El Jefe Luchador

The food was as good or better than the Deerfield Beach location we’ve been going to for years. «Cotija» cheese was even spelled correctly; it’s spelled «cojita» on the DB menu. The employees even call it cojita cheese there, and they always look puzzled when we laugh at them. The food — smokin bowl with chorizo, tacos al pastor and steak, and torta with chorizo — was excellent across the board. We took about 5 little cups of the Chili de Arbol salsa while they weren’t looking, and the salt, garlic, and chili flavors were in perfect alignment (recently, the DB location had forgotten to add salt).
The missing star is due to the poor customer service training of the cashier and food pusher. We get that they are edgy millennials but we really don’t care. When someone asks for a trio of tacos al pastor then says, «And we’ll have steak.» you don’t ask rudely, «Steak what?» Instead, you ask politely, «Would you like a steak taco?» And when the guest says «Thank you!», you smile and say «My pleasure!» like that Chick-​Fil-​a across the Food Court with the lion’s share of the Food Court business. Make the guest feel wanted and you’ll have more than two.
We came to this location because we wanted Jefe but weren’t going by Deerfield. So we weren’t there for the Mall. Being Presidents’ Day, the Food Court was packed with the usual godless hordes of grumpy shoppers who seem agitated that there are so many people alive and noisily bustling around. I recommend avoiding the Mall on those days.

This is absolutely horrendous… for my diet! My love for tacos and pork belly doesn’t help my goal for a flat tummy. Seriously the best pork belly tacos that I’ve had in a long time. The pork belly has a nice crispy exterior with a melt in your mouth center and the perfect amount of saltiness and sweetness that I can’t help but continue to stuff my mouth until I’ve hit food coma. I do wish the pieces were a tad bit smaller but it was just perfect otherwise.
I had the shrimp taco during my prior visit but it wasn’t quite the standout as the pork belly taco. Took Ratha M here and she got the pork belly and steak taco and looked over and said «You’re only getting the pork belly taco» and I said «That’s all you’ll want», lol! And I was right. She said, the steak was good but the pork belly is the best taco she’s had in a while. We also got the plantains that comes with the combo special. I would have preferred it better without the syrup because it was just way too sweet for my taste.

I tried the «El Colonel» tacos (2) and ordered chips and queso. The tacos tasted great, however there very small and are $ 3.75 each. The chips were fried as always just like any other Mexican restaurant, but my chips were drenched in oil. I threw them out.

I love tacos and am new to the area so I’ve been trying every place I see. I tried the shrimp taco which was pretty good. I wasn’t that hungry so that’s all I tried but it’s worth it to try again. I might consider trying the other location next time.

I’ve been to the Deerfield location and even though this is in a mall, the quality they put out does not lack. My wife and I got the chicken and barbacoa tacos and they were perfect. We got the side of roasted corn, which was great, but definitely was messy.
Being next to Chik fil a probably keeps them from getting busy but if you’re looking for some food that won’t bog you down during shopping, this is your spot. Check out their store front in Deerfield!

I typically really like the food at El Jefe. The salads are bomb (definitely worth the crazy price) and the tacos are delicious, but the service at the mall location is embarrassing. I usually go to the location on S Federal, where the service is much better.
Service in Florida in general has been sub-​par at best, but this food court experience was particularly bad. When I walked up to the counter there were 3 guys standing around blankly. I waited a solid minute until finally one decided to take my order, which came out very slowly. When I was called up to the counter, I asked for the salsa without chipotle (the S Federal location has 3 salsas, one of which is chipotle) and the kid behind the counter scoffed at me and said they were 10x better than Chipotle. He gave me some salsa, then actually turned his back on me while I tried to ask for limes. I tried to explain that chipotle was in fact a pepper before it was a restaurant, but that might’ve been too much for this kid to handle.
On top of being assaulted by his stupidity, my burrito was very poorly constructed: all the rice and guac was on the bottom. I was so massively disappointed by this experience, I’m contemplating not going back to either location.

