A hidden gem serving complex Mexican flavors with excellent service. The owner checked in several times to make sure everything was just right. Large drink menu. Small meal menu, but something for everyone. Churros stole the show!!! read more

Pepe And Lela’s - Mexican Near Me - Burlington, Ontario

Located on the ground floor of a newer, retirement condo, Pepe & Lela's does have an outdoor patio (sides on busy Appleby Line) and 2 separate seating areas. Initially, I thought the restaurant was quite small, but when I went to the washroom, I noticed another dining room. Arriving shortly after they opened for their dinner service, I was standing for quite some time at the "Wait To Be Seated" sign. There was no bell, no way to make contact with the hostess. I did make eye contact with a male server, but I think he was the bartender and that servers are the ones who seat patrons. I want to say that I was waiting for about 10mins. Enough to take a bunch of pics of their front entrance! The first dining room is quite an odd shape with a HUGE round column cum circular bench where plants are displayed in the middle. Menu was pretty succinct, there were specials, but no burritos, enchiladas, or even fajitas. They do serve Mexican cocktails like margaritas and have seasonal flavours such as strawberries, peach, etc. Brooklyn, female server was friendly. Here are the pros/cons of Pepe & Lela's: CONS - hostess table is separated by a long hall from dining room, so it may take some time to get seated as hostess/servers don't regularly check when patrons enter / difficult to see when customers arrive - quite pricey, about a few dollars more than an authentic and local (to me) Mexican place - limited menu, see above description/pics - despite higher prices, tacos don't come with any sides like refried beans, rice, &/or small salad - lotsa wasted garnishes/sauces left on Mexican corn plate PROS - menu does focus on local, seasonal ingredients, so it does taste SUPER FRESH - you can tell their Margaritas were fresh and not from some mix - sauces were really good and plating was good - tasted authentic Food was delicious and FRESH, although I found the meat on my cochinita pibil underseasoned, lacked salt although other seasoning were on-point. My main gripe is that you're paying a few extra dollars for quality - fine, but tacos don't come with any sides like rice, beans, &/or a salad like other, less expensive Mexican restaurants. Average price is ~$25/2 tacos. You're certainly NOT going to be hungry after eating the 2 tacos, but I find that pricey with no sides! Overall, I think it's a good option for a celebration, but a bit pricey for just a regular night out. read more

Pepe And Lela’s - On the ground floor of a retirement condo. - Mexican Near Me - Burlington, Ontario

The favours were amazing! Service was top notch, didn't miss a beat and the prices were reasonable. I would return again and enjoy this restaurant read more

What a cute little Mexican place near my house. I used to pass by it al the time and it's at the bottom of a senior residential building I assumed it was the lobby of the senior building. One day I passed by and saw people sitting in the patio area and they served food. So I decided to Google the place and saw so many great reviews and decided to make reservations with my daughters. I didn't write a review the first time but loved it. This is my second visit with a friend. The seating is not huge inside so make sure you make reservations! Luckily in the summer there's a cute patio seating area with lots of umbrellas. It was a perfect day to sit outside today but was super windy and my menu kept flying away so we decided to seat indoors instead. The ambiance is warm and inviting with vibrant colours to represent the Mexican culture. The owner came by our table when we came the first time and told us about how he came about naming the restaurant Pepe and Lela. It's actually his 2 daughters names. So cute! It's family owned and they serve fresh, organic ingredients. The menu was limited but I love that! Stick with limited items and be great at those dishes! Service: Our server's name was Bradley he's fantastic. He's so nice and patient and made some amazing recommendations for us to try. We were there for over 3 hours and with time limit at most restaurants these days they didn't kick us out which was appreciated. Based on Bradley's recommendation we had the mango margarita which is made with fresh mango juice. Omg it's was so tasty and dangerous since I can have 10 of these if I wasn't driving!! We started off with the fresh tortilla chips with salsa and guacamole. So good. Then we couldn't decided what tacos to get it came in pairs. Between 2 of us we ordered 3 orders of Tacos and had 3 tacos between us. It was super filling but super yummy. My fav in order was the steak skirt tacos, then the fried fish tacos it was lightly battered and crispy and then finally pull chicken tacos. All was excellent!! I wish my belly was bigger so I can have the soup and sweet potato fries or the cheese dip! We had just enough room for dessert. We ended our meal with what Bradley recommended the Trea Leche strawberry cake to share. Omg it was amazing. I wouldn't say the price was cheap for tacos but for the quality it's well worth the price. We spent around $170 for both of us with tax and tip. All in all love this place so much and will be coming back over and over again ! read more

