El Jefe Sports Cantina

I recently visited El Jefe Cantina Sports and while there were some highlights, my experience was marred by significant service issues. Upon arrival, the hostess promptly seated us, but unfortunately, that was the last moment of attentive service we received.We waited over 30 minutes without anyone acknowledging our presence or taking our order. It became clear that the hostess had not informed the staff about our seating, which left us feeling overlooked and frustrated.On a positive note, the restaurant was clean, and the DJ curated an excellent variety of music that created a vibrant atmosphere. The place had a lot of potential, but it was overshadowed by the lack of a welcoming experience from the staff.Overall, while El Jefe has the makings of a great spot, they need to improve their communication and attentiveness. I hope they can address these issues, as I would love to return for a better experience.

I made reservations for a party of 10 at arrival I told the hostess only 8 of my guest RSVP & 2 of 8 were looking for parking. My 2 guest arrived at the front and was told they had to paid an entrance fee of 20 dollars even after I explained we came to EAT. They then sat us down on a table of 4 at first & then I complained and they moved us to a different table of 6 and gave us 2 extra chairs we were all squished together and didn’t even have room to actually eat our meals. Half of my guest didn’t even order anything food because they were uncomfortable. I explained my concerns to the hostess & waitress and nothing was revolved. At that point we just asked for the check and took our business else where. The food that did come out came out cold!! Never would come back here. The customer service needs to be better. Charging an entrance fee to sit and eat is insane.

I went on 03/08/2024 at night. After security check our IDs there was lady yelling 5$ for the coat and if you want to keep with you inside 10$. Me and my best friend sat at the bar and We order Margaritas one for each. The “So called Bartender” had a nasty attitude . When was about to leave I told her to close her account and to get her card back all the sudden the register ain’t working . My friend had to go the ATM to cash out money to pay. Our total was 70.88 cents we gave her 80 and total . After that we waiting for her to come back we the change and she was ignoring us until I talked to her boss he went to ask her and the she came back without the exact change. I was already annoyed so we left . Just take your business somewhere else cause this bar ain’t worth it.

I recently moved to New York and decided to try this place out with my girlfriend on Friday night. We got there loved the vibe and music but very poor customer service from the bartender (thick one) every time we asked for something just acted like she doesn’t see us and had an attitude. Would love to keep coming here but they must do something about there bartender.

Girls night at this spot did not disappoint! The atmosphere was electric, with a fantastic music selection that had me dancing all night long. The drinks were good but $$. The hookah service was a nice touch, but definitely have patience to receive your drinks and serviceOverall, I would definitely recommend if youre looking for a fun night out with great drinks and a lively atmosphere.Tip: bring CASH to pay for hookah and coat check. They have an ATM if you are unable to pull out cash before going.

Just went there for the second time tonight.I was wearing a light jacket. They said coat check is $5. I said i was good and id just keep it on me, they proceeded to try charging me $10 to KEEP my jacket with me? Like what lolFirst time i was there the bartender was very rude, but i let it go. But now the $10 to KEEP your items with you is crazyyyyyy. 2 strikes is enough for me, wont be back

We came from out of town and had a great time up until we basically got kicked out. Suddenly as we were reaching the end of the 90 minute timed brunch, several hostesses/waitresses approached us advising us to leave in a stern and aggressive manner. It soured our experience, I had the opportunity to speak to a lovely hostess who approached us as we were leaving to apologize. She was very kind and tried to explain that they had to clear the table for a group that had been sat directly behind us. Although I understood her reasoning we were still patrons to the restaurant and it didn’t feel appropriate to be kicked out in this manner.

Went there for Brunch cause we thought they had a good Brunch menu, but when we ordered they didnt have Chicken & Waffles OR French Toast. Wife ordered their burger which she couldnt finish because it was so heavily seasoned. My Ragatoni Al Alote was pretty good. Also felt they were a bit more pricey than other spots in the area.

The waitress at the front section with the fakephysique is rude. She not only threw the check at us, but she had the audacity to have us removed from our table for an alleged line outside. There was no line and she discriminated based on age and lack of tip. Maybe if she had some customer service, we would’ve provided a tip more than 10 dollars for a 200 dollar bottle. I told her myself she was rude and I would do it again.

If youre a single Black man who literally just wants to spend money for sport, your dollars will probably be spent better somewhere else. Just go to Tryon Public House to be honest.Ive gone here for over a year and Im not coming back after how I was treated last night. Whenever any major sporting event happens, Im treated as if I am not a man and thats genuinely disrespectful. How is this a sports cantina?The bartenders and security really save this place because the table workers are horrible.

The people were very nice but the beer wasnt very cold, the chicken wings were very average, the fries were very good. But be careful when you pay because they automatically add 20% for a tip then when they bring the bill that doesnt show on the top receipt and they have a place to leave a tip again. Not too impressed

Since this is google I rather give this place no stars but here we go rating this place a 0 . Do your self a favor don’t enter this place (the vibes wack/rude ). They head crack you to buy a bottle .The bottles girls are nothing but rude . I respect the hustle but you get respect to earn it .If someone just wants a simple drink and a good time they treat like garbage. If you not spending $250-500 in bottles or with a squad don’t come here a waste of time!!!!!!

No one should ever come here, the bartender with light brown hair was is very rude. Came here on a Friday and never again !!!! Find new employees !

