El Patron

This place is terribly overpriced mexican food. The quality of the food is ok, but it’s nothing special. Drink prices are what really lets me know why the place was so empty on a Thursday night. $ 8 well cocktails, and forget about ordering a margarita: the old sweet & sour, roses lime juice and way too much triple sec. I didn’t even have to order one to know they are terrible.
3 stars is only for the ok service and table side guacamole. I won’t be back. Had I not been with a friend I would have walked right out

Ate here this afternoon. Had maybe 7 tables occupied and two waitresses. Took our order fairly fast, but it took almost an hour for our food to come. We were seved with salsa and chips 4 times, water refilled too much to count before the food came. The waitress said the plates were hot and instead it was cold to the touch. Now comes the food. I ordered the pork belly torta. It was the saddest excuse for a torta I have ever had. The taste was missing from the torta, everything was extremely dry. The meat was soft like it was boiled just enough to serve. I felt like I was eating sand in the mojave desert. What a was to time and money. Better eating the donuts across the street.

The waitress was awesome. But I was very disappointed in the food. Mine and my boyfriend’s tacos were super dry… and no taste whatsoever. Pretty nasty food. I was surprised. I won’t be back.

All bad… waiter must have been working on her day off because she was horrible and the food was bland. My beer was room temperature and it felt like I was in a sauna. Taco Bell is right up the street. save your time and money. If you want really flavorful Mexican food with excellent service, eat at Salsa and Beer.

Came tonight for an early dinner and drinks. We were not greeted when waiting at the front for awhile. We had to peak in the bar and get someones attention. We decided to sit outside.
I had a margarita, and it was weak as hell! Our server was all right, but not like our last experience here. I decided to order something different. I had the carne asada enchiladas. The meat had no favor, and tasted old. I tasted more sour cream than anything. The bf had the chicken enchiladas, The food was not hot, but the plates were (so must have been in a warmer). Chips and been dip were good though. The first bean dip was not flavorful but the 2^nd round was spicy with jalapenos., The service was sow, and they were only a dozen people in the bar. We decided that for mediocre food, we will not be back. We loved our waitress last time, but for bland cold food, we will stick to Salsa and Beer.

My husband and I really enjoy coming here. We’ve always enjoyed the food, but noticed it greatly improved in the last year or so. I love the chicken tortilla soup, guacamole, the corn appetizer, and the best part of all — the tacos. They are always fresh and delicious. My husband loves their quesadillas. Plus we’ve also came here with friends a bunch of times. We love sitting on the patio every time we come here, and the service is great and consistent.

Can’t think of a time that I’ve ever had worse service! Not the staff– the OWNER! Horribly attitude, disrespectful and hostile. When I asked to speak to someone to assist with our lost reservation be refused to speak to us and was over heard telling the waitress «f@&k them, tell them to figure it out and sit someplace else». This was with in 2 minutes of arriving. We left and are more than happy to wait a few minutes at Sol y Luna where the food is spectacular and the service excellent. Adiós el patron!

The food is good
But the service is bad
One time they gave the wrong order to me and when I told to the waitress she gave an attitude

I’m a big fan of Mexican food kind of a prerequisite when you’re from Los Angeles and I really like El Patron good food, good service, seems to have a lot of happy regulars and that adds to the atmosphere.
If I had one critique I would say the menu needs to be larger but that’s not really a problem because all the staples are there.

I’ve driven by this place a couple times and noticed a nice crowd, but never had the time to drop in, until tonight. Friendly bartenders and great drinks. Shrimp taco was great but the Tilapia taco needs work. Margaritas hit the spot!!! I will revisit.

service was amazing! shoutout to our server Ismael; it was his first day working and he rocked it
Servings are really generous. the burrito mojado is huge (probably could be shared between two people) and the patron ceviche was really good.
(get the guacamole that’s prepared tableside! they give you a huge portion and ask for it spicy!)
Pookie like

Best vibe/​atmosphere restaurant I’ve been to in a while!!!
Amazing service! Our waitress Janette was amazing! She constantly checked up on us, always had a smile, and was very accommodating. The man who brought our drinks/​food suggested jalapeños which was sweet & was a good tip with our shrimp tacos!
I will definitely come back, everything we ordered was beyond our expectations!!!

This place is really good. I ordered the pomegranate margarita and it was strong to my taste, definitely squeeze the line into your drink because the alcohol overpowers the drink.
The food came out fresh and out, the enchiladas have a lot of flavor. It may not seemed like a big portion but I was only able to eat one of the enchiladas. You can add $ 3 extra for rice and refried beans. The chips and dip are complimentary! They gave salsa and refried beans as a choice of dips. Mind blowing! Most places would only give chips and salsa.
Lilly, the waiter that severed us was very attentive and welcoming with a big smile.

Tried the chicken and steak tacos this time and … excellent!!! Very well marinated steak and cooked well and tender — the BEST steak tacos in the valley!
Next time — tried the rellenos — VERY fresh tasting, mildly spiced! The bar tending here is consistent and it’s a «free pour» environment — you won’t experience a weak drink here! And btw the black beans are amazing — «Genesis» was my bartender this time and she ranks 5 STARS! Another solid four star experience over all!!!

