Carlos & Pepe’s

Worst service I have EVER had. We waited an hour for our food, took 20 minutes to bring us chips and salsa. Drink tasted like margarita mix and ice. Three of us ordered and two of the meals were wrong, after we waited an hour for the meals. We told the waitress to change the bill since we received the wrong food, she said ok and then didn’t change the bill. Ruined my entire day, I was really looking forward to a great experience since my parents recommended it. Also don’t count on using American Express, they don’t except.

Overpriced. Food was tasty. Margaritas were watered down and tasteless. Service was slow. Mediocre at best.

Friday, 7pm. Said there would be a 25 minute wait, so we had a drink at the bar. Margs are fantastic. Ended up sitting us within 10 minutes. Food was very good. We had chicken and beef fajitas, chicken quesadillas, tacos, chicken tamale and chicken enchilada. All meals were loaded with meat and delicious. Salsa was wonderful and guacamole was just right. Service was a little slow, but nothing to worry about. Everyone was very nice and polite. Not overly attentive, but that was fine by us. We will go back again and had a great experience.

If you have children beware of dining here — this is not a family friendly restaurant as not only do they not have any changing tables in either the men’s or women’s restroom– the owner has a specific policy of no food while you wait for your table. This means if you have hungry children they will not be allowed anything to eat even if you order it at the bar or Togo because of the owners ridiculous policy. (Even the employees agree it’s ridiculous Bc it is.)
We were there with another couple and we each have a 1.5 year old baby. After we were told it would be a 30 minute wait we proceeded to order a pitcher of Top Shelf Margaritas and other drinks for our wait which they allowed us to pay $ 70+ dollars for however when we asked for a basket of chips for our sons to nibble on to hold them over until we had our table we were told the owner does not allow it. After speaking to the manager (in front of the owner who would not acknowledge us Bc I guess he assumed I didn’t know he was the owner) he told me that it was the owners policy to not allow chips even to young children– I told him that once he asked the owner that I was sure the owner surely wouldn’t say no to a basket of chips for 2 babies that I was happy to pay for. He asked the owner and I was still told no. Who denies a hungry baby a couple of chips to nibble on? This geriatric A-​hole does. If it wasn’t for being a Friday night we would have left and never looked back again however we needed to make sure our children ate ASAP so we waited however I will never spend another dollar in that child hating establishment again.
Shame on you old man for owning a restaurant and not caring about your patrons. I assure you that I will make you regret denying two small babies a couple of Chips. I promise you that you need people like me much more than I need you or your multiple osha violation Mexican restaurant. You will hear from me again. This is not over.

Overpriced uninteresting food. Smack in the middle of the cruise port hotels, there are better choices at more reasonable prices all around. Service was fine, atmosphere OK. Very high prices for the food delivered. I would look elsewhere next time I am in the area.

Reminds me of Pepe’s or Chi Chi’s. Smothered in sauce, limited menu and not authentic. World famous margarita was 3stars. Salsas were good, both the hot and mild. Guacamole was good but I’m afraid to ask if it’s made onsite or out of a jar. Bill is $ 50 including liquor and tip. Décor is ok. A lot of tvs and they were playing Caddyshack. Recommended by a friend. Hope this isn’t the best Mexican south Florida has to offer.

Bad service, below average food, not very good drinks
Our food came out from the food runner before the server even brought us a beverage. And then she tried to blame it on the bartender. She could have at least brought us a water in the meantime

I don’t live in Ft. Lauderdale, but this place was so delicious I ate there twice during a 3-​day trip.

You would think a place with plenty of free parking and a tasteful and pleasant interior with ok food at ok prices would rock in Fort Lauderdale, well nope. Each and evert time I’ve been met with the worst service I’ve become accustomed to in South Florida. From the always pissed bitch behind the bar with the ponytail whom I hope is an owner or someones girlfriend because as a stand alone worker is the rudest, most inefficient least friendly bar tender I’ve ever had the displeasure of having to order from. As with most of the other reviews the bad service makes this place last on my list.

This place wasn’t outstanding, but then it wasn’t bad either. Unmemorable but decent food. The service was good. On the way to the bathroom, the manager made sure the waitress had helped us, which she had.

