The Pepper

The restaurant itself has a nice layout but it is very tight as far as the tables being close together. The waitress was very nice and we had good service. The food on the other hand wasn’t good at all no flavor to the I had the Calamari to start and Carnitas neither were good.

We arrived here around 13:30 following 2 other Mexican restaurants in the general area that we quickly exited based solely on seating and atmosphere. To our surprise this place rocks, employees on the floor hustled their butts off continuously looking after their patrons. Initially I thought our plates were a little slow coming out from the kitchen however when both meals arrived both my Border Burrito and the wife’s Brisket Taco’s were nothing short of amazing in serving size and especially taste, obviously the kitchen staff took the necessary time required to cook an amazing meal. Congratulations to this Mexican restaurant for pulling off an enjoyable atmosphere and superior foods based on what we sampled today. Although we are from the Montreal area, we will be back and look forward to sampling other dishes on the menu. Leisa, thank you very much for the hustle, curtesy and general atmosphere you create in watching you serve your cliental with much respect and care, you’re a star!

Delicious food and great service at this colourful Mexican restaurant and bar. I’m vegan and they were super accommodating of me, I ordered a burrito with portobello mushrooms and beans and it was delicious, there were other vegetarian options that I would have been able to request vegan as well. I confirmed that all their beans and vegetables are not cooked with animal products. The portions are huge and come with warm chips and tasty salsa. The best part though was the service, I felt very welcome and cared for as a solo diner. My server Lisa was very warm and friendly, definitely ask for her. Great place to stop at on the trip between Montreal and NYC if you’re passing through town. I’ll be back here on my next visit for sure!

The staff is always attentive and friendly when we go here no matter how busy it is. They have daily specials which include discounted food and drinks depending on the day. Food is delicious and I can't say I've ever had anything I didn't like. Their flavored margaritas are a must if you stop her!

Our family had lunch here Wednesday and it was amazing! The chicken tacos were delicious, and the queso is hands down one of the best I've had. Their chips pack a little bite so our youngest was very thirsty but so good he kept going back for more.

Visited during a busy pre-eclipse weekend, in part for the vegan options. Food, welcome, margaritas & atmosphere were AMAZING. Owner is friendly, welcoming & fixed an order mistake (they were v busy) quickly & without fuss. Flavoursome food - burrito & enchiladas (without cheese), balanced drinks (Jalapeno & Blood Orange margaritas) and the best salsa we've had in a while!!!!

Excellent drinks and mouth watering food! Very pleasant atmosphere. Laid back and relaxing. Overall great dining experience. Friendly waitstaff. Can't say enough about the food! So good! Definitely the best Mexican cuisine I've had in a long time.

There is no ego here. The owner was helping with tables while planning an event, etc. She was impressive, and whoever is cooking is dead serious. I tried to pace myself but it was incredibly difficult. Atmosphere and service not fussy or self-conscious; all just perfect, start to finish, chips and margarita to the escabeche.

Great experience here in Plattsburgh! Their margaritas are spot on!! They have a special on a different one every night of the week. Find an excuse to come. Chips were fresh and salsa was awesome! I loved the food. Spices did not over power the food. If you know some places over use jalapeños so I will tell you this place nails the flavor. Of special note, a young woman was hosting and when she saw our waitress busy, she came over and helped with the drink order. Now that is some great service and goes to show that someone taught her right! The place is well lit and clean and gives you a nice relaxing air. You will love the tacos! So head over there asap

Great Vibes in the restaurant and staff was friendly overall (our waitress was not) Salsa and chips was a 6/10 I would've liked to see a bit more authenticity to it I ordered the brisket tacos and they were delicious with beans the rice however was dry and had no taste, I mixed it with lime and in the tacos so it made it tolerable 6/10 Overall I would maybe comeback because the tacos weren't that expensive but I've had better

Stopped in here again last week for a late lunch after yet another failed attempt at getting a car registered. No comment. This place never disappoints, beer was cold, a signature margarita was delicious, and we again took home enough food for a light dinner. We had Glenn L as our waiter. Friendly, funny, and so knowledgeable about the history of Plattsburgh and the restaurant business evolution there. Enjoyed a wonderful talk of Plattsburgh history of places to eat, past and present. Don't miss this treasure. My go to place, even if I finally get a car registered, I'll still return.

Cute. Don't forget what you have here Plattsburgh. Food wasn't the best but it has room for improvement , but the service was sublime/from what I assume is the manager, my service was so quick and efficient, I was never left waiting. Yummy and heavy pour on the marg, check it out.

