I'm more familiar with Ghent than perhaps any other neighborhood on the dang planet and Lord knows, I've tried to find a place that matches the food/drink specials Pelon's has. A seriously solid house marg and during happy hour the price is right and tastes better than just about anywhere else in Norfolk. I've been coming here for 3 years and this review is long overdue. Great Baja Cali-style menu. The pineapple salsa is the truth, amazing shrimp tacos. Loads of vegan/veg options. Cool staff, fast service. Will happily spend money here until the end of time. read more

My family is vegan and there's a handful of places we go to that are great. Usually we end up having to take off and change things and then by the time we "veganize" it, it's not worth the money. Pelon's was so delicious!!! My husband got the Hang Ten burrito, I got the fish tacos, and we also got chips and salsa and guacamole. Everything was made vegan and it was so yummy!! They have a vegan option for everything so you're not feeling left out of what you wanted. We will definitely be returning! Oh, and the horchata is vegan because they make it the right way Vegans and non-vegan, check then out!! read more

My favorite taco place ever! I am in love with their fish tacos! The fish is nice and crispy, and just simply delicious. The salsa and chips here are also amazing. I have yet to try the guacamole but it looks delicious! I would definitely recommend this place to a friend. PS on Mon-Fri from 3-6PM it's buy two get one taco free! And Wednesdays after 6PM is $2 tacos! You can't beat that! read more

Pelon's Baja Grill - Two fish tacos (on the sides) and a shrimp taco in the middle! - Mexican Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

Pelon's has very cheap and quite tasty food. The service was efficient, but not very friendly. The restaurant space was mostly clean, but not a particularly inspiring atmosphere. I could see how this place, in all its blandness, could hold a soft spot in someone's heart though. Regarding the quality of food alone, I think Chipotle is better. But, if I were a college kid and spent time loitering here eating cheap food/drinking cheap beer while building friendships, I'm sure I'd feel more enthusiastic. read more

Bomb.com Tried the quesadilla, signature burrito, and like 3 other things but everything was super good and their Chile verde sauce and Pineapple Habanero were really good could've been a little spicier but both still really good! 9/10 place ! read more

Friendly service, delicious tacos and cold beers. One of my favorite places in Norfolk

Tacos here are pretty good. Margaritas need some alcohol added. Order at the counter then sit and wait and they bring your food out. The place was very loud. read more

Pelon's Baja Grill - Place your order and go sit down. $6 margarita Monday's - Mexican Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

Very standard food with little flavor. Got chips and guacamole; look fresh but tasted bland. Fish tacos were nice and crisp but the steak tacos were less impressive. Not a bad place to get cheap eats but beware of specials before hand cuz they will not mention them. (We went on taco night and the only reason I know is after I ordered I saw a small sign on the table.) Also check the hot sauces before using; a lot of them were old. Oddly enough this meal gets much better after sitting in fridge for a couple of hours and letting the flavors come out, also a half a bottle of wine helps. read more

Pelon's Baja Grill - Chips and guacamole - Mexican Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

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First off, if anyone reads this before May 5th (2010), they are having a 99 cent taco thing going on all day. So, you'll find me there stuffing my face. I like their fish tacos. I wish their corn tortillas were better, and I wish their fish tasted better (like Gringo's fish in their tacos). Also, when you get the steak tacos, always get the red sauce. It's not spicy, despite what the cashier may tell you. Well, if you're a little baby it might be spicy. Cause the green sauce isn't cutting it. If you're weary, just go May 5th, what's 99 cents? read more

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I ended up here after trying to order nachos at Colley Cantina and having to send them back because they were small, cold, gross, stale and not worth the price. I was starving for nachos so I googled "best nachos in Norfolk" and drove straight here. No joke these are the best nachos I've ever had. Not really any veggies on them. Mostly just meat, cheese, beans, sour cream, quac and salsa. The service is great and fast. They were 15 dollars so a little pricey but ssoooooooo worth it!!!! read more

Pelon's Baja Grill - Mexican Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

The tacos here are not good. The tortillas are hard and stale and lose their yumminess the second they start to cool. They serve pre-made pre-frozen guacamole on their tacos, which you just can't do as a self-respecting Mexican restaurant. The fish tacos had some flavor, but only if you put the baja sauce aka mayo on them. The carnitas and the chorizo were pretty bland and required a lot of hot sauce. The woman working at the register rung us up wrong twice because she didn't include the happy hour pricing on our tacos. Someone in our group asked for no sour cream and got sour cream. Draft beer is overpriced at $6/pint. Just sort of meh. Meh tacos, meh service, more pricey than it should be for the quality. Will not return. read more

