Tio Pepe Restaurant & Bar

the best Portuguese steak i ever have ate before i been looking for this place for a while finally found it, ill come here to whenever i can, i love Portuguese food

Our first time here and we ordered paella, shrimp & garlic sauce and chicken in garlic sauce with rice and potatoes. Ordered takeout and everything was delicious! Just wish there was more scallops — it’s been noted here before that the portion is huge so if you’re sharing more scallops would be nice. Also, that wonderful bread? We didn’t get any so the luscious sauce wasn’t soaked up properly.
Worth a second trip!

This a hidden gem in NE Philly! Do not be turned off by the outside, the inside is great and the service and food are outstanding. If you like Mediterranean food (Portuguese) you will not be disappointed. Definitely 5 stars!!!

One of my fave restaurants in philadelphia. Service is great and anything I’ve ever ordered to eat here has been amazing. The paella is the best dish on the menu in my opinion!

OK this place is awesome in every way possible…
The Paelha was insanely delicious and the perfect size!!! it has all the flavor of the seafood’s including clams, mussels, shrimp and half a lobster with chicken and pork. The whole thing just hummed with flavor!!! We did start with the Octopus which was incredible as well. Deserts were great, very tasty flan and a perfect espresso !!! Not many places do espresso properly and Tio Pepe has it to an art!!!
I should add that they make the best Sangria that I ever had, loads of fresh fruit blended with some kick ass wine for a refreshing jolt.
I ordered a glass of Bagazo with the espresso which complements each other really well if you like a nice high powered drink after dinner.
The restaurant was also filled with Portuguese families which was cool and added to the warmth of the restaurant, and the staff were ultra friendly.
Tio Pepe wins in every aspect as far as I am concerned. This place should be on everyone list to try!!!

We met the owner while travelling in Portugal and decided to find the restaurant. We went in thru the bar that had me worried but found the stairs leading to the restaurant. Food was great. My husband had the paella which we could have shared. It was fantastic. Got a bottle small bottle of red Potugese wine that was a good price at $ 10. Will be going back.

Great vibe!!! Good food!!! Paella is great!!! Pork chop!!! Seafood is amazing!!!

My husband and I visited Tio Pepe (TP) for my birthday dinner. The restaurant is around the corner from the bar. It opens up in a whole new world with linens, heavy silverware, street lamps, and ceramic art décor. It’s was beautifully quaint.
On to the food, the octopus salad and calamari as appetizers. I try calamari everywhere I go, this is the 3^rd best. The octopus salad was like no other I have ever had. It was tender and flavorful. If you’ve had octopus salad before you know it can end up like small rubber discs but not at TP. Our main entrees were zarzuela and paella. The paella (incorrect spelling sorry) was enough to feed 3 adults large portions or 4 adults regular portions. The seafood was fresh and not over cooked. The flavors were excellent.
The zarzuela, oh that broth. I could go on for hours but I won’t.
We had the chocolate mousse and my daughter called the restaurant (she is away at college) ordered a dessert and asked them to say happy birthday to me. Epic!
The staff were wonderful and the other patrons seemed to really enjoy themselves as well. Go to Tio Pepe you will not be disappointed.
Oh and don’t forget to get the Portuguese soda.

This restaurant is a hidden jewel. We got the paella and there was enough to feed 4 ppl. Myself and my son shared and had loads to take home also. And I can’t say enough about the sangria! It was the best I have ever had. The steaks were huge and very good as my dinner companions can attest to.

Very nice restaurant with great food. The bread is served warm, and the meat was flavored perfectly. My only issue was the side of vegetables — they were completely tasteless.
The staff were really friendly and helpful. We had a group of 14 there for family celebration, and the waitress was willing to do separate checks for each family party.
Door to the restaurant is on the side street (Fanshawe)

It’s a good place, but beware of the first floor has a bar with plenty of bad customers, good food and good service!!!