Super cute local spot. I planned my trip to Plattsburgh two months ago to visit my niece for her 21st Birthday and was looking for Mexican restaurant. Not many in the area so decided on The Pepper. The restaurant was nice, the service was great and the food was good. My only advice would be to play some Spanish music and dimmer lightening. The lightening was very bright and the music was slow paced and low. Aside from that we had a great time and the prizes are great. Our sever Lisa was amazing, the drinks were on point and the food tasted fresh--they add cumin to the house chips and the guacamole so that was different but still good. I will definitely visit again when I come up from NYC.

Susan Watson, owner of this establishment, is possibly the most ignorant and rude owner Imaginable. We walk into the restaurant get seated and as soon as we my friend orders a drink she says, "um, I don't think so". Does not check ID and stares with slit eyes at her. The friend says, "well, I have my ID then pulls out their ID. I, knowing what's coming, do the same. She looks at the ID's and goes, "I don't think this is real. do you have a second form of ID?" I say yes and give her my United States global entry card. She looks at it and goes, "I think I'm gonna have to take these." I say, "what do you mean?" and she says she has to check with the bartender to make sure they are real. Now I, at this time, did not know she was the owner and just assumed she was on wait staff, so I didn't think much of it, but my friend says, "No, we will take our IDs back and be going." She asks why and my friend says, "it's my ID so I do need it back." We then have to grab our ID out of her hand and leave as we are walking out she goes behind the bar and starts saying they didn't have IDENTIFICATION trying to get sympathy to where I say as I walk by I gave you two forms of ID. The things to take away from this story is that 1). The owner doesn't understand what that they are part of the service industry and a restaurant not a bar. So going up to a table and rudely rejecting them is not considered good service by any standard of the word. 2). The owner is so air headed that they need a second opinion from the bartender to check ID's 3). They will lie to customers to try and pry sympathy tips from them so don't trust a word she says.

Food was inedible. Over use of cilantro. First bite was all cilantro. Rest of food was cold. Wait staff were very pleasant and apologetic.

Waited for 10 minutes to be acknowledged. The bartender and waitress both saw us waiting and never even acknowledged us. We left and went somewhere else.

Super fresh, excellent food and service. Probably the best kit hen i n Plattsburgh NY

Service was good but after years of enjoying this place we won't be back for a while. Our favorite menu items just weren't as good as it always has been and the guacamole was so spicy it was inedible.

Over priced for what you get. Service was fast and the food came out quick. However, the food was not very appetizing. More of a bbq meat than a Mexican cooked meat in tacos and burritos.

Walking in was nice. Great vibes, busy, nice décor. However, the food! It's one thing to not be particularly good, this place was BAD. I have no idea how this place was as busy as it was. Maybe most were experiencing the place for the first time? A man at the table next to me devoured his meal in minutes. I assumed I was in for a treat. Maybe he was just very hungry or hasn't experienced good Mexican food so doesn't now any better. The nachos were mostly devoid of cheese, the black beans were spicy but not flavorful (those are 2 different things). My main dish was chicken enchiladas. Possibly the worst dish I have ever had, anywhere. The beans were soupy red beans and bland. I was expecting refried, although in all fairness their menu doesn't specify what type of beans they serve, just "beans". However, in every authentic Mexican restaurant I've been to, it's refried. The rice was dry and spicy and cold. The enchiladas were also cold. The server mentioned they are made in the morning, so what it seems is these are premade and likely frozen. The chicken is minced. That's just gross. The chicken should be shredded and warm. To top is all off, they were covered in a sweet peanut sauce. Wait, what?! Is this a Thai/Mexican fusion? I mean, seriously? It's basically someone's idea of Mexican food, like they took the concept of Mexican food and experimented with ingredients. The service was ok. Could have been better but the place was busy. Thankfully, my meal was taken off the bill. I wouldn't have paid for it if they did attempt to charge me. There is a place called El Mexicano in Saratoga Springs. If anyone is in that area, I highly recommend. Then compare it to The Pepper, you'll never go back.

Great Food. Our server was fantastic with all the spot on tasty suggestions. Atmosphere was friendly & inviting. The right menu for anyone fancying a tasty and hearty Mexican feed.

Been here three times. Food has never been good. We kept trying to get to give it a fair shot but just get severely let down every time. Bad service mostly and always bad food.

