Well now... I suppose there are evenings that just sort of tip their hat to you and say, "Remember this one." Tonight was one of those--with just a little salt in the air and a soft island rhythm tapping its foot in the background. I sat down at Pepo's and was served a plate of roasted pork resting there like it knew it belonged--tender, patient, and full of purpose--laid over a bed of warm yellow rice. There were chopped white onions scattered about, honest and bright, alongside black beans that tasted like they'd been simmering all afternoon without a single worry in the world. And then there was the yucca. Not firm or stubborn--no sir. It had been cooked long enough to give up its starch and relax a bit, turning soft and generous, almost like stewed potatoes that had wandered too close to butter and garlic and decided to stay awhile. Comforting in that slow, unhurried way... the kind that makes you lean back in your chair and exhale. But it was that pork... well, that pork had a story. A quiet one. The gentle punch of Cuban mojo--sour oranges and garlic shaking hands just right--bringing along sunshine, music, and that unmistakable feeling that you're exactly where you're supposed to be. Not flashy. Just honest. Like a good song played at the right volume. Truth be told, the meal was so good that before I left, I ordered a Cuban sandwich to go, along with a Cuban tamale--already looking forward to lunch tomorrow while flying back toward the Northeast, tracing the Florida coastline below. I imagine it'll taste just as good at altitude, maybe even better, with a little daydreaming and a smile. You know, meals like this don't just feed you. They put you at ease. And I can tell you this much--I'll be back one day. Because when food makes you feel this welcome, you don't forget it. You just carry it with you... maybe humming a tune as you go. read more

Pepo's Cuban Cafe - Roasted pork on top of yellow rice with black beans, and a side of yucca accompanied by a bottle of crystal's hot sauce. - Cuban Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

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My wife and I happened upon this place while visiting St. Petersburg and what a find. Very friendly and informative staff. We both ordered the El Habano Cubano Sandwich. A delicious combination of pork, ham, salami and Swiss cheese on Cuban bread. Unlike Cubanos we have had in the past, it was absolutely delicious. The restaurant is delightfully decorated with Cuban paraphernalia. read more

Pepo's Cuban Cafe - Cuban Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

It's a little difficult to get to and has limited parking. I got the rope vieja with yellow rice and black beans. Husband got mojo chicken with black beans and yellow rice. We both agreed the rice and beans are bland. It was missing the depth of flavor black beans should have. The mojo chicken was good, not overcooked. The rope vieja was decent, just lacked a little acid. We also tried a ham and cheese empanada. The crust was flaky and light. It was good but the ham is ground up or something and it has a weird texture, so I was out. Husband gobbled it up. Portions are huge. Lots of leftovers!! Staff was friendly and helpful. Overall decent. read more

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I am back in town for a visit. Always come here for BEST CUBAN food. Cuban sandwich sooo good, fried Plantains sweet tasty, Yucca Fritas great with Mojo but the Devil Crab AMAZING!!! Taking 4 back to Seattle. Thanks for great dinner. read more

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Stop by for a quick breakfast sandwich. The chorizo egg on Cuban bread was fantastic. Staff was very helpful and friendly read more

Pepo's Cuban Cafe - Chorizo egg sandwich - Cuban Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

Plain old fashioned good Cuban food. Prices reasonable. Extensive menu. Select on line food and bring to table. No waiter service. Simple clean restaurant. read more

My wife and I decided to visit this place in while we were in St. Pete for Christmas. We always end up staying in north county because it cheaper. This restaurant was pretty close to our hotel. I got an Iron Beer and two beef empanadas. They were both pretty good. I also had a guava pastry that was very good. read more

Pepo's Cuban Cafe - Beef Empanada - Cuban Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

Great food and large portions! Have to get there early for the empanadas before they sell out. chicken is my fave! It's kind of a small location, so not good for large groups. Great for carryout. read more

We just stopped in for breakfast on our way to some families home. The spread was super authentic and delicious. Our boys split the ham and cheese croquetas and papas rellenas, my husband had the ham and egg breakfast platter with Cuban bread, and I had a breakfast burrito with roast pork, Swiss cheese, and peppers onions. We both got large cafe con leches, fresh made and hot with great flavor. We were greeted right away, ordered and got our food quickly. The restaurant feels like someone's abuelos home, cozy and authentic. If we lived in Tampa we would frequent, but if you do live nearby or passing through, it's very much worth the stop. read more

