Pepe Garcia’s keepin’ it real … fresh off “Love Island” fame, he tells us dating hasn’t exactly been a breeze … in fact, he admits he’s actually struggling to find love out here!

We bumped into the reality hunk outside L.A.’s celeb-fave spot Via Alloro on Thursday … and he admitted it’s been a rollercoaster since the villa days — but at the end of it all, he’s just focused on finding the one.

Catch the full clip … Pepe also dishes on whether he’d jump back into reality TV for love — and drops a little tease about something big on the horizon.