El Jefe Desert Cantina

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!

I went there for dinner on a recent Friday evening. We had reservations for 6 adults. We were seated next to a father and his two screaming children. No only were they loud, the one in the highchair was turned around with his hands on our table. The father left with one of the kids when his wife showed up. The kid that was left was much quieter without the father & sibling. Shortly thereafter another group was seated directly behind us in an adjoining booth. It was four adults and two children. The kids misbehaved the entire time. They were jumping up and down in the booth and yelling. They were so loud that the six of us in our party couldn't carry on a conversation. At one point, one of the kids knocked over and shattered a lantern that was there on the shelf as part of the decor. The food was decent as was the service. I understand that families are welcome. That being said, I believe the parents have a responsibility to control their children. When they don't I believe the restaurant staff has an obligation to step in and address the situation. I didn't bring kids to the restaurant and I shouldn't be responsible for parenting them. I am also I paying customer and should be able to have a normal conversation at the table with my party. I won't be back.

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.

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!!

Definitlely come during happyhour. Its the best bang for your buck. But definitely get the baja fish tacos they are so good. If you are a local they give 15% discount as well on bill.

I am embarrassed to admit I sat on their filth covered seats and carried on with my dinner plans. The food was so good and I didn’t want to make a scene but oh my gosh: dear hotel owners and managers please save everyone’s clothing from the stench and stains of your seating upholstery. Like the floors of a Payless shoe store.

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.

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!

The food and drinks were amazing! Baleria was a great server! She was very knowledgeable and understanding of my gluten allergy! She was also very kind! The vibe of the restaurant is also fantastic! 10.out of 10 would recommend!!

I had come down to PS due to recent wildfires in my hometown and The Saguaro was the only spot I booked. I had no idea that El Jefe had moved and opened up a beautiful spot, still inside the lobby of the hotel. The food is amazing!! The presentation, the taste, the exotic flavors and wonderful twists on old favorites is just spectacular! Even the simplest of dishes were turned into a magical, mouth watering delight! As if the food and ambiance weren't enough to keep you seated, the service is what anyone would call "above and beyond." Just spectacular! There wasn't a time I sat there where I was not being asked if I needed anything else, wanted more of something or try something new, or just had great conversation with the wait and bar staff. They felt like friends and been through the chaos that surround them, managed to do it all with a smile and suggestions to other venues in the surrounding PS area. If you book at The Saguaro, and you should, you don't even need to leave the compound to have the comfiest beds, the hottest hot tubs and nicest pools, and the best service and tastiest food in town! If I could give more than 5 stars in

Disappointed! I'm going to start with the positive, the service was good and the staff friendly, the presentation was good too. The food looked great. Unfortunately the drinks were small, margaritas came in a tumbler so your getting a small serving for the price of a full. The food was lack luster and bland. We went to El Jefe expecting Mexican food. It should be re-named Dewayne's or something so that you don't go in expecting rich Mexican spices and bold flavors. Listen... California restaurants, I know of NO ONE, who as ever said this is how my mom made this back in Michocan or anywhere else that included black beans. Dominican food often includes black beans and some other island cuisine but whoever told you that black beans were a suitable swap for pinto beans has apparently never traveled south of the US border. Seriously, skip it. There's better bars and better food in town.

Service 5/5 at Bar great bartender,Miguel Ambiance 4.5/5 nice retro vibes Food 4.5/5 ( happy hour & taco Tuesday special) Started off with $8 house margarita. Made perfect over rocks and salted rim wide glass. Feel the kick and a bargain! Apps: shishito peppers, Mexican street corn and mini chorizo quesadillas. Are starters are great, well done, good value. For our entree we had 4 tacos: Baja fish, shrimp, short rib and cochinita pork. Each taco was delightfully prepared with interesting accompaniment. As an example the pork featured pineapple and chipotle mayo and fresh pickled veggies, the shrimp had chorizo and the short rib melted in your mouth. All are very good. There are also mushroom and potato flautas for vegans. I would definitely recommend getting a bit off the main drag and coming to this hotel spot.