Pepo's Cuban Cafe - Restaurant Sign - Cuban Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

I went to have breakfast with my daughter before starting our day. We haven't been there for a while. I ordered my usual when we go the #1 2 eggs/bread and coffee. We sat down to wait for our food and the server brought our food I was blown away. I asked the server are you sure this is 2 eggs and with an attitude he said yeah hmmm I don't think so buddy. Well to wrap it up I won't be going there anymore. I have attached a pic of exactly what he brought to the table. read more

Pepo's Cuban Cafe - Raised the price and the eggs got less. Big disappointment. Looks like leftovers from antoher dish he decided to just throw on my plate. - Cuban Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

This is my favorite restaurant in St. Pete! The cafe con Leche beats starbies ANY day of the week!!! The service is always great, the vibe is authentic and prices are the best!!! I love ordering a large cafe con Leche (coffee) & eggs with Cuban toast. read more

Was randomly looking through Yelp for something savory to eat and discovered this bomb Cuban cafe. First I'd like to say that the few Cuban food I've tried is okay. I started losing hope in Cuban food until I tried this cafe. As you enter the restaurant you're greeted by a diverse amount of pork, chicken and other Cuban dishes. They have carnitas, Lechon, chicharron, pollo, empanadas, Cuban sandwiches and so much more. I was tempted to get the carnitas and Lechon but decided to get the beef empanada, Cuban sandwich and chicharron instead. By far the best tasting chicharron I've had in Tampa bay! The Cuban sandwich as well as the empanada were superior to the rest of the Cuban food in the area. Overall giving them a 5/5 for the delicious and authentic Cuban food. The staff were also great too. Easy to talk to and informative. The ambiance felt like a older style cafe restaurant. Highly recommend trying their food! read more

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I recently went there for lunch the restaurant had a great ambiance made you feel right at home and in general it was good the flavor was right on par , service and price were good but man my wife and I really fought for our lives with the palomilla steak sandwich it had to be the hardest steak to chew in my life. read more

Went on recommendation from person staying at our hotel. Ordered the bourbon chicken, fried rice, sweet plantains, and a side of pork. We wanted a sampling of all the different foods, but based on their company policy, you only could get platters which I thought was a great disservice If you are new to the cuisine and wanted to try a little bit of everything. overall it was a lot of food, It was flavorful, but very heavily salted so it was a little hard to enjoy the natural or true flavors of the food. price point was average and we were happy to be able to contribute to the local economy and not just the tourist areas as we were staying at a resort on the beach. We made a conscious effort to support the local businesses. I wouldn't return, but the food is not bad. We just do not like as much food nor do we like so much salt. read more

When you walk in you can smell the delicious spices. The staff was very friendly. The taste of the food was very authentic which is hard to find! I defiantly recommend this Cuban place! read more

Pepo's Cuban Cafe - Shredded Chicken - Cuban Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

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Excellent Cuban fare at this local spot. A standalone building along busy 4th Street and Gandy Blvd. Order at the counter, food is brought to the table Tried an excellent Cuban sandwich. Freshly prepared, pressed to order. The Cuban bread is crusty on the outside, moist and fresh in the inside. The classic combo of nest, cheese,mayo, mustard and pickle. As good a Cuban as I've had anywhere. Plus a cup of slow-simmered black beans over perfect yellow rice. A good ratio of beans to rice to sauce so not too soupy. Yum! Lots of other specialties to try. This place is filled with locals,so you KNOW it's good stuff. read more

Pepo's Cuban Cafe - Black Beans and rice - Cuban Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

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We loved the food and the staff was cool. Definitely go here. It looks like a dive. But don't let that fool you.