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We stopped by here for a lunch anniversary date. So glad we did! Food is fresh, delicious, and prepared with care. Service was absolutely outstanding. Our server was attentive, friendly, and thoughtful. The ambiance is nice - intimate feeling, tasteful decor, and comfortable seating. The lamb tacos are amazing. Fish tacos were also delicious! They really know how to make their margaritas - try one of the spicy ones you won't be disappointed. For dessert we had the tres leches which was very tasty. 5 stars and would absolutely recommend. Thank you for a lovely anniversary lunch! read more

Awesome food, good service, they are so nice and the owner. Good quiet family restaurant, highly recommend

Mexican cuisine at this restaurant is good if you're being introduced to its food culture for the first time, to get an idea for the richness of Mexican food varieties. The service here is excellent and a reservation is recommended if you're dining on the weekend for dinner. Don't expect full rice and beans plates with burritos. Instead, the food options are tapas/appetizer portions which is great for first timers. The guacamole was okay because of the smooth texture rather than the chunky texture which I prefer. The flavors were minimal which is okay for someone who may not have had guacamole with all the fixings like onions and tomatoes and cilantro. The lamb tacos which I haven't had before were good and my godmother with whom I was dining with enjoyed. The fish tacos were good but I prefer grilled fish to battered fish(Baja style). The margaritas were good but I'd recommend them going easy on the lime juice for balance. I loved their fondue selections with Mexican cheeses as well as their non-alcoholic margaritas. I've had lots of Mexican food prior and visited Mexico numerous times, so my standard and expectations can be very high. I'd definitely recommend here to anyone who wants to try Mexican cuisine for the first time. read more

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Absolutely the best mexican restaurant out there! They give you the perfect amount of meat in the tacos none of the fillers that most places give you. The flavours are out of this world. Chips and guacamole and salsa are the perfect way to start the night. Desert curios are so yummy they melt in your mouth. To top it all off the espresso is the best I've ever had. This place is truly worth the price! read more

We just found this Mexican gem in Burlington. We've long being looking for a great Mexican restaurant in the greater GTA, and this restaurant really delivered. The food was very flavourful and fresh, and the presentation was great. I highly recommend the fish tacos, and the chicken mole tacos were incredible too, on authentic blue corn tortillas. We had fresh guacamole and salsa to start, and while the bowls were small, they were packed to the brim. And the dessert was to die for, sponge cake with whipped cream and berries that tasted like strawberry shortcake. To top it off the food and ambiance was just great, but no means formal but not totally casual either. And, as a bonus, the food here is organic!!! We will definitely be back. For those of you had a bad experience, I invite you to come back. I highly recommend this restaurant (and I almost never leave reviews). read more

It's about time for a great Mexican place to in the GTA. We found out about this restaurants from a FB post, and it's a good thing. The ambiance was very nice, and almost fine dining-ish, the place was bustling, people were nice. I thought the food was amazing, from the nachos to the tacos. We had the nachos with the guacamole, both were excellent. Only comment, I wish they served more guacamole, it was very little, I thought. We had the fish, lamb and the beef tacos. They were all excellent. We loved the soft taco shell, and the home made hot sauce. read more

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Tried to go to the restaurant. Man came out very excited claiming that they were too busy and even though there were open tables. We should go elsewhere. Not sure if it was because there were a few children. But attitude alone will make sure I never go. We drove a ways to come cause my wife liked the photos. So attitude alone I give this one star. read more

Great environment, great quality food, the owner is very warm and welcoming. They use fruits in season to make up margarita recipes. Great little spot for a special occasion. read more

Great food in a cozy setting. Comfortable feeling from the time you walk in. Specialty margaritas and a small but eclectic menu. Owner is proud to tell you about the menu and it does not disappoint. Tacos are excellent: tried lamb, calamari and beef. All were exceptional. Worth the drive. read more

Phenomenal experience at Pepe and Lela's. I had the chicken mole, crispy pork belly, and lamb barbacoa tacos, as well as the lamb barbacoa torta. All the flavors were excellent, and the quality of the ingredients was top notch. The head chef was incredibly friendly and was happy to discuss Mexican culture and food with me as well. It was very clear he was serious about his craft and passionate about sharing it with others. A wonderful meal overall. Definitely will be back. read more

