We had a gift certificate, so we decided to give Red Pepper a try. Unfortunately, this ended up being one of the worst dining experiences I've had in Bakersfield. We started with the chips, salsa, and guacamole. The salsa was watery and had absolutely no heat or flavor, and the guacamole was equally bland. We ordered a classic and a strawberry margarita, both of which tasted like the Kirkland premixed margarita mix from the grocery store. For our meal, we split the chicken mole with rice and beans and also ordered a tortilla soup. Everything was incredibly salty yet somehow still bland. The mole was so salty I actually felt sick trying to finish it. The beans were hard and undercooked, and the tortilla soup was also overly salty, though at least it arrived hot. To make matters worse, the owner refused to honor the full value of our gift certificate because it had been purchased under the previous owners. Under California law, most gift certificates cannot expire and generally must be honored. Being told it wasn't fully valid felt like an attempt to squeeze a few extra dollars out of customers. Between the terrible food and the disappointing handling of the gift certificate, this experience left a very bad taste in my mouth. With so many excellent Mexican restaurants in Bakersfield, I won't be returning. read more

Red Pepper Restaurant - Chicken mole with rice and beans. - Mexican Near Me - Bakersfield, California

See all

I think they are back to the old Red Pepper! Great service Much better prices!!! Great menu Food always tastes great! Definitely recommend read more

See all

Red Pepper has new owners as of late. We still enjoy the food, atmosphere, and service. We don't, however, enjoy the prices! read more

See all

New ownership.....Seems like they are under staffed. Prepare for a wait and slow service. Food is still great. Bar is still solid.

The service was very slow but our server explained they had a new boss and were being trained on new things. That's fine, but maybe not while the restaurant is open and customers are waiting. I can overlook that from the server, but a restaurant boss should know better. The food was decent. I enjoyed my chile verde tostada. The chile verde has no spice at all, but a decent green brightness. More verde than chile. My husband has the pork dip, which was thin sliced pork in a sandwich with "chipotle" jus. Did not taste the chipotle in the jus,band the pork was underseasoned, but it wasn't bad. I have this issue with walking into a restaurant and it doesn't smell at all like cooking food. It smelled more like cleaning products. I'm glad a business smells clean, but not very appetizing to smell mop-water more than grilling food read more

Red Pepper Restaurant - Chili Verde tostada - Mexican Near Me - Bakersfield, California

See all

The best cheeseburger and fries in Bakersfield! And fabulous Mexican food both traditional and some things you can't get anywhere else! Long standing Bakersfield traditional restaurant that is always delicious! read more

I've been coming here for years and I have to say "It's not my favorite". Well, that was until a few outings ago. The service has really stepped up! It's has gone from, so so at best to Fantastic. Our server the other night was Amalia and she was super attentive and nice as could be. She came over right away and introduced herself and took our drink order. Chips and salsa came out fast and she gave us time to look over the menu. Of course my partner takes longer to decide what to eat than it took to build the pyramids. After she decided what to eat I chose the Poblano Pepper Relleno with Shrimp and Lobster. The previous week I had the Poblano Pepper Relleno with Chicken. I must say both are on my favorite list!! Oh yeah, Beer was plenty cold! Lol. If you have doubts about going here, give them another try! Step out of your comfort zone and try something new for dinner. I want to thank Amalia again for the great service and everyone else on staff that made this another great experience! Well done Red Pepper read more

It's a good thing that the food here is so good because the service sucks. The food we ordered was exceptional large portions of tasty well prepared entrees. The server should find a new job, he sucked ! Slow uninformed on menu items. We will go back but I hope he isn't there read more

One of my friends arrived before everyone else and she sat at the bar. When I got there, I coaxed her to move to the quiet location within the restaurant because it was ultra noisy at the bar. We settled into a comfortable table for six and were well-attended to by a really pleasant young woman, our waitress. The background music was subtle and calming, allowing us to carry conversation that did not entail shouting. As for the food--very fresh and delicious. My mushroom and spinach enchilada with shrimp was delectable and the shrimp was top-quality. I asked for whole beans and rice for my sides and both were superb. I also ordered a virgin pina colada and while it was beautiful, it was a tad sweet. My friends all said their food dishes were great as well. They consumed alcoholic beverages but I cannot definitively say whether they enjoyed them or not. All in all, our experience at The Red Pepper was an enjoyable one. read more

