El Jefe

I been here a couple of times , this hotel is so far ones of my favorites , the colors and the modern decor make you fall in love with it ! There are a lot of parties happening here and after the madness the place still looks amazing. About El Jefe, we had a great time. The bar tender was very attentive and poured us some really tasty tequila drinks !

Best fish and shrimp tacos in PS, period! Bartender and Servers are the kindest/most helpful! El Jefe is proof that some of the best service comes from non 5-star/Michelin restaurants. Thank you guys, during my one week visit to PS, I ate at your restaurant 3 times… those those are delicious!

A restaurant inside the Saguaro Hotel. Known for its 60s vibes The restaurant is tucked away, so look for the sign pointing the way as you walk into the lobby. The tacos are excellent. Also the cocktails have smart twists and names. Fun place for a group of people to meet.

Pleasantly surprised. After a few not so great meals in Palm Springs despite great reviews, I wasn’t sure what to expect at El Jefe. In fact, I was prepared for another mediocre meal with mediocre service. Quite the opposite. We came on a Saturday night (mind you right before Christmas) and the restaurant was mostly empty. We were greeted and seated quickly. Service was attentive and our food came out so fast. My partner and I shared the nachos. Again, we didn’t have high expectations but these nachos hit the spot—just the right amount of everything. Sometimes with nachos the chips get weighted down or too mushy from the melted cheese and everything else, but not these. My partner ordered the Baja Fish Tacos and although somewhat small in size, the portion of the fish was good and the flavor packed a punch (in a good way). I had the chicken tinga quesadilla which came with a small dollop of chipotle mayo on each slice. At first I didn’t think it would be enough, but the chipotle mayo was plenty. The server was kind enough to ask if I wanted some salsa for the quesadilla too, which I declined since we had so much nachos still. After we walked out I realized that I forgot to order churros… we’ll be back. Overall, I was really pleased with our meal at El Jefe and we want to come back for drag brunch.

Courtnie Clemens

My husband isn’t a foodie, so when he says the burger was a 10/10, I take that seriously. Big on flavor and quality, and genuinely filling. The happy hour mini nachos with carne asada were a hit, and the guacamole never misses. Service was fast and efficient, and parking right out front made it an easy, stress-free stop. Would absolutely return.

Thomas Vadora

It is good food and not too expensive. Very easy if you are staying at the Saguaro. The staff is very friendly and I really appreciate that.

Chloe Stockstill

Quick service, we were specifically in the cantina ordered nachos which were the best nachos I’ve had in a long time! Everything tasted fresh. Drinks are very pretty and delish as well! Hugo was SUPER friendly and his service was A1, made us feel extremely welcomed. They also have board games which is a bonus!

Heather Tazza

I was wondering with the reviews here but the food was actually so good! And the atmosphere is such a vibe. Definitely fun for a more relaxed casual girls dinner. Especially if you aren’t going out after, as it’s not on the strip to go out but such a great spot for the going home early house party but wanting the cool dinner vibes

Janzen A.

My boyfriend and I visited Palm Springs for our anniversary and had a fantastic experience at El Jefe, largely thanks to our incredible waiter, Ricardo (aka Ricky). Out of the three times we came for breakfast twice, Ricky comped our beverages twice, which was a wonderful surprise. (The 1 other time we came for dinner and had a waitress.) Ricky also hand-wrote a list of must-see, must-go places in Palm Springs, adding a personal and thoughtful touch to our visit. Ricky’s exceptional service and kindness made our trip extra special. If there were an Employee of the Month award, he would definitely be the deserving recipient!

Leonard Olive Jr

We have dinned in Palm Springs many times through the years and had the opportunity to go back while at Indian Wells Tennis. We discovered El Jefe Desert Cantina! A superb lunch of Short Rib Tacos, Chicken Tinga Quesadilla (the best quesadilla I’ve ever had), Jefe Burgers! El Jefe Cantina was superb!!

