El Jefe Authentic Mexican Cuisine — Restaurant in Ames

This was our first visit to el hefe and at first glance the restaurant looks pretty nice, upon walking into the establishment I did smell the aroma of urine unfortunately. We proceeded to get seated and the help was very nice and attentive. Well that's were the ok experience ends, I asked for a modelo draft and they didn't offer that and the drink my SO ordered was tasty but not worth the 15$ price. All would be forgiven though if the the food was delicious, but unfortunately it would be far from that. I ordered the Chile rieno and cheese enchilada combo and both had white american cheese which was disgusting and not authentic Mexican by no means. My SO got the fried taco berria tacos and the meat lacked flavor even though it was very tender. Now when I say the berria lacked flavor, that was brought to my attention by my SO and she is (rice skinneded) white and I'm Mexican so I had to double check to see if I had the same opinion and she was absolutely right!!!! I will not be visiting this place again, especially when abalardos is right across the street and taste wayyyyyyy better. Oh and our lil one who is 3yrs got a cheese burger and fries but didn't finish it because he didn't like the taste and his mom took a bite of it and confirmed it was not...

I came here with friends after swimming on Sunday night, drawn in by the high ratings and well-crafted photos. The food was excellent, the atmosphere was pleasant, and the location is great.

However, the service left a lot to be desired. From the beginning, our server seemed disinterested and hard to communicate with. Simple requests—like asking for Coke Zero (which is listed on the menu) or even just a cup of ice—were difficult to convey. He only responded when prompted, and even then, it felt like an inconvenience.

We had to repeatedly try to get his attention for drink refills, to-go boxes, and eventually to settle the bill. At several points, we noticed him laughing and using his phone rather than checking on tables. Even after we received our boxes—a clear signal that we were ready to wrap up—we still had to track him down ourselves to get the check, and again found him on his phone.

To his credit, someone who appeared to be the manager did stop by a few times to ask if everything was okay. Unfortunately, despite that, the actual service never improved.

This place has great food and a nice vibe, but the service needs serious attention. A more engaged staff would elevate the entire...

We got a variety of items, everything was delicious! All of the food was packed with flavor and the portions are very large. We got.. Chimichanga with beef: this was a 9x3x3 chimi, FULL of shredded beef. The beef itself had a lot of flavor to it, you don't even need anything else. I did not eat it right away but it was still crispy when it got to me!

Chicken and rice: it was huge portion of tasty chicken with a little (in comparison to the chicken) bit of rice. Covered in cheese. Basic, sure, but so so good.

Burrito gordo: huge, bursting From the seams, not for lack of structure, but for the fact that it was fully coated in melty warm cheese sauce, I did not eat this but l have heard great feedback.

Chori queso: I get this at every Mexican restaurant I go to, it's easy, always tasty. The thing that sets this one apart is that it is essentially equal parts chorizo and queso, generally it's hella queso with a sprinkle of chorizo, this was so well proportioned.

Overall this restaurant really exceeded our expectations and raised the bar for similar establishments, the queso alone has turned me into a regular. I cannot attest to the service or atmosphere it i can only assume it is at the very...