My husband and I are big fans of Mexican food. El Jefe is our new favorite. The service is great, the decor is fun, and the food is awesome. We used to go to Taqueria Morleon in Avondale and it is great, too, but El Jefe has it beat because of the fun decor and lower prices. My husband is a big fan or El Jefe's homemade hot sauces. Another reviewer mentioned Border Cafe as being better. Border Cafe is great and we enjoy it, but wouldn't call it authentic Mexican food (or the equivalent in Delaware/Penna.). Don't be put off by the exterior of El Jefe - it looks like a dive bar (I avoided it for years because of that) but inside it is fabulous!
(5)
Shannon O.
Walked out tonight. Starving, so that sucked. Waitress ridiculously slow. No chips and salsa offered. When we walked out I told the the moron at the door we'd given up. "Ok. Have a nice night!" She said, cheerfully. Off to forage for dinner!
(2)
Bob O.
If you ever read their kitchen reviews from the State, you would never eat in this place to begin with.... But, if you do go... the floor and tables were sticky. The place is dark and worn. The bar may be nice and serve decent drinks, and the some of the staff may be nice, but that's not a reason to go and spend money on mediocre food at best. The owners ripped me off of money and over charged me and refused to return the money. Very poor customer service and the owner's level. The husband and wife team don't care about people or building smart and good relationships with customers to have them come back. The food is under seasoned and many times over cooked. The flavors are not authentic Mexican and they aren't Tex-Mex either... somewhere in between. There is no food display either. We eat with our eyes first and more often than not, their plates don't look as appetizing as one would hope for. Several times they leave the front door open at this place bringing in more flies and bugs from the ones already there. Seems like a health risk to me. There are two little hole-in-the wall Mexican restaurants (one across the street and the other around the end of the shopping center next door) that have better quality food and prices. I'd go there first from now on. Not that the owner cares, but they lost me as a customer.
(1)
Ashley D.
Good food, albeit sloppily prepared. Would give this place five stars but their drinks, like the margaritas, aren't that good:/ service is good though
(4)
Aisha S.
I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone who is an authentic Mexican food lover. I ordered a chicken fajita only to lose my appetite. The chicken smelled and tasted more like raw fish than chicken. And just to make sure It wasn't just me, I made my friend try a bite of my plate and she also agreed she thought it was fish. Asked the waiter and she said it was chicken and that it was supposed to taste like fish. Wait what? I've been eating Mexican food for years. I think I know what my food is supposed to taste like. Our waiter couldn't even understand English or communicate which made it more frustrating to even ask if I could have something else in exchange of my fish smelling platter. If you're looking for an awesome Mexican place, border cafe has delicious and reasonable priced food. Def won't be returning here.
(1)
G M.
The use to be good last time we ate my food came out cold I order a vegetarian quesadilla. I sent it back it was lukewarm when it came back then it was way too spicy I could not eat it. Also the side rice dish taste like it had sugar in it. The waitress was nice enough not to charge us for my meal. Right now we will not be come back not sure what happened the food use to be good.
(2)
Jessica M.
I have to be honest, I order the same dish every time I go: 1) Because it's EXCEPTIONAL and 2) Because no one else serves, or quite nails it like this place. I remember my first visit here, I asked the waiter "What's the best thing on your menu?" He asked if I liked "spicy", opened my menu, and pointed! Thus, after many visits, the Molcajete Estilo is still my go to dish. A huge stone pig filled with grilled chicken, tender steak and mexican sausage dipped in hot-ranchera sauce topped with scallions, a roasted jalapeño pepper and mexican queso fresco. This spicy pig is served with tortillas, rice, beans, lettuce, & tomato and is amazing every time. The fact that I get a $5 Mucho Margarita with this dish also... well, it makes me VERY happy =) The other dishes that have been tried by friends & family that I've brought here, have always illicited rave reviews! But don't sell your tastebuds short! Get that stone pig!!
(4)
Solomon D.