The indoor dining area isn't very big and there were only two of us so we sat at the bar. Service from the bartender was great. We got a hibiscus mezcal cocktail and a pineapple margarita. Both were delicious. The guacamole was excellent and a nice generous (for two people) portion. The chips were light and super crispy. Of the two tacos (3 to an order) the shrimp with chirizo was the clear winner. The mushroom was ok but needed a bit more umami flavor to it. Overall, this place lives up to the hype!

Wow. Who knew a hotel restaurant could be this good! we stayed at the hotel for the weekend and had breakfast here twice, ordered food from them by the pool as well. The coffee was hands-down excellent! The salmon bagel was delicious, their scrambled eggs were amazing . And this is coming from someone that hates eating out for breakfast. It was good! The tacos we ordered by the pool were really good too!!!

I enjoyed el jefe quite a bit. It was conveniently located in the hotel I was staying in. It seems they are understaffed but they somehow make it work. There can often be a wait but the service is excellent. The food is expensive. The corn is a real treat please do not deny yourself this, especially during happy hour. Also don't skip the tajin rim margarita! I also had the chilaquiles which was kind of mediocre. The wagyu burger is delicious! I would absolutely order that again.

One of our favorite spots to grab a drink and some good food before checking in for the weekend. Great happy hour options for sharing. Great service too! We we're staying downtown so this was a perfect place to relax and unwind before check in. Order the crispy cauliflower bites...you won't regret it!

They have a restaurant and also a bar! They have different tapas and cocktails but basically the same thing. Food: delicious. We had the short rib tacos and they were SO good. The meat was so soft and tender and well marinated/seasoned. The tacos were topped with a habanero salsa but it wasn't spicy. Keep in mind, there were pecans mixed into the meat. We also got the shishito peppers. They weren't great. They look well seasoned and dressed with spices, but they were super bland. I wouldn't order them again. We ended up at the bar side and had the fried cauliflower.. 10/10! Services: incredible! They were so kind and attentive. Ambiance: super cool vibes and decor. The restaurant and bar side have dim lighting and almost kind of intimate. Perfect for date night. Overall, I'm giving it a 4 out of 5 starts. It's really pricey and the portions are tiny. The cocktails are all $12-18 each.

What a place to experience and see! I was recommended by a local to stop in and try this place out! I'm a huge person for art and neon lights and plants so it was the perfect mix for me! I will note that the service was quick, but the servers were not personable and had an arrogance to them; however, it did not tarnish my experience. I loved the food and how well it was flavored! I'd recommend any of the tacos, the street corn, or guac! The food was fresh and delicious! I was a huge fan our their happy hour margaritas as well! If I'm back in the area I'd love to try it again and explore more! I highly recommend checking out all of the art installations when walking through the hotel!

Valeria had the best service. She explained the menu in detail and made sure we understood everything before ordering. Such a sweetheart.

Came here with a friend for happy hour. Drinks were good and the appetizers were good as well!! Need to come back for an entree.. service was also super friendly!

We always love a good happy hour, and this spot was recommended. We went in around 4:00 during the week, and it was still pretty quiet. It picked up as time went on. We sat at the bar, and the bartender was really friendly. I ordered the spicy guave margarita, which was a good blend of spicy and tart, with the guava keeping it balanced. They had a lot of good cocktails plus wine and beer on HH. For food we got the mini nachos, which were actually a really good portion. The shishito peppers had a chipotle sauce that had good flavor without being overly spicy. They have a nice outdoor space as well, which would be good when the weather is nice. We would definitely stop again again and try some tacos next time we come through.

This place is conveniently located inside of The Saguaro Hotel. We came here for our complimentary margarita that we received upon check in. Keep in mind that you have to purchase another food item before you can get your free drink. We shared a few appetizers and got our margaritas. The food and drinks were just ok. Nothing really stood out in my opinion and it was pretty overpriced for what you get. The interior was nice until you get up close to the booths which had stains on the seats. Customer service was okay but could have been better. Overall I wouldn't say this is a must try.