My family and myself love coming to this restaurant. It’s family friendly and has a nice bar area also if u want a bar scene.
I love getting the prickly pear margarita and their salsa dip is the best. Every time I go I try something different on the menu and have not been disappointed.

I’ve been coming here almost since it opened when I was a wee one because dad worked nearby at the Port. Tonight was my last time because the place and food is disappointing now. And super expensive!

Awful service. Dirty bathrooms with dead cockroaches. Hostess had many people waiting with empty booths available. She had difficulty communicating and seemed lost. Waited 15 min to see a server and another 45 minutes for the food which was way overpriced. This used to be my favorite spot as a kid but I will never go back. Plenty of better and cleaner places available in Fort Lauderdale.

When I lived in a Fort Lauderdale this was my favorite restaurant. When I had my going away party they brought me my own separate meal. It was a surprise! The Cobb Salad from Carlos and Pepe’s! Every birthday, holiday, and everyone else’s birthday, we went to Carlos and Pepe’s. If I wasn’t treating someone to dinner they were treating me!
I moved to NYC! After over ten years I’m still on a search for Mud Pie like the one at Carlos and Pepe’s! If anyone knows of a place that serves this desert or one similar please message me! The closest I came was at Virgil’s BBQ. They stopped offering it a few years ago!

I have been to this restaurant twice and it was horrible both times. I didn’t realize this was the bad restaurant I had been to before in 2007. It was only when I sat down and had déjà vu that I remembered. Both times the service was horrible and the wait staff quite rude.
My family and I went to dinner last week wanting a good Mexican dinner before we got on our cruise ship the next day. There were 10 of us and 3 got there 5 mins early to get a table and have some drinks. The waitress wouldn’t seat us until half of our party showed up. Fine. She was very rude about it with rolling eyes and just a snotty attitude in general. So our party shows up and we sit. It took forever for someone to come take our drink order and we probably sat for 15 mins or so before we were given any chips and salsa.
I know we were a large group and in knowing that we were patient. When our food finally came out we had several people order tacos with or without various things like lettuce, tomatoes, beans etc. nothing was clearly marked and they threw it on the table. When we asked which had what the waiter refused to answer and just dumped the food and ran. My husband ran out of tea and was out for quite a while before anyone would refill his glass. It was just a disaster. Overpriced and the food is only sub par in my opinion. It was the same way in 2007.
I won’t be making a 3^rd trip to this restaurant. There are so many other good places around there to eat, do yourself a favor and skip this place.

Is it just me or did prices go up… like a lot? $ 19.05 for chicken fajitas and $ 20.05 for veggie fajitas. Burritos ranged from $ 16-​$ 17. The refried beans and rice served on the side of the meals is lacking lately as well. The tuna dip is still amazing, thankfully.
Definitely still a fan but I feel that there are better Mexican restaurants for a fraction of the price.
Management– please don’t turn this place into a tourist trap!!!

Preface: the only thing that got them 2 stars instead of 1 was that the tortilla chips brought out were hot and fresh out of be fryer.
I suggested his place to my friend for dinner the other night, because it was right next to our hotel and it used to be great! I grew up in Ft Lauderdale and Carlos and Pepe’s always had a great reputation. That was, however, in the 80’s-90’s and things have obviously changed.
When we first walked in, it was dark and dank and had a weird smell, like dirty dish water and grease. When we were seated and looked at the menu, we darn near had a heart attack. Two tacos for $ 16?! A chicken and cheese quesadilla for $ 16?! It didn’t even come with rice or sides or anything! What a ripoff! Those were the two things we ordered, which coincidentally were two of the least expensive items on the menu.
We didn’t get chips and salsa at the table until after we ordered (perhaps some people ate those before they looked at the menu and then bolted!?). Be chips were good. They were fresh out of the fryer. The salsa was like dipping the chips into water — very liquidy and no flavor. Thankfully we didn’t eat many because our food was up almost immediately.
My quesadilla weighed about 37.5 pounds and was tough to swallow. It was packed full of cheese and chicken, which is great, but the cheese was congealed and it was very tough to get through. The guacamole that came with it was definitely not homemade, it tasted like it was straight out of a plastic tub from Publix. And there was very little of it. It came in a little paper cup, a little smaller than a shot glass.
The tacos looked ok — there was ground beef, lettuce and tomato. It did not come with sour cream or guac and he didn’t order any, in fear it would cost another $ 5. Lol. The side plate had seasoned rice and some sort of refried beans with cheese on top. The rice was dry and flavorless and the beans looked like Alpo (dog food) straight from the can. They didn’t taste much better. He ate most of the tacos and then made me take a bite. It was weird, I couldn’t taste anything! I could taste a little bit of the oil the hard shell tortillas were fried in, but nothing else. The mean had zero flavor, nor did anything else. It honest-​to-​God tasted like cardboard.
This place is definitely past its prime and in no way worth the ridiculous prices. Their menu needs to be revamped (it’s original from 1979, I think), their prices need a reality check, and the quality of food needs to be made a priority!
Note: I know I mentioned price a few times and I am by far a cheap-​o. I have NO issue paying more for food when the quality is there or it’s a higher end establishment. This is an out dated Mexican restaurant with crummy food that is only surviving on its name and past reputation. There’s no reason why these prices should have been that jacked up!

