cubes, almost like dog food kibble (usually the beef should be soft and shaven).
I’m not sure if they are even Mexican, but if they are they should head back and learn how to cook. I will NEVER order from this restaurant again. As well, I’m quite sure the one review that indicated this is the ‘best Mexican food’ they ever tasted has been done by a person who either has no taste buds or is an employee/​owner (or friend of the restaurant owner). Do yourself a favour: Stay Away!

Wow, that was bad. I mean, my expectations were lower than usual because I had read the Unilocal reviews first — duh! But I had no idea how dark they could go. Easily double the recommended daily salt intake in each bite. Tons of cheese but not in a good way if you know what I mean. I ordered the combo: chicken tostada and beef enchilada. Both were drowning in cheese grease. The meat was criminally sub-​standard. The beef, for example, was just cubes of nasty ol’ stewing meat when it should have been stewed beef. And the chicken was shredded so fine that it had the consistency of hummus. In short, I spent $ 40 on a meal that neither my wife or I could eat. And I can feel more repercussions coming. When your customers would have been better off pulling a couple twenties out of their wallets and throwing them in the bin, it can’t be a positive reflection of your restaurant. Also, don’t feed this food to your dog, you don’t have enough bags.

i came here years ago and thought this place was great. Now, years later and having just moved back to the Drive I tried again. Terrible. I wanted to like it– maybe they were having an off night– so gave it one more try a couple weeks later. Terrible again.
First off, both times the chips were cold and stale, and far over salted. The beef enchiladas were made with cubed steak pieces, but they were tough and chewy– ground or shredded beef would have been far better. Everything was incredibly over salted. The salad was just romaine with a bland– bottled?- cream dressing, and took up half the plate. Rice was dry, beans were from a can most likely. Did I mention the salt? God, please help me not die tonight from all the salt. The food took a long time to come.
The service was fine, but more like a sushi place than a Mexican place– over friendly, slightly scared server. The atmosphere was bland– no music playing and empty seats (I should have known…).
So anyway– maybe I’ve had two off nights there. If you want to give it a try, please keep me posted.

Best Mexican food ever! Great dishes with great services. I just always enjoy the time there.

Always enjoy coming here with the wife. The couple working are so nice and the drinks are a generous size. Will come back when in the mood for Mexican!

I eat here when I’m in the mood for Mexican. I don’t eat much meat, so I’ve only ordered vegetarian Mexican, but the portions are fair sized and the prices reasonable. Tasty Sangria. The place is not busy so you get served quickly.

holy crap this place is awful!!! what happened? i swear it must be a front for some shady business because i cannot imagine why theyre still open! i went with a friend from mexico once, the seafood soup he said was disgusting and the worst hed ever tasted, and both of our entrée plates were totally and completely cold. i will never go back here and you shouldnt either, its a total waste of money. please dont ever eat here, you will be sadly disappointed. they should be paying people to eat here not the other way around.

Tio Pepe’s, you’ve changed.
Went tonight for a family bday. Half the meals were not eaten. The cheese was laid on some of the meals so thick, they were dripping. My sister couldn’t tell what her enchilada was wrapped it, she thinks it was a noodle. There was so much salt in everything we had that my feet are swollen, and it’s hot out, but not this hot.
They used to bring complementary chips and salsa, so I asked for some, and then they charged us for it! So disappointing. The staff were friendly, it was clean, bit it was not worth the money we spent.
Oh, and they did bring my Grandma a birthday sangira, but even that was watered down.
I was pretty excited to bring my family here, but I think that with the alternatives available for Mexican on the drive, this will be the last Tio Pepe’s dinner for this Unilocaler.

very much wanted to love this place.. but as i sit here picking at my left overs… i have to say this– what’s with the salt? it’s so salty it burn my mouth. and i LIKE salt more than the average person. the cheese tastes like kraft singles, which is just wrong. the veggie burrito is not so good. I want the owner to read this and maybe revamp the recipes a bit… also, I think chips and salsa complimentary with your meal is kind of a must with mexican restaraunts… and dim the lighting

