El Jefe on Calvada Blvd used to be one of my favorite Mexican restaurants here in Pahrump, but lately it seems that most items I have ordered are lacking flavor like they did 9 to 12 months ago. As an example, I just had a chicken chimichanga for my dinner. The chicken had no seasoning, the rice inside wasn't much better, and the chef/cook puts no cheese in it nor any seasonings. The guacamole lacks flavor also, but I still put that, sour cream, and salsa on top to eat part of it. I will give the salsa 4 stars , plus the tortilla and chips were acceptable. Honestly, I'm not sure what has happened to the quality of the food. For almost 2 years, I have been going here with our group of Pahrump ladies a few times as we rotate among Pahrump restaurants for lunch every 2 weeks. In addition, my husband and I have been eating here for much longer than that. Perhaps the chef/cook is different, and if this is the case, I am hoping that he or she will be willing to take suggestions or at least listen to this comment. As far as service, I have never had a complaint. I have been there with just my husband or with our group of ladies that has been at least 12 to 15 of us several times. The wait staff is always very professional and friendly, even providing individual checks for the group. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Ambiance is just so so, really nothing that makes one go wow![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Yet the one thing that is important to me is cleanliness, and there is no problem with that![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

The best tacos in Pahrump NV Bean and cheese burritos are very good also. Get it to go if you don't want to dine in, just as good just eat tacos first so nice and crunchy it comes with chips and salsa too. read more

Wonderful experience here. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Friendly customer service and clean dining area.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] They served us fresh chips and salsa that were delicious! We ordered the chimichangas and quesadillas it came out in a timely manner and tasted amazing. Will return! read more

El Jefe Restaurant - Menu - Mexican Near Me - Pahrump, Nevada

My father and I were recently driving through the area when we decided we wanted Mexican food. We decided to stop by El Jefe due to the reviews online. We were pleasantly surprised to say the least. My dad got the Molcajete/Hot lava stone bowl and I got the Bistec ala mexicana with a side of refried beans, rice, and corn tortillas. I also got an Horchata with my meal and it was hands-down one of the best Horchatas I've ever had in my entire life. I'm so bummed to say that I'm only driving through town and that I don't live here to enjoy this every day. Every time I go to any Mexican restaurant that serves horchata I always order it to try it out and half the time it's lackluster. But this is the best Horchata I've ever had, I might just have to drive back through town to have it again. My father and I both enjoyed our meals and took leftovers due to the large portions. I'd also like to say the salsa tasted so fresh and homemade. It is some of the best salsa I've ever had at a Mexican restaurant as well. They Horchata and salsa were the absolute best and the main meals were great too, but nothing crazy, the meat could have used more flavoring. The service was also fantastic and the waitress was super nice. [[HIGHLIGHT]]We also enjoyed the ambience restaurant as well.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I'll definitely be stopping by again if we ever find ourselves coming through town. read more

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I was in the town and was recommended by local. There horchata was the BOMB! I had refill and drank the whole thing. I ordered 2 tacos but it was good portion and I was full(steak and shrimp). My husband got beef tongue burritos and he loved it. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Ambiance is nice and chill and restaurant is much bigger than it looks from outside.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] They only have one waitress so keep that in mind. read more

Excellent food! [[HIGHLIGHT]]Bright and clean restaurant![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The food tasted delicious and was served hot. Complementary salsa and chips for appetizer. The salsa was very tasty . read more

The best servers and best Mexican food in all of Pahrump!!!! Thank you everyone who works there you're all amazing!

Upon arrival, we were greeted by a lovely hostess who was also our waitress. My husband and I went around 5 pm on a week night. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Restaurant decor was typical, nothing special, but clean.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Service was prompt, delightful and piping hot. My husband enjoyed his carne asada, chicken and shrimp plate, also served with rice and beans. The overall prices and service were good. Even though we enjoyed the experience, the food was slightly better than mediocre. Salsa and chips are served before the meal. Husband enjoyed but he is a bland eater. I prefer authenticity in my Mexican food and it just wasn't there. Will I be back? Honestly, yes, not because the food was great, mostly, because so far the restaurants I have tried in Pahrump are mostly mid. If you do not like spicy and prefer TexMex style, give it a try!!!! read more