My friends and I needed a small snack after a long shopping session, so we split a couple of tacos. There was a short line when we got to the counter, but were able to order and get our food in about 10 minutes. We tried the 2 Specialty Taco Combo w/​El Rey (Crispy Shrimp Taco w/​Mayonesa Picate, Guacamole, Cabbage Slaw) & El Chicharron (Crispy Pork Belly w/​Ancho-​Smoked Tomato, Salsa Suave, Guacamole, Cabbage Slaw) & Roasted Corn w/​Cotija Aioli ($ 9,
). Thanks, cashier, for making my order into a combo and saving me $ 2! My friend warned me that she had the El Chicharron before and there were too many flavors going on for her, and we were all in agreement. Although the pork belly itself was really good, I wouldn’t get this taco again. The El Rey was a bit better since the shrimp had a nice crispy exterior. The roasted corn was my favorite part of our snack since they put a generous amount of the cotija aioli on it, but it was definitely messy to eat. They have 3 different salsas available, and I think I liked the orange and green ones the best.
I’m glad I tried out the tacos at El Jefe Luchador, but probably wouldn’t return based on what I had there. However, they did have a couple other tacos that sounded interesting, so if you do end up eating here, I would recommend you choose one of the other specialty tacos.

Good meal. A little slow service, but would go back!
Took a little long to get order and food. Hopefully next time will be better.
Still enjoyed the food.

I had been waiting to come to El Jefe Luchador for a couple of years now, ever since I discovered the SoFla taqueria scene and these guys opened up in Deerfield. We never got a chance to go and then today we discovered a location right here in the Boca Town Center Mall food court.
My gf ordered a #1 which is basically a burrito w/​chips. She had chicken in hers and said it was good, but that the sauces lacked the punch she was expecting
My order was The Colonel and The Blue Demon. I found The Colonel to be really nice and loved the way the fried chicken played off of the pickled relish. The Blue Demon is basically Mahi on slaw in a corn tortilla and left quite a bit to be desired.

While we both felt that the meal wasn’t bad and is definitely some of the best food court food you will find, that this place should put as much effort into the flavor of the meals as they do their branding.

The best mall food I’ve ever had.
The tacos are always tasty and the chips and queso are a must order.
Everything tastes clean and fresh and the variety on offer is a step above other taco restaurants.
Add in the ability to drink a craft beer in the food court while my wife shops and you’ve got a winner.

I don’t understand this place… We ordered a «taco» and we got this little tiny tortilla with done lettuce on it… Seriously, it was the size of a silver dollar… not a fan!

Everyone’s a hipster; no one wants to admit that they like shopping malls (at least sometimes.) «Oh, I used to go to shopping malls, like, in the 1980s. I think I went to a Tiffany concert once. Wait, maybe it was NKotB. But I was, like, 9.»
You lying piece of shit! Come off it! You love shopping malls! They’re full of stores and they’re climate controlled and if worse comes to worst, you can just sit down and talk to your friends. Malls are like chocolate-​chip cookies; they’re okay sometimes, not every day. Moderation in all things, even moderation.
Bottom line: El Jefe Luchador is the best food I’ve every had inside a shopping mall and it is, by Boca Standards, pretty cheap.
Also, to the indie rock girl with the nose-​ring who works the counter: I love you and we should start a family together.

I usually avoid the Deerfield location because the food and service has been lacking lately but I have had tacos there before that I liked so I figured I would give the mall location a shot. I don’t frequent the mall on my lunch break (I work across the street) its not always convenient. The parking lot at the mall is usally a mess so I only eat here when I am stopping somewhere else in the mall first.
The décor is the same as the original location but the staff is a lot friendlier. I have been a few times now and each time the guys at the counter have been super nice and always offering free refills and sauces, which I really appreciate. The counter is always clean my only complaint would be how long it takes for the food to come out. Depending on how may people are in front of you the wait could be up to 10−15min which is really inconvenient on your lunch break.
The Food
The first time here I tried something different than my usual tacos. I got the Carnitas Torta with queso, guacamole, refried beans and lettuce. It was ok the bread was a little too soft and they kinda skimped on toppings. I felt like I ate more bread than anything. It tasted okay, not great, not bad. Recently I had the Pork Belly taco and Braised Pork taco. Both were really good the pork belly was my favorite. The braised pork was a little dry and needed a lot of hot sauce to make it tasty. That is my other big complaint, I really hate when they say its hot sauce and it isn’t even spicy. I also tried the guacamole and it was pretty good too nothing special. Overall its a decent choice for the mall but not my go to taco joint.

Best Mexican street food around. If you want something lights the salad might be the best around.
The tacos are so awesome. So different than your typical Mexican places. Staff is friendly and the the store is so «Charming».

