Pepe’s Fish Tacos
The Myth, The Man, The Legend
There is one man in Puerto Escondido (Oaxaca), whose reputation transcends the state lines of Mexico. The gentleman I speak of has a cult following among travellers. If you were to mention ‘Pepe’ or ‘fish tacos’ to any person in town, they would automatically know who you were referring too.
Before I set foot in his restaurant, I wondered if Pepe’s reputation was a fabrication, an exaggerated portrayal of a character that was nothing more than a myth. Not only was the hype surrounding Pepe, but also his famous fish tacos deemed to be the best around. I was sceptical and curious to see if the man and the food would live up to my expectation.
The first time I went to Pepe’s was when he owned a restaurant on the beach in La Punta. It was an incredible spot, built on the beach looking out to the ocean. I was interested to know how much it would have cost to acquire the land due to its incredible location. The exterior, however, left much to be desired. I was scared to sneeze incase the entire restaurant collapsed.
As we entered, Pepe was flying around the restaurant, trying to keep on top of the food orders. He never had a fully stocked kitchen and would randomly leave to pick up supplies and beers on his motorbike. When Pepe finally returned, the urge to begin constructing new parts of the…
