Pepper’s Mexican Grill holds official ribbon cutting in Winchester

Pepper’s Mexican Grill holds official ribbon cutting in Winchester

Published 1:07 pm Thursday, October 8, 2026

WINCHESTER — Pepper’s Mexican Grill held its official ribbon-cutting ceremony this week, marking a formal milestone for the family-owned Mexican restaurant in Winchester.

Owner Octavio Correa stood at the center of the celebration. Correa, who has spent about eight years in the restaurant business, now oversees roughly six Pepper’s locations statewide. “We’ve been doing pretty good,” he said. “We’ve just been working nonstop, to be honest.”

The Winchester restaurant offers a broad menu of Mexican favorites with a few surprises. “We do have some hidden Mexican dishes, but for the most part, it is more geared towards, like, the fajita-sized chimichangas,” Correa explained. “We do have tortas, street tacos, street corn and stuff like that. But we do have a pretty extensive menu. Even our lunch menu is probably about 20 plates or so of just lunch. So there’s something for everybody.”

For a signature recommendation, Correa pointed to two items. “I would go with the street tacos, the tacos carne asada, and also one of our margaritas,” he said. “We do make a bourbon margarita that not a lot of people know about. So that’s a top shelf margarita. We make it as we go. You order one, there’s one coming right up.”

The bar was designed as a centerpiece. “We decided to make the bar kind of like a centerpiece,” Correa said. “Because you go to a lot of Mexican restaurants and… they’re usually in the back. And then we also decided to include a lot of bourbons. You know, people are crazy about bourbons. We do have a pretty wide selection of bourbons.” Multiple televisions will carry local sports, including University of Kentucky games. “If we have the game, you know, we’ll put it on for you at the bar or anywhere in the restaurant,” he added.

The name Pepper’s was chosen for its simplicity and kid appeal. “My six-year-old, I mean, at four years old, she was already saying Peppers. She was saying ‘Peppers, Peppers,’” Correa said.

Family ownership remains central. “We are a family-owned and operated,” Correa said. “People might see the name or the locations and assume there’s a big staff behind the scenes. But honestly, my wife and I, if there’s any complaints or bad reviews, we’re on it. We’re the ones catering orders.”

Looking ahead, Correa plans to continue the chain’s community work through Dine to Donate fundraisers that typically return 10 to 15 percent of sales to local causes, free meal coupons for shelters, and support for schools and hospitals. “That’s something that we’re looking forward to doing once we settle down a little bit,” he said. “People have reached out to us already… but we’re going to push those through here pretty soon.”

With approachable Mexican favorites, a bourbon-forward bar, sports on the screens, and a family-driven approach, Pepper’s Mexican Grill is becoming a place in Winchester for both everyday meals and community gatherings. The restaurant is located at 843 Bypass Road. For hours, menus, and more information, visit peppersmexky.com or call (859) 355-5236.