Stopped in on a Tuesday night and the place was empty. Stayed anyway because the staff was extremely nice. Had three tex-mex tacos (beef, roasted chicken and shredded chicken) with rice. Meal was decent enough. Tuesdays and Thursdays they have a margarita special. Ordered one and it was good. Overall the place is clean, the staff is friendly and the food is ok.
(3)
Chai M.
One of my favorite Mexican hot spots. Martin and his team really provide an excellent venue for delicious food and great service. My favorite is their Carne Asada which comes with all the fixings, delicious tortillas, and is well portioned. Accompany that with a tasty Negra Modelo or Victoria beer and youll soon be doing some Merengue of happiness after your meal!
(4)
April R.
We ate here on a Friday night. It wasn't very busy. From the outside, this doesn't look like a restaurant you can trust. It's not located in a very fancy shopping center, so there's really not much they can do about that. The inside is covered in cheesy mexican decor, but we thoroughly enjoyed the environment and it was fun to look at their restaurant's decorations. The salsa was awesome. Spicy and awesome. I had the seafood enchiladas. They were very good too. (they are made with corn tortillas, but you can request flour tortillas if that's something you prefer). Big lumps of crab. The service was average. It wasn't busy, so the waitresses just collected at the hostess stand and chatted a bit while they waited for something to do. While that's not really an issue, it did draw my attention when we were waiting for a refill. It's a little weird to approach/ interrupt a conversation between 4 girls and ask for a refill. Certainly not docking stars for this... just an observation. Our waitress was very sweet. Pricing was spot on. We didn't leave feeling guilty at all about what we had spent.
(4)
julie w.
I don't often write reviews, but I feel that it is my civil duty to tell you NOT to come here. We should have taken an empty restaurant at dinner time as a warning, but Mistakenly ate here anyway. After about 20 minutes of sitting in a dark, sticky, dingy corner surrounded by fruit flies, we finally got our drinks and ordered. I will say that their chips and salsa were good, but that did not make up for the rest of the food. I got three tacos and had to pick through the insides because the taco shells were cold and stale. My friend got the burritos and found multiple chicken bones, which might have been forgivable if they tasted better. We ended up leaving behind half of our food, which is something I never do. The only reason I am not giving this place one star is because it used to be good a few years ago and I hope that one day it can dig itself out of it's current state. I'm also reserving my one star review for a rundown truck stop diner with glory holes in the bathroom... But, my friend and I were actually too skeeved out to use El Jefe's bathroom and literally decided to wait til we got home, so maybe my 2 stars are too kind.. Where is the 1.75 star option when you need it?
(2)
Jeremy F.
Heard from a friend that it's still a terrible restaurant that doesn't treat their customers with respect.
(1)
Kelly S.
This is best Mexican food ever! I've been here quite a fewn times and evertime I get something different and am always satisfied. Their fajitas are amazing! I've had both the vegetarian and the mixtas and both are equally delicious. The chips and salsa are perfection. The chips are served warm and the salsa is always fresh. The brochetas de camaron y pollo is two chicken pineapple kabobs. The molcajete estilo is this giant stone pig bowl filled with hot delicious meat and red sauce.
(5)
Reem C.
Went here for lunch with the misses. I ordered chicken enchiladas with mole sauce. I enjoyed my dish a lot, but I was not blown away. I've had mole sauce at various Mexican restaurants and I can definitely say that the mole sauce at El Jefe definitely has a stronger chocolate flavor and is a lot thinner. I will return and try a different dish. Think I may be in the mood for quesadillas the next time I go.
(3)
Chaim T.
We arrived on recent Tuesday night to an empty restaurant. Oh oh. Nevertheless, we decided to stay. The menu offers just about anything you want (maybe too much). Our waiter offered chips and salsa and brought waters fairly promptly. He seemed to be having a bad day as there wasn't much chemistry or conversation, though he did check on us a few times. We ordered fajitas, quesadillas and a spicy chicken dish. All were very good and served hot. The three of us thought the spices were different from what we were used to. And oddly enough, the fajita was not served with cheese. This place is certainly worth a visit if you don't want to go to chain. And if you're in the mood for dessert, there's a Pepperidge Farms outlet store in the same shopping center.
