El Jefe's Taqueria - Pittsburgh — Restaurant in Pittsburgh

I believe this is a new Mexican spot. It's located near Pitt so definitely a lot of college students go here, and apparently they have locations across America as well. I decided to try their Build Your Own Mexican Bowl, and I made it with carnitas (pork), Mexican rice, pinto beans, roasted vegetables, and plantains, as well as a Horchata on the side.

The Build Your Own Mexican bowl was okay. The portion was great! Quality was just okay though. The meat was way too fatty, but the texture and flavor were otherwise alright and there was no up-charge for the carnitas.

The vegetable medley seemed quite fresh but there was no seasoning that I could taste. I wish they added more salt or pepper or just honestly any seasoning. The medley consisted of onions, tomato, zucchini, cauliflower, and squash.

Mexican rice was pretty flavorless but pairing it with the pork was nice, and it soaked up some of the juice from the vegetables and pinto beans. Too many opinions in my opinion. I also did not get the plantains. Pinto beans were good and came in a nice portion.

The Horchata was nice. Good deal for the portion. It was lightly sweet and quite heavy on the cinnamon (there was an entire layer of cinnamon on the bottom of the cup).

All in all, a decent Mexican spot. Most popular with college kids due to having solid deals and nice portions. Quality-wise, it is pretty good but nothing...

If you're on the hunt for an affordable Mexican food option, El Jefe's Taqueria might catch your eye. While it has its upsides, there are some aspects that left me wishing for more.

Let's start with the positives. El Jefe's Taqueria understands the value of a good deal. The ability to pile on as many toppings as you want without any extra charge is a welcome feature. You can truly customize your meal to your liking, loading up on your favorite ingredients without worrying about the cost. Plus, the portion sizes won't leave you hungry - they definitely deliver on quantity.

Now, onto the not-so-great part: the taste. I have to be honest here; El Jefe's Taqueria didn't wow me in the flavor department. The dishes lacked that authentic Mexican touch and fell a bit flat. While taste is subjective, I couldn't help but feel that something was missing. If you're expecting a burst of deliciousness, you might be disappointed.

That said, if you're primarily looking for a quick and affordable bite, El Jefe's Taqueria does the job. The casual ambiance adds to the laid-back vibe, and the staff is friendly and efficient. They'll take your order promptly, ensuring you won't be kept...

Ok so I’m going to say this will I try it again YES! So the only thing they need to do is make fresh rice I’m sorry but I do not want to be hurting my teeth after every other bite, they are definitely mixing stale rice in with the new batch… yea wasn’t feeling it after awhile…. Butttt over all I definitely enjoyed the tacos!!

The chimichangas boy oh boy so the first 2 bites of just cheese was cool but then it gets overwhelming with the cheese and starts to taste like processed cheese, I have maybe 5-6 corn and the meat I mean wasn’t none in there… the refried beans was good just add some hot sauce lol but nah I’m good off of those chimichangas 🤦🏾‍♀️ (had high hopes for these) anywayyyy!!

So when ordering online don’t pick the curbside option because when I called to let them know I here for curbside they told me I still had to walk in, that sucked because I was having a flare up this day and I was stiff (please change that)

So would I be back yes cuz man those tacos was hitting 😋 besides the rice hurting after every other bite, definitely gotta try again’

(So when I go back and it’s even better and changes were made I’ll change...