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My husband and I arrived to a packed restaurant on a Saturday night. We were told tables were "just clearing out" and we'd just be a few minutes... 40minutes later we finally got a table. Once we were seated, we were informed that they'd run out of pretty much everything we'd wanted off the menu or that they simply weren't serving that dish tonight. Seeing that we'd waited for ages (without anyone checking in on us or offering for us to place an order), and were absolutely STARVING we settled on the pulled pork taco sharing board. I hate ordering pulled pork as it generally comes out bland and dry from having to be reheated - this pulled pork was no different, but unfortunately the other options seemed even less appealing. The pineapple salsa it came with was delicious. Our server seemed to be a bit stressed in dealing with the 5 tables she had. She came off pushy and presumptuous when assuming we wanted additional drinks. We had an awkward moment with the busboy who attempted to clear my (very expensive - $15) cocktail when it wasn't finished - he made a smart ass comment about "oh those couple sips are going to make or break your evening." It was totally uncalled for and really put the nail in the coffin for us. Unfortunately it was simply a combination of events that resulted in our dinner at Pepe and Lela's not being what we'd hoped. We won't be rushing back any time soon. read more

Read reviews before making reservations sorry but this is not mexican food the tortillas had wierd smell like body sweat the meat was bland with no spices there was no jalapeños when i asked where sour cream they said its extra 3$ Im not a complainer but after we were done we went to taco bell for fraction of the cost and waaaaay better sorry not 4 star read more

Incredible take out! Everything was packaged so well and stayed warm. The food was extremely flavourful! We loved the family meal and chose steak as our meat - tender and delicious! The staff were lovely and made us feel like family! Highly recommend! read more

Pepe And Lela’s - Family meal take out - steak as our meat - Mexican Near Me - Burlington, Ontario

Run of the mill food lacking flavor and variety. The tortilla soup we started with tasted like a canned soup warmed and served and everything from there went downhill. The tacos are average and nothing to wrote home about. It's also a shame that they have only one taco option for non-meat eaters (mushroom) and that too is not good. If you want to try some real good tacos, I would vouch for burros on brant. read more

We visited Pepe & Lela's on Sept. 14 for supper. It was our first time ever eating out since Feb 2020! I'm a retired public health nurse, and so, I have been/am extremely cautious ALL the time. Yet I felt very, very safe last evening. We ate on the patio. It was lovely. Our server was Melissa and she was a delight in every way. We shared the chips and the guacamole (delicious). And also, the jicama, mango and arugula salad. I don't like arugula, and yet, I liked it all very much - perhaps b/c of the the vinaigrette which was subtle and delicious. The salad rocked. The dish that then blew us away was the tortilla soup. We had ordered it as a take-out a few months ago and it was good that way. But last evening, the chef's soup creation was sublime. And the presentation, plus the way it was made up at the table, was wonderful. The items melted together, the textures were great. It took willpower not to lick the bowl. As always, the Mexican owners, Sue and Ricardo, were professional, kind, warm, low key, and caring about their customers. It was our wedding anniversary and all the staff at Pepe & Lela's helped a lot to make it special. This by the way is our favourite restaurant in the entire area. And one of our sons, who loves all things Toronto better than anything, loves to come here, too. Thank you all so much!! Helen and Ed, Burlington. read more

What I loved about this place is the care and attention to detail from owner Ricardo Alvarez. I love the way everything is made from scratch in an authentic Mexican tradition. He has carefully thought through each detail from decor, design, menu, staff, Mexican music etc. and loves to make sure his customers are welcomed and happy. Wait staff were friendly, knowledgeable and attentive. My lime Margarita was excellent. I just had vegetarian appetizers which were great, but will go back for dinner. The housemade blue soft tacos looked amazing and I tasted the flourless chocolate cake which was a decadent treat. My friend loved the Hibiscus house made lemonade. Ricardo has purposely decided to make the meat flavourful but not spicy, so that his guests can add the amount of spicy-ness they desire. Shout out to chef Lianne on your success too! Experience Mexico in Burlington. Only suggestion is more vegan and vegetarian options please. read more

Great new family restaurant in Burlington. Owner cares so much about the food and the customers. Food is authentic and delicious. Ask for their hot sauce if you like heat. I got the fish tacos and a margarita and it was all amazing. read more

This is a new little place that opened up and I can't say enough about the service and the food......everything was absolutely outstanding!!! I highly highly recommend it. Mexican food is our favourite and this place did not disappoint. The owner is from Mexico and his dishes were fantastic. I had one of the best lime margaritas ive ever had in my life. read more

If you think you have ever had great Mexican food you are wrong unless you have ever had Pepe and Lela's. It is incredible authentic Mexican food. So very fresh with so much care put into every dish. The flavours are incredible. A great value. If you are looking for a meal to brighten yours and your families day look no further. It is one of our favourite places now. read more