Ordered a Cuban with light ham and heavy pickle. What I got was practically a ham sandwich. Pic is the sandwich once I removed the ham. No cheese and barely anything else but ham. Expensive ham sandwich. read more

Pepo's Cuban Cafe - $16.50 Cuban sandwich (less the ham) - Cuban Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

Ropa Vieja is good but not outstanding. They give u a decent portion. Cubano has a good crunchy bread. Plantains is a bit hard. Black beans are good. Cafeteria style restaurant. read more

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Love your Cuban sandwiches!! Haha. It's been my favorite place to get them. Now hear me out. The place is a hole-in-the-wall, but it has amazing Cuban food!! The staff are friendly, but their food is just too amazing! read more

The Cuban sandwich was good and the bread crunchy but I think the first one I had yesterday from cool mo's was substantially better. The ropa Viejo was good and saucy but didn't seem to have much spice and flavor. Could really taste the meat and not so much Cuban flavor. The black beans were good I don't care for plantains but BF loves them and he said they were just ok and not sure if he would necessarily get them again. read more

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Ropa vieja con arroz y frijoles fast service. Clean establishment. Attentive staff. Food needed no salt or pepper just chile. read more

Pepo's Cuban Cafe - Ropa Vieja - Cuban Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

This is such a great place with such awesome and flavor packed Latin food. The minute you walk in your greeted with such friendliness and immediately made to feel right at home. Its just like having a home cooked meal made with lots of love from you abuela and tons of that epic latin sabor aka flavor. I can say one hundred percent they have the best Mofongo and fried pork chunks in Tampa bay... Also the hand made deviled crabs cant be beat...they remind me of the old Sea breeze deviled crabs and those who know...know... Anytime we find ourselves in the area we always head over to grab a great meal and top it off with Cafe cubano... So if you find yourself int he area make sure you stop in and check them out you wont be disappointed... read more

Delicious traditional Cuban food served cafeteria styled. Everyone was warm and welcoming and helpful with the menu! Plenty of seating inside :) read more

Pepo's Cuban Cafe - Cuban Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

Este lugar no tiene ni la más mínima idea de lo que es la comida cubana. Pedí tres platos diferentes y todos sabían igual: a absolutamente nada. Lo peor de todo fue el "potaje de frijoles negros", que no solo no tenía sazón, ¡sino que pintó el arroz de amarillo! Eso, para un cubano, es un sacrilegio. No sé qué están usando en esa cocina, pero parece que todo lleva el mismo condimento amarillo, y ni una pizca de ajo, comino, laurel ni un sofrito decente. Es como si cocinaran con pintura, no con comida. Si pudiera ponerles cero estrellas, lo haría. Esto no es comida cubana. Es una burla. read more

Received my order of chicken and yellow rice. This was the worst over cooked, dried out piece of chicken I have ever ate. I also ordered the yellow rice and red beans. Huge amount of rice, just a small amount of beans. So very disappointed. Even though it was buy one get one free I feel I wasted my money. I read so many positive reviews, how could my experience be so bad, and all that I read were so positive. read more

Great location for Cuban foodies, Just off Gandy Bridge near 4th street. Amazingly large deviled crab stuffed with crab meat instead of fillers. I also enjoyed Spanish rice and black beans. Cafe con leche is excellent. Great service. Happy workers who go out of their way to ensure your satisfaction. Entrees in this indoor, comfortable cafeteria style restaurant look freshly prepared. Wide variety from pork to chicken and fish. Well worth your visit! Disfruta de la comida! read more

Drove in from Orlando for Spring Training at Tropicana Field. Was feenin a cafe con leche and I know there are always good spots around St Pete and the Tampa area so I knew'd there be a good one in a short distance. This came up on the maps and looked pretty good. I pulled up and the first thing you see is a giant ass sign that has "cuban toast, cafe con leche, 2 eggs $5". You aint gotta tell me twice! Even if it was trash, I dont think I would have cared . The girl at the front was very nice and helped me make the sandwich even better than it probably would have been. I asked for the eggs on the bread with the ham to make a sandwich and that was def the way to go! Cafe con Leche was fuckin great. I would definitely go back and not just for breakfast, gotta check out lunch. All of the food was laid out in the pans ready to go. Everything looked really good and the space inside was a good size and so was the patio. Def going back next time im in the area! The pig on the sign looks just like my brother too. read more

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Be very careful if ordering through an ap, my dinner landed in some driver's stomach. Food great, watch Instacart!

