We almost walked out because all the seats appeared to be taken, but there are additional tables…read moreand counter space toward the back. I'm so glad that we stayed. We came on a cool Saturday evening, and their menudo and pozole hit the spot. The first bite of the pozole won me over. The pork was melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the broth was subtly spicy. The menudo was also good, oilier and spicier. Next to the cash register was a self-serve salsa bar that lent a warm, hospitable vibe to the place. In addition to salsa, it had fresh lettuce, onions, cilantro, and cucumbers. A real plus for those of us who want vegetables! The soups, available only on weekends, come with crisp tostadas heaped with fresh lettuce, tomato, and cheese (cotija, I think). The tostadas were quite filling, and we ended up taking some of the soup home. The staff were friendly and helpful. El Jefe opens up into a commercial space including a bathroom shared by other businesses. The bathrooms were well marked and very clean. El Jefe had everything I wanted for a warm and healthy evening meal. I'll definitely be back.

I've enjoyed food at this location since its days as The Cheese Cave (see my very first yelp…read morereview.) Well, now it is occupied by El Jefe, which began as a food truck and upgrade to restaurant a few years back. Where The Cheese Cave offered contemporary pizza and grilled cheese recipes (ingredients sourced from the titular local Faribault Cheese Caves), El Jefe connects Faribault diners to the traditional cuisine of a Mexican taqueria!!! I have been here an upwards of 10 times over the past two years and always leave satisfied and smiling. Ambiance is very basic, but the food and staff make up for it. My recommendation: stick with the tacos (traditional, classic) or indulge in their fabulous cheese nachos (probably not authentic, but what a treat). Taco ordering walkthrough: 1. How many tacos (3 is filling for me but can eat much more...) 2. Choose meat. I recommend the Al Pastor. All are good though (tripitas is cow stomach lining, but it's good if you're ok with it). 3. They'll ask if you want toppings (raw onion, cilantro and fresh lime). Say "yes." 4. Don't forget to ask for a Jarritos or a Mexican Coke! (I may get sparkling water, which is healthy and refreshing...) 5. Select sauces (multiple). Less spicy to the left. The green salsa is very accessible - not too spicy, quite tangy. 6. Seat yourself Eating at El Jefe is to enjoy very warming, comforting food. And experimenting with different salsas will be enough to please any foodie. This is top two restaurants in Faribault for sure. Taco aficionados ... will probably be relieved to find a good taco fix in the area! But nothing next-level e.g: no regional specialties, not much beyond the standard beef-pork-chicken meats, not a lot of topping variety (no radishes, pineapple); I don't think the tortillas are made fresh (but they are warm and fragrant of course). These are all the sorts of things that might make a 9/10 taco joint a 10/10. El Jefe isn't best tacos of your life or anything, but they are great tacos and one of the best Faribault restaurants.

Taco Jed = no notes…read more Ok, maybe one note which is that my take out meal didn't come with any napkins so be mindful of that. We didn't need silver ware, but it could be helpful. We were in town for a weekend kids sporting event we attended every year and a friend recommended Taco Jed. We ordered about one of every type of taco. If it sounds good to you, you will love it. We were absolutely famished, and two tacos a person was more than enough (plus chips of course) The rest of our tacos were put in the hotel mini fridge and warmed up the next day in the microwave and they were still better than anything else I've ever eaten in Rochester and probably most tacos I've ever had. The music was a bit loud on a Friday night, and the parking lot is a little weird with its angles.

We were in town for a sporting event, and a friend had recommended this place for dinner. The best…read morething I would say is there's a very large patio and live music was happening, so if you just want a fun place with easy parking to come have some drinks and music, this place might be your place. Otherwise, we would only recommend one of the five tacos we tried - the pulled pork taco. The guacamole was runny and more like soup or a spread than fresh guacamole - it reminded me of Costco's and I expected freshly made. I would say the tacos are quite small in terms of portion/quantity of real ingredients. And all of the ingredients felt very sloppy, like huge chunks of onion in the steak fajita taco that were not cooked. It felt like all of the food had been prepared in a hurry, both the cutting and chopping of the ingredients as well as the way the tacos were sent out of the kitchen. There was way too much dry powdery crumbled cheese on top of the shrimp taco. There were almost no vegetables and no flavor in the backfire veggie taco. And the walleye was fried and dry and seemed like it had been reheated not made fresh. I also ordered a mango margarita (and my receipt shows it with the extra $1.50 charge), but they gave me a plain one - it was disappointing and since the food was not good, I didn't want to stay longer and request a new one.

