We had a friendly greeting from the host. He seated us at a nice table. Lighting was perfect. Ambiance was good. We were told to order the Bob Armstrong dip (off menu). It was amazing. We also got the steak & chicken fajitas. Those were amazing. The meat was cooked perfectly, and we enjoyed them immensely. We will definitely be back!
Dillon Hearns
Best Tex-Mex in JAX. Food is always great here and so is the service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Burrito or Chimichanga, Queso
Silver Spring
A great place to eat!! My lady friend and I wanted to try something local instead of driving out to the Orange Park area. We stopped in and checked it out this small local restaurant. El Jefe was about three quarters full so that said something to me right away. The order was taken quickly by Jessenia. The food was delicious and came out of the kitchen at just the right temperature. The prices were good for the amount of food that you receive. I enjoyed the Pollo bowl, and my friend enjoyed a plate of tasty quesadillas. We will be back. Thank you for a great meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
shane smith
My lady and I decided to give El Jefe a try after seeing it a couple months ago. All I can say is the Thursday night Taco Board is amazing. Simple tacos with amazing flavor and a very fair price for 12 tacos. The taco board came with 3 of each chorizo, brisket, pork and pineapple and filet mignon with a street corn dip for $30.00. Very impressed with the food and the service. Ellie (sorry if I spelled that wrong) was fantastic, attentive and friendly. The owners should give her a raise! We will def be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Michael S.
The first thing to notice was the music, live DJ playing and jamming, you could tell he was having a great time; although to me the music was a bit loud so asked to be seated in the back part. Service was amazing, super friendly and very quick to take our order and bring our food, which I appreciated cause j was literally starving. As for the food it was tasty, the Fajita combo was a big portion for two, but nothing extraordinary. More than authentic Mexican food it felt more Tex mex. Maybe next time I'll go for the tacos to try something different.
Jimmie B.
El Jefe is a Tex-Mex Restaurant. When you walk in, someone greets you with a smile and says welcome to El Jefe. Escorted us to our seats and then brought out warm corn chips and a lovely mild salsa. We asked for the El Jefe ( house ) margaritas and they were delicious! We ordered the Chorizo tacos and burrito. Yumo! Perfect! We lived in Alamogordo New Mexico for three years. We loved the food there and we love the food here! We will be back with friends!
Kevin Manning
El Jefe is rated "Best Taco's in Jacksonville for a reason!- Located in a small pocket of old downtown, it is a clean, orderly, quiet, mid- Senior adult spot.- Pleasant atmosphere that serves SUPER FANTASTIC taco's!- I had the " Taco's 3 and chose two shrimp and one steak!- The presentation, taste and portions were ALL HIGH 10's!- I also had the salad w grilled shrimp which was awesome and flavorful!- My waitress was also very friendly & personable but don't get spoiled with her because she's on her way to Vermont as soon as she get's her car fixed!( Maybe give her a couple extra bucks to help her on her way like I did!)?✨?Parking: Easy- peezy!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tacos Al Pastor Taco
Carrie
The tacos were awesome and Haydn was wonderful :) Very fun evening, thank you!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Darren Borsani
Fantastic food! Margaritas are delicious and very customizable. Staff and servers are all friendly, fast, and I always have a great time here. Highly Recommend!!!Parking: Newly paved parking lot and streetside out front!
Recommended dishes: Tacos Al Pastor Taco,
Katie K
Ugh I’m torn bc the service is always good and the food is decent. But the Margs have to be some of the worst I’ve ever had. This time I went with the El Jefe one, thinking it was the most expensive so has to be the best right ? Has to be better than the happy hour one? Wrong. It was horrible. Also menu said $11 and they charged me $13. At least use fresh squeezed lime for that price and not mix. Think I’m throwing in the towel.
Excellent, great staff, great food. Take out was very good, large portions and good service.
