Came here to celebrate a birthday, very good food, I had the border burrito. My daughter had the Mole Rojo Enchilada, delishious! read more

The Pepper - Fantastic Mexican food! - Mexican Near Me - Plattsburgh, New York

I have never had a bad meal here and the margaritas are to die for! And Heather was awesome! Love the food and the service!!

I've had better Mexican food at Taco Bell Maybe you should call this place "the Pepper spray" read more

Service at this place is pretty wretched. It's a small restaurant, and they are probably understaffed, but we went on a Thursday night and waited almost an hour for our food, and our waitress seemed like she'd been medically sedated. When it came, I was not impressed. It was pretty spicy, which was a nice change from most American "Mexican" food, but everything was too dried out. Not worth the wait. read more

Beautiful evening sitting outside. Fantastic margaritas! Guac was fresh and fantastic. Nachos grande great - shrimp& chorizo quesadilla were superb- fried ice cream and apple churros were awesome. It was a busy night but when the meal was memorable the wait for our table was worth it. read more

Yummmmm! Tequila! Nothing gets me going like bottomless tequila shot nights at the pepper (Tuesdays and Thursdays 7:00-9:30) and when I say endless I mean you drop $10 and can drink all you want until your kicked out. One time the bartender gave me a shot for the drive home! I'm legally blind at night so hitting all of those street signs was based upon my blood alcohol level. This place is great if you want, good Mexican cuisine and at a decent price. This place will leave you satisfied and your butthole destroyed! read more

arrived late into town, and on a cold rainy night, I just wanted some.good, simple Mexican food. the atmosphere at The Pepper is nice - warm and cozy. I ordered the chicken and asparagus enchilada, and it was AMAZING! read more

Low grade due to service - I've eaten here twice and both times the food blew my mind. However the first time was take out and the second time we came to eat. After assuring us it would be a 10 minute wait, we then waited almost an hour to be seated while the hostess kept reassuring us that we were next. She then attempted to seemingly ease her guilt by saying she was never going to use the system she was using that day again. While I sympathize that they were busy, with all due respect her fixing it for the future didn't help me that day. When we eventually sat down inside it was so loud we were basically shouting at each other to be heard. Nothing was offered by management to address how we were treated. That being said, the food we eventually ate was still amazing. I will definitely continue to go here but for take out. If I eat there in person again, I'll be sure to go on a night when they are not busy. read more

I like the Pepper. Decent food, friendly service, and a fun spot. Their drinks are awesome!! They give chips and salsa before the meal. The guac you can get is crazy onion-y! I like their chicken tacos and chimichangas. The rice is kinda dry and a little not so good... Folks at the bar can get kinda nuts sometimes. Middle to upper class groups of friends who will tie up the staff and bartender. It's kind of obnoxious, but not the Pepper's fault. Makes it not super fun sometimes. read more

Love coming here with friends for a marg! Really enjoy the quesadillas! Great for a hangout at the bar when tables are busy. Love the environment and the great music. read more

Worst experience ever waited 40 minutes which is fine for a Saturday night. Finally get seated order 3 times waitress comes back to tell us they are out of this and that fine we made adjustments 45 minutes later they bring our food out - after parties who sat and ordered well after we did - And every single dish every single item was stone cold! Even the inside of Quesadillas were ice cold it was at this point I said we would like to pay for what we had 1 queso which had no flavor literally tasted like nothing and 2 drinks. Waitress sends over some woman doesn't even say who she is to say I hear you have a problem this being same lady who while we waited was sitting at the bar having drinks I can only assume she was the manager. This place can blame staff shortages or whatever but this entire experience was terrible poor food quality poor food selection and poor food safety obviously if they can't heat things all the way through. And they can't be reviewed on Google for some reason??? read more

I've enjoyed all the food items and drinks I've had here. Nice atmosphere and a good place to meet friends.