(3)
Passion R.
Me: Oh Yelp, you want me to write a review for El Jefe? Well what if I don't want to taco bout it? You: -___- Sorry had to take advantage of the taco pun. Not many reviews call for it lol.So anyways, I LOVED this place. It reminds me of a place back home. Visited here with a group of 6 friends and we all sat at the bar. And I think my favorite part--which is saying a lot because the food was pretty damn good-- was the bartender! He was such a cool guy managing to keep our party's drinks and the conversation flowing all night. Not to mention everybody's food was good! I ordered the crab enchiladas and they were as good as they sound. My boo got the chimichanga fried shrimp burrito thing. Another friend got the seafood enchiladas.Someone else got the t-bone steak which didn't seem like a good idea to me at a mexican place but worked out well in the end. I cannot remember the rest but there were ZERO complaints. And I roll with some VERY picky eaters. Everything I sampled off their plates was delish. Especially the sauce on my boyfriend's shrimp burrito yum! Also, they are very liberal with the chips and salsa. Eat them to your heart's content. Which I loved because some places can get a little stingy with that. The menu is pretty extensive so it took us all a while to choose.There were so many things I wanted to try, I feel like this is a place you have to go back to. And the next time I'm in Delaware, I'll make sure to stop by. Though I'm not sure if you're supposed to have as good a time as we did eating here, because no one else seemed to be, but I'm guessing the bartender just makes that much of a difference! If so, kudos to him and make sure that's where you sit.
(4)
Jenn B.
I came here because they had an authentic dish called Molcajete, I had it a few times in California and loved it. I walk in and I am alone and I get asked, "what can I do for you?" To which I replied what I thought was obvious... I am here to eat. So ordered the Molcajete and ate a few bites of the complimentary chips and salsa. It was just ok. When I got my main dish, there was a lot of food, and the meat was not cut up. The sauce was ok, the rice was bland and required a lot of salt to make it tasty. Overall the food was just ok, I was in the mood for something different but cannot say I would return.
(2)
Mike M.
Maybe good for Delaware, but certainly not the best Mexican food I've had. The only reason I came here was because I was overcome by a suspicious hankering for carnitas tacos while shopping. A quick review of yelp led me to El Jefe. After reviewing the menu, it was clear I wasn't going to get my way, as actual carnitas tacos are not featured, although acceptably similar lomos and deshebrada tacos were available, so I settled. I first ordered up 2 each of the shredded beef and shredded pork tacos, Mexican style. I couldn't taste the difference between the two, I actually had to look inside to figure out which one I was eating as the taste and textures were so similar. They were meh, at best, but for the price, stingy in size. Upon finishing, I also ordered up 2 beef enchiladas. Again, they were just ok, albeit, curiously void of cheese, which made them kinda dry. It would have been easier to eat the damn things if I could get a friggin drink refill. Alas, I managed to finish 2 entrees and an entire basket of chips and salsa before I got my refill, despite 4 trips back and forth from my waitress. This place seems to be more of a bar, and favorable reviews of the drinks and happy hour specials support that. Again, good enough for some, but I've had better.
(2)
Byron H.
I've been in search of perfect fajitas all my life... These are hands down the best... ANYWHERE... P.S. Get the big margarita and tell your friends! ...but not too many, I dont want to wait 30-60 min for a table next time I go :-) If your in a hurry, grab a burrito mexicano to go... And don't forget the guacamole dip!
(5)
Paul G.
I think they must have changed owners. Waitstaff was all new. We went for dinner and really nothing was good about it. Chips were stale. Margaritas tasted like a mix. Had the fajitas and they were barely cooked and so bland. Also had the chicken quesadilla and it was basically chicken in a flour tortilla; no cheese, hardly any sour cream and a pile of old lettuce. Prices are higher than most Mexican food. We used to love this place but we won't be back!
(1)
Luzdary M.
