El Patron

Ordered the albondigas for lunch. I like the fact that the meatballs were actually handmade, unlike most Mexican restaurants I’ve tried they are just frozen balls of meat. However, the flavor was a little too spicy for my liking and only came with one piece of potato and a little bit of carrots. For 8 dollars, that’s way too pricy for what you get.
I gave three stars because the service was friendly and I really enjoyed the homemade corn tortillas.

Great food & fantastic service. The burrito was huge (at least a foot long, or the size of your forearm) & the steak was very tender. I was pleased to find no steak stuck in my teeth when I was done. I had a Cadillac margarita & i didn’t feel like they held back with the alcohol. Although the price is steep (10.95/per) it was at least worth it. I hope this business sticks around for a while because the last business didn’t last any time. Somewhat limited menu but definitely looking forward to trying other menu options.

Bloody Mary and apps with the hubby.
He was not happy with the dirty menus and dirty tables (patio). I was happy with the ambience – lovely if a bit dusty on the patio.
Food: overall fresh tasting; good flavor on quesadillas and chips/​huarache. Beans were bland. Guacamole lacked finesse. Salsa was watery and needed salt and heat.
Drinks – spicy as ordered, could have used more vodka, overall not bad… but a bit salty.
Service: polite but inattentive. Our server seemed overwhelmed – and the place wasn’t very busy. Had to wait about 30 minutes for someone to check on us after being served our app. I asked a bus girl for our check. Our waiter brought us the wrong check.
Would I come back? I’m a sucker for fresh corn masa – my huarache– and good margaritas. Maybe one more try because this is NOT a chain and is locally owned.
I won’t bring the hubby though…

I’ve heard, and read about this place. all excellent reviews… we’ll it didn’t dissapoint. .me and my wife went today… very nice décor, very attentive staff our waiter Pedro was very informed great personality. .the food was excellent chicken fajitas for me and beef for my wife… beans were fantastic, rice moist fluffy… guacamole salsa chips excellent. .$ 3.00 for a domestic beer can’t beat it… all in all we’ll be back… highly recommend! !!!

Dear El patron,
Your Cadillac margarita was delicious, although using table salt for the rim is pretty rookie of you. The salsa had flavor but was terribly watered down, maybe a cost cutting thing, but I know you are better than that. The mini tostadas that you served with them though: high five: I had the sopes entrée (aka feast) and boyfriend had the carne asada. While mine was delicious I kept sneaking bites of his carne asada, so flavorful and cooked perfect medium rare.
I’m in a food coma as I write this so… gracias y buenas noches

It was a great as the others say. We arrived around 8pm on a Saturday night after a show at the Fox Performing Arts Center. We were in a great mood but weren’t sure what to do when the greeter said the wait was over an hour for 2 people. We decided to wait and we had a good time «waiting». Between the highly tentative and very nice staff, the excellent and caring bar tenders topped off by one of the co-​owners conversations, the hour and 20 minutes passed and we were seated. And to add, the live mariachi band was great (not that type that comes plays, stairs and makes you feel uncomfortable). At the owners suggestion I had the two chili rellenos (added grilled shrimp on top). Everything was great. VERY tasty. I assume it’s what food taste like deep down in Mexico at someone’s grandma’s house — that’s how I felt. We forgot to take pictures but I can say the presentation was thoughtful and. Our food bill was $ 26. I honestly thought the co-​owner we had got to know comp’d part of our meal it was so cheap (but he hadn’t).
Be ready to wait but while your waiting have a great time in the little bar or out on the patio. It’s worth the wait.

Promises much, but falls short.
The restaurant was refurbished with an hacienda air and the staff’s uniforms include western hats, vests and western style belt and holster where the staff carries pens, order pads, etc.
Only time will tell how the décor will wear.
We arrived around lunch time and had to wait 5 to 10 minutes to be addressed by the staff, then had to wait around 30 minutes for a table.
Once seated and handed menus (the menus’ pages were falling out, mine missing a few, so I had to borrow one from my party), the rest of my party ordered iced tea, I ordered the jalapeño margarita. I read somewhere that the margaritas were fresh… sadly, while not the worst margarita I’ve had, it did leave much to be desired, it tasted watered down and lacked fresh lime flavors.
For the meal, most of us ordered taco plates which included rice and beans. I had carne asada tacos. The tortillas looked homemade with a tortilla press. The amount of meat, fresh cilantro and dices onions was small compared to the size of the tortilla. The carne asada didn’t have much flavor, as if not marinated or marinated for too short a time. The rice was OK, at least it was well cooked as I did not find any undercooked grains of rice, which I can’t stand. The refried beans were also middle of the road but I don’t like melted cheese in the beans. For cheese I prefer cotija, a dry cheese, similar to parmesan in texture, but very traditional; there was no cotija to be found in our meal.
On the upside, all was clean, the staff was polite and courteous.
The downside is that everything took so long that we had to leave immediately after eating, having to rush to get back to work.
My wife and I agreed that we would not likely be heading back and will continue to make Mexican food at home.

Ive been here twice and it keeps getting better the food is anazing and the staff is awesome. You have to try it !

