The Salado Patio

The salsa is ok, but not great. Less than amazing service. And all their salads are just iceberg lettuce. The patio salad is terrible… the seafood salad should also be avoided. It’s just mayo with imitation crab and shrimp.
The paintings are really cute, though.
Like some of the other reviews said, we were planning on going to Alexander’s, but didn’t want to wait until 5. We should have waited.

Yuck. First, the waitress was very nice and kept our chips and salsa, as well as drinks full. But, when I told her the chicken enchiladas smelled like feet and tasted worse than feet, she just apologized and brought us the check.
There wasn’t anything special or spectacular about this place. The food was not good at all. I don’t think this business will last much longer.

Horrible!!! Worst food ever! I’m wondering how they are still open! I’ve seen decent Mexican taquerias go under, in this town, it doesn’t make sense how a horrible place can stay open as long as they have! I would take Tex-​mex off of the tittle! Cause it’s far from that! Granted it’s been a couple months since I was last there! Have yet to hear that it’s gotten any better, since the last time I was there! The food was cold, had to ask for refills multiple times, salsa was bland, no taste! I swear that the Spanish rice tasted like rice-​a-​roni, what my mom makes (she’s not Hispanic, is her excuse) I like rice a roni ‘the San Francisco treat’ @ moms house! But not from a place that claims to have Tex-​mex! I would highly suggest going to store & grabbing some frozen burritos or enchilada TV dinners before going here! I won’t be back til I hear that it’s dramatically changed!

We are surprised, even appalled, at the 5-​star reviews. We live in Salado and desperately wanted a decent Tex-​Mex restaurant. We’ve tried the Patio three times. Three strikes; you’re out. Two-​out-​of three trips the service was nice/​friendly. As for one negative trip wherein service was bad, well, in all fairness, we all have bad days. However, our one-​star rating is because of food, not service (that, and one-​star is the lowest rating; negative stars not allowed).
My wife and I are not the only ones who judge a Tex-​Mex restaurant by their salsa. The Salado Patio has homemade salsa, so there is no excuse (for instance, some restaurants will offer out-​of-​the-​jar salsa from, ‘gasp’ NEW YORK CITY!). If Salado Patio — or any of those 5-​star reviewers — think their salsa is good, then they do not know the basics of Tex-​Mex as compared to, say, internal Mexico cuisine.
Tex-​Mex is known for it’s spiciness/​goodness that makes it stand out as just that: Tex-​Mex.
When the homemade salsa can’t even pass the standard, well, it is all downhill from there.
Which leads to the food … no sense in riding a dead horse. Read: Three strikes; you’re out and horribly failed the salsa standard.
Too bad, Salado deserves better.

Awesome. Best ever tacos and salsa. Wish I lived closer. Will stop anytime I swing by. located about 3 minutes off the freeway in Salado.

Not authentic. The main dishes were ok. I had the breakfast quesadilla but the beans were from a can. Wife haf biscuits and gravy but the gravy was from the packets and the biscuits were rewarmed canned biscuits.

Great service and great food. Wait staff was very attentive and polite. The only thing is the refrained beans tasted like they were Wolf brand. Surprised by the lower ratings.

Started with queso dip. It was tasty. Not the best but definitely not the worst. I thought it was fine. Ordered a Marqarita on the rocks. i thought it might have been a little weak. They brought me out a little shot to make it right. I guess was the manager on duty that came out to explain that they make
batches with plenty. of tequila but since I was first to order maybe wasn’t stirred enough. Great customer service on her part. It was fine. I ordered the combo plate. 2 beef enchiladas and a crispy taco. The enchiladas were great. The Taco was great. I was stuffed. But yje waiter, not even okd enough to mske alcoholic drinks put thehed bug in my ear about yhe Chocolat Jalepeno pecan pie. I had to try it. Wiw, hog pecan pie, jalapeño, strawberries and whipped cream on side. This was delicious! Ok, this isn’t a 5 star restaurant, but doesn’t have 5 star prices either. It’s definitely no taco bell. It’s a good place to come sitdown, have a drink, and eat good food. You’re in Salado. A small town. If you you come in here looking for something to complain about, you’ll find it. But if you come in here expecting decent food. You’ll have no complaints. And, the staff is great. Eat here, you won’t be disappointed.

I was sort of surprised to see the negative reviews of this place. The food was fresh and tasty. The service was friendly. And the fresh pecan pralines were delicious. I would totally go back again. Everything was reasonably priced and for Salado I thought it was a great addition to a pretty limited restaurant scene. It was good for kids. Casual and friendly. I couldn’t have been happier.

The only Mexican restaurant in Salado, but it didn’t appear to be busy. We went on a Saturday afternoon at around 3. The owner/​hostess was VERY nice. She opened the door for us when we arrived and greeted us with a smiling hello. The interior is bright and colorful, and everything appeared to be clean, even the bathroom (always a good indication of what the kitchen might look like. It’s weird though that when you exit the ladies room you can actually see directly into part of the prep area, but again, it appeared to be clean, so it was somewhat reassuring.
We ordered chips and salsa, which they charge for if you don’t order food. We also ordered two large margaritas. Salsa was fresh and okay, margaritas were way too sweet. I ordered extra limes wedges so I could drown out some of that sweet, but when the high school boy brought them, the peels were brown in some places and it was clear the poor boy didn’t realize that wasn’t good. I sent them back and asked for fresh lime. The owner showed him how to slice them but she didn’t show him how to roll them first to get the juice flowing, so when they arrived they were so hard I could barely get any juice out of them at all. Luckily I got enough to rid my drink of all that sweetness.
We decided to order guacamole so we wouldn’t have to pay for the salsa. It was okay but not very flavorful. Could have used some salt and garlic. It seemed overly creamy too, like mayo or something had been added, so not my favorite.
We decided to order the grilled bacon shrimp with jalapeño. It was okay too, actually the best thing we ate, but the jalapeño was really just a sliver so you couldn’t even tell it was there. The grilling was nice though.
I suppose if I lived in Salado I would go back and try a real meal to give this place another chance, but they’ve been there long enough that I suspect the people who live in the area have already done that and decided that Belton might be a better bet for Mexican food.
The «chef» earned all of his experience in corporate American restaurants (TGIFriday’s, Bennigans, etc) so probably no experience with authentic Mexican (or even Tex Mex) food. It shows.
By the way, we really wanted to go to Alexander’s but they didn’t open til 5pm. Maybe we should have waited.