One of the nicest Mexican restaurants in the San Fernando Valley. I love the fact they private lot with plenty of parking and street parking. The minute you walk you are greeted with hello and smile. As we where seated right away. Within in one minute we got a drink orders. After couple minutes we got are chips and salsa. Then waitress came over and took are order.
They have a great lunch menu special if you are coming here for lunch. Come here hungry. As the food portions are very large. I has the chicken burrito for lunch that outstanding. They have a great happy hour menu. The bar area is very nicely designed. If you are just coming here with friends or just to hang out you will love it.
They numerous great appetizers that are a must. I love the fact they have a very friendly vegetarian menu. Here are the items I highly recommend to try. For appetizers the Mexican pizza or the Calamari. If you are meat lover the steak fajitas are a must. The shrimp dishes are excellent.
The service is excellent from A to Z. No questions management takes care of busy. Hands down one the nicest Mexican restaurants in town. Every employee is super friendly and cares about their job.

El Patron is a nice casual Mexican Restaurant and Bar… The bar is crowded, the margaritas are flowing and the energy and vibe has raised a decibel along with the blood alcohol level of the inebriated patrons… The food is traditional mexican food and very average not great and not bad either. Just very ok nothing special. The chips and salsa were actually very good.
The prices are a bit on the high side but then again so are the portions. The service is eager and present yet not great nor polished but accommodating none the less.
El Patron is Mexican food done ok nothing exciting or special but fresh in a traditional environment. The bar along with the chips and salsa seem to be the draw here at El Patron if that’s your agenda great but you’ll probably want to eat elsewhere… This just isn’t my kinda place.

We had an excellent first experience at el patron. There is a bit of a wait and parking can be difficult on weekends (but they do have a parking lot in the back). The restaurant has a fun and lively atmosphere, and constantly (at least when we were there) had live mariachi music playing.
The food: chips, bean dip, and salsa were brought out almost immediately. A server brought out a new basket of chips when we were running low. We also ordered the table side guac, which is made to taste, and was delicious with the bean dip and salsa. As for entrees, we ordered several and shared.
Recommended:
–SURF & TURF QUESEDILLA: generous chunks of lobster and steak, very delicious and satisfying
–EL PATRON CEVIECHE: unique, but delicious. The pieces of shrimp, fish, etc are marinated in the tomato sauce, versus swimming In it like your standard ceviche
–ESQUITES: great as an app or side dish, very delicious, white corn with cotija and chili-​lime aioli
–SOPES: very good.
Good but not great:
–mexican pizza: tasty, but too sweet for me
The service: excellent from beginning to end.

I would have to say this place is pretty awesome. Came here for the first time with my family and friends to celebrate a birthday. Everyone else had been here before.
I ordered the burrito Mojado with guacamole which is $ 2 extra (they only give a spoon full). Comes with Mexican rice and beans and your choice of meat and sour cream and salsa on the side. Delicious. Portions are very big. Even the steak taco I got was huge.
The salsa is handmade and is great. I couldn’t stop eating it. We had no issues which our meals Except they forget chicken in our salad. The tortilla soup was excellent and very fresh. Had to try it. The bowl is a pretty good size. Prices are pretty fair. They had a band that plays at end table. A pretty big bar too. Place is a pretty big and there is a patio on the street.
Service was a bit slow but our waitress was awesome and super nice. Gets extremely busy here. Parking is not so great. The lot is very small. More people had to go across the street to gelsons to park. They had a few handicapped spots.

Nice spot in the valley, with outdoor seating to enjoy and watch your favorite sports game with several TV’s.
I was greeted as i entered and was seated in the bar area. I watched as the employees worked together to make sure all the guests where being taken care of. The young Gail that was working the area did a great job. She was the bartender and she did a great job. Great team work.
They have several lunch specials during the week, they run about $ 6.95 each, a great bargain.
Parking here can be an issue on a Friday night. This place gets very busy. For the most part good Mexican food and friendly service, Good Job.
2015 Unilocal Challenge.069/100

I have a few favorite Mexican food spots in the valley and this is probably 3^rd on my list. We usually come here when our other two spots are packed but it’s not about them, it’s about El Patron. This place is very cool! The wait isn’t usually that long but on the weekends the wait times can be a pain. The parking is probably the worst part of this place. Parking is hell on the weekends but I guess you can park across the street and run across Reseda.
As for the food and drinks, definitely an A+. The drinks are strong, the food is on point and the service is USUALLY great. Our last experience wasn’t that good because the food took forever to come out and our waitress seemed like she was kind of out of it from possibly a long shift. I’m not really knocking her for it, but I know I can’t show any signs of not being interested at my job for one second.
Anyway, I decided to go with the combo of one chicken enchilada, a fish taco and a chile relleno. We also got an order of the fresh guacamole they make at the side of your table. My fiancé got this drink that was extremely spicy but hella bomb! We also decided to go with the Oreo churros that came with the cream inside the Oreos as the dipping sauce. The women loved it but it was just a little too sweet for my liking.
Overall, El Patron is a solid restaurant and it is definitely top 3 out of the Mexican food joints I frequently visit.
OOOO
4 out of 5 Afros