Pelons hits the spot, as a san diegan, I've been hard pressed to find anything that comes close to my beloved hometowns food. BUT I will throw a hi-five over to Pelons! If your familiar with the chain rubios I'd put it a couple steps above that (I enjoy rubios) + they have a California burrito = life made!! I've also had the fish & shrimp tacos there, and thought they were great, above average flavorful! read more

Order up at the counter, no sit-down service. Chicken quesadillas were bland, would have preferred if they had some sort of sauce on top of the cheese. The atmosphere is cool, surfing themed. They have a shelf of sauces and a bucket full of house sauces to add to tacos and nachos, etc. Carne asada taco was fresh and crisp! Their horchata is delicious, tasted like an iced chai with extra cinnamon. Good little joint for a chill meal. read more

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Pelons is the perfect place to go after being at the beach all day. Their salads are extremely good. I highly recommend the horchata also! read more

Pelon's Baja Grill - Surfside Salad - Mexican Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

Alright Brad M., you convinced me to give this place a try. Lovely, and well planned decor. Reminded me of so many great aspects of Southern California beach culture. It is very spacious and has varied seating with an outdoor patio. I must say this is a great place for groups! I don't do spicy foods, but they had a HUGE assortment of hot sauce (picture). The owner was very friendly. It's a shame that it was not the least bit busy on a Saturday night. I ordered the three tacos (shrimp, fish, and carne asada) and a cream soda. The carne asada taco will not be a repeat as it didn't have the grilled flavor I'm accustomed to. I did enjoy the fresh guacamole it had. The shrimp taco, with a good fruit salsa, was decent. I enjoyed the fish taco although I would have preferred more fish and less saucy cabbage. It's not the same as what I could find in California, but it will definitely do. Not too bad Pelon's, not too bad indeed. read more

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This place blew my mind!! It is so fantastic when alternative vegan options are available. I had the California burrito with vegan cheese and vegan chorizo. I fell in love. Chips and salsa is always a must. The Margs are great too. The employees are very friendly and cool people. I will definitely be back. read more

I normally do not leave negative reviews for small businesses however this is warranted. I've been a customer at this location for years and have seen the rotation of many employees. With that being said the service has gone downhill, quality and handling of food , presentation and service is not what it once was. (No gloves used while preparing food! . I use to go to Pelons just for a watermelon margarita. Additionally this is one of the few places we frequent to have plant based items. Although the decline in service my family and I would still support. We are known by face by several of the waiters however tonight my daughter who's of age had her restricted ID. Clearly showed picture and DOB. Because it was restricted we were told she couldn't be served alcoholic beverages. Mind you we go here a lot and have NEVER had this issue. We were told if we were seen sharing a beverage we were going to be kicked out! Yes the waitress with the purple hair and injected lips. I paid for my drink and left. Will never return to this establishment . This use to be such a nice chill place to hang out. Not anymore read more

Whenever I order a burrito anywhere else all I can think of is how close can they get it to Pelon's? If you have any love of pork what so ever, do yourself a favor and get a Carnitas burrito loaded, grab a couple of sauces (especially the green one), more than a couple napkins and prepare for flavor and texture nirvana. "Flavexturvana" Oh and I forgot to mention the perfect soft, thin yet sturdy like a double ply Hefty bag tortilla to hold it all in. Mnmmm... read more

Ordered 6 tacos, not one tortilla was cooked fully. Tacos broke apart before reaching my mouth.

Props to any place that has several dozen hot sauces on the wall. They gave me free chips and salsa, definitely a plus. The chips were very thin and not greasy. The salsa was a little watery for my liking though. I ordered three different tacos and even though they were only 5 or 6 people ahead of me, the tacos took a good 20 minutes to arrive. I didn't care for the carne asada, it could have used some more sear. But I definitely enjoyed the fish taco and the carnitas taco. read more

I was disappointed with my order, it's too bad because I was really looking forward to having some delicious fish tacos. I ordered 4 fish tacos and shrimp and a chirizo taco. Let me say this, the fish tacos where chopped in pieces way over cooked dry and hard not even the salsa did them any justes, the shrimp tacos was also chopped up, another over cooked dry seafood taco. The chorizO was actually decent. I left feeling like I over paid for what I got, my bill was aBout 32 dlrs for 6 tacos and a horchata! I was hoping this place would be my go to fish tacos but unfortunately no. So very disappointed. I went today Sunday at approximately 1 pm wasn't very busy. read more

