We have been dining at DPs since they opened. Very consistent. Very good. And, with a little coaching, the margaritas are tasty. THE DIGS Very well done. The guys who opened the restaurant years ago went the extra mile to do some things differently. There is a huge wooden carved bar with some interesting art above - life size+ iron horses! Cool, colorful Moravian star lights cover the ceiling. The tables and chairs are large, wooden and have almost a handcrafted feel about them. It's not loud and doesn't smell like table cleaner (like some other Mexican places do). Overall, very nicely appointed. Very comfy. We usually sit in the bar for dinner, and never have a wait, either at a bar table or the bar itself. THE IMPORTANT STUFF: The margaritas are good. Real GOOD. My favorite bartender, Robin (no, that's not his REAL name!) has gone back to Mexico and we miss him, but Hernan has taken on the big responsibility, and after a couple of tries, with very specific instructions, my margarita is always JUST RIGHT when I order. They have cold, cold Victoria in the case as well! (Can't go wrong with a cold beer, right) - Probably the coldest beer I have tasted in a Mexican restaurant ... EVER. I tend to order the same thing every time - just because it's like comfort food - The Tacos al Carbon, which is 2 flour tortillas filled with their yummy steak and comes with rice, beans and salsa, lettuce, etc to fill it up with. I'm also a big fan of the taco salad - chicken with extra lettuce. The salad is PACKED with chicken! Both dishes are way too much for one to eat. In fact, most things I have seen come out of the kitchen are huge portions. Their salsa is what makes them stand apart, and I'm pretty picky when it comes to salsa. They serve a roasted chipotle salsa, (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/don-pepe-hoover?select=1XeQwU5wvSh9WF5kC5cEUQ#Kobt2EBQVooAappjLAmiPA) which is spicy and smokey, along with the regular tomato salsa. The chips are always fresh and the chile con queso is really good too - The dish comes out with freshly made pico, cheese and jalapenos, separated, so you can make your own chip with as much jalapenos (for me a TON) as you'd like. Overall, a great alternative to the run of the mill strip mall mexican place. Awesome food. Good margaritas. No cheesy decor. Very consistent and competitive prices! read more

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As a younger teenager, they rudely denied my request to get a meal off the kids menu. Which is 10 and under. There food is way too overpriced and come with too much to eat, so I was just going to get something small but no. I had to spend 10 dollars on a taco salad (one of the cheapest things on the menu- besides the kids menu). I am very upset about this. read more

Don Pepe is one of my friend's very favorite restaurants, so we ended up here the other night. It's pretty standard American Mexican food. The chips are thick & well toasted. Our waiter kept our chip basket filled immediately and salsa was plentiful. The cheese dip was just right! I ordered the chicken quesadilla and it was good - very crispy on one side but slightly soggy on the other. I enjoyed our meal & our waiter was very attentive. There is a lot of seating in the restaurant, which helped us in not having a wait even though it was at a prime time for dinner. I don't know that I would drive across town just to go to this restaurant but I definitely enjoyed my meal and would go if I were I the area. Great service & delicious food is always a good combination! read more

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I recently had dinner at Don Pepe with a friend and we both ate our weight in food. We both started out with a Texas margarita which was delicious and didn't taste like you were drinking a bunch of margarita mix . The chips and salsa were super fresh. My friend had the veggie quesadilla and I had the chicken enchiladas(without red sauce since the sauce had flour), which we both earned spots in the clean plate club. My favorite thing about this place though was the service. I have celiac so I HAVE to eat gluten free and our waiter, Israel, was very knowledgeable about the menu and ingredients used. Unless a restaurant has a gluten free menu, more times than not while dining out, the waiter/waitress has to go ask someone in the kitchen about gluten free items. Israel made me feel comfortable in ordering with any questions I had. read more

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Salsa super awesome! Fajitas super awesome! Margaritas OK. Deserts super awesome! Service super awesome! New FMP (favorite Mexican place)! read more

Great service. Good Mexican food. A little more expensive than some but a little nicer, too. Overall good value. And it's clean. That's nice. Wish they would offer "street tacos", they're my daughter's favorite. read more

I understand inflation is raging, but the owner is nickeling and diming the customers. $0.25 per salsa refill. $2.00 each for to-go salsa that is smaller than the salsa served in the restaurant. $8.00 for quest cheese dip. Buyer beware! A dinner for 3 last night was $75. read more