Red Pepper Restaurant - A virgin pina colada - Mexican Near Me - Bakersfield, California

See all

IMO, the best Mexican restaurant in Bakersfield. If you want a traditional combination plate (rice, beans, 1/2/3 items I.e. taco, enchilada, Chile relleno), you can get that here, but there's so much more. Owner/Chef Gilbert Saavedra has ran this kitchen for decades, and he has gleaned and cultivated a menu that includes recipes from all different parts of Mexico by personally visiting kitchens in several Mexican states. You can call him the Bakersfield version of Anthony Bourdain. His specialty are all the the different types of Mariscos (seafood) dishes he prepares, but enchiladas suizas, Chile verde, carne asada, and American dishes with a Latin twist are all fantastic. As far as the restaurant itself is concerned, it is a jewel of the northeast side of Bakersfield. When you walk in, you can veer left into the iconic bar/lounge, or wait to be seated in the main dining room. I can't say enough about the great local atmosphere you get, and the generous pours from any of the bartenders (especially Tracy). Margaritas, micheladas, and a great wine list make this place a spot everyone in Bakersfield should visit. read more

Red Pepper Restaurant - Pepper bar - Mexican Near Me - Bakersfield, California

See all

I was pretty blown away by the entire experience at RP. We don't get to the NE very often, and it's even less frequent that we eat somewhere in the NE. We decided to stop in based on recommendations from friends. I was not expecting it to be in a shopping strip area. Looks can be deceiving. When you walk through the door, you are transported to a well laid out bar and restaurant. I was a little worried that they closed at 8pm, but I think that's just when they last seat people, as we arrived around 7:35pm and still got a table. We had margaritas, and they were great. The flavor is unique and they definitely add alcohol. There's nothing worse than ordering a drink and feeling as though they skipped the most important ingredient. This was not the case at RP. The food is not just Mexican. There is a flare to it that you just need to experience. Everything we ordered was delicious. Rellenos, steak, beans, rice, shrimp. All fantastic flavors and thoughtfully made recipes. I believe we may be traveling to the NE more often. We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner and time together. The wait staff were attentive and chatted with us. It was lovely. I don't think you'll be disappointed. Give it a try. read more

See all

Always out go to place on Eastside. Since tue nee owners habe come in, seems like its not the same. Who charges 3 50 for chip refill. Margaritas weren't as good tonight. Usually a full house on a Saturday night at 630pm. Alot of empty seats tonight. read more

The red pepper restaurant has been around for many many years in East Bakersfield. The food is good. The first time I went, I was weary and doubted my friend about the food not meeting authentic standards but it did. The food was delicious. The service was friendly, and the ambience is fun and festive with a hint level up intimacy. read more

Red Pepper Restaurant - Guacamole (creamy & delicious) - Mexican Near Me - Bakersfield, California

See all

salsa is so bland zero flavor - waited for about 35 minutes for food and it wasn't busy - nobody at the front to greet us she was busy sitting at a table chatting away with other people, asked for salt and pepper never got it. read more

I just want to say that it has been years since my husband who was my BF and I ate here. We have been together 38 years, married for 33 years. So in the late 80's early 90's. I want to say it's been a good 20 years. We tried a couple of months ago to come on a Sunday but found out they are closed. I decide to drive him all the way over from the SW for a lunch date. You walk in and it's just like nothing has changed. The lights are different, but for some reason I remember red chile peppers up, lol! The hostess greeted us right away and sat us down. Our waitress came over and took our drink order. She brought our drinks, chips and salsa together. I ordered their lobster and shrimp relleno with a side shredded beef taco. My husband ordered steak ranchero and a side of fries. For an appetizer we ordered the queso. I do want to say our waitress was staying on top of everything. The service was great. Now the reason for the 3 star. The chips and salsa needed salt, and the salsa was too tomatoey. It was not spicy at all. The queso was good. My shredded taco was great. Nice crunch, and the flavor of the beef was good. I also liked how there was a lot of meat in, unlike many Mexican restaurants that don't. My lobster and shrimp relleno was very flavorful but had maybe 1 or 2 pieces of lobster. The rice was okay but I didn't care for the beans. My husband said that the steak ranchero was very bland. He added salt to give it some flavor. He likes the enchilada and fries. So over all it was a great experience and I do recommend, just wish maybe some minor changes and spice it up. read more