Hands down the best mexican restaurant ever. The guacamole is amazing here. The chips and salsa are so good. The salsa has this spicy sting to it and its so good. Considering i am mexican I have been to every single mexican restaurant in Delaware and somehow I always end up coming back to el Jefe. I really recomend the fajitas or the pollo timpiquena. my husband frquently gets the molcajete its huge. Overall its good though because the next day I pack it for his lunch so saves me time. I frequently come back here and take out also. Also try the margaritas they are reat !
(5)
Lakshmi K.
The food is good. But the manager refused to honor a groupon type voucher. He made up fictional fine print that never existed. Sleazy to say the least. Never happened to me anywhere else before. I will not be back.
(1)
Ryan R.
I've heard a lot about El Jefe but have never eaten there before. I'm a La Tonalteca kind of guy. It was time for El Jefe's shot to win me over and unfortunately they didn't. Don't get me wrong. It was good, just not great. The chips and salsa were really good. Point Jefe Tacos. Really expensive, cheese cost an extra .50 EACH. Taste Ok. Point Tonalteca Fajitas. The tortillas were amazing. I found the rest of the dish disappointing. I like it when fajitas come out still sizzling on the skillet. Not here. And why not cut the tails off of the shrimp for me? Point Tonalteca Cheese Enchilada. My wife ate this and she said it kicked the pants off of Tonalteca's. Point Jefe Overall Menu. Only ONE juice option for my kids. Boo Other than that there were some good choices. This one is a draw. Service. They were very friendly and accommodating. Quick service. This one is a tie also. All in all El Jefe is a fine place to go. But they didn't earn the title of my favorite Mexican Restaurant.
(3)
Sarah L.
I've been to this place twice; for lunch. Their service is always friendly and it's really clean and pretty inside. I'm just not too impressed with their food. The ingredients are fresh but, I don't know, their food is almost bland. It's not bad, I think I just like the Santa Fe Grill in Newark, Delaware better. Maybe I need to try El Jefe's dinner. Their salsa (that they give you with the chips before your meal) is good and I wound up pouring it over my food since their hot sauce wasn't hot enough for me.
(3)
Rachel Danielle S.
My favorite Mexican restaurant in or out of Delaware...except for that transient fish taco stand in San Diego...Tom Robbins and I are on the hunt for the perfect taco...I've found mine: Tacos Mexicanos con al pastor. Translated: BEST (soft) taco EVER with marinated (secret ingredients ;-) roast pork, perfect amount of delicately diced onions, and fresh cilantro...side of lime for just a juicy bit of citrus to cut the (welcome!) richness of the pork. Tip: ask for a corn instead of flour tortilla for enhanced flavor ;-) Also: the salsa is guaranteed to be different in heat level every day; but, every day, it is fresh & really flavorful...sometimes it's smoky!
(5)
Eric E.
Great food. Frequent diner.
(4)
Cris A.
Guacamole is good. It does the trick if you're in the mood for Mexican.
(3)
Christie K.
The best Mexican food in D-ware! Hola! I love their roasted chicken tacos~ So fresh, so juicy, so SPANKTASTIC.
(4)
Wayo Y.
Cannot beat the price or quality. I've been eating here since well before the renovation and have yet to have a bad meal. Their lunch specials are a particularly good value. Tood bad they don't do carnitas, otherwise you would not be able to DRAG me out of there.
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Specialities
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : Paid Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
If you enjoy Taco Tuesday, then you have officially fallen in love with the Mexican Food. The main grain of Mexican cuisine is maize. Also known as corn, maize is grown for the past 9000 years after the crop was discovered by the people in Mayan civilization. Mexican empire flourished when they started growing beans, tomatoes, chili pepper, sweet potato and cactus. Till this date these ingredients are used in cooking authentic Mexican dishes and drinks.
Great use of spices, fresh chili pepper dishes like fajitas, tortilla chips, corn chips, salsa, chimichangas, burritos, nachos and quesadillas are invented in America. But when you are looking for authentic Mexican food then you must find a restaurant in the city that serves Rajas con Queso, Garbanzo in a Guajillo Chile Sauce, Pork Filled Chiles Rellenos, Chiles en Nogada, Molcajete Salsa, Pico de Gallo and Frijoles de la Olla. An eye-opening fact – Mexican don't like their food hot. They use fresh chili and other spices to create a flavor that lingers in your mouth.