This is worth the drive! Thanks for showing up on my Yelp. Great carnitas taco. They make their own chips....so good. Salsa is also my favorite type of salsa read more

El Jefe Restaurant - Great food, margarita seemed weak but they brought the tequila to the table to top us off! Best chips and salsa I have had in a long time. - Mexican Near Me - Pahrump, Nevada

We come here for the Chicken Taco Salads They are loaded with Chicken. Never a disappointment!! read more

We ate here on the way back from Death Valley and it was a little off the main 160 highway, but not bad at all. Our first time in Pahrump and we had a great dining experience. I ordered 3 tacos and husband ordered carne asada burrito. The food came out fresh and piping hot. Also, the house chips and salsa was good. Everything hit the spot and we were very satisfied. We left the restaurant a little before 5pm on a Saturday and the place filled up and was poppin. I recommend this restaurant to anyone passing thru and in need of a good Mexican meal. The parking lot was small, but fits a lot of cars and the restaurant is spacious and roomy with a cute vibe! read more

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Amazing service always and great food. It's my go too Mexican Restaurant in Pahrump. Staff always remembers my one family members order and give excellent recommendations read more

Great food great service. They have the best red sauce and chili rellanos. The food is always good when we go there. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Atmosphere is nice.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

The only thing that is frustrating is they may be closed in a day you want to go due to their last minute vacations. Other than that the Mexican food is as authentic as if your mom was in the kitchen making the tortillas herself. Portions are hearty and the staff are amazing. The prices are comparable to fast food but if a high quality homemade meal. The staff are always super attentive and on point to make sure you are taken care of and do not need anything. The are friendly, polite but have a good sense of humor. read more

El Jefe is a must stop in you're in Pahrump. The servers are so nice and very accommodating. The food is ridiculously good. Their chips and salsa - to die for. Love the salsa, not too spicy and super tasty. Their california burrito was excellent - a regular burrito but instead of rice it's French fries and guacamole. Chicken nachos - wow. I mean it's drenched in queso and so so good. Shrimp tacos - really good and the rice and beans it's served with made me want to get an extra side. Delicious. This restaurant is really good and very authentic. Dining in seems like fun, the interior is beautiful. We got take out but everything was still packaged perfectly. The alcoholic drinks to-go is always a nice touch we don't have here in Jersey! read more

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]Everything was very nice. The service, the food, the place, the price.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] But I like to emphasize the way the waitress treated us. She's super nice, I wish I was rich to give her a huge tip. Thank you very much. We will be back. read more

Greeted when we walked in, free chips with fresh but not spicy salsa. Pepsi products. The service was awful! Waited an hour for our food. I ordered pork verde burrito, a tiny amount of cheese, and it was bland with little rice or beans. My husband ordered chicken burrito and it tasted like it was out of a can. This location was in town, we heard the other location was better. Music was loud...,overall negative experience read more

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If you're looking for a nice Mexican restaurant to eat in Pahrump, be sure to stop at El Jefe. The restaurant was clean and the staff welcomed my colleagues and upon entering. It doesn't get busy out in Pahrump so we didn't have to wait to get seated. Just like most Mexican restaurants, they start you off with complimentary chips and salsa. I was not too fond of the salsa. It tasted more of tomatoes than anything else in it. Chips were good, they were definitely fresh. They had a variety of items on their menu and I settled for shrimp tacos with rice and beans. Since their restaurant wasn't busy, we didn't have to wait long for our food. We got our food in 15 minutes. Portion size was real big. I wasn't expecting it to be filling, but it definitely was. read more

El Jefe Restaurant - Three shrimp tacos - Mexican Near Me - Pahrump, Nevada

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]Cute spot in pahrump.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Service is a miss in my opinion but overall the food was pretty dang good. Good size burrito, decent price point and comes out pretty quick! Flavor is great, I'd recommend some sauce on the side preferably green sauce and definitely order the horchata read more

El Jefe Restaurant - California steak burrito - Mexican Near Me - Pahrump, Nevada

First time there. Staff was very courteous and helpful. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Lots of seating very well decorated.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Menu is expansive. I ordered the taco salad with shredded beef. Best taco salad i've ever had. the beef was as good as any you could find at an expensive restaurant. prices are very reasonable. My wife and I paid less than $40 for our meals and beverages. Definitely on the top of our list. read more

