El Jefe Taqueria Garaje

I’ve eaten here several times. The food is good and so are the margaritas. However, the past few times I’ve been here the service isn’t good.
Last Tuesday, I stopped in before a meeting. I had an hour to get the food and eat. I told the waitress my time constraints when she took our order. After we finished our first drink I asked about the status of our tacos. She was confused and we realized that she obviously had not placed the order. With 15 minutes before I had to leave I once again asked about about the order. She said it was coming. Ten minutes later I told her not to bring them to the table but to box them up. She did that but offered no apology.
The next day I called and spoke with one of the managers. I didn’t want a refund or any other compensation for my trouble. What I did want was an apology. The manager didn’t even ask who had waited on me. Her only reply was that she hoped we’d come again! There are other restaurants/​bars in the area. I won’t be as eager to stop at El Jefe next time.

Small space with exposed brick and soft lighting gives an industrial but cozy feel to this gem. Lots of good vegan options and the staff and kitchen will readily modify their dishes for vegans. It can be tough to get a seat on a Friday night. The bar is often 2 or 3 deep. Sunday brunch is a good option, especially when the back patio is open.

Best nachos EVER. Small and not a lot of tables but we really enjoyed it and will definitely be back.

Loved this place. Went to happy hour, for a margarita. Yum. The manager and staff were fun and full of knowledge. We had a great time tasting some of the many different tequilas. We went back the next day. Salsa and chips were fresh and tasty. Will go back and try dinner…

My fiancé and I visited in December, when it was over 70 degrees! The back patio is great! We ordered the ahi tuna and pork tacos, both were delicious and huge! We highly recommend the restaurant gets those sectioned plates, as we got to the 3^rd taco it was very soggy! We highly recommend this place! :)

Best brunch ever. Get the chorizo burrito. You WILL not be disappointed. Although pretty much everything on the menu will impress. Staff is great atmosphere is great this place is pretty much a home run.

Awesome mex food, I would put them up against any mex restaurant, with the real thing and I’m not talking about Taco Bell either!! you don’t have to go to Texas or Mexico for the real thing, just come downtown lynchburg on commerce street!! and the selection of takilla is killer too.

The service is amazing, there is a girl named Brittany that never lets my drink go empty. Also, she remembers my name which is a hard thing to do. She also brought out the most delicious nachos I have had downtown. I can go on but, this woman is very attentive and it feels like she already knows what I need.

My fiancé and I went out for date night tonight, Friday December 4,2015. Even though it was originally a 45 minute wait for a table, we ordered drinks at the bar. She got the 1800 coconut margarita, I got the bar Hopper. Delicious and fairly priced. Only 15 minutes into our drinks our table was ready. We were greeted at our table by a very polite and high energized waiter, Stuart. Stuart was awesome. He made the whole experience wonderful. He was very attentive, and catered to everything we needed, right when we needed it. Couldn’t ask for a better waiter! The food was outstanding, nachos are to die for. The mahi mahi tacos are probably the best taco I’ve ever had. Do yourself a favor, get the mini pitcher of beer. More beer for cheaper price. All in all, for our first time, it was a great experience, and all due to the great food, great drinks, and great service from Stuart!

We had our third meal here tonight and were wowed once again. The service has always been quick and very friendly. The quality and freshness of food is some of the best around. The prices are reasonable for the quality and quantity and the Happy Hour specials are a great deal. Overall, our experiences here have been great, and we will definitely be coming again.

Great food, excellent selection of tequilas and tasty cocktails. Bar service was timely and personable in the early evening on a Saturday. On Sunday during brunch, service was still nice, but extremely slow and disorganized. Takeout orders were incorrect if there were special asks for the meal (which was just tacos). Seems like a place with a lot of promise, but kitchen and waitstaff need improved communication.

Had a great time and food here! Not a ton of seating but the atmosphere is really cool and our waiter was awesome! The tacos were delicious and we can’t wait to come back and try more of them. They have great outdoor seating if the weather is nice.

Lacking quality for the price
You’re paying for the location and that’s about it. Went with a group and we had a good variety of food. The corn tortillas are really good. The chicken was beyond bland. The pork was braised nicely but lacked a high note in the flavor department, as well. Tuna is their best but at four bucks a pop it better be. Still nothing to write home about (unless briefly mentioned in a profanity laced rant on how you miss the food back home). Tried the beef taco and was saddened that they didn’t have a steak taco. They charge a premium while using cheaper chuck beef as opposed to flank or skirt steak as any authentic joint would. The potato taco was great, when I tasted it I was pleased as the chef had finally used some salt. But worth it? nope. Oh, no salt shakers on the table wth. No salsa wtf. Disappointed. Sad. Then angry.

Went for the first time 2 days ago! The place is still relatively new and exciting. The margaritas are great! I only got chips and salsa with guacamole. The guacamole could use a little spice but it was still good. The tres leches was also pretty great. All around good experience. The waitress we had could probably use some coaching on pronunciations but at least she was sweet!

I went there a few days ago and it was great. The chicken tacos and el jefe tacos were the best and the brekfast tacos were pretty good. The dessert was delicious and i would recomend this to anyone.

This is the 2^nd time I’ve been to the GARAJE and it is just terrible … it’s 8 dollars for a margarita in a sm glass w no liquor in it. … they charge you for the stale chips and salsa that taste like it came from sam’s and then if you want a refill you have to pay to get more… the service was not good … the order was wrong way too pricey the best part about it is the outside deck and that’s it !! Sorry hoping it was going to do better but looks like La Carate wins agains !!

