Pepo’s Cuban Cafe

Went one Saturday afternoon, not to busy. Food was right there at the counter, buffet style. You tell the waitress what you want and they plate the food and serve it. Food was good. The dining area old and falling apart. Serving cups, plates and utensils old as well. Staff was nice.

This place is definitely a hidden gem with excellent food and large portions! They also let you sample the meat options available for the day before you order so you know you made the right selection.

My family and I just recently moved to St. Petersburg and wanted to try out the local Cuban café. Sadly we did not get what we hoped for. We placed a pickup order and thought we were going to have a great breakfast. The order was wrong once we arrived to pick it up. Our items were rang up incorrectly and the service was terrible. Needless to say this was our first and last time visiting this location.

I was told this place was good by multiple people so I decided to try it. It’s a small place so I wasn’t sure. I placed a to-​go order for their mojo chicken breast with rice and she had a salad (made to order.) When I picked up the order I noticed that there was heating lamps keeping large amounts of food warm (several pans of pre-​cooked chicken breasts.) The chicken was dry and looked as if it was under a lamp – buffet style – which was consistent with my observations. The yellow rice was decent but I’ve had better. It needed some black beans mixed in. The salad was a salad but they forgot the dressing and olives on it. I’d be willing to try their sandwiches but not their dinner again.

This is great spot. The food is amazing, staff is extremely friendly and the atmosphere is café style. People are talking to each other, a great environment. Glad we gave it a try.

This is strictly for the Pepos in the college of SPC! The only reason im giving 4 stars is because the food is great, but the woman that works the counter, is the most rudest woman in the service industry. I brought my own lunch but saw utensils on the outside counter for everyone, however there were only knives, so I nicely asked the woman if I could please have a fork, she responded, we ain’t got none, so then I ordered some green beans, I then again asked her for her fork, she looked at me with the rudest face and said, I only got spoons, I said okay that’s fine. I sat down to eat my food, next thing you know, there’s a ton of people in line, and what’s she giving out, forks to people. I can’t even. I’m in the service industry, I don’t care how much you hate your job but damn, lose the tude.

The staff was friendly and accommodating. I had the tamale, a pressed Cuban sandwich while Nancy had the roasted chicken with rice and beans. We both had coffee.
The tamale was very good, especially with the added roast pork on top with a lil broth. My best tamale every (disclaimer: I don’t eat them often)
My Cuban was good; the bread was crisp outside and moist and soft inside, There was a good balance of ham and roast pork, a few more pickles would have been nice with a little less mustardaise.
The roast chicken was flavorful and moist but I would have liked a crisper skin. The plantains were perfect!
The coffee was bold, strong and creamy and the bread slices were flaky and moist, no complaints.
I know where to stop on my next visit to St. Pete!

Let’s talk about food: delicious, unpretentious latin food served to you hot, and often cooked to order! Humongous portions! Such savory yuca con mojo on top of my rice and beans, together with the tamale… To me, the perfect dinner, very satisfactory! This, and the homey, humble atmosphere of this place will make me come back… again.

I’ve enjoyed this little St. Pete Cuban place for many years, so it pains me to update my previous review.
After a hard day of yard work with a 104-​degree heat index, the last thing I felt like doing was cooking.
So I popped into Pepo’s for my usual: a hot pressed Cuban sandwich and their 3 veggies/​sides combo. I got yellow rice, red beans, and maduros.
The sides were excellent, as always! But as for this particular Cuban sandwich?
It was not pressed long enough. No biggie, as I just did a quick fix at home in my oven.
The problem was the ham was really, really fatty. I ate the first half, but could not endure the second half. By fatty ham, I mean gristle, and it was almost like having to chew rubber bands. Call me weak, but I actually gagged!
I had to spit it out, gagged some more, and quickly threw away the second half of my Cuban.
So while I do wish Pepo’s the best, it will be a very long time if I ever visit again and try my luck with their Cuban sandwich…

I decided to pop in for lunch the other day with my parents. My mother is Cuban so I have grown up eating good Cuban food. The service is fast and friendly, but unfortunately, the food was very bland and tasteless. I tried to doctor it up with their condiments just so I could eat it, but condiments can only help so much. We were disappointed to say the least.
I’m sure the $ 2.99 breakfast deal is good and maybe a Cuban sandwich, but that’s probably about it.