If you can get past the absurd decor and unmatched table to booth (tables oddly stick out way beyond the booth) - the margaritas are fantastic and the food pretty darn good for the far North Country. The service was great. read more

Dope margaritas, fresh salsa, community vibe. Get the carnitas cause they're definitely the best in town. This place is about 200 times better than chipotle, FYI. read more

We're locals and this is not in our top 5 rotation but still very good off peak hours. Food quality is good, menu is varied with mostly Tex Mex-ish options. Value is on the poor side; it's kind of expensive for what it is. It can very loud during peak times so not a great date night at those times. Margaritas are very good though. Nice outdoor seating in summer (much quieter out there). Solid option but second choice vs Grandma's Spanish kitchen on food quality alone. But if you want margaritas, then it's first choice for Spanish/Tex Mex. read more

To all the people who did not give this restaurant a 5 star rating, as my grandmother would say, "you need to get your tongue scraped" (translation: your taste buds aren't working right). Let me start off by saying that we are very picky when it comes to Mexican. The basic refried beans, spanish rice and carne asada that tastes like beef jerky isn't going to cut it for us. That said, this was some of the best Mexican food I've eaten outside of California. My wife had the Quesadilla Asada which was off the hook. My daughter had the shredded beef tacos which was some of the best marinated shredded beef that any of us have had in quite some time. I had the portobello and spinach enchilada, which is far from traditional, but was very delicious. Overall, a pleasant surprise for being so far from the boarder. I will say, that service was a little slow, but I'll chalk that up to COVID pre-cautions in place at the time and hey, if you are in a rush, go to a Taco Bell or take a pill and slow down. read more

Margaritas were good but not many options on the menu is actual Mexican cuisine. Not to mention all meat is extremely dry over seasoned. Chicken and beef nearly taste the same. Specials like meatloaf, non-Mexican flatbread pizzas, seared tuna with coconut wasabi cream... also watch out for the food poisoning and having to get your stomach pumped to find out the chicken you ate was rancid. read more

One star due to the completely atrocious joke of service. Girlfriend and I go for a couple of margaritas, and order the "Coconut Crush" - which consists of, per menu, the following - 1800 Coconut, Cointreau, Sour Mix. First one went down great, both liked it, ordered a second. Here's where the fun begins... First, we had to almost tackle the waitress to place the second order. Got our drinks, which looked and tasted COMPLETELY different; both of us tasted strong pineapple flavor, not coconut. Eventually (emphasis on eventually), waitress comes back outside, I say, "excuse me, miss", ignores me, keeps walking (I should mention, there was only one other couple there at the time). Girlfriend gets her when she passes by again, and she huffs out, "yes"? We inform her these are pineapple margaritas and she starts arguing with us, stating, "there's pineapple in the sour mix, sooooo...". It says nothing about pineapple being in the sour mix on the menu, plus, it only tastes like pineapple, not coconut, I inform her. She says, "well, like I said, there's pineapple in it. What, do you another one"? We did, letting her know we wanted what we had the first time. When she came back (eventually) with the "corrected" drinks (which still had no coconut, and seemed to be just the re-shaken margaritas she took back), she informed us she was going to stand over us, until we "let her know they were ok"... So, uh, yeah - if any of this sounds cool to you, and you like getting in arguments over what is and what isn't in drinks and on the menu with condescending waitstaff, this is the place for you!! I personally think there are way better options in the area though... read more

I'm writing this review four months after our experience, so, evidently, I'm still bothered. It was summer, and my girl and I scored a decent table outside. I mean decent only if not factoring the violent rocking that required a table foot wedge of the variety used on mining dump truck wheels. Of course, her glass of wine toppled and spilled. The waitress was considerate enough to offer us another glass, though too daft and devoid of any customer service skills to not charge us for it and while standing on wet pavement declare "I didn't see you spill it." Sure, she received her 15%, but it's four months later and I'm still not without a grudge. read more

