Pepper Jack’s Mexican Grill & Cantina

I had a great time here. The fajita’s are amazing and the ribs were falling off the bone. The salsa was spicy. I was so full just from the appetizers and the entrée I didn’t have room for dessert. I would definitely come back again.
The owner and the staff were very nice and professional and I would absolutely come back.

The chips are cold, I’m used to hot, fresh tortilla chips. No Bueno.
The foul smell hit me the second I walked in the door next to Franks, so I couldn’t sit at the bar with that smell so I walked up stairs to the end of the bar where I couldn’t smell it too much anymore.
$ 2.25 Sprite; gah damn.

Beef fajitas lunch special was quite good. Apparently going byebye, hope new place good!

«El Torito» vibe serving less than mediocre food and run-​of-​the-​mill drinks. The upstairs patio is nice to eat during good weather. The wait staff tries to be attentive but ends up skipping you for long periods of time. They also forgot my salsa at the start of the meal and by the time I saw them again our meal was already over.
The dry-​rub wings tasted like they were coated with crushed Lay’s BBQ chips. Overall it was worth a bite or two but nothing I’d order again. The chicken posole tasted like lavender. The stuffed chile relleno was the best tasting thing I had, but it had too much ground beef and not enough cheese for me to order again. The portion was large at least.
I’d recommend skipping this place and trying somewhere else.

The upstairs patio is a great place to enjoy drinks and a meal. I tried the chicken fajita salad and my husband tried the chicken fajitas. The food was ok, but the staff was great. Very friendly and helpful.

I really enjoyed Cabo when it was still around. Their watermelon margarita out on the patio made life better. And a convenient location halfway between the federal courthouse and the Harris County courthouses means that you were never more than a few blocks away from a good burrito and margarita at any point in the day, in the time before Chipotle started serving their margaritas, and also at later hours in the evening than Chipotle was open. So I was not a happy camper when Cabo closed. Cabo is back in black as Pepper Jack’s. With 14 reviews the average rating was disconcertingly low. Having met Larry B. I probably should have just stopped with his review since I know his review style and he is a great Unilocal resource for useful and thoughtful reviews — he considered this to be a four star experience like me.
I have summarily struck one star from Pepper Jack’s because their menu is not online. Unacceptable in 2013. Cabo had their menu online in 2009. Srsly. Get with the times bc hashtag yolo. I mean I had a general idea what to expect since they have the same cooks as Cabo but you know, if I was someone who planned things out, I would plan out my dinner. Another departure from Cabo’s ways is that they no longer do those big jars of hot sauce on the side of the table — gone the way of the dodo and Mr. Burn’s gorilla chest vest.
Pepper Jack’s is cleaner inside than I ever saw Cabo as many years as I have worked downtown. This looked clean enough like you could bring a call-​girl instead of a hooker, because as Archer taught Cyril, there is a fundamental difference between the two. And as I learned last night at the Red Lion, there is a fundamental difference between the kind of geisha that us Americans can easily find versus what the EU passport holders will find as a «geisha» when they travel in Japan. Good things to know, we are all world travelers because we are well-​versed in sleaze meow.
I found the waitress to be super friendly, nice, helpful, and pleasant. I say that about very few waitresses so yeah good work Pepper Jack’s getting her to stick around when Hearsay is down the block. She gave us space when we needed it but she still kept checking up on us to make sure we had everything we needed.
Based on one of the earlier reviews I asked for silverware when we placed the order and we had the silverware well in advance of the meal. So if your table doesn’t have silverware when you sit down, request it early. It is your fault if you wait until food hits the table to uncover the fact you have not had a fork for the past 30 minutes.
The chips were generic greasy white chips at places. I am starting to become a bit snobbier about the lack of blue corn tortilla chip options at places but meh, free tortilla chips are free and they fit in my mouth so I am going to eat them. The salsa is disappointingly mild but again, free, and they do not advertise it as tongue-​kicking-​badassness like some places out in the OC, so I really can’t hold it against them it isn’t some ghost pepper deliciousness.
The margarita comes in a pint glass. There is nothing eccentrically gourmet or nouveau riche about this, it is a margarita like you prepared in cheap blenders in your college days. It gets you drunk — one of them. This had a very acceptable alcohol composition — tequila and I are besties from my college days, even though pubs in Oxford thought a lemon wedge was proper dressing for a shot of Patron (ew) instead of a lime.
Shrimp diablo burrito survived from the Cabo days. It looks the same — it is sloppy, loosely rolled [e.g. as alluded to the Dominicans rolling this burrito, not the Cubans — if you are familiar with that Seinfeld cigar/​crêpe episode] and not as spicy as I want — but grilled cheese jesus, this is one fantastic burrito. The black beans provide a nice offset to the heaviness of the shrimp, sauce, and huge tortilla. It is split down the middle so you can tackle half sufficiently rather than the «worst burrito ever» (google it seriously if you don’t know what I am talking about) where ingredients were in vertical quadrants which was impossible to manage. Everything is delicately mixed so a bite into any part of the shrimp diablo netherwold fills your mouth up with a little bit of everything.
The shrimp diablo burrito is so good Chipotle, Freebirds, Mission Burrito, and the others have literally nothing on it. This is GOOD high quality shrimp, delightful sauce, and a pleasant streamlined burrito experience that you know what you are going to be biting into since they split it down the middle to let you know what’s-what unlike the shadiness-​shade-​throwing-​shade of Chipotle and Freebirds that hide their witchcraft behind heavy foil wrapping. This is exposed to the world. And like Crave Cupcakes with their glass walls letting you peer into the cupcake process, transparency translates into deliciousness.
I would highly recommend this as a casual dinner: reasonably priced margaritas and burritos sounds perf.

