The O.G.! Love The Red Pepper, the crunchy tacos are better than both Taco Bell and Taco John's. I slept on the grinders for so long but I finally tried one and they're actually really good with decent ingredients. Staff is always super polite and helpful. Hands down my favorite inexpensive food spot in town. read more

Have not been here in years, so it was fun to go back and the food was great! Prices are great too! Everything grinder with sauces on side was fantastic. The bread is soft and fresh. The chicken tortilla soup was tasty, as well. Service was accurate and quick. read more

Excellent tacos. They have the best salsa that has a touch of brown sugar and tastes fantastic. Reasonable prices. A true gem!

The employees are still hit and miss, some good and some terrible. The university ave location is always down for online and door dash, last few times. Some went in and they weren't busy at all 3 employees. Campus place also, think it's just laziness. Losing business with online and door dash down. read more

They make your food pretty much before you sit down to eat it so that's a plus. The buildings definitely an older one. Very little seating area. Employees are very friendly. I wouldn't come here all the time tho. Can get busy with college kids read more

I'm honestly surprised this place isn't rated higher... or in more locations! I love the Red Pepper! I mean honestly - eating out can be hard sometimes. All the decisions - what type of food, where, what specific dish, what side, what to drink, dessert or not? Exhausting! The Red Pepper makes it easy. Can't decide? Then "get it all" with the Everything Grinder - ham, turkey, salami, and taco meat!?!? Wow! Get extra hot sauce, you won't regret it. Need more or something to share - the garbage plate throws a little bit of every sauce onto a tostada with taco meat and cheese. Did I mention the hot sauce? Boom - done! As a Twin Cities native I've been searching in vain for a RP poser to feed my cravings for their sandwiches with absolutely no luck... is a 4.5 hour drive too long/far for a sandwich??? read more

Red Pepper is a staple in Grand Forks and one of my favorite spots to visit when I lived in Grand Forks! I always enjoy their cheese tostadas with the red and white sauce. Then I get their grinder which is delicious! There's not a lot of seating so when it's busy it's hard to find a spot. Overall ambience the place is quite run down as it is the original Red Pepped spot. read more

The Red Pepper - three plates of food on a table - Mexican Near Me - Grand Forks, North Dakota

Nothing fancy, but oh so delicious! I was in town for business and this place was recommended by someone who was originally from Grand Forks. The woman working the counter (she had a manager/owner vibe) made great recommendations. Had the ham grinder and added the taco meat - sounds a little odd, but I decided to trust the process and was glad I did! If I make it back to Grand Forks, I'll be back! read more

The Red Pepper - Ham grinder with taco meat, cheese tostada - Mexican Near Me - Grand Forks, North Dakota

You can never go wrong with the red pepper. The food here is amazing. Everything is so fresh and delicious! The service is always quick and friendly. The cute little spot always seems to have enough room for the customers. It's definitely a quick in and out spot. The soda machine is always on point as well. read more

You got to just come here and check this place out. It's got tacos chalupas sangwiches and other jale I can't even begin to describe. I had a soft taco, that was actually pretty good. The crunchy taco also was good. Now they ask if you want "white sauce" on everything and bring from South Texas i was very hesitant to answer that question, but I took a chance and said yes. I still could not tell you what that white sauce is or even begin to try and explain. I'm just going to say come try this place then tell me what you think. read more

The Red Pepper - The menu - Mexican Near Me - Grand Forks, North Dakota

The Red Pepper is a staple within Grand Forks, and i recommend this place for anyone. It's a small, dainty restaurant that offers Mexican food with a Midwestern twist. They're known for their grinders, but I've never had one so i can't comment on it. What I usually order is 2 beef, hardshell tacos with red and white sauce (delicious!) and 2 cheese tostadas, also with red and white sauce. The tostadas aren't heated, so they're best when brought home and microwaved. My favorite thing about this place is the white sauce. Please, if you find yourself here, you have to order the white sauce and use it on everything! read more

Nice place, nice ambiance, chain Mexican, sandwich (grinder), and burger place. Just not so great for vegetarians. I could only limited items like a taco w cheese, lettuce, and beans. There were no other veges available for the taco (not even onions, cilantro, tomato). The cheese was soft and fresh shredded mild cheddar. The servers were sweet and young students. It's a good place for a quick and inexpensive meal for meat eaters who don't like any veges or toppings :-) read more

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Could we have the meat be heated up? Cold meat on my order. The food needs to be edible. Just transporting it from there to the trash this time. read more

All bun and lettuce,gross,called to complain but what for not eating there again ,no meat on sandwich all bread and lettuce I must give it one star to leave review but deserves zero stars!!! read more

Good and cheap. Fast, friendly service. I go there once a week. Don't go at lunch hour. Very busy.

