Great tacos, tasty sauces, friendly service, refined casual vibes. Would eat here again. read more

El Jefe Tacos - Pastor taco - Mexican Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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We stopped by El Jefe Tacos because we were looking to grab something small, and their menu looked good. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted, but the place was dead. I think they must do a lot of takeout orders, or the lunch rush had already happened because we were the only people in the restaurant. They have tacos and sushi, but we ended up just ordering one of each taco: El Pastor, Carnitas, Carne Asada, and chicken, and an order of rolled Taquitos. We did 2 potato, and 2 chicken. The star of the show was the potato taquito and the El Pastor taco. Everyone else was good, but the meats were all pretty dry. They do have a caddy of salsa on the table: one tomatillo, one red, and one avocado crema. They unfortunately didn't have much flavor. Overall, everything was just okay. Maybe we need to come back and give their sushi a try. read more

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I've been ordering from El Jefe in Tempe for the last 4 to 5 years as we live fairly close. We love the tacos especially with doing the family meal for street tacos! The meats are so good. We also use to love the sushi side. During Covid, we tried the sushi for the first time. We were hesitant as it's a Mexican joint, right? Not a Japanese specialty shop. So to my surprise, I couldn't believe the sushi especially the Las Vegas roll and their Nigiri cuts were pretty dang good. My disappointment seems to be this last year with the sushi just hasn't been the best or fresh tasting. The Las Vegas roll was always nice and warm but with an awesome cold center and fried to perfection and the sauce just right. Lately it's been the opposite. Super over fried were all you can taste is old burnt oil and it dried out and the sauce just bland and not helping at all. The other thing that bothers us is the lack of wasabi they give! If you're not going to give us full flavor, at least give more wasabi to help mask. I will say they give you plenty of soy sauce packets (just barely any wasabi). read more

El Jefe Tacos - Sushi with only 1 container of wasabi that isn't even half way full. - Mexican Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Randomly went here because my neighbor and I were in the neighborhood. Very neat and clean. Wasn't busy when we got there, but just after we arrived at small crowd came in behind us. Ordered 3 queso birriera and 3 shrimp tacos. Both were very good. Birriera was juicy and well seasoned. Not too much cheese! Consume was tasty, but needed a touch of salt. The shrimp were grilled very well. Plump and snappy. Had them with the Chipotle crema. Very tasty. Only complaint would be the total price. I realize beef has gone up, but over 5.00 a taco is a bit steep. Just under 40.00 for 6 tacos and a coke. Pretty steep! read more

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Food was exceptionally flavorful and seasoned well. We ordered the ramen, tacos, and the Phoenix roll. We went to here as they were one of the late night spots still open. *This along with a hibiscus drink (large) and a cola! Approximately 50$. * Service was simple, kind, order at the register- type of spot. Ambiance wasn't busy for a Sunday night but the vibes were there, and I can imagine they get busy and can handle a lot with the seating options they have. read more

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Ordered from DoorDash so can't speak for the vibe or service, but this place was honestly really good. And affordable. The Vegas roll was perfectly crispy, and they even had a great 2 for 1 deal on it through the app. The other rolls were also super tasty and hit the spot. Definitely a great spot for some good sushi that won't break the bank. read more

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First time at El Jefe Taco Sushi, and I really liked the open-concept atmosphere. The restaurant has a fun vibe and a lot of potential. The al pastor had a good base but needed more flavor. The carne asada lacked seasoning, color, and the bold taste I was expecting. The sushi was a good start, but it could use more flavor and a little extra crunch to make it stand out. The horchata was not authentic. Service was fast however there were no customers so this might have helped the fast service. Overall, it's a decent spot with potential. With a few improvements to the seasoning and flavors, I think it could be a great place to visit. read more

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Decorated nice with a bar, inside and outside seating and space selling merchandise. Place order at front counter and seat yourself . Staff was friendly. Reason for 3 stars was the food. Tacos were ok. Not the best or the worst just ok. The protein bowl was disappointing. It was 75% steamed rice and 4 pieces of fish. Definitely not worth the price. read more

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Honestly the food wasn't great , order the birria noodles and they were awful they have great customer service they were super nice just the food wasn't that good . read more

Sushi and tacos. It works. Nice place. Hidden gem. We got a pile of street tacos. The pastor was my favorite. If you get the onions and cilantro topping for light. It can smother everything. The wife loved the fried fish ones. Slaw on top. Ill go back. read more

Q: What did the taco say to the avocado? A: Let's guac and roll! Five years later, this is still a great place! I remember when this place used to be Red Owl but El Jefe Tacos is easily a better establishment. It's bright, there's plenty of seating, and the menu is massive. I recently came here with some friends after grabbing a drink and going on a distillery tour and it was exactly what was needed after a long day. I ordered the El Jefe Nachos and El Jefe Specialty Roll. Both were tasty! It's good to see how this once sleepy plaza is flourishing. Get some good eats here. read more

