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Taqueria Don Pedro

4.3 (183 reviews)
InexpensiveMexican

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TAQUERIA DON PEDRO ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Moderate noise
Good for kids
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Taqueria Don Pedro

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Al Pastor and Fish Taco
Michael W.

My family and I went to Effingham for an outing and tried Taqueria Don Pedro for lunch. I'm a fan of tamales and was intrigued that they cook/serve them with banana leaves instead of corn husks. I asked the owner why she used banana leaves, and she told me that's what they use in southern Mexico. And boy, that was probably the best pork tamale I've had so far. It was moist, pork was tender, and had good spice. Tacos though were ok as the al pastor could have had more flavor and was more on the dry end. Fish was fried well and moist in the center. They do have homemade tortillas, but for extra cost. They do have an interesting menu, and will try some other items next time, like the Pasta Verde!

Liz W.

Nice stop off the beaten path. For the middle of nowhere Illinois, hey are we to Indiana yet?, this was a happy surprise. Authentic Mexican fare complete with homemade corn tortillas and some of the best verde sauce I've tasted lately. The chips were thicker corn chips, fresh fried, not that Tostitos salty crap. The salsa is hotter that your average Mexican experience. Not super spicy but with an excellent kick and delicious cilantro. We both got the enchilada plates with al pastor and green sauce. They were sizable portions on three handmade corn tortillas stuffed full of the tasty pork. It was swimming in verde sauce, which was the highlight of the dish. Tangy, zippy and perfect. The concoction was topped with shredded lettuce, rings of raw onion and slices of tomato and avocado. I loved it. I might do carne asada next time though as other tables of regulars all seemed to opt for that. The tortillas are a must, do not get flour. Pretty much anything in those with that green sauce is going to rock!

Ordered a bunch of lunch specials to go
Grace L.

Don Pedro. Ahh yelp. Love hate rel. Sometimes it's on point others not so much.. Stopped here bc felt like mexican n reviews r so positive. It's on the way n off the freeway. Needed it to go n fast. No online menu n yelp has outdated one. We ordered 6 lunch specials n a tostada. $7 for lunch specials which would be fine if they gave a good portion but note rice n beans r not always included n some say rice OR beans or add $1 and I think she heard wrong and charged us for rice n beans on 1 :/ We r spoiled Texans here n taco connoisseurs bc we've had the best in Texas n Arizona n this altho tasty n passable isn't it. 1st they nickel n dime u here. Not too friendly either :/ Is that how it is outside of Texas? Free chips n salsa it says but with all the food we ordered we got 1 bag n a small container of salsa. When we asked for more she said $2 more. I think we r too used to ayce chips n salsa back home :/ The food was skimpy:( for lunch special. Is it like that for their regular plates I wonder? All except my combo. That has 3 things n worth it. Taco choice of filling, quesadilla n tostada with rice. Mine was good. Everything tasty. Rice tasty. Not wow but tasty. I got asada. The fish tacos n asada were 2 tiny tacos with rice. Chimichanga was small. Quesadillas were 2 tortillas. Tostada was pretty n ok. Burrito was by itself bigger n orangy. It tasted fine. Again just wished they gave more :/ n reception was a bit friendlier. After she saw me take pics of the food she became kinder explaining the salsa n asking if all is ok. She knew I was gonna write a review lol She wasn't as kind with my hubs. Curt lol idk. It's ok. I can tell customers come here bc of loyalty or yelp reviews. But I need people to read the fine print on their menu carefully. Nickel n dime. And if you are expecting wow Mexican food content keep driving south:)

Chimichanga
J R.

