El Jefe Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar

Super nice and knowledgeable staff! Our server, Karen, was superb! Several other staff members very graciously helped when we mistook them for her!
Best Mexican food I’ve had on the Eastern Shore. Chips were warm, which I love! Top shelf Margarita was a glass of deliciousness! Really enjoyed the chicken enchiladas in verde sauce. Not a fan of the Mexican rice, but that’s just because I’m not a fan of the stuff. Would prefer white rice with cilantro and lime juice, but most patrons probably wouldn’t agree!
Overall, a very pleasant dinner experience!

Food was ok, server had one table, fast talker. She didn’t know what cards the restaurant took, missed part of the order. Food was ok, atmosphere was catchy. Overall, good for Kent Island.

My husband and I cannot get enough of this place. Great atmosphere, great drinks, amazing Mexican food. The staff is very friendly, we never had a bad experience here.

My expectations for Mexican are pretty high. This place wasn’t bad… just average Mexican food. Not super flavorful and the chicken was very bland. Service was very quick, but we ate the first bowl of chips and they never refilled it. Nice for kids though!

Less than One Star!!! Do not go on Wednesday nights. Kids eat free and apparently do not require any supervision. They were running wild. Food was barely edible and the Margherita was awful. Not going back anytime soon. And by that I mean probably never.

Didn’t go in thinking this was going to be a 5 star review. You know mind set random mexican restaurant probably a 3.
But I was surprised and very happy with the food. I ate the fiesta fajitas which is a mix of everything chicken steak shrimp and pork. It was absolutely amazing. Some of the best fajitas I had. I also got a good portion size so I shared around and was able to try some chicken tacos and beef enchiladas.
Just so impressed with the food.
I didn’t try the margaritas so I will save that review for next time I go.

Every once in a while our family needs to eat out and as 90% practicing vegan, that limits the field somewhat. However, we have found that we can cheat a little when it comes to Mexican restaurants. Although everything is salty and there is still fried goodness, you can still eat moderately healthy.
So this place is situated in a strip mall that is old in terms of Kent Island history. I a not certain, but I think this place occupies the same space that Gil Dunn Pharmacy used to be. I only mention this because I used to like going t Gil Dunn pharmacy and looking at all the historical artifacts of local baseball hero Jimmie Foxx that were on display there. I now wonder where all those stuff went off to. I hope that I got all the historical stuff correct.
Back to the restaurant. The ambiance is typical fare, lots of neon, streamers, cerveza ads, TVs plaster the wall. You walk directly into the bar and then move into a large dining room. Our waitress was brand new, brought out the complimentary chips and salsa, which we devoured in seconds, and she quickly brought out another bowls. Waters were topped off without prompting and it seemed that our waitress was a veteran in disguise. I ordered a taco salad, my wife a veggie fajita, and I think my son got some sort of burrito. The fajita came out sizzling and was a lot of food for just my wife. My taco salad was very large also. No complaints about the portions and all of the food was tasty. Tough to mess up Mexican food, but I guess that it can happen.
As always, my son gives me the grade for the bathroom and he didn’t like it. He gave it a three star. I asked him why and the answers are always a treat. He said that he didn’t like that he couldn’t use the urinal because it was positioned too high (he was right). He did like that the stall door went all the way to the ground (which could stop someone from crawling under… hahaha). He doesn’t like to touch fixtures in the bathroom, so he didn’t like that they didn’t have an automatic water faucet or towel dispenser. My wife also said that they had some sort of weird mirror in the womens bathroom and I was wondering if it was the creepy two way mirror that I saw on the back wall. I didn’t ask.
Overall, good experience and I am always happy when I see something fairly decent on Kent Island and a good use of the retail space, vice sitting vacant and ready to get tagged with spray paint.

Loved it! We were looking for a nice place to get a quick bite to eat on the way home from the beach and I don’t think we could have picked a better place! We had two vegan diners with us and the menu labels a few vegetarian options for them. They had all the classic Mexican dishes and even more exciting specials. I had the carnitas dish with a fresh salad, choice of beans, and rice. It was amazing! Among the other orders at the table were the chicken tortilla soup, chicken quesadilla, tortilla salad bowl, and super tacos! Everything came out quick, hot and fresh! The restaurant was very colorful and nicely decorated with a large bar and even a small arcade in the back. Definitely worth the stop!

We eat here about once a month. Everything is fine. Nothing is marvelous. Typical Mexican joint. Prices are average. Servers are very friendly, so there is that!!!

Service was excellent. Staff was quick to seat us, and the waiter was very attentive. The food was fresh and the carnitas taco tasted delicious with a cold tamarindo Jarito. The pork was tender and tasty when drizzled with some lime. The salsa could have used a tad bit less garlic but other than that everything was great.
The outside of the building doesn’t look like much, but once inside it is a completely different ballpark. The colors really stood out and so did the bright sombreros on the walls. The bar, with its attentive staff and large TVs, was a happening scene with the locals. Definitely a worthy stop.