Mexican food is great for those who are Gluten Intolerant as they use Corn instead of wheat in most of their dishes. Also, you can easily find many beans based Mexican dishes. Another dish which didn't get similar glory as tacos or nachos is the Mexican hot chocolate. If you love something hot on a chilly day, then go for Mexican Hot Chocolate. On merry days, you can enjoy the authentic Mexican Drinks like Tequila, Mezcal, Tecuí, Sotol, Bacanora, Charanda, Posh O Pox, Puebla and Pulque. Mexican Cuisine is for people who enjoy strong drinks and hearty meals.
Liz P.
My husband and I are big fans of Mexican food. El Jefe is our new favorite. The service is great, the decor is fun, and the food is awesome. We used to go to Taqueria Morleon in Avondale and it is great, too, but El Jefe has it beat because of the fun decor and lower prices. My husband is a big fan or El Jefe's homemade hot sauces. Another reviewer mentioned Border Cafe as being better. Border Cafe is great and we enjoy it, but wouldn't call it authentic Mexican food (or the equivalent in Delaware/Penna.). Don't be put off by the exterior of El Jefe - it looks like a dive bar (I avoided it for years because of that) but inside it is fabulous!
(5)Shannon O.
Walked out tonight. Starving, so that sucked. Waitress ridiculously slow. No chips and salsa offered. When we walked out I told the the moron at the door we'd given up. "Ok. Have a nice night!" She said, cheerfully. Off to forage for dinner!
(2)Bob O.
If you ever read their kitchen reviews from the State, you would never eat in this place to begin with.... But, if you do go... the floor and tables were sticky. The place is dark and worn. The bar may be nice and serve decent drinks, and the some of the staff may be nice, but that's not a reason to go and spend money on mediocre food at best. The owners ripped me off of money and over charged me and refused to return the money. Very poor customer service and the owner's level. The husband and wife team don't care about people or building smart and good relationships with customers to have them come back. The food is under seasoned and many times over cooked. The flavors are not authentic Mexican and they aren't Tex-Mex either... somewhere in between. There is no food display either. We eat with our eyes first and more often than not, their plates don't look as appetizing as one would hope for. Several times they leave the front door open at this place bringing in more flies and bugs from the ones already there. Seems like a health risk to me. There are two little hole-in-the wall Mexican restaurants (one across the street and the other around the end of the shopping center next door) that have better quality food and prices. I'd go there first from now on. Not that the owner cares, but they lost me as a customer.
(1)Ashley D.
Good food, albeit sloppily prepared. Would give this place five stars but their drinks, like the margaritas, aren't that good:/ service is good though
(4)Aisha S.
I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone who is an authentic Mexican food lover. I ordered a chicken fajita only to lose my appetite. The chicken smelled and tasted more like raw fish than chicken. And just to make sure It wasn't just me, I made my friend try a bite of my plate and she also agreed she thought it was fish. Asked the waiter and she said it was chicken and that it was supposed to taste like fish. Wait what? I've been eating Mexican food for years. I think I know what my food is supposed to taste like. Our waiter couldn't even understand English or communicate which made it more frustrating to even ask if I could have something else in exchange of my fish smelling platter. If you're looking for an awesome Mexican place, border cafe has delicious and reasonable priced food. Def won't be returning here.
(1)G M.
The use to be good last time we ate my food came out cold I order a vegetarian quesadilla. I sent it back it was lukewarm when it came back then it was way too spicy I could not eat it. Also the side rice dish taste like it had sugar in it. The waitress was nice enough not to charge us for my meal. Right now we will not be come back not sure what happened the food use to be good.
(2)Jessica M.
