Burgers were ok however keep in mind PR isn't known for their burgers. They tasted like something one can make at home. Not bad at all but also nothing that stood out. The only reason I'm giving it a 3 is that service was slow and we were the only ones there. Took a good 20+ minutes for 4 burgers. We'd definitely go back just to get a break from all the other goodies you can get at the kioskos. Hopefully their service will be better and faster next time. read more

Very friendly waitress/bartender. Great menu selection 1/3 of the prices of my nearby resort. Great flavor and cook to order dishes. This is my second visit. One con, chicken breast wasn't fully cooked (really thick), but they did ask me if I wanted a substitute or cooked differently. Drinks beer/alcohol very reasonable. Bathrooms are actual out houses in the back of the restaurant (not connected), a little scary to me. I did use it and survived. read more

El Jefe Burger Shack - Chicken beer battered breast w/fries - Burgers Near Me - Luquillo, Puerto Rico

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After kayaking at the Bio Bay, we stopped by the kiosks on the side of the road and picked to eat at El Jefe after asking if they were "fast." Spoiler: they are not. However, the food was very good and we were so tired anyways that it just felt good to sit and zone out as we waited. We ordered one of the stuffed burgers and a regular burger and both were very delicious and cooked very well. The fries were good too. We were all too tired to try a mojito but there were so many selections that I have regrets. Come here if you are craving a juicy, filling burger, but be prepared to wait a while. It will be worth it! read more

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Family had a great dinner at El Jefe in April 2023. Super tasty burgers, solid apps, great sandwiches. Casual atmosphere allowed for people watching. Friendly staff. Recommend the nacho burger it was great with just the right amount of heat and upgrade to the Jefe Frieds they are great. Apps we had were the queso frito and onions both were great. Warning - Serving sizes are huge. read more

El Jefe Burger Shack - Nacho burger - Burgers Near Me - Luquillo, Puerto Rico

Lemon ginger mojito! Have you ever had a drink that was so good it brought tears to your eyes?! Well this drink did that. I love mojitos. I get them everywhere I visit. From California, Mew York, North carolina, Florida....and many more. This mojito was so delish! And we also got a pina colada....very tasty too! We got a chorizo stuffed burger with hand cut fries. Super yum! Worth the trip. Full disclosure, when we went there at 730pm on a Saturday night, they were empty except for one table with a party of 5. My hubby wanted to leave as soon as we got there. After our meal we were both glad we stayed. Friendly service, great food...and did I mention the Mojito! They are located in kiosk #12. So yum! read more

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There is not enough that can be said about this place. I could try and describe it with a couple paragraphs but it just would not do this establishment justice. Simply put this was one of the best burgers I have ever had! Don't think it was any kind of special meat, but it was flavored unbelievably well. Just go and get a stuffed burger (jalapeno was the best), with cheese topping and onion wedges at least. We had 4 different drinks there and even though they were all good, the ginger beer mojioto was by far the best out of all. Get a coconut shake for desert and go back to your hotel knowing it was a good day. An unbelievalbe meal and the perfect end to a good vacation. Leave your mark on the wall or the ceiling so you can come back and see it one day. read more

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A place in the Luquillo "kiosks" that serves dive-bar style burgers and brews. I have certainly had better burgers in my life, but the atmosphere was fun and the burgers did hit the spot. Their beers come served in their own individual beer bucket (on ice), which was a nice touch. My kids also liked the stuffed burgers. read more

El Jefe Burger Shack - Individual beer bucket (on ice) - Burgers Near Me - Luquillo, Puerto Rico

Not your average burger joint. Great toppings and the stuffed burgers are amazing. The fish bites and onion wedges make great apps. Mango mojito yes please. There were 16 of us and the service was great and not one complaint about the food or the great drinks. Pro tip: split the sides... one get fries, one get salad plenty to share. Nice to see a small business trying things a little different and making it work. Cheers. read more

Very good burger. Friendly staff. Near great beach. Convenient to highway. Worth the stop for fresh burger. Hand cut fresh fries. Awesome touch included with burger. read more

