This is not the best Mexican food I have ever had but I would definitely come here again with a group of friends. Â It has a cute outdoor patio and tasty chips and salsa, not to mention bean dip. Â The bean dip could be spicier, but I understand not every customer will like it that way and it's nice to have something go munch on besides just salsa. Â It's definitely worth a stop for the ceviche.
Review Source:This is one of the better mexican restaurants in the valley, and expect to wait a looooooong time for a table here!
First, they have ample parking in back of the restaurant, which is a nice feature. Â The ambience is noisy, but unless you are in the bar (which faces the street, so is very popular) it is not too bad.
Service is solid and friendly. Â Ask the waiter for food suggestions, as they know the items that are really good, (see comments below).
Excellent chips and salsa...and a very nice surprise....they serve bean dip as well! Â It's a pretty good bean dip too, and we always ask for more!
The food can be a bit hit-and-miss. Â The tamales are very, very, very dry and lacking flavor. Â Tacos are ok....but some of their specialties are excellent! Â The arroz con pollo, (not the traditional Spanish version) was deeeeeelish! Â The flautas were very good as well, and LOVE the corn cake side dish that comes with the entrees.
The real winner for me, is the hot homemade tortillas with your choice of butters, (on the appetizer menu). Â Excellent! Â My favorite butters are the honey butter and the chocolate! Â Yum!
After watching El Patron grow from the first day, to now several months late,r we can say it on it's way to being a "special Place". a few more tweaks and it will  be there. The quality of the food is superb and the menu choices offer many different choices over and above most Mex restaurants.
Kudos to Lionel and his entire staff.
We used their "TACO CART" for a summer outdoor party and couldn't have asked for better,.
Gene and Corinne
Ive been to other el patrons in our area, and Ive always loved this place. I only have two complaints. Theres ZERO shaded parking, especially for my motorcycle. And, we had to deal with some crybabies on the patio who didn't want the misters on- WAHHHHHH! Â Even though it was 97, and super humid! Â SUCH babies!!!!!! Â One lady told me her hair was getting frizzy from the misters. I asked her, "What about the humidity???" Â El Patron is the BOMB!!!!!!!!! Â SOOOOOOOOOOOOO delicious, and the drinks were strong!!!! Â Props to Alma, our waitress!!! Â The BEST!!!!
Review Source:im sorry to say but this place is not good... we were a party of alot of people and the waiter didnt even care of the things we told him. he even charged us more of what we ordered and all our food was too salty or had no flavor im sorry but this is not a place for me go try it yourself
Review Source:I really enjoyed the food - sitting on the patio with a breeze is a plus. Â I had the white fish with onions, cheese and mushroom. Â It came with a generous side of freshly steamed vegetables (broccoli, carrots, zuchinni) - delish! Â Everything was perfect, and you get the complementary bean dip, salsa, and chips to snack on while you wait for your food - I almost got full on this alone. Â Service was great - he filled my iced tea without my asking, and checked in periodically.
Review Source:It's like a Mexican TGIF or a Mexican Big Wangs of Tarzana.
I mean, yay, free chips and bean dip, but their dip is underseasoned and underwhelming.
We weren't that hungry so we just got appetizers. My taquitos were overdressed with condiments.
Their tableside guac is expensive and I feel like it's always not enough for what you pay.
The servers are really good though.
Tarzana really needs a decent gastropub.
Try Sol y Luna or Salsa and Beer on White Oak instead.
While the food is pretty good. Home make chips and tamales, good salsa and margaritas. I've been there twice and each time my friend ordered a tostada and I the tamales. Both times they brought the tostada out long before my tamales, thereby making it uncomfortable for my friend to eat while food was fresh and not wait for me. I mentioned it the first time and the response was "yours is on it's way", the second time they said it was because a tostada is a "salad" and they bring out salads first. What the What? A tostada is an entre and they should know better.