We finally tried this establishment he to each their own. We were not impressed at all, ate very little of what we ordered and left it. Pahrump has very few places to eat that are worthy of staying in business read more

Visited after leaving another Mexican restaurant that was tragically so disappointing we left without finishing the margaritas and quacamole we ordered. We did pay before leaving. Had quite good margaritas both blended and on the rocks. Guacamole was very good with the usual Tortilla chips. Ordered 2 Carne Asada y Rellano that was nicely done and tasty. read more

Pork Chile Verde burrito is . Ive had a hard time finding this dish locally that tastes authentic. Sooooo good! I get it without the rice but I'm sure its excellent with it as well, i just scarf it down without any other thoughts, but maybe next time ill remember to snap a photo. read more

Was suggested to come here for lunch yesterday. It was busy with multiple tables as well as a BIG group - and just one waitress. Other employees brought chips and salsa and a drink order was taken. I had to wait to order food with the waitress. I ordered the 2 Chile's Rellanos with refried beans. I had pretty much finished off the basket of chips and salsa when the entree was served. The plate was HUGE! The refried beans were really good! The chiles rellanos, were a little disappointing. They used some kind of an almost fluffy batter around them which to me was weird. It was difficult to cut the tough skin of the peppers. I finished the yummy beans and ended up leaving one of the Chile's. A beer and the chiles rellanos were $20. I would give this anothe read more

1st time here on a recommend Ordered their massive Taco salad (to go) enough for 2+ depending on how hungry you are. I was also looking forward to a Margarita (yes to go!) pretty certain there was no alcohol added ): for the price it was disappointing cup 3/4 full. I would recommend stopping at the local store for " Cutwater" brand margarita read more

Got a bad chile relleno, very tough. Told the waitress, but she said, "Well they cooked it!", vs "I'll get you another." I should have insisted that she get me another one cooked properly but I didn't . Next time I will. read more

The food is amazing. The service is a little slow, but the food definitely makes up for it.

I was on an errand in Pahrump NV, and I needed something to eat and quickly looked for a restaurant on Google. I found this El Jefe and decided to go there. It did not let me down. I ordered the shrimp fajita and it was delicious. The salsa that was served with the chips, is one of the best I have ever had, it was super delicious. The service and the food was great which is usually the case when you go to a mom and pop kinda owned restaurant, compared to chain restaurants. I was tired and took my sweet time in this restaurant, there was no pressure to leave and I didn't get the bill until I was ready. From the outside, it looks unassuming. The ambience is a typical south of the boarder vibe with a warmth and welcoming feeling. I got an abundance of food and was very happy when I left. I highly recommend this restaurant, if you are in Pahrump and are hungry and don't know where to go. read more

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We stayed in Pahrump while visiting Death Valley and ate here twice. The service was efficient which was great since we were starving at the end of every day. The margaritas were also delicious. We had cheese enchiladas, carves asada tacos, and chili rellenos, all of which I would eat again. If/When I'm ever back in Pahrump I will definitely eat here! read more

By far the most disgusting meal I've ever had in my life. I ordered the carne asada burrito and it was foul spolied tasting, old gray grizzely meat that would not even chew. The waitress did not return to the table to ask how the meal was or if we needed anything. It was like eating garbage, foul funky spoiled flavor, so nasty. read more

I just wanted to add that the reviews for this place can often seem quite contradictory and the reason for that I believe is that many visitors from out of town, don't seem to realize that despite being located in a small desert town that there are in fact 2 different and distinct El Jefe Mexican Restaurants in Pahrump. One is located on Hwy 160 and the other is on Calvada, both Restaurants have different Staff, Chefs and Ambience. Unfortunately some of the reviews here are mistakenly posting reviews of the two different restaurants as if it's the exact same Mexican restaurant on Yelp by not noticing that this listing is for the Calvada address reviews only. I like this one on Calvada, although it's much smaller than the Hwy 160 location it's superior by far in food quality, presentation and service in my opinion. In fact I don't care for the one on 160 Hwy at all and I never eat there anymore personally, last time I was there the stench of harsh cleaning chemicals was permeating the entire dining area the whole time and it was so off putting it ruined the whole dining experience...I hope that clears up the confusion. My 4 star rating is only for the Calvada location and I give 1 Star for the Hwy 160 Location. Cheers read more