2 for 1 Burrito ***SCAM****
Don’t be fooled by that gorgeous sign they so eloquently taped to their street board. The jiffy felt and neon paper does not live up to all its 2 for 1 glory.
Let me start with an example:
If a restaurant is advertising 2 for 1 beer and I order this special with a buddy then I would expect the server to return with 2 beers… one for me and one for my amigo. I would not expect the server to come back with 4 beers and 2 large mugs and pour 2 beers into each mug. That my friend, is 4 for 2 beers… which i did not order.
Tio Pepe’s operates on this highly unique 4 for 2 system.
Spending a night with my little brother, we were looking for something that was reasonably priced and that he could afford. We were convinced to go into Tio Pepes because of their 2 for 1 burrito advertisement (see first paragraph re: super tempting sign).
The menu looks as follows:
Burritos — 13.95.
We ordered the 2 for 1 burritos. We ate them. We asked for the bill. I expected our bill would come back as 13.95 for both plates plus our drinks. Alas, the bill arrived and the burrito plates added up to 27.90… When I asked the server she said that we did indeed receive the 2 for 1 burrito special and that is why our plate had 2 burritos on it.
Touché. You are correct server lady. Indeed it did have two small burritos on it.
And even though I have never seen an establishment present a deal in this manner it was foolish of me not to be more observant and critical. I should have known when I saw the plates. I fell for your petty 4 for 2 scam.
If you visit Tio Pepe’s and order the 2 for 1 burrito special with a friend, make sure you realize you will be receiving a total of 4 burrito’s and each paying the menu’s full price.
The food is average.
If you want great Mexican go to El Pulgarcito a few blocks away on Hastings.

I went here for a regulatory Sunday family dinner. I was impressed with the size of the portions, but the flavors were only so so. It seemed that they tried to make everything more impressive by slathering it with cheese. I love cheese, and this was too much.
The price of the food is standard. Although I think it is crazy that Mexican food in Vancouver is the price of some fine dine restaurants.
I’m not sure if I would go back. I am still on the hunt for an amazing Mexican restaurant. Primo’s used to be my fav, but now that it is closed down, I would like to find a place to fill the void.
Maybe I am not a good judge. I always compare everything to Primo’s. The food here is not terrible, but it feels like all the flavors are mushed together and overloaded with cheese…

I love mexican food, but I think i may have very low standards for Mexican food because i have never lived in Mexico with a Mexican Grandmother and been forced to eat all of it all the time. Hell, i’ve never even been to Mexico, although I did work in a number of Tex-​Mex restaurants in the 90’s, but one was run by a Greek guy and the other is the Cactus Club (not Tex-​Mex) so, cred be noted. I do hate DelTaco and such because their food tastes horrible in my mouth, so maybe i have some standards.
Anyways, i like this place. I’m happy that it’s close to my house. It has never disappointed me and the food, it’s good. Not great, but i am very happy with it. Infact, here is how happy i am with it… I have never eaten there and then though how i would change the food. That is huge with me, Although, i am doing it a little now but only because i am thinking about how i always do that. I might have to have a drink to clear my mind… what time is, oh… it’s early.

It started out great. The waitress was really sweet and the menu looked great. But we soon got forgotten about and were the last in the restaurant to recieve our orders… But the second table seated. Ugh. Well at least the veggie enchilada was delicious. I’m not sure if the wife will want to give it another go as she didn’t like her chicken enchilada nearly as much as I liked mine… One thing she did rave about was the margherita. Huge fan!

I’ve always liked this place, and Mexican food is by far my favorite… ethnicity?
Anywho, I was almost finished my enchilada when i found something pretty gross looking inside. My friend saw it and was so grossed out she ran to the bathroom and chundered (it actually had a pretty strong smell when i opened it up, yes, it could be ‘opened up’). I asked who I assume is the owner (the only guy there, on his computer the whole effing time, WITH HEADPHONES ON, so we had to go tap him if we needed something) what it was. He kinda said with a bit of hesitation that it was the chicken kidney. That they shred the whole chicken.
Now, i work in the restaurant industry, and have for over 10 years, and I have NEVER seen or heard of that before… Maybe it’s just me, but i was pretty grossed out.
Major Bummer.