Review Source:We ate here for lunch today. We have driven past here so many times without stopping in so I am glad that we finally did! The service is great and very, very friendly. We started with the table side guacamole. You can order it mild, medium or spicy. For $9 it was worth it. The guacamole was so fresh and tasted of lime and cilantro. I wish I could make it this well. Chips were salty and hot, just the way I like them. We ordered some homemade flour tortillas served with your choice of three butters. We got cinnamon, chocolate, and garlic butters. All were delicious. The garlic was my favorite. We also had a carnitas soft taco to which we added some of the amazing guacamole for even more flavor. The Burrito Alegre de Pollo was really delicious and huge! Mexican rice, black or refried beans, cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream, chicken, and guacamole are all stuffed into a flour tortilla. Half is in the fridge for another meal! We will definitely re-visit El Patron for drinks and dinner!
Review Source:I really liked El Patron the 1st few times that I went there but the last couple of times that I've been there haven't been good!
The bean dip, salsa and table side guacamole are amazing and have been every time but the food and drnks have  taken a turn for the worst.
They changed their hard shell chicken tacos (which were really good) and added potato. That was not a change for the good!! I sent those back because they were awful. My friend had ordered a carne asada burrito and said that the meat wasn't good and she decided not to even eat it.
I went back tonight for drinks and because a raspberry margarita sounded great! I've had them before and they were delicious but tonight it was horrible! I asked the waitress if it was raspberry because it had an odd taste. She told me that they had changed their raspberry puree.
They seem to be making so many changes and in my opinion none of them are good! I don't think that I'll be returning again. I've given it enough chances and unfortunately the last few weren't any good.
THIRD TIME IS NOT A CHARM!
Visited El Patron for the third time last Friday evening. Â The first two times were STELLAR, Friday was a bust!
When we came before we sat on the patio, very kewl. Â I always order the same thing, hard shell tacos. Â Call me shallow but that is what I like at a Mexican restaurant! Â The first two visits the tacos were FANTASTIC! Â PERFECT! Â YUM!
Friday we were seated inside the restaurant. Â First, my tacos were less than acceptable that evening. Â The first was halfway crispy but falling apart. Â The second was barely crispy and the last was no different than a typical soft shell taco. Â Additionally each taco was leaking so much liquid, the plate was swimming! Â Wifeypie ordered a shrimp salad and I must admit, the shrimp were undercooked. Â I do not like my seafood overdone but unless it is ceviche or ama ebe, undercooked shrimp does not float my boat.
Second, the mariachis were SO LOUD we could not converse with our friends, barely even think! Â Music is great but not so loud it is just blaring. Â I kept checking my ears to see if my brains were leaking!
We really like the restaurant but again Friday was deplorable. Â We hope they turn down the mariachis a tad and have some consistency in the food. Â We really prefer El Patron to Sol Y Luna. Â It is much more accessible and that patio is fantastic in the summer! Â Love the Negro Modelo on tap!
Humbly submitted,
Moi
I can't believe I didn't know about this restaurant for so long. It's right there on Reseda and somehow I never noticed it.
I loved my first visit. The great service started with the super friendly and helpful hostesses. Had a great waiter, very attentive and all the food and drink service was fast. When a manager noticed me fanning myself he asked if I was too hot and immediately turned the AC to a cooler temp!!
Drinks were very good -I'm so picky about cocktails as a former bartender - food was very good. It sort of walks the line between Americanized Mexican food and the true autentico Mexican food you can get in LA, but I couldn't complain about anything.
It had a nice crowd, not too noisy, not too quiet.
The place was very clean and the staff all seemed very happy. Whoever runs this restaurant knows what he/she is doing. I also have the sense that whoever runs it, loves it.
I'll be back.
Both times I have been to El Patron I have thoroughly enjoyed my meal. Let's begin with the most important aspect of any Mexican restaurant--the Margaritas. While made primarily with Sauza, which I lovingly refer to as fraternity tequila, the margaritas offered (of which there are a decent variety) are tasty.
The service, on the other hand, has been hit or miss. I'm an extremely easy person to please when it comes to restaurants; bring me a drink when I'm empty, and get my food out quickly. Unfortunately running into my chair while I'm eating, and not apologizing, doesn't fly. Thankfully during my second visit our waiter went above and beyond the call of duty.
The food is slightly above average, though I may be a bit biased as I've traveled to Mexico at least a dozen times. My meal (both times) was well portioned, though rather simple and missing the flavor I was expecting. The bean dip they provide with chips, however, is amazing!
