Pepe Osaka’s Fishtaco

Wow! We were so excited to try this place after seeing such awesome reviews on Unilocal.We were not disappointed. Going on Father’s Day we took the kids — not something I would recommend… It’s not kid friendly. We ordered margaritas with infused tequila (I had jalapeño /​cilantro and the hubby had pineapple /​cucumber). Then we tried the guac which was very good. Finally, the spicy tuna tacos were literally an «out of this world» experience. If you like spicy do not order anything else on the menu! They are amazing. My MIL had blackened mahi mahi tacos and while I didn’t try them, she said they were the best she’s ever had (and she’s from CA — fish taco mecca). The kids ended up splitting the chicken teriyaki which to my surprise they cleaned the plate — a total win. Only minor complaint is that the margs were a bit too sour for our taste but I know that’s purely preference not a bartender issue. Check this place out — it’s worth it.

love this place — we try to stop by whenever we are in the area. The last visit was sub-​par as the service was horrible. Our drinks came at the same time the food did… I had a fountain soda and he had a [bottled] beer… not really sure why it took so long?!? The service for the rest of the meal didn’t get any better — but the food was delicious as usual!

We stopped here based on the Unilocal ratings, and Pepe Osaka’s did not disappoint! Between four of us we covered quite a bit of ground on the menu: chip, salsa, guacamole, baja fish tacos, spicy tuna tacos, rice and beans, grilled plantains, and the Margarita Azul made with a combination of pineapple– and jalapeño-​infused tequila. Whoa! Soooo good! Seriously, we eat out quite often and this was one of the best meals we’ve had in a long time. If you’re in the area, this is the place to stop!

This is a great little place to grab drinks and dinner in Winter Park. My friends and I came out to do some snow tubing, and built up a fairly good appetite. The ski shop where we had rented our snow tubes recommended this place to us, and we weren’t disappointed. The food concept is kind of a nice mix of Mexican meets Japanese, with Mexican style dishes with Japanese flavors added in for a twist. We devoured 2 orders of the tuna ceviche. Perfectly done ponzu sauce marinade, fresh avocado, and some nicely done, crunchy tortilla chips. The margaritas were great, packed a nice punch, and service was warm and friendly. Prices were reasonable, parking was easy, and the atmosphere was casual but cheerful.

You must eat here!!! ⁹⁄₁₀

Ridiculously good food for a very small local joint. Place probably can’t seat more than 40 ppl in tables at once, but what it lacks in space it more than makes up for in what they’re serving up. We got the beef tataki and octopus appetizers and both had incredible flavor. 3 of us ended up getting 3 diff types of tacos to share and they were all delicious. Only thing to be warned about is the spicy ahi tuna taco is not messing around and legit packs some heat. All in all a very pleasant surprise to find such an awesome place to eat when in town and all the positive reviews are spot on.

This is one of my favorite restaurants– the Baja fish tacos are the best and they pair perfectly with a pineapple jalapeño margarita. We get cravings for Pepe’s all the time. It’s better than most San Diego fish taco joints. For us our choice is Pepe’s or Denos when we go out to dine on the WP town.

Fun, very small Latin/​Asian fusion restaurant in downtown Winter Park. I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome of this restaurant. Do not be fooled by the exterior. The restaurant is located in a small shopping mall but when you walk in it has that that spunky, eclectic city vibe.
I came here on a Thursday for dinner and expected a wait after all the reviews. The «waiting area» is a tiny little hallway looking out to the dining area and the bartender so graciously offered to start us on a few of their famous infused tequila margaritas. I tried the regular, gold margarita with pineapple infused tequila. Very delicious yet dangerous. Others in my party tried the margarita gold with hibiscus and the margarita azul with Curaçao. All were tasty and left me wanting more. Anyways, the wait was not bad and well worth it.
Now to the food. They give you chips and salsa to start. The tortilla chips are no doubt homemade with delicious seasoning sprinkled on top. We ordered the appetizer of ahi tuna ceviche. TO DIE FOR. I secretly wished the rest of my party dropped dead (knock on wood) so that I could have it all to myself. For dinner, it’s all about the tacos. I tried the ahi poke ceviche tacos and others tried the salmon and soft shell crab tacos. All very good with lots of flavor but I couldn’t stop thinking about my appetizer. With each platter, you get a side of rice and beans and a plantain. Everything is fresh and you wonder how it got on your plate in the middle of the mountains.
Great place, nice service, with a laid back feel. Hoping to come back soon. Great first experience!

