Pepe's Beach Bar (TV Series 2014–2016) Poster

(2014–2016)

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8/10
Humor, Warmth, and Family
rvf35-121 February 2017
"Chiringuito de Pepe" is the story of Sergi Roca, a superstar of Spanish gastronomy, who leaves the big city and all the Michelin stars behind to take over a small beachfront restaurant in the seaside town of Peniscola. Why does he make such a drastic change? In the first episode, the man who raised Sergi tells him that his biological father Pepe is in dire need of help with his failing chiringuito. Sergi buys the restaurant and takes over, but without telling Pepe, Pepe's son Vicente, and nephew Dani who he really is.

The series tells the story of the ups and downs of transforming the disastrous chiringuito into a successful restaurant as well as Sergi's discovery of and connection to the family he never knew. Often the series is funny, sometimes corny, sometimes a little too silly. But while the humor is uneven at times, the theme of family always keeps the show watchable. It's one of those shows where you get to really like the characters, enough to forgive the show during some of those groaner moments when the attempts at humor miss the mark.

Sergi also gets to know his own son Manu a whole lot better because his ex-wife leaves Manu in his care. We get to see Sergi figure out how to be a father, how to turn around a failing restaurant, how to connect with the family he never knew he had, and through it all, Sergi learns to be a better person. The series is sweet, funny, and definitely worth watching.
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10/10
Congratulations on a Great First Season
leftbanker-122 October 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Probably the best Spanish TV series I have seen since moving to Spain some years ago. The series is funny and well-acted and revolves around the number one obsession of the people here: food. One of the best things about the show is that it's filmed on location in the gorgeous seaside village of Peñíscola, just up the coast from where I live in Valencia. There are vistas that will simply take your breath away.

I especially love the character of the village mayor who is part Mafia Don and part Renaissance Borges despot. He is the only true comic actor in the series. The writing is laugh-out-loud funny at times although from time to time they resort to annoying situation comedy farces.

After one season the series has earned a well-deserved success and I only wish that I could find Spanish subtitles as I miss a bit of the dialogue. I'm not alone here as in episode 5 Vicente admits, when talking to the beach-combing vagabond, that he understands him less than the minister or economics.

You can watch the series on the channel website: http://www.telecinco.es/chiringuitodepepe/
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