I’ve been to the one in Deerfield — so I basically went out of my way to eat here since I work in Boca.
Keep in mind this place is in a mall! Ask yourself if you would you rather eat awesome tacos or fried chinese food or pizza sitting under the glow of a lamp? I won’t knock Chik Fil A but when it comes to mall food, it doesn’t get better than some inventive tacos.
I had a great experience and I would caution anyone going off their low star rating that this place is in Boca Raton — the land of the stupid and spoiled. It would be a shame for this place not to make it at this location — but I bet they will.

I had wanted to try this taco stand since I saw it was coming soon in the food court. My friend who works at the mall recommended I try their tacos and burritos. Since I wasn’t super hungry I ordered one of the gourmet tacos. It was a fried shrimp taco with guacamole, slaw and a mayo sauce drizzled on top. The shrimp was the mini kind and was mostly breading so I wasn’t impressed with getting 4 little shrimp on my taco. The flavor was good but not great.
For $ 4, I would expect a bit more even know it’s mall food which isn’t amazing to begin with, however for the price I’ll probably go somewhere else that offers tacos for a better value. Strictly an average place in my book.

A-​OK for mall food.
The Ultimo Dragon taco caught my attention as it gave the impression of being spicy with the inclusion of kimchee slaw. I know definitions like «spicy» are subjective and our «subjectives» were a mismatch.
The hot sauce that accompanied the taco definitely added flavor and some heat. So, the experience was worth three stars for flavor.
The value received for $ 3.50 was somewhat less than I had hoped for but not entirely unexpected. I know mall overhead is high. Just the way it is.
Simply a three star experience.

This is a bit of a tough call for me, because I’ve definitely had better. But I’ll go with 3 stars because the taco I had was good.
After wavering back and forth for a while, I finally decided on the grilled mahi taco. The mahi was perfectly cooked, tender and juicy. However there is a difference between grilled and blackened. This was definitely blackened which raised the spice level to tolerable but not what I wanted, nor what I had ordered. There were 3 relatively small chunks of fish on the one layer taco, with a small amount of slaw that was nondescript.
Since the fish was already so spicy, I opted to use the mild sauce. It was flavorful but very runny.
Overall, the place is overpriced. I paid $ 4 for a taco that was not really what I had ordered that had only 3 pieces of fish. Will I go back? Probably not, I’ll go where the food and value are both good.

If you ever want to go to bed hungry eat some El Jefe Luchador tacos. I haven’t been in the food court in awhile but it’s amazing how there are fewer and fewer options each year. That’s not necessary a bad thing, because it looks like what is there now is higher quality but​because there is less competition, prices are all on the rise with the exception of probably the chain Chick-​Fil-​A. I’m not going to pretend like I didn’t know what El Jefe is all about. I’ve been to the Deerfield location several times but last night with an hour before the mall closed and we’re pressed for time, my wife and I decided to grab a bite at the court.
The good. The tacos are good. Honest to God, they’re pretty damn good and more like your traditional food truck/​East LA tacos than you’ll find anywhere within a 20 miles radius with the exception of Mi Casita.​The cheapest taco I believe is $ 2.75, which comes in just 1 soft shell, barely any cheese, pico and a minimal amount of chicken.​The average person would need at least 4 – 5 for this to be considered a suffient meal.​
​Last night I ordered two of those, along with the El Rey (fried shrimp) and while I enjoyed the meal, I was still hungry. On the way home, we stopped off at Mr. Shen’s to pick up some food for my son and I was seriously contemplating ordering some myself.
So if you’re at the mall and don’t want some deep fried falafels, Jesus chicken or some basic-​ass Sbarros light Italian food, then grabbing a few tacos is the move. But, if your bill isn’t at least $ 14 then I can assure you that you’re going to starved before the night is over.
You’ll feel like the Red Viper ordering. You’ll even dance around a bit while eating, but in the end, you will feel like you just had your head crushed to pieces after you realized you just spent enough money to buy a real meal at Grand Lux and have leftovers than what you just dropped at El Jefe for these puny insignificant tacos.

I am HUGELY taco picky, so I have to say I looked at some of the offerings here, particularly the fusion cuisine, a bit skeptically. I tried the el Rey with the Kimchi slaw and the shrimp taco. Both were AWESOME. Preparation as good as the taco truck on military and Lake Worth but without the flies and the health code violations out there. Meats perfectly prepared and the guacamole rocked. Puts Rocco’s to shame as well but lacks the ambience as it’s in the Town Center Mall. Rebel House fans: This is the same group of restaurant owners behind this place. RH is the best gastropub within 20 miles of Boca.
A MUST EAT of you’re in the mall or nearby! Prices for the mall were very fair too compared to pricey pummarola or Maoz.