Absolutely amazing! This is one of the most authentic Mexican restaurants I've been to. The food is…read moreincredibly fresh, flavorful, and tastes like it's made from scratch. The portions are generous, the service is friendly, and the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. If you're looking for real, authentic Mexican food, this place is a must-try. I'll definitely be coming back!

Location 4/5 (thanks to road work currently) Atmosphere 5/5…read moreFood 5/5 Service 5/5 Delicious! Our favorite place to stop thanks to the delicious food & friendly faces!

I suppose I should have written this review a year ago, but after what happened this week, I knew I…read morehad to finally share it. The first time I visited this restaurant last year, I was immediately impressed. The salsa was fantastic, and the quality and freshness of the ingredients in the spinach and mushroom quesadilla and chili rellenos really stood out to me. I went home and talked about the food so much that I was determined to bring my then-fiancé here so he could experience it for himself. We got married two months ago and for his birthday this week, the timing finally worked out--and, of course, everything was just as delicious as I remembered. The food was wonderful, but what really stood out was the service. Our waitress was fantastic, and the other staff members continuously checked on us, chatted with us, and made us feel genuinely welcome. There is a warmth and friendliness to this restaurant that you can feel almost immediately. It feels less like you are simply eating at a restaurant and more like you are being welcomed into a community. Then, in the middle of dinner, I realized I couldn't find my wedding ring. Because apparently, I enjoy adding a little excitement to an otherwise perfectly pleasant birthday dinner. At first, I assumed I had left it at home or perhaps accidentally dropped it down the drain. It had been a little loose, so I was worried but figured there had to be a reasonable explanation. I still couldn't find it and even called the restaurant back to see if someone had found it. The next morning, however, I suddenly remembered exactly what had happened: I had dropped some salsa on my wedding ring during dinner. When I wiped it off with a napkin, the ring must have slipped off and gone into the napkins. At this point, I had one thought, "Oh no, I know exactly where my wedding ring is and what I'm going to have to do to find it." I called the restaurant, and they had already looked for it the night before. When I came in that morning, they let me search the restaurant myself. When I couldn't find it, I asked if I could look through the trash. I came prepared--with gloves, waterproof shoes, a mask, and extra trash bags--because I was fully prepared to dig through it myself. Basically, I looked like I was preparing for a very low-budget episode of Dirty Jobs: Wedding Edition. (If you're wondering where my husband is in all this, I'm super stubborn and left him while he was in the middle of getting ready to come with me because I didn't want him to dig through trash on his birthday.) But George, the owner, and his daughter, Hilda, absolutely insisted that George would look for it instead. So we went out to the dumpster, and George climbed in and began going through massive bags of trash filled with everyone's discarded food, napkins, and everything else from the night's dinner service. He went through one bag. Then another. Then a third. By the third bag, we were getting close to accepting that the ring was simply gone. And then we saw it. MY WEDDING RING! After three enormous bags of restaurant garbage, my tiny wedding band was sitting there like it had been on a bender and was finally ready to come home. I was obviously thrilled to have my ring back, but honestly, that isn't even the part of this story that means the most to me. What I am most excited about is being able to tell people about the kind of people who own and work at this restaurant. This is what genuine customer service looks like. More than that, it is genuine kindness. There aren't many people who would willingly climb into a dumpster and dig through three enormous bags of garbage for someone else's tiny wedding band, especially when there was no guarantee we would ever find it. George and Hilda didn't have to do that. They could have simply let me look through the trash myself and wished me luck. Instead, they went completely out of their way to help me. In a world where it can sometimes feel like the internet is determined to convince us that people are terrible, experiences like this remind me that there are still so many good people who will help someone simply because they can. So yes, I am grateful to have my wedding ring back. But I am even more grateful to have a story about a restaurant owner who was willing to climb into a dumpster to help a customer find hers. I am incredibly grateful to George, Hilda, and everyone at this restaurant--not just for helping me find my ring, but for reminding me what a welcoming, caring community can look like. That is the kind of place this is. The food is delicious. The service is wonderful. The atmosphere is warm and welcoming. And apparently, if you accidentally throw your wedding ring away with your napkin, they will literally help you retrieve it from the depths of the dumpster. I will absolutely continue coming here, and I will continue telling everyone I know to come here, too. I just may be a little more careful with my wedding ring next time.

The prices have gone up and the quality has gone down. Taco was stale and very little meat. Usually…read morethey are full. Hardly any cheese. The enchilada was ok. For the first time I did not feel we got our moneys worth.

Food arrived quickly. I especially liked the salsa bar. The guacamole salsa and grilled jalapeños…read morewere a nice addition to my chicken enchiladas.

Updating my review after I was served raw ground pork. The salsa avocado is still the best ever. I…read morequit going after my order of Chori Pollo had raw ground pork on top. Instead of cooking the chorizo they simply put a big scoop of raw sausage on top and expected it to cook under the broiler on top of the dish. I started eating it and after a couple bites realized it was raw underneath. I had to throw it out.

The tamales were absolutely AMAZING! Best tamales I've ever had. Honestly. And I come from a city…read morethat is heavily populated with Mexican food. Definitely would go back for these! Friendly workers, convenient location in the Lowe's parking lot. Quite a few customers there so you know it's gotta be good. But the food came out within about ten minutes. I also had the melon agua fresca and it was delish! Highly recommend Dina's Tacos!