I don't get why this place is popular. I guess it has to be the answer I get from everyone I tell how mediocre the food is. They all say, "But the drinks are so good." I guess if you have a few drinks, you won't care how bad the food is. If you are looking for a place to hang out after work and have a margarita with half of Plattsburgh, this place might be for you. If you are looking for Mexican food, go somewhere else. I've had Mexican food all over the country and Mexico. I have lived in southern Arizona and southern California. They use the term Sonoran for one dish that has no resemblance to Sonoran food. They also call something Oxecaen. I guess they meant Oaxacan. Even if that is the case, it is not Oaxacan style food. They prove that just because you call it Mexican, it ain't necessarily Mexican. read more

Nice hole in the wall restaurant in downtown Plattsburgh good for those nights when you want some mexican food. They have great margaritas (With house mad sour mix) but I just wish they had a larger menu to chose from. read more

My fiancé and I have been looking for good Mexican food for a while. This place was delicious. I had the seafood enchilada, and it was so so good. The nachos were huge but very very tasty. An my fiancé loved his chimichanga. read more

Some of the best shredded beef I've ever had. Even the "basics" are delicious and seem special, from the chips and salsa to the rice and beans. Service is good, and the decor is cute without being tacky or kitschy. read more

Very busy for 6p on a Wednesday night. We walked in and got the last available table. Food came quickly once our order was in. Black margarita is excellent! Also loved the fish taco. Kid friendly. But very loud inside. Outside seating available. read more

A nice find. The homemade chips are pretty much perfect, with their delicious salsa complimenting it. My meal was completely amazing, The chimichanga was flavorful, and full of delicious potatoes and spices. They are also very generous with their portions! read more

real Mexican, real portion (unlike Lamilis or whatever its called). every time i am impressed and satisfied. but...THE PLACE IS WAY TOO SMALL and it makes it so very uncomfortable. ill go non peak but never when its busy. if you dont have claustrophobic feelings, you will. not to mention the noise, dear god the noise. its deafening to me and i just cant wait to get out. read more

This is my favorite go-to restaurant slash bar The margaritas are absolutely phenomenal strong tasteful wide selection of different Tequilas flavors the mango jalapeno margarita with salt is my favorite along with the Cadillac Margarita which includes 1800 Reposado Cointreau Grand Marnier pure deliciousness would recommend everybody to go there. Had the food one time and won't do that again it was burnt and dry and not the Spanish Mexican style food that I've had from other real Spanish restaurants. read more

Never really satisfied. We've been multiple times and tried a lot of the menu and the food seems to be mediocre every time

Much too noisy, since everyone was hammered. A table of 12 was screaming right next to me. I thought the food was barely mediocre,over-sauced with heat but also flavorless. So glad I live far away. Sorry, a waste of time and money for me. read more

i dunno if they hired some new cooks here or what, but the food quality in my opinion has taken tremendous leaps and bounds as of late. i came here for the first time early on in the year and wasn't too impressed, but when i begrudgingly went back in september it was AWESOME. so awesome that when i was home again in october i incessantly nagged my friends to come with me until i finally got some people together for sunday brunch and it was EVEN BETTER. if there's one thing i know it's breakfast burritos and this place has 'em DOWN. you can bet your tukas i'll be here again when i'm home for christmas. one thing that i found interesting was that smoked pepper tends to have a bit more of a stylized approach to mexican food. like serving hash browns with breakfast? not exactly mexican, but definitely works for me. also, like C S mentioned, it's not exactly like "oh here's some meat wtih guac, sour cream, and salsa... fix it up yourself...." they tend to put a little more confidence in the recipes and take executive control of how they turn out. i like it. read more

Really good food, right down to the kid's menu. Chimichanga was crispy and flavorful with tasty rice and beans, while quesadilla with portabella's was interesting and delicious; nice twists on traditional Mexican. Biggest fault was the outside tables had no umbrellas, and at lunch hour on a sunny day, this would have been very welcome. read more

I can never remember if I like the food or not at the Smoked Pepper. I DO remember that I ALWAYS love the Pomegranate margaritas! Seriously speaking - this is not a mexican restaurant in any way. The food is good - I especially like the calamari - but the only reason to go to the Smoked Pepper is to try one of their drink specials, especially if Glenn is working at the bar! read more