No silverware — had to sit staring at our food for 5 minutes while we waited for the utensils.
No paper towels in the bathroom.
We ordered bottomless mimosas and had to flag down the servers for refills — were never offered them unprompted.
My eggs were overdone.
To be fair, we were told that it was the server’s first day, but I don’t think that’s an excuse for overcooked food and no paper towels in the bathroom. Good outdoor seating the best take away I had.

Complete disappointment.
I know I have a bias because I really liked Cabo, but I went here thinking how great it is to have the same kind of food in the same location.
Chips were burnt, the salsa was scarce, and sitting at the tables downstairs 5 feet from the bar, it took almost 10 minutes to get a bottle of beer.
Our waiter was constantly hovering over us… but to talk smack about sports (we were on the way to a Rockets game… big mistake mentioning that) but very rarely did the hovering result in more (or fresher) chips & salsa or a refill on the water or offer for a new beer.
Not much of a menu (makes me really long for the Cabo taco variety) and the fajitas just didn’t have much in the way of seasoning at all.
I hope they get their act together because it’s too good of a location to have such a lousy restaurant.

Honestly, Cabo was better but our waiter upstairs was great and attentive. The chips and salsa were pretty good. We also had their Queso Blanco, which is good but could use more of the pico they put in it!
I had their spinach enchiladas and I ate them all… I ain’t gonna lie!
Ronnie K. had some big burrito, reminded me of Baja Fresh from Cali I must say, and he enjoyed it too!
I think Cabo just had a better ambiance about it! But it’s near to work, not too pricey so if it lasts I could be back… maybe for drinks!

1 star for horrible service but the food is good
Don’t sit at the patio unless you don’t want to be served.
3 times here and last time the service took an hour for food to be served and it was only 1 entrée. This time totally ignored and wait staff never served me and ignored me after 20mins I left and will never return and I urge you to do the same