I have to be honest, I order the same dish every time I go: 1) Because it's EXCEPTIONAL and 2) Because no one else serves, or quite nails it like this place. I remember my first visit here, I asked the waiter "What's the best thing on your menu?" He asked if I liked "spicy", opened my menu, and pointed! Thus, after many visits, the Molcajete Estilo is still my go to dish. A huge stone pig filled with grilled chicken, tender steak and mexican sausage dipped in hot-ranchera sauce topped with scallions, a roasted jalapeño pepper and mexican queso fresco. This spicy pig is served with tortillas, rice, beans, lettuce, & tomato and is amazing every time. The fact that I get a $5 Mucho Margarita with this dish also... well, it makes me VERY happy =) The other dishes that have been tried by friends & family that I've brought here, have always illicited rave reviews! But don't sell your tastebuds short! Get that stone pig!!
(4)Solomon D.
Stopped in on a Tuesday night and the place was empty. Stayed anyway because the staff was extremely nice. Had three tex-mex tacos (beef, roasted chicken and shredded chicken) with rice. Meal was decent enough. Tuesdays and Thursdays they have a margarita special. Ordered one and it was good. Overall the place is clean, the staff is friendly and the food is ok.
(3)Chai M.
One of my favorite Mexican hot spots. Martin and his team really provide an excellent venue for delicious food and great service. My favorite is their Carne Asada which comes with all the fixings, delicious tortillas, and is well portioned. Accompany that with a tasty Negra Modelo or Victoria beer and youll soon be doing some Merengue of happiness after your meal!
(4)April R.
We ate here on a Friday night. It wasn't very busy. From the outside, this doesn't look like a restaurant you can trust. It's not located in a very fancy shopping center, so there's really not much they can do about that. The inside is covered in cheesy mexican decor, but we thoroughly enjoyed the environment and it was fun to look at their restaurant's decorations. The salsa was awesome. Spicy and awesome. I had the seafood enchiladas. They were very good too. (they are made with corn tortillas, but you can request flour tortillas if that's something you prefer). Big lumps of crab. The service was average. It wasn't busy, so the waitresses just collected at the hostess stand and chatted a bit while they waited for something to do. While that's not really an issue, it did draw my attention when we were waiting for a refill. It's a little weird to approach/ interrupt a conversation between 4 girls and ask for a refill. Certainly not docking stars for this... just an observation. Our waitress was very sweet. Pricing was spot on. We didn't leave feeling guilty at all about what we had spent.
(4)julie w.
I don't often write reviews, but I feel that it is my civil duty to tell you NOT to come here. We should have taken an empty restaurant at dinner time as a warning, but Mistakenly ate here anyway. After about 20 minutes of sitting in a dark, sticky, dingy corner surrounded by fruit flies, we finally got our drinks and ordered. I will say that their chips and salsa were good, but that did not make up for the rest of the food. I got three tacos and had to pick through the insides because the taco shells were cold and stale. My friend got the burritos and found multiple chicken bones, which might have been forgivable if they tasted better. We ended up leaving behind half of our food, which is something I never do. The only reason I am not giving this place one star is because it used to be good a few years ago and I hope that one day it can dig itself out of it's current state. I'm also reserving my one star review for a rundown truck stop diner with glory holes in the bathroom... But, my friend and I were actually too skeeved out to use El Jefe's bathroom and literally decided to wait til we got home, so maybe my 2 stars are too kind.. Where is the 1.75 star option when you need it?
(2)Jeremy F.
Heard from a friend that it's still a terrible restaurant that doesn't treat their customers with respect.
(1)Kelly S.
This is best Mexican food ever! I've been here quite a fewn times and evertime I get something different and am always satisfied. Their fajitas are amazing! I've had both the vegetarian and the mixtas and both are equally delicious. The chips and salsa are perfection. The chips are served warm and the salsa is always fresh. The brochetas de camaron y pollo is two chicken pineapple kabobs. The molcajete estilo is this giant stone pig bowl filled with hot delicious meat and red sauce.
(5)Reem C.
