Wanted some authentic Mexican food while on vacation and found this awesome place. The food was absolutely delicious, and the service was outstanding. We enjoyed watching the FIFA championship while sipping on refreshing aguas frescas, which made the experience even better. If you're looking for authentic Mexican food with a great atmosphere and friendly service, I highly recommend this place! read more

Stopped in to order food to go. While waiting the woman manager or owner decides to meet with all the wait and kitchen staff about ten feet away from me. I am on my phone watching Facebook reels. She started to talk loudly to them about things she was not happy about and got louder and louder and got more and more descriptive of things she was not happy about. She spoke Spanish to them and I think she assumed I did not understand Spanish. It got to the point that I felt embarrassed for the employees and I raised the volume on my phone so that I did not have to hear what was being said. It did not work! That made me very upset and I began to get a tight knot in my stomach. She was very loud and talked to them in a very condescending and mean manner. I lost my appetite!!! I could only take so much. I got up from my chair, walked over, interrupted the meeting to motion my waiter to me and told him to please cancel my order because I did not like what was happening in front of customers. I said it was not right. And, I made sure to look at her when I said that. I also said I will never return and walked out. I feel sorry for the employees. I really hope she did not take it out on them. But, I had to say something. This happened exactly as I have written it. The woman did not respond to me in any way. I think she was shocked. read more

This restaurant was SO good and SO authentic!! We had a group of 9 and we're seated and served in a very timely manner, everything was amazing portions for their price and the flavor was top notch- truly I wish we had their restaurant in Dallas! Our waiter was so kind and attentive, bathrooms were clean and well stocked, I would 1000% visit here again if im ever back in South Texas! read more

See all

Great food, good service. Like the salsas. Had the fajitas for 2 people. The beans were charo and very good read more

El Jefe Restaurant - Boot glass - Mexican Near Me - Port Isabel, Texas

Stop by!! This restaurant was beyond my expectations. We were visiting spi so we decided to stop by this restaurant,everything is made to order (you know it is super fresh!!). The staff is lovely and super nice. I ordered the enchiladas suizas and my bf ordered some tostadas, both of us were in amaze with how good the food was! The ambiance of the restaurant is home and I love the boot style. I will definitely visit again!! read more

See all

Nice little authentic hole in the wall. Food, service and atmosphere were all great. See the pictures for the food. Chips were made in house and came free with a cup of chicken noodle soup. read more

See all

OMG - so delish!!! Had the shrimp rancheros and hubby had the street tacos. Both were excellent! Spicy and full of flavor. The charro beans were a huge bonus. I may come back just to eat a bowl of them! Lots of shrimp on my plate and cooked perfectly!! read more

El Jefe has really good food and every time we go eat there the staff is very friendly always with a smile. The inside has good seating with heavy furniture and a country or cowboy/vaquero style which I love. You won't regret eating here if you're on a budget. read more

Very authentic and very delicious! We all enjoyed every bite, 4 different meals. Service was quick and friendly. The Mexican atmosphere was fun. Highly recommended by all of us! read more

We will not be returning to this restaurant when we visit South Padre Island in April 2026. People were very nice but we did not like any of the food we ordered or ate! read more

The good the service and the place where all great. I really enjoyed the flavors. Everyone was very friendly. The decoration is very traditional with nicely crafted wooden chairs and tables. I loved it. Would definitely recommend it and go back. read more

El Jefe Restaurant - Complimentary chips and sauce - Mexican Near Me - Port Isabel, Texas

See all

Best little Mexican Cafe near the island! Loved the food here while on vacation. Will definitely return next time in that area.

The food was amazing. This place is very authentic no other places compares to this little family owned restaurant. The service was fast and very friendly. Everyone must stop by and try out the amazing food read more

It's a little hole in the wall but it's delicious! My husband and I ended up going twice during our vacation this year. The chips are made fresh and the salsa is good with a little kick. The first night we got the Parillada tortolitos & shared it. It was more than enough for us both. The tortillas are fresh and delicious! You could tell they're homemade. The chicken fajita was seasoned so perfectly! I think I actually liked it over the beef fajita (but the beef fajita was still great!). The second night I got the 4 Enchiladas Americanas & ate the entire plate haha. I got cheese, and the cheese was so flavorful. I never get food like this back home. I wish I could take these meals back to Austin with me haha. I mean, just top notch. It's definitely worth coming to. Don't pass on it, check it out. The staff is super friendly too, the food came out quickly. I give it a 10/10. read more

El Jefe Restaurant - Parillada Tortolitos (for 2) - Mexican Near Me - Port Isabel, Texas

See all

Authentic Mexican theme and menu, with a twist! Breakfast all day was a hit for the kids I had street tacos that were absolutely awesome. Well it was not crowded, service was good. We will definitely be back! read more

El Jefe Restaurant - Street tacos. - Mexican Near Me - Port Isabel, Texas

See all

Great place with great energy. The dishes were packed with flavor, and you could tell they used quality ingredients. Service was friendly and consistent throughout our meal. A solid choice for anyone. read more

Was very impressed with how good their food and service was. We will be making this a regular on our island trips! Our best food experience in our many trips down! read more

I have eaten Mexican food up and down the Rio Grande River Valley on both sides of the border for almost 20 years and this is hands down the best food I have ever found! Service was amazing and the experience was to be remembered!! read more

El Jefe Restaurant - Tacos Matamoros and Mole' Polo!! - Mexican Near Me - Port Isabel, Texas

True Mexican food was great. If your looking for authentic food from Mexico this is your place.