I adore Tio Pepe’s. The restaurant itself is upstairs from from a dive bar that gets pretty loud. Once you go upstairs though you are transported to a whole new place. The restaurant is cute, quaint and feels like you are eating at someone’s grandmother’s home. Service was phenomenal and the food is out of this world. They give you warm bread and olives to start. I had bife a portuguesa and my boyfriend had the zarzuela. My steak was cooked perfectly. We also shared a delicious pitcher of sangria. The meal was excellent and prices were very affordable. I will definitely be back soon.

Food was good. Big portions which is good if your hungry or would like to split a entrée. Price is ok. Need more servers for busy days. Overall good place to try once.

Best Spanish food in northeast philly. The restaurant itself has a separate entrance, you walk up these really sketchy steps and into a hallway where you turn left and boom you are greeted with a very nice welcoming atmosphere that is similar to Olive Garden. The food here is excellent the average price a person with drinks I’d say is around $ 30, which isn’t bad for the quality of the food you’re getting. I highly recommend the chicken with the cream sauce & the sangria.

Intimate, exquisite, and classy. Very nice spot for dinner…

OMG!!! The best pahella I’ve had in a while!!!
Be warned, it’s in a shitty location but don’t let that scare you! It’s a bar on the first floor. Seems fun. On the side of the building though there’s a separate entrance for upstairs, which is the actual restaurant.
The restaurant is so quaint and cozy, it feels like I’m in my Portuguese mother’s house. But oh my goodness, the pahella is to die for! It’s a HUGE portion. Enough to feed up to four people. They are generous with the seafood, the meats, and a serve you a chunk of lobster. LIke it’s supposed to be! It’s not over powered with veggies. The rice was soft and in a wonderful broth. Even better my food came out in a very reasonable time. Had a Portuguese soda, it was ehh.
Def new favorite spot to eat. You have to go here if you want some great pahella. You wont regret it. Owner is nice too. I left my purse, picked it up next day, nothing was missing and he even remembered my fiancée and I. Just a wonderful atmosphere for dinner!

Oh holy paelha.
This paelha (no, I didn’t spell ‘paella’ wrong, ‘paelha’ is the Portuguese spelling) is gigantic and delicious. It could feed at least 3 people, maybe 4. And the $ 28 valenciana has half a lobster in it, plus all sorts of chicken, pork, sausage, and shellfish. I’m not sure money can buy better paelha, at least in Philadelphia. If you go to Tio Pepe’s and order the paelha, you don’t need to order anything else. But the octopus salad was good too. The Portuguese rolls were served nice and warm, and they also brought out a dish of black olives, Mediterranean-​style.
Just a tip, the restaurant is upstairs so don’t walk into the bar on the corner downstairs. You have to walk a little bit away from Castor Ave (yeah, kind of a scary prospect, I know) and enter through the other door toward the back.

I love this place. Sometimes making a drive just to go there for some meat or fish. They are trully cooking, you can tell that by the way it tastes. We are not talking about tons of prepped stuff that gets cooked by someone who can only read directions on a package.
Rolls are wonderful, the potato chips are to die for, safron rice is a must.
Don’t forget the sangria.

Not bad for a mom and pop restaurant. Our server was very nice and polite. Food is great it has that rustic really Portuguese aroma and taste on the food unlike the others. Not a fan of the ambience but the food compensates for it. I don’t mind coming back here once in awhile.

I am currently obsessed with Tio Pepes. Never mind that the area its in is a bit shady, or the fact that the first floor bar looks like jack in the box threw up in someones basement, the restaurant upstairs is pretty and will take you to another world.
To start off, they give you crispy Portuguese rolls, butter, and olives. They make a mean margarita and delicious red sangria for those that need their liquor fix.
For dinner, I have had the grilled salmon (outstanding) which is served with a salad, saffron rice and boiled vegetables; Grilled shrimp which is served in its shell with an AMAZING orange sauce on the side, and cut up homemade potato chips-​Delicious.
My husband usually has the Steak and Shrimp, or the Zarzuela which is the mixed seafood dish served in a white wine garlic sauce and shown in the picture above.
I would definitely recommend this place if you want good authentic Portuguese food. Don’t let the neighborhood stop you.