Treat yourself to authentic Mexican food at Pepe’s Grill
Every wall is painted gold and each street taco tastes like the mythical El Dorado at Pepe’s Grill, where the lunch and dinner dishes deserve at least four gold stars any day of the week.
My girlfriend and I arrived at the Spanish Fork restaurant late one cold November night and immediately loved the warm and casual atmosphere. The staff was friendly and infinitely patient as we tried to decide how much Mexican food we could comfortably eat in one sitting.
On the menu were street taco combos, including two tacos for $6.29 or three tacos for $7.29 that includes rice, beans and a medium drink. We could also pick two enchiladas or four rolled tacos for the same price of $8.
Eventually, we decided on shrimp, chicken fajita and slow-simmered carnitas tacos that tasted simply amazing, especially smothered with onions and cilantro.
The spicy sauce on the shrimp taco had an excellent kick, although it rather overpowered the shrimp flavor. The other impeccably cooked meats made me want to run back to the counter and buy a dozen more immediately.
The beans in the creamy chimichanga were a little overbearing but once again the meat melted delightfully and the sauces paired perfectly. My one complaint is the hot sauce needed more spice as it didn’t really set my mouth on fire.
We also ordered a breakfast burrito with chorizo, a Mexican-style pork sausage which tasted a bit dry with too much tortilla but delicious once you reached the filling inside.
All the food arrived fairly quickly considering how much we chose to sample. While waiting in line, you can look at the members of the Taco Club, or those who successfully ate 15 tacos in 20 minutes.
I definitely wasn’t up to the challenge, but the pictures were fun to see, along with the times each person achieved. Congrats to Trevor Davis for eating that many tacos in almost less than four minutes.
The restaurant started in 2009 when a local family decided to start making street tacos to raise money for fundraisers. The next year, the business set up a booth at Fiesta Days, according to the company website.
Fast forward to 2016 and the restaurant opened the first retail location in Spanish Fork along Main Street. There is also a new location in Orem near University Parkway.
For dessert, we decided on an apple taquito sundae featuring a scoop of vanilla ice cream and caramel drizzle. The textures on the smooth ice cream and crunchy taquito worked perfectly and tasted just as divine.
Also on the menu are fish tacos, lettuce wraps, tostadas, breakfast tacos, nachos, quesadillas and Asada fries, along with kid’s meals or chips and salsa trays, all under $10. There is also a vegetarian option to replace meat with vegetables in any taco or entree.
All in all, Pepe’s Grill provided a delectable late-night delicacy of authentic Mexican food and raised my expectations for every other street taco vendor I meet in the future.
PEPE’S GRILL
Where: 747 N. Main St. in Spanish Fork, and 575 E. University Parkway Suite M-207 in Orem
Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Closed Sundays.
Prices: $3.50-$10
Info: (385) 219-7596, pepesmexgrill.com
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