Chili Peppers Restaurant

Went here today for lunch as its right across from where I live, I used to come here years ago and it was decent. But this time was just disgusting. The place looks like a crack den and needs to be remodeled. I asked for no onions in my burrito and when I got home not only was my burrito dripping wet and leaking ingredients, there were a shit ton of onions inside. I asked them 3 times for no onions. No thanks. Won’t be coming back.

I went there with my sister-​in-​law she had to taco very delicious and flavorful the people were very nice and friendly I would come here again for some authentic Mexican food

Poor service, poor quality, asada is grissiley n fatty.
Asked for easy rice n got a burrito made of rice. Dingy atmosphere. Won’t go again

I’m so sorry I neglected you back when I lived in SLO, Broad Street Chilie Peppers. I couldn’t help but think that the Foothill location was adequate (and closer), and therefore I didn’t need to venture out to try your tastier brother on Broad Street.
I am now forever a convert.
I needed to arrange affordable catering for our rehearsal dinner the night before my April wedding. Between knowing that the food was always decent enough at the Foothill locale and having my husband’s mom do some taste testing since I was working remotely, we used Chilie Peppers to feed the masses.
My biggest endorsement for this location? Before now, I’ve never understood the zeal over chicken mole (it usually tastes OK, but nothing amazing) and have never been a fan of refried beans (too much chalky mouth paste feel).
But the mole and refried beans were some of my FAVORITE of our buffet. The mole burst with flavor — seriously, I wanted to drink the sauce and was sad when those leftovers were the first to disappear — and the beans were warm, savory goodness. I ate those leftover beans just by themselves as a comfort-​food snack. No rice or meat or even salsa was needed. SO good.
My only beef (and ultimately it turned out OK) was that the owner tended to be very informal about setting everything up. I called and was initially told I could email him but never received any email in return. The website is lax on catering details. My husband’s mother thankfully took over that part of planning since she lives in the area, and I don’t think we could have organized a Chilie Peppers meal without her.
And hooray for that because it was an awesome way to dine with friends and family before our big day.

Meal was $ 24.70; I offered a $ 20 bill as well as a «$ 10 off $ 20» coupon from Restaurant-​dot-​com. Got $ 3.30 in change from the elderly lady at the cash register, which I let slide because, well, still a good deal — and I didn’t care to get into a squabble with an 80-​year-​old. Then it got weird: said lady walked to my booth and barked that the coupon being «$ 10 off $ 20» meant I had to pay at least $ 20; she demanded the change she had given me. The coupon had no such indication (it was clearly $ 10 off $ 20 PRE-​coupon), but she was adamant. I took out the $ 3.30 I had stuffed in my shirt pocket and gave it to her; she asked for the other $ 2, told her the contents of my shirt pocket were what she actually gave me… and then she walked away.
I told myself I still got a $ 24.70 meal for $ 20 in cash and declined making a scene, as bemused as I was by the whole thing (my dining partner remarked, «you should have seen your face!»). The food itself was okay; Pork Rojo Grande burrito, generously sized and fresh — actually so fresh that the veggies were ice-​cold, which was a bit different than expected. But combining the subpar cleanliness of this place, just-​okay food, and a cashier that struggles with simple math, I can’t see myself going back. Taco Roco may be a chain (sort of), but it’s a far better experience.
EDIT: This is for the (correct) Broad Street location. Note there are positive reviews here that mention «next to Cal Poly», which would refer to the Foothill location, not this one. I’m not excluding revisiting the Foothill location, which I’ve done before and haven’t had this experience.

I wish they would clean and remodel the place. Ok, just clean it! I can walk to it, but never do as the conditions frighten me. If the front of the house is not clean, what are the kitchen standards? Lazy owners bug me. They could be very successful in that spot. Make it a serious Mexican restaurant, dont offer Thai style burrito and other junk. Learn from the good spots in SB abd you will have a line out the door… if you want it.

Ate there this week. Place desperately needs a cleaning and update. Food generic. Portions good. Patio area seemed nice. Would not go back. Ever.

Wow. Did not know that there could be such a horrible excuse for a Mexican restaurant. One star is way too high. Speaking of way too high, the gentlemen making my food was eating while cooking, so I am assuming he was too. Do not eat here, unless you have a Costco membership because you are going to need to buy a lot of toilet paper. A LOT. Don’t skimp and go single ply either. You will hate yourself if you do, just like you will hate yourself if you eat here. Take the extra 5 minutes to google and drive to another restaurant. Any restaurant other than this one.

1 star simce we literally walked in and took a look around and walked back out. Dirty floors, tables that had not been cleaned or cleared, including a booth with a half eaten bday cake and other miscellaneous trash on it. I peeked over the rail to see a serving station in disarray. If basic cleanliness in front of the counter can’t be met, who knows what happens behind it. Went across the street and had taco roco, which was at least a clean, presentable establishment

Don’t eat here unless you want to die. A barefoot tweaker who either works for the place or is some sort of relative grabbed milk out of the restaurant fridge and chugged it right in front of us. The cook or owners son/​grandson was kicking a soccer ball at the wall and screaming. The place was filthy.

Wow, this place use to be my favorite mexican food spot 10 years ago. I went there recently and the place was soo dirty, dark and cluttered. I am not so sure about the sanitary conditions. There are other places to go.