Shelby Kaczmarek
Second time coming here and have not been disappointed yet! Prices seem a little high at first glance, but the portions are freaking huge, and the food is deliciously seasoned and perfectly cooked. The service is extremely fast, and very friendly, loved our waitress, Ellie!Oh and they have corn tortillas and offer you a choice up front instead of defaulting to flour. 10/10 the very best Mexican you can get in Riverside.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
William Hinson
Food was mediocre at best, staff seemed friendly, also they attempted to be as loud as possible. This entire place is very loud, not a good place to just relax and eat. This restaurant caters more to a drinking lively crowd.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 4
Tim F.
Came here with a friend on a "guys night out" mid-week, since both our wives are out of town and he wanted me to try the place. Arrived around 6 in the evening and were seated immediately. Warm tortilla chips and a delicious bowl of salsa arrived and our server took drink orders. This is where I found the only negative spot of my visit: they have Modelo especial and Dos Equis lagers on tap, but not the amber/dark versions of either beer except in bottles. Of course there has to be an upside, and in keeping with their Tex-Mex theme, they do have Shiner Bock on tap, so I was saved. Our meals came out soon, and were hit and freshly prepared. I ordered the build-your-own taco plate with one each chorizo, carne asada and al pastor, with rice and refried beans. My friend went to his old standby, the chorizo quesadilla with rice and charro beans. Both meals were excellent, with the chorizo taco being the standout of the 3 different ones I ordered. Decor is pretty understated, which is a nice change of pace from the typical Mexican places. Our server, Jessenia, was prompt and and efficient, and they have a 10% military discount, which is always nice to see. Have to bring the wife here when she gets back.
Michael Thomas
Was going to our normal Mexican restaurants on July 4. Both were closed so we ventured down Edgewood Avenue and found El Jefe. I had heard about it, and that it was expensive, however, very good. The menu entrées were about 3 to 4 dollars more than most Mexican restaurants in Jacksonville. The quality of the ingredients was excellent, the portions were a good size, couple of unusual items on the menu, and the food was excellent. Our server Hayden did a fantastic job and made a lot of exceptions to accommodate our order. I highly recommend it.Vegetarian options: I am not vegetarian, so I cannot comment on their dishes.Dietary restrictions: They will try to accommodate any request.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tacos Al Pastor Taco, Tacos De Carnitas
We had a friendly greeting from the host. He seated us at a nice table. Lighting was perfect. Ambiance was good. We were told to order the Bob Armstrong dip (off menu). It was amazing. We also got the steak & chicken fajitas. Those were amazing. The meat was cooked perfectly, and we enjoyed them immensely. We will definitely be back!
Best Tex-Mex in JAX. Food is always great here and so is the service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Burrito or Chimichanga, Queso
A great place to eat!! My lady friend and I wanted to try something local instead of driving out to the Orange Park area. We stopped in and checked it out this small local restaurant. El Jefe was about three quarters full so that said something to me right away. The order was taken quickly by Jessenia. The food was delicious and came out of the kitchen at just the right temperature. The prices were good for the amount of food that you receive. I enjoyed the Pollo bowl, and my friend enjoyed a plate of tasty quesadillas. We will be back. Thank you for a great meal.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My lady and I decided to give El Jefe a try after seeing it a couple months ago. All I can say is the Thursday night Taco Board is amazing. Simple tacos with amazing flavor and a very fair price for 12 tacos. The taco board came with 3 of each chorizo, brisket, pork and pineapple and filet mignon with a street corn dip for $30.00. Very impressed with the food and the service. Ellie (sorry if I spelled that wrong) was fantastic, attentive and friendly. The owners should give her a raise! We will def be back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The first thing to notice was the music, live DJ playing and jamming, you could tell he was having a great time; although to me the music was a bit loud so asked to be seated in the back part. Service was amazing, super friendly and very quick to take our order and bring our food, which I appreciated cause j was literally starving. As for the food it was tasty, the Fajita combo was a big portion for two, but nothing extraordinary. More than authentic Mexican food it felt more Tex mex. Maybe next time I'll go for the tacos to try something different.
