I was planning to visit several organic/whole/local grocery stores last week in order to review them and post them here on MNN. But on the day I wanted to go, my boyfriend got a call that he had gotten the job he'd been wanting for weeks, so we had to celebrate. We went to Pepe's in the Havelock district and parked across the street. I was surprised at how out of the way the place was. If you weren't looking for Pepe's, you'd probably miss it.

 

We walked upstairs and I immediately felt at home. The Lincoln Journal Star gave the restaurant's decor two out of five stars, but I thought the place had a nice, intimate feel thanks to its brick walls, potted plants scattered throughout and mix-and-match, small, colorful tables.

 

We were served right away, but even if we weren't, there was a book at each table to peruse in the meantime (why don't more restaurants do that?) and a card with information about eating local.

 

 

Pepe's doesn't serve meat, and I'm not even a vegetarian and I still loved it. It seemed that the typical non-meat ingredients (lettuce, tomato, etc.) in the Mexican dishes they served were substituted with heartier vegetables, so you still get the feeling that you're eating an entree. For example, a quesadilla usually has cheese, but the one I got was filled with sweet potato. Mango and sour cream gave my food more complexity.

 

The only thing I don't like about Pepe's is its weird hours. And it wouldn't hurt if it was a little closer!