Not good.
Service was slow and inconsistent. We had to ask for chips and salsa 15 min after we sat down. And we kind or regretted asking for it. Chips were crumbs and the salsa was not good.
The enchiladas were borderline edible, with a grainy texture. The beans, my god the beans, were absolutely terrible. The beef fajita was actually ok, and the taco shell on the taco salad was pretty good.
Everything was overpriced a couple dollars a plate. $ 9.99 for two enchiladas and a crispy taco.
I understand it’s a mom and pop kind of place, but they need a manager with some experience and training skills to make it.
Don’t waste your time…

The waitress was friendly and the food was good. It is typical Tex-​Mex fare. It’s what we expected, and what we received, so no disappointment there. The chips were good and the salsa was fresh (and delicious!). I ate way too much, and that is a compliment to the restaurant.
We just moved to Salado and are trying all of the local establishments. We’ll probably be regulars at The Salado Patio.
I noticed another reviewer mentioned the lack of cushions in the booths… we noticed too. Of course it didn’t affect the food or service. But it would be a nice touch.
Overall, we’ll definitely be back. Stop by if you’re hungry.

Have you ever been at home and had refried beans from a can or a microwaved quesadilla? Then save your money and stay at home to eat.
The food was nasty and the waitress was indifferent about us being there at all.

We stopped at this place for lunch on a Saturday. The interior is brightly painted and cheery. No cushioning on the benches in the booths. There is some cushioning on the chairs at the tables. It has a typical texmex menu. We were told to seat ourselves anywhere as this time was not particularly busy for them. The waitress brought chips and salsa after we sat down. The salsa was very good, and the chips were fresh. I got the fish tacos with crispy corn tortillas, ginger mango habanero salsa, lettuce, avocado, and pico. It came with rice and my choice of beans. First of all, the mango salsa was much too sweet for me, and I couldn’t taste the ginger. Also, the taco was very wet so it made the tortilla soggy before I could take a bite. Service was good, but it was not a busy time. The restaurant did start to fill as we left. All in all, nothing impressive with this visit. I do plan on trying breakfast here.

Every time the door opened smoke from the patio would cone in. The queso tastes like it came out of a can. The salsa has an odd taste, as does the guacamole. Would not come back. Move the smokers. Only hong we liked was the appearance of the restaurant. Tortilla soup was good, but not worth the price.

We stopped here last weekend while visiting Salado. It’s a very colorful restaurant, which kind of picked up my mood. The waiter was very attentive. He brought chips and salsa right away and the salsa was great. We both had the fish tacos and they were yummy and just the right size, 2 on fresh homemade flour tortillas with a mango habanero sauce with rice and beans. I had the black beans and they were just delicious. I could have had a whole bowl of those alone.
Pretty quiet place with soft 80s 90s punk music so we both enjoyed that. Very enjoyable lunch!

This was pretty typical mexican food and environment. The prices are reasonable, although I wish the dishes were all served with beans and rice (mine only came with rice). The service was quick and friendly.
The queso was not the best I have had… rather bland. The chips tasted overly oily/​fried (it may have been that the oil was old). My chimichanga was good, though it, too, had the overly oily/​fried taste.
A nice little place, and there is not much Texmex selection otherwise in Salado, but I found it to be nothing too special.

My wife and I live in Salado and finally broke down and went to The Salado Patio. Worst excuse for a Mexican food restaurant. Only good thing was the salsa. Our $ 7.50 margaritas were made with some rot gut tequila. We were told it would be an extra $ 1 (per drink) to have more margarita mix added to help cut the taste and when I asked to have them remade I was informed the margaritas come pre made. The combination plate had no flavor and beans tasted like poor canned beans. With the response from our drink complaint there was no reason to complain about the food. We should have listened to comments from other Salado friends and drove a few extra miles. Zero thumbs up!

We have visited The Salado Patio twice and have been pleased both times. The service was prompt and extremely friendly. Chips and salsa were provided as we sat down. Menus were brought and our order was taken in a timely manner. The food was delicious and reasonably priced. My wife and I highly recommend it!

We drove up from Cedar Park area to visit the charming town of Salado. Our stop for lunch was at The Salado Patio for Mexican food.
After seating ourselves the waitress brought chips and salsa which tasted good. However it took about seven minutes to get our water and that was only after I asked for it:)
We also had to ask for menus. My wife ordered a margarita. Had to send it back because there was hardly any tequila in the drink.
Every time I would look at the waitress she would come running over which made her appear very nervous about how to serve customers.
We ordered quesadilla, chicken tortilla soup and a combination platter. The cup of soup was put in a huge bowl rather than a cup so it made it look like you were getting shorted. Not much chicken in the soup.
The combo platter was tasty however the actual amount of meat (chicken/​beef) was sparse.
We are both pretty easy to please but when you wait seven minutes to get your water and your margarita tastes like there is nothing in it you know it’s not going to be a good experience.
There were only 4 other tables being occupied too.
The owner/​chef prepared the food.
It would have been a nice touch to see he come out and mingle with the patrons and say «thanks for your business» but that did not happen.