Worth it for the play list alone! But the food does not disappoint. Some of the best «fusion» tacos I have had. Elevates Winter Park as a place to go on its own. Do not miss this place!

These tacos were by far the best tacos I have had in years. They have more than just fish tacos such as carnitas (pork) and chicken as well. The food here is delicious and fresh. I did not know what to expect but thought the reviews couldn’t be wrong!
We had the Baja fish taco, Mahi Mahi Al Pastor, and the spicy ahi tacos. The Baja had a crisp, light batter. The Mahi Mahi is blackened and grilled, and the spicy ahi is sashimi grade tuna that is raw.
Every bite of the tacos was delicious. Eat taco was topped with a pineapple slaw and other toppings. The ahi also had a teriyaki glaze. The plate had spicy mayo drizzled with another sauce that tasted like eel sauce which was soo good!
The tacos are all served with rice and black beans as well as fried plantains. Nice Cuban flair.
This is a fusion restaurant but the tacos are spot on with the ingredients and things they claim to be. I would have never thought to use Al Pastor spices with Mahi Mahi, it is genius!
The totopos or chips are hand cut and fried, fresh, and tasty. The salsas are all top notch. Even the tortillas used tasted hand made and where lightly toasted as they should be.
I was really impressed with this restaurant and look forward to coming back as often as I can. Really, if you are in the area, or not, come and eat here!
ONO food that blends Latin and Asian in the best way imaginable.

This place was amazing. We went there on a recommendation from friends. I had the traditional Margarita with Jalapeño-​infused tequila. It was very good, but maybe a little spicy even for me and I like a lot of spice. We split orders of fish tacos and spicy tuna tacos. They were all excellent. The Asian twist on the tacos was superb.
The place was crowded on week night and its small but we only had to wait about 10 minutes for a table.
If you’re in Winter Park, check this place out. You won’t be disappointed.

Oh my god — who knew that I’d have some of the tastiest fish of my life in a landlocked state?
First, expect to wait for the privilege of eating here. This place is tiny and popular. We were told a 25 minute wait on a Friday night, and ended up waiting a little over an hour.
Second, perk those ears up. When I was waiting the server in charge of calling out names was doing so in a barely audible whisper to a packed and noisy waiting area. Once your name was crossed off, you were off the list so make sure to pay attention.
Third, shove all the fish tacos in yo face hole. You won’t regret it.
The highlight of the show was the lobster taco. While it’s the priciest option, it was well worth the extra cheddar. Giant chunks of fresh lobster perfectly battered and fried, served with an onion and pineapple salsa.
Other highlights were the appetizers and drinks.
— Spicy Tuna Nachos — tons of spice & tons of flavor.
— Ceviche — So flavorful, so fresh, and chocked full of healthy chunks of fish.
— Octopus — YUM.
— Guacamole — fresh & garlicky, topped with tons of chopped onion and cilantro.
— Cilantro and Cucumber margaritas were delicious.
Totally worth the wait!

This place is always amazing. Every time I am here I can’t believe how good it is. Just amazing. I have not had anything here that was not fabulous and I have eaten all over the world. Amazing this place is in our home town. Winter Park CO :)

This fun and quirky little restaurant is located in a nondescript strip mall along Main Street in Winter Park. Don’t let the appearance fool you! As soon as you walk into Pepe Osaka’s you know you are in for a great experience. The restaurant is super casual and usually crowded; again don’t let that deter you… everyone here is incredibly friendly! Now, onto those fish tacos! WOW! My favorite, when available, is the soft shell crab! But if it’s just a straight up fish taco you’re looking for Pepe Osaka’s has that too. Or maybe octopus, yep you can get that too. And, any review of Pepe Osaka’s has to include the amazing margaritas. I’m not talking about run of the mill lime juice in tequila margaritas, Pepe Osaka’s infuses top-​shelf tequila with interesting flavors that you can add to your margarita at no extra cost

This place is amazing. Spicy tacos are spicy. Awesome tuna and guac. Good drinks here too. It’s small so you’ll be waiting. I wished they had salmon sashimi instead of grilled salmon.

Ahhh– we loved it here! My cousin said it was the only place they ever eat in Winter Park so that is where we went! We all started with some drinks– jalapeño/​pineapple margarita for me and it was great. I was concerned it might be too sweet but it was perfect.
We all started with the ahi tuna nachos which were really good. Hapa’s are better and more substantial, but these were pretty tight.
Next we enjoyed the ahi tuna and spicy tuna tacos. Spicy tuna was definitely my favorite. I’m told you can’t go wrong with your order, however.
The restaurant is pretty tiny and there is virtually no waiting area so arrive early lest you be relegated to the drafty corridor awaiting your seat! (You can order drinks while you wait, however, thank goodness for that.)