El Jefe Burger Shack - Burgers Near Me - Luquillo, Puerto Rico

Very dirty their is bugs everywhere I do not recommend. Save your money and go to Wendy's up the street

Best cherry & strawberry Mojito ever. I also enjoyed the shrimp platter. The young lady working the bar was friendly with a great personality. read more

If you are in luquillo and want a good ol burger possibly the best burger you will ever have stop in there and have one. Order the reunion burger guava sauce ,american cheese , bacon , lettuce, avocado and red onion. Its a secret menu item. Great food awesome mojitos good vibes must do every year whenever i am in puerto rico. Thanks Carlos you changed my life. read more

El Jefe Burger Shack - Burgers Near Me - Luquillo, Puerto Rico

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El Jefe was one of our favorite places on our trip to Puerto Rico. We are vegetarian and finding places to eat was an initial worry but we found a lot of great food on our travels. The Kioskos at Laquilla have a lot of food that isnt super veg friendly and after walking past all the kiosks we stopped in here just to try some appetizers and have some drinks. We ended up coming back a few times, so its safe to say we liked El Jefe. We had nachos (big portion, nice and cheesy), grilled asparagus (kinda pricey but delicious), hand cut french fries (not bad), beer battered onion wedges (good and greasy), fried queso (my favorite) and tried some salads too .. and of course we really enjoyed the drinks. i had many bacardi limon ginger mojitos.. and now i am trying to find a mojito as good as this up here and its hopeless! I am pretty sure they are open every day which is nice too - a lot of places around here are closed monday/tuesday so plan ahead! EL Jefe is on our list of places to go if we ever get back to PR .. read more

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If you are the type of person who likes to be told what is "best" on the menu, then I will tell you. Order the Stuffed Burger with Ribs. Yes, it is against every modern day healthy diet but YOLO (my kids are cringing somewhere as I type that). El Jefe burger was recommended by another tourist who was staying at the same resort we were and who also happens to be a frequent flier to Puerto Rico. She said in that choppy, elongated vowel Philly accent, "Ya knaw, et's a great place fa buurgas and beahs." I trusted her and her accolades. Lady from Philly was right. The burgers and beers were great, especially after spending the week eating overpriced and bland resort food. One regret is that we would have eaten more off of property. Puerto Rico isn't concerned with the pretense of dining atmosphere so it is completely normal for a great restaurant to be hidden among the rows and rows of strip businesses along the main interstate. That said, El Jefe's is just off of I-3 hidden among the rows and rows of strip businesses. It is a walk-up cement block building that is open air (meaning no front door, just a iron gate pulled to the side). It is dark, maybe a half dozen light bulbs and music blares overhead. An eclectic playlist of Iron Maiden, Beach Boys, Lady Gaga, AC/DC, Corey Hart and many other flashbacks will keep you entertained. They warn you ahead of time that everything is made to order so be prepared to wait up to 30+ minutes depending on your party size. Get the Stuffed Burger with Ribs and "dress it" with loads of toppings. Best burger. We also had the jalapeño stuffed (your nose will run) and the chorizo stuffed but stick with the ribs! Hand cut fries come with it to balance that big ol' meat on a bun. Great service by the cutest waitress and the beers come with mini buckets full of ice to keep you cool as you wait for the best burger in PR. read more

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Delicious!!! Taste and presentation of food was perfect! The burger was juicy and so flavorful. The owner himself was working the night we ate here and he hand delivered our food. You can see the effort put in to make sure we loved our experience, and we did. read more

El Jefe Burger Shack - Burgers Near Me - Luquillo, Puerto Rico

Loved the jalapeño stuffed burger is an understatement. The margarita was also a plus. The shops are a little sketchy, and may seem unsafe at first but once you get out and about everyone is super friendly. Would highly recommend if your a burger lover. read more

El Jefe Burger Shack - Jalapeño stuffed - Burgers Near Me - Luquillo, Puerto Rico

