Carlos & Pepe's Coming Back as Pop-Up for Two Nights Only

Fort Lauderdale's beloved Carlos & Pepe's, which closed a few weeks ago after 45 years in business, is coming back — at least, temporarily.

After word quickly spread of the sudden closure of one of Fort Lauderdale's most cherished restaurants, two of its founders, now 81-year-old retired chef Carlos Pugliese, and his former cofounder, Burt Rapoport, felt a wave of emotion, nostalgia, and disappointment over the news.

Opened in 1979, the venerable Mexican restaurant was a Fort Lauderdale staple for nearly half a century and inarguably was part of the fabric of the neighborhood. The restaurant was managed by longtime owner and manager, Roberto Martinez, who had been at the restaurant since its inception when he came aboard as a busboy. In June 2023, in his 60s, he left the restaurant and announced his retirement. In an act of solidarity, his business partners, John and Sandy Benz, also retired.

Unfortunately, this is when things took a turn for the worse. In July 2023, the restaurant went to the hands of seasoned restaurateur Paula Ehmke and her husband, Richard Ehmke. The restaurant temporarily closed to undergo a significant renovation in the summer of 2023 and reopened to the public on October 19, 2023. By July 2024, the restaurant closed for good.

"That's sad to hear," Rapoport posted on the Let's Eat, South Florida Facebook group when rumors began circulating about the restaurant's future. "Carlos and Pepe's was created by Dave Alderman, Dennis Max, Carlos Pugliese, and me in 1978! Me, Dennis, and Carlos moved here from southern California to open it, but Dennis and I couldn't get along with Dave, so, we exited, never thinking it would be so successful for so long!"

According to the Sun Sentinel, Pugliese, who has been retired for more than 20 years, immediately called his old partner Rapoport to meet over lunch in Boca Raton, where Pugliese is now retired. Rapoport told the Sun Sentinel, "So me and Carlos went out to lunch and got talking about the old days and I asked, 'Do you still do some cooking?' He said yes, so I said, 'It's summertime, not much is going on. How about we bring back Carlos & Pepe's together?'"

It was an immediate yes for Pugliese.
Now, Pugliese will come out of retirement for two nights only with Rapoport to bring back his classic menu items for dozens of Carlos & Pepe's devoted fans who have been heartbroken over the news.

According to the Sun Sentinel, the retired chef will whip up his popular blue crab enchiladas and 14 other entrées from a cookbook he published in 1979 for two nights of dinners in Boca Raton. On Wednesday, August 28, and Thursday, August 29, Max's Grille in Boca will transform into Carlos & Pepe's, where Pugliese will be in the kitchen masterfully recreating the restaurant's original dishes: jalapeño tuna dip, chiles rellenos, and even the popular "Super Nachos" covered in refried beans.

Although this two-night pop-up isn't sponsored by the actual restaurant brand, which is still running under the Ehmkes as a food truck called Carlos and Pepe's on Wheels (the future of the brand remains uncertain), the dinners in Boca Raton will be the last, and only, chance for longtime fans to taste the founding recipes from the founding chef himself.

Carlos Returns! Mexican Pop-Up Dinners. 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, August 28, and Thursday, August 29, at Max's Grille, 404 Plaza Real, Boca Raton; 561-368-0080; maxsgrille.com. Reservations are highly encouraged via phone or sevenrooms.com.