Chef Vargas

This place has great food, friendly service, a Los Angeles vibe (to me anyway), and a surprisingly low bill!!1. The water is so refreshing!! They bring the water to your table in a chilled sealed bottle. They filter the water and it's completely particle free!!!!2. I ordered the chicken and waffles and side order of scrambled eggs with the homemade ranchero sauce - everything was quite good! The coffee was decent too!3. Cash only - it was worth the $2 ATM fee. My whole meal was under $50!!!!!!!4. The place is clean, cool, and calm - not overly crowded or loud. At first when you come to this place, you see it's the bottom floor of an apt. building - am I sure I want to eat here? Just go in and check it out for yourself! 100% LEGIT!!!!!!!!

Great food and service! The space is somewhat hidden inside of a condo building but worth finding lol. The breakfast food is great and each taco I've had to date has been amazing. One of my favorite spots for a delicious budget meal. Cash only and I believe the location is a BYOB.

Chef Vargas, the unbeknownst, little hidden gem in Elkins Park, is worth a visit. My friend suggested we go to Chef Vargas, she lives in Elkins Park and has been there many times. It was my first visit. She told me she usually gets the grits to start, then has the main dish, Fried Chicken and Waffles. Sounded like a great duo; and it was! The grits had a rich corn flavor and were cooked perfectly, with a decadent silky texture. The Fried Chicken and Waffles were excellent! The large boneless chicken breast was perfectly fried and tender, with a crispy flavorful crust! The waffles were delicious and buttery, slightly crisp outside and soft on the inside!It was a breakfast treat!

This hidden restaurant is located in a residential building. It's very small and clean, with efficient staff. The food was very good. I ordered the chicken birria tacos, which came three to order. My husband had the chicken salad, which was also delicious. I can't wait to return to try something different on the menu.

I was visiting a friend and we said we were in the mood for brunch and the main thing we both wanted was GREAT FOOD (& not necessarily brunch mimosas or cocktails) and to not drive into the city so we decided to roll the dice and give Chef Vargas a try .... JACKPOT !!! This food was OUT OF THIS WORLD!We decided to split the Cinnamon Roll French Toast which was one of the October Specials and every single element of this dish was pure perfection! I got the Chillaquilles because I had a hunch given Chef Vargas' background that there had the potential to be the best I've ever had and wouldn't you know that I was 100% RIGHT!!??!! Hands down the BEST I've ever had and I've had them in Mexico and in 5 star restaurants ... I literally couldn't stop eating them. My friend had the Chicken and Cheddar Waffles and she left not a single morsel ... DELICIOUS !!! Now that I've shared just how special the food is, I can also share that the location and ambiance is also pretty as well. The restaurant is located in what appears to be a residential apartment building yet when you walk in it truly has a vibe and style of its own. Service was also nice as the servers allowed you to have time to review the menu and to enjoy your food without feeling overbearing. Oh, it's also worth noting that the restaurant is cash only and is also BYOB.Chef Vargas' is definitely a hidden gem and we're already planning our next visit where we will try lunch, specifically the variety of tacos that are featured because our spidey senses are telling us they will be absolutely BOMB!

Very delicious. Very much a hidden brunch gem. There were a good amount of people on a Saturday afternoon, so there has to be a little buzz apparently.I knew where to find the building as a friend lives here, but the location itself is a bit tucked away.The omelet I had was so hearty and made for the perfect size. I also actually quite liked my berry lemonade, even being a little skeptical of drinks possibly sweetened with syrup (Is it just me or do some places overdo the syrup?)The waitress was friendly and the inside of the restaurant was cute. I'll even forgive the chairs that I hate that pinch your hips.Looking forward to returning with family.

I've likely been here 5 times in the past year. Each time I've had something different, each of which I'd order again, which is unusual (even at GOOD restaurants I often get something that doesn't impress that I wouldn't order again). Each time I've visited this small cafe, there's only one person, the Chef, preparing food, which likely accounts for the consistently high quality. I usually order one of the monthly specials & always choose the Puerto Rican dish, which never failed to impress me. I highly recommend this spot.Today I got Guajillo-Barbacoa Fried Quesadillas = Crispy quesadillas filled with cheese and barbacoa. Topped with salsa ranchera, crema, cabbage salsa, and queso fresco. Shown in photo.

They don't have any vegetarian or vegan options. No fresh fruit or salad options. I'm sure their food is great. I eat to stay out of the doctors office.I can't rate them because I only looked at the menu.

Came here today with my kid and have to say this was one of the best French toast i ever had. Food was hot and fast My kid pancake was nice and fluffy the eggs was to perfection the only reason for the 4 star is a only cash place i wish they accept cards

Nice vibe, a little small. Great service and delicious food! I loved the spin on traditional dishes.