I came to The Saguaro hotel for a bachelorette party and this is the restaurant inside the hotel itself. I am beyond impressed. I went twice during my stay, both my waitresses were outstanding and the food and cocktails were exceptional both times as well. You can't lose here. If and when you stay you HAVE to try an espresso martini btw, so do not miss brunch.

Went to Taco Tues/Thur on recommendation from my niece and was very pleasantly surprised.

Hugo from the el jefe bar! Did amazing with our margaritas! And ever attentive! Will come again! And if you want amazing guest service ask for Hugo at the bar!

I come to El jefe often, Hugo makes the best drinks in my opinion! The spicy watermelon with the tajin on the rim is my favorite! Also try spicy strawberry!! Also great service. I'll be back again as always!

Great spot in the lobby of the Saguaro! Taco Tuesday was $5 taco. My favorite was the fish taco, pibil, and mushroom. We also tried the pork nachos for an app. Drinks we delicious too.

Their lavender lattes are exceptional, I highly recommend. Avocado toast is filling and delicious. The house made granola is practically perfect as far as I'm concerned. I guess i was a big fan of their breakfast items!

Omg I Love love love this place....RAMON the best waiter recommend the mojito and gave tips on what to order! SPOT ON! THE SHORT RIB TACOS...no one comes close to this unique recipe!!!! The monitor.. the bomb!!! Now for desssert....churros fresh & hot with dipping gooey chocolate!!! Spot on service & a delightful culinary trip!!!!

Happy LDW to me! My friends and I used the app "resorts pass" today and decided to drive to Palm Springs and get the day room pass. Such a great day already. We've been at the pool for a bit and decided to check out "el jefe" in the lobby and so glad we did. Our server Valarie is great and accommodating. Our food and drinks came out fast. You can order the drinks to go as well which is fabulous because it's happy from 12-6! :) I want to come back for seconds already. Everything we ordered was delicious.

Hugo made some great drinks!! We kept coming back during our stay. He made me a margarita with some Gran Malo, DELICIOUSSSS

My group and I had an excellent experience. We were fortunate enough to make it for happy hour and were not disappointed. We got several rounds of drinks and some delicious Mexican food. Valleria was such an amazing server. She made sure we were well taken care of. We'll be back next time we stay at the hotel! Thank you Valeria, you're amazing!

This is the best establishment in Palm Springs. The food is fantastic, the drinks are generous, and the ambiance is simply great. Service was amazing: shoutout to Camila for pouring very well crafted Margaritas in the Palm Springs heat -- something you won't find anywhere else!

Great drinks and great ambiance. Hugo is an excellent bartender! He prepared my drink with great skill and was very friendly throughout. The drink he made was absolutely delicious. Highly recommend! :)

Super fun place for happy hour and you just might run into a celebrity or a look-alike for sure.

Great hidden gem in the lobby of the Saguaro hotel in Palm Springs. This restaurant and bar features very authentic Mexican snacks and meals. We had Guacamole and chips: Small portion but super tasty. Short Rib Tacos: street-food sized portions, but lots of juicy beef short ribs. So delish, we added a 4th because we wanted more. Chicken Quesadilla: loved loved LOVED that they used dark meat, and their home made sauce was amazing. HUGE portion, so definitely able to share, but you may not want to. Veggie Quesadilla: Super tasty mushroom and cheese, also a huge portion. Would definitely get this an appetizer next time. Overall, food is worth coming back. It's a bit far from the main part of Palm Springs, but love the unique vibe of the hotel and the food is worth coming back. Nice and attentive service; super helpful.