Red Pepper Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Bakersfield, California

See all

This restaurant never disappoints! I absolutely love everything I have eaten at Red Pepper from the American Fare and of course their Mexican Fare! read more

Red Pepper Restaurant - Red Pepper Cocktail Lounge - Mexican Near Me - Bakersfield, California

The worst I've ever had. I had to get up and go get my own drinks because they did not come to our table. Took them 20 minutes 25 minutes to even wait on us. When I addressed this with Sharon, the owner, she just basically blew me off so obviously customers are not important to them. We'll never go back. Also a place for food was cold. This is coming from someone red pepper and has been going there for years obviously they need to address their issues. read more

Every meal is so flavorful and we absolutely love the ambiance and friendly staff. It is a place we truly enjoy on our date nights! I never thought I would recommend bread pudding, but this one is amazing and if you've never tried it, it reminds me of a sweeter version of french toast. read more

We have never been to this place even though we had known of it for years. Tonight we decided to go and have dinner. We were greeted by the hostess and seated at a nice table towards the back. She gave us menus. First impresión is that it's really cute inside. Love the look and feel of an adobe building. There is a bar area with seating also, but we were seated in the restaurant side. The waitress came quickly took our drink order. She asked if we wanted any appetizer and we said no. She brought out chips salsa and our drinks We looked over the menu and made our selection. It's very clean and great atmosphere. They do have great specialty items you can choose on the menu, plus tradicional ones. We chose enchilada combination and enchilada suizas. The enchilada suizas had great flavor and the rice and beans were good. The salsa served with the chips needed a bit more spice, in my opinion. I really enjoyed the food and service. We plan on returning to try more things. read more

See all

A long time friend and I had lunch there today. The food was outstanding and Becky was so accommodating. We were both pleased. read more

High hopes going in. Salsa was bland, tasted like tomato sauce. Asked for spicy and was just as bland and no heat at all. My food was over salted, like eating a mound of salt with little to no other seasoning. My daughter ordered enchiladas and it came with big chunks of zucchini in and on top. My daughter HATES zucchini and it wasn't listed having it on the menu. When we asked, the answer was that just how we make it. My daughter didn't eat her plate and we still ended up paying for it (waitress was totally aware she refused to eat it). I won't be back. read more

Enjoyed our dinner very much when we ate in house. However, my second visit for take out wasn't great. Plus, it took them 20 mins to decide what to charge us. read more

See all

Love this place! Great chips and salsa to start. The shrimp salad is excellent and the shrimp are large and the salad can be shared between two people. The rice and beans are delicious and not super salty. Beef tacos are good and smell amazing. Inside is cute and clean and the staff is super friendly. Easy to do pick up as well and things aren't forgotten unless it's busy and that was only my tortillas. So check before you leave. read more

I wasn't impressed with the dish, overcooked and chewy steak. The rice was good, beans were very bland. My daughter enjoyed her quesadilla. I did enjoy the salsa, but the chips were very stale. read more

Red Pepper Restaurant - Steak Ranchero Plate. - Mexican Near Me - Bakersfield, California

***steak night review*** I'm so happy red pepper brought back steak night after covid, the east side has limited options when it comes to dine in restaurants. Red pepper stumbled a little bit for me during Covid and I haven't dined inside the restaurant in about a year, so this is purely a steak night review. The price went up a little but is expected, still a great deal for the amount of food you get not to mention that it is a steak dinner, I think it's probably one of the best meal deals in town. You have to order and eat inside the bar and you have to order a drink (non alcoholic is fine) with the meal but for $20 you get a New York steak, salad, chili beans and thick cut garlic wedges (pre Covid it was a baked potato) oh and onion rings too. Plus the usual chips and salsa The biggest complaint I'd say is that the steak special sells out fast, it's from 5-8 but both times we went we heard other patrons trying to order it around 630 and it was already sold out, so get there early. The bar is decent size for a restaurant bar but when you are forced to sit in the bar for the special it seems like the seating does tend to be a little limited. However it is kid friendly so even though you have to sit in the bar, kids are welcome. The food is delicious, I prefer the new wedges over the old baked potato option and the chili beans are my favorite, the steak is well seasoned and always cooked perfectly to my preference. the staff is friendly and the service is fast. You cant beat Thursday steak night at red pepper it's a must try. read more