Finally, the atmosphere is very much your typical Mexican restaurant with bright colors and tile. They apparently even have a mariachi band on some nights, though I haven't had the chance to see/hear them. The bar area is also rather big for a restaurant, and provides a nice place to enjoy a drink before your meal (minus the seizure inducing LED strips they have).
Overall a nice restaurant that I will surely return to, when a Mexican craving arises.
This place has gone downhill fast since its opening, Â ive eaten here about 5-6 times since its opened, after my last experience I do not think i will be going back, Â service was tough, having to ask for simple things 3x is not good, like where is my drink, or where is my silverware, , , Â Â a few words to you , learn to make guacamole, Â our tableside guac was disgusting so much so that we didnt even eat it, Â a hint for you, 2 whole limes is a bit too much to put in a single serving of guac, Â my carne asada was horrible as well. Â the corn cake was good though, hard to mess that up. my coke was okay because i could not hardly swallow the $12 margarita they made me. and i was no way going to order another one, Â I think it burned a hole in my stomach becauase my stomach sure hurt like hell when i left this place . Â simply put this place sucks now. i dont recommend it unless you want some place to sit at the bar watch a game and have a beer eat chips and their bean dip which is and still is really good. Â other than that. pass it up.
Review Source:I went to El Patron again last night with three old friends of mine for snacks and drinks. Â I have got to say that the guacamole is as good as it gets...because it is made right at your table and because it is made to order exactly the way you want it. Â Hot? Mild? Extra lime? No cilantro? Â No problem. They even encourage you to taste it for your approval before serving. Â Drinks? Â El Jefe, a kind of mango margarita with chili powder and salt on the rim gets my vote. Â But the Chai Tea Bailey's is another winner.
Review Source:The meal started out well with chips accompanied by fresh salsa and a delicious bean dip. Â At the suggestion of our server, we ordered the Steak Fajitas ($19) and the Cochinita Pibil ($18). Â My husband ordered the Cadillac Margarita ($10) which came with a shot of Grand Marnier. Â
The entrees were amazing, and I loved the side of corn and Mexican rice that both entrees came with. Â They also served piping hot tortillas and offered more if we wanted. Â I especially liked the Cochinita Pibil which is marinated pork pieces in a spicy sauce. Â Even though we were stuffed at the end of the meal, we could not pass up the chance to get the Churro dessert (4 pieces of churros with a scoop of ice cream). Â
The bill came out a bit higher than you'd expect for Mexican food in the SF Valley, but I would consider this a more upscale place with lots of indoor seating and some patio seating out front.  I also didn't mind tipping the max amount, as the service was really great - from our server  to the smiling hostesses, to the super attentive busboys who cleared plates right away and brought anything we requested very quickly. Â
Parking lot is free, behind the restaurant (follow the sign).
Take note large restaurant owners. This is how a place should be run. I'm not talking about any food yet. It is great to see a building which had a previous failure(s) of business(es) in it turn everything around, and make it great.
I came in on a PACKED Sunday afternoon and sat at the bar. The service here is what stands out. Really honestly great service.
I had three different people from behind the bar ask me if there was anything I needed within the first 5 minutes of sitting down. They continued to check on me throughout my experience, and were so attentive I couldn't believe it. When I thought I might need a refill of my boring diet coke soon, it was replaced before I even noticed!
I watched as a server brought in a tray with a margarita on it that was being sent back. The server told the bartender that the customer said it was 'syrupy'. Instead of scoffing, he actually looked concerned. He then tasted it using a dipped straw, nodded his head and then immediately adjusted it with contreau and a bit more tequila. He then nodded to the server suggesting she try it again. I like seeing this. It means they give a shit. refreshing. There are things on this menu that are so not mexican but that are made mexican. I love this. I can't wait to try things in the future that I have NEVER seen on a mexican restaurant menu- and I travel. A lot.
Good Job El Patron owner, and/or manager. Thumbs up.
Contrary to their website, this place is NOT for vegans. Â I don't mind a place not being able to handle vegans, but I DO mind it when they claim they can and then don't. Â It would be 1 star if not for the table-side guacamole.