No frills, authentic Mexican restaurant. Come for the food - tasty tacos. Don't judge what I put on…read moremine (cilantro and tomatos) but you can get it how you want it. Mine was good. Now the ambience is a little dated, but welcoming. And the price is descent and the portions generous.

we waited at the counter for more than 5 minutes. we were the only ones at the counter. there were…read more2 employees working in front of us. they never acknowledged us. a simple" we will be right with you" would have sufficed.

This place was right next to our hotel that we were staying at while our Winnebago is being…read morerepaired. Many of the restaurants here in town are closed on Mondays, so we were glad there was a spot open and this place had pretty good reviews. We would've popped for the pizza because it looked amazing, but neither of us can eat such thick crust pizza anymore and not regret it so we went for the Mexican options My husband ordered the super chicken burrito, which basically has two big scoops of chicken and fillings and he said it was very good I just went for a small taco salad with chicken to keep it late tonight. For a small taco salad, there was a lot of food in that bowl. I think most of the town was here tonight ordering up pizza, lol so if you can eat pizza, I would go for that The bill was very reasonable at $17 total before tip. Very kind servers - pinball machine and really interesting decor It's worth a stop if you're coming thru here.

Stopped in with wife for something to eat and left very happy. We had soft and hard shell tacos…read moreplus some soft drinks. Very good and for a very reasonable price. Restaurant was spotless and the presumed owner was very nice. It is a fun environment and I definitely see a great place to hang out with friends.

Who knew I'd travel to Rochester, Minnesota for Birria Tacos???!!! And the best part? Every bite…read morewas delicious. I'm in town on a business trip and did a Google search for street tacos, because it's better than the chain restaurants I always see.... The food truck is parked in a motel parking lot, south of downtown Rochester on Broadway. The menu is slim, but that's okay because they do it right even when the "feels like" temperature is 7 degrees! My Birria tacos had crisp shells, two different salsas, limes, moist delicious slow roasted meat, and a rich consommé for dipping. I ate them like I hadn't eaten all day and I savored the broth like it was liquid gold. If you live in Rochester, you're damn lucky you have Mi OAXAQUENA in town!

Great authentic Mexican food. Large portions and taste delicious and the prices are very reasonable.read more

I can't believe I forgot to take pictures! The tacos are wonderful, very fresh ingredients great…read moreseasoning, really good stuff! We've always had wonderful service, very friendly staff and very clean inviting place. Go get you some tacos!

Awesome Tacos! Haven't been back in years and they have since expanded the space immensely. Food is…read moregood, prices are reasonable, and the staff was friendly. If you dine-in, you get chips and free sauces which is a fairly new concept to me. We got the 4 tacos and ramen which was more than enough for two. Tacos were flavorful and done well. Ramen looked oily and heavy but it wasn't too bad. The ramen noodles itself was a bit too soft so a thicker brand may have absorbed the noodles better. All minor things. Look forward to visiting again and trying other menu items!

The best taco truck in Rochester and it ain't even close. The seasoning on the various meats is…read moredelicious Tacos Dorados are like crack; otherwise the tacos al pastor. Tamales are pretty good, too.

Fantastic taco truck! I was really impressed with how good my chicken tacos were. I will be back…read morefor sure!

Might be the best tacos in town! Super fresh salsas and flavorful tacos. Will go back again!read more

Delicious authentic Mexican food! They even have those pinwheel chips with hot sauce!!read more

Delicious, as always! I love how their tortillas are a little crispy and their hot sauce is…read moreperfecto!

I do love that they have a salsa bar where you can help yourself to salsa and they have a number of…read moresalsas, the lady was nice at the front counter. The food is what I had a problem with ordered three different tacos, pork chicken, and beef one of them pineapple in it. I literally almost threw up. It would've been nice to know that was pineapple. It did not say anything about having pineapple in it but besides that the tacos were just OK besides the whole pineapple that was absolutely disgusting, my beans and rice were barely above room temperature. FYI this is not a Datenight type of place. You bus your own tables, more like a cafeteria