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.

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.

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.

There are a lot of good Mexican restaurants in this area but this one is different. It's like they…read morecare more about their food. I had the pork burrito, the Burrito Calentano. (I heard they are kinda known for the pork). It was very good! The pork is fried but it's still moist, which adds a special crunch. The burrito was 2 meals so that tells you how big it was. The wait staff are very attentive and friendly and brought drink refills without asking, a nice thing. I liked it because it was quiet. The booths have high backs on them so you don't hear the tables around you. It's a very good restaurant and we will be back.

The real deal! Amazing food. Who would have thought in this little town…read more As good or better than most of the places in California.

Delicious food, and it was wonderful to enjoy it on the porch with the sound of the river in the…read morebackground. My parents and I shared the queso - delicious, albeit a little thin, and I had the enchiladas verdes which was spectacular, especially with their chips. Friendly servers, and I look forward to eating here again!! 100 health score rating too... always a plus!

Although the restaurant was extremely busy, we were seated within a few minutes. The salsa is…read moreextremely good with a bit of heat very good flavor. The chips tasted old, but they were still good. I had the chimichanga and it was probably the best I have had in a long time. I wish that they served the bottle Coca-Cola from Mexico. It has a whole different taste than the fountain drinks.

Stopped in for lunch while on vacation. Food was great. I had a special that had grilled chicken…read moreand shrimp. Hubs had beef fajitas. Both meals were delicious. Service was great. Loved the salsa!!!

I am so glad i accidentally stumbled upon this place on my way to gatlinburg! The margarita i had…read morewas so delicious and strong! The carne asada tacos with the fresh made tortilla were some of the BEST tacos I've in so long! Whenever I'm up here again you best believe i will be swinging by here again !

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!

In Cherokee for vacation AGAIN! Absolutely love NC. Had to come to our favorite place. This time I…read moregot the taco salad with beef tips. OMG - seasoned perfectly. I love the service, the staff and the food. Best place in Cherokee.

Amazing prices and excellent quality in their service and food. Atmosphere is casual and relaxing,…read morevery clean and adequate.