This place was good when it opened the first time around. However, DO NOT ATTEMPT going here after 11pm, they make you wait on a line as though you aren’t valuable to their business as if they are a night club in lower manhattan. I had my sister and cousin waiting inside for me to get in over 20 minutes. There was a not so kind short man that was EXTREMELY RUDE! I let him know that I had people inside with a table already and he replied with so what everyone has someone inside; He then proceeded to let these 2 guys in before me and I was there before roughly waiting 20 minutes by then. They are not a “HIGH CLASS” place. It’s a Cantina for goodness sake a place that’s suppose to be casual and fun. That vibe is no longer there for me! You can find better food and drinks with AMAZING customer service anywhere else. PS. I ended up leaving the place because I never got in and ended up going to Manhattan to miss lily’s 7A.

Went out the Saturday that just passed with my friends to el jefe the experience was ok the only thing I had a problem with is that we where told to purchase two bottles for the vip not a problem the issue was that when we at the vip and just had finished the bottles I purchase didn’t take the Waitresses no more than 30mins long to come to us trying to kick us out the vip so I decided to purchase another two bottles so me and my friends could Secure the VIP spot we were located at for longer time mind you we had also bought 3 hookahs and food and more people to our table to purchase more drinks and as soon as the Waitress saw that we finished the other 2 bottles thats we purchase again was also no more than a half an hour before she had gotten security to take us out of vip for the second time. So overall I paid 1000 bucks just to be rushed outta my table without really getting to enjoy my time at the club which is why I would never head over there again.

The atmosphere is great. Whats bad about this place is that theres no dance floor. Its crowded for no reason and youre stuck in your booth without being able to move around. Service was nice. Food was good. If youre coming here to dance dont even waste your time. If you want to just chill, sit down, drink, eat and listen to good music. This is the place for you.

The people who promote this place must be linked to gangs because the crowd is very ghetto. The wait time for the drinks is absurd and the fights that start their spill out into the street. The place is very small so I strongly advise that you dont go on a Friday or Saturday or at all for that matter.

Our server Rose was absolutely terrible! She gave us no service. We were waiting over an hour to get our first drink. After that, we didn’t see her again. I had to go to the bar to get another drink and to even pay our bill. She had such a bad attitude and was extremely rude. She should definitely get fired. Never coming here again!

I made reservations for my birthday I was rushed into ordering bottles before my guests arrived. Server was very rude telling my guests that they couldnt stand around the table if they wasnt ordering with her (but there was no space at the bar) then before my bottle was done they were kicking us off the table. When we asked to order another bottle but said some of my guests wouldnt be allowed to stand by our table. They charged 20$ cover to get in and mandatory coat check. Also, no credit cards after 10 which im sure they dont report this. It was my birthday and they made is super u pleasant definitely never going there for any occasion!!!!

The level of disrespect and incredible volatile behavior by their staff has left a very negative impression of this business and the dyckman Area. To be insulted by a staff memeber after tipping 21% to an incredibly attentive server was incredibly disappointing. Honestly, had to pick up and leave immediately as we felt so embarrassed by her actions. I will be calling the business to request a full refund for the services rendered at this location. Also, business owners should take measures to properly train their staff on how to provide exceptional service. One poorly educated staff member should not ruin the great work of others who know how to treat their customers. Ultimately, just very poor service.

Really bad customer service from the front staff…Waitress take super long to acknowledge you, the hookah girl is rude and disrespectful. Bought two bottles and walked outside when I came back to the table the hookah girl took the hookah right after I just paid for a refill that she overcharging people on the floor. Took the hookah and saw we have the bottles in the table when we ask to bring the hookah back she refuses to bring it back and told us we need to buy a new hookah.

Ambience, food and drinks were good. But almost died when security accidentally pressed pepper spray system and had everyone in there coughing their life away. We didn’t even get a apology or a explanation. Very bad experience, one of the girls with us had to run out to her car to get her inhaler because she couldn’t breathe. Very serious situation! I will never go back.

The food, service and venue was great!!!

Everything perfect we sat on the bar drinks were great the only issue i had, is that bartenders were around on everything except customers you have to basically jump so they can see you lol. They need to be more aware of customers.

They make you feel as though all they care about is how much money they can get out of you. the server was horrible flirting with the table next to us and consequently forgetting our orders. they get two stars because the alcohol isnt as expensive as other places

Chile don’t waste your money they want you to wear your Sunday’s best to be served by rude unhappy looking people. Just for the “manager” to say it’s because people are getting shot... the correlation between the 2 I have no idea but it seems like more off a security thing. Go spend your money else where ,where people aren’t getting shot I guess...I have no idea why you being dressed in sporty attire at a sports bar would be a problem. People get shot in full tux once again it’s a security thing .

Place had okay music the food was nasty and cold. The drinks were okay but after comming with a group of 20 for a birthday celebration we alll bought food and then purchased 5 bottels of liqure and after the liqure was done they tried moving our party of 20 to 2 tables after us spending almost $2000 in this wack place and then basically kicking us out if we dint buy more lbecause other people were coming and wannted the space I would not recommend this place for nothing in the world I rather spend my money else were in dykman I only chose to go their because of a freind the service was horrible the owner is horrible if I could give u negative 100 stars I would people dont spend ur money in places like this they dont deserve our hard worked money

Good for drinks and hookah I guess. Dont even bother ordering food from this place. I received a burnt quesadilla and had to send it back. The new one I got wasnt burnt at all but the taste was less than satisfactory. We had to continue to send the waitress to get each of us water (unsure why she couldnt just bring the entire table water). My friend ordered seasoned fries and the only seasoning they used is SALT. They were extremely pushy in getting us to order a hookah refill since our first one was free. According to their promotion, a group of 4 females get their first hookah free. when we got there nobody knew what we were talking about even though my friends and I follow the DJs on social media and this is what they were promoting. The owner noticed that we were dissatisfied and came over and told my friend she would remove our food orders from the bill and even gave us a round of shots, but they didnt remove anything and the shot was meh. Ill probably never be back.