Cabo (now Pepper Jack’s) used to be one of my favorite underestimated gems in Houston. Whenever I was planning on going to Cabo, I always pretended to be on a beach getaway with a beautiful view from the upstairs patio, delicious margs, and out of this world fish tacos. Now, I just long for a Cabo getaway (the restaurant and the place) as I find Pepper Jack’s to be struggling in all of the areas Cabo excelled at — the service, drinks, food, and atmosphere.
The menu at Pepper Jack’s was pretty much the same as Cabo. We started with some queso and margaritas. The queso was pretty average, nothing spectacular. However, I definitely expected more from the margaritas. I mean, where was the kick of tequila? I definitely tasted more margarita mix than I did tequila, which is kind of disappointing. For our entrees, I ordered my usual (from Cabo), the fish tacos and grilled chicken tacos, and my boyfriend got the beef enchiladas. The beef enchiladas were pretty good and the cheese on the enchiladas was amazing (definitely not pepper jack). The tacos were definitely lacking — the fish tacos didn’t have enough fish in them and both the chicken and the fish HAD NO SAUCE. WHAT?! SERIOUSLY?!
Enter horrible service. From the beginning it took our waiter (Adrien) forever to serve us, get our appetizer order, drink orders, and he kept telling us he would be with us in a minute. Over time, that one minute turned into about ten before we were able to even give our drink order. He kept thanking us «for our patience, and [he] really appreciated it.» I have that line memorized because he probably said it over a thousand times during the course of our meal. When I asked for sauce for the tacos, since they were insanely dry, it took about fifteen minutes from being served our food to get the sauce and I was waiting for it to even start. He finally realized about fifteen minutes after I got my entrée that I hadn’t eaten anything and I was finally delivered my sauce. By this time, my boyfriend and I were feasting on his enchiladas and I was practically full. Awful service, horrible attention, and ill-​timed delivery probably made it one of the worst dining experiences ever.
Farewell Cabo. My summer tan misses you. In the mean time, I’d rather feast on sandwiches (minus the Pepper Jack cheese).

Stumbled upon this gem while in town for a conference. Wow! Greeted and attended to immediately. Owner Jon was adamant about me trying the wings and ribs once he found out I was from NYC. Outstanding dry rub wings and fall off the bones ribs. No question that I will be back next time I am in town. Very definition of great food and even better company!

Just had Pepper Jack’s at our office, the food was great. It travels well normally, when you order food it does not hold up for a ten minute take out This Does! kudos.

Went here on Saturday night, crowded and lively group. Ate the beef fajitas which were very tasty. Meal was hot, quality was superb. Can’t wait to go here again. Service was good for being so busy.

I really want to like Pepper Jack’s, but it misses the mark on so many levels. Besides the 80’s music playing way too loud, the atmosphere was decent. The margarita (on the rocks), albeit pricey, was fine, nothing special. The service was friendly and attentive, although the waitress could not answer simple questions about the menu (such as, «Do you offer an crispy tacos?» or «What is on the torta sandwich?» BTW: no crispy tacos at this Mexican Cantina).
The menu, which lacks descriptions for over half its items, ranges from calamari to tacos to chicken wings to burgers, it just seems odd that this place sells itself as a MEXICAN GRILL & CANTINA, but offers Italian and American food too. I’m always a bit weary of places that venture outside of their concept and try to be everything to everyone. I ordered the GRILLED beef tacos and I received SHREDDED beef tacos. I even went back and looked at the menu to see if maybe I was brought the wrong thing. Nope. No shredded beef tacos on the menu, only grilled. They tasted okay. All the food tasted okay, but all the other Mexican food places in downtown (Ninfas, Maggie Ritas, Irma’s and Guadalajras) blow this place out of the water, so why would I return here?
Maybe Pepper Jack’s is just going through growing pains. I love this this part of downtown and the building is so cool.

While their menu seems a little limited, we were offered margaritas (small was only $ 3.50, while large was $ 5.50) on a Sunday afternoon. Instead I had a beer, as they were serving St. Arnold’s Amber Ale on tap. It tasted fresh. We ordered an appetizer, but the staff never brought it to us. We decided we didn’t care because we weren’t charged for it, and the food came out pretty quickly.
The atmosphere is laid back, and they play pleasant adult-​oriented rock from the 80’s. The air-​conditioning downstairs was great, and it’s a good place to take a load off if you’ve been traversing downtown. The staff was knowledgeable about the menu, and had a good attitude.
I know it’s a tex-​mex place, but I was in the mood for it, and it seemed interesting, so I ordered a hamburger with the pretzel bread. It was relatively juicy, and the pretzel bread was nicely toasted. It was a welcome addition to the burger. The fries that came with the order were seasoned adequately. I didn’t get a huge mouthfull of just potato. The portions could be just a tad larger.