Red Pepper Restaurant - Steak, wedges, chili beans and onion rings, the salad comes out first - Mexican Near Me - Bakersfield, California

See all

Came for dinner. Had the two item combo. Was really good not spicy at all which is good for me because I can't handle the spice. Service was great. read more

Red Pepper Restaurant - Two item combo shredded beef taco and chicken enchilada with beans and rice. - Mexican Near Me - Bakersfield, California

The service was Amazing. The waitress was very kind and kept up with our drinks and checked on us. Now the food was another story. The carne asada tacos where salty, the fried beans where to well done, the food was bland and the lemonade was to sour. I will never come back again. Very disappointing. read more

Red Pepper Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Bakersfield, California

This is a unique experience among the myriad "Mexican" restaurants in town. You'll find the typical menu items but you'll also see very unique selections. Ever seen short ribs at a Mexican restaurant? It's here and they're good. Great guacamole too. Get the large, thank me later. There is a small bar area that I've not utilized. Dining room is spacious but cozy at the same time with three and four person booths. Tables are set in the middle of the room. Service is prompt and courteous. Where so many are going to walk up and order setups the Red Pepper is a full service sit down dining experience. Off the beaten path in East Bakersfield it's worth the trip. Enjoy! read more

Four of us went here for dinner. 2 Carnitas plates, Flautas, and combination plate. All the food was delicious. I mean it was so good. The kind of food you crave and can't wait to go back. The rice, beans, and sauces all excellent. The carnitas were the best I have ever had. The service was great. Our waitress was so friendly and attentive. We did not wait long for our food. The decor is an added bonus. I highly recommend this place. A great dining experience. read more

Good food and good place to eat. Bar was small and no where to sit so sat on the dining room table. Need to try it again to get the full experience. read more

Seafood food burrito more crab would be good more flavor ... The bacon wrapped bacon with the Jalapeño sauce was so amazing. My lobster shrimp was so great .But I would like The jalapeño sauce next time. read more

Always great food and the best staff! The servers are the best! I hope they stay around for a long time!

My sister and I met for lunch Saturday , 8/19/23 we sat in bar . She arrived at 130 pm . I arrived shortly after . The waitress, basically ignored us . I had to inform her we were ready to order . At 3pm we still did not have our order , my sister had not ate all day And was very hungry. You can imagine our disappointment when 3 young gentlemen came in and was getting service right away , waitress even stood and chatted with them all the while we were waiting on our food , so needless to say we paid for our drinks and left . We cancelled our order . Restaurant has always been excellent, but I won't be back anytime soon , I'm sorry to say . I will not pay to be treated that way !!!! I hope those gentlemen left her a good tip ! read more

This restaurant has been here a long time and I suppose there are the loyal customers that have found their favorite item. My experience though was very disappointing. I ordered the halibut with spicy citrus chipotle sauce. The fish was tough and chewy. The sauce was actually very bland with not an ounce of spice to it. The only redeeming factor to the evening was the company and the margarita. I came away remembering why it had been 15 years since I had been here. Sorry Red Pepper. I know where there are some other amazing Mexican restaurants. I might see you again in 15 years. read more

Well worth the drive...LA to Bako. What an incredible dining experience! From the warm welcome at the door to the top shelf service from Mikki, Renee and Crystal! The fajitas were delicious and on point! Perhaps the best margarita I've ever had! Lest let me not forget the desserts All I can say is WOW, just WOW! read more

Red Pepper Restaurant - Homemade desert, banana bread pudding, deep fried ice cream - Mexican Near Me - Bakersfield, California

