Wow, went there on Father's Day today and was very disappointed. We ordered from the bar and was disappointed to find out the frozen drinks were not being served today. So, me and my wife ordered drinks on the rocks. The drinks were horrible. We didn't drink them at all. Wish i took pics. We ordered enchiladas and gueso. The gueso was served lukewarm at best. Had to ask them to to re-heat. I knew it was going downhill from there. We finally got our food and i was ready to dig in. But was so disappointed. I ate 1 enchilada and my wife took 1 bite and was done. Back in the day they use to serve corn or flour torts with meals. I asked for crackers and butter another traditional there. Crackers were stale and the butter was frozen. Waiter asked if we needed to go containers and we said no. I generally never waste food but it was that bad. Place has gone down hill. Also, we were 2nd couple in door when placed opened up. The floors looked dirty as well. Sad to say, but I used to eat here all the time, and now I won't be returning. I will miss this place.
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$50–100
Food: 1
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 2

Right, I’m just going to cut to the chase. Our server was inattentive, lacked mannerism, and was absolutely rude. We had to ask everyone else for refills and she chose not to bring us tortillas (even though it came with our meals) because she said “y’all have to tell us.” The entire time she had a bad attitude and it showed on her face when she just looked mad and as if we were inconveniencing her. As human beings, we understand that everyone has bad days, however, in the service industry you sometimes have to put on an act and take care of your customers right. And let me leave you with one last thing: the only time she chose to talk to us (besides asking for our order) was when she said “Ya’ll are so great, we have a big party coming in and we didn’t know where to seat them.” It was unbelievable, mean, and rude. -In case you were wondering, the food is mediocre. You could cook these dishes much better at home. -Host was nice but that’s it.
Food: 2
Service: 1
Atmosphere: 1

The food was unusually bad. Normally I’m one to trust 1000 reviews and a strong distribution of 4 and 5 star reviews but I felt betrayed this time. A pet peeve of mine is when entres don’t come out close to the same time. My plate was delivered and another 5 minutes went by before our other plate was delivered. I ordered a “taco” which is more of a tostada. Thinking it was going to be a taco I asked for a flour tortilla, but what I got was not very appetizing. It had liquified ground beef flooded with cheez wiz. The flour tortilla was saturated. My first bite the cheese poured out of my tortilla I folded into a taco and the beef cheese mix was unpleasant. My wife ordered the enchiladas and she couldn’t finish it either. We both left with the food not sitting well. The plates our food came on were also discolored and appeared dirty. I don’t like giving such a low rating but this truly was an unusually bad meal.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$10–20

Came on a Friday evening with my family and was serviced by a young lady. Although she tried to come off nice and sweet, she had an attitude and disappeared after taking our orders. We kept having to ask other staff members for our needs, including refills and forgotten ordered items. Also to mention, our server made an extremely rude comment when we were paying for our meals. She expressed excitement with a big smile and said it was “perfect” we were leaving right then so that they could seat another table. This made us feel very unwelcome and also unwilling to leave a tip. To management reading this: please correctly train your servers for customer service otherwise you will start losing business. Your pay depends on it. There is NO excuse for bad customer service!!! Also, the food is just meh…
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 2
Service: 1
Atmosphere: 3

Unfortunately, I was expecting a much better experience while visiting the city of Austin Texas I was invited to dinner at this popular location and although it was clean I felt very uncomfortable because it was too small & the facility was too old. The floors are uneven so you must be very careful walking & stepping up & down unexpected surface changes. The parking was too small, too close, and very limited. The restroom was so small & tight that even an average-sized person can barely turn around inside it. The food was not flavorful as well. But the hostess was nice.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 2
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 1
Recommended dishes
Chips and Salsa, Chile Con Queso Dip, Frozen Margarita
Parking space
Difficult to find parking
Parking
I dont think there are more than 10 parking spaces.

We stopped in here a while back and figured it was time for another visit this afternoon. Thank goodness we did because it was just what we were looking for! The hubbs and I enjoyed margaritas (well, rocks, salt), which were $6 each and excellent. We decided to try the "Crispy Tacos", which are served open faced, like a chalupa, on shells that are homemade daily. We opted for the Taco Supreme version - beef, lettuce, tomato, & guacamole. We got a full order of 3 at $11.50 and added cheese for 50 cents more. Following a basket of the best tortilla chips in Austin (the salsa was up there on the scale, too), we were both more than satisfied, and I only had one taco! Ceasar was our amazing bartender and floor manager and wonderful to chat with during our visit. Same as we said last time - we will be back!
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$10–20

