Outstanding and a pleasant surprise for our area. Great food and prices. I can't even begin to say what is best because I have never had anything I didn't love. Don't miss the deserts, they are just as good as the entrees.
Also, they have a bakery that opens at 7 or 8 am and they have the best pastries and bread you will find anywhere.
We were only three of about eight diners on a slow midweek night. Â This made us a bit nervous, but we're we pleased I asked advice on the ceviche that was best and was brought an assortment that was fabulous. Â I had the baby beef and squid as a main course- spectacular. My wife the rice an pillar. Â Service excellent, only reason not five stars- no full bar. Â (great wine cellar however)
Review Source:Amazing Peruvian food!!! Ceviche is amazing! The limo saltado was awesome! Their pollo a la brasa must be great as well... I went  with the intentions on having that but they were out of it! Lol. I thought that was weird, but everything else was so amazing that I cant wait to be back for the pollo a la brasa
Review Source:This place is SOOOOOOOO GOOD. Â SO GOOD. Â and SO CHEAP. Â I've never had peruvian food before, but I am a fan! Â I stuffed myself SILLY just so I could eat all the yumminess at its maximum yumminess.
I Love love Love:
1) fish and shrimp ceviche
2) Stuffed avocado appetizer
3)
... and a year passes and I realized i haven't finished this review.
HOWEVER I still remember the CHEAP price and DELICIOUS rice plates! Â It's definitely a must try!
We have visited this restaurant several times. In the last few months they decided to raise the prices. We have also noticed the portions, especially when it comes to sea food have been reduced ridiculously. We have ordered the seafood chaufa (kind of like Chinese rice) but what we get is huge amounts of rice, two shrimps and a couple of calamaris. This doesn't justify the prices. The food is ok but there are plenty of other good Peruvian restaurants we would rather go to where we pay less an get reasonable portions.
Review Source:Based on the other reviews my hub and I were excited to try this place.
I wanted to try the avocado chicken starter but the waiter said the avocados were not good right now. I appreciated him being honest instead of trying to serve us crap avocados (many places will!) So we ordered the potatoes with cream sauce and they were to die for!!! The sauce reminded me a little of hollandaise, so yummy.
My husband had the grouper. He asked the waiter if they could remove the head and some of the skin and the waiter smiled (silly gringos) and said sure. It was perfectly cooked and had amazing flavor.
I tried the seafood tacu tacu. I'm a pretty adventurous eater but, gringos, please be warned that seafood in this restaurant includes little squid (a bunch!) and octopus tentacles. It probably mentions this on the menu but I wasn't paying attention and was a little surprised. I'm a good sport so I ate some but didn't think they were that tasty. The shrimp was fantastic, perfectly tender and sweet, but I was disappointed there were only 4 or 5 in my dish. Having said that the sauce and black rice thing that comes with it were DELICIOUS!
Tried the purple corn drink: FYI people, it's just ginger water.
Had some type of white cake with caramel sauce for dessert: YUM!
The service was OK, we were the only people in the place at one point and we still had to motion the waiter over for refills and to order dessert.
Will def be back to order tacu tacu but will go for the chicken instead!
Enjoyable venture into Peruvian food. I followed the advice of fellow Yelpers and chose the avocado/chicken starter which was delicious. Followed up with a Tacu Tacu (seafood in a creamy sauce) which was also tasty. Huge portions.
Friendly service.
Not that easy to find but it's on the opposite side of the road, almost directly opposite Hooters.
I think they may be redecorating the interior and it felt a bit dowdy. (-1 star)
Probably better at lunch time than at 7pm. Restaurant closes at 8pm on weekday Thursday.
Having said all that, I'd visit again.
Great food at a fair price. Service excellent. We had the Avocado with seafood appetizer. Very good and different. I had the Ceviche Mixto spicy, very good and my better half the Tacu Tacu with a fish filet, she said it was excellent. In a little strip mall, decor is basic, but the food is fresh and very well made. Highly recommended to try something different than a chain restaurant on Cleveland Avenue.
Review Source:I came to El Patio because of Yelp, I went in with high expectations and I was not disappointed. Â It's an easy restaurant to miss tucked away in an unassuming strip mall. Â The Restaurant itself has a bland interior but in this case it doesn't matter.