This place is one of the spots that I have seen around a lot in Grand Forks and have heard of. I have seen their signs everywhere, sponsorship, and other locals have also told me about this place as a place that it is well known for. So I looked into it and decided to give it a try. Prices aren't too bad, but i dont think its anything special. Their specialty items are the garbage plate, and the grinder sandwich, which I had both during the visit. The Grinder is a sandwich with pretty much all the meats that they have and it put it on a sub roll. It wasn't bad, but nothing really special. The garbage plate is pretty much a taco salad with a bunch of hot sauce and white sauce and some sloppy joe meat. Nothing here makes me want to come back, but I know they're open late, so maybe late night post bar food. read more

The Red Pepper - Mexican Near Me - Grand Forks, North Dakota

Been going here for years. Not once was it bad or even mediocre. Consistently great is what I love about this fast-casual restaurant.

They charge an automatic 20% tip and a 10% charge for picking up food. This is assembly service. They are not cooking to order. I have never heard of a fee to pick up an order. Food is questionable. Beans are served cold. Meximeat is more like sauce no meat. Sauces have heat but no flavor. read more

Update: Frankly, I don't know what I was thinking back then. This is my GO TO in all of GF for comfort food. The atmosphere is almost nostalgic in a way, and the food is always good. Service is always fast, and man, oh man, is the food delicous. Prices have inched up over the years, and unfortunately, it's not as cheap as it used to be. Still good for the price and please go here if you haven't before. 4.5/5! read more

This is the most incredibly disgusting grinder I have ever had. There was supposed to be ham and ground beef. There were 4 thin slices of ham and the trail of beef was as wide as 2 fingers against one another. The only thing I could taste was bread. I have no idea why people talked this place up or how in the world they stay in business. I'm told this place is mostly for drunks. Would make sense if they need a bunch of bread to avoid getting sick. read more

The Red Pepper - a sandwich with cheese and lettuce - Mexican Near Me - Grand Forks, North Dakota

May or may not have come here and was under quite the influence when dining. BUT -- regardless of the alcohol that may or may not have been in my system, it was delicious. The best drunk food. We waited FOREVER! But our friend that took us there on a big Sioux game night guaranteed we would not regret the long wait. We ordered a bean tostado and a beef one and my husband got a grinder with everything on it. The chips and salsa were yummy although we did not need the extra. There is a lot of cheese on the tostadas...like a lot and almost too much for my taste. The taco meat on the grinder had some heat but made it tastier. There was something called white sauce and i did not get any. It was a busy night and the restaurant ran out of it before i got any. My hubby said it was really good so you shold probably try it! read more

I love red pepper 100%. So don't get me wrong when I type what I type. Red pepper on University Down town. There is something about that red pepper that for some reason the food at that red pepper is outstanding 100% don't get me wrong the food at your other restaurants is good but there's something about that old time red pepper. I love every single thing that is on your menu and I would 100% recommend it to anybody in the Grand forks area. Try it you will not be disappointed. read more

What happened to this Icon?? The food is now horrible here. I've stopped many times hoping it was just a bad batch of something. Nope!!! The meat or meat substance is horrible now. Tastes like it's been sitting in a freezer for 3 years freezer burnt. Bread???? Lol. That's not bread. If I wanted chewing gum or a bagel I guess I'd go here. Because, that's the consistency of the bread. This place went from a favorite to a I'll never go there again. Save time and anguish and Go To Red Pepper East. read more

My dad grew up in Grand Forks and always raves about the Red Pepper. It looks like a hole in the wall from the outside but the food was bomb. Very cheap as well and is open late- What else do you need? I wish I could bring the Garbage Plate home with me. read more