The google address is wrong. It will take you to a residential area. Its actually located in a strip of restaurants right next to the beach on road 3. The suite is #12. You seat yourself. They do speak english. There is a bar and the service is very prompt (considering how busy you are) They have bar food and you can walk on the beach before or after your meal. The price is reasonable. I ordered a coconut mojito and the bartender made it to order because I'm a light weight. We also got a mango daiquiri and a pina colada. They also have beer. This is a hole in the wall kind of place so don't expect fine dining. They do have two bathrooms. There is also a connecting art/home made jewelry store. The burgers were delicious. One of the best burgers I've ever had. You can add premium toppings like bacon, blue cheese, and avacado for $1 each. They're regular toppings are free. The fries are fresh and seasoned very well. read more

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Tip: Kiosk #12, all the way on the left side of the row of kiosks! Food: - Mini Stuffed Burger Sampler: Topped with cheese and a side of pico de gallo. Comes with a mini burger stuffed with jalapeños, mini burger stuffed with short ribs, and mini burger stuffed with chorizo. I just wish it had more toppings. Be careful before biting into your food, one of my buns had mold on it. They apologized and replaced my mini burger. -- Mini jalapeños stuffed burger: My favorite of the three. It wasn't crazy spicy but had a good kick to it. 4.5/5 -- Mini short ribs stuffed burger: the short ribs lacked flavor. 3/5 -- Mini chorizo stuffed burger: the chorizo had good flavor. 4/5 - Medalla Battered Onion Wedges: So good! The onions were deep fried to a golden brown. It's a little greasy but I loved it! 4/5 Service: I came in a group of 7 and it took almost an hour before our food came out. The waiter was attentive, he stopped by our table to check on us several times. 4/5 Final thoughts: The food was good. I'm not sure if it's the best burger in town, but I like the idea of stuffed burgers. Examine your food before taking that first bite! The beers were brought out in individual mini ice buckets which I thought was really cute. The waiter brought a bucket of sharpies for us to graffiti on the walls and ceilings to mark our spot. read more

I was a bit underwhelmed by El Jefe. The burgers are not bad, but they were not the best I've had. Our waiter was very friendly and let us know that it would probably take a while to get our burgers, but thankfully it did not take that long. We ordered the nachos to sate our appetites for a bit and boy were they good! Thick creamy cheese and plenty of fixin's on top of stable chips. Decent selection of drinks as well, I ordered a Sam Adams but they had a few microbrews available as well. Now, the burgers. I got the stuffed chorizo burger. I thought this would be killer but sadly it was not. The bun was definitely good and held up well to the toppings and weight of the burger. But the burger itself was only so-so. It had a lot of charring that was actually somewhat overpowering and the chorizo was not very flavorful. I think if I had ordered a normal burger it would have been better. The fries are on the soft side rather than crispy but taste good. Overall it was alright and while I'd probably come back (simply because it seems there are no other burger joints), I'd try other places first. read more

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Two words: stuffed burgers. El Jefe Burger Shack is the close cousin of my favorite type of joint - the beach bar. It's got a relaxed, laid-back atmosphere and serves up crazy delicious eats. The drinks are cheap ($4 for homemade Sangria) and the burgers are made with meat stuffed with other meat. The smell from the grill waifs over the entire place and the fries are sliced fresh on the spot. Basically, you must go here now. read more

El Jefe Burger Shack - El Jefe Stuffed Burger with Spanish Chorizo! - Burgers Near Me - Luquillo, Puerto Rico

Very fun place... Owners for Arizona make you feel like family. Burgers are great...Sliders were over cooked. Stop by for fun.. Also some nice beach jewelry. read more

El Jefe Burger Shack - Burger Haven... - Burgers Near Me - Luquillo, Puerto Rico

Delicious burgers . I had the Bori burger and guava wings were amazing it's a must try , Mojitos were perfectly done , staff is friendly

If your coming for burgers and mojitos you won't be disappointed. Portions are Huge be prepared to take some home lol. We ordered a stuffed burger, el jefe fries and nachos. Everything is so good we were so full. The fries are my favorite. The cheese on the fries and nachos was the best read more

