At-a-Glance
Food: 
Service:
Atmosphere:
Real, brewed iced tea: 
Accepts all major forms of payment:
No credit card fee: 
Price: $$
Critic’s Review
* Update 10/20/24: El Jefe’s has started charging a fee to pay with credit cards. I really hate when places do this. They could add $1 or $2 to the price of everything on the menu and I wouldn’t care, but the stupid 3% fee makes me feel nickel-and-dimed every time. Credit card fees are THEIR cost of doing business — the customer should not be penalized. It’s a poor business practice, which makes me not want to go back.
2-stars deducted from “Atmosphere”.
El Jefe’s is the best Mexican food in Pahrump that I’ve found so far.
Because I travel a lot, I’ve been spoiled by good Mexican food, particularly in Southern California, Colorado, and of course, Mexico itself. So I always have to start reviews like this one with the disclaimer that my bar for Mexican food is pretty high.
That said, while El Jefe’s is not the overall best Mexican food I’ve had, it is an all-around solid choice that I’m happy to dine at anytime I’m in Pahrump.
Your best bet, in my opinion, are the fajitas — tasty and delicious. I’ve enjoyed the chili verde burrito (served wet), the taco salad, and the nachos.
Weak spots: the tortillas are good but I’m pretty sure factory-made (there’s no substitute for hand-made tortillas), the beans are okay but from a can I think (again there’s no substitute for made-from-scratch here). Biggest downer: the margaritas are weak. You definitely taste the lime from the margarita mix, but no tequila. They should at least double the amount of tequila, for starters.
On the plus side: the meats all taste fresh and well-seasoned. The service is friendly. I’ve never had a bad experience here.
As far as the atmosphere goes, it’s in a strip mall, so nothing too fancy, but that doesn’t really matter. The seating is comfortable which is good enough for me.
All in all, if you want good sit-down Mexican food while you’re in Pahrump, El Jefe’s is the place to go.
Location information
El Jefe’s Restaurant
921 S. Highway 160
Pahrump, NV 89048
Phone: 775-751-6222
Website: facebook.com
Hours
Sunday: 8:30am – 7pm
Monday: 8:30am – 9pm
Tuesday: 8:30am – 9pm
Wednesday: 8:30am – 9pm
Thursday: 8:30am – 9pm
Friday: 8:30am – 9pm
Saturday: 8:30am – 9pm
* El Jefe’s closes for a couple weeks every year around Christmas, so be careful whenever planning to go there during the month of December!