Our waitress was beyond rude. She didn't greet us when she first came to the table. Her first question was "if your getting drinks i need to see IDS." Didn't say "hello how are you doing?" or anything like that. One of the people at my table is from PA and she wouldn't accept her valid 21 ID, had to show her a passport and got attitude for it. We received our drinks and then food, after that the only other time the waitress came back was to give us our check (which she would not split for us). Terrible service, cannot believe the body language and attitude the waitress showed. Food also is only average, if your going to the pepper I'd recommend only getting margaritas and chips.

Not good food. I question whether anyone at this establishment has ever been to Mexico or eaten Mexican food, but this food is not good nor anything close to authentic Mexican food. Worst case at an American-Mexican restaurant you can usually enjoy the chips, salsa, and guacamole, but they can't even get that part right. The margaritas? Delicious.. which is the only reason we have returned. They should really just focus on drinks, and bring their menu way down to a handful of good things, instead of 25 mediocre to terrible options.

The Pepper is one of the most popular restaurants in town, likely due to the monopoly they hold on "Mexican food" in Plattsburgh. If you're from the south like I am, this is closer to an On the Border than a more authentic Mex/Tex-Mex experience. The food is pricey, but the portions are large. Because of the restaurant's popularity, service is often slow, and the restaurant is often crowded (be prepared to wait for a table). During the summer, they put tables and chairs out on City Hall Place for a make-shift patio; it's nice. The hands-down draw to this place is undoubtedly the margaritas, however. The Pepper offers a number of flavors and the margaritas *will* sneak up on you. They go down fast despite being strong. Pro tip: check hours of operation before going because the restaurant isn't open ever day!

It's honestly baffling that this place is still popular. The rice and beans are legitimately gross. The rice is straight up gritty. I refuse to eat here but occasionally get dragged with groups. In ten years of living in pburgh I've never had a good meal here. I don't even care about authenticity. You are damn near as far from Mexico as is possible in the United States eating here. I've had tons of inauthentic Mexican food that tastes amazing. This food is gross and just bizarrely seasoned, and it isn't cheap either. Margs are good, wait staff is good, food is just gross even for a city known for gross food. I would eat old Stewart's food before this.

The food is wonderful. It is very small so it can be difficult to get a table. The margaritas are fantastic, I definitely recommend this restaurant.

Not open when they said they would be open. Don't trust their hours! Sure wished we could have tried.

Go for the drinks, but don't eat the food. Go to Lomelli's Mexican restaurant nearby instead. Every time I've gone here, it takes a lifetime to get lukewarm food that's messed up. Vegetarians and vegans beware, the chips are made with animal fat and so is the rice. I've also found meat and cheese in my food a few times here.

We came to town for my oldest son's wedding. I was stationed at the now closed Plattsburgh AFB, over fourty years ago, so my knowledge of eateries here is pretty dated. My wife, three of my adult children, a son-in-law and a fiance all headed to "downtown" to walk around. We enjoyed our walk around and found The Pepper, across the street from where I used to live. We gave it a try and everyone loved their meals. This is a great little place and I highly recommend it - not fancy, but great Mexican food! Oh, the margaritas are really good, too!

Stopped here with 3 friends on the way to Canada for a girls getaway. It was handy. We parked on the street nearby. We didn't expect to love it. Oh my goodness, what a great experience. As others have said, it's not fussy, but it's a cosy, pleasant space and service is very friendly with food brought out hot and promptly. Chips and especially the salsa very yummy generously laced with fresh cilantro. I had the shredded beef burrito bowl which I loved. Tender beef and generous assortment of add-ins. My friends all enjoyed their selections. One of us ordered a flavored margarita and declared it excellent. I live near Saratoga, but this turns out to be the best Mexican food nearest to my house. Dang.

Atmosphere was good. Food was great. Waiter was awesome.definitely recommend. Free chips and salsa was good. Really enjoy a good salads.

If you've never had actual Mexican food and LOVE hospital cafeteria food, this is the place for you! We ate 2 bites of our food and lost our appetite, the snarky middle aged brunette said we ate "half so we get half off". Didn't feel like arguing so just paid it and left. For stale chips, "salsa" aka tomato salad and 2 bites of food, it was $30. I should have known better but husband was craving Mexican.

We had lunch at this place. The service was slow but the waitress did her best to entertain customers. Food is big and good, fresh and well prepared. The beans are cooked from scratch and not from the can. ( nobody else care?)