El Jefe is a Tex-Mex Restaurant. When you walk in, someone greets you with a smile and says welcome to El Jefe. Escorted us to our seats and then brought out warm corn chips and a lovely mild salsa. We asked for the El Jefe ( house ) margaritas and they were delicious! We ordered the Chorizo tacos and burrito. Yumo! Perfect! We lived in Alamogordo New Mexico for three years. We loved the food there and we love the food here! We will be back with friends!
El Jefe is rated "Best Taco's in Jacksonville for a reason!- Located in a small pocket of old downtown, it is a clean, orderly, quiet, mid- Senior adult spot.- Pleasant atmosphere that serves SUPER FANTASTIC taco's!- I had the " Taco's 3 and chose two shrimp and one steak!- The presentation, taste and portions were ALL HIGH 10's!- I also had the salad w grilled shrimp which was awesome and flavorful!- My waitress was also very friendly & personable but don't get spoiled with her because she's on her way to Vermont as soon as she get's her car fixed!( Maybe give her a couple extra bucks to help her on her way like I did!)?✨?Parking: Easy- peezy!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tacos Al Pastor Taco
The tacos were awesome and Haydn was wonderful :) Very fun evening, thank you!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Fantastic food! Margaritas are delicious and very customizable. Staff and servers are all friendly, fast, and I always have a great time here. Highly Recommend!!!Parking: Newly paved parking lot and streetside out front!
Recommended dishes: Tacos Al Pastor Taco,
Ugh I’m torn bc the service is always good and the food is decent. But the Margs have to be some of the worst I’ve ever had. This time I went with the El Jefe one, thinking it was the most expensive so has to be the best right ? Has to be better than the happy hour one? Wrong. It was horrible. Also menu said $11 and they charged me $13. At least use fresh squeezed lime for that price and not mix. Think I’m throwing in the towel.
Restaurantji Recommends
Excellent, great staff, great food. Take out was very good, large portions and good service.
Second time coming here and have not been disappointed yet! Prices seem a little high at first glance, but the portions are freaking huge, and the food is deliciously seasoned and perfectly cooked. The service is extremely fast, and very friendly, loved our waitress, Ellie!Oh and they have corn tortillas and offer you a choice up front instead of defaulting to flour. 10/10 the very best Mexican you can get in Riverside.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was mediocre at best, staff seemed friendly, also they attempted to be as loud as possible. This entire place is very loud, not a good place to just relax and eat. This restaurant caters more to a drinking lively crowd.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 3
Service: 4
Came here with a friend on a "guys night out" mid-week, since both our wives are out of town and he wanted me to try the place. Arrived around 6 in the evening and were seated immediately. Warm tortilla chips and a delicious bowl of salsa arrived and our server took drink orders. This is where I found the only negative spot of my visit: they have Modelo especial and Dos Equis lagers on tap, but not the amber/dark versions of either beer except in bottles. Of course there has to be an upside, and in keeping with their Tex-Mex theme, they do have Shiner Bock on tap, so I was saved. Our meals came out soon, and were hit and freshly prepared. I ordered the build-your-own taco plate with one each chorizo, carne asada and al pastor, with rice and refried beans. My friend went to his old standby, the chorizo quesadilla with rice and charro beans. Both meals were excellent, with the chorizo taco being the standout of the 3 different ones I ordered. Decor is pretty understated, which is a nice change of pace from the typical Mexican places. Our server, Jessenia, was prompt and and efficient, and they have a 10% military discount, which is always nice to see. Have to bring the wife here when she gets back.
Was going to our normal Mexican restaurants on July 4. Both were closed so we ventured down Edgewood Avenue and found El Jefe. I had heard about it, and that it was expensive, however, very good. The menu entrées were about 3 to 4 dollars more than most Mexican restaurants in Jacksonville. The quality of the ingredients was excellent, the portions were a good size, couple of unusual items on the menu, and the food was excellent. Our server Hayden did a fantastic job and made a lot of exceptions to accommodate our order. I highly recommend it.Vegetarian options: I am not vegetarian, so I cannot comment on their dishes.Dietary restrictions: They will try to accommodate any request.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tacos Al Pastor Taco, Tacos De Carnitas