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Hole in the wall that is a diamond in the rough for burger lovers! Great place to unwind after a hike in El Yunque National Forest, only a few minutes down the road! Don't be in a huge hurry as they grind the meat to order. The fresh ground chuck steak makes all the difference! I don't want to forget about the hand-cut fries! They were amazing as well! Great find and would highly recommend! read more

The world's WORST service. The restaurant was nearly empty so I asked for a burger with fries to go(and paid in advance so I could leave fast). The waitress said it would take 20 minutes. 45 minutes later, I asked for my order and she said "oh, they are making the fries." Apparently the burger and fries are made one after the other. After seeing my discontent, the manager put the money on the counter and with a smirk he said "you can take your money." (All of this while playing WITH A huge DOG INSIDE THE RESTAURANT. Yuck. I felt so disrespected that I left and left them the money. They should use it to learn to run a business. NEVER EVER AGAIN. read more

While everyone loved their burgers it took an hour and a half to get it. We were served after a group who came in a bit after us. They not only ittdered first but they ate and paid and were gone before our first dish came out. That was disappointing. The shrimp was not good :(. To be fair our waitress was alone and got swamped, however the boss just watched from the bar and didn't help even though you could see they were behind. We all were served but one person who didn't get his until alL of us were finished. :( read more

The burgers taste awesome and we've had good service in the past but tonight we got here at 7:30pm and didn't get our food until 9pm!! My husband actually got his food 20 after the group got theirs. There were seven of us but still that's a long time! The poor little waitress was by herself too. read more

I created a new account just to warn others from coming here. The one word I have for this restaurant is "inefficient". I came with a group of 5 and there was no one else there but the server still took over 15 mins to just give us menus. At that point we were ready to leave but decided against, a decision I regret. We wait another 15 mins for the server to come back and take our drink orders and then she quickly scrurries away like a mouse right after we order our drinks even though we were ready to order our food. We wait 30 mins for our drinks to come at which point we can finally order our food. It has already taken one hour for us to just get our drinks and order our food which is where the worst part comes. We order and then wait 2 hours before the first item came but it took an additional hour before she told us that one item was not in stock and another order was not written down on the order menu. So after 4 hours of being in the restaurant, we have 3 people with mediocre food and 2 without. Why would anyone not tell you if you don't have a certain item; its mind boggling. Next comes the kicker, we were all paying separately so we asked for individual checks to which we got. She asked us each what we ordered and in front of us, took out her phone and punched the numbers in front of us. When charging the cards, she got 3 of them messed up and we ended up fixing it all through another form not dealing with the server simply from all the stress she's already caused. Over this entire time, there was one other couple that came and left smartly. Overall the service was abysmal, subpart, inefficient, and horrid. I have not even bothered mentioning the food and drinks because they were simply abysmal: stale fish, undercooked meat, alcoholic drinks without alcohol. I would recommend you NOT go here and waste your precious time; go to many of the other wonderful stores and get yourself some decent and timely food. read more

Service sucks.... However, after waiting an hour and 20 minutes, burgers and fries were good. Mojitos are not the greatest....

Stuffed burgers were the bomb! Had the Atlantic and it was moist and juicy. Mojito's were well priced and the Ginger was top of the line! The ladies working were such a pleasure. read more

El Jefe Burger Shack - Atlantic Burger - Burgers Near Me - Luquillo, Puerto Rico

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It's hard to imagine anyone so entranced by their experience at El Jefe that they rush to Yelp to give it 4 and 5 stars. But people apparently do, and I can only assume that they take a perverse joy in waiting hours for Wendy's-quality food in a dank and dark space with music that seems designed to drown their sorrows. Maybe it's the drinks? Nah, those are bad too. Run, don't walk, away from El Jefe. Maybe it's right for the under 25 crowd, but even then, it feels sad. read more