This place is a hip taco restaurant inside of the Sahuaro hotel. The service was wonderful, the tacos delicious, and the ambiance was very cool. We sat outside and had fun views, along with cool mist after a while. There was some weird loud constant noise that I couldn't identify, but the meal was still pleasant. We ordered the chips, salsa and guacamole, which were the perfect way to start the meal. Then my husband and I shared the shrimp tacos and the fish tacos. I enjoyed both!

Loved El Jefe so much! Came for a 5:30 pm resy so we could enjoy their incredible Happy Hour which goes until 6 pm Then Taco Tuesday & Thursday kicked in at 6 pm so ordered tacos as well! Their drinks were really good - you can tell this isn't a pre made mix or triple sec! Their mixologist is great!!! We ordered a regular & mango margarita at $6 each then switched to custom skinny margaritas at $6 each - sweet Ordered fish tacos, excellent deep fried and hot Shrimp tacos very good as well but warning has chorizo too Carne asada Mexican hubby approved Carnitas with chicharon so tasty Luke is an awesome attentive and fun server!!! Thanks for a fun night Luke

Great service, excellent drinks, amazing waitstaff and the queso fundido was so tasty. We'll be back!

Little hidden gem inside The Saguaro! Delicious food, great service and a cute vibe. Our server Juan was very nice and attentive. Love that the hotel has this place, super convenient if you aren't trying to leave to grab something to eat. I'd definitely recommend stopping in to the restaurant even if you aren't staying at the hotel.

We ate here out of convenience as it's located inside the Saguaro Palm Springs but we're quite happy with the food. It has a really cool indoor bar and outdoor patio. We chose to eat outside on the patio as it was still in the mid-'70s at night. Service was quick to take a drink and meal orders. Our drinks and chips n guac came out fast. I was a bit over tacos by the end of the weekend but my friend went with fish tacos lol. The tacos (3) were loaded and great portions of fish. They loved it. I went with a spicy Korean fried chicken which seems like a risky order at a cantina, but it was fantastic. The fries served with it were also freshly chopped/fried. The star of the show was the fried ice cream. That outer fried shell texture is so good with a bite of vanilla ice cream! It was so good that I actually ordered it again at the pool LOL.

Great place for happy hour! Valeria was our server and she was super attentive and friendly to our group. Loved the ambiance of the hotel, restaurant, and bar. Highly recommend to anyone who comes to Palm Springs!

El Jefe Desert Cantina is located inside the Saguaro hotel and has a speakeasy on the right side of the check-in desk. The restaurant is to the left of the check-in desk. The speakeasy let us know that they were no longer serving food as it was late, but they allowed us to order at the restaurant and bring it in. It was a Wednesday night, so it was really quiet and we were the only customers (not complaining cause we enjoyed the privacy and attentive service). The bartender made some good recommendations and we all enjoyed our drinks. Food was also delicious! When we visited, there was plenty of free parking at the Saguaro, but I'm guessing it's probably a lot more busy on weekends.

Food was tasty, the fish tacos were ok, the batter was a little heavy. The guacamole was delicious! Tasted fresh. Service was friendly and ambiance is refreshing and fun!

Great ambiance and service. Very good drinks and happy hour vibe!! Valeria was a great server.

The menu was limited, extremely limited especially since it's the only option for food for the hotel. Pass on breakfast, it's not good. Lunch was ok. The vegetarian quesufilla was delicious, especially the crema. The service was great. The whole team was kind and sweet. I won't return or recommend but it served it's purpose.

Always love a visit to El Jefe. The mini nachos have saved my life so many times. Mostly hopping on to say that the bartender, Irene, was great and our server, Valeria, was so fun! They both were welcoming, felt down to earth, and were easily to chat with. Loved being in their company during our stay at Saguaro!

I've eaten here twice now and both times I really enjoyed the food, ambiance, and service. They have vegan options too which I really enjoy. The bar is nice and welcoming as well. I recommend it.

The food and drinks are amazing. Had the chilaquiles and bacon. The margs are so refreshing.

