This food is some of the best in the area! I love the char broiled mesquite steak. My husband loves the burrito there and Bruce cooks it up just right for him , special order with no spice. The owner is great! He is there often and is always mingling with his customers. He does a great job! read more

Okay El Jefe, that Steak plate was juicy and delicious!! Came in right when they were getting slammed on Friday night, long wait to order, but food came out quick. They have a huge selection of regular and alcoholic beverages including wine, beer, seltzers, and canned cocktails. Two entrees ended up being $50. The layout is not ideal, a good chunk of the room is taken up by the bar and then there are 4 shared tables that sit about 8 so it feels a bit like a dining hall when you're sharing a table with other groups. But the steak plate was truly a treat!! I got the 1/2 lb beef plate and it felt like a really hefty portion, full of flavor and juicy with that grill deliciousness. If you're gluten free, the tortillas are a corn and flour blend, but they do have plain corn tortillas. The vegetarian bowl was $16 which is meh for beans, rice, and potatoes, but the husband enjoyed it. Seemed really busy, glad to have a healthy, fresh option in town. read more

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I thought this was going to be just another little taco joint but happily, I was wrong. I got a big, grilled steak burrito bursting with goodies and flavors. Corn tortilla chips and Mexican street corn went great together along with a draft beer of which they have many to choose from. The menu isn't as expansive as a traditional sit-down restaurant, but what they do, they do very well. The service was great, they couldn't have been nicer or more helpful. I thought the tables were a nice touch, each one having one of our nearby lakes inlaid on top in something like acrylic. Next time I'll order several more things, so I have some to go. read more

Wow! The absolute best Mexican food in town!! I had the steak tacos. They were delicious! The steak was seasoned and cooked to perfection! Absolutely succulent! I will definitely be a regular customer! read more

Food and service was very good. Tasty We will return Service was excellent and establishment is clean. All the food was coming out looking delicious read more

El Jefe's Grill Mexican BBQ - The foot long Sonoran Hot Dog and chicken rice bowl. - Mexican Near Me - Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

We were driving cross country and found this place on Seed Oil Scout. They don't use any seed oils and cook everything in tallow. We were trying to avoid the fast food junk and the food here is really fresh and delicious. Definitely get the steak and chicken. It's a solid portion. It's also nice inside, a bit small when busy but cozy. read more

El Jefe's Grill Mexican BBQ - 1.5lbs Grilled Steak- Charbroiled Mesquite - Mexican Near Me - Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

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Wow! The food here is just freaking awesome. And the people are so so friendly! Super chill casual vibe. I had the taco salad with steak and it was delicious, every single bite! And then my husband had the beef and chicken platter and it was off the hook! The meat is so tasty, so tender, just delicious! Highly highly highly recommend. read more

A nice place to stop and eat. They have a selection of healthy choices. Eli was professional and a great person to help us decide what to try. Thank you for the nice service. The ambiance is cute and fun! read more

The food is soooo good. We had 1lb of steak tacos with rice and beans and two drinks. It fed two of us for two nights. I love that they use beef tallow and now seed oils. read more

Starting with the positives: The food was very good, I had the tacos and they were very delicious, those pickled onions were amazing and my meat was rare like I like it. The staff were incredible nice and the restaurant itself was clean and cozy (aka very small). I think the issue here is a struggle with what they want to be..... I'm not a fan of eating off paper plates and using plastic forks and worst of all eating a HOT cheese out of plastic containers. I also thought it was incredibly strange to be serving meals/appetizer inside the resturant in to-go containers like styrofoam cups. I loathe that it's canned beverages but I'm the type to drink a lot during a meal so that may just be me. And lastly, let's be real, most people going to what we perceive to be a Mexican restaurant is going for some good chips and salsa.... I'm not sure I've ever been to one, especially one who charges $16-$25 a plate who doesn't serve at least one complementary helping of chips and salsa. It's pretty expensive and I know most people will say that everywhere you go now is expensive but just because that is correct..... doesn't make it right. I would have loved an option for two tacos at a lower price because four was too many. And if I'm spending $20 a meal I'd love some chips and salsa and I'd love to eat off some real dinnerware. So while I thought the food was good, our family of five just simply can't afford to eat here often. read more

chicken was very good bbq chicken. It was 7 $ a piece for four pieces of bbq chicken i must say that bbq chicken and bbq in general should be affordable. great bbq chicken and an awesome taco salad with said bbq chicken. way overpriced but delicious. we had to pay extra for a 1/2 a cup of rice and beans because it was not included in the main course options so it brought our total to 77$ this place is getting great returns :) read more