Amazing fish tacos were the last thing I expected to find in the heart of Winter Park. And not regular fish tacos, we’re talking spicy tuna sashimi tacos, and some of the best tortilla chips I’ve had in Colorado.
I’m getting ahead of myself. We walked in for lunch and even on a weekday, it was hopping. It’s a small spot so doesn’t hold more than about twenty people at a time, and they also only have two people working (one chef and a waitress). Long story short? Call ahead to get an idea on the wait and don’t be in a rush for your food. We opted to sit at the bar.
Those «water» jugs lining the bar with pineapple and jalapeño floating around? Yeah, that’s not water. It’s tequila. If you don’t want to try those house infusions, there are about thirty other bottles lining the bar shelves. I’m not a tequila girl so I stuck to water, while my dining partners drank Mexican beer and passion fruit juice (agua fresca). Tequila lovers will be in heaven.
To eat, we started with fresh tortilla chips with salsa and guacamole. We decided to get three orders of two tacos each and split — spicy tuna, baja style fish, and mahi mahi al pastor. Each platter came with delicious rice and beans. The spicy tuna was seriously spicy but that went away once I started eating my baja style. I honestly loved both.
We left SO full but so satisfied. I’m definitely making this part of my Winter Park rotation and will encourage everyone to try it!

AMBIANCE. 4.0÷5. Cozy bordering on slightly cramped, the ambiance had a cool vibe overall. Had we gotten there before happy hour, it probably would have come across as quaint and toasty. But we got there at the tail end and got packed very quickly.
SERVICE. 4.2. Overall, the service was very good — They were very busy but managed to keep up.
APPETIZERS. 4.5. We ordered chips and guacamole and were pleased that it seemed to be freshly prepared to order… then there are those perfectly crispy chili-​fied chips. Yum yum yum. Love those.
DRINKS. 5.0. We enjoyed a bandera tequila/​Patron Añejo which did not disappoint mainly because getting home made sangrita that doesn’t taste synthetic is hard to find.
My husband ordered a cilantro infused tequila that was surprisingly on point and refreshing. I worried the cilantro would overwhelm the spirit but thankfully provided just the right amount of flavor to round it out.
We also ordered a pineapple margarita and a cinnamon orange peel margarita. oMg. Smooth, not too sweet and right down the fairway with those subtle but interesting flavors.
FOOD. 3.0. It’s hard to be tough on this point but hope the owners will consider it constructive criticism. Had these been $ 2.00 a piece street tacos, I might give them a little more leeway… but they are not – they are very pricey and would expect them to be top tier for $ 6 – 9 dollars a piece.
We ordered separate entrees of carnita/​mahi mahi al pastor/​chicken and soft crab tacos. They were COLD, the meat tasted over-​cooked/​did not taste that fresh: the crab tacos in particular — the meat was difficult to make out. The sauces were ok but could definitely do without. Overall the supporting elements (the cabbage, cilantro, mango and pineapple) were very fresh and had great flavor otherwise the rating might dive into a 2.0.
Finally, the beans and rice were so close to being great but have to agree with my munchkins that the lime overpowered the rice and beans. I still enjoyed mine but would not have minded a more subtle lime flavor (and this is coming from a lime fanatic).
OVERALL. ⁴⁄₅. I would definitely come again but would be tempted to show up for happy hour and just order the guacamole and their fab drinks.

This place was sooooo good. It feels like a fusion between Japanese, Mexican and Hawaiian food. If you like stuff like chirashi, sashimi, spicy pineapples with a sweet tang of pineapples, this is the place for you.
For starters we got the ahi poke tuna thingie and the spicy tuna nachos. That was after the chips and salsa which tasted pretty amazing.
I think we got spicy tuna, ahi poke, mahi mahi, crispy smoked salmon. Everything tasted AMAZING. But don’t expect things to taste super different. I mean they are tacos and the only thing that makes them different is the fish itself.
Didn’t really like the ambience as much. It’s super small and cramped and you can barely see anything in the bathroom it’s so dark. The wait time is looong. Expect at least 20 – 30 mins if you’re a group. We waited 45 mins for a group of seven.

Excellent meal. Come early evening for happy hour ½ price Marg’s and guac.
Why have I not been here before??? So so good we will make this a must stop each time we are in town. The ahi poke ceviche tacos are to die for and one marg is strong enough for a good buzz. Can’t wait to be back!