Don Pepe is a great place for family or a group of friends can come eat wonderful mexican food. Now I will say, don't eat a lot of the chips. The chips fill you up fast! read more

Don Pepe - Mexican Near Me - Hoover, Alabama

So I went on my lunch break and I couldn't remember the name of the burrito I normally get. The two burritos on the lunch menu didn't ring a bell so I ordered the Senor Burrito from regular menu. The the waiter kept saying it's huge, it's huge... I assumed he was saying it bc it was from dinner menu not lunch menu and I was like that's fine I'll have leftovers... and he just kept saying it's huge!!!! I guess I should've listened this bad boy was HUGE... but very delicious! Definitely have 2-3 meals for the price of one with this big boy!!! read more

Don Pepe - Mexican Near Me - Hoover, Alabama

Chips were stale, utensils were dirty, salsa was mediocre. The meals are nothing special but the prices give the impression the food would be amazing. Our meal was quite the opposite. Won't go back and most definitely won't recommend to anyone. read more

Outdoor patio and inside seating. Ordered the Grande burrito and it was huge stuffed full of steak couldn't eat it all! Prices are a bit high but the food is top shelf. Service was fast and Hack was on top of everything. Great place -Great food and service! read more

Don Pepe - Grande burrito - Mexican Near Me - Hoover, Alabama

Best Mexican ever!!! Stopped through on my way back home and they did not disappoint!!! I looked at several places on yelp and couldn't find any worth taking myself to. This place was definitely beyond what I excepted. The cheese dip, sweet tea, chicken, rice is alllllll soo good!!! I'd recommend this place to anyone from here, not from here, new here. The service was quick and friendly as well!:) read more

I've had a pretty good experience each time that I've been here. It's convenient for me to run in here and eat during my lunch breaks. The food is good and the service, while slightly slow, is good. The prices on the food are good as well and it's easy to get to and park because of the large parking area at Lee Branch. read more

Service and food are good ! Large portions . 4 stars because the cocktails are ok we orders a Bahamas's mama and house margarita neither one of us finished them . Fun and cute atmosphere read more

Don Pepe - Chicken chimichanga - Mexican Near Me - Hoover, Alabama

Ate here last night and found another great place close to me. The atmosphere here was unique. You can tell that they tried to create a Mexican theme. I ate at the bar area which had comfortable chairs. They need repairing that nothing that would take away from the experience. Service was courteous. The margaritas were delicious and I love the green salt they have. It's a nice touch The food was amazing. I had the fajita chimichanga which was really delicious. The portion sizes are really large. I was hungry and I only ate half. Had a nice hearty amount of leftovers for lunch. The salsa was good but could benefit from more cilantro. The guacamole was good as well but I can see some improvement needed. Can't really take a star away for such minor things. Look forward to going back and experiencing more items. Seems more pricey than some but with the portions it's well worth it. Should be a destination for you if you're over on 280. read more

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Good place for Mexican food. My choose is Queso Fondido. Resonable prices. Tortilha was delicious.

Nice atmosphere, attentive staff, & good food. We started with cheese dip & guacamole. Both were served quickly & were tasty. We had a variety of entrees. Tacos with rice & beans, enchiladas with rice & beans, pollo loco, & a grilled chicken salad. Portions were generous. Everyone enjoyed their meal. read more

I am not so sure about this place. It has a good atmosphere and pretty good salsa. I like the fact you get two types, one traditional you would find in most Mexican restaurants, and a smoky salsa. Both pass my test. And the chips pass the test as well. It is a little pricey and the servings are decent. I do not really care for the combinations and to order a la carte is ridiculous here. They have vegetarian fajitas on the menu, so I ordered it. It did not say what they entailed but the week before I ordered vegetarian fajitas at a competition near by and they were delicious! with asparagus, squash, etc... Can I tell you the vegetarian fajitas at Don PooPoo's were $9 and THE ONLY ITEMS WERE ONIONS AND PEPPERS. Really? Really? Not even a tomato? Or mushroom? I know you have spinach. The manager is a really nice guy and when he walked by I showed him my "vegetarian" fajitas, and he looked at me like "yeah, what is your point?" I played it cool and did not even ask for something else or for it to be taken off the bill. Needless to say, I have not been back. The reality is, I've experienced better. read more