El Jefe Tacos - El Jefe Nachos. - Mexican Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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You know what sounds good after a distillery tour? Nachos and sushi from a taco shop. I know what you're thinking and maybe it was the alcohol but I enjoyed myself here. I've had them once before as takeout so it was my first time dining in. I never realized how massive the menu is. I was torn between what to get but I was eavesdropping on other members of my party's orders and I copied J-Wow. El Jefe Specialty Roll with some El Jefe Nachos it is. Both were good and promptly consumed. Come here and enjoy some eats and then walk across the parking lot to grab some doughnuts. I use to live in the condos right behind El Jefe Tacos so it's cool to see how this plaza has changed. read more

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Who doesn't love tacos and sushi. Here at EL Jefe, you can have them both. This place is conveniently located right off the 101 in Tempe. It is a very spacious place with plenty of seating. A group of us came by here after a fun night of drinks. The nachos are definite worth getting as a sharable. I ordered some street tacos and enjoyed them. They have a variety of protein options to choose from that you can get on a corn or flour tortilla. The menu is quite large and includes birria specials, family packs and some breakfast choices. read more

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Probably the worst tacos I've ever had in my life. Everything tasted old the guac tasted old. The chicken was dry. We paid 30 bucks for tacos. I had two pieces of meat on it. Don't come here. read more

Decent tacos/sushi spot. They have late night food so good to order DoorDash from. Lots of seating inside. No alcohol on premises so no margs. Birria bowl and sushi was really filling. read more

Amazing customer service! On time delivery with our catering order!! Food was delicious & so tasty! Came with all condiments, guacamole, limes, cilantro & onion & salsa! We were very impressed! Thank you for catering our farewell to our mother!! If you want fresh food & on time delivery give el Jefe a try!! And the de la olla beans were a hit!!! read more

Business owner Julio helped take my order. He was full of excellent energy. He was very polite and friendly. The food was delicious. And his helper, Andrea was very helpful in polite too. The ambience is fun, friendly and just so very welcoming!! I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

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I tried El Jefe for the first time. I ordered rice, chips and salsa. A quesadilla, a Baja fish taco and a grilled Adobada fish taco. The portions were generous, and the fish tacos tasty with a good portion of fish and lime for acidity. I didn't love the cheese on the quesadilla but it was cooked well. For the price very satisfied. Recommended. read more

Great food, music, and ambience! Went in on a Friday night, had that great service and they were pretty busy. The young man with the glasses is super helpful and sweet! The horchata is super smooth and delicious. Had the Birria tacos and Birria quesadilla. Great amount meat, cheese, cilantro and onion. Food was super hot and fresh. Consume was flavorful and liked both salsa verde. Definitely our new favorite taco place. read more

Very different from Jalisco but very good.. also 5 star. Extremely high quality ingredients, executed perfectly. Had Al pastor street tacos, a shrimp taco and fish taco. The street tacos had that street tacos flavor like fresh off the grill. The Al pastor was not fatty at all but full of flavor. The shrimp and fish taco were very respectable for being the product of a land locked state. Location was nice with cool art and staff seemed helpful. Yet another solid mex spot for PHX!! It really is a step up from SoCal the way SoCal steps up from everywhere else. read more

El Jefe Tacos - Fish taco on left and shrimp taco on right. - Mexican Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

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I ordered some takeout the other night and the food was so good. Only thing I would change if I made this at home would be to add cheese inside the chimis so it gives more oomph. The flavor was great, the salsas and queso sauces were delightful. The consommé was a little lackluster compared to other places, but this place doesn't focus on just birria. I saw sooo many things on the menu I want to try as that was my first time going in. The service was fast and friendly and the place was really clean and a pretty open floor plan for dining so it didn't feel crowded. I ordered a strawberry 3 leches cake which comes from a local bakery and that was a little on the sweeter side, I think I might have liked the vanilla one a bit better to have a more traditional feel. Overall I would definitely order here again. read more

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The food was amazing! We got the family meal that was reasonably priced and fed 4, with leftovers. The service was great, curteous and very speedy. The ambiance was chill had fun all the way around. Definitley reccomend this spot. read more

I ordered the birria ramen. Ive tried a lot of birria ramens and this place has been the best. It came with a birria taco which I love. The meat was super tender and flavorful. And something I didnt expect to also be delicious was the green salsa! Great service as well. read more

Shit was gas got that big box I think it's el jefe box with the fries nachos and 3 tacos super good

Ordered DoorDash from this place countless times so I decided to stop by in person while in the area AND MANNN, it delivered. The birria tacos and quesadillas are killer. The staff are kind and the atmosphere is upbeat 10/10 recommend read more