The worst place. don’t ever come here. They were rude, inconsistent with their policies, they charged us over, and said there were 90 min u limited drinks but It was lies. Believe you don’t wanna experience this.

I just tried to get inside and a staff member said I was wearing joggers when they were clearly jeans, then found another excuse to not let me in. Very dishonest and bad staff. Bald guy should be fired in my opinion. If you just open a club and want to get popular you shouldn’t have such a rude staff never been inside and never want too there’s plenty of competition to go around I wouldn’t spend one dollar in here. I spent 30 dollars in the parking lot next door to not be let in.

My review is from a 53 year old male solo traveler perspective. The Tacos 🌮 😋 are delicious, the hip young ambiance was excellent. Service was perfect up until I ordered a hookah. Apparently the person in charge of distributing the hookah was too busy to honor an order that was placed well over an hour ago. I can only conclude that he was not entertaining a mature person because everyone else received their hookah. Mind you this was on a Monday night (Memorial Day) so It was not that busy. Like I said everything else was great. TV and bar was really impressive. Left without my hookah but thats their loss.

Funny story. I come to this place to celebrate my bday, with 6 beautiful rich women. N they had the audacity of just simply say we full. Just cus we don’t have a “connect”.... n the place is not even full. Too bad for them. Their lost

Rude staff, immediately wanted us to purchase bottle service at 6pm to get a table, who does that?!? We order food, drinks, hookah and got constantly harrassed. We ended getting the boot from our table at 9, we werent even done ordering.

Rude hostess, rude waitresses, busboys rush you by reaching for your plate even when youre still chewing and theres more on your plate! How many times will this establishments leadership apologize in the comments ? Their replies below are ridiculous already. Stop apologizing and get your act and your teams act together, do better!

Prices on weekends are crazy and then you spen about $150 on food and drinks, to later on be rushed by the waitress that if you dont purchase a bottle you have to leave. I was a group of 10 im very disappointed, I hate being pressured in buying something. If that was the case then just tell us buy a bottle first!!! Smh ... Im going to give this place one more chance. Lets see

Well the two stars are one for the food and one for the place. Food was good and affordable the place is very cool. But I think they are racist, I am Spanish but I came here with a group of 12 people including white and African American and when I said werent welcome at all I mean it. The first thing the waiter said ya come to early (with a nasty face) when the place opens at 3pm and we entered around 3:45pm. After this she said that we were too many that she will have to deal with different bills (ofcourse you will is your job we are the customer we are paying and probably tipping good) so we decided to make her life better and pay as a whole group and split the bill (we are nice people) but this wasnt all they were rushing us to leave like we werent consuming, they were uvercleaning and taking our plate before we finish it, so disrespectful. We asked them if they want us to leave and after this they calmed down a little bit. The reason why we didnt left the place was that we came from work with bags, tired we dodnt live around this area and it would going to be too much for us to be going somewhere else. But we definitely not going back to this place and before you good you should think about it.

Bouncers are super selective and charge $20 before you have to pay another $20 at the door= $40 to let you in after 11pm when theres no line. Definitely wont be going back or recommending this place.

Service here sucks They are too rude after you spend alot in the bar the bartenders security and the Manager they are racist too is terrible I will not go there anymore 👎🏼👎🏼👎🏼 Hated the treatment

I have heard about this place and its unprofessional & racist staff. Theres no way that security should manhandle women, especially for no good reason. The owner of this establishment will find themselves in trouble with law suits if this type of behavior continues and really need to check this issue concerning the racist staff employed there. Come to think of it, the owner may have the same thought processes as the staff they employed. I know one thing, had it been me EL JEFE would have had a LAWSUIT ALREADY! For what??? Harrasment & assault!

Attempted to visit this location this past Saturday (Cinco de Mayo) in the early afternoon. I presented with a group of 3 males (African American) and 2 females (hispanic) and upon presenting identification we were denied entrance due to one my friends not having a collared shirt. We informed the bouncer that we could see several people inside without collars. He stated the rule just started recently. We then walked away and saw a group of hispanic males enter with t-shirts directly after us. Its unfortunate that we were discriminated against in this day and age. I never right reviews but I felt compelled to share this information.

Came in with a party of 5 we had a table reserved. I stayed behind because I had to buy a Tylenol when I tried to go in they refused to let me in. The security lacks customer service very rude. I will never go there to spend my money.

I remember when this place was uptown social. That place was cool but I died a couple times there. El Jefe is more classy and has a great ambiance. The DJs are top notch and so is the service.

Was turned away because we didnt want bottle service. People walked in before us with no problem and with no bottle service. Homophobic. Dont go here. We were turned away because we were gay

Horrible service.Starting with the security outside, He is so rude and disrespectful, talking bad to people when I’m sure not even the owner is going to do something like that.The service was bad trying to keep advantage of your money, very disappointed with this restaurant .