Went here for lunch with the misses. I ordered chicken enchiladas with mole sauce. I enjoyed my dish a lot, but I was not blown away. I've had mole sauce at various Mexican restaurants and I can definitely say that the mole sauce at El Jefe definitely has a stronger chocolate flavor and is a lot thinner. I will return and try a different dish. Think I may be in the mood for quesadillas the next time I go.
(3)Chaim T.
We arrived on recent Tuesday night to an empty restaurant. Oh oh. Nevertheless, we decided to stay. The menu offers just about anything you want (maybe too much). Our waiter offered chips and salsa and brought waters fairly promptly. He seemed to be having a bad day as there wasn't much chemistry or conversation, though he did check on us a few times. We ordered fajitas, quesadillas and a spicy chicken dish. All were very good and served hot. The three of us thought the spices were different from what we were used to. And oddly enough, the fajita was not served with cheese. This place is certainly worth a visit if you don't want to go to chain. And if you're in the mood for dessert, there's a Pepperidge Farms outlet store in the same shopping center.
(3)Passion R.
Me: Oh Yelp, you want me to write a review for El Jefe? Well what if I don't want to taco bout it? You: -___- Sorry had to take advantage of the taco pun. Not many reviews call for it lol.So anyways, I LOVED this place. It reminds me of a place back home. Visited here with a group of 6 friends and we all sat at the bar. And I think my favorite part--which is saying a lot because the food was pretty damn good-- was the bartender! He was such a cool guy managing to keep our party's drinks and the conversation flowing all night. Not to mention everybody's food was good! I ordered the crab enchiladas and they were as good as they sound. My boo got the chimichanga fried shrimp burrito thing. Another friend got the seafood enchiladas.Someone else got the t-bone steak which didn't seem like a good idea to me at a mexican place but worked out well in the end. I cannot remember the rest but there were ZERO complaints. And I roll with some VERY picky eaters. Everything I sampled off their plates was delish. Especially the sauce on my boyfriend's shrimp burrito yum! Also, they are very liberal with the chips and salsa. Eat them to your heart's content. Which I loved because some places can get a little stingy with that. The menu is pretty extensive so it took us all a while to choose.There were so many things I wanted to try, I feel like this is a place you have to go back to. And the next time I'm in Delaware, I'll make sure to stop by. Though I'm not sure if you're supposed to have as good a time as we did eating here, because no one else seemed to be, but I'm guessing the bartender just makes that much of a difference! If so, kudos to him and make sure that's where you sit.
(4)Jenn B.
I came here because they had an authentic dish called Molcajete, I had it a few times in California and loved it. I walk in and I am alone and I get asked, "what can I do for you?" To which I replied what I thought was obvious... I am here to eat. So ordered the Molcajete and ate a few bites of the complimentary chips and salsa. It was just ok. When I got my main dish, there was a lot of food, and the meat was not cut up. The sauce was ok, the rice was bland and required a lot of salt to make it tasty. Overall the food was just ok, I was in the mood for something different but cannot say I would return.
(2)Mike M.
Maybe good for Delaware, but certainly not the best Mexican food I've had. The only reason I came here was because I was overcome by a suspicious hankering for carnitas tacos while shopping. A quick review of yelp led me to El Jefe. After reviewing the menu, it was clear I wasn't going to get my way, as actual carnitas tacos are not featured, although acceptably similar lomos and deshebrada tacos were available, so I settled. I first ordered up 2 each of the shredded beef and shredded pork tacos, Mexican style. I couldn't taste the difference between the two, I actually had to look inside to figure out which one I was eating as the taste and textures were so similar. They were meh, at best, but for the price, stingy in size. Upon finishing, I also ordered up 2 beef enchiladas. Again, they were just ok, albeit, curiously void of cheese, which made them kinda dry. It would have been easier to eat the damn things if I could get a friggin drink refill. Alas, I managed to finish 2 entrees and an entire basket of chips and salsa before I got my refill, despite 4 trips back and forth from my waitress. This place seems to be more of a bar, and favorable reviews of the drinks and happy hour specials support that. Again, good enough for some, but I've had better.
(2)Byron H.
