El Patron

Mediocre and overpriced food. I would not recommend this place even if you’re famished except for their drinks. And they add 18% gratuity on all orders knowing that people won’t tip cause their food sucks. Service was decent but what good is it when the food is bad. Btw, Unhygienic place as I saw a waiter use his hands for 5 minutes to prepare fresh guacamole right in front of me for another party. I’m calling NYC Health Dept. In addition, they gave me couple of menus with different prices. I ordered skirt steak and it was dry and inedible. I had better steak at a Street Vendor. Do yourself a favor and Avoid this ‘El dumpo’ at all costs!

In a borough where a good quality Mexican restaurant is not easily found, this one stands out as one of the better ones. Great tasting food and service just as good. I hear the margaritas and drinks are good so I will have to come back to see for myself.

My family and I took a chance on a Friday night dinner for my birthday. We didn’t have a reservation.
We arrived and used the valet parking which was so helpful with all the snow and ice. Upon entering the restaurant it was crowded. Every table was taken. The restaurant didn’t have a waiting area so we had to mill about close to some people who were dining. I wasn’t crazy about doing that but it was way to cold to wait outside.
After about 30 minutes we were seated. The menu is large and there is lots to choose from. The drinks were strong. We ordered the wings, calamari and the chicken flautas. All of those were very good. For entrees we had steak. It was ok. A little overcooked as we requested medium.
Overall it was a good experience and I would go back.

I picked up several different wing selection from El patron for tonight’s game and Leo and his staff outdid themselves. Extra chips and salsa, guacamole unexpected but did not go to waste. Wings, garlic /​parmesan, coconut, buffalo but the jalapeño wings were the favorite. Warning if your not used to jalapeño wings, be careful, hot and great!!!
El Patron is our go to place for dune in or take out, great food, perfect margaritas and fresh guacamole is the best! Thanks again Leo!

Would have given this 5 stars …
Arrived to pick up my take out and asked the bartender for some help. She went to the end of the bar where my food was and then walked away. She didn’t even come back and say anything.
Approached the other bartender and she was very nice and took care of my order.
Food was very good. Had the guac, fajitas and my husband had the burrito. Good portions and tasty.
Could not finish my meal as I was full.
Would come back and hopefully the service is a bit better

I came here for my mom’s birthday and I have to say im impressed. El Patron has great authentic food and a good staff. The place gets packed easily, but the wait is well worth it. I would call and make reservations in advance before making a the trip El Patron.

First off, I called twice to make a resy, and shockingly when I got there, was worried I’d have to reservations but turned out none of them made it to the book! My group and I arrived on time. Luckily there were just about three tables left to accommodate us. So not happy about that at the start.
We sat upstairs which is a different vibe from downstairs. The patrons downstairs were more for bar/​counter service and smaller groups. The people watching view from upstairs is cool, especially at the cozy corner table I got just right side of the stairs.
We arrived in time to have happy hour magaritas, $ 4.50. Good price! My group complained their drinks had little to no alcohol. So by the time it was round two, it was past happy hour pricing and still not enough alcohol. We mentioned it to the waitress but she just shrugged us off.
We ordered the guacamole app but was underwhelmed. It was good but we asked for medium heat. This had no heat. Also brought this to their attention but all they did was bring us chopped jalapeños on the side to add into it ourselves. What service! (Detect my sarcasm)
I would have only given this place two stars but the dinner entrees we ordered made up for these little annoyances. My group all enjoyed their food choices. I had the bandaja paisa. The grilled skirt steak was perfectly cooked and seasoned, I ordered it medium rare. It was soft and just the right amount of red. Delicious. My sausage that came with it was smoky and had a nice crisp sear. The fried pork was a tad fattier than I like but the texture was crisp and not burnt as other places char it a lot more. So I liked this one better. The plantains were sweet and soft. My entrée came with two fried eggs, avocado slices, and rice and beans. Way too much food. I have leftovers for tomorrow!
Overall, quite pleased with the kitchen, but as other reviews said, wait staff needs work and needs more people skills. The manager came over and said hi (my friend knows him) but didn’t do much else. But we also didn’t want to complain since at that time, none of our entrees came yet.
Note to Unilocalers, the free flan dessert when you check-​in, was too dense and not authentic. It also seemed old. I say this because my friend ordered his own flan and his was plated nicely, garnish, and tasted fresher. What a difference. But mine was free. So that is what it is.