This was my first foray into Peruvian food. Â Both appetizers I had were delicious, the Ceviche Mixto (mixed seafood) and Causa rellena de Pollo (mashed potato stuffed with chicken and vegetables). Â They were out of avocados otherwise i would have tried those stuffed as well. Â I was surprised at how good the Potatos were.
2 of the 3 entrees were exceptional. Â The Chicharron de Pescado was the best fried fish I have ever had. Â It was not greasy or heavy like most fried foods and it was crunchier. Â The Yucca and Onions were a tasty addition to the plate. Â
The Tacu Tacu with Chicken, Your choice of bean and rice were outstanding. Â I don't know how they cooked the rice but it was some of the best rice I ever had.
I also had a taste of the Bistec which was good but didn't compare to the Tacu Tacu or the Fried Fish.
67 dollars pre tip was good for 4 entrees, 2 appetizers and 4 happily stuffed patrons who will return to El Patio in the future.
FANTASTICO!
This is truly a gem of a place. It rivals, and perhaps even surpasses, the Cape Seafood Shack in seafood quality.
We both ordered the lunch special of Marino Pescado a lo Macho. The special includes a drink with it.
This is a Peruvian seafood dish consisting of multifarious spicy seafoods. It came with grouper, beautifully cooked (not fried), literally smothered with shrimp, large & small, mussels, calamari & octopus, all with an excellent sauce. It came with rice as well.
To die for.
Need a break from all the chain restaurants? Try this local eatery with outstanding ceviche. We had a mix though there are several options. Â The aguadito de marisco, soup with tons of seafood (fish, calamari, shrimp) and rice in a broth with lots of cilantro giving the soup a green color was outstanding and a bargain at $7. Â We also had the maduros, the sweet plantains. Â At first I was skeptical of the place, but there are is a wide selection of plates on the menu. Â I would highly recommend and the place seems to be a best kept secret for those in the know. Â Ambiance is okay, the place looked clean and service was friendly. Location is across from Hooters. Also, this place is more Peruvian than Mexican in my opinion.
Review Source:As other reviewers have pointed out El Patio is light décor but massive on flavor.  While it's nice to go somewhere that has a visual that makes you feel... festive or... relaxed or... like the people who work there have spent their entire lives preparing for this moment to make your meal, I'll gladly take the bare bones approach of El Patio when the food is this good.
I went to El Patio on a Thursday afternoon for lunch. Â My wife and I split the stuffed avocado with chicken and I ordered the tacu tacu with fish. Â I love avocados. Â I peel them and eat them like apples. Â The stuffed avocado appetizer was amazing. Â Think of a halved avocado with a tiny chicken salad complete with corn and diced tomatoes. Â I thought there was no way my lunch would live up to the stuffed avocado.
Lunch arrived and I realized my life had been a lie. Â The tacu tacu with lentils raised the bar from what I expect from authentic Mexican, or Peruvian as Bernie K. pointed out, to another playing field. Â I seriously want to know how this was seasoned so I can attempt to replicate it at home. Â Full of earthy flavors and enough spice to stick out but not scorch. Â If you are into hot sauce I recommend the habanero. Â The fish was also great, lightly battered and seasoned the same as the lentils. Â
El Patio is not a perfect five star establishment but what I had was a five star meal. Â Fort Myers may not be as "foodie" as my hometown, Louisville (Bon Appetit called it the 4th foodiest in America), but El Patio (along with other gems like Heavenly Biscuit) proves there are worthy contenders in SW Florida. Â I came for the beach but it looks like I'm staying for the food.
A fantastic restaurant in the sometimes abysmal Fort Myers. We ordered the stuffed avocados (shredded chicken, corn, tomatoes, vegetables and sauce), Tacu Tacu (chicken or beef / and rice dish - wonderful smokey flavor), Aji de gallna (shredded chicken in delicious yellow sauce with rice), and a whole roast chicken with fritas. All of it was "lick your plate clean". Tacu Tacu was the crowd favorite. (Pro tip: arroz con pollo only available on the weekends).
I will be recommending this place to everyone I know to try to make sure it is one of the restaurants that makes it here. They have outstanding lunch specials - full entrees + drink for only $7.
Do not be put off by the strip mall/mexican dive appearance - it is outstanding.
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