The food is very, very favorable and fresh. The chicken burrito is delicious and large enough to share . We will return once again! read more

El Jefe's does not disappoint! We've had chicken wings, chargrilled chicken and steak, nachos and chicken salad. Everything is so flavorful and delicious! The grilled meats are smokey and taste as if they've been marinated, not bland. The wings are perfectly fried. The salads are huge and the base is a spring mix lettuce, not the cheap iceberg. Yes, the food can seem pricey but you're getting delicious food of great quality. Sam and his crew recently catered a small event for us and when I say they were generous, they were extremely generous! Everyone loved the food. Give them a try and I don't think that you will be disappointed. read more

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Our new fave!! Excellent flavors, fresh food, warm environment. The nachos were to die for. Excellent service, we will definitely be back!

I had the foot-long Sonoran hotdog bacon wrapped. It was delicious would definitely order again. Also, there's quite a few other dishes on the menu that will have to come back and try. read more

El Jefe's Grill Mexican BBQ - Foot-long the bacon wrapped Sonoran hotdog - Mexican Near Me - Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

The food was amazing. Cooked perfectly and seasoned just right. The service we recited from the time we ordered until we left was great. The ambiance in the restaurant is very relaxed and lowkey. I would recommend a thousand percent. read more

Fantastic restaurant that fills a hole in local offerings. The main thing they need to improve is the tortilla chips. Everything else is on point. read more

Finally a place for our town that knows how to make food with great flavor! And they use quality ingredients you can tell a huge difference. Our new favorite spot. read more

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We gave it a try and very disappointed. 20+ for a plate of tacos with cold tortillas and Luke warm steak was not appealing. Guacamole was bland with cucumbers? No salsa? When the cashier rang the total, wife noticed that she added 20% tip without asking. Maybe a mistake but we told her to take it off. Probably won't be back. Good luck guys. read more

Stopped in a couple days ago for lunch. GREAT flavor, nice people, good service. Wonderful burritos and also, the Sinaloa foot long hotdog was good. Tasty guacamole with chips too. We'll be back. Nice atmosphere. read more

Wow EL Jefes is HELLA GRUBBING I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!! I could eat it everyday. A must try and if you love Corn the Elote issssss ssssoooooooo delicious . Run down there read more

Everything was amazing, the food, service and drinks. Love that they use tallow to cook in and for the amount of food, I found it very(!) cost effective!! My husband and I will be back- we've found our new favorite spot! read more

food in CDA is pretty bland basic and boring. el Jeffe's is the direct opposite of any of those. hands down the best Mexican and in my opinion any food you could order and enjoy in town. it's original packed with flavor and you'll know what I'm talking about the minute you walk in and get greeted by Jacob, johan, and Christian 11/10 food service and atmosphere. highly recommened for your next meal! read more

Their Elote ($6) can't be beaten! Deliciousness in a bowl. The pickled onions are also. Excellent! A+

Never been here before and so excited to try it, we walked in and there was a lady behind the register talking to a couple. The couple left and the lady walked away. We didn't know if it was seat yourself or not and there was a 2 top at each table. We have a toddler with us so needed a high chair and couldn't sit at the empty high top. The lady then walks back to the register and says "hi can i help you guys?" Not "Welcome in have you guys ever dined with us before?" Which I thought was pretty rude. Anyways, we literally turned around and walked out. Great experience It smelled wonderful to, so that is a bummer! read more

Delicious!! Great service! Cute little spot on best! I'm going to go back and try everything read more