Pretty much come here for the margaritas in patron bottles.
Why wouldn’t you want a drink in a patron bottle?!
Or am I just an alcoholic?
$ 18 for a giant margarita in a patron bottle, you can’t really go wrong.
You pay that for a watered down drink in the city.
The food is pretty good too.
They serve big portions, so you definitely will be needing a to go plate.
Highly recommend the house flavored wings.
They make your guacamole right is front of you old school style.
I’ve been here a handful of times & I haven’t been disappointed yet.
My only gripe is that El Patron is small.
You could knock over someone’s glass on the next table by just looking at it.
Because it’s small, it can take a while to get a table when it’s busy.
They have valet parking, but don’t waste your time or money.
Street parking isn’t terribly hard to find.
The valet is a mess!
After 7pm they charge 18% gratuity no matter how big your party is.
It’s not the fanciest of places, but it gets the job done.

The food & service at this place is AMAZING! They are known for their Specialty drinks of margaritas & different types of flavors either on the rocks or slushy inside a Patron bottle. The place overall since I’ve been there is great & the prices are decent. can’t go wrong with this place. Will recommend to anyone.

I ordered a mango margarita on the rocks, tasted like juice but the way this place charges i was scared to order a shot hahaha. I did order a glass of wine though.
The complimentary salsa & chips were ok. I mean i cant really complain because they were free but it was a little too watery for me but i guess to each its own, the flavor was good though so it wasn’t bad at all.
For my meal i ordered the bendeja paisa, everything was good except for the steak. It was reeeeeally cold & i could hardly cut it. I ordered it medium btw & it was basically pass well done. Then i sent it back and it came back rare, i didn’t mind too much but i ordered it medium so yea.
Also I personally don’t like when a restaurant says how much tip a person HAS to leave, i tip regardless but i tip at 15 percent unless it was impeccable service. But anyways 18% is taken out after 7pm so i had to deal with it. (By law you can refuse to pay the 18%) i didn’t refuse.

They have valet parking available; however there was tons of street parking as well. I went on a Saturday night at prime dinner time. When I walked in, the hostess asked if I had reservations. I did not but she was able to get us seated anyways. So make reservations if you can. It seems like reservations get to sit on the second floor.
It was a bit chilly in the restaurant when I went and I had to eat with my jacket on. It could have been that it was the first really chilly day of the season.
We shared a coconut mango frozen margarita in their Patron bottles. It was very delicious and although I didn’t taste the tequila at first, the drink definitely hit me later. Their food seems to be a Pio Pio meet typical Mexican restaurant, with meat platters as well as regular Mexican favorites.
We had one of their meat platters and I tried the combo of enchilada and tostada. The meat platter was better and the steak was delicious. I think the enchilada and tostada would have been better if it came with sour cream.

I just had my Halloween Dinner here! Good atmosphere, and three large TVs at the bar!
The main courses came in large portion! However the appetizer was kinda expensive, it was $ 10 for 4pcs of shrimps. the food was okay.
They gave free flan when u check-​in on Unilocal!
I like this place, definitely will come back to try more Mexican food!

Im already planning my next trip back. With drinks that taste that good who can stay away. I tried the mango/​coconut margarita and they definitely were not stingy with the alcohol! Great service and the waiter was very accomodating by giving me a table next to a wall outlet as I requested, excellent taco salad, and the ambiance is cool. Great place to grab drinks after work, hang out with a group, date night, or any day for that matter. So mad im just now discovering this restaurant and I only live about 15 minutes away.
Fyi: if you check in on Unilocal you get a free flan.

If I could give zero stars I would. I walked in here and the waitress barely understood my question I had to repeat it 3 times.
I seated myself with my two friends and we ordered 3 drinks. we only came here for the drinks which are enough money to be seated at a table. 15 minutes after sitting at a table we were kicked out of the table and told to the move to the bar because the tables are for being buying dinner. HALF THE RESTURANT IS EMPTY AND I HAVE A PICTURE OF THAT TOO. there are several empty tables and I’m paying for drinks and service, why shouldn’t I have a table? this is the waitresses mistake for letting us sit here and giving us menus.
I am disgusted with their service and will never recommend this place to anybody, the floor and bar is dirty also. I see mold on the on refrigerators, I don’t why I came here in the first. My next phone call will be to the better business bureau because this place has rats behind the bar.

I had an exceptional time con mi madre. As previously mentioned the host wasn’t rude but not incredibly nice either. He did his job without breaking a smile. That bothered me. I doubt I’ll ever understand why people apply for a customer service job knowing damn well they’re not friendly nor welcoming. Even a fake smile with an overbite would’ve sufficed.
We started off with the Crab Cakes appetizer. Babayyy, let me just tell you how unbelievably delicious it was. From the mango avocado sauce to the mixed green salad, each bite was better than the previous one. I’m salivating as I write this review.
We ordered margaritas (Watermelon and Peach). We were under the assumption that they indeed included Patron, but they don’t they just come in the bottle if requested. That’ll run you $ 17.50 for the large. They were slamming and gave us a nice buzz. Next time I’d order the Watermelon margarita because it tasted like a Jolly Rancher.
For my entrée I requested the Shrimp Chimichanga. It’s a $ 3 up charge if you choose Shrimp instead of the standard Steak or shredded Chicken. My entrée came with guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo, Mexican Rice and red beans. Oh and I asked for extra queso because I was advised that the chimichangas are not that cheesy.
To my surprise not one but three chimichangas were plated and served to me. Lawdddddd, God Bless the food that I received. The chimichangas were fantastic. Crunchy tortillas with a gooey flavorful inside. The Mexican rice was good as well. I’m not a fan of their beans.
Mommy had the Seafood Chiles Rellenos. Which is Mexican peppers stuffed with cheese, scallops, calamari, and shrimp over chile de arbol sauce. Also served with Mexican rice and black beans. She thoroughly enjoyed her food. I thought it was good just not something I’d order.