They’re in need of different management for sure ! Their solution to handling problems they’ve had in the passed is to profile their guests and refuse service to customers sporting sports clothing (and other black cultivated styles) even though they’re a sports bar. I don’t see myself visiting again.

Used to be a nice place with good customer service. But now they treat you as if they doing you a favor. It doesn’t even make you wanna tip them because of their nasty attitude.

Brunch was pretyy good. Drinks very strong.

Horrible… They took away the chairs located in the bar, they never have tables available, and those that are in the bar do not have good service, and everything is very expensive.

If you are black after 12 am u will not enter this building this is a Spanish only party they are very racist well at least the bouncers are no shade nor am hating ,its a fact I bet everyone with good reviews on this place is a Latino an Im a dark Latino Im mixed an the bouncer didnt let me in but once I got in my car an seen him letting the lighter people in I got out my car an said in Spanish why your fat ass not letting black people in he looked like he seen a ghost then smiled I waited 2 minutes he let me in as soon as me an my angry black girl friend went in I went in to the bathroom an pissed all over the floor an left the club this was this morning 3/11/18 Im sure if your Spanish you will enjoy this place I hate racist people !if your black go there with a fuc Trump shirt u might get in lol fuc this club

Bartenders are very friendly especially lulu

From the moment we arrived for brunch we were being rushed, food was not good and drinks were weak. Only 1 hour brunch place Ive ever seen

Came Friday night just before midnight. Wasnt expecting a $20 cover charge but the bouncer up front was nice enough to let me see inside before I paid. Huge crowd, great music, great atmosphere and great service.My only concern was I ordered a Jim bean neat and it was without a doubt not a Jim bean. Moved to makers mark which definitely was makers so not sure if maybe she grabbed the wrong bottle the first time but I made sure to watch for my remaining drinks.Besides that, intend to be back in the future when Im in the mood for dancing again.

I remember this place from uptown social days. This time they did the best job. Wish these guys good luck. Very nice place. Proud of my neighbourhood business people!!

Look at the other reviews and youll see a common theme.Awful customer service. All about gouging money from you and everyone around you.Look out for the bill that deceptively shows total and doesnt show the included tip - i have never seen this before.

Had fun ...security is tight and the ambience is cool...a bit pricey but besides that all was favorable

Don’t ever go to this place !!! I went there in July 8 had 3 drinks bill was 52$ , next day I checked my account they charged me 152$! They stole 100$ from my account . Do not go there !

We came for a birthday brunch. First impression was sketchy - the tables were sticky but the food was good.

Good music good hookah but the food is nasty and its to expensive i went with a couple friends to go eat drink and smoke hookah and after an hr we had to leave the table because we didnt buy a bottle which was embarrassing to us this place isnt that good

Large space, big crowds, great bartenders, and amazing music. Probably *the* spot in the area. Even on Sunday nights theres a party there.

Bland food. Horrible service. Took my seat while I was eating, and had mandatory coat check, just to eat and watch the game. Unjustifiably pricey.

If I could give this place a zero I would. You will get scammed.

The food was horrible and the drinks were weak. I would never enter into this establishment with all the other great choices at Dyckman.

This place is lit I’ve gone 4 times now (different days each time) and I have never had a bad experience. Great service!

Was there before 1 am and got charged almost 700 for two bottles. Will not be returning again!

Great food and drinks. The music has everyone dancing the whole night, DJs play a good variety.

I love el jefe they’re so pretty and yummy she’s the best manager natalie 💕💕

Fantastic...the ambience is phenomenal...so is the people and the staff. Great music the passion fruit margaritas are delicious...and u can watch sports...the place is great

This place is trash. Drinks are made by fake bartenders who only know how to mix henny & cranberry, and the food?... smh that stuff is all over priced frozen dishes they are serving.Best thing about this place is maybe the music. Other than that save yourself from a disappointing night at this place.

Expensive, customer service is lost and really just an all around bad place considering all the cool places the neighborhood has.

Horrible service , attitudes , not kids friendly, very rude waitresses be nice with guys with $$$$, if i can give 0 star i will give them 0 !

Place should be called EL HEAD CRACK! They charge you $30 for valet. The bouncer looks for a reason to not accept your ID to charge you $40. Cover is at least $20 so you’re down almost $100 before even stepping in. Bottles are $250+ for a regular bottle and a waitress with a crazy attitude. And they don’t let you order a cup of tap water they make you buy a $7 bottle of Poland Spring. Super head crack! It’s crazy what they’re doing to their own people SMH.

I came after brunch on a Sunday laid regular price and got rushed out by my waitress mind you we spend more than a bottle price and a hookah.

They claim they don’t have tap water so they charge you $7 for a bottle water. It’s not just that the atmosphere is off. Overall there is plenty of better bars that cater to similar themes within walking distance. Don’t waste your time here.

Brunch was small portion for the price and there was no air conditioning

Best place to eat drink and smoke hookah while listening to a great dj and watching sports!!

I recieved the worst service at this location for my birthday spend over $1000 dollars and the workers dont care about there customers and they make you pay for food we never ordered in the first place I tried to take to the owner but like I said they dont care about the customer they didnt want to take the food back and exchange it because It was the wrong order as a worker you should always honor the customer if the customer doesnt want something then make it right period so the customer can be happy but like I said again they dont care about you only your money.If I can give them a zero star I would.I will never come back to this location and I will never recommend to anyone to go there for anything 💯

The drinks are great. Nice place for chilling with your boo.