The vegan issues:
All the vegetarian options have cheese and/or come with rice (which would normally be ok, but see below).
The white rice has butter.
The brown rice has butter.
The corn cake side that comes with everything has butter (which we were told several minutes after it was delivered to the table).
And although they said not, I suspect the grilled veggies in my burrito were also cooked in butter.
Not that we would have wanted it, but the waitress never mentioned a vegan cheese option (but it was talked about on their website).
The bean dip they bring with the chips and salsa has meat in it.
The bad (not related to vegan):
The tomato based salsa was not very good.
The "house" margarita used a bad corn syrupy tasting mix.
The rest of the margaritas on the menu are non-standard mixtures. Â No "classic" margarita -- I'm looking for a blanco + cointreau + lime.
The good:
Table-side guacamole.
Parking was easy.
Comfortable booth.
I really like this place. They have a great happy hour with $4 tequila shots. Yes please! The bar area with patio is a nice place to relax. The actual restaurant  has a nice vibe. Service every time has been pretty darn good.
May be the best Mexican rice I have ever had. I mean, most places I feel like I am eating some sort of greasy rice pile. This place, the rice is all fluffy and light tasting. Does that make sense? Maybe healthy even? Doubt it, but healthier than most places? Who knows, but it is good. Even looks better than most Mexican rice sides!
Ask for the fish taco's grilled. It is not on the menu, but they will grill it instead of frying it if you ask. Mmmmm! Eat more chips and feel less guilty!
Or try the volcano for 2 people. This was a bubbling mess of goodness! But with this, you will have to eat less chips.
Tried another "cool" looking Mexican spot nearby, a few weeks ago, and that experience made me realize how good El Patron really is. This place beats Casa Vegas 10 times over. So far.
Quality food here people. Enjoy.
It is 3.5 stars.
On wednesday night there was a fundraiser for my son's school. It's physically a pretty place but noisy and the layout  is  uncomfortable, especially are the booths.  The busboy got us water and chips right away. House Margarita was bitterish/tasteless. The food arrived -- two delicious hot steaming fajitas. But as another busboy was placing it on the table he dipped his apron in our food. (I had to scoop out that corner!) But perhaps the apron added to the flavor because the food IS very tasty. Maybe in the future we will stick to a take out.
It is not cheep, not relaxing but food is tasty.
Fun, casual spot for awesome mexican food. The bean dip and salsa speaks for itself. Â I can go through a dozen bowls of this stuff. ADDICTIVE. Taco tuesdays: 2$ each. I throw that bean dip all over everything. delicious hibiscus tea, (Agua de Jamaica) and bomb margaritas, quite strong, got a buzz in a few sips. parking is great. Cant wait till my next time. service is acceptable.
Review Source:The bean dip and salsa were so good I barely ate any of my dinner, which was really delicious as well. I felt adventurous so I got one of their specialties called Carnes En Su Jugo, which I think means Meat In Its Juices. Sounds weird, but it was really good. The waiter made sure to tell me that it is a soup, so that I wouldn't be disappointed thinking it was carne asada or something. I'm glad he told me because I didn't realize it, but I ordered it anyway. The meat was very tender and flavorful and the bacon really went well with the flavor. My only complaint is that the soup was a tad too salty. The entree plates also come with a small scoop of the sweet corn mash, which I LOVE.
I love that the guacamole is made table side, so you could see how fresh all the ingredients are AND you could tell them how much of the onions, cilantro, tomato you want in the guacamole. The guacamole was SO GOOD. The servers were all really nice, but it did take a while to get our entrees and the check.
I most definitely will be returning!
So, I used to come here a few years back, before it closed. Â I was so excited to see it return, but sadly disappointed when I was finally able to find a "slow" time to come in because it has been so packed since re opening.
First, we were greeted very happily at the door and seated RIGHT away. That was the end of the excellent customer service because the rest of our visit was poor to mediocre. Â It took forever to get our waters, and then EVEN longer to have someone (anyone!) take our order. Â When someone who seemed to look like the manager asked how we were doing, we told him we needed to place our orders- rather than taking it himself- he tried telling two of the nearby waitresses that we had tried to previously flag down but would blatantly ignore, and our order still wasn't taken. Â We were ready to walk out when he noticed and told one of the ladies AGAIN.