I really wanted to like this place, a rustic, down-to-earth restaurant in one of the most quintessential Puerto Rican attractions. Located in the Luquillo Kiosks--a collection of restaurants across from the beach--this place invites guests to write on the walls with sharpies or decorate plastic plates to hang from the roof. It's a great way to pass the time, which was a good thing because the food took that long... Service was inattentive, sure. The fries were under-salted and the burgers were too greasy. I remember my face lighting up when I asked the waiter for hot sauce and he pointed to the restaurant's hot sauce bar, with plenty of bottles including some local varieties. This immediately raised my expectations (even though some of those sauces said they should be refrigerated and were probably unfit for consumption). My biggest peeve is that this place allows strangers to approach you as you're eating. I had two different people come up to my table to sell us crap (one of those people actually came to our table twice). This is frankly uncomfortable, and is enough to knock down 2 stars from my review. Fortunately, none of the vendors were hostile when I politely told them we weren't interested, but this is nonetheless inexcusable. When you're a paying customer, you expect to eat your meal in peace. I don't like being a captive audience for products I have no intention of buying. I grew up in Puerto Rico, where I lived for 18 years, and have never had this happen at a restaurant in the Island. The restaurant is small enough that the staff could easily notice walking vendors coming in and out of their establishment, but I take it they had other things on their mind. read more

They comp'd the entire meal. That should explain a lot. BUT... that said... here's the review. Friday night, after a long day of amazing Zip Lining, we needed a quick and casual dinner. So we head back over to the Food Kiosks in Loquillo. El Jefe Burger Shack seemed to be calling out to us (Us: 4 adults, 4 kids: 8-13). We ordered some nachos, some salads, and yes, 5 burgers. The waitress was great... to start. She got us a table right away, and came quickly with our initial drink order (the kids LOVED the chocolate milkshakes). Impressive craft beer list, too. Then we waited. And waited. And waited. When we finally found the waitress again, she told us it would be about another 15-20 minutes. This, 45 minutes after we ordered! When we caught up to her again in about 15 minutes, she said that the food would be coming in 15-20 minutes - and it's because they only had "one fryer" working that night, and there was lots of fried food (french fries?) We asked if she could bring ANY food out (the non-fried, non-grilled) - particularly as we had kids with us. Minutes later, food started arriving. All was good. OR WAS IT? I bit into my burger and tasted raw meat. I looked, and saw that the outside of the burger had a nice char, but the inside was completely raw. I told my daughter, wife and niece to check their burgers. All raw - unfortunately, my daughter and niece (young ones) had already taken more than a few bites. When I immediately brought this to the attention of the waitress,her reply was: "I had orders for medium rare." I don't care what she had orders for. THIS WAS RAW MEAT. She brought them back a few minutes later - same burgers, re-fired (on new rolls with new toppings) - they should have been completely new burgers! They came back... not raw. Let's put it that way. Certainly edible, closer to medium rare (if I were the line cook, I would have made sure they were at least medium!) No apologies. Just... here they are. After more than 90 minutes, we all finally had our food. Wondering what would happen next. We're not in New York, we're in PR. Would anything be comp'd? Would an apology be given? Well... not from the waitress. BUT - my brother-in-law sought out the owner/manager, who profusely apologized. He said he had to run out for an emergency, and when he came back, he heard what happened, and insisted on comping the entire bill. That was a pleasant and welcome surprise. Here's the thing, though: the waitress should have cared more, and updated us on what was going on in the kitchen. The line chef should know how to cook a burger. THIS IS A BURGER RESTAURANT. HE COOKS HUNDREDS OF BURGERS EVERY DAY. So I appreciate the owner's apology. That was terrific. But I can't possibly recommend this restaurant when visiting Puerto Rico. Until the staff cares, it's not worth the risk - particularly with so many other great kiosks nearby. read more