Horrible under new management just go somewhere else

El Jefe is a nice spot, theyre located right off of Dyckman Street in Upper Manhattan. The staff are kind, they took great care of our group (a bunch of us got together here for a friends birthday). The cocktails are delicious & the food is pretty good, too!

I’m Hispanic been here twice and they are racist !! Charged me 40$ to get in . Reserved on July 9th for 7/29 and they didn’t have a table for me , one of the guys who “ checks ids” was a huge turn off nasty attitude!!!! Don’t spend your money with racist Hispanics 🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️🤷🏾‍♀️

Went out for happy hour, throughout the table space in the entire restaurant/bar (8) tables in the upper area “Paola” express we had to move we were already engaging with eating and drinking.. As she insisted, it became uncomfortable we were force to leave due to the negative eye contact she deposited among us.. As we we just staring to enjoy the evening and speak positively about it the place.

Way too expensive if I was Spanish would have been much cheaper Im a white guy they charged me double

This establishment had a few pros, but just not the place for me. For some of the cons, I can’t really fault the place because it is just not my theme. Other cons, it is 100% their fault. The one silver lining here is that they had my drink of choice on tap (Angry Orchard). That is fine, but this is unfortunately where the positives end. I am not much of a drinker, my main focus is on the food which is why this was a let down. I really was unimpressed with the plates that came out. Firstly, the taco portions were just awful. I have worked at restaurants, I know what they are doing. I predicted they would have terrible 3 taco portions, and I was more than right because they only served 2 tacos! No sides, and they laid the tortilla flat to make it look like more food when it was not. Nice try, I have seen this many times but no, not fooled here just because a paper thin tortilla covers more plate space does not mean I am going to be fooled into thinking it is more food. The coconut shrimp came with the tails on as well, that is annoying to me, but that is just my preference. Everyone was in agreement the taco portions were a joke. The third strike was the lobster mac n cheese. Never in my entire life have I seen lobster mac come with the lobster on the shell. TAKE THAT MEAT OFF AND SERVE IT NORMALLY! Lobster Mac is served with chunks of the meat within the mac, we do not want to battle our food on the plate. This was the most minimal effort I have ever seen put in bar food. The sliders were the 4th strike; also very bad and the buns were soggy. When you are serving food that is three bites, at least toast the bun or give me something on the side. My sliders were so soggy they did not even stay together which was just Icing on the cake. The fifth strike was the Chips and Guac; Seriously? They gave us next to no chips with the guacamole. Chips are dirt cheap to make and I know this from restaurant experience. They could have given us more chips that would have at least taken up some stomach space and earned them another star but nope. For the 6th strike, they had no form of diet soda at all..... This is a bar.. I am not entirely sure if they would have let me bring in my own. I was thirsty and wanted a diet drink; all they had to offer was water and club soda which is unacceptable. This is an example of a small thing completely ruining an experience; even if the food was good, I can’t enjoy good food if I can’t hydrate myself and I do not enjoy drinking water. I would have settled for any diet soda, but Diet Coke is one of the most popular drinks anywhere in the world. It would be cool to offer that in addition to all these fancy drinks. I even asked if they had any Splenda at all, and they did not, which means I was thirsty. So as per the reasons above, I was very displeased and would suggest they redo the menu and maybe go back to the drawing board. Shell in lobster mac, Soggy sliders, No chips, worst portion of tacos I have ever seen in my life, no diet soda options? Just because some of the food was on the happy hour menu does not mean they can just skimp that much! I am not going to fault the establishment on being too loud, because that is just typically not my scene. Thank goodness I had good company and that they had Angry Orchard on tap but this experience was subpar.

Celebrated my birthday here and they were so accomodating! I’ve been back so many times since- the food is great and so are the drinks! Fun spot for hookah and music and drinking and hanging with friends

SCAMMERS. I am really disappointed with the service at this establishment. I lived in this neighborhood for more than 15 years and have seen establishments come and go. My father has business relationships with many of the restaurant owners in the area and so I knew the spots to check out or avoid. When El Jefe first opened up it was THE place to party. It became so popular they hired more security and staff to manage the venue. The owner acquired the spot next door, Tu-Kan.I had some friends visiting who wanted to party like we do here at Washington Heights. Of course, I had a few spots I was intending to show them and El Jefe was the first. I frequent passing by and always see people having a great time.We were getting checked by their security guards at the front, it was a few minutes before 10:00PM. There were two staff members next to the door to enter. I was the first to approach and the lady said that we just missed the time where a cover charge of $20 was NOT required. I looked at the time and saw it was 9:59PM. I remember vividly because I then asked at what time the cover charge comes into effect. She REFUSED to tell me and said that it started and the fee is $20 to enter.Three things came to mind, the cover charge for a fact started at 10:00PM - we arrived at least 5 minutes before 10:00PM because we were getting checked by THEIR security (the staff members at the door were in full visibility) - we were getting scammed.I would not have minded paying the cover charge if (1) I knew I was late (2) The establishment was lively with people -we were the first big group to arrive.Im not taking away from the party scene at El Jefe because its still fun. This is so you are aware of this SCAMMING culture amongst the staff that you may fall into. Be extra cautious here!

Yup!! Dyckman has a new hit!! Great food, nice ambiance and affordable. Go!!