Terrible food. The complimentary chips were stale. We ordered chicken tortilla soup as an appetizer. It was more like dip or salsa sauce, so thick and not edible. You don't see or taste chicken. I think they blended tomatoes, chicken and tortilla And called it soup. it was not hot either. Main dish we ordered were burrito, tacos and enchilada. again food was cold and you can't taste actual ingredients because they covered the burrito with verde sauce and the enchiladas with thick cheese. Rice and beans had no flavor and dry. my husband ordered a margarita and it came after we got the entrees. I don't think this place knows Mexican food. worst food I ate. we left most of the food. what a waste. I will never ever go there again.

Food was fantastic, service was great as well. Very little wait time. Great selection of Mexican dishes

Tried the Pepper yesterday for the first time in a while, about 1.5 hours before closing. Ordered drinks, appetizer, entrées. Received the drinks and poorly made appetizer, waited on entrées that never came. Turns out they closed the kitchen without making them. Received a weak apology with no offer to comp the drinks or appetizer. I won't be back.

Very colorful decor, quaint Main Street type storefront. Came in for lunch as they opened. Service was wonderful considering the waiter had 6 tables to serve (and was the bartender, and answered the phones). Crispy Chips and red salsa to start (not heavy on the cilantro-a big plus). Had the queso dip appetizer with shrimp and chorizo quesadilla. Delicious! My wife had chicken tacos with rice and pinto beans-also delicious. Will definitely be stopping by there again the next time we are in Plattsburgh!

It was a busy Saturday night and they got my surprise party of five in quick despite it being packed. I can see why, my meal was god damn life changing. So obviously they were busy, the carnitas were second only to the side salad they came with, that honey lime vinaigrette was straight fire. Chelsea the bartender was the bomb, quick, delicious, and always with a smile. Our server was just as amazing too, telling us about salads instead of rice and beans, adding drinks along the way, attentive to separate checks. TLDR, fast, friendly, quality, fucking delicious. I don't find a place that usually covers all my bases but they nailed it here.

This place offers Mexican cuisine. In my opinion Taco Bell tastes much better than what is offered here for a fraction of the price. The staff is rude and act like they're doing you a favor. I saw them turn away a lady who wanted take out. She was told they were too busy at the time to do take out. WHAT? After the woman left, the staff talked about how she was dressed....

The food was amazing! The cheesecake chimichanga was lovely. The food servings were very generous and the staff was very friendly. The food took a little longer than I would prefer but nothing that would make my experience worst over all I would recommend it 100%. Ohh and some good strong margaritas are always a huge plus

So we went in on October 22, 2022 at about 3pm. My wife and I sat at a table and ordered 2 Cadillac margs with Milagro Silver. The owner is bartender and I watch her make our drinks with barstock tequila. She brings them to our table and I ask her is this Milagro Silver and she says yes. I say no it's barstock and then she says oh wait, shit your right. She takes them away, then comes back and says we are out of Milagro Silver, so I order Patron instead, drinks come made with Patron but weak and all mix. Order food , wife got a taco plate I ordered Chicken ,asparagus enchilada. Taco is ok, the enchilada has no real taste and is ice cold in the middle. Order 2 more margs, you guessed it wrong again. This was a really decent place to go, new owner has run it into the dumpster. Avoid at all cost.

Ok... the food is fantastic. However on a Friday night it's a REALLY loud atmosphere. Like 100 decibels. Seriously I measured it on my phone.

I've been here a bunch of times and it's probably my favorite Mexican place ever. The nachos are to die for with the beef and their seafood enchiladas are next level!

0. Nil. Nada. Zilch. Binary opposite of 1. In order not to say anything untoward, let me say this: Go somewhere else. Anywhere else. Your backyard. A dumpster. The swimming pool. Anywhere else to eat. Your taste buds, your habits, the scenery; whatever it is that draws you to this "establishment", don't let it take you. Go somewhere else. And your tastebuds... Will thank you.

Solid food, friendly staff, outdoor seating, what's not to like? Also- plenty of parking nearby, as well as a park if you prefer to picnic a bit further away from street noise.

Food is crap. They prove that white people definitely should not be running a Mexican restaurant. Literally nasty food, but the margaritas are good if you're trying to get wasted! ¡la comida aquí sabe a cartón y todavía te hacen pagar el culo!

Horrible service. We waited twenty minutes for drinks and then over an hour for our food. Food is just okay. I wouldn't eat here again even if the service was incredible. Save your money and go to Chipotle

I wasn't sure how good Mexican food would be in Plattsburgh. Maybe it would not be authentic, but at least edible. I definitely did not expect box rice, canned Mole sauce, weirdly seasoned beef, and a chicken dish with Indian flavor/spices. The Queso was Velveeta or maybe something worse, and started to curd once it cooled. It was a complete waste of money and I would not recommend this place. Yes, the service was nice, but the food was not edible. I would give less than one star if I could.