The Red Pepper - Grinder - Mexican Near Me - Grand Forks, North Dakota

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Ummm - so good!! Had to come try this place because it was recommended as the fast food place of GF. So glad we did. It was A-MAZING!! Had the Everything Grinder well worth every penny spent. I ordered the whole because it seemed like a better deal. Knowing that I couldn't finish a whole 13 inches of a 4 meat grinder - they offered to wrap up half to go. The 4 meats with the cheese and sauce mingle in your mouth in the most Devine way. You get an essence of each ingredient - none more overpowering than the next. I can see why the Grinder kits are shipped. I see a craving in my future. The staff, as mentioned were super polite & attentive. The food is made to order and at times the line was out the door. However, I didn't see anyone wait more than 5 minutes. Everyone that we saw leaving left with a smile on their face. I really wished I could have tried everything on the menu. I certainly will be back next time I am in town. It is cash only but the University location does have an ATM. read more

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How to introduce someone to the Red Pepper 1. Don't tell you plan on going there at 1 a.m. and most certainly don't build it up. 2. Get your Red Pepper newbie drunk. (Very important) 3. Order and everything grinder. The people who snark this place had someone build it up to them as if it was going to be this symphonic experience and they ended up not being able to see what all the fuss was about. If you introduce people to the Pep in that way they will be regular not just at midnight but at noon. read more

I'm only here in Grand Forks for a year, and everyone said I had to try the Grinder at the Red Pepper. It was pretty good, though I'm still trying to figure out why everyone here seems to be obsessed with food that includes taco meat (seriously, every pizza and sandwich shop raves about having the best taco this and that...). I'm not sure that I will come back here often, but for the service was quick and friendly and the Grinder was pretty tasty, especially the soft bread and white sauce. read more

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Have been coming here since childhood and food is ok but I went in last night last 15 minutes before close and the workers seemed pissed. Like don't work at the OG red pepper if you don't want to work right until close. It's RED PEPPER in GF it's going to happen. What really did it for me though was when me and my friend asked for a water cup the lady said "make sure you actually get water" like kinda degrading to me and my friend will be going to the south end one from now on!! read more

The new grinder buns are too thick! Not sure why you changed the buns. Been eating there since the late 70's. Won't go back until you replace the grinder buns with the original recipe. read more

So the food is not first class fine dining. Folks need to realize that right off the bat. Very limited menu, but it is super tasty. When my boyfriend suggested we order a hoagie, first of all all I could think of was the Adam Sandler lunch lady song and actually played it for all of us customers standing in our taped out social distancing blocks on the floor while waiting to place our order. Second I was like oh OK maybe I'll just have turkey. He said yes you could just have turkey, but he truly suggested the super deluxe or whatever the term is, it had multiple types of lunch meat and taco meat. Cheese, we ordered it with white sauce and red sauce on the side and I also got a chicken tortilla soup with chips and cheese. I ordered a half sandwich and he ordered a whole. Let me just say that this is the best food I swear I have eaten in a long time! Again, I'll spend 100 bucks on sushi, 80 on prime rib, 15 on a fully loaded Bloody Mary, but no need; our whole meal was likely under $25, I believe, and we had leftovers! It's fast, simple, tasty, and quite the concoction. My boyfriend head find memories of visiting the original locations while he was going to school in grand Forks and while we were there for his work it was a really neat opportunity for him to relive a bit of history. Young people working at the counter but the food was fast, it was hot, and again you're not talking fine dining but you are talking amazing taste! read more

Nasty, unsanitary, untasty, and cheap food. There is no quality in the food at all. I don't know why so many college students rave about the food, probably because they're drunk and have the munchies and it's close to campus. But for me, my wallet and my stomach prefer somewhere else. The last time I ordered a grinder the lettuce was brown and it was half my sandwich. There was no meat, and there is poor customer service behind the cash register. Makes you feel unappreciated and unwelcome. I only came here because other students would rave about the "white sauce" and grinders but I tasted nothing but grease and fat. If you don't come here, I can safely say you're not missing out on anything. read more

Not sure what all the deal is with this place. The food is gross and they "cook" their food in the microwave. If I wanted microwaved food I would eat at home. read more

My name is Justin I'll eat anything at all One 'garbage plate' please (I was SOOOO excited to try the Red Pepper. I'd heard such great things about it... but my reaction upon eating there is... This is the restaurant that GF is known for? Are you KIDDING?!?! A Grand Forks Institution it may be, but a restaurant with good food, it is NOT! To give you an idea of the quality of food that is offered: you can order something called the 'garbage plate', which is the scrapings of left over food from their sandwich assembly line. The Red Pepper sells something called a "grinder" sandwich. Mistakenly, the people of GF think that this is some unique sandwich that was/is sold nowhere else on earth. It ACTUALLY originated out on the east coast during WWII. Workers who ground the metal off of ships were called 'grinders', and the local italian sandwich shops made sandwiches to cater to these workers. Thus, these sandwiches were henceforth called 'grinders'. Sorry, GF residents... My synopsis: Visiting the Red Pepper is advisable only if you are EXTREMELY drunk, and your taste buds aren't quite working properly anymore... Not recommended.) read more