Best margaritas in Plattsburgh! My roller derby team goes to the pepper after practice on Wednesday night and its always fun! The food is good too! Reasonably priced and they have specials every day during the week! The bartender is a great guy and super friendly! I love summer when there's outdoor seating! The atmosphere is fun and lively! read more

We stumbled upon this place after a long day on the road. What a nice find for dinner. The owners were funny, friendly, and spent the evening in and around the restaurant interacting with customers. The food was quite good. We started with chips and guacamole, and then ordered the portobello chimichanga, an enchilada with chicken mole, and a kid's chicken and fries. The salsa was great and the mole was exceptional. The chimichanga was filling and yummy. read more

The Good: My friend and I were strolling downtown Plattsburgh and decided to get something to eat. We finalized on The Pepper after seeing how packed it was and looking through the menu which had many tasty looking offers - quesdilla, enchiladas,and turkey with mole. We had to wait about 40 minutes for a table for two on this busy Friday evening and after being seated by a pleasant waitress, and eating yummy chips with dip, we were ready to order. The Bad: In the vibrant ambiance of laughter, music, and lovely wall art, I was happy to see my meal of chicken and asparagus enchiladas ($15) with rice and beans on the side (the waitress' recommendation). It looked appetizing with two enchiladas with cheese melted on top. However it didn't take me very long to realize that looks aren't everything. Throughout the entire meal I was dousing my rice and beans with the hot sauces provided on the table. I kept dipping my chicken in sour cream. It wasn't until I was nearly done with my meal that I realized I was craving salt! My dish was flavorless and dry - esp. the rice and beans. The enchiladas were average but tasted like the enchiladas you microwave by Lean Cuisine. Conclusion: At the end of the meal I felt full but dissatisfied. For all the pomp and circumstance, the Pepper's dish was not very appetizing and will leave you wanting more. My friend having a plate of seafood enchiladas ($17) concurred. Granted I need to give the pepper a second or third try but from first impressions, I was left disappointed. read more

Friday night place was busy. We sat at the table at 8:00 pm. Table of four. We waited for the meal for an hour and a half. We finished our salsa and chips within the first 10 minutes and never got a refil. The problem was that when the food arrived, (2 mole' chicken enchellatas, a burrito and a salad) the enchellatas and beans were burnt to the bottom of the plate, and the rice was dry and bland. My meal was credited, but i ended up having a liquid dinner. With all the choices within the Plattsburgh area to eat, I prefer to eat elsewhere. read more

The margaritas here are fantastic, I usually join friends on Friday night to enjoy their house margaritas. They make their own mix and you can tell, they are so good. I order food sporadically and it is also pretty good. The only thing that keeps me from 5 stars is that the food is inconsistent. It's never been bad and I've never had bad sevice. There are just some times when the food is just really mediocre. More often than not the food is above average. read more

The food and margaritas are absolutely amazing and the majority of the staff is very friendly. However there is one female bartender who is a total bitch and ruined the experience of the restaurant for me. She should really be fired. Not sure if I'll be going back after this experience. read more

Most people know the pepper for their margaritas, however the food is fantastic, the staff are helpful, and it isn't too pricey! The few times that I went it was very warm inside, and my boyfriends mother thought the same, but it won't stop me from going back for more! read more

I haven't been to The Pepper in many years and now I remember why; the food is REALLY BAD! I ordered a seafood enchilada. That would be shrimp, scallops and crab in a flour tortilla with cheese. What I got was 3-4 tiny shrimp, a couple of tasteless bay scallops, no crab meat all smothered in a glop of melted cheese. There was NO TORTILLA. The food was so hot from the oven that it had no flavor. Anyone who thinks this is Mexican food, has never had Mexican food. This mess was priced at $20.00. To be fair, the sangria was ok. But, it wasn't good enough to make me eat here again. read more