Fabulous special this weekend! The kitchen is back! And service is back as well. Susan Walker and company make it an enjoyable experience once again! Loving the vibe!

Review only based on drinks and great bar service from Luke and Chelsea. The crowd was fun too. Didn't eat but the food looked good, well presented and the portions were huge. I asked about some tequilas and Luke was informative. Just moved from Miami and it's so nice to see how drinks are way cheaper hahaha amen to that. Will be back to try the food and check out weekly specials.

Can I leave no stars?!? The furthest thing from "authentic Mexican." Save your money and go to Taco Bell.

Unfortunately due to staff changeover because of poor ownership many of the familiar faces we have come to know and love are no longer with the business .....you can't put small minded people in charge of a business and expect to succeed.... you treat everyone as expendable and eventually you will have no one left to work.... the walkers are truly some of the worst owners and people you will find in Plattsburgh.....

This is my first time ordering here and I'm having a hard time deciding if I'll order again. I got the Chimichanga with chicken and we ordered for takeout, which was probably the problem. The Chimichanga was overly soggy, and the rice was dry. I don't know why I always expect more from these restaurants, but I'm convinced their high rating is due to drunk people going there and giving them 5-stars because they're too drunk to taste the difference. Being from Florida I'm used to Mexican food, and I can honestly say that Taco Bell has better rice and beans than what I just got. And while I don't regularly get Chimichanga's, I definitely will not be ordering this soggy, pepper filled mess again which only had a little bit of chicken in it and a mediocre flavor. The Conqueso was flavorless and just tasted like melted Mozarella and instead of cutting up bit sized peppers to get on your chip, they threw in slices of peppers that you can't pick up. So that was stupid. Their homemade salsa is also flavorless and is just a bunch of watery tomatoes and veggies mixed together. Store bought Tostito's salsa tastes MUCH better. And their Tortilla soup actually did taste like store bought salsa, topped with cheese that wasn't melted and a bits of chicken. My girlfriends fish tacos were soggy as well. They told us 30 minutes for pick up and I was there 5 minutes early and you'd think this was all sitting under a heat lamp or something for 15 minutes. It's just disappointing. I really wanted to like this place because so many other restaurants in Plattsburgh also aren't worth the money, and now this is one is added to the list. People can rant and rave about their drinks all they want, but I didn't go there for the bar. And I guess it's my fault that I didn't eat in. All I know is that if you are considering ordering food to go, I suggest you save a bunch of money and just go to Taco Bell. Our meal was not worth the $50 we paid for it and they should be ashamed to sell people food like that. We wanted to splurge and eat out one night and we picked a bad restaurant, and that money could have gone towards 2 great home-cooked meals instead. And I'm by far a much better cook than they are. I at least know how to follow recipes that have worked time after time. I'd invite The Pepper to prove to us that this may have just been a fluke and that we didn't just throw our money out the window, but I won't hold my breath.

Had dinner tonight with the family (2 adults and 2 children) Decor was fine and the proper precautions were taken for COVID, using plastic dividers to separate the booths, and sanitizer on the tables. We were seated immediately and the server came fairly quickly with house-made tortilla chips and salsa. The tortillas were lightly spiced, but the salsa tasted old. There was a decent amount of chopped cilantro, but it didn't taste fresh at all and it threw the whole salsa off. We waited about 10 minutes for our drinks. I had a Pacifico with lime which was perfect. Wife had a blue margarita which was made with house sour mix and it was ok, but not great. We ordered a chicken and cheese quesadilla, Oaxacan steak fajitas, taco plate (2 tacos with rice and beans) and a kids chicken tenders with fries. I think the consensus was the food was good (I really enjoyed the Oaxacan fajitas, although there were only 3 tortillas and probably could have done with 3 more) The problem was the glacial service. We would frequent an authentic Mexican restaurant often in our hometown in MA and we would be out in 25 minutes to half and hour. The menu isn't overly complicated so I'm not sure why it took so long to get food out. Despite the good food, I don't think we will be back.

Good authentic-ish Mexican food. Good mixed drinks. Service decent. Won't spend too long waiting. Only downside is it was kind of crowded where I was nearly elbow to elbow with the next table over's school age kid, while I was trying to have a date with my girlfriend.

The food is semi-OK. The kitchen is absolutely disgusting. I had only ever eaten there before seeing the kitchen and not cents