Pepitos & More

I was north of Tampa and was feeling like some Latin fast food so I decided to checkout Pepitos.Here's my take on the experience:Quality of food: Good. We tried Salchipapas, Pepitos, and Arepon. The Salchipapas came with sausage, French Fries, and a whole lot of cheese on top. The Pepitos had chicken, mustard, mayo, and cheese. The Arepon had shredded beef with lettuce, tomato, and sauce sandwiched between two corn cakes. Everything was very hot, flavorful, and tasty.Décor: just ok. This place feels like a quick get in get out and other than TV on the wall, there isn't much to look at.Cleanliness: good. The tables and the bathroom was clean.Service: good. Our cashier/chef was pleasant and although she didn't speak English too well, she tried her best to help us explain what all the dishes came with.Price: a bit on the higher side. The prices felt like downtown Tampa prices even though this place is really in the boonies of Tampa.If you're in the mood for some good fast food style Latin food then checkout Pepitos.

I swear that this place used to be called "Pepito's After Dark"That name made me think the following conversations occur in the back.Hombre: Tengo un chorizo en mis pantalones para ti.Mujer: "AY PAPI!"After TFTM last night ended late, I wanted a grab a quick nearby dinner. I had never been here and it was open late, so why not?The outside is well lit which is important since that part of Waters is nigh pitch black. It is in a strip mall next to a pharmacy. It's a small non descript cafe.The service was ok. My cashier knew some English, but I mostly used the menu as an aid. I got my mixed chcken/beef arepon, fries and Jupina soda in 15 minutes.I have had regular arepas at Perdigon and Arepitas once or twice. This arepon is basically a deep fried version of that with fried egg, lettuce,tomato,chicken,beef,and lots of mayo. The server also brings two sauces, 1 a thousand island type, and the other a Cilantro one similar to the one in Pollo Tropical but not as robust.The fries were hot and yummy. While I liked the arepon, I prefer the regular arepa more. This one felt like a "greasy diner/McDonald's" type of arepa. Pros:Open late night from Weds-Saturdays midnight to 430 am! Cheap prices (Arepa-$8. Fries- $2)Solid foodNeutral:Customer ServiceConsSlightly long wait timeFood is a bit too heavy/greasy for meOverall: Solid late night option.

Why 4 stars? Because this is still a great spot for comfort food, especially late at night! --- --- ---I've been eating a really healthy diet lately, but in the last couple of weeks, my cravings have gone from 'strong' to borderline carnal. I sit around fantasizing about food, nearly every waking minute of my life. And once I get a certain kind of food stuck in my head, the thoughts intensify by the hour until I have an out-of-body experience and find myself shoveling that thing into my mouth at an uncontrollable rate.The latest victim of this was Pepitos. It had been years since I'd had it, but I got the itch to visit and these pregnant-like cravings would just not go away, so I finally made the trek over.I think one of the reasons that I really wanted to return here is because the menu was full of tons of great looking options. It's one of those places that it would take several visits to be able to order everything I wanted to try. On visit #2, I went with a Pepito and Salchipapas. The pepito was solid. I was dumping tons of the orange and garlic sauce on every bite, because without it, the meat was a bit dry. But with the sauce, it was definitely hitting the spot for what I was craving.The salchipapas where amazing. Chorizo, fries and a million pounds of cheese - it was what dreams are made of. The best part about Pepitos is that they are open virtually all hours of the night. I don't tend to be out and about at 3am these days, but if I ever find myself living like I'm 22 again, I'll know where I can find some post-drinking eats.

First time here, I had the large salchipapa - a Colombian appetizer style food with French fries, chunks of hotdogs, with glorious cheese. You dunk 'em in salsa rosada (pink sauce-- which is mayonnaise and ketchup mix): they also have garlic sauce, and others that you should try. The salchipapa is huge. Dios mío bendito que salchipapa tan grande!! Con muchísimo queso... que delicioso. Lo recomendó mucho.

We legit ordered like half of the menu and the bill only came to $57. Four of us were completely stuffed and had leftovers to take home. The highlight of my meal here were these cheese things (I can't remember what they're called) that put mozzarella sticks to shame. Shame I tell you!!! My mouth is watering just thinking about it! We also had some kind of fries with cheese and cut up hot dogs in it. Also delish. A rice platter with chicken, steak, onions and peppers on top. Amazing! Skirt steak was also tasty. Low key, this place is doing the damn thing. I'll definitely order from here again!

I've only ordered one thing from here, only because it's amazing every time ! The chicken arepon is my go to every time, always crunchy and super fresh, it never ever disappoints. The chicken is always flavorful, and the salsa rosada has a special kick to it. Their smoothies are also very good! I always get the guanabana batido en leche. The atmosphere is casual, and the service is decent. My only reason for giving it a 4, is because all of the times I've been I've had to wait for way longer than necessary. The first time I understood, because it as packed and super late, but the other two times I was one of two people in the entire restaurant. Either way, I'd recommend and LOVE the arepon!!

Pepito's After Dark. It sounds like this restaurant in the dark side of the Venezuelan. It plenty of light in the restaurant, don't be afraid of the name call. The restaurant is set up like fast food restaurant with service. The food can be order in the counter and deliver to you on the table. We have group of yelpiest people decide to try this restaurant. We have started with Tequenos - cheese wrap dough. This is not bad. We have order the Pepito Basket (grill beef, lettuce and sour cream at corn shape basket), Patacon (pork, lettuce, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella on top on plantain), chicharon de pollo (deep fried chicken), Arepon (chicken at arepa). The one I like the most is the the basket. The beef is well seared to cook and make the taste more desirable. Overall the restaurant is good. They do have big screen TV here for any soccer game in South America. It is a community restaurant with affordable price. I enjoy my time here when we have a group to enjoy the conversation.

Pepito's is a last night vibe for me and my friends and it has been for years. If you're looking for salchipapas or late-night Colombian street eats then you'll definitely want to check this place out. Prices are more than fair and it's definitely a good reliable if you're in the area. They have all the sauces you'd expect from a Colombian fast food place as well.Pepito's is a solid spot.

Solid option if in the area, I tried a little bit of everything really. I enjoyed the Beef Arepon (though I found the Mayo a bit overpowering). The Beef pastelitos was good, much better than the Ham and Cheese. The Parillada Argentina was pretty good but not worth the price imo. Asked them to substitute the pork for chicken, still ended up with pork, that was disappointing. The Tostones were ok. Guess I just expected something more besides all the greasy food. It was nice to see they offered a salad as a side, though it's nothing special, dry with no dressing. I liked the service overall, they seemed like cool guys. They explained the menu well and offered suggestions. Love the late hours of operation. That's a major plus. Pepitos failed to blow me away, it's not a bad option, just not my first option. I'll try them again in the distant future. It's not in a class by itself, but worth checking out.

Tried their Cubans today, had a great mixture of meats and flavors. Place was packed, & service was still on point.