Nicole “Coleyworld” H

Coleyworld approved! 💜 Best drag brunch ever! The queens were extremely talented and put on a fabulous show! Our bachelor had a blast! Food was good! I inhaled my burrito and was still hungry after. Order extra verde sauce! And thank god for the churros with the chocolate dripping! Perfect dosage of sweetness! Oh and did I forget to say bottomless mimosas! Yes baby! Bring your dollar bills for tipping the queens but worst case scenario, they take Venmo!

Isabel Jones

Great food for all meals including breakfast. Delicious salsa & margaritas. Valeria was so attentive and kind. The restaurant is gorgeous with lots of seating options included heated outdoor seating with gorgeous view of the colorful decor & palm trees.

Jo Dee

Great food and atmosphere. Located in the Saguaro hotel, and in my opinion - the highlight of the hotel. We came down El Jeffe twice on our first night here. Second time, we ordered food, it took a while. So the host took it upon himself to come to us and apologize for the wait and offered us free cocktails. Food is not your typical Mexican fare too. Salsa is a bit too salty for me, and drinks are on the strong side.. even the "sweet" cocktails do not taste sweet at all, which I actually like. But just a warning to those with a sweet tooth.

kristian garcia

I been here a couple of times , this hotel is so far ones of my favorites , the colors and the modern decor make you fall in love with it ! There are a lot of parties happening here and after the madness the place still looks amazing. About El Jefe, we had a great time. The bar tender was very attentive and poured us some really tasty tequila drinks !

Mauro Gonzalez

Best fish and shrimp tacos in PS, period! Bartender and Servers are the kindest/most helpful! El Jefe is proof that some of the best service comes from non 5-star/Michelin restaurants. Thank you guys, during my one week visit to PS, I ate at your restaurant 3 times… those those are delicious!

Kathy Condon

A restaurant inside the Saguaro Hotel. Known for its 60s vibes The restaurant is tucked away, so look for the sign pointing the way as you walk into the lobby. The tacos are excellent. Also the cocktails have smart twists and names. Fun place for a group of people to meet.

Ryan Rovira-Lanzendorf

Pleasantly surprised. After a few not so great meals in Palm Springs despite great reviews, I wasn’t sure what to expect at El Jefe. In fact, I was prepared for another mediocre meal with mediocre service. Quite the opposite. We came on a Saturday night (mind you right before Christmas) and the restaurant was mostly empty. We were greeted and seated quickly. Service was attentive and our food came out so fast. My partner and I shared the nachos. Again, we didn’t have high expectations but these nachos hit the spot—just the right amount of everything. Sometimes with nachos the chips get weighted down or too mushy from the melted cheese and everything else, but not these. My partner ordered the Baja Fish Tacos and although somewhat small in size, the portion of the fish was good and the flavor packed a punch (in a good way). I had the chicken tinga quesadilla which came with a small dollop of chipotle mayo on each slice. At first I didn’t think it would be enough, but the chipotle mayo was plenty. The server was kind enough to ask if I wanted some salsa for the quesadilla too, which I declined since we had so much nachos still. After we walked out I realized that I forgot to order churros… we’ll be back. Overall, I was really pleased with our meal at El Jefe and we want to come back for drag brunch.

Patty Segovia Krause

Manager Liz took care of us near closing time. The guac and salsa were unique and had an eclectic flavor of its own. We loved the ambiance and colored lights.

This restaurant was my favorite thing about the hotel. We snacked by the pool all day and had other meals there. Everything was delicious! We got mini chorizo quesadillas, fish tacos, carne asada fries, wings and a cheese quesadilla. Everything was delicious! Literally would come back to this hotel just for the food.