I would challenge anyone who had anything bad to say about Pelon's. I started going here about 4 or 5 years ago when i worked downtown Norfolk. I went back for the first time in about 2 years this past weekend and everything is still as amazing as i remember. The staff is very friendly and accommodating. The tacos are very flavorful and i LOVE the corn tortillas. I got the fish and shrimp tacos, and my boyfriend got the chorizo and carne asada. The house sauce that comes on the tacos are delicious and the fish is SO good! They also have Elote now which was new to me. It's not made like your traditional street corn but it was still very tasty. I would have been thrilled however if it was made like traditional elote. I love this place and will be back soon!! Best taco's in Hampton Roads HANDS DOWN!! read more

Pelon's Baja Grill - Mexican Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

We went here close to their closing time at 9pm. We were served and out in less than 45min. When you come in be prepared to have your order ready they take your order once you come in, give you a number take it to your table. Dude burritos were the Bomb. The surfs up burrito was also very tasteful! Margaritas hit the spot! Very cool and chill atmosphere. read more

Unbelievable vegan Mexican food options! I'm not a fan of "fake dairy/meats", but they do it right.

I've been back a couple times, and maybe I've been lucky to get the same girl manning the counter. She seems to always be on point: speed, correct orders, & customer service. She's super friendly, and when I feel like I'm being extra asking for water with my beer, she doesn't give any kind of attitude with a little bit of extra work. The tables stay clean, and she can get through a busy line efficiently. I've gotten around to trying an elote (grilled corn slathered in spicy lime mayo & rolled in cotija cheese) in the area, and I LOVE theirs. It tastes like a lime butter more than mayo. It's a bit pricey, but not many places offer it. Unfortunately, the Fat Cat Chairman Meow hasn't been in stock since I had them open the (I guess) the last bottle? I've been here so often that I have made my way through all their tacos due to their Wednesday $2 tacos & brews special. The fish taco is STILL killin' the game. Don't order too many in one sitting though because it can get soggy quickly. I mean, if you can make those tacos disappear into your stomach fast enough, then by all means, d: There are plenty of fried fish chunks for every bite, and they never forget to season the tacos. Keep up the fantastic work! (: read more

I've been to this location a few times now, as well as other locations. Pelon's is my jam and my favorite fish taco in Hampton Roads. I like the happy hour margaritas and the shrimp taco is yummy as well. My only critique is that the preparation of the tacos isn't always consistent. The last time I went, the tacos didnt seem to have much fish or shrimp inside and I couldnt tell whether I had been given corn or flour tortilla. Also, the tacos were dry. Not much sauce inside and we hadnt paid extra for sour cream, salsa, or guac. Probably should have. It was weird. Or maybe I was weird. I'm not sure but it wasnt the Pelon's I'm used to. Also, my kids had the chicken quesadillas for the first time. It wasnt very good. Just dry and unseasoned meat. They liked the french fries though. Anyway, I highly recommend you give them a try for yourself. read more

Delicious, great little outside area. Good service too! I got the dude burrito and it was scrumptious

I cannot stop thinking about the fish and shrimp tacos I had 4 days ago Despite the economic impact of the virus, they were generously prepared and were super good as before! Will go back very soon read more

I've never understood the craze around tacos. Its just meat and toppings in a shell or tortilla. I eat my words....and several of Pelons tacos. The tacos that I've had were nothing like the ones they are selling here. I came here on a Wednesday evening when tacos are only $2. had the Carnitas, Chicken, and Fish, with the Carnitas being my favorite (gotta have the guac). I appreciate that they don't skimp on the meat or toppings, and all the ingredients are light and fresh but getting 2 or 3 definitely stilled filled me up. This is a great spot that I will definitely return to. read more

Pelon's Baja Grill - $2 tacos on Wednesday after 6. Left: Carnitas, Mid: Chicken, Right: Fish - Mexican Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

Flashback to this time last year when covid first began, my boyfriend & I were interested in this place because of their vegan carne asada. If you're vegan you know how limited this area is with options so this immediately intrigued us. They were so good to the point where I bragged to my friends (vegan & non vegan) about how good these freaking tacos were. Now fast forward to this year, 3 tacos for $6, what a deal right? I decided to go pick some up for taco Tuesday so I placed an order over the phone before the deal ended. I pick them up & get home to open them & it looks .... meaty. So I call to confirm that these were vegan & the waitress says she didn't hear the *vegan* part when I asked over the phone. Cool, no biggie, everyone makes mistakes. The issue was when I tried to come swap them out (which meant I had to go through the tunnel with a toll once again) it was somewhat of an issue & the dialog of the manager debating rather I, the customer made the mistake or if the waitress made the mistake.. mind you I hear their entire conversation between the manager & the waitress. The manager then states I'll do it for you this one time but next time it won't be able to be done... like it was essentially, my fault? Not sure why someone who is vegan wouldn't emphasize that in an order but okay. Oh also, the price difference of $3.90 had to be swiped on my card because they're up charged for vegan.. okay not a problem. I finally get home to eat dinner & ..... they're not even good. All this time was spent debating/driving for them to be the ultimate disappointment. read more