I stopped going here about 2 years ago. If only they would clean the place, I would return. But as my friend the restaurant owner says, «if the front of the house is dirty, how can you trust them to make you good food»
They used to microwave stuff on Styrofoam plates. I hope that stopped. Same guy at the register since the 90’s when I first used to eat there twice a week. Even like it better than old TA’s.

It’s hard to come by a mole burrito and Tony has this sauce down. I drive the central coast pretty frequently and I have frequented this place many times — always the chicken mole burrito. It comes on a plate and not in foil so if you’re driving it means a stop — generally worth it for the random décor and the owner (Tony) who’s a character for sure. As part of my search for the world’s best burrito I pay homage here from time to time even though I’ve crossed this one off the short list.

Solid burrito. Really refreshing to see a local mexican restaurant open to so many different varieties. Definitely recommended to a veg head like myself! Plus, the staff is awesome! I leave there wanting to hug them every time.

There’s better Mexican food around slo. Somehow, the other chile peppers location (near broad) is better than this one. Probably due to different chefs. But they heat up their refried beans.
I stick to their enchilada plate which is usually pretty good.

Let me tell you about the value of a family run restaurant: you get Love, Chaos, Entertainment, and Joy put into each dish. You have the experience and history of Abuela’s Homemade Flan recipe, the unbelievable warmth of a family that is there to greet you, and the comfort of knowing you are not being rushed through any of your experience!
My daughter happens to be besties with one of the granddaughters of this restaurant, and they wanted to do their homework together.
I believe they have captured a rainforest! Murals on the walls that melded an artist’s interpretation of Mayan and Aztec pyramids, sculpture, fountains, and lushness of botanical splendor that seemed to transform a suburban mindset into one ready to pounce upon a new experience!
This family didn’t know me from Eve, but they welcomed us in like long lost family. I asked about the Pozole, which is a personal favorite, but they had just run out. Instead I was asked if I wanted to try something new. Of course! I’m up for an adventure! I had time to kill waiting for my daughter to finish homework.
The meal I had was called Mixiote and I have never met it’s equal. It is a meat dish popular in the Basin of Mexico that can use anything from chicken to boar or pork. Mine was the pollo variety, where the chicken just melts off the bone, simmering with pasilla and guajillo chili peppers, green olives, and creating a scarlet red sauce, served wrapped in a paper thing Century plant skin. It was rich like a Hungarian Paprikash dish and spicy enough to make this gringa grab the rice and beans from her daughter’s nachos plate! (may or may not admit to having a little sour cream!)
While my daughter and her friend quickly maneuvered over to the free wifi and computers they have available against the wall, I devoured as much of my dinner as I could muster and still needed a take out box! The prices are extremely reasonable, and as SLO’s community culture continues to evolve into high priced trendy tidbits, somehow they have managed to maintain the precious jewels of the family owned and operated places like Chili Peppers.

I read the reviews that denigrated the restaurant for not being clean enough. They must have cleaned up their act because I didn’t notice that it was dirty at all. We have been twice and the food is consistently good. I ordered a pumpkin flan in advance and it was fresh out of the oven when I got there. The owner, Noah, is a charming man who obviously takes pride in his work. I plan on visiting each time I’m in SLO until I’ve tried everything on the menu!

There was a time when I would have easily given Chili Peppers a 4 star review and stood behind it. Today is not that day.
I love the owners and the Pollo Verde is still one of my favorites but the quality has gone downhill ever since the fire. The establishment is in need of a top to bottom cleaning. The menu needs to have about 75% of it removed and the few items they do well bubbled up to the top.
Back in its hay-​day Chili Peppers had a wonderfully authentic Sopa, Pollo Verde (any style), and Mulas (think meat quesadilla with crazy sauces) to die for. «Momma» was cooking in back and Alex was on the cash register while his brother was knocking out the ‘rito’s as fast as everyone could order them. ‘Course he also hit on every female in line, but I think that may have added to the charm.
The fire that burned down the back unit just took the wind out of their sails and it’s more sad than anything else. I hope Alex and his crew can pull this one out because I really miss the days of a $ 5 burrito that you could (and I’m not joking) split with 3 people and all of them would be licking their fingers, full and happy.
Clean up the building, reduce the menu, and get the band back! We miss you :)

Ancient Californian legend has it that there exists a dirty Mexican restaurant with crazy good food. The stuff dreams are made of. This is not that place. Keep looking, sojourner.
This places combines dirty with only decent food. The dirty is the kind of dirty that, when you’re sitting there taking a bite out of your burrito, you begin to worry about the effect it’ll have on your sphincter. To its credit, I’m actually not sure if cleaning is what is needed – it seems like it needs a remodel. Its an older, run-​down building. The vegetables they use look fresh, but who really knows the ingredient in Mexican food that Montezuma has cursed.
As for the food, it’s not bad. Any meal you get here will fill you up. Still, I’m a little sick of burritos that, although approximately the size of your small intestine, are full of little else than beans and rice. I am honestly happy to have a smaller burrito if I can actually taste the flavors. At this restaurant, I suggest you go for a combo plate or a taco salad. My dad always gets the Mediterranean taco salad and he loves it to death.
Chili Peppers is okay. SLO is not known for its Mexican food, and this place won’t stand out. Ultimately, you can count on it to fill you up, but not to hit the spot.

This restaurant is consistently excellent. For $ 5 to $ 10, the value is amazing. Depth of flavor, aromas, the real cheeses, chipotle salsa… Just phenomenal. People who don’t like this place should hang around the stainless steel and chlorine establishments where they are most happy and leave real food for the real people.