No idea why they are trying to disguise the fact that this is still Cabo! I work in the area and used to visit Cabo frequently, so I was sad to see it go, but was excited about the new restaurant — well Cabo has returned with a new name and a MUCH needed coat of paint! Service is still slow, they’ve added a few new menu items but basically it’s the same old Cabo — which isn’t necessarily a bad thing…

Well, we had high hopes for Cabo’s replacement but after tonight’s visit, we were sorely disappointed.
Having been to BW3 earlier in the day, the SO went against all he stood for and ordered the Juicy Jack burger ($ 10+). He requested it medium rare, and Gretchen the waitress confirmed. I ordered the Baja burrito ($ 9) which boasted black beans, avocado, cheese, chicken or beef, onions and tomato covered in queso. Not something I would normally order, but famished having not eaten today I too went against the grain.
Chips and salsa were mediocre. Salsa the smooth thicker variety I tent to shy away from and fairly stale chips.
Entrees were delivered. Huge burrito, normal burger.
Burrito: mostly lettuce, no black beans found despite the dissection and the few pieces of «fajita beef» we’re crispy/​crunchy and had burned flavor. The shear amount of lettuce filled me up.
Burger: this is certainly not a meal worthy of the price tag. If you want it, go to James Coney and get the Juicy Lucy. Cheaper, juicier and more flavorful.
Drinks: We ordered the house margarita. They arrived in fancy 10 ounce glasses. We asked if there were large ones and were told those were them. Yeah. 10 ounces, $ 8.50 each. You read correctly. $ 8.50 each for a «large» 10 ounce margarita.
Service: Gretchen was very nice. She was attentive and prompt. Probably, no certainly the best part of the trip.
Overall: Condiments in packets, less than mediocre food and way over priced. All in all we paid $ 70+ for dinner and walked out feeling bamboozled. We could have gone to Guadalajara and had way better food, way better drinks and saved a few bucks.
Will we be back? Happy Hour Monday through Friday until 7 may warrant a repeat to try the wings, which were our favorite at Cabo. During these hours wings and drinks are half price.

So we walked down to BB’s for a shrimp poboy only to learn that it’s closed because it’s being remodeled for an event location. Stumped on where to go next, we start walking up the street. A few blocks away we notice «YES WE ARE OPEN» on the Cabo building. Jokes ensued on how that may be the name of the new restaurant.
Once we got to the door, we noticed the real name: Pepper Jack’s.
Sat down immediately and chips and salsa were brought out. I ordered the Shrimp Diablo burrito and the service was prompt. The burrito was very good; spicy and flavorful.
Good addition to the downtown lunch scene.

Replacing Cabo, this place merits a look, and I hope they keep up the quality.
Menu consists for some house specials, seafood, fajitas, enchiladas, burritos, tacos, burgers and more. I guess the chef is a Jack of all trades. Some of the prices will cost you some jack, but it’s in line with most hipster places.
I go for the Chile Relleno, or what they just call a stuffed poblano pepper, Jack.
Chips y salsa: Disappointing, because they both taste like store-​bought. Salsa is like Texas Hell on Red, and the chips were dry like the Xochitl kind. The fact that I can match tastes indicates I am eating way too many chips y salsa.
My order came after about 6 minutes. They don’t jack around on food delivery, although the place only had four other tables with customers at 6pm.
The beef-​based relleno was sizable and superb tasting (eye-​closingly good). It had a light, airy, more cream than cheese topping. You can cut it with a fork (i.e. you don’t need a Jack knife).
On the side were grilled squash slices, not overcooked and with a great grill flavor. Also on the side, was a bean, corn, onion salsa that was also very tasty. And, note that the food was not hi-​jacked with too much salt. I noticed afterward that I did not get jalapeño cornbread, as advertised. I am sure it was an honest start-​up oversight and not a Jack the Ripper-​off move.
It’s a narrow restaurant and bar, with an upstairs section. 60-​inch televisions are good for watching sports. Black (jack) and silver are predominate colors.
Service was prompt and friendly.
I will be back. Next time I will try seafood, the Serrano Mango Cole Slaw, and maybe even the gumbo (does it come in a Jack Pot?).
Done. Time to hit the road, Jack.