Horrible experience. I came in at 2:40am. The cover fee was $20 however I was unaware and received no warning that they closed at 3am. I attempted to speak with a manager and he was very disrespectful. He didn’t want to rectify the situation by issuing me a $20 refund. I am very disappointed and I will never be a patron here again and I don’t recommend coming here. The staff is very rude and the bathrooms are disgusting. First and very last time. They got $20 from me and I will never spend another dime here again.

Nice sunday spot but go early.

Very disrespectful from the moment you walk in to the second you walk out and you ask for a manger and those are even worse

They didnt make my steak and eggs the way I asked. But it was okay because it was a great time. Staff was super attentive and really nice. It was amazing vibes.

Service: very bad, not attentionFood: over cook, not goodOffer: different of the promotionTips: over or higher than the mandatory, they dont give services

Cool chill spot. good vibes great crowd. .

I called to ask about the price and lady who answer laugh and was rude and didn’t give me a proper answer I then ask to speak with Manger and she then proceeded tell me he’s not coming on the phone for nosenseDon’t go here very bad customer service I just wanted to know a price and to them it was no sense that crazy to someone who wanted to come spend money

Puro dembow good vibes

Yury is so nice, drinks are the best, and food is so good.

I went to El Jefe to celebrate a birthday. I called a month in advance to set up a reservation for 18 people. I called a day before to change the reservation to 20 people. We got to the spot right on time and the server (Jennifer) had an attitude the entire time. They didn’t accommodate us properly for our reservation and gave us a hard time. We had our reservation for two hours and were kicked out as soon as the second hour hit, not even being asked if we wanted bottle service or to purchase anything else. Jennifer never even gave our table water. I am extremely disappointed in the service we were given, being that we spent a good amount of money and gave a large tip. If you ever want to have brunch I would recommend going to Republica right down the block.

Went here for the first time and it wont be a 2nd. They charge $20 at the entrance, dont let you know that in order for you to have a table you must order bottles! The girl at the front ( skinny & short with reddish or brownish hair) was NOT TRYING TO HELP! I felt like If you are not buying bottles your money is not worth and they dont appreciate your business! Which is so unprofessional!! I spoke to the manager he at least tried to help and gave us a table ( but ONLY TO EAT) once we were done we had to give up the table! I felt soo annoyed! Our server was not friendly! Again no bottles they treat you like w.e!!! She was beasting with the 1 hour time to give up the table! Is crazy!! I do not recommend this place!! The security were more pleasant and friendly than the staff that is in charge of the customers!! 👎🏽👎🏽👎🏽

$20 cover charge at 9pm. Even though we told them we were ordering bottles and hookah and it was 10 of us. Whyyyyy would I pay 200$ before even getting inside 🤔 really insane out here. But okay. Deff wont be returning. Ever. Dont recomend . If you rich and have money to blow go for it.

Food was great, Hookha was too much for a refill.

DONT COME HERE 👎🏽👎🏽👎🏽 almost died one night after going here, later found out they where serving fake liquor & selling opened bottle as new for triple the price of the liquor store. Staff that work here will see someone pass out on the floor from the hookah they sell and throw them out to the street. Idk how this place is even legally open with the amount of things I’ve heard here & this is just one of many places in Dyckman like this. HIGHLY DONT RECOMMEND FOR YOUR SAFETY 👎🏽👎🏽👎🏽

Worst place to go to to watch a game. The waitress all they care is about charging you extra (Regular Margarita is $50 and she told if I wanted Patron without telling us it cost $85)and if you don’t drink fast enough they will tell you have to leave the table and I had to take my 2 pitcher of margarita to the bar.

Rude waitstaffOpen Class Action review earned!

My favorite go to bar, here everyone seems to have an understanding that we are here to drink and have fun. Not look for a man to sleep with. Its literally all friendly . The hostess are always super sweet. And the lady at the bathroom does not play around. She makes sure you feel safe going in the bathroom and coming out .

DON’T WASTE YOUR MONEY OR TIME! I’m giving 1 star because no stars isn’t an option. Their servers are rude the bouncers are extremely disrespectful to women, one of them seriously PUSHED ME! The bouncers and staff were homophobic and just overall the worse! I and the 7 people I was with will never step foot in this establishment again!

The place was empty and they did not want to seat us.

The place is dope 3rd time there. Food is good and the $5 appetizers you cant go wrong However I encountered some funny business on my visit yesterday. When we ordered a hookah the guy tells my friend $30 for the hookah. I hand the Hookah guy a $50 dollar bill im expecting $20 back then tip him. Instead he hands me $10 back and quickly leaves. Im then confused so I ask the female hosting us she says $40. I then witness the people in front of us pay a $20 and 2 $5s so the Hookah is $30 and they are ripping people off behind the scenes and both the hookah guy and female are in agreement. We didnt approach it after because we were having a good time but this is wrong be careful out there.

Came here for brunch. Our waitress was amazing,Hookah was good, and they had a DJ playing great music. The food is lacking. I ordered calamari and it was sooooo salty. The unlimited sangria and mimosas are really gross. Maybe I’ll come back and try more things on the menu but I’ll skip the unlimited brunch drinks.

Nice and safe place to drink and enjoy

We were told we had to buy at least 6 appetizers along with the bottles (2) to be able to stay at the table. We did. We were rushed out after being there for an hr. The bouncer told me that we already ate what we were going to consume and the waitress wanted her table.

The service is so bad that they automatically charge you 20% tip... you give them 20% to treat you badly like trash.