Hate to say it, but I think this place has gone downhill since my last review some time ago. I’ve been here many times throughout my life since I grew up in Fort Lauderdale and have always loved it, but this most recent experience was by far the worst.
It took forever to get drinks and we actually had to ask for chips. The service left much to be desired even though it was later and not that busy. The food was not spectacular. My fajitas, which I normally love, were pretty bad. Some of the chicken was so tough I couldn’t actually bite into it and had to spit it out. Disgusting. There was enough chicken left over that I could still make a meal out of it and didn’t have to send it back, but that was a mess.
The prices are just insane, as so many people have said, and it’s just not worth the price for the quality of food and the quality of service you receive. I’m not in a hurry to come back.

After seeing the bad reviews for Carlos and Pepe’s I decided to see what some of those people consider good food. Here are some of their favorite restaurants.
~LuLus Bait Shack…5 stars (I wouldn’t step foot in that disgusting spring break dump)
~Joes Crab Shack…5 stars (one of the worst meals of my life. We live in South Florida where Seafood is available fresh, local, and sustainable from many locally owned restaurants and somehow someone ends up thinking this is 5 star material.
~T-​Mex cantina.5 stars. Went out of business since then.
~Sweet Tomatoes Buffet…4 stars. Really???
So with that in mind, Carlos and Pepe’s is one of my favorite restaurants. The margaritas are fresh, strong, and delicious. «Waahhhhhh but they’re expensive» you say? If you don’t wanna pay 9.50 for a pint glass of top shelf tequila and fresh handmade juices than stick to your 6 dollar wine based margaritas at your cheap fast food tex mex places.
Next common complaint? You don’t like that they place each homemade chip down on the place and place an equal amount of cheese and toppings on each nacho? You only got 12 nachos? If you can eat those 12 nachos and tell me that it wasn’t better than that pile of trash that you got from YOUR favorite cheap Mexican place where they grab a handful of chips out of the bag and slop a few toppings on top and fight for who gets the 3 chips that might land a piece of meat or cheese, than call me crazy. Enjoy your pile of crap.
If you’re still reading this if you haven’t filled up on their amazing fresh salsa and margaritas… try the King Crab Enchiladas, the fajitas, any of the tacos, super nachos, whatever you do don’t forget the Tuna Dip.

I was skeptical about coming to Carlos and Pepes. My cousin said she remembered it being good back in the day. I was worried because I was brought up in San Diego so my taste in Mexican food is different from my cousin’s who doesn’t even know what Carne Asada is let alone what it tastes like. We decided to give it a try because I was craving guacamole and chips. That is hard to mess up anywhere you go!
I didn’t see Carne asada on the menu so I asked the waiter if he had anything like it. He suggested a taco with their marinated steak so I agreed to try it. It was fantastic! It had a sweet flavor to it that kind of reminded me about the time I had tacos with Dr Pepper marinated steak. It was full of flavor and juicy! I thought it tasted better than Carne asada! If I’m ever back in town this will be my go to Mexican restaurant.