Was here yesterday for the brunch drag show. The mean girls menu was ok, our server was very attentive and fast the only thing was that our nachos was a long wait and it came with hardened cheese already. The queens were amazing, the audience were awesome , the place was great. The only thing ? The sound from the pool and the sound from the restaurant was "deafening"... it was like we were in between 2 very loud banging sounds because we were seated outside . There was a "sound" competition . I don't know how they are going to fix the situation.. because the business maybe always have 2 events during the weekends . Otherwise , we had fun. Place was clean and nice . The different color of the place makes it even a. Happier place.

A friend of mine stayed here and we went in for late night food. Luke was incredible. He was friendly, hilarious, handsome and a great conversationalist. Over short rib nachos, I think it was short rib, we discussed being a good ally and the bar scene in Palm Springs. Luke had a great knowledge of the area. We had ice tea and he kept our waters full. He probably could tell my friend was feeling that last cocktail and needed to hydrate. The fish tacos were so delicious I and I don't even like fish tacos. My friend ordered them and she went full Guy Fieri on flavortown overload. After Luke made laugh some more we paid the tab and every single person on staff wished a good evening and complimented our outfits. Now I know they are trained to be nice but damn they made me good! Come for tacos. I've been here countless times for the tacos. But stay for Luke. Also the decor is gorgeous and the outdoor area was clean and comfy.

El Jefe was the BEST part about staying at the Saguaro. I was already stalking the menu on the plane ride to Palm Springs and got pumped to try their Spicy Guava Margarita. It 100% lived up to the hype that was in my head. I had so many of those throughout the week. On the first night of my stay, I got the El Jefe Nachos (carne asada, queso, black beans, pico de gallo, tomatoes, radishes, arbol chile sauce, crema, cilantro) and they tasted SOOOO fresh and delicious. Tried a few other thngs. Not a TON of menu items, but the variety was enough for me. Since this was the only convenient food option without driving off property, I was happy to keep giving them money. Wasn't a fan of the bagels and toasts they prepared for our group but happy hour was always a blast. Catering was generally a hit, whether it was tacos or something else. Would totally go out of my way to come back here if I was in Palm Springs. Sipping Spicy Guava Margaritas by the pool sounds like the perfect way to spend a disconnected weekend. Customer service here seemed pretty detached, but other Yelpers disagree. Overall great spot, though!

From what I read and the pictures I saw, I really wanted this place to be great and fun, and it really.... Just wasn't. We had an inauspicious start when we showed up and found that the cantina was closed for a corporate presentation. No one, when I called an hour earlier to confirm details, had mentioned it and half the staff on site were fairly clueless about it. But we figured we'd rectify things with some food and drinks in the restaurant. We got a mojito and margarita that were fine, but really unmemorable. The vibe from our waiter was pretty stilted and he seemed to be phoning it in. So, we bailed. There are plenty of other delicious Mexican restaurants in the area, so we made haste their way.

$10 for chips & salsa? Let me re-phrase that: $10 for store-bought chips and jarred salsa? I live in Southern CA and have been to a wide variety of Mexican restaurants and I don't ever recall paying for basic chips and salsa. It's just part of the meal and experience. It was a Monday afternoon, the place wasn't that busy, but the management thought under staffing and over working servers was a good way to endear customers. The tacos were good, albeit a small portion. And of course a la carte! But even if one wanted sides, like rice and/beans it wasn't even an option! Did I mention the bar had several beers on tap, but two out of three weren't available? This place is part of a busy hotel, and desperately needs a GM that knows what they're doing. Great potential yes, execution, not so much.

The restaurant itself is very pretty. The food was soso, the chicken tacos could be spicier and the burger was just an average burger. Our first round of drinks didnt arrive until after we finished our meals which was disappointing. We also didn't receive water until after we finished eating. The vibe of the restaurant is nice but the rest of it is okay.

Hugo's service was awesome! He was quick and gave honest recommendations. Appreciate him!

The tinga and short rib tacos were incredible. Valeria was super helpful, attentive, and made us feel at home.