Cool...place, went after work for Happy hour. The happy was lit, 5 dollars drinks , wings and shots. Sit at the bar,The seats are super comfortable .

I love El Jefe, The Food is amazing! The Drinks are made very well, not watered down like other places. Staff every time I have been there all the girls are nice, Jaida is the best, always quick and very attentive. As far as waiting in line, it has happened to me a few times, it sometimes super packed in there. If you have not tired it, awesome new gem in dyckman!

Last night, I went for my birthday. I already spent $700 before 11:30 PM. When my other friends arrived, they were charging $30 at the door. I asked the hostess if I get another bottle, will you guys let them in for free. She said: Yes. 10 minutes later. They still had to pay $30 to get in. This place is a rip off.

Cool sexy spot...just what you need to disconnect for a while...

Great service, very attentive waitress, bathrooms are clean, fan on the outside with this heat. Drinks are resonably priced. Happy hour is from 3 to 7pm.

Good ambience, sexy bottle girls.

Trash. Don’t bother. There’s plenty better ones in better areas that let you wear whatever you want as a SPORTS BAR should.

I’ll try to be honest, fair and blunt as possible.1. Food is trash2. Drinks are trash(not real bartenders)3. Can never get a reservation, but they have the nerve to ask if you have reservations4. Bouncers think they’re security for the White House

Good environment! Excelent sound system! Customer service A+. If you dont mind people smoking hookah all around you!

NOT RECOMMENDED!!! The customer service here is atrocious. They pick favorites as to who can and can not enter. You could be black or white, gay or straight they will look at you as if they are too good for you and treat you like a low life. No sign of respect, consideration or even acknowledgement to the customers who go here and spend their money and time. Do not even bother attempting to gain entrance, because they will waste your time and treat you like a POS before you even get your foot in the door.

Terrible service. We were celebrating our friends birthday. We already had consumed 2 bottles of Hennessy, over 5 buckets of beers and had ordered food. We were just getting started when the bus boys began clearing the tables without warning. We had to go look to speak to management to be informed they had another large party which was willing to buy more bottles. They basically told us buy more bottles or your night is over. Horrible! They basically kicked us out after we already had spent over $500. They ruined our evening. The hostess has a bad attitude and management needs hosptality training.

They make u feel un wanted! they constantly come and clear your table. I came with a group of 10 or more when they opened at 3pm. We consumed over $350 and at 9pm they requested for our table. Acting as if reservations were made. They wanted our table because we were buying drinks and not popping bottles. Our tab was over 350. Still consuming and they basically asked us to leave. They played britney spears the entire time until 7pm when DJ arrived. It was my 1st time there and did not feel welcomed since the moment we walked in. I feeling if someone is consuming you should appreciate their business and money. Never going back very unprofessional.

Great MUSIC, FOOD, and HOOKAH!! Must visit! The vibe is great, the employees are awesome! I always come here when I visit NY!

Great hookah lounge.. bottles only $100.. great music .. good crowd.. plenty of beautiful women.. only downside is a lot of people only speak spanish patrons/ workers..

Ghettooooooo with a capital G. You might think going here because the location is a “vibe”, please don’t waste your time. Food is horrible and the drinks are weak, and to top it off, they discriminate against African Americans. Don’t even waste your time nor money here. 🥱

Good place, but too pricey!

The Guadalajara Punch is fantastic. Hopefully you get the server Yury and enjoy the same service I did.

This place has a nice atmosphere and great food. However, the service, level of attention and professionalism of the waitresses is absolutely horrendous. The female waitresses are more concerned with texting on their cell phones and socializing with Male customers while customers wait long periods of time to place their order or worse yet for thier food to arrive than the overall concerns and experience of the customer. Management needs to improve on this aspect and the waitresses need to be able to differentiate between a pickup spot and thier place of employment. Hope to see a difference as I regularly frequent this establishment...

Service was bad, table was dirty waitress was rude

I’ve been here multiple times. The entire system is a mess. You make reservations just to be told that they are over booked. We told them that we reserved over a week prior to that. To be scrambling around not knowing what to do. I’ve never seen coverage charge to get in and then another charge to put your jacket away. the organization to this place is every, just be ready to scratch your head a couple of times wondering why am I here

Great food and drinks. Was there for cinco de Mayo festivities... Great music!

Awful customer service. Ordered lobster mac& cheese ...no lobster..call restaurant ..a lady hangup on me ..disconnected line after that

This place is super racist, not to mention the waitress are air heads and lazy. Customer service is non existent here. Avoid at all cost.

Loved the games.n the vibe. Will deff go again.

Was driving by and the store emblem caught my eyeAnd I love Mexican foodThis restaurant is not simply Mexican it’s more of a sports bar Mexican fusionMy hostess was jamelle was simply a piece of sunshineIf you want a nice atmosphere and some tapas like I wanted this is your placeI will def be returningIt’s located in dyckman my old hood I was born here and 52 yrs later am glad to find a place like this *****

Me and couple of friends were hungry and decided to check out el jefe so when we get to the door we look through the window and it wasn’t too packed. But for some reason the owner and bouncer decided to make us wait and create a line to make the place look like it was packed. When we finally get passed the bouncer (30 mins later ) we were hit with a cover charge for both male and females which wasn’t a issue till We finally make it inside. To be ignored and when we finally got a table the waitress told us if we aren’t buying a minimum of 2 bottles we can’t sit,mind you she didn’t care that we were ordering food she said that didn’t matter. We got up and left

