El Patron Grill and Taco

Food is very good, but the service wasn’t very attentive and the food came out about 7 minutes apart from everyone at the table. Overall, the food was good.

Don’t let the outside of this restaurant scare you away…
Located in front of the rather run-​down La Quinta Inn on the Katy Freeway feeder road and painted garish yellow and red, El Patron looks like a place I normally wouldn’t try. But it was Saturday, we were hungry, we had a coupon, and I had read the reviews here before we went… so hubby and I gave it a try.
Very polite server let us sit anywhere we wanted, and brought out two salsas (red and green) and tortilla chips almost instantly. Salsas were both very good. I preferred the red, which had large chunks of onion in it.
Hubby and I both ordered a combo lunch plate consisting of a chile relleno, crispy beef taco and a cheese enchilada, along with the usual rice and beans. Substituting charro beans cost nothing, unlike most places.
The taco was good, if a little bland. The shell was thick and crunchy, nicely garnished with lettuce, very fresh tomato and cheese. The cheese enchilada was super cheesy and delicious, but the relleno was terrific. Lightly breaded, covered in a rich, chunky tomato sauce and cheese with a delicious beef filling. It was also HUGE. The side of rice was fine, but the charro beans were excellent. Lots of bits of ham in them and really nice flavor.
The lunch combo was only $ 7.99, so lunch for the two of us was just under $ 20 before my coupon. I can’t feed us at What-​A-​Burger for that price.
We didn’t try anything else but their menudo looked delicious and we are eager to go back for breakfast sometime soon.
Give El Patron a try. You’ll be glad you did.

Reasonably priced and very good. Both salsas (ranchero and verde) tasted like they were made fresh that day. Same for the guacamole) fresh avocados, tomatoes and limes). Even the refried beans and rice tasted like they were made right then. I had carne asada, perfectly cooked and tender. My daughter had the tacos and she said they were the best she’s had in months. We’ll definitely go back.

We went yesterday. I have to apologize to y’all. I have to remember to take pics before I eat. I am working on it, I promise. They have cleaned the restaurant up completely. However, it still has the Mexico feel of not being perfect. They serve you with 2 very homemade salsas. One green, but not the ranch based that you find in all of the tex mex places, very yummy and full of charred green chilis. The second is a tomato based sauce. Not very red, kinda rust colored. Very authentic, warm and different. The chips are thick, fresh, hot and crunchy. The place was full of Latinos. We were probably the only white folks in there. Yet another good sign! The owner, a former manager at La Finca came to visit and take our drink order. I was skeptical thinking we were going to experience the same bland food that La Finca serves. Not true at all! We ordered guacamole to start. A huge bowl for $ 4.99. OMG, it was so fresh and so yummy. Not made at our table, which I am not fond of anyway. It was full of fresh avocados, the freshest tomatoes ever, fresh jalapeños, onion and cilantro. We devoured it. I ordered a combo with a beef chili relleno, beef taco and a cheese enchilada. It was Sunday at 3:30. We were charged $ 7.99 for each of our meals. My meal was really good. I prefer my rellenos to be crunchy, this was not. However it was full of some of the best diced meat that I have ever eaten. It wasn’t fajita meat, not ground beef, but diced steak. Tender and so flavorful. It was also packed with slices of poblano pepper, my favorite. Plenty of cheese and ranchero sauce as well. The taco was full of the same flavorful meat. However the shell was a little stale. The cheese enchilada was delish. The interior cheese was the best. I would prefer a meat chili sauce on top. All in all it was a great meal. My daughter’s meal came with a chicken flauta, beef taco and chicken enchilada. She loved every bit of it. She prefers a little cup of queso to dip her flauta in. Next time we will ask for that. When we were leaving, the owner was very gracious. He wanted to know how we felt about every bit of our meal. He said please tell you friends! Well, I’m telling you. Go! It is delicious. It offers tex mex as well as true mex. Sopas, tortas, and breakfast. Please give this a try. We need to support small business owners. It is definitely worth it. He charged us lunch prices. What a great place!