This place is fantastic. The concept is perfect, tequila and tacos. And finally a place that offers sangrita to accompany good tequila. The service was very attentive, food came out quick and was delicious. Yes, it’s not hard to make good tacos and these guys did a great job. I got pork beef and chicken tacos. Review would have been 5 stars but the chicken wasn’t 5 star for me. They used breast meat which I’m sure is an attempt at top quality but boneless thighs or some other type of dark meat make a better taco. The salsa was good but I don’t think was made fresh so there is room for improvement there. Very small knocks on a fantastic spot. Atmosphere is fantastic in a renovated exposed brick narrow spot. Can’t wait to come back. With friends.

Loved it. Tried the El Jéfe, the Shredded Beef, and the Pescado. El Jéfe is definitely my favorite. Food is priced well and tastes great. Highly recommend it.

I stopped by for lunch. Great tacos. Great service. I recommend the pulled pork taco and the potato one. There’s a great back patio as well. Look forward to coming back.

My husband and I were eager to try El Jefe as we love non-​chain restaurants especially downtown. El Jefe Taqueria Garaje is run by the same company as Shoemakers so we had high expectations. We visited for the 1^st on their 2^nd day open.
Location: El Jefe is located next to the brand new Imperial Tobacco Lofts (the old Estate Specialist on Commerce). It is located between the 13^th and 12^th blocks. There’s street parking available and also a gravel lot adjacent to the building. It appears you can walk in from the front or the back. We chose to walk up and go through the front «door». Looks like while the weather is nice that they’ll have it be very open in the front, similar to big-​city garage door places, with a glass door for the winter. As soon as you walk in, you’re at the L-​shaped bar. No hostess stand, which was a bit confusing. Fortunately we were greeted by someone behind the bar immediately that told us we could really just sit wherever. The remainder of the building is a long hallway; you pass restrooms, an open kitchen, and a few tables in the back by the back door. Once it gets cold, this place is going to have very few places to sit. Outside there is two-​tiered seating — four 4-​tops on a covered porch and 4 umbrellaed tables downstairs on the patio. This is just slightly raised from the bluff walk, with stairs leading right down to the brick walkway. Side note: who in their right mind chooses Papyrus for their font? I’m saddened that there are graphic designers out there who still think this is ok. Their fancy wooden sign made me laugh. Sorry guys. Papyrus is so 2008.
Menu: simple and not fussy (see photos). On the front, a list of tacos (various proteins), the option for corn or flour tortilla, and the option to make it «Gringo» (read: white people who like taco bell) — sour cream, cheese, and lettuce, or «Traditional» (read: kinda traditional but where’s the radish?) — cabbage, cilantro, and a fresh lime wedge. I was automatically drawn to the Pescado (blackened tuna) which of course was the only one you had to order as three tacos, not just one ($ 12). Fortunately, my husband was wanting those as well, so, we got those, traditional, on corn (photo). This was by far my favorite taco. The chunks of tuna were HUGE, cooked what I would call Medium Rare, and had fantastic flavor. In addition, I got a chicken taco, gringo, and my husband got a Portobello traditional. Both of those were great. I felt like the chicken was a bit dry and watery, which caused my corn tortilla to fall apart. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the corn tortillas. The Portabello taco had great flavor as well, nice and meaty tasting. Looks like there’s a quesadilla option as well. Chips and Salsa are $ 2, and while the portion is small, it will hold you over until your food is ready. There’s a list of other random sides as well as desserts. The chips and salsa weren’t anything special. Unfortunately we didn’t order those quick enough and they came out with our food. Oh well. The chips tasted a bit stale and the salsa tasted semi-​homemade. A small portion for sure. Had a hard time not comparing it to any of our local places where you get abounding chips and salsa free.
Drinks: On the back of the menu (photo), they have over 75 tequilas to choose from, ranging from $ 5 – 9 (& up to $ 35!) for a 1 oz shot. They also offer «long pour» 1.5 oz options for a little more. We tend to be whiskey drinkers, so, I only know a little about tequila. I chose the El Jimador because I’ve had it before and it’s cheap. My husband had the 1800 Silver which was very smooth. Both of us made ours into margaritas for $ 1 more. The glass was garnished with a lime and partially rimmed with salt. Flavor was great, tasted like real lime juice, and wasn’t too sweet, though, I may ask for less syrup next time. We each got a cocktail as well. My husband had the Mexican mule, a twist on the classic which was deliciously balanced. I tried the Oaxaco (ha-​wok-​ah) old fashioned, it definitely had a smokiness to it and only distantly reminded me of an old fashioned because tequila and bourbon are just so different. This had spicy notes, smoky undertones, and even a bit of a woody characteristic faintly reminiscent of scotch. I liked it, wouldn’t gravitate toward it, but that’s mostly because smoke is not my favorite flavor profile. They also have beer and wine.
All in all, we had a great experience. Our waitress was attentive and not over-​bearing. I was slightly annoyed that our drinks and food came out at the same time, would’ve liked to have sipped on our drinks before the food, but I was glad that we had gotten water right off the bat. I’m sure that’ll work itself out with time. Utensils optional, heels & collared shirt optional.
PS– kudos to the music selection. My husband and I were loving every song that came on.
Go for a walk before or after along the bluff walk! (watch out for the Stank of the James!)