Unexpected great meal! This is a very non-​descript looking restaurant in a strip mall, but convenient to Rt 50 after crossing the Bridge. We had a great meal — the pork carnitos and beef fajitas were delicious. They had a wide range of beers and mixed drinks. Since we were driving to the beach, we couldn’t sample, but the bar was very active and busy. They served portions so large that we each took part of our dinner home. The service was friendly and prompt, and the restaurant was clean and attractive. We will be back!

ate here two weeks ago with my family, atmosphere and food was great. I got the enchiladas with steak. although the steak was cooked great that was the only thing inside of the enchilada so I was a little disappointed with that. My sister got a burrito. great portions … and my parents got a sandwich and wrap that were very delicious. Will come back again!

my husband and i enjoyed a delicious meal here while vacationing on the island. the food… delicious. the staff… welcoming and delightful (kudos to courtney!). met the owner and his young son also… a future football player in the making.
we had the nachos, one of the combo plates, and steak fajitas. nachos had a good balance of chips to toppings. combo plate had ½ a quesidilla, 1 taco (with an option for 2), 1 enchilada, and a choice of sides. all portions are generously sized, and great for sharing or taking home to enjoy later.
the restaurant itself is spacious, the bar area with high tops is a nice place to sit, and the tables are nicely spaced with plenty of room for elbows. they have a nice selection of tequila, «honest» margaritas, and a varity of jaritos as well.
we will return!

Great Food, Great Service, Wonderful Atmosphere. Friendly staff. Sometimes the review doesn’t have to be long. Its simply put. Come here and they will take care of everything. Highly recommend. Josh

We stopped here on the advice of the checkout girl at the outlets on our way back from OC, so we were prepped for iffy food… To our surprise, the food was really good. Great flavor and large portions, I’m pregnant and couldn’t finish the 2 chicken taco lunch. The prices were reasonable and the lunch specials were good too. My two taco lunch — which I couldn’t finish — was $ 8! Good deals, great food. I would go again!

Bottom Line: great food. Friendly staff. Good atmosphere. And not overly expensive.
Our family has eaten here several times now. I generally get the same thing, the burrito, but we haven’t been disappointed no matter what we’ve had. The salsa could use more flavor and spice but that is a very small complaint. Servers have always been very friendly and helpful. Food arrives quickly and well prepared.

My husband and I had dinner here for the first time this week and had a great experience. Service was extremely friendly, food arrived hot and fast, and was very tasty. We will certainly be back.

Driving by and figured we would try this place, looked packed with car and people from a distance.
The wait was short, for a Friday night, a nice positive.
The menus and drinks were quick, waitress was nice a polite. I stated «this is our first time, what do you suggest» she suggested the entire menu (usually an indicator to me the employee don’t really have a favorite thing or the food is basic)
Ordered the Chicken Toquitos (app), Fiesta Chicken Salad, and Carna Asada for our meal … plus sangria and a margarita to drink.
Drink were decent, could use a bit more liquor.
The salsa and chips was a bit bland, the salsa had no spice. A touch of salt and hot sauce fixed it.
The salad was a nice hearty portion, plenty of chicken too.
The Carna Asada had a good flavor, but looked like cheap skirt stake. The flavor had a bit too much of a lime taste for me.
Over a nice place, worth a second visit.

I don’t live on the Eastern Shore full time… I’m purely a weekender over the summer, and usually when we’re down here and we want to go out, it’s the Jetty or Annie’s. However, my entire family decided to spend an entire week down here, and I’ve wanted to try this place for a long time, so we all went out for some rainy night margs and Mexican food.
First off, this place is in a mostly unoccupied strip mall, so it’s hard to miss except for the bajillion cars parked outside of this tiny place around dinner. The inside is warm and cozy, if a little bit small. Definitely warm and inviting with cool décor pieces and a tiny little bar.
Everyone is nice too. EVERYONE. And talkative and knowledgable about all sorts of dishes and drinks. I’m talking hostess, waitresses, manager, bartender, bussers. I haven’t been in a restaurant where everyone made me feel that comfortable in FOREVER.
The food was really, really excellent. Everything tasted home made, everything had a unique flavor, and everything was hot… This was impressive because everything came out quickly! I had a carnitas burrito and it was pretty phenomenal. The pork was pleasantly crispy while still being moist, and had a great spicy flavor without overwhelming the pork. The sauce on the burrito was amazing and you could cut it with a fork. The refried beans had some crumbled queso fresco on them, which was a nice touch, and the rice was fresh and tasty if a little basic. My SO had the chicken enchiladas which were tasty as well.
We also had the beef nachos which were very very good; I just wish there was more! 6 people could not share them, but they would’ve made a decent entrée or a good app for 2 – 3.
Drinks and apps are all half priced during happy hour, which is amazing. Can’t wait to come back!!!

The Carnitas here now are awesome ! They went through a couple different styles but now they’ve gotten it right !