Don Patron Bar & Grill

Not that bad of an option if you’re not the one paying…
While I wouldn’t come here on my own free will (file under: strictly for work lunches), sometimes you just gotta Tex-​Mex and Don Patron properly fills that void. Prices are horrible (especially for Fajitas — $ 14 for ¼ lb!!!) but inconsistently so, as the portions for certain dishes are huge. What I’ve found (small sample size alert) is that I’ve had much, much better experiences ordering the more «Mexican”-style dishes (Alambre, Pechugas Poblano) than the standard «Tex-​Mex» fare (fajitas, tacos, etc.). The Alambre was an especially pleasant surprise, as the beef was quite juicy and the portions and offerings I think were actually justifiable for the price.
Don Patron completes the trifecta of nuisances by charging for sharing plates, not allowing split checks, and being generally hard to get to. But there are really not too many great options downtown, so it wouldn’t hurt too much to make Don Patron part of your lunch rotation (especially if you are a cheese fiend and/​or prone to Tex-​Mex withdrawals).

Horrible! I never thought Mexican could be bad, I mean how hard is it to cook fajitas and guacamole.
It’s not even cheap to justify going. Even when work offers to take me and pay I still say NO! Do not waste your money here.

I’ve only ordered from the to-​go stand for lunch and breakfast. If you know what you want, you can get in and out in no time flat and would be able to sit down somewhere and start eating while the food is still hot/​crunchy. The food is very decent and the breakfast taco, esp. the Mexican Plate, is a great value.

The service was slow and inattentive, and the lunch menu prices were high! The food was too expensive for the quality, which is pretty bad Tex-​Mex. The place was packed during lunch, but I don’t see why. I paid nearly $ 20 for lunch, including tip, and I had a pretty basic enchilada dish. Honestly, I would never go back. There are too many great Tex-​Mex restaurants in Houston to go here!

My crew of four co-​workers downed four baskets of chips before our lunch order was ready. Eating quickly and requesting the check immediately upon food arrival allowed some of us to make it on-​time to 1pm meetings at a neighboring building. My fish tacos were not all that tasty, and costed $ 18.00 including a modest tip. Due to slow service, my co-​workers and I fetched extra chips and salsa ourselves. The ambiance is favorable with a step-​down tex-​mex lounge feel and surrounding tables filled with chatty downtown professionals. The restaurant is well hidden and much larger than you would expect upon entering.

I ate here once for lunch but dinner was totally empty. Food sucked too. No split checks. Never going back for dinner.

At 7 pm in Downtown Houston I would expect some atmosphere and a busy place to eat… This had neither. The music was bad 80’s musac… The place was empty (but clean) food was very over priced… Chips were cold and they had a very limited bar menu… Very disappointed in the recommendation from the Hyatt Regency Guest Services across the street…

I’ve been here several times. I believe they are pricey, but you are downtown too. The To-​Go menu offers most items on the menu at a cheaper costs. The re-​fried beans are really good. It’s okay.

Working downtown, there are not many sit-​down restaurant options. Don Patron happens to be one of the closest to my building, so I end up there with coworkers more often than I would like.
The Monday lunch special was ¼ lb fajitas for $ 16.99. How is that a deal? I was given two tortillas and nothing else that normally comes with fajitas. No pico, sour cream, guacamole. Just meat and some onions. When I asked the server if it came with any pico she looked at me as if I’d just asked her to do a walking handstand.
I only come here because it is convenient. I’m convinced that if Don Patron weren’t downtown with so many people captive, it would have been out of business long ago. Food is average and overpriced, service consistently bad, and no split checks – not good for a work lunch. Be careful walking in there too, because the floor often feels greasy and slick.