When our dinner arrived if seemed as if it had been sitting under the heat lamp, but it was still "ok." Â I had carne asada tacos and my boyfriend had a chile Colorado burrito.
I don't know that I will go back simply due to the poor customer service. Had the service been "ok," like the food, I would definitely give it a second chance. But for the prices, I will have to be in a nonchalant-no rush mood to return.
The bean dip was good!
It's interesting that the reviews for this place are all over the place.  I wonder if it is a reflection of  the particular chef for the day/night or perhaps it's the difference in managerial styles of the restaurant depending on the shift .
Every time you sit, you are greeted with a basket of chips, salsa and a house bean dip that is to die for. Â Try not to stuff yourself silly with the bean dip, there's lunch/dinner to be eaten. Â This is not your typical Americanized Mexican restaurant. Â The food here seems pretty authentic. Here are all the dishes I've tried so far:
Botanas El Patron - Appetizer plate of Quesadilla, flauta, buffalo wings (I would prefer a little less sauce) and mini sopes w/ carne asada. Â This plate will fill you up. Â Even if you're sharing, Â you might not have space for dinner.
Albondigas - Vegetable soup with rice and meatballs. Â They give ample meat balls if you order the bowl. Â I would have liked a little more rice in my soup.
Conchinita Pibil - pork slow roasted in a citrus marinade. Â It came wrapped in corn husk. Â this was my first time trying this dish. Â The pork was very tender and flavorful.
Carnes En Su Jugo - beef cooked in it's own juices with bacon. Â Very tasty and juicy. Â I think I needed to ask for more tortillas.
Fajitas Del Mar - Â Shrimp, fish filet and octopus. i LOVE that this place serves octopus. Â Whatever they season the fish with is REALLY tasty. Â
Taco y Sopes Combinacione - with carne asada. Â The sopes are ok. Â Personally, I would prefer a little less masa.
Pescado a la Veracruzana - Grilled seasonal fish simmered in Veracruzana sauce
*****Coctel de Camarone y Pulpo***** - Shrimp and octopus cocktail. Â WINNER, WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!!! Â AGAIN, I LOVE that they serve octopus here. Â This is the best Shrimp (and octopus) cocktail I've ever had. Â Hands down.
Molcajete de Carne - steak in a freaking amazing sauces. Â Served in a hot stone bowl. Â This one feeds 2...maybe 3...maybe even a small family of 4. Â The meat is cooked to perfection. Â The flavors are deliciously savory. Â A must try if you're looking for good beef dish!
Flan - Do I really need to describe this? Â Ooey gooey sweet caramelly flavor, perfect to finish off a great meal. Â This flan is on the heavy, thicker consistency side so be sure to save some space in your tummy.
Churros w/ Ice Cream - You choose your ice cream!! Â I love their toasted marshmallow ice cream with real pieces of marshmallow. Â There's nothing better than a FRESH churro. Â it comes with 4-10" (or so) long churros, AGAIN, REMEMBER TO SAVE SPACE!
Drinks, drinks and more drinks - The bar and the bartenders are fabulous. Â Don't know what you want, just ask, they might even make a drink up for you!
Every experience I've had here has been nothing less than delicious. Â I can tell they are consistently working out the bugs, being the new restaurant on the block and all. Â My one complaint is the host podium. Â When I walk into a restaurant, i like to see the host/hostess standing there with a big smile, making me feel as if they've been waiting all day and are happy that I came. Â It's often that we have to stick our head into the bar or around the corner to find the host and ask for a table. Â
They have their own parking lot in the back, but it gets full and difficult to find a spot if it's a busy Karaoke (Wednesday), Jazz (Thursday) or Mariachi (Friday) night. Â TIP: spill over patrons generally park across the street in the supermarket lot.
El Patron was a muy bien! Â The atmosphere is totally ridiculous, but I guess they like the super over-the-top Mariachi thing. Â Most importantly, the food was delicious and the service was good.
