Pepe’s Ranch

Cool, laid back restaurant in the heart of Deep Ellum. Veggie tacos were excellent. The homemade flour tortillas and salsa/​hot sauce was perfect. The hash-​browns appeared to be made from scratch and they were delicious too. We will be back soon.

I’ve only been here for breakfast, but I can say that the rajas tacos are awesome! Pepe’s ranch is not busy, in fact, at 9:40 am I am the only customer. Lunch and dinner must be much busier. I wish I lived closer, I’d eat them all the time.

Although seemingly less popular of the two Pepe’s in Deep Ellum, this place is my new found Romeo. This is not straight up Mexican food. It may not even be what people consider traditional Tex-​Mex with complimentary chips and queso. Yes they have margaritas, tacos and tortas, but the menu is really more Texan fare that’s spruced up with Mexi-​goodness.
I was hoping to catch breakfast on a Saturday «morning» (yeah I know, 11:20am is my morning on a weekend), but Pepe’s stops serving it at 11am. The lunch menu is pretty small but they even have chicken fried steak and chicken fried chicken! The beef brisket enchiladas with tomatillo sauce is so darn good. They pack it tight with juicy brisket and it has the perfect amount of cheese that doesn’t overpower the rest of the flavors. One of the sides you can get is grilled baked potato slices and they are A-​MAZING. They were seasoned so well and it was soft and slightly crispy on the edges, mmm potatoes!
I ordered the special which was three pulled chicken tacos with rice and black beans. The mango salsa was incredibly fresh and the sauce was slightly sweet and tangy, almost like bbq but much lighter than that. I asked for hot sauce and was brought two house-​made versions: mild chunky salsa and a roasted pepper one that really had a kick. I’m pretty sure I would have died if I took a spoonful of the latter. I mixed them both together in my tacos to get the spice of the roasted one and the chunky texture of the other and the flavors just detonated in my mouth.
Even the complimentary sweet corn cakes were delicious! The waiter was very polite and attentive, the small cute patio kept the sun away and let the breeze right on in, everything that I tried really surprised me and it was less than $ 10 for each entrée. My current beau may appear modest and humble, but the food here won’t disappoint.

The breakfast burrito with carnitas was the best in the neighborhood. The huevos rancheros was amazing too. Way better than café Brazil. Good music and a nice porch.

I came here with some girlfriends for a fun afternoon of lunch, drinks, and laughter. We were greeted as we walked up to the patio, by a who was to be our server. I guess being located on Main St in Deep Ellum I had higher expectations of service. He took our drink orders. As we decided on food he brought us waters and rolls. Rolls, definitely an interesting choice to serve in place of oh I don’t know chips? So he took our food orders and said he was coming right back with our drinks. 10 mins later, no drinks. He opens the door for leaving customers even looking at us. Another 10 mins, nothing. We had already asked once for our drinks, we weren’t in the mood for waiting longer to see how long it might take to take and get our food order so we did something I typically wouldn’t do but under the circumstances I felt it was more than slightly justified. We took another 5 – 8 mins deciding on another restaurant near by (still no waiter) and left to go there. Not until after we crossed the street did the waiter run outside asking where we were going, to which our only response was honest and true… We’re thirsty and hungry, we’re going somewhere that WILL serve us! And that is exactly what we did,
In short, eat here at your own risk. They might be good. I don’t know, they were too «busy» for my allotted time of about 3 hours!

Just finished two great egg & pico breakfast tacos at Pepe’s Ranch on Main in Deep Ellum. Glad they extended their hours and are now open late and on Saturday. Leo is doing a great job!
Salsa is one of the best I’ve had!
Duane

Pepe’s Ranch is a nice alternative to Buzz Brews and Café Brazil for breakfast. Staff is friendly and efficient with my experiences. The food is fantastic for the price. The house hot sauce is really great on eggs. I haven’t been able to go for lunch but breakfast is solid. They unfortunately aren’t open nights or weekends.

Think ‘Texican’ when you explore this menu: I went for the Chili Burger for lunch.
Absolutely fresh lightly toasted Bolillo bun, good tasting meat, and hot freshly made french fries. The only problem I had is with the chili: two tablespoons only and too many green peppers in it for my taste.
Service is slow but friendly.
I’ll come back for other menu items and maybe the chicken-​n-​waffles for breakfast.

No frills sit down lunch for the same price you’d pay a downtown fast food joint.
Wait staff is extremely polite and the portions were just enough.

Right now this place is only open Mon — Fri for breakfast and lunch, but extended hours are coming soon. They have beer and margaritas only, but will also be adding more to that as they get in full swing.
I went Friday for lunch and sat on the patio. I was really surprised about the menu. It’s way different than Pepe and Mito’s. They bring cornbread and rolls out instead of chips and salsa, and I was hungry to the cornbread hit the spot while I waited on my friend to arrive. I decided on the chicken fried chicken. It was a little greasy, but other than that it was good. The green beans were awesome. Crunchy with a nice seasoning.
Our waitress was awesome and really funny. We picked a perfect day for the patio and people watching. I cannot wait until they have evening and weekend hours!