Being Cuban and from Miami, it can be kinda hard to please my taste buds here in the Tampa Bay area. It’s not quite like how my abuela makes it, nor any of the other Cuban places I’ve eaten at. It was definitely lacking that Cuban charm. The Cuban sandwich was pretty good, but the rice, plantains, and chicken, ugh. Plus, they won’t be winning any customer service awards any time soon. But I wouldn’t have minded that if my rice was at least pleasant. Oh well. I’ll come back for a sandwich though.

Me happy. After spending 2 days on the Pinellas side of the bay trying to find authentic and delicious Cuban food, I found it. Strongly suggested. Café con Leche perfect. I will be back.

The best most authentic black beans in the Bay area. They should rename the place to black beans !

First time try today, had an Empanada and fried pork with rice and beans. Food was delicious! Great price! Good lunch joint and the staff was very courteous and patient with this very indecisive customer Lol must try for anyone!

Great food… great service. great atmosphere thank you for letting us enjoy your goodies

2 weeks and I swear everyday they have different specials out! Great Cuban food! Little packed at lunch but damn good place you should expect it! Roasted pork can be a little salty but still awesome Cuban food!

It’s really a run of the middle as far as Cuban food goes. Not bad but not great either. I work close by so I end up there for lunch quite a bit. It’s definitely worth checking out for lunch as their specials change every day and prepared freshly.

I’m surprised this place doesn’t have a higher star rating than it does. I just moved to the area and I was happy to see a Cuban café so close to my apt since I’m addicted to Cuban coffee. I’ve been here twice — once for breakfast and once for lunch. Both times the food (and coffee!) was excellent. They have a $ 2.99 breakfast special that is very filling. While there for breakfast, I saw them bringing out the lunch entrees — which shows everything is made fresh that morning. My second time back I got the stuffed pepper, yellow rice, and plantains. The plantains made my eyes roll into the back of my head… soooo good! Everything was so fresh and delicious. Fast and friendly service. Very clean. Five stars!

Delicious.
The food was excellent, the service fast and friendly and the prices were reasonable. How this place doesn’t have four or more stars, I do not understand.
My husband and I have not moved to St Petersburg yet but we plan to. We found this restaurant to be conveniently located on the way to Gandy Bridge and 275. Luckily, my husband insisted on stopping even though I was a bit more cautious because of the reviews. I AM SO GLAD WE DID.
The portions were well beyond generous and the hostess even allowed us to taste some of the food to assist us in selecting our meal. She was absolutely wonderful, friendly and sweet.
They had chimichurri sauce and a red tomato sauce that you could freely refill. We had food there and bought some empanadas for our very long drive back to DC.
Although, I can understand that there is limited paved parking, there is quite a bit of extra space in the grass area. Also, instead of making so many u-​turns when driving South on 4^th you can take the back dirt road that easily let’s you get to the location.
SO, DONT LET THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS STOP YOU. THIS HAS TO BE SOME OF THE BEST CUBAN FOOD IN THE AREA.

After several u-​turns, I finally managed to find this place. Parking is limited, so I was glad to get there early to meet my coworker for lunch last week.
The restaurant is very small, clean and fills up quickly. The staff was very friendly and the service was very good. The portions of food are enormous. Great value for the price.
With that said, I found the food to be bland. I am a salt-​aholic anyways, but even after adding both salt and pepper, there was a still a lack in flavor. The chicken was very dry. The Garbanzo bean soup was lacking in taste, too. My coworker said the chicken was dry that was served on his enchiladas, as well.
This restaurant was unbelievably busy at lunch time, so they must be doing something right. Maybe I just ordered the wrong entrée.
Would I go back? Probably not, the place was hard to find and I am blessed to live close to Columbus Avenue, which is home to many delicious Cuban restaurants. I have been spoiled.