KYN: El Jefe’s Sees Successful Start South of Superior

SUPERIOR, Wis. — You know that feeling when you go home to your parents’ house, and they’ve redecorated? That’s what the owner of El Jefe likely felt returning to his former Bucktails location near Pattison Park.

Don’t let the name fool you, El Jefe is so much more than a Mexican restaurant. While the menu does feature some classic Mexican dishes, it also has smash burgers and much, more.

This is owner Dee Morales’ newest venture followed the closure of his previous restaurant ‘Bucktales’.

“I just, I was burned, I was trying to do the same thing for 10 years that I was hoping when I started Bucktales,” says Morales. “And I just want to do something different, you know, something that improved myself, to come up with some ideas.”

The Superior location proved to be too much. The large size required more work, and Morales was putting in long hours to keep up with limited staff.

He returned to the previous location near Pattison Park, and decided to distance himself from the Bucktales name by renaming it something a little more personal. El Jefe, which means The Boss.

“The reason for Jefe is because when we were in town, a lot of the cooks start calling me Jefe, or boss. ‘Hey boss, hey Jefe,’ and that kind of caught on me. And I’m a really bossy guy too. So, I think a match. When we opened Bucktales, I used a name that was already here in this place. And it was a good start, but I never felt like it was my own. Now that I call in El Jefe, and can do another things, I think I can feel like it’s more mine than before.”

It’s not just a rebranding, it’s a different lineup of dishes as well, though some familiar favorites do remain.

“I wanted to come back where I started kind of do different stuff. I was kind of bored and tired to do the same old same old. Even if we’re still doing some of the regular dishes that made me, put me on the map. I’m doing different stuff too, you know?”

Morales wanted to return to a more personal approach with his dishes, where he can really put his passion back into his work.

“It’s kind of nice to go back to the basics. I do in my own prep, fry my own chips, because I do care what I do. Presentation on the plate, the little details, that matters for customers.”

While it may be back to the basics, the food is anything but that. From amazing Chorizo tacos to mouthwatering smash burgers, there is something for everyone.

“We don’t try to focus on just Mexican cuisine, even if for a lot of people, that’s what put me in that category. I like to be open minded, like a Philly steaks, gyros, hamburgers, some of the Mexican dishes, nachos, anything. And the same with the drinks. We have IPAs, local beers, Mexican beers. And also, we do specials every day, Wednesday to Sunday, on Bloody Mary’s, Moscow Mules, cachacas, Pina Coladas, margaritas, a little bit everything for everybody.”

With friendly staff, classic dive bar vibes, and a small-town feel, the atmosphere of El Jefe really shines as an example of what good local haunts can be.

El Jefe is open from Wednesday through Friday.

The hours and other information can be found on their Facebook Page.