I had a margarita (they had Herradura...I liked them from the get go) and for the entree I had the enchiladas de jamaica. Â It's worth noting that the menu was full of awesome vegetarian items and tofu substitutes. Â You don't find this in "hole in the wall" Mexican restaurants, but I don't think El Patron compromised authentic flavors and ingredients to get a more contemporary menu. Â Nicely done! Â Back to the food: the enchiladas were nicely done; I've never had jamaica in anything other than aqua de jamaica, and it was a pleasant surprise. Â There was a ton of food! Â I took half of it home for later.
A standout for El Patron is the salsa and bean dip they bring out with the chips as the beginning of the meal. Â This stuff is what my Mexican dreams are made of!
This is a fairly good restaurant. Great cheesy over-the-top Mexican atmosphere. Live Mariachi band on the weekend. Plenty of the food is authentic, even a little too authentic for my taste.
But the bean dip and salsa they bring out to the table. Oh my god. I go just for that it's so delicious. The salads are good too and the bar makes good drinks.
I personally don't like guacamole but I hear the table-side guac is very good too. They seem to make it the way you request it every time.
I always enjoy coming here.
I was meeting a friend for dinner after work & I had a taste for Mexican. Being that I was in the Valley and the only place I know was the abominably-rated Casa Vega, I went with the Yelp-approved El Patron. Now I'm sorry I didn't go to Casa. There was nothing I really liked about El Patron.
I started off with a margarita (can't go wrong there, right?). The waiter suggested I get the El Jefe. Normally I would not make the connection that this was the most expensive choice, but I do feel with this waiter that it was more than just a coincidence.
For my entree, I ordered the shrimp enchilada. What was served reminded me very much of food at El Torito in terms of presentation. As for taste, it was good, but definitely not something I would order again.
The best part of my experience was that there was plenty of parking in the free lot in back of the restaurant.
This place did it right; the food, service, layout, menu, food quality and presentation, bar, ...and, it reminds me of when I would travel to Guadalajara and visit my favorite restaurants there. Love the five large screen TVs to catch the Packers winning this season too.
Love the large open Ramada style bar area, large selection of beers on draft, and amazing well-crafted cocktails. The food is off-the-hook good; this is definitely my favorite Mexican restaurant in the US.
My husband and I live walking distance from this place and have always seen it busy and really wanted to try it based on the view on the outside / bar /TV area. We walked in for happy hour say 5:50 and had about 10 min sitting down, waiting to be helped and missed the opportunity to buy happy hour drinks. Thanks! :/ Â We ordered 11 dollar margaritas that aren't that great and are over priced. It's pretty american / mexican. It tastes how it would in touristy areas. The best thing we had there was the awesome bean dip and sopes that were cheaper than my drink. Aside from the bad waiting and check ins from time to time from our waitress...we had to flag her down for the check..then it never got picked up until my husband had to go and stand in front of her to give her the bill with the credit card only so it can be brought by some other waitress.
You know....I worked as a waitress and I know what it's like when it's busy and have special customers that act up, are moody, special, or ask for demanding things but...I'm not one of those customers that do that since I know what it's like. All I want is a little attention and if you screw up...look me in the face and say..."hey it's busy, sorry I haven't checked up on you" or something.... I'm one of those peeps that deducts on the 15% tip based on performance and let me just say...she's lucky she got something....I get that it gets busy...but for you to ignore the customer and have the bust boys pay more attention to us then our waitress is not good. I should have tipped him instead.
I'm sure it's a good place when it's not busy but DONT go when it's busy. I don't know if it's just the waitress we had that gave us a bad experience but this was our first time for us and unfortunately based on that experience...I rather go to a Taco Bell where I'm treated better and I pay cheaper for it.
I gave it an extra star for the fancy bathroom. :D
My friend and I came here for dinner on a Friday night because it's relatively new and  right around the corner from where he lives. As it turns out, it happened to be "Fiesta Friday" where a live mariachi band goes around and plays music for people. At some points, it was ridiculously loud and unpleasant.
I ordered the vegetable fajitas with black beans and corn tortillas. My friend ordered the enchiladas de camaron which was sautéed shrimp wrapped in corn tortillas, smothered in chipotle sauce, topped with Mexican cheese, sour cream, red onion and cilantro.