El Jefe Tacos - front desk + menu - Mexican Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

we've been coming here the past couple weeks and we love the food and there is a white man early 30s who always gave us great service so we love coming here until today we had a short guy with curly hair and glasses that told us we needed to leave because they made our food to go even tho we didn't place it to go and yet the establishment still had 20 minutes open. It was extremely rude and unprofessional. read more

I checked out El Jefe Tacos as they were a vendor at Innings Festival in Tempe. Since they had a pop-up at the festival, service and ambiance weren't a big part of the experience so I'll focus on the food. I went with the carne asada fries. I'm a sucker for loaded fries but unfortunately, these were subpar. The portion size was less than you typically get for loaded fries. The queso they used was flavorless, it tasted like Velveeta. Not the type of queso you would expect from a Mexican joint. The carne asada was cut into very small pieces. The meat wasn't bad, but given its size, you weren't able to taste its flavor fully. I got my fries without Pico de Gallo. All in all, not terrible or anything, but definitely lackluster compared to the standard created by the loaded fries you can get at a bunch of food trucks. read more

I thought there was no good Mexican places in Tempe until I found El Jefe. This is one of the best burritos I've had in my life. No picture of the Munchies burrito but TRUST ME it's the best one you'd wanna try. The Al Pastor tastes heavenly and it melts in your mouth. The cheese sauce and the fries just complement each others putting the whole burrito together. I also tried the shrimp burrito and it was another 10/10. This is definitely lighter than the Munchies but it's fresh. The cabbage and the white sauce with the grilled shrimp, simple yet healthy and flavorful option. I refuse to eat a burrito anywhere else. They were also so busy with takeout orders which means people know what's up. It's a good place to get a GOOD burrito. Looking forward to the next time I get to indulge into one of their burritos! read more

El Jefe Tacos - Aquarium - Mexican Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Finally decided to try this place. Very disappointed. Felt like I was a bother to the employee when placing my order. Once I got my Burrito and drove away, IT WAS COLD.... the Eggs were not even a bit warm. Not worth going back to correct this. I will not be returnin. read more

I let AI recommend a taco place to me and wound up disappointed. These tacos are average. It tastes like catering tacos from Facebook marketplace. Good enough to feed you but nobody is thrilled about it. Service was solid and ambiance felt like a modern taco shop. Sushi was also average. Slightly better than grocery store sushi and not as good as dedicated sushi spots. This place is a skip. Not bad, but not good read more

The service was bad. The morenita with the mid length black hair, has the nastiest attitude. It was our first time here and right away it started off bad. She didn't care to help us with the menu. Later when we got our order we wanted more salsa she was difficult. She didn't want to give us our salsa and she rolled her eyes. We later ordered more food, I talked to young man with glasses and he was the sweetest! He definitely made up for it! read more

Was not impressed by this place at all. My tacos did not have any flavor and I felt like my tortillas were raw not fully cooked. I got a variety of tacos to taste each protein. They all seemed to taste the same with no flavor. Glad I tried it but disappointed in the food oh well. read more

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If I recall, they had me at the name alone! Tacos are a staple, and I am Taco Bill! El Jefe was exceptional!

My favorite late night spot thank you to the kind people of el jefes that always put up with me at midnight

The menu is overwhelmingly awesome with options! Some things aren't on the menu but you can order in person. read more

El Jefe Tacos - Horchata - Mexican Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

Food is good when they get it right, but if they mess up the order, they don't fix it. Disappointing.

The breakfast burritos are huge and very well packed with ingredients! The salsa is authentic and delicious! We got street tacos, and a big dinner box to share and everything was fresh, hot, and delicious. We did DD it, so we haven't physically been there but we have ordered multiple times. read more

My son had the chicken tacos and claims that the best he ever had. We live in area with a large Mexican community plenty of options this place kicked all of their butt. I had the quesabirria and it was amazing. I have never had anything like it. read more

Too expensive, food was cold I had to ask to get my food warm up, even my friend burrito was cold like refrigerator cold! Never again this place ! Sorry read more

El Jefe Tacos - Birria bowl - Mexican Near Me - Tempe, Arizona

I know what you're thinking sushi and tacos? OMG, I wish I could go back! This is exactly what we were looking for after a long day at a festival. We were craving sushi, but there was no all you can eat in Tempe, that was late. This place had everything we were looking for from sushi to Mexican food and savory drinks. We ordered a couple rolls, sashimi, nigiri, horchata & Carne Asada fries. The total was $70, we were so sad because it didn't give us an option to tip and we had no cash on us! The guy at the front was super nice. If you're looking to dine in, they have great seating options. We decided to go, it was relatively fast! Their sushi was so fresh! There sashimi were so thick! It was all hot and fresh, thinking about it right now my mouth is watering! Don't walk, RUN! I wish I took pictures, but we were just so hungry:/ read more