El Patio

Doesn't Recommend

vidouria

Joined 5 years ago

El Patio. I visited the EL PATIO and i use to like it there but not it sucks cause the waiter came and ask if we wanted candy and did not even say that there was a charge for it ,., i know in the past there was not a charge if that is the way they do bussness i want to part if there food.. they should have say did your want candy and said there if a charge for it.

Recommends

planetphat3000

Joined 4 years ago

I love it. I visited El Patio on a whim. I love little hole in the wall restaurants because that's usually where the food is really good. El Patio didn't disappoint.

After walking around the drag for awhile, I went in about 2 p.m. I was hungry and I pigged out. I had a half order of beef and been nachos to start with. I was impressed by the fact that the ground taco beef was not greasy--a big plus for me. The chips for the nachos were freshly fried corn tortillas...not a stale store bought or restaurant supply chip. Another plus--real cheddar cheese on the nachos and not queso. I also ordered the David plate which had two tacos, two cheese enchiladas, rice and beans. Looking back, I would have not ordered the if I had known how much food was on the David plate. The tacos were flat shelled and covered with beef, lettuce/tomato and chili con queso. They were huge!!!

The enchiladas were full of cheese and covered with a delightful gravy. The rice was a bit dry.

The service was great! I never had an empty glass of tea or an empty bowl of hot sauce and chips.

The hot sauce was okay...not the greatest, but it was tasty and spicy.

This is old school Tex-Mex...that's what I like. I like some of the new stuff, but I'll take old school Tex Mex any day of the week. I can't wait to get back to Austin to go back.

Recommends

littlecupcake

Joined 4 years ago

The best Tex-Mex in Austin!. My husband and I absolutely adore El Patio! I am native to Austin and think El Patio represents a local restaurant at its finest: family owned, cozy retro atmosphere & home-style food. The food is completely Tex-Mex. Gooey, yellow American cheese & thin red salsa. Our favorite dish is the cheese enchiladas w/ onions. Thank you Joseph family for keeping Austin traditionally weird & well fed!!!

Recommends

pigeonholetom

Joined 4 years ago

Standard Tex Mex. El Patio has no patio, but is located on the drag, which is nice. It's standard TexMex. Nothing fancy or over the top, but not too bad.

Recommends

austintexmexfan

Joined 5 years ago

El Patio offers tasty & fairly-priced TexMex fare. El Patio offers very tasty, fairly-priced TexMex Food, and very attentive service. And they've done it since 1954. Despite the occasional misguided comments by a few one-time customers who expected the wrong sort of dining experience, El Patio is a pleasant place to enjoy good TexMex for a reasonable price. There are many good reasons why the Joseph family has been filling-up the tables at El Patio for over 50 years! You just can't argue with such long-time success.

Recommends

johna221363

Joined 5 years ago

Best Mexican Food Anywhere. This is our family's standard by which every Mexican Food Restaurant is rated. None have surpassed it yet. I always go for the beef enchiladas.

Recommends

eloon

Joined 5 years ago

Mediocre food, average service, and not cheap enough. After a bunch of 5 star reviews and some 1 star review, we decided to try out El Patio. I have to say the food isn't the worst I've ever had, but I probably wouldn't go back very often.

I'm pretty sure the chicken in my chicken enchilada was canned chicken which is pretty weak. Sadly, the chicken enchilada was better than the cheese. I'm pretty sure they used all velveeta cheese which is just so strong. Their chili con carne didn't have much carne and wasn't very chili like either.

The queso was good, and I liked the homemade chips (my finace did not).

If people think that this place is REAL tex-mex then I'm sad for them. I've eaten mexican food in a lot of places and I would rank El Patio in the bottom tier. It would be the best mexican food in OKCity (I spent a summer up there) but I've eaten food this good in Kermit, TX (middle of nowhere past Midland).

Lastly, I was disappointed that our bill was $24 for one kids plate (she eats lightly), my entree (2 enchiladas with rice and beans), one frozen marg, one soda, and a small queso. If it had been $18 for the same meal I'd be much more inclined to go back more often.

Recommends

ajh13

Joined 5 years ago

Family owned and operated - a place you can trust. I really love this place, although I understand it is not for everyone. I can't figure out why there is such a divide between people who LOVE this place and people who absolutely hate it.

Doesn't Recommend

guliver

Joined 6 years ago

Pa-tooey!. Just dined (if you call it that) at El Patio for lunch. It was my first time there, and I assure you, my last. Not only was the food overpriced, but it was bland and unappetizing. Add to that the unfriendly wait staff and slow service, and one has the primary reasons for not going back.

Recommends

backroads101

Joined 8 years ago

Great TEX MEX!!. El Patio that they has a great business! I hope they don't pay attention to the negative reviews on this site. My family has been eating here sinece we were all in college in the 70's. Not much has changed and that is why we eat here 2 times a week. It is REAL TEXMEX. A lot of people won't understand it. If you are a foreigner (not from Texas) you won't understand, go to Curra's or Guerro's. There are a lot of different styles of Mexican food in Austin and not all styles are for everyone. I hope El Patio is around for another 50 years. It is simple, inexpensive and as good as great TEXMEX gets.