This place won my heart
They offer soy meat alternative for every dish, a sweet unexpected surprise for vegetarians like myself.
The décor is impeccable, friendly staff, great portion size (appetizers and Entrees) and delicious food.
I sincerely cannot wait to be back

Wow, freak’n awesome food… 2^nd time here since they opened. I had the Carne Asada plate, we also ordered the Chicken Tacos and the Enchilada plate. My main thing when I go out to eat with my family is to make sure my wife is happy. She is a vegetarian and it’s sometimes hard to please her, no matter how good the food is. They doctored up the enchiladas with spinach & veggies and she loved them. They also have this super hot sauce for those that love the burn. Super awesome service & some of the wait staff remembered me from my previous visit. Great night. :)

Don’t even think of coming here during dinner hours.
The parking lot is too small, not to mention dark and scary! They block off lots of regular parking spaces in the lot for valet?! This is not a Los Angeles restaurant, yet they have the audacity to charge $ 8 to park right next to regular parking spots!
You can get average Mexican food all over Riverside, no need to waste your time here. Won’t be back.

We pull into the parking lot and park, and some kid comes over and tells me that I can park here, but I have to pay an $ 8 valet fee, huh? I reluctantly pay the $ 8 for nothing, my bad, in hindsight I should have taken this as a clue and made a hasty departure. We go inside and wait, and wait, and wait… the place is half empty but for some reason we have to wait to be seated. I’ll wrap this up because El Patron has already cost me too much time and money, this is a beans and rice restaurant with very high prices, mediocre food, and lousy service. There are many great eateries in Riverside and the IE, but this isn’t one of them. My suggestion is to avoid this place, it’s run by banditos.

Gorgeous décor and ambience. Prices are reasonable, portions are HUGE! I definitely had enough for 2 meals, as did my friends! The food was fresh and delish!
The only reason I couldn’t give it a 5 was because at times the service was slow. They were busy, but it took quite a long time to bring a drink order and to take our orders, but then the bussers seemed to rush us out towards the end. I wasn’t a fan of that.
I would surely go back again, it was definitely, a keeper!

I went for lunch and the food took a LONG time! If you’re going for lunch and only have an hour, don’t go here.
I’m not a cilantro eater so it would have been nice to have a an option of a salsa without to eat with the chips. Same thing with the guacamole, it would have been great to have it without cilantro.
I had the nachos and they were good. The beans and carne asada were very good. I might consider coming again and order something different.
I did go with two other coworkers who liked it and would come again.
Wow! Checking out with the bill takes long too!

Tonight was my first time @ El Patron but definitely not my last! The food is excellent. The drinks are great. The ambience is fun, inviting and you won’t want to leave.
Diego was our server. He was very attentive, knew the menu well & checked on us at just the right times. His demeanor as a waiter is perfect.
All the staff are friendly, from the valets to the hostesses at the front door & even the back up wait staff. They all were smiling, greeted us well & seemed happy to be there & to serve us.
Go, give this new place a try. I bet you’ll love it.
Ask for Diego. He’ll take great care of you.
Try their house tequila!
Que le vaya bien, amigos!

Lovely place. The décor is amazing and beautiful. .
The staff is friendly.
The food is delicious. Had Chile rellenos and they were the best, tortillas are home made and delicious
Salsa and tostaditas are delicious.
My mom had the fajitas and they were mouth watering.
I will be returning again for sure.. a great mexican food place downtown.

The carnitas tacos are to die for! So flavorful and moist with their homemade tortillas. So amazing.
Also if you get any of the drinks I highly recommend asking for el patrons own tequila in it! It is so smooth ! Best tequila I’ve ever had. This place is fantastic. They even had complimentary valet parking when we came in on a Saturday, so thoughtful.

I have now been to El Patron twice, not only is the location amazing (right in the heart of downtown riverside, in the old train station building) and family owned but the food is absolutely amazing. From what I understand El Patron does not own a freezer, everything is made fresh to order and tastes like it also. On my first visit I had the carnitas enchiladas. Authentic spiced carnitas were juicy and flavorful while the enchilada tortilla was moist and delicious. The plate came with three rather large portion enchiladas rice and beans, as well as roasted corn on the cob. For my drink I got the jalapeño margarita, although it wasn’t as spicy as I would have liked it was still amazing. My bill was roughly $ 20 and something cents.
For my second visit (which was last night) I ordered the Albondigas and a Bloody Mary. The soup by far was incredible. Perfectly seasoned and salty. Absolutely delicious. My bloody mary wasn’t the best that I had ever had, but that is most likely because I don’t enjoy the clamato brand and bloody mary mix. Was overall too sweet for my liking, but was definitely still enjoyable. My bill was only $ 11 plus each meal comes with homemade chips and salsa.
By far one of my favorite new restaurants in downtown riverside. If you have not visited yet you need to change that asap. The staff is amazing, so friendly and welcoming and the prices are very reasonable in comparison to the amount of food you receive.

Had a pleasant experience at El Patron with my family. We were craving some delicious Mexican cuisine, and luckily, we found just that!
We were kindly greeted upon arrival. The first thing we noticed was the lovely décor! They really went all out to make you feel like you have just entered a Mexican ranch – everything is absolutely stunning.
The service was attentive and genuinely welcoming. The food was, to say the least, beautifully served and delicious! We all were extremely satisfied after our meals. I had the huarache, and I loved it!
To top a lovely meal, I informed the staff that we were celebrating my parents’ 25^th Anniversary, and they kindly provided them with 2 glasses of champagne on the house. We were able to make a toast with them:)
Even though El Patron just had its soft opening, the homemade menu has something for everyone’s appetite! I am excited for their future plans and growth for their menu – like dessert and aguas frescas! I’m sure everything will be delicious! Looking forward to my next visit.

Came here for their soft opening and was very impressed. Very nice ranch style décor. Friendly staff and tasty food. Another reason to come across the 91 Freeway. Located in the same parking lot as Café Sevilla. Reasonable prices. The carnitas taco and guacamole were my favorite. Also had the enchiladas which came in a huge portion of 5. I ate 2 and i was full. Wish i would have tried the rice & beans. I’ll be back!