Just meh, maybe our expectations were hyped because of all the good things my mom keeps hearing about the place and the promise of all the people grabbing to go orders here but we weren't really impressed. Mom and I both ordered chimichangas I had carne she the ground beef. Best part of the chimi was the cheese sauce it was covered in, carne had little flavor but I can't count the number of times I had to stop and spit out a chunk of fat or gristle that I just can't handle, it was chopped in such small pieces many could probably handle it but anything aside from the actual meat I just can't do. Pico and lettuce in place was a nice touch but lacked any overall flavor in the pico. Horchata was good in that it didn't have the grit many places do but lacked some cinnamon IMO. Table salsa had good flavor we all love it when we can actually taste cilantro and you could here. Hubby had a taco plate but he does his own reviews, what I remember is that the onions weren't fresh probably (no flavor) and that the radish could have been pickled. Also a bit disappointed in the tortillas being all wrapped up and only having one per taco! Would we come back when back to visit mom again, possibly but doubtful. Hubby

Margarita
Diana G.

Saw the Yelp ratings, so decided to come give it a try. Walked in and it was pretty busy. I think the margarita was $3 or $5 in a small glass, but it wasn't bad. Guacamole - Small portion and very bland. I usually don't salt my food, but this needed it. We went with the molcajete for two. First, it doesn't even come in a molcajete that keeps the food warm. It was more just in a bowl. I agree with another reviewer about how they nickel and dime the customers. This thing only comes with 4 tortillas. I like flour and my guy likes corn. So, they said they'll do half and half. So, basically we got only 2 corn and 2 flour and they charged us a $1 for the corn. WTH! She claimed the flour tortillas were thick and fluffy. Nope, just some store bought tortillas.

Katy T.

This unassuming place serves some delicious homemade Mexican food. My nonalcoholic strawberry margarita was delicious and not too syrupy sweet. My pop's margarita had flavored lime salt along the rim that was a hit--everyone else's fingers were drawn to his cup for a sample. Yum! I suggest the shrimp or chicken tacos in a "hard" shell with the rice and beans. It came out hot and delicious! My dad and sister split something similar to a quesadilla, the name starting with a "t"? Sorry! They really liked it! We left in pain because we ate way too much.

Barbacoa with handmade tortilla
Allen S.

Got here after lunch time and had the place to ourselves. We broke down in Effingham and decided to taxi to get something to eat. After reading reviews here on yelp, we decided on Don Pedro. Extra nice staff as they catered to us as if we were the only customers that they ever had. Great service. Started with chips and salsa and some quest. Salsa was perfect as was the chips and quest was just the right consistency. Salsa had a little spice, which I loved. Ordered the taco platter with homemade tortillas. Barbacoa, garlic shrimp, and al Pastore. When they arrived and took my first bite, I was blown away! The handmade tortillas were like none I had ever had. Light and just plain delicious. This was a great choice for lunch and I will be back when I come back to Effingham! Kudos to everyone involved with this restaurant!

Chile Rellanos platter

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8 years ago

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1 year ago

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1 year ago

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

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4 years ago

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7 years ago

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

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7 years ago

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3 years ago

Small friendly. Good Mexican food. Authentic flavors. Worth the stop from a road trip.

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4 years ago

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7 years ago

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2 years ago

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7 years ago

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7 years ago

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2 years ago

Very authentic southern Mexican food! Mole is good! If mole is good you know the rest is good!

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4 years ago

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7 years ago

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6 years ago

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4 years ago

My fav Mexican restaurant in Effingham! Ask for homemade shells ever time won't be disappointed!

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9 years ago

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4 years ago

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7 years ago

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3 years ago

Excellent food and service... but the comfort of the restaurant should improve a lot.

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5 years ago

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6 years ago

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3 years ago

The food was very good and reasonably priced. Service was good and friendly. Would recommend eating here

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11 years ago

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13 years ago

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11 years ago

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3 years ago

This is hands down my favorite Mexican restaurant in effingham. The food is amazing and the service is the best around

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5 years ago

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8 years ago

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Nicholas P.

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10 years ago

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5 years ago

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9 years ago

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8 years ago

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7 years ago

Who knew? Solid Mexican food in Effingham. Great place. Friendly staff. Good food. Excellent house made hot sauce.

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Taqueria Don Pedro - mexican - Updated May 2026

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