Stopped in on a Sunday afternoon for lunch with my husband and two toddlers. Great atmosphere and decor. Loved the chips & salsa. Husband and I both ordered the Mexican Omelet. It was very tasty with the added benefit of being low carb. Kiddos split the children's enchilada. They both enjoyed this dish and I enjoyed the $4.00 price tag! read more

My group of 6 dined on a Saturday night during prime dinner hours. They were not all that busy; apparently, there's a reason. Server got 2 margaritas wrong, brought 1 back corrected. Had to ask again for the other one, which was brought incorrect again. Finally got it right on the 3rd try. (House/medium/no salt - not that difficult) Chicken quesadilla had bland, watery shredded chicken. One entree was lukewarm and sent back. It was microwaved and brought back. This was my 4th and worst experience. Do not plan to return. Plenty of better choices for Mexican in the area. read more

My boyfriend and I went to Don Pepe for dinner. We got there around 7pm on a Friday and didn't have to wait. The inside is very nice and while there was a buzz, it wasn't too noisy. The service was pretty good. I didn't have to wait too long for refills on my soda and a manager stopped by and checked on us. The salsa was very good. The meal was good, too, but nothing overly special. My boyfriend had three steak enchiladas and the steak had a great marinade. I had the plate with four different enchiladas (chicken, beef, cheese and bean). They were good, but not outstanding. The beans and rice were standard fare. The only thing I had a problem with was the chips. They tasted like they had been fried in old oil. The price is a bit on the high end for this type of place, but not by too much. We ended up spending less than $25 for two entrees and two sodas. There is a Habanero's in Chelsea that has cheaper food, better salsa, lower prices and better service. While I will give this place another try, it's hard to compete with that! read more

The place looks nice and inviting, nice booths and authentic South of the Border music. The last time I went I ordered a chicken salad, the chicken did not taste like chicken. It tasted like salmon and I was told it was the marinade. I say, find another marinade. I sent it back after the first taste and replaced it with a burrito. No problems with the burrito, it was yummy. I have had their nachos a few times and always enjoyed! I like their margaritas in a mug with green margarita salt. Not sure I'll be going back though after the chicken salad incident. read more

One of the best mexican restaurants in Birmingham. Great food in a great environment. They have a very unique menu. As with most restaurants, some things are better than others. In general, they have excellent quality food. read more

This past Friday was the first time that I'd visited Don Pepe during dinner hours. There was a 20 minute wait for a table, which wasn't a surprise, but it took at least 10 more minutes for someone to come to our table. Food was excellent as usual, with the exception of the whole bay leaf found in the beef burrito I ordered. I had visited a week prior and had a worse experience, so I'm going to give a 3 star review. Last week, we arrived so soon after opening that the place reeked of cleaning chemicals. While the order arrived very quickly, there was difficulty with ordering because we were told that a side of guacamole could no longer be ordered unless we ordered a full bowl, which came in two sizes. One of us also tried to order a shrimp burrito, since they are served during dinner hours. She was told she'd either have to pay the lunch special price for a chicken or beef burrito and pay $5 more for a side of shrimp to replace the beef/chicken, or would have to order the $16 plate plate that comes with a shrimp burrito from the dinner menu. She passed. We were also told a side of cheese dip for the complementary chips would be $4.99. While the meals have always been great, a newer menu, and a new dress code for the servers aren't enough to offset the price increases, and inconsistent service. I would recommend Don Pepe, but with a warning. read more

Don Pepe - Bay leaves now come INSIDE burritos?? - Mexican Near Me - Hoover, Alabama

This place has been here. 20 years and the food and service are consistently good. We are always greeted by name and a warm smile. We haven't tried everything on the menu but close. Great bar, super nachos and the best black salsa around. read more

We hadn't been here in a while, we stopped by and loved the new menu! Our waiter Xavier gave us the best service. He was friendly and made sure to recommend things on the menu. We ordered the steak and chicken fajitas. Portions were huge and tasted great! Queso is also delicious, ask for their smoked salsa with your chips, so good! Overall great experience. Deff coming back! read more

Took over 35 mins to get 2 taco rice n beans. Other tables got their order before ours. Totally unprofessional.