My vegetable fajitas were composed of carrots, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, white onion, red onion, zucchini, broccoli, and potatoes (which is a bad decision on their part because they weren't cooked thoroughly). The vegetables didn't have any seasoning - not even salt and pepper, and you only get 2 tortillas. The amount of pico de gallo on the side is minuscule, and the amount of rice and beans you get isn't very much either. My friend said that his enchiladas were really good. He thought that the sauce that was covering them was the best. (He practically licked his plate clean).
For the price, I've had more flavorful - and bigger servings - of Mexican food elsewhere. Although I can appreciate the diversity of the menu, especially the  vegetarian/vegan items, I don't think I'll be coming back.
It's  OK
I like that they have varied seating arrangements to choose from- I think anywhere around the bar though is probably your best bet. We didn't get to choose- so they sat us at this awkward half-booth thing where we ended up having to stare at the couple across from us the whole time.
The food is OK. Nothing special....the only thing I can say I enjoyed is the potato taquitos...but the ones with beef suck. The rest of the food all looked and tasted plain- nothing special.
The drinks are the only things I can say are decent and I like their patron selection.
The food is too expensive for the quality. They have prices like they are fine dining but I have better food for a better price at El Torito- way better in fact.
I'd probably come back for the bar area- and maybe an appetizer but not for the food.
Overall- too expensive for nothing special. Â Meh
El Patron was delish!! Â
The atmosphere, the service and the food were all 5 star!!
We really enjoyed the salsa. Â I couldn't stop eating the chips and salsa and almost spoiled my dinner! Â I ordered the chile relleno taco combo and my husband ordered an asada burrito. Â Both dishes were extremely good. Â
They had a mariachi band playing and we enjoyed a few songs at our table and thoroughly enjoyed our entire experience.
Lionel, you've done it again.
You brought this place back to life. It was good to see a packed house with lots of people enjoying themselves. The food is top notch. The Mole is a personal favorite along with  the shimp and seafood.
The service is great, professional, always ready with a smile.
We were so excited for El Patron to open, then so deeply disappointed. Â
The one positive: Â their bean dip was good. Â
I ordered a rocks/salt margarita made of Patron Anejo. Â (NOTE: Â There is seemingly no connection between the restaurant and the Patron tequila that shares its name.) Â It was just plain bad. Â My guess is that their pre-made margarita mix already had some bad Cuervo in it and then they just added Patron to the Cuervo...? Â Or they just gave me Cuervo and pretended it was Patron? Â Who knows--all I know for sure is that it was bad. Â This comes from someone who knows Patron tequila well and likes it just fine. Â Of course I would have preferred an even better tequila (Don Fulano, Innocente, Porfidio, the list is endless), but they only stocked the common ones you would find at any airport bar. Â
The salsa they brought with the chips reminded me of the marinara dipping sauce you would get along with an order of Dominos bread sticks. Â No spice, tasted like ketchup. Â My main dish was a simple pair of cheese enchiladas. Â They were supermarket freezer-section quality. Â The rice was just... odd. Â My girlfriend ordered some tofu taco thing, which was probably a bad idea conceptually. Â In execution it was even worse. Â It's almost as if the chef thought, "If they're ordering tofu, that must mean they like bland!" Â She was able to eat very little of it. Â
Yuck. Â Look in any strip mall throughout the Valley to find tastier Mexican food. Â El Patron tastes like the Mexican food you might find in rural Iowa.
I came here around 10oclock on a Friday night. I was given a little preface about the restaurant before coming but I still did not know what to expect. I figured it would be another Salsa and Beer but with full bar. That was pretty much it. The decor was super Mexican gaudy and the wait staff are forced to wear traditional Mexican attire.
The food was good but a little pricey, maybe a couple extra dollars more than it should be. We ordered Chile Relleno, Carne Asada Burrito, and Flautas. The Flautas were good, very crisp and meaty. The Chile Relleno was very salty, as if they added too much salt to the already salty cheese by accident (hopefully by accident). The Burrito was average.
The service was great, though! Everything we customized came out right and everyone was almost too nice. There were an abundant amount of wait staff around and it made it seem kind of cluttered. Overall, the restaurant still has some ways to go before becoming an efficient and successful establishment.
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