Red Pepper is a long time favorite of Bakersfieldians, and with little options on the east side thank goodness, Red Pepper Restaurant is still around. I came here on an evening with friends before our annual CALM Holiday Lights experience. We opted for RP because of its close proximity to the lights. RP is located inside a strip mall and an unassuming from it's exterior. Inside is a dimly lit romantic little restaurant perfect for first dates. The bar area is a good size and I'll admit I've spent a few times sitting here munching on chips and salsa with a margarita in hand. Our large group was probably a little much for Red Pepper, being that it is a smaller place. But they were able to accommodate it the best they could. I ordered a dish that had shrimp in a glazed mango salsa that was delicious. It would have been perfect in the summer along with a nice white wine. I will definitely return for this dish. The boyfriend had the chile en nogad'a which was unusual and unique. He actually really liked it and he's hard to please with most Mexican food. Prices are a little higher than average. I think I saw lobster mac on the menu for over $32. yikes! Red Pepper still deserves some praise as it's menu is unique and different than many other Mexican restaurants in the area. Pro tip - ask for other variety of salsa's they have for a truly unique taste. read more

Red Pepper Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Bakersfield, California

Love the food here but can't figure out how they are still in business when they close at 8pm every night, even on Friday and Saturday and they are only open 5 days a week!! Guess they better hope their regulars keep them in business!! read more

Good food, bad service. They have most the traditional Mexican food but they also have a lot of fusion foods that take a little step out of normal Mexican. I kind of wanted to try the fish flautas but I ended up getting the chile verde enchiladas, which were yummy. The rice and beans were good but basic. My food came with guacamole, but it was the lime green creamy dip style which makes you wonder if there is actually avocados in it. My wife gave me her avocados though:) I ordered them from the regular menu not the lunch menu and it said "enchiladas" with an "s" so when the server asked me if I wanted one or two I was confused and said "i guess two?" well that ended up making my $10.50 entree $14.50. whatever, I should have asked. Outside of that our service was not terrible but there was no personality at all. I saw the way they were treating other customers though and it was pretty ridiculous. There was a party of 5 with reservations, mostly elderly. well, they were seating them and then changed there mind and decided to put them some where else. The party did not want to move there and said so, even said "Just so you know I'm not happy with this" and they were completely ignored. it was just like "I'm sorry, but just sit here anyway because we're telling you to". it was not busy at all and they could have sat any where in the whole place. read more

See all

Red pepper is a staple of the east side and my spot for lunch while at work. My co worker and I order food from here at least once a week so I kinda know what I'm talking about. The atmosphere in the restaurant is cute. Authentic Spanish theme through out. The bar that I frequent is dark, intimate, and inviting. Musics playing in the jukebox and the drinks are flowing. I normally get the al pastor tacos with all rice. They're a bit bigger than street tacos and pack a punch of flavor. They're yummy yummy in my tummy. Not too spicy, but spicy enough to make you order another cocktail or soda if you're still on the clock. Brunch, lunch, and dinner are A okay here. I don't know, give it a try. read more

Red Pepper Restaurant - Tacos al pastor with rice. - Mexican Near Me - Bakersfield, California

Food-2*, server Melanie 5*. Well unfortunately they were down to one cook (the other one had to get his tonsils out emergently)...so I'm sure this was the main factor in everything that led to 3 stars. We have eaten here in the past and always a 4* or 5* experience but not last night. Our server Melanie was awesome!!!--Started out having to wait 20 min after our reso time (on a Wednesday at 6pm!). We found out the delay was due to "everything taking longer with only one cook". Not a big deal to us. Melanie was at our service almost immediately with chips/salsa, water and of course Cadillac Margaritas. Being a bit of a foodie and self taught chef myself I was anticipating one of Gilberts interesting seafood creations.....but that half of the menu was blocked out/not available due to the cook shortage. Disappointed but still ok with us--the menu is huge and we turned our attention to more "normal" mexican entrees (which we had never had at the pepper before). The albondigas was a real disappointment --I don't mind crunchy carrots and celery but it had obviously just been made very quickly--the broth had no flavor--nice meatball with crunchy veggies in water--I'll make my own thank you. Wifes salad was very good with lots of blue cheese crumbles. I went to the restroom and when I came out Melanie was waiting for me to see if I wanted another Margarita - that's above the call of duty and a first for me!!!--can I take you on a foodie tour with me? My entree was the enchilada suiza--very boring--won't get it again. The veggies were obviously frozen! Wife got enchilada vera cruz--she liked it, I thought it would be better with more sauce--it did have an ample amount of real crab. Fried ice cream for dessert because the flan wasn't ready--I'm glad as the ice cream was the highlight of the evening (other than Melanie of course). We will go again when all cooks are back and order from the specialty menu. read more