15 year customer of Pelons. Love the food, but most importantly always experienced warm and friendly customer service........ until tonight. 10-15 min wait at the register to pick up an online order, no smile, no welcome, three unfriendly I'll be with you soon, and no sorry you had to wait. Obviously they are short staffed. No big deal. Picked up my order, drove home, realized they forgot my brownies. Minor deal, I drive back to the restaurant, stand in line, look at the cashier who served me who doesn't recognize me from 20 minutes ago. Annoyed now, I tell him they forgot my brownies. No acknowledgement of the inconvenience caused, he goes to get the brownies. More annoyed, I ask if he is the manager. He says no. I ask to speak to the manager. 5 minutes later Sarah the manger comes out annoyed that the customer is bothering her. I tell her this tale, and her reply is, "we're short staffed." No sorry for your inconvenience, no sorry you were unhappy with our service tonight, really no concern for my business. I waited for another 10 minutes to speak to her again to clarify that was the level of service she wanted to stand by, and she was too busy to speak to me. We know the owner, and will continue eat there because we love the food. But the customer service tonight was not up to standard. This was a situation that the common courtesy of a hello, a smile, and a we're sorry for your inconvenience would have made all the difference. read more

The food was mediocre. The margaritas are okay. The guac was good, could've been better

this place is a ripoff!!!! high cost with little food and the order wasn't even right. very unhappy. portions need to be close to what is on the website. the inside decor was very pleasant that's the only good thing that i saw. read more

I'm here more often than I should be. Their vegan menu is so large. Even the items with no flower next to them can more than likely be made vegan. And they have vegan brownies!!! I can't resist this place. I've had the tacos, burritos, and even the carne fries. Amazing! I'm from California and it's hard to top California's Mexican food but Pelon's does a pretty good job of meeting me in the middle. Their customer service is awesome, they even go out of their way to check on you if you're dining in. Very helpful and friendly. I will keep returning. Thanks Pelon's! read more

This place is amazing omg. The food is ALWAYS on point, as well as the drinks. A bit pricey, but totally worth it in the end! Awesome people and vibes read more

Order at counter, no table service. My veggie burrito was very good! Decent craft beer selection. You can tailor menu options (mostly burritos, tacos, and quesadillas) with all kinds of options and add-ins. Quite a few vegetarian choices. Wish I had known that they do not have table service. While you order at counter, the counter person also has bartending responsibilities to make margaritas and cocktails. So I had to wait awhile while the people ahead of me ordered (of course) but then also had to wait while the counter person made handcrafted margaritas for those ahead of me. Time consuming. Just an FYI. I was looking to enjoy time chatting with friends instead of waiting on line to order food, I had read yelp reviews but did not realize that you order at counter. (When the food is ready they do bring it to your table). Of course it's fine that they have this counter service model, I just wasn't expecting it and on this particular occasion would've like to just sit and socialize with friends, and have someone come to the table to take our order. The counter service was friendly and the food was very good. One detraction for me was that the fish and shrimp tacos are all breaded and fried fish. I prefer grilled or blackened, which aren't available. But bottom line is there are lots of choices (except no grilled or blackened fish) and my food was actually delicious. Nice job Pelons! read more

Food was gas but I asked the server what her favorite thing to order was and she responded like a dick head so I would just order to-go

Today was my first time trying out Pelon's. I ordered the Grass Hut Baja Burrito as is. The vegetables were fresh and the food was freshly made to order which is fantastic. The flavor in my opinion was ok. I will come back again to try another dish. In regards to my experience with customer service; it was great. I was greeted promptly and was about their current happy hour specials. read more

I love the fresh margaritas and I can inhale an intimidating number of tacos. My only complaint is that it's way too easy to rack up a $50 tab for a dinner for two. Definitely take advantage of margarita Mondays and taco and brew night on Wednesdays. That guac is bomb too. read more

Pelon's Baja Grill - Chips and dip trio and the fresh margarita. - Mexican Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

The Mexican food on the east coast is always iffy to me. I have not had the best experiences with Mexican food over here, but luckily I've been here a few times. They mix Mexican food and coastal food together in the perfect combinations. I highly recommend! read more