December 14, 2007
by Karen Persson of The Columbian

The fajitas at Los Pepe’s Mexican Restaurant are served family-style. Lean marinated strips of beef or chicken with sizzling grilled onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, and mushrooms are served with an array of rice, refried beans, guacamole and warm tortillas. (JANET L. MATHEWS/The Columbian)

Why: Six months ago, brothers Tadeo and Jose Avelar opened a Los Pepe’s Mexican Restaurant in Vancouver. Their first restaurant is well established in Woodland and going on six years.

Atmosphere: Months after opening, an interior fountain is inoperable, base moldings are missing and brickwork isn’t finished. Otherwise, the restaurant is a bright spot on a rainy day. The furnishings have bold carvings painted in vibrant colors. The dining room feels like the porch of an adobe house.

The menu: Diners have their choice of 18 traditional dinners with beans, rice and some combination of enchiladas, tostadas, burritos and so on. The menu also includes a few American standards such as a cheeseburger, chicken strips and steaks.

The food: Yellow-corn tortilla chips are crispy, light and not at all greasy. The salsa is mild with a pureed texture, so it stays on the chips without too much trouble.

The chicken tostada offers both protein and vegetables. I opted for a flat corn tortilla instead of Texasstyle, which is a large flour tortilla deep fried in the shape of a bowl. The lettuce was glistening with water droplets when it arrived and cooled the chicken rather quickly. The cheese was scant, the tomato too ripe and the chicken bland. A light amount of frijoles topped the tortilla so they didn’t dominate the tostada, but then, the generous amount of wet lettuce was doing a fine job of that.

In contrast to the bland chicken in the tostada, the meat in the pork tamale is spicy. The portions of meat are balanced with corn maza slathered in a mild sauce.

On dessert: The flan is firm and covered with a thin caramel sauce. Topped with whipped cream and a cherry, it’s a light and sweet dessert. Deep-fried ice cream is served in a deep-fried flour tortilla lacking the usual cinnamon and sugar. A large scoop of cornflake-coated deep-fried vanilla ice cream is topped with whipped cream, chocolate syrup and a cherry. Unlike the deep-fried ice cream at some restaurants, the dessert at Los Pepe’s doesn’t taste like it’s been in the freezer too long.

Quick Take: Staff is friendly but not particularly attentive. My lunch lacked enough south-of-the-border interest to draw me back.

Cost: Combinations are $8.25 to $9.25. Chicken or beef fajitas are $12.50. Appetizers range from $3.25 for a half-order of basic nachos to $8.95 for Los Pepe’s Botana Mix (quesadilla, chicken taquitos, super nachos, sour cream and guacamole). Seafood dishes (mostly shrimp) are $10.95 to $13.75.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, noon to 9:30 p.m. on Sunday.

Where: 13898 N.E. 28th Street, Vancouver.

Contact: 360-213-1837.