El Jefe's Mexican: Washington Prime Debuts Delivery-Only Ghost Kitchen in Norwalk

One of South Norwalk’s anchor restaurants, Washington Prime, made waves on social media amongst its fans for announcing a ghost kitchen delivery concept, El Jefe’s Mexican.

Let’s not freak out here, people. Washington Prime is not in trouble. And they are still a steakhouse.

If you’re a bit puzzled as to what a ghost kitchen is, it’s pretty simple. It’s not a physical location where you can go, get service, place an order, and dine-in. Most are delivery and pickup or delivery only via a third-party delivery app or service.

When you go into Washington Prime, don’t try to order carnitas tacos, a burrito, a bowl, or carne asada, because you can’t get it.

Make sense? Good.

While there are some traditional tacos, some, like this prime ribeye taco (horseradish cream and fried shallots) is obviously not, and that’s part of the idea, says owner Rob Moss.

“We want to do different ingredients and make a few superhuman tacos and have fun with it.”

“I just assumed everyone knew what it is (a ghost kitchen),” says co-owner Rob Moss. “Food and labor costs are at an all-time high and we’re trying to maximize our revenue and use what we’ve got, like our steak and our lobster, so why not make lobster enchiladas?”

If lobster enchiladas do sound familiar to you in our area, you aren’t imagining that, and quite frankly, you’ve probably had it, or the ribeye tacos (made in the spirit of a steak sandwich with horseradish cream and fried shallots, but on a corn tortilla), back in the day at Lolita in Greenwich or at Red Lulu in Norwalk.

Lobster enchiladas using all knuckle and claw meat, with roasted corn and chipotle cream sauce

Grilled ribeye quesadilla with a melted Mexican cheese blend and all the fixings of cumin-lime sour cream, pico, and guac.

“We were the team behind those places, and to this day, the guys in our kitchen are the same guys that worked at both of those restaurants, and they’ve stuck with us for a long time,” Moss says. “When we have family meal, we make some of this stuff or we have a special now and then, and some of it is this. We have a following and people do remember that food, even if we aren’t calling it Lolita.”

You can surely browse the menu on UberEats at your own leisure, but definitely expect tacos, some traditional, some not, burritos, bowls, stacked tortas on the proper bolillo rolls, and a few special entrées. Everything is made in-house, except for the tortillas that come from Los Molcajetes nearby, and the bolillo rolls that executive chef Armando Sanchez picks up at a bakery on his way into the restaurant. The menu will see frequent changes, according to Moss, and he’s letting the cooks do what they want to do, as they’ve been making this type of food for years, not only in kitchens, but for their families because it’s their culture.

Gorda torta - carnitas, black beans, Oaxaca cheese, avocado, pickled red onions, and adobo chipotle peppers on a grilled bolillo roll and comes with a side of homemade salsa verde.

The logo is modeled after Washington Prime’s executive chef Armando Sanchez, who they call El Jefe in the kitchen. And no, the six fingers on his left hand isn’t the result of using AI, it’s a nod to The Princess Bride’s character, Count Tyrone Rugen.

Whether they’ll take it concept and run with it, ehhh…for right now, it’s a no, but you also never know.

“We aren’t trying to have this take over and we’re really just trying to put something out that’s an alternative if you’re not coming to the restaurant and lots of our customers have been first to step up the plate and also the people who remember that food from Red Lulu and Lolita,” Moss says. “Have we ever thought about a brick-and-mortar down the road? Sure. But as restaurateurs, we always think about that, but this is the best way that we see fit to give the public something that we enjoy without all the costs of running another restaurant. Right now, it’s just this. Why not put it out there and see what happens?”

Curious? Find El Jefe’s Mexican on UberEats (it’s possible it’ll be on other delivery apps soon), Sunday through Thursdays starting at 4 p.m. and ending at 8 p.m., for delivery only.