The food is good, the service has a LOT to be desired. There are two servers and they seemed more interested in standing at the counter talking to each other rather then checking on their customers. Twice I had to flag the girl down to get her to come over and refill our drinks. I like the place, it seemed to have a steady crowd coming and going quicker then they came because the service was not good. We split the bill and they got less then 15% tip which was generous being we mainly got ignored, however it wasn't just our table but all. If the girls enjoy talking to each other so much, let them go so they can hang out and get some servers in there who want to earn money and keep this place in business. I highly recommend this place for the food but not the service. Either train these girls to be more attentive or get new servers. read more

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Comfortably large dining area with cozy circular booth seating.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Started with the chips and delicious house pico de gallo then shared the shrimp fajitas... TASTY! Service was friendly and efficient. read more

There is something for everyone, my Mom had the Menudo, my Son had the patty melt, my husband had a burger, my Aunt had nachos, I had strawberry crepes. Everything was delicious, great food, great prices. read more

Went on a quick trip to Nevada and was looking for a restaurant nearby where we at and decided to try this place. To our surprised we were able to dine in. The restaurant was not crowded and they still practiced social distancing allowing each party to be seated very far apart. What we ordered: Fish fillet with garlic sauce- 3 stars. This would have been really good only if it wasn't salty. The fish were cooked well and potion was good but it was just too salty for my likings. Server with rice and beans Carne asada plate-4 stars. Steak perfectly marinated and it was tender and juicy. Served with rice and beans. Fish tacos- 2 stars. The fish tacos were fried but seemed like it was popped in the microwave before serving. Just no. Shrimp tostada- 4 stars. Seasoned well but a little pricey for the portion. Beef enchiladas- 3.5 stars. It was good but nothing really special, beef barbacoa with the enchilada sauce. Drinks- horchata- 4.5 stars, Jamaica- 4.5 stars. read more

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I cannot say enough good things about this restaurant. We recently found this place and have been back 4 times since. *The chicken diabla is my favorite dish by far, but only if it's mild -- made the mistake of ordering it the first time medium, which was too spicy for me. *The enchiladas are amazing, both red and green sauce plus the enchilada dish is a pretty decent size. *The chili relleno is tasty and done well which I appreciate because some places do not do them well. * The California burrito is really good, better than Roberto's in my opinion. -- Only draw backs are the rice and beans, they are hit or miss with the seasoning. Maybe they could try cilantro lime rice as one of the options? Overall, the food is really good and so had been the service. This restaurant will definitely be one of our go to spots for a while. read more

Decent Mexican food with good portions and low prices. The service was excellent but they do get busy so our check took some time to arrive. Very casual dining experience so no need to dress up and they didn't answer the phone when I called but it there are so many seats I wouldn't bet in it being completely full. The combination plates are the best deal and I really liked their strawberry margarita. read more

This is a review for El Jefe #1 What a surprise and a treat. We made the drive to Parhump to pick up wine at the winery and decided to have a late lunch. Both some friends and the winery recommended El Jefe much to our advantage. The service was good. The food was for and delicious with good flavor. The quality of food was excellent. The quantity of food was huge. The place is freshly renovated and I believe it was expanded so it was clean/bright/inviting. The shrimp dish my partner ordered was excellent and had plenty of well cooked, large, properly seasoned shrimp. My fajitas were delivered piping hot on a hot plate with a pile of shrimp, carne asada, and shrimp. Enjoyed them very much. Next time we are in Parhump this place will be a spot. read more

Came to town for Corvette school and would come back for this food! Had no idea we would find good Mexican food outside of Texas but this was just fabulous! I had the Chicken fajitas and my husband had the chicken enchiladas and both of us were stuffed . Our mango margaritas were just wonderful! Great place to get away from the race complex and have some homemade Mexican food! read more

We eat here for dinner quite a bit but just discovered they do breakfast as well. My husband had Machaca and Eggs ( came with beans and tortillas ) and I had a standard American breakfast of pancakes, eggs and bacon. Everything was perfect including the service. Server was pleasant and timely. It was a great experience and we will definitely go back. read more