I am eating the fish tacos today! What great tacos! Last week I had the chicken soup which was absolutely the best chicken soup aka caldo I have had at a Mexican restaurant. I very very rarely will eat at a Mexican restaurant here in Houston because I can cook pretty good Mexican food and why spend money on something I can cook better. Every Mexican restaurant I have tried here in Houston serves horrible Mexican food! I send back every meal I order. Don Patron’s is by far the best I have had! I base my decision not only on the meal itself, but the Spanish rice and beans. Don Patron’s are excellent! By far the best Mexican restaurant here in Houston. I feel like I am eating at home!

This is some of the worst food I have had in Houston. It am blown away that this place is usually full. As they say, location, location, location.

Good Breakfast tacos

Horrible service. Lunch took over an hour for food to be served. Bland. Management was nowhere to be seen. Can’t wait for them to close and actually get a good restaurant.

I normally don’t write reviews unless the place is extremely good or not to my liking. I haven’t been here in a year or so although the place looks nice the food was bland and overpriced. I only went there because of my coworkers but promised myself I wouldn’t do that again. I am not sure how or why that place is still in business except for the people who like bland and cardboard. I would rather go to the tunnel and visit Pablano’s anytime verses coming here again.

Went on 8÷8÷14 …I ordered the 9 shrimp and got Spanish Rice with a Salad. It was all good! However… I didn’t have any condiments. Nor was I ever given a glass of water. Guess I should’ve asked. LOL! Let me be truthful… ok. If I am not cooking it or it doesn’t come from a food truck… I’m not too fond of Mexican Cuisine. There… I said it! Service was ok… but when it came to us paying for our bill… we had to split it evenly… I didn’t like that! Will not be returning. Not worth it. Sorry.

Not sure why this place has such bad reviews. It’s a decent Tex-​Mex place that’s walking distance to my work (which is a plus). Service is nice, but it usually takes for-​e-​ver which sucks.
The first time I went I got the El Jefe, which was basically chicken fajitas. I thought the flavor was good, although I wasn’t a fan of the tortillas. The second time I got the chicken avocado sandwich, which isn’t Mexican at all but it was really good — nice, sweet bun with plenty of guacamole and the chicken was nice and juicy. The fries were just alright.
It does get crowded during the lunch rush (around 12 – 1), so I’d recommend getting there before that.

this restaurant is overpriced, and serves cold and stale chips. food is very substandard. every time i get talked into going there with co-​workers,
i swear i won’t go back.

Great breakfast tacos. They’re pretty big and filling.
Other stuff on their menu? Not so much.
I came here for lunch with my team since it was right across from our office. A lot of us ordered the daily special, which happened to be the Gringo Plate that day. It’s basically 3 grilled shrimps and fajitas (beef or chicken). The entire thing came on a sizzling hot plate, including the rice and all the toppings for fajitas (pico, sour cream, guacamole). Can you already see a problem? The rice started to dry up and stick to the plate. Everything that was supposed to be cold was eventually warm. Fajitas itself didn’t taste that great to me and the shrimps were rough and rubbery.
Come here for the breakfast tacos, and not anything else.

I work in a nearby building downtown, so Don Patron’s has been apart of my lunch world for quite some time now. We usually order the catering fajitas for lunch meetings, and they are ALWAYS a big hit. I am honestly pretty picky when it comes to food, but their fajitas are good. The sides (rice, beans, guac, pico, etc) are always fresh and honestly there is rarely any food left at all.
Recently I had a lunch meeting that was super last minute in my department, and my boss asked me if somehow I could arrange lunch or something to be delivered within like 30 – 45 minutes. I called Don Patron’s and explained the situation. They had the fajitas (and all the stuff to go along with it) ready in like 25 minutes! They were a life saver. Very friendly about it too.
I dined in for the first time recently, and it was just ok. I got something besides fajitas (my bad I guess) and I just wasn’t impressed. They were super busy with a large party and the service wasn’t that great.
So: Great catering services, great fajitas, and amazing homemade tortillas.

3 stars for food (average)
1 star for service (terrible) I don’t need you to flirt with me, I need you to be a waiter — Thank you.