By far, one of the best food trucks around! Service is amazing and the food is even better! We go…read moreto Lowe's lamps daily and see a line for the food, so while we were there on a Saturday morning, we decided to try it.

I don't think i have ever had a bad experience at a mexican restaurant. Situated in a strip mall,…read moreyou felt right at home. The margarita was good, kinda flat but enjoyable. My beef tacos were good, but lacked seasoning (had to add salsa to it. Service was good. Would i come back? Yes i would.

We made a pit spot on our way back home from Gatlinburg. It was lunch time and the place was…read morecrowded. They ask to sit at a any clean table. Service was great! And the food was delicious! From the chips and salsa, chicken tacos, and burritos mexicanos, everything was good! We were pleasantly surprised and satisfied! Highly recommend!

Food was terrible mine was just a runny mess. Was like eating soup. Hair in cheese dip. And it was…read moreso cold in the place you couldn't enjoy eating if it was good which it wasn't. I am so disappointed I don't even want to talk about it. Service was fine

I wasn't expecting to find such great Mexican food in North Carolina (we're visiting from New…read moreOrleans), but the food here was delicious. Our server was wonderful and made it a great dining experience for us. Wonderful margaritas and the food had great flavor. Highly recommend!

Back again each year and STILL HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!! Smaller group this time (only 6 made the trip)…read more It seems that typically after a couple of years a restaurant could start to cut back on portion sizes or quality of service and food... That is not at all the case here! Though it was crowded we were seated right away inside near the salsa bar... Probably will request the porch again next time. Our server was great, which is typical each time we have come! He kept our drinks full, it was always quick to refill our basket of chips or anything else we ask for. We started with a bowl of queso to share -- LARGE, and enough to take some home even after 6 of us ate from it -- and the table side guacamole. Let me tell you that I'm not a "guacamole guy", but I dug into this!! It was DELICIOUS, and will be the standard I compare all other guacs to now!!! My wife and I both ordered the steak fajitas, knowing they would be a large portions and that we could bring extra home to our cabin. She made it through about a third of hers, I made it through only half. Plenty to bring back, and we were given fresh tortillas to bring home as well. Delicious! My BIL got fajitas as well, SIL got the chimichangas, and one nephew got chicken tenders while the other got enchiladas. Everything was delicious and no complaints! Keep up the great service, delicious food, and large portion sizes at a decent price -- and we will keep coming back!

Enjoyed our 2nd visit here. My favorite is their sauce bar…read more This time I got something different - combo. Taco, tamale, and enchilada. This was much better than the salad I previously have gotten. The taco was delicious. I would definitely get tacos again. The tamale was good. The enchilada was tasty.

I have been coming to Sylva since 1970, and to be completely honest, I have never found a single…read morerestaurant here that I fell in love with or felt was worthy of a return visit--until now. Don't let the outside fool you; the exterior is deceiving and doesn't draw you in, but once you step inside, El Patron is absolutely amazing and incredibly clean. The food is the real star. I had the fried burrito, which was perfectly crisp and flavorful, smothered in cheese and mole and my husband ordered the Texas Steak. The chips were warm, fresh, and their incredible salsa bar is a massive bonus with so many great authentic flavors. I can't believe I haven't been here before today. After decades of searching for a go-to spot in town, we've finally found it. We will absolutely be back!

The food is always good here. It's a nice rustic, comfortable restaurant. I love that they have a…read moresalsa bar - they have a super hot habanero one and really good long hots with onions. I got a chicken burrito combo. It comes with rice and refried beans. Very good and reasonably priced at $10.75.

Update: Sadly, they closed permanently a few weeks ago, due to ongoing health issues. They will be…read moremissed. I have a dinner group that eats at various local restaurants on a monthly basis. El Pobre is one that is on our rotation because the food is consistently good, reasonably priced and the service is also good. It can't be easy to wait on a group of 12 to 15 boisterous ladies, but they take it in stride!

Good service. But $59 for 2 carne asadas yea crazy. They didn't hesitate to take the money very…read moreexpensive.

Only a brief wait for the eight of us. Called ahead and found out they could get us in…read more Staff was extremely attentive, and when it took a little longer than expected, they needlessly apologized. Once seated, we were promptly served and received our drinks. Great options in beverages and a couple of really good appetizers. Several main courses were tried, but I had the blackened grouper sandwich with a side of the amazing Parmesan rosemary potato wedges. Fried in beef tallow, they were life-changing. Others at the table, tried some of the bowls and no one at the dinner left hungry or disappointed. Portions were generous, and if you don't want something too large they do offer a little smaller sized serving at a discount. If you want a variety of options and some extremely good food at an extremely reasonable price, You Must try Fuego.

Stopped by here on our way do to SC. Excellent find because the food was amazing, and priced very…read morereasonably. Ordered the hot honey chicken tacos. Thought that it may not be enough food (since there were only 2) but they were huge and filling. Also I liked that it wasnt overly sweet like at other hot honey spots. The best were the wedges though. Easily the best wedges that I've ever had. They are cooked in tallow and they were so crispy and delicious. Even though all of the food was good, would come back just for the wedges. Service was friendly, and parking is available.