Love this place. Food and service are good and the outdoor dining experience is comfortable. As a mid-century fan, it’s always fun to walk through the Saguaro Hotel lobby. Don’t miss the Barbie scenes in the walkway between the lobby and the restaurant. The chips and salsa are a great way to start along with the el Jefe margarita (which is one of my favorites). The salsa tastes fire roasted and I’d love to get my hands on the recipe. I loved the shrimp tacos which were mixed with some chorizo and a creamy sauce. The pork and pineapple tacos were really damn good too. It was nice to be able to share them with my husband so we got to taste both. Our server was Nelson and he was nice and helpful. I

I was looking to make a reservation for a group and was told by multiple sites and apps that there were no reservations available, I called and they said they could squeeze us in but when we got there we were the only table in the whole place. Not sure why it was so difficult to make a reservation when they clearly had the space. The food was delicious though, and the Jefe margaritas with a Tajin rim hit the spot. The Carne Asada tacos and chili pineapple side were a killer combo, and our server was polite but infrequently stopped by despite having no other tables to check on.

Rebecca Castro

This restaurant was my favorite thing about the hotel. We snacked by the pool all day and had other meals there. Everything was delicious! We got mini chorizo quesadillas, fish tacos, carne asada fries, wings and a cheese quesadilla. Everything was delicious! Literally would come back to this hotel just for the food.

Terri Hanson Mead

Love this place. Food and service are good and the outdoor dining experience is comfortable. As a mid-century fan, it’s always fun to walk through the Saguaro Hotel lobby. Don’t miss the Barbie scenes in the walkway between the lobby and the restaurant. The chips and salsa are a great way to start along with the el Jefe margarita (which is one of my favorites). The salsa tastes fire roasted and I’d love to get my hands on the recipe. I loved the shrimp tacos which were mixed with some chorizo and a creamy sauce. The pork and pineapple tacos were really damn good too. It was nice to be able to share them with my husband so we got to taste both. Our server was Nelson and he was nice and helpful. I

Jeff Carter

I was looking to make a reservation for a group and was told by multiple sites and apps that there were no reservations available, I called and they said they could squeeze us in but when we got there we were the only table in the whole place. Not sure why it was so difficult to make a reservation when they clearly had the space. The food was delicious though, and the Jefe margaritas with a Tajin rim hit the spot. The Carne Asada tacos and chili pineapple side were a killer combo, and our server was polite but infrequently stopped by despite having no other tables to check on.

This place looked good on reviews but I am picky about tacos. The tacos here are average. They don’t have a lot of flavor. We tried fish, chicken and steak. All average. The hotel that the restaurant is in is off of a Main Street not close to other restaurants. There are so many better places. Eat at your own risk.

Decent happy hour except that the $5 draft beer does not include all drafts...and in our case was not even available as they were all out of beer (??). The nachos were small considering the price but did taste good. The fish tacos were great but the torta lacked any texture and was over-salted. So maybe go for margaritas and fish tacos, but only at happy hour.

Gail Wallace

This place looked good on reviews but I am picky about tacos. The tacos here are average. They don’t have a lot of flavor. We tried fish, chicken and steak. All average. The hotel that the restaurant is in is off of a Main Street not close to other restaurants. There are so many better places. Eat at your own risk.

B S

Decent happy hour except that the $5 draft beer does not include all drafts...and in our case was not even available as they were all out of beer (??). The nachos were small considering the price but did taste good. The fish tacos were great but the torta lacked any texture and was over-salted. So maybe go for margaritas and fish tacos, but only at happy hour.

Francisco Quijano

The food was fine, got the El Jefe burger which is served in a really small portion but it was enough. I got a side salad which was very disappointing. I guess in some places water crests are considered a salad. I'm here in August 2020 during the pandemic and I understand the issue of not wanting to touch cash but I tried to pay in cash with tip included and they wouldn't accept it. Again, I understand why they wouldn't take cash....but it's still annoying.

The restaurant looked very promising, but the service was unacceptable. I sat at the bar for over 15 minutes and was completely ignored. The bartender never acknowledged me, took my order, or even made eye contact. I eventually got up and left without being served. Poor service like this ruins the entire experience, regardless of how good the food might be. First impressions matter, and this one was a complete miss. Would not recommend.