I have not had any good Mexican food in a while. This was spot on. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and the food was delicious. I don't remember my sever name but he was too fast. I felt like he was rushing me. Other than that you definitely should give it a try. read more

Don Pepe has always offered a huge variety of delicious food to gorge yourself on. The chips and salsa are really good and are always something I look forward to when I eat at any Mexican restaurant and their roasted salsa is something you should always ask for when you dine hear. Their service is exceptional and attentive to their table. Also the overall look of the place is pleasant as well. The menu offers many dishes with large portions ensuring you will never leave hungry. In conclusion this place is a great choice to eat at if you are in the area. read more

It's a tradition for my son and me to eat here. I'm not vegetarian but always love the vegetarian combo with cheese quesadilla, bean and cheese burrito and cheese enchilada. He loves the chicken nachos. The steak burrito is delicious too. Don't think we've ever had anything bad. Most Mexican restaurants taste similar and this is no different but it's always fresh and we like the atmosphere. read more

Really good food, prices have increased a lot since Covid. The steak is flavorful, good chips and salsa, attentive servers. Just wish it wasn't so expensive, Mexican food isn't usually this high read more

While there are plenty of choices, Don Pepe's is our favorite Mexican along 280. While both Don Pablo's across the street near Taziki's & Superior are good, they're just too noisy & busy. Probably good for the bar scene. We like the interior of Don Pepe's with the faux tile roofing and all the dividers which limit noise & help privacy. My only complaint on the shrimp fajitas, why do they leave the tail on? I'm sure it's easier to for them, but what pain. Either I eat them separate (then why order shrimp fajitas) or I cut the tail off. There were 8 shrimp, which equaled 2 per tortilla. read more

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I have been coming to this place all my life and it's great. The food is amazing the service is pretty good. The food takes a little bit to get to the table but it's worth the wait in my honest opinion. The decorations are great and the child in me keeps going back to the gum-ball machine before I leave. read more

Worst Mexican restaurant I have ever visited. We waited over 10 minutes to have our order taken when there was only 2 other tables of customers. We ordered chicken fajitas, while the portion was large so was the price compared to other Mex. Restaurants in the area but the "fajita chicken" was big chunks of tough unseasoned chichen. The flour tortillas were so hard and dry they broke trying to open one. Then waited another 10 min waiting for the check. The prices are about 1.5 times your average Mex. Restaurant. I would not recommend. read more

The best I've had since Corpus Texas. The service is great and the Restaurant is charming and very clean. The portions of food are generous and inexpensive. read more

In the realm of chain Mexican restaurants such as this, Don Pepe is the golden standard. Birmingham has spoiled me with it's Tex-Mex and Authentic Mexican offerings. The caliber of food quality and service had left me looking down on places such as this which is why I was hesitant when a friend suggested that I try it. One day we happened to be on 280 with two hours to kill so we decided to give it a try. We went for a late lunch so there weren't many people there and we were seated quickly. The wait staff was very nice! And patient with us while we decided what to order. We settled on a jumbo margarita to split, two waters, the mild and brown salsa and two entrees consisting of the taco salad and the queso fundido with chorizo. I lovedddd the salsa but especially the brown salsa. Brown salsa sounds weird right? It looks even more odd but man is it delicious. I believe they roast all of the veggies before they actually blend it all up into a salsa which gives it that distinct smoky taste. I could have eaten bowls of this! The margarita was pretty good too. I'm not a fan of the bottled mix but it was huge! Our entrees followed the same trend. They were both way bigger portions than we expected and were quite good. The chorizo in my queso fundido was packed with flavor and my date really enjoyed his taco salad with chicken and was barely able to finish it. Throughout our meal, the service was never lacking. Our waters were kept full as were our salsa bowls! read more

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First time here. We have traveled all over the country, have tried hundreds of different Mexican restaurants. This is excellent. Great atmosphere, great wait staff. My husband had the bacon wrapped shrimp and I had the Steak fajitas. The steak was tender, cooked and seasoned just right and My husbands shrimp was nice and juicy. Great job guys and girls!! read more

Service was very fast. We went in got seated right away and food only took about 15 min to get out to us. The food here was also very good.

Finally a Mexican restaurant with yummy salsa! Also the vegetarian fajitas were delicious and came with so much food ! I have leftovers for a whole other meal! Great service and super fast. Very impressed with this place and I'll definitely be back :] read more

They recycle the tortillas. Let me say that again. They recycle the tortillas. I asked for two flour tortillas with my lunch. I received one. I asked the waiter if I could have another. He said it normally comes with two. I pointed out I had one. He brought out another foil wrapped package of tortillas, this time it contained four. Two of them had refried beans on one side, so at some point, the package had been opened and the two had been on someone's plate. Never again. Gross. read more