Can you say flavor bomb? This place has their flavors down to a T! Bold and beautiful! The pickled red onions add the acid needed to cut through the smoke and fat that the meats and sauces bring to the table! The layout of the restaurant is not traditional, they make the most of their limited space. My wife and I sat at the bar top and enjoyed watching the chef and the staff work with great fluidity. Each member was pleasant and proved to care about their product. Both our plates were cleaned and we felt content, not overly full like most Mexican places. Their drink options are second to none. Alcoholic options included a 5 or so tap handles, wide variety of canned cocktails, beers, and seltzers. A wide variety of wine options as well. For the non alcoholic drinkers they had a full case of canned beverages and your standard fountain drink options. I would say, after reading some of the lower star ratings, that this place is listening and making changes to accommodate all. I/we strongly recommend this place. read more

What a joke. Chicken leg and thigh served with pickled onions and shells. Owner said eat like street food....blistering hot paper plate and plastic fork. Maybe on the fly but hell no not for $20. Smelled good but lack of portion, utensils and service this place will not make it...... So sad great idea with lousy execution. Adios amigo.. read more

I had lunch there today. The food was fantastic! I had the Chicken Rice Bowl. The chicken was so tender. It was marinated maybe in a lime marinade then barbecued. The bowl had delicious rice and black beans plus fajitas onions and bell peppers. It was topped off with delicious El Jefe sauce. What a great combination. Only $12 plus $2 for the guacamole. Honestly a tremendous bargain. The serving was huge. I could eat only half of it and brought the other half home for dinner. El Jefe will be a regular stop for me. I want to try their barbecued steak next. You walk in and order then get a number and sit down and you are served. Everything is cooked to order so there is a bit of a wait. Great selection of Mexican and American draft beers and the beer is ice cold. A great experience! read more

Best steak tortillas I have had in the area. Will definitely be going back. The chicken was really good as well. Great seasoning.

Wonderful food. Great queso. Great salsa- very fresh. Great customer service. This is the best Mexican food in town. read more

Deliciously authentic & affordable. Best little eatery in the area north of the hwy and south of Hayden! read more

Found this place randomly on our visit to northern Idaho! We ordered to-go and they gave us chips and queso while we waited. Couldn't have been nicer! Oh and the tacos were awesome!! read more

El Jefe's Grill Mexican BBQ - Mexican Near Me - Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

After reading the write up about El Jefe restaurant and chief, I was excited to try their food. Yesterday, my wife and I had lunch at this restaurant. Boy, was I disappointed. The chicken was burnt and over cooked and tasteless. The beef was the same. Very expensive for what we received. The food was served on paper plates with plastic utensils. Salt and pepper was provided but in little packets. Not very impressive considering the write up about this restaurant and chief was world renown from Arizona read more

This place is great! Had the 4-piece chicken plate. Grilled perfectly. Outstanding pico and salsa. Tortillas were super fresh . Nothing but good things to say about this spot read more

Absolutely amazing food and great cider!! I love the vibe here. Try it, you will not regret it!!

I had the Sonoran dog and the elote. Bother were so flavorful. The hot dog was the best hot dog I have ever eaten. Also tried the chicken and steak combo. Delicious!! Both were cooked to perfections and the seasonings were great! Also had the churro fries and they were excellent! They fry them in beef tallow that they render themselves. I highly recommend you stop by and try the food. read more

El Jefe is doing it right! It may be a little different from what we are used to, but go with an open mind and enjoy the flavorful meats served with simple tasty toppings served by friendly helpful staff. The portions were plentiful and I am looking forward to leftovers. They have a nice selection of draft beers, as well as bottled and canned beverages to enjoy. We had the street tacos which I will go back for, but am looking forward to trying the hot dog and burrito next! Hopefully before this place turns into a line out the door and around the block, because it just might! read more

Wow this place has a very tasty small menu. BBQ chicken with elote and pickled onions in flour tortillas was amazing. Place was clean and the staff were great. read more

This is the best Mexican restaurant in CDA. The marinaded steak and tortillas are the best I have ever had. Eat here a couple of times a week. They are also very friendly. read more