I saw all the reviews for this restaurant and was so tempted to go. So, this evening I finally went, and I didn’t see what all the hype was about. Let me tell you why…
Upon arriving at 5:50pm we were greeted immediately which was nice. The waiters didn’t greet you with smiles or anything which was disappointing. It wasn’t crowded at all; I was surprised. My friend and I had a choice to either sit on the lower level, but of course we opted to sit on the second level which was more intimate.
The place was clean, and so were the utensils. The restaurant has a bar-​like feel to it. They had a lot of TV’s broadcasting all sports. The tables and chairs were nice.
Our waiter didn’t seem to speak English very well. I must have been speaking too low. I don’t know, but she just wasn’t understanding my questions. I ordered the Passion Fruit Margarita and my friend got the Mango Coconut Margarita (which she recommended). The drinks came pretty fast. My drink wasn’t too strong, it was just right. BUT my friends drink, he said it tasted like juice. For $ 18, I would think that it would be crazy strong, but nope. He said it still tasted nice though.
We got a new waiter for some strange reason. She was much better.
For appetizers, I got the coconut shrimp, and he got the fried calamari. The coconut shrimp wasn’t all that good. I wasn’t impressed. The mango sauce it came with was tasty. The fried calamari was horrible. It was so chewy and tasted WAY too fishy for our liking. So not cool.
The entrée was the best part of this visit. I got the Salmon Acapulto?, and so did my friend. It was so good. The veggies were perfectly seasoned, the salmon was perfectly cooked. It came with a sweet sauce also which made it even better.
Overall, the restaurant is mediocre to me only because it was super hyped up to begin with I wouldn’t come back here. Thanks for the free Flan Unilocal

This place can get crowded, try before 7 if you could!
The bartender was attentive. I ordered a mojito ($ 10) while waiting for a table and it was a strong one served in a mason jar.
The food was okay. I’d recommend getting the steak platter for $ 17 if you do decide to eat here. I ordered the mango chicken (sounds good but literally 5 pieces of chicken) served with rice and some plantains for $ 15. I think the food here is overpriced for what its worth, and if you’re in Flushing there are other options.
Another warning: food takes forever to come out.
If you happen to be craving Mexican but you are stuck in Flushing, give this place a shot.
Service was friendly and attentive.

Gave this place a try again for lunch take out service and I had a much better experience. This time around I ordered two Tostones con pollo (one for me and a friend), and it was really ready in 20 minutes! Yess! *You all should know how much I hate waiting by now* I was so happy to be able to walk in, pay and walk out with my food within 2 minutes.
They gave me two pieces of fried plantain, which were huge by the way; the edges were crispy like chips and the center slightly chewy. They went perfect with the shredded chicken and guacamole that came with the meal. I paid around $ 7 and it was the perfect amount for lunch. Im looking forward to dining in.

One of my favorite spots to go to for a bandeja paisa! Their steak is much more juicy and flavorful than other Latin spots that I have been to.
Also I do recommend the mango or passion fruit patron, it is definitely worth the price and will get you feeling nice, no watered down drinks here!
The place is clean and has a lot of space to accommodate big groups.
I dropped a star because of the service. The first two times I went there I would say that the staff could be friendlier, it seemed like they didn’t want to talk, and the only time they came was when my water was empty.

This is a place that I have been wanting to come to but never got a chance until tonight. El Patron is everything I expected. Another ok Mexican restaurant with great drinks among a few other perks.
The hype surrounds the Patron bottle margaritas so you already know I couldn’t come here without getting one! Lol so I had the pineapple mango margarita and I think my head is still leaning to the side. Very yummy & strong as well! Worth the 18 $ :/​lol
Got the beef empanadas and I will pass on them when I come again. The Nachos machos was ehh– not bad but nothing to rave about. Their wings on the other hand were on point! Finger licking good especially with that mango barbecue sauce !!
Beware, they do tack on a not-​so deserving 18% gratuity; so pay attention. Don’t forget to get your free flan from the check-​in because I did :(