I've been in search of perfect fajitas all my life... These are hands down the best... ANYWHERE... P.S. Get the big margarita and tell your friends! ...but not too many, I dont want to wait 30-60 min for a table next time I go :-) If your in a hurry, grab a burrito mexicano to go... And don't forget the guacamole dip!
(5)Paul G.
I think they must have changed owners. Waitstaff was all new. We went for dinner and really nothing was good about it. Chips were stale. Margaritas tasted like a mix. Had the fajitas and they were barely cooked and so bland. Also had the chicken quesadilla and it was basically chicken in a flour tortilla; no cheese, hardly any sour cream and a pile of old lettuce. Prices are higher than most Mexican food. We used to love this place but we won't be back!
(1)Luzdary M.
Hands down the best mexican restaurant ever. The guacamole is amazing here. The chips and salsa are so good. The salsa has this spicy sting to it and its so good. Considering i am mexican I have been to every single mexican restaurant in Delaware and somehow I always end up coming back to el Jefe. I really recomend the fajitas or the pollo timpiquena. my husband frquently gets the molcajete its huge. Overall its good though because the next day I pack it for his lunch so saves me time. I frequently come back here and take out also. Also try the margaritas they are reat !
(5)Lakshmi K.
The food is good. But the manager refused to honor a groupon type voucher. He made up fictional fine print that never existed. Sleazy to say the least. Never happened to me anywhere else before. I will not be back.
(1)Ryan R.
I've heard a lot about El Jefe but have never eaten there before. I'm a La Tonalteca kind of guy. It was time for El Jefe's shot to win me over and unfortunately they didn't. Don't get me wrong. It was good, just not great. The chips and salsa were really good. Point Jefe Tacos. Really expensive, cheese cost an extra .50 EACH. Taste Ok. Point Tonalteca Fajitas. The tortillas were amazing. I found the rest of the dish disappointing. I like it when fajitas come out still sizzling on the skillet. Not here. And why not cut the tails off of the shrimp for me? Point Tonalteca Cheese Enchilada. My wife ate this and she said it kicked the pants off of Tonalteca's. Point Jefe Overall Menu. Only ONE juice option for my kids. Boo Other than that there were some good choices. This one is a draw. Service. They were very friendly and accommodating. Quick service. This one is a tie also. All in all El Jefe is a fine place to go. But they didn't earn the title of my favorite Mexican Restaurant.
(3)Sarah L.
I've been to this place twice; for lunch. Their service is always friendly and it's really clean and pretty inside. I'm just not too impressed with their food. The ingredients are fresh but, I don't know, their food is almost bland. It's not bad, I think I just like the Santa Fe Grill in Newark, Delaware better. Maybe I need to try El Jefe's dinner. Their salsa (that they give you with the chips before your meal) is good and I wound up pouring it over my food since their hot sauce wasn't hot enough for me.
(3)Rachel Danielle S.
My favorite Mexican restaurant in or out of Delaware...except for that transient fish taco stand in San Diego...Tom Robbins and I are on the hunt for the perfect taco...I've found mine: Tacos Mexicanos con al pastor. Translated: BEST (soft) taco EVER with marinated (secret ingredients ;-) roast pork, perfect amount of delicately diced onions, and fresh cilantro...side of lime for just a juicy bit of citrus to cut the (welcome!) richness of the pork. Tip: ask for a corn instead of flour tortilla for enhanced flavor ;-) Also: the salsa is guaranteed to be different in heat level every day; but, every day, it is fresh & really flavorful...sometimes it's smoky!
(5)Eric E.
Great food. Frequent diner.
(4)Cris A.
Guacamole is good. It does the trick if you're in the mood for Mexican.
(3)Christie K.
The best Mexican food in D-ware! Hola! I love their roasted chicken tacos~ So fresh, so juicy, so SPANKTASTIC.
(4)Wayo Y.
Cannot beat the price or quality. I've been eating here since well before the renovation and have yet to have a bad meal. Their lunch specials are a particularly good value. Tood bad they don't do carnitas, otherwise you would not be able to DRAG me out of there.
(5)