Good service but the food was awful. There was very little seasoning on the chicken and beef fajitas, which both tasted like they were just saturated in lime juice. They were for some reason brought out in a skillet, when the food itself was cold. The peppers and onions accompanying the fajitas tasted raw. The chips tasted like and had the consistency of plain Doritos. And to top it all off, my girlfriend and I had to rush home shortly after paying due to stomach aches, which I have never gotten eating at a restaurant before. There are reviews on yelp of others experiencing the same feeling, leading me to believe any food from this place is a health hazard. It was my first and last time dining at this establishment.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$20–30

I was born and raised in Austin and recall El Patio from my younger years. The food and service were good. However, I have to say that they really need to work on their salsa - it was too watery. It needs some serious updating. Austin is known for its numerous, wonderful Tex-Mex restaurants along with their delicious Salsas. They say that one way to tell if a Tex-Mex restaurant is going to be good is if they have good chips and salsa. However, El Patio needs to step up their game and reconsider their salsa recipe. I simply do not remember the salsa being so inadequate :(
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 4
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 3
Recommended dishes
Enchilada Plate

This is not a Mexican Restaraunt it’s a Tex-Mex place the sign is decietful. We asked for Beef Tacos and they brought Beef tostadas all the food with the same tostadas this hard-thick shells. The chicken nachos I ordered were the same tostadas, except cut in half. The beans are not real beans they are out of a can. They only have the red Salsa similar to the Pace Sauce you would buy at a grocery store. I hated it very bad food. Never eating there again. The tables are so close to eachother I though the waiter was going to fall over us at the table.The pictures speak for themselves like food just thrown in old ass tostadas and canned beans . $52 plus tip down the drain. Never again.

I don’t usually like to post bad reviews, but this is really the worst food I’ve ever paid for, and it gave me food poisoning :( I was so surprised by how many five star reviews this place has! Totally unseasoned food; I got the number 1, the “queso” was basically just lukewarm velveeta, and everything had a weird artificial aftertaste. The “guacamole salad” is like a teaspoon of guacamole on top of a tiny pile of shredded lettuce. This is definitely not remotely authentic Mexican food and was remarkably bad :(
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 1
Service: 2
Atmosphere: 1

I've been coming here since was a kid. I make a special trip from Dallas to visit this Iconic Restaurant. A blessing to the community in Austin on the DRAG.
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$30–50
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Taco Plate, Jerry's Special Taco, Chalupa, Chips and Salsa, Cheese Dip, Cheese Enchiladas Rice and Refried Beans, David Special, Enchilada Plate, Guacamole Salad, Special Nachos, Chile Con Queso Dip, Rice and Beans, Nachos Half Order, Salad, Taco Queso Supreme, Chili, Chicken Fajitas, Tostada, Chile Con Carne, Enchiladas With

We are used to fajitas coming out on a skillet hit plate. So when fajitas come out on a lukewarm plate with fajitas are also the same and very chewy, it wasn't a good experience for MY friends to take to. It was very disappointing when I know of the same establishment in Houston and Port Lavaca who are better. Austin's establishment is on the low end of Mexican food I want to have there. Yall made me look real bad to my party/ entourage when we are used a better serving quality.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$30–50
Food: 1
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 4

It wasn’t the worst Tex Mex- but it was pretty bad. I got enchiladas. What the other reviews say about the cheese is spot on. Tastes like velveeta and it’s chewy. The rest of the meal was passable, it tasted like Mexican food you might find in a mall somewhere far from Mexico. This place is not bad because it’s “inauthentic” or “not how it should be made”- the food here was just lousy by any standards. The building itself was nice and I appreciated the decor. But I will never go back and I literally live next door.
Service
Dine in
Food: 2
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 3

I have been going here for 55 years. Today was the first time in a couple months. I had the beef enchiladas and beans. I ordered to go. Got home and eaten probably the worst enchiladas of my life. Paul would be turning over in his grave if he new the product leaving the restaurant. Both beans and enchiladas were runny. I will not spend my time driving from Elgin to attend El patio again. That's pitifully. Used to he the best around.
Service
Take out
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$30–50
Food: 2
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 3

We all decided we had not been here in 20 years and it was high time to come back. Nostalgia aside the food is still pretty good. Even better, in this age of food trends and corporate chains El Patio remains stable and local. Thankfully the menu was familiar. It reminded us all of Tex-Mex in the 70's. The portions are huge. Not pictured but recommended are the chicken enchiladas with guacamole on top. Drinks were powerful and the atmosphere just perfect. So glad we made it back and this time no waiting 20 years.