We went here our last day in South Padre and it was amazing! We all loved it. Of course they didn't speak good english but they got our orders right. I got the fajitas and they were so good! I could've eaten that meal the whole trip. The rice was great and the beans were also good. Steak was clean and so tender! They gave us soup that was not good. Served us fast and place was very clean. I would definitely recommend and will be going back! read more

Tacos Matamoros were really good as we're the charro beans. There was only one man serving as waiter and cashier - did an excellent job keeping up with everything!! We would definitely go back again. They give you LOTS of food. read more

Authentic Mexican food...so good! Any place that has potatoes in their ground beef is my kinda place. When they get their alcohol license they will be unstoppable. read more

Love it here good service good prices good people 10/10 recommend if looking for a Mexican spot read more

See all

I don't see how this restaurant has almost 5 stars. The food took forever to come out. The waitress had the worst customer service, we had to ask her 3 times for chips and salsa and it even took forever just to get waters and they weren't even that busy. She was more preoccupied with organizing soda bottles and rearranging them instead of waiting on us. Then when we finally got the food it wasn't anything special, the enchiladas were underwhelming and barely had any sauce. We have been to many taquerias and I always had way better enchiladas than this place. Rather go somewhere else next time we are in town. Then they have the audacity to put up a sign "tip not included in bill" well maybe if service was better then people would actually leave tips. read more

My husband fell in love. Head over heels like I've never seen before. We do not love tex mex and live in Texas now. It's by far the closest thing to California Mexican that we've had in years. read more

Real Mexican food!! Not strong on atmosphere but a cozy place and good food at a reasonable price.

We tried the street tacos and they were amazing!10/10! The beans were also amazing! Our food came out very quickly and it was reasonably priced. Will be eating here again! read more

Service was outstanding along with the breakfast! Most definitely recommend and will be returning on our next trip back out here.

The food was excellent and the service was spot on. So much to choose from. The interior is very nice as well. We will definitely be back.

The food came out fairly quickly, the service was great and greeted upon entry. The meal we had rivals big name restaurants. Definitely recommend this establishment. read more

The food and the service were good. Very nice and helpful. The chips and the salsa were OK. read more

El Jefe Restaurant - Enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Port Isabel, Texas

See all

What a gem of a restaurant! The food was great, and the service was excellent. Kudos to Steve, who took the time to explain every dish and helped us make the perfect choices. Will definitely be back soon! read more

Amazing authentic food! Chips and salsa was delicious! My kids ordered breakfast for dinner and loved it. My husband and I ordered a fajita dish for 2. Beans were the best we've ever had. Service was fast and Friendly! We definitely plan to return! read more

El Jefe Restaurant - Meal for 2...but could easily feed 4. - Mexican Near Me - Port Isabel, Texas

This restaurant is just amazing. Food, service, ambiance ... we loved it all. Stumbled onto this place during a beach trip and wow! We were lucky. I wish we had a restaurant like this at home. read more

El Jefe Restaurant - Beautiful authentic dishes, tables, chairs, decor. - Mexican Near Me - Port Isabel, Texas

The food was awesome! We had the fajita plate and chicken flautas. Great price for the portion size. Very friendly service, too.

As a local and Native Texan... I do not recommend. On a Friday at 12:30 pm we decided to try El Jefe Restaurant for the first time. I read good reviews so I was quite surprised to see a nearly empty dining room. Regardless we sat and ordered. Beef enchiladas Americanas plate and the shredded beef flautas plate. The courtesy sopa and chips and salsa were good. However the main entrees were not good and quite gross to be honest. The enchilada sauce is like nothing I've ever tasted. It almost tasted like spaghetti sauce. Weird! It was dark red like ketchup. Inside was mostly potato chunks, not beef. Not at all what Texmex enchiladas should look and taste like. The flautas were such a disappointment. Dry, tough and flavorless shredded beef rolled up in a greasy flavorless corn tortilla that is soggy from lettuce and tomato. The rice and beans were tasty but very small portions. However, you had to order a flour tortilla. Luckily I did and made a bean taco. We did not eat the entrees, tipped the waitress generously , paid and left. What I found shocking was when we were asked if we enjoyed our meal I replied NO. The waitress did not question and was not concerned. When we paid at the register, the man asked if everything was good. I simply stated No it was not. He did not question me further as I'm sure he did not want to have a conversation about it in public or refund our money. We did not ask for a refund and wouldn't have anyways. In all, I would not recommend and will never return. It seems like they'll throw anything on a plate because a tourist wouldn't notice but I'm no tourist. read more

El Jefe Restaurant - Enchiladas Americanas and beef flautas. Could not eat. Not good at all. - Mexican Near Me - Port Isabel, Texas

For down here it is pretty dang solid. Had huevos rancheros and not a damn thing wrong. Service was friendly and prompt and it's a local owned hole in the wall place. Just good place to support. read more

Cute small restaurant that is super clean. Breakfast was absolutely amazing. Finally! We have been striking out on breakfast until today. My chilaquiles put all the ones I've had in the past to shame. Service was perfect. I highly recommend trying this place. The portions are huge and the prices are absolutely reasonable which is hard to find in this area. read more

The food was amazingly delicious, lots of it at a great price. I don't normally eat the beans that come with meals but with these I ate the beans AND drank the juice. All homemade tortillas, lots of flavor and served on super cute pottery plates which they sell 4 for $10! I felt like I was in an abuela's kitchen read more

See all

Great service and even better, authentic food. The Pollo Mole Wes so good. Service was spot on.