Avoid this place. They’ll tell you the table seating is only for if you plan on buying a bottle so you’re left with no choice to go to the bar. Then when you get to the bar, expect them to randomly stop serving so that you can leave & they can make room to take someone else’s money. Very unprofessional establishment

So were selling watered down USED bottles now ? Bottle of Patròn i ordered was TAPED shut yes i mean taped up i wish i was making this up. At first i was called crazy ,had 6 people 2 STAFF included taste it and admit it tasted like water .Cmon son i may have a little crazy in me but i KNOW tequila and chief this WASNT it . Anyone know how i can post pics of the bottle here ?They really thought i really wouldnt notice SCOTCH tape in a low lit area .SmH i wasnt DRUNK yet folks

Great place with good music to have a good time

I usually dont write reviews but I felt compelled to write one about el jefe after what happened to myself and my friend last night. We came here to have a good time but that is definitely not what happened. My friend was called stupid in Spanish by a security guard near the bathroom for doing absolutely nothing. When she replied to him in Spanish (because they assumed that she was not Hispanic because of her skin being dark) the security guard then decided to be nice. After that we stepped outside for a bit and upon entering el jefe my friend was approached by security guards. They then forcefully grabbed her by the arms and told her she needed to leave. She did not do anything to deserve that. As she was escorted I went to close her tab and met with her outside only to find her crying because how she was treated for doing ABSOLUTELY nothing. I went back in to use the restroom and at that point a security guard grabbed my arm and told me that I am not allowed back in. My friend and I were no threat to anyone in el jefe but because of the color of our skin we were mistreated by men at that. One should never feel like because of the color of their skin they would be treated with disrespect. I will never come to this place. Ive had different experiences living uptown that were racist because I am African American. If you are African American dont come here because you will get treated like an outcast. Its sad that we are still dealing with this today.

I visited with three other guys from the tri state area about an hour and 30 mins from Manhattan. I was impressed once inside. The atmosphere was innovative with the glowing blue eminating from the several large screens on the wall. The dj was on time delivering cuts that kept the floor alive. I met wonderful ladies the first night we exchanged snap usernames and I did get one phone number. The staff was respectful and helpful toward me. People were really friendly. Hard to find clubs with an atmosphere like this these days.

Dope spot to come out 2 chill and vibe weekdays or weekends Eljefe is always Lit! Every time I come here I leave super lit !!!! Most of staff is friendly . !!

Pretty large place, busy spot, large crowd. Tips are included in your drinks, limited selection of drinks.

Taquana was super nice and helpful!!

Couldnt go in because of there new dress code. Who would think you cant wear a sports hat or jersey to a SPORTS BAR.

The sweet stuffed 😍 plantain was great!!

I was kicked out for wearing my Manning Jersey! Its a sport bar, we can’t wear a jersey??

Bad service.. the lady that came to our table with attitude

Manager said people are getting shot, dangerous.

Rude waitress, Im not coming back

Mad Dominican. Everyday. Needs some variety tho. Service is a little stuck up. Hard to get a drink when it is busy.

Good atmosphere and very attentive waiters

Total trash 🗑

HORRIBLE - HORRIBLE - HORRIBLE - THIS PLACE DOESNT EVEN DESERVE ONE STAR THEY DESERVE 0 STARS

Their Customer Service need improvement...smh

You will need the vaccine card proof plus $30 Sunday night

Cool spot, chill vibes, good drinks

The only sports bar where you cant wear sports wear track pants with a jersey on game night literally the playoffs game 7 .only uptown

Expensive but fun! If you can afford it....its the spot!

Fun when they answer.

Very good atmosphere good food,good music

Bottles are a decent price that you cant beat. Sunday brunch is where to be.

If you want to be disrespected and see what racist service is, come here.

Music was on point. Food was ok

Very nice establishment 👍👍

Great place to enjoy food and relax with friends

Great hour happy deals

Wish they take cards at night

Cool new place

Doesnt take cards payment

My purse was stolen here 😢

Amazing happy hour!!

Very good

Nice uptown sports bar.

Worst costumer services ever

Dope spot

One of Dyckmans last gems

New security staff is terrible

A little empty on a Tuesday

Everyday someone is being killed...

Disgusting customer service.

Love it

Poor communication & management.

STAY AWAY FROM DYCKMAN

Awful crowd.

Great atmosphere.

Good

Great food

Love this place!

👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌👌

What a night there

Dope spot

Love the place

To enter the place they search you, there is a lot of security, they dont let you in even with pepper spray, it is a sports place, they play different music, good atmosphere, I recommend the quesadillas 100%, I loved them, they are big too. Very friendly staff.

I was at this place on Sunday. I have several complaints. Apart from being expensive. Because the tip was 20%. The food was late and I wasnt happy. After a few drinks of terrible quality. When I went for the second one my neck started to hurt. head .the music very loud. I dont even know how to talk about it. So they have a lot to improve. Seriously, if it were excellent and expensive it doesnt matter, you pay for it like Guadalupe, but here from 1 to 10 I give them a 3. Only better and you will see how your sales increase.

They are abusers, they tip you $115.00 and they dont even let you know, its not even a big deal, its a garbage place.

There is no hookah. The best DJ I have ever found. It is ideal to go to eat, but not for a few drinks. The hooka is missing

The place is very nice but the work staff needs more training in customer service. They treat the customer very badly.

Very good