Worst Mexican food I've ever had!!! Our server was awesome, the food was gross. This isn't authentic Mexican food. I wouldn't even call this Tex Mex, Taco Bell tastes better than this restaurant. The enchiladas were just a pile of cheese, rice was dry and the beans looked old. Place is small and dirty. I don't recommend this place, and will not be coming back.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 1
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 1

We came into Austin for the day and had lunch here. Hands down best Mexican food I have had in Texas! Bruce was a terrific server so ask for him when you visit. He was super friendly and spot on with menu suggestions. Thanks Bruce. If we make it out to Austin again we will be sure to swing by. Your restaurant gm table from Florida.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5

We stopped by on a recent weekday evening to check out an old fav! Haven't been to El Patio since the COVID scamdemic. In short, it was REAL good. The gratis chips and salsa was a good as we remembered... spicy salsa and the chips are light and fluffy! The house margaritas were awesome. Entrees including the chicken fajitas and the El Patio #1. WOW! Deelish... we'll put this back on our "regular stop list" ... it was as good as ever!
Service
Dine in

I’ve discovered this place after doing an online search to find restaurants that serve or were noted for serving sherbet as part of their menu. After being seated, I asked to have sherbet brought out before the main meal. It was wonderful! The rest of the meal was just as good. Service was excellent and the place had a family atmosphere. There’s plenty of parking out front I am a Pisces recently seen driving along Guadalupe.

Coming from California the expectation of Mexican food in Texas is that it’ll be similar/the same. This isn’t really true it’s just a little different. It felt a little less tasty and less spicy than what I’m used to. That being said we ate here and had an enjoyable meal. The portions were huge, open-faced taco? (Isn’t that a tostada?)
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$10–20

They young girl at the front always seems to have a slight attitude and charged me for guacamole which normally comes with my order. I got the specialty nachos as normal and she told me guacamole doesn’t come with it which I always get the same thing and just got one two days before and it did.
Food: 4
Service: 1
Atmosphere: 2

I don’t like leaving bad reviews but I genuinely had to for this place to try to save anyone else from making the mistake of eating here… it was actually the worst food I’ve had in my life… it was like fake cheese from 7 eleven drizzled on dry meat…
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 1
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 1

Redemption. I've been a patron here for 45 years. Was disappointed in the food after ownership changed hands. Looks like they've worked out the food situation and everything is back to normal. Hole in the wall texmex at it's best.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5

The enchiladas were omg so good! Not so crazy about the open tacos. They looked like chalupas. Everything was was good.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Chips and Salsa, Enchiladas With

In my opinion El Patio has the best enchiladas in Austin, value and quality. You can certainly spend more on Tex Mex food in atx and not get the same result.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Dinner
Price per person
$10–20
Food: 5
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 4

The food, service, and drinks are AMAZING. So much food for a good price. Even the salsa (which I’m usually not a fan of because not much effort is put in at some places) was delicious and I could tell they actually put effort into making it. All around amazing.

The food was horrible, all of it. Enchiladas, beans, rice. This was the worst Mexican food I’ve ever had. I wouldn’t even call it Mexican food. The people were friendly and service was good.
Food: 1
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 4

Service was quick and super friendly! The chips were nice, thick and crispy. The salsa was decent and the margaritas we ordered were a little too syrupy for my liking but not terrible. Unfortunately, this is not authentic Mexican food like

Great service except the you kid who took our drink order. I have asked about what kind of wine they offered and he had know clue what the difference between red or white was much less the name of the wines. Other than that it was a great

I can't even tell you how much I love this place. One of the few authentic Mexican places in Austin. Most everything in Austin is all Tex-Mex which is fine if you're into Tex-Mex but I'm more into authentic Mexican so yay for finding this

Not authentic Mexican food, the sides could use more of a cook time as well. Limited parking around the place. Our waitress was sweet, however the owner was unaccommodating. I don’t recommend.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch

I had a very delicious lunch at my first time eating here, despite the reviews. I didn't have to wait long for my food, and when it did everything was fresh and hot. The rice and beans were season, the meat in my taco was moist and also

The Go To place for authentic TexMex, a true Austin original. I feel connected to my roots with all the pictures on the walls of UT greats who have ever eaten here. The food is always hot & taste excellent. 5 stars More

This was as good as it's always been. The friendly waiters made eating there a great experience. When a place reopens especially during this covid time you aren't certain what to expect. No disappointments here.

Service was great! They were so friendly and welcoming! The food was ok nothing special in my opinion
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Lunch
Food: 3
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5

Great family-friendly place! I spent Saturday's after church with my grandparents eating wonderful enchiladas. Great Memories and wonderful caring people work hard to ensure a quality experience.

Family owned over 60 years. Kids run it now. They added a frozen margarita machine and they are the best I've had. You can taste the tequila unlike most. Food is fantastic too.

Two members of my family got an upset stomach after eating there. Had cheese enchiladas. And rice was hard as a rock. Sorry. True story. More

Great place for a well deserved date night . Quiet, good food, and great staff
Food: 5…
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Best enchiladas is Austin hands down. Great value and tasty margs!!!!
Food: 5…
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