Absolutely horrible food!
I had been here years ago and enjoyed it, and decided to take my wife for some ‘authentic Mexican…’. What a mistake. First off, we are both industry professionals with experience in dozens of restaurants between us, so we are aware of decent standards. Having said that, neither of us is particularly picky at all; in fact we are quite forgiving and enjoy well-​made, simple food. Now to the meal… my wife’s «Margarita» was disgusting; cheap bar lime and Margarita Mix thrown in a blender. I’m a cocktail bartender, and this was just an insult, especially in a Mexican restaurant. The kind of drink you’d expect at a crappy sports bar, maybe. The Nopales salad was OK, but the Uno Combination plate was totally awful. I don’t want to know what he’s serving as ‘Puerco’, but it stank; I mean it literally tasted and smelled rotten and was as tough as chewing a dishrag. My wife and I each had two small bites and it ruined our appetites. It was just freakin’ DISGUSTING. The Chorizo had a nasty texture and was unpleasant tasting as well. Nice plantain side, but how hard is that? I’ll give him credit for taking the dish off our bill, but holy god, it was seriously the worst meal I have ever been served anywhere, and I’ve eaten in some really sketchy places in a lot of developing countries. We could not believe that this was being sold in any restaurant, anywhere. Shameful.

I like this place very much. The food is incredible. I am from the SF bay area where quality Mexican food is the norm and this place does not disappoint. The service has always been just on the side of friendly and efficient. I recommend.

I’d give this place more of a 3.5, if Unilocal had half stars. The restaurant itself is small and charmingly decorated. (Although lately I’ve been getting takeout, and last time I peeked in it looked as if they’d stripped a lot of their décor.)
Is the food fantastic, overall? I’d say no, but it is tasty. The food seems very authentic Mexican, which sometimes actually means low quality ingredients – especially the cheese, etc. Prices seem good, but servings are quite small, and I say this as a person who prefers small servings – but perhaps not quite this small. Their sangrias and nachos are great.
You can go here expecting to eat reasonably well and enjoy yourself, but don’t go expecting a culinary marvel.

Pretty horrendously overrated Mexican place on Commercial.
Service was terrible, however that can be forgiven with great food. Unfortunately for Tio Pepe’s the food is one notch above frozen burritos from your supermarket. I had a enchilada (my benchmark when trying a new mexican place) and my friend had some tamales. Very weak showing, the Cheese was that supermarket style pre-​grated white/​orange cheddar stuff. Something your mom would do. The enchilada was chewy, small and didn’t really have much flavor at all.
Avoid.

I sure miss Tio Pepe’s… I used to eat there every week when I lived in Vancouver.
Now I live in Victoria and there is NO good Mexican food here at all!
A Tio Pepe’s is needed here in good old Victoria.

A little pricey, but well worth it. Tio Pepe’s cooks up some of the best Mexican food in the city, huge portions that taste amazing and come with the necessary accessories like beans, rice, salad, guacamole, and for a little extra, tequila. The homemade salsa is incredible, the best this side of East L.A., and you get to eat a lot of it since tortilla chips are way harder to fill up on than bread.
With the red white and green colors of the Mexican flag decorating the room, the space gives off an authentic feel, which also means sombreros and depictions of an eagle eating a snake. It’s cozy and high class, with ample seating that often fills up quick. Plants, dim lighting, and paintings of people in dusty villages make it seem as though you might actually be eating at some beachside restaurant in Mexico, except that the prices are way higher and you don’t have to worry about food poisoning.
Plus, there’s always a guy doing tarot card readings outside, just in case you’re looking to combine Mexican food with foundationless spiritual guidance.