El Jefe Burger Shack is a little gem hidden amongst all the kiosks in Luquillo. Although from the outside it looks like just a bar with people often standing around near the entrance, it is surprisingly kid friendly inside. Our 4 year old was so jazzed when presented with a container of colored markers and invited to go make his mark on the 'autograph wall'. The food was excellent - we had chicken salads, a 1/3 pound chuck steak burger and a 'mini burger' for our son. The food was very good and the service was excellent and extremely welcoming. On top of that the restrooms were extremely clean and kind of cute. Overall, it was a great night out and we'll definitely be going back. read more

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El Jefe's burgers are the best in Puerto Rico! We stopped by here after exploring El Yunque. The restaurant is conveniently located right on PR-3. So it's a great lunch or dinner option if you're traveling from San Juan to El Yunque or an excursion trip in Fajardo. The staff is amazing and eager to help you understand the menu. We both had the burgers which were awesome. They have a wonderful caribbean bbq sauce which was unlike anything I have tasted before! This is definitely not a fast food joint, so don't expect to have your burger out in 5 mins. As with all restaurants on the island, dining out is considered an experience that is not to be rushed. To most Americans this translates to slowww service, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time to enjoy the burgers and the ocean breeze!!! read more

This place squeaked in last week to claim it's title of "Best Burger I ate in 2013." Maybe in the preceding years too. Jalapeno stuffed burger was to die!! Loved the lemon-ginger mojito. Go early in the day! We got there late afternoon and they were out of El Jefe cheese sauce. Guess that's one more reason to keep visiting PR! Pro tip: the "salad" sub for fries is actually just lettuce, tomatoes, and onion. I recommend it anyway, as those things go very well on your burger. read more

Fantastic burgers, delicious fries, and the (non-alcoholic) ginger lime mojito.... wow! The whole family was happy with this choice. Plus, the kiosks are just fun:) read more

The food was very good but the service was average. The bathroom was.... It was night time, we couldn't see what we were eating and it was $75 for 4 people to eat Hamburgers! The food was warm, not hot! The Kiosk location as a whole is pretty dirty, trash was everywhere but not in the restaurant itself! read more

El Jefe Burger Shack - Medalla (local beer) battered fish. It's good but was a little uncooked - Burgers Near Me - Luquillo, Puerto Rico

Absolutely a great find! There are many to choose from on this strip of food shacks, but this one was great! The bartender was absolutely awesome as we sat up there and he gave us a rundown of everything the island has to offer. The sliders were amazing, full of flavor and packed a spicy punch. I really enjoyed the open air dining along this strip. You can get a great ocean view, good food, good music, and not break the bank. read more

Mmm mmm mmm! We tried three kioskos at Luquillo Beach and of the three, Burger Shack comes in at a close 2nd to Ay, Bonito! For me at least... We came here for lunch after exploring El Yunque. The day before (Monday), we went to another kiosko and noticed Burger Shack was closed. I was definitely banking on them being open because I did not want to eat a burger from the hotel nor a fast food chain! We got here and we were told that something was going on with their kitchen, so it would take a little longer for them to get the food to us. That's fine. I like knowing that my food was made to order! We started with drinks. My SO ordered their ginger mojito (amazing! loved it!) and I had the white sangria (just ok, I definitely enjoyed the ginger mojito more). We decided to get the Sampler Platter with the stuffed sliders as well as the avocado Caesar Salad. Everything comes in tin trays, or in the case of the salad, a bucket. The salad was sooooooooo good. The dressing was amazing!! Soooo delicious. The avocado was so creamy and good and the croutons were amazing! They're homemade croutons made by grilling their BOSS bread. Reallllly realllly yummy. The sampler platter had 3 beef sliders, chicken wings with a side of the Caribbean BBQ sauce and bleu cheese, beer battered onion wedges, nachos, and fries with el jefe cheese sauce. The cheese sauce is sooooo good. Definitely blows nacho cheese out of the water! I could not stop eating the nachos and fries. All really yummy. The wings were also very good and I had a few of the onion wedges, but my favorites were the appetizers smothered in cheese sauce! I would definitely go back here the next time I'm in Puerto Rico. Definitely on the top of my list! I'm still dreaming about the cheese sauce! Yuuuummmm.... read more