Have drove by this place for years and wanted to try them. Finally we stopped today and is terrible to know we have been missing all this great food for years. The pork was well cooked and very tender so delicious. The black beans and yellow rice was cooked and seasoned dry well also. Hubby enjoyed the Cuban sandwich thought he was going to finish it but my champ did. I also ordered the cheese and guava pastry ohh so good. Can't wait to make it back there, saw some really good looking empanadas I have to try. Don't waist as much time as we did, get over there and treat yourself to some really good food. Parking lot is small and there may be a line. Please don't leave, it's worth the little wait. read more

Pepo's Cuban Cafe - Cuban Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

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This Pepo's location is right by my house, but I don't find myself here often because the food vs price value is lacking. However, if I'm really craving mofongo, I stop by. Always ask for extra garlic sauce. This is more of a takeout place because seating is limited. Be prepared for hot steaming Styrofoam boxes filled with bland rice, accompanied by some bland protein of your choice. Hence the need for the extra garlic sauce. read more

Food- Good food and they offer many different options. You can either order their actual dishes of food, or their pre-made dishes. Their tamales were one of a kind. If you like cuban foods then this is a great place to indulge. Service- They have kind staff all willing to help you at any given moment. They all helped me with my experience, very kind. Ambiance- They had a nice building that gave a home-y type feel to it. They give you clean tables, and they take care of your plates for you. Overall I'd recommend this place for a grab-n-go, or even a dine out experience. For around $60 for 4 people it is worth it! read more

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Very convenient food is always delicious. Service is very quick. You can eat in or take out.

Don't order BOGO specials from here. You order the BOGO and they charge the full price for each meal. Instacart charge should have been $18 and they charged me $36. Won't order from here again! Food was marginal at best. read more

9939 4th St. North St. Petersburg, FL 33702 Tuesday, September 20, 2022 Greeted by Friendly Staff Establishment Clean / Comfortable Interior Temperature No Line / No Waiting at This Time Arrived & Ordered at the Counter: 4:40pm We both ordered the El Habano Cubano, an order of fries we shared and 2 drinks. It was a traditional Cuban sandwich consisting of roasted pork, ham, salami, and Swiss cheese with mustard and a spear of dill pickle. Delicious. For dessert we had a slice of chocolate cake and it was over-the-top amazing. We can't wait to go back. read more

Pepo's Cuban Cafe - El Habana Cubano and fries - Cuban Near Me - St. Petersburg, Florida

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Good quality & portions & above average service. Hi-traffic North 4th Street. U-turns are your friends. Large takeout business. Seating area is quaint/casual. read more

Might have overdone it when we came here and ordered too much food! But it was all well priced and worth it! Pretty extensive menu, cute place, and very helpful and friendly service. We got yellow rice and beans, sweet plantains, croquetas, empanadas in all varieties, and tres leches! All of it was phenomenal! They also have breakfast for cheap, and they cater. Definitely coming back here. read more

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Pepo's serves Cuban food cafeteria style in a very modest setting. I was disappointed in the food this time, but that probably had more to do with what I ordered. I have eaten there before and the food was fine. I ordered a tamale and stuffed crab with a side of plantains that I shared with my wife. I would not order the crab again since it was very dry without some type of sauce and I do not care for hot sauce, the only one available. The tamale was only acceptable because it came with a scoop of roast pork on top. The plantains were delicious. Service is very minimal since you select your food at the counter and carry you food and drinks to the table yourself. I will return to Pepo's sometime in the future because of the location, but it will never be my favorite for Cuban food. read more

Have been here twice missing my Cuban food since I moved from miami to St. Pete . Unfortunately disappointed both times . Im A very sad Cuban in St Pete . Will continue to cook my own food til I can find a great local spot ... read more

Amazing Cuban Sandwich and Roasted Chicken! Simply delicious cuban sandwich, it's hot and crunchy, meaty, perfect size and great price, I highly recommend this! I also got the Roasted Chicken, this was also very good, incredibly tender and juicy meat, this comes with 2 sides. I called in the order and everything was ready within 15minutes for lunchtime. They also have a lot of really good looking ready made food which I didn't try today but maybe next time. read more

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