My dad has raved about the Red Pepper since I could remember and not until and we all returned to Grand Forks for a wedding had I ever stopped by. He made a legend of the "grinders" he used to eat in college. He told me about the entrepreneurial college kids that would buy dozens of them during snow storms and sell them for an extra few bucks in the dorms. He said that this place was a staple at UND. It might have been, but the grinders we had were meh. I got one with everything and while the bread was great, the sandwich as a whole was a bit of a let-down. The taco meat was cold and the cheese never melted. The ham/turkey/etc was straight out of the package. Even my dad was a bit disappointed with them. This place is most definitely a college restaurant: the food is cheap and filling. One of the other reviewers suggested this place try to branch out and create franchises elsewhere. I don't think that could happen elsewhere, even other college campuses. The thing that makes this place such a landmark in GF seems to be its history. The food is tolerable at best, but its been around decades and apparently hasn't really changed. I can't say I'd recommend it if you've never heard of it before. If you have, go if for no other reason than to say you've been there. Who knows. Based on the other reviews here, you might like it. read more

On our way to glacier national park, we decided to take a little day trip from Fargo to Grand fork, to try what apparently is North Dakota's most iconic restaurant according to thrillst magazine the red pepper. Located in between downtown and the university of North Dakota, we arrived when the place opened at 10:00am, within minutes a line began forming out the door. Upon arriving the one person who opened the place, could not have a more dry personality. Absolutely, no emotion to his face, very weird feeling, almost like the guy hated you for coming in. We ordered the beef tostada, beef enchilada, the deli sandwich with everything on it, and the chili. The guy basically takes a store bought crunch tostada, hits it with beef and beans, throws a glob of cheese on top and some spicy red sauce on top, than proceeds to microwave in front of you, lol. The chili was ok, a decent spice to it. The beef enchilada again was something out of an Ortega box. The sandwich was ok, the deli meats they used were decent and their white sauce went well with the sandwich. They could even probably do away with adding globs of their taco meat and cheese. This is place is only good for drunk college students, who want gringo Mexican food. In fact, everything with a Mexican reference in the restaurant should be removed as this is an insult to the wonderful cuisine of Mexico. read more

As others have pointed out, this is a little local mom and pop's joint native to Grand Forks. I don't think anyone expects it to become a national chain any time soon. If a Chipotle restaurant opened up a block away the Red Pepper would be out of business within 6 months. A person could really rip this joint for lack of quality: cold, underseasoned taco meat, uninspired tortillas, overreliance on the use of the microwave, lack of cheese, lack of fresh ingredients, etc. But I think to do so would be missing the point of this place. It doesn't claim to be a fine french restaurant, nor does it try to be. It is cheap, mexican garbage food that is more meant for drunk college kids with the late night munchies than for the dinner plate. It kind of reminds me of White Castle. The Grinder is a Red Pepper sub sandwich that is well known around the town of Grand Forks. It is basically a sandwich like you would find at Jimmie Johns but with cold taco meat on top of the other meat(s) as what makes it different. It was disappointing to say the least but might do if I were stranded on a desert island, or if I was really hungry and nothing else was open. read more

I orders 4 tacos two hard and two soft and they where cold but the soup is the best I had JuSt not understanding how she took the meat out the warmer and it's cold will go back for soup read more

Overall, not bad, but not wonderful. Tacos are meh, but grinders are good if you order with everything. Decent place if you are out late and not that much else is open. Otherwise, not so wonderful. read more

I literally just left Red Pepper on University and I am extremely disappointed with the food. I'm from Grand Forks and have ate Red Pepper my whole life and now I was actually embarrassed to bring my fiancé, who has never been there, to try it. Very Very disappointing read more

The 'Pepper is a local institution. The white sauce is their tour de force. Yeah, it's a little trashy, but it's part of their charm. It's hangover food at it's best. But it's delicious even if you're not. Or if you're still drunk. Either way. Don't know what to order? Try a ham grinder with taco meat and extra white sauce on the side for dipping. Everyone likes a tostada...and the Mexi Burger is yummy too! Don't forget the white sauce. Mmmm. read more