pepe's hacienda & restaurant

the real deal mexican. now i have been looking for a real mexican restaurant for years. i mean one that doesn't have a salad on top of anything you order. also with real re-fried beans not the ones in a can. if i wanted paste i would eat elmer's glue like i did when i was a kid. on this trip i enjoyed the barbocoa (beef head) and a fried (twice cooked) pork torta. the only thing that was missing was the real thick tortilla with a pocket cut into it. the ones that i used to get in mexico when we went surfing there. both of the dishes were really yummy but i would just like a little more spicyness to them.

economical and delicious. this place is so authentic - from the food to the waiters to the little mexican store attached on the other end of the restaurant. the portions are huge for a very low price.

i came here after reading a review metrojax wrote about this place and i feel really duped and stupid for believing the article. the guy who wrote the article should be fired and also should have his tongue removed for having such horrible taste.the food here is remarkably average and genuinely unimpressive. it was boring, bland, and not nearly as good as everyone claims. hugely disappointing to say the least. subpar food aside, the service here is abysmal. i've had bad service before but this was genuinely the worst experience i've ever had at a restaurant. waited an hour for my check, 20 minutes for my waitress to show up with the menus, 30 minutes for the food to arrive and it wasn't even busy. on top of that they double charged my card twice. that isn't a typo. after charging my card twice they undid the error and then again made the same mistake and double charged my card. this took an additional 15 minutes. if you love terrible service and bland food then definitely come here, this will be your jam. if you like food worth eating and good service then by all means avoid this place. seriously to emphasize, this is yet another overrated jax restaurant that can't stand up to the hype. save your money and go somewhere else.

truly authentic. great food. i mainly go there for groceries when cooking. their grocery store has everything you need. also, sombreros and piñata’s are plentiful. if you’re missing mexico, this is the place to go!

nunca vengan con hambre a este lugar. se tardan un montón para llevarte la comida casi 45 minutos el plato que pedí era un filete de pescado con una ensalada le pedimos limones a la mecer y dijo que teníamos que hacer una orden de limones tarde con la comida y salen con eso qué tipo de restaurante es. qué mal servicio

i have been hearing a lot of chatter about pepe’s, and was curious about the hype. when we arrived, i was transported to a past life where it was not unusual to get in a car drive over the border, and go into mexico not the  tourist mexico, the interior mexico spending our day just hanging out  with the locals, enjoying the people and   eating the food.  it was  a wonderful time.

service not the best, but that seems typical to these types of places. food was awesome and tons of flavor. hole in the wall for sure, but would go again.

only real mex in jacksonville. this place is great. real mexican food to a mostly mexican clientele. corn tortillas are made daily on their own press and they make their chips from their own tortillas. all the flavors are right. my favorites have been the carnitas a la mexicana (pork in spicy green sauce) and pulpo gallego (octopus grilled with peppers and onions). they have standard white people food too (tacos, burritos, fajitas, though why get them...). highly recommended.

great food. the food at pepe's hacienda was terrific! the salsa was a stand-out as it was better than any salsa we have had in quite some time, and the chips were fresh and not your "typical, out of the bag" chips. the steak burrito was very good since the tortilla wasn't gummy and it was filled with plenty of meat, beans and rice and had just the right amount of enchilada sauce and cheese. the cheese quesadilla was filled with a large amount of cheese, and the guacamole was very flavorful. the refried beans had a great texture as there were some whole beans mingled in with the soupy ones. the rice tasted fresh, it was fluffy and had a great mild flavor. the service was very casual. our server was friendly but she did not return any time during our meal, and we had to catch her attention to let her know we were finished and ready for our check. we were very glad we stopped in and thoroughly enjoyed our meal.

authentic mexican food - and i mean authentic!. i was pretty excited to try this restaurant after stumbling across it on urbanspoon. i'd actually seen it many times before, but never realized there was a restaurant there, so i just passed it off as being a mexican grocery store. my husband is the more adventurous type. i tend to avoid places that don't look inviting from the outside (and make me uncomfortable), and this was one of them. no one greeted us as we walked in, so we sat ourselves. the restaurant was absolutely packed, but we were brought chips & salsa pretty quickly. our server was at our table right after. now let me preface my review by saying i grew up in phoenix and frequently went to the border towns in mexico (juárez, nogales, rocky point( puerto peñasco), calexico, etc) and the yucatán peninsula. i'm very familiar with the culture and the food. since moving to florida, i have struggled to find food even close to what i grew accustomed to. walking through the doors of the restaurant is like walking into mexico (only much cleaner). i was the only white woman in the entire place. good sign! if you're expecting american service and "americanized" mexican food, you're not going to get it here. if you prefer that, i suggest you visit cantina laredo or taco bell. the true test for me is the steak tacos, and let me tell you, they were spectacular. the steak was tender and full of flavor. they also use handmade corn tortillas, mexican crema, queso fresco, and serve them with a large piece of fresh avocado on top. the tacos were accompanied by refried pinto beans (homemade as well) and mexican rice – just like in the southwest. the chips were cut from the tortillas and deep friend. this is also very common in the southwest and mexico. they were not premade/bagged then warmed up. the only thing i didn’t care for was the salsa. it tasted like they threw some chopped up onion and cilantro in canned tomatoes. no flavor at all. i'm used to pico de gallo. the two sauces they served with the tacos – one red, one green – were very flavorful however. i saw a great deal of people eating menudo. the hearty soup is typically eaten on sunday. our server said they have it every day of the week until they sell out. they sold out while we were there. if you’re looking for authentic mexican food or just want an adventure, give this place a try. just keep an open mind. you may be in the us, but you’re not dealing with american’s here! ** and before i forget - the grocery store is amazing too!

i’m always on the quest for good mexican food and my wife is a chips and salsa aficionado, so when some friends of ours told us about pepe’s hacienda and restaurant, off we went.

horrible service. never coming back, the worst mexican restaurant i've ever been to.

ordered pepetacos, very good! went with a group of seven people and everyone enjoyed the food. only negative being the server was not very attentive. still worth the trip!

the real thing. step inside and instantly transport yourself to mexico! ok, i eat at taco bell a lot; la napolera too. who doesn't love cheesie, gloppy tex-mex comfort food. just know that in ciudad de mexico they don't serve burritos. however, this place pepe's is not tex-mex, it's the real mexican deal. the food is authentic and delicious. not much english is spoken here, and you won't see many blonde heads. enjoy yourself and try not to look like an ins agent.

had a bad experience with an avocado peel in a seafood soup. yuck they did deduct 1/2 of that dish , however my party of four will not return , nor will i.