El Patio Mexican Grill feels like home. It quickly becomes a family favorite, and for my family, it's been one for over a decade. Their home-style Mexican food hits every time, and the portion sizes are beyond generous. I always walk out with leftovers that make for a second full meal, not that I'm complaining. My go-to is the shrimp fajitas, though the chile verde burrito always hits the spot too. Comfort food at its finest. The whole staff is always friendly. Oscar, our favorite waiter, greets us with a warm smile and usually a hug. He's shared stories about his family and Mexico City with us so often we feel like we've already been. At this point, I think he's officially convinced us it needs to be our next vacation. [[HIGHLIGHT]]After a long day, this place is our pick-me-up. Amazing food, great company, and a sense of community that's hard to beat.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]Unassuming location, old-school vibe--love that.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Big menu, good food, fair prices, and decent portions. Solid spot if you're into hidden gems. read more

El Patio Mexican Grill - Mexican Near Me - Bakersfield, California

I was in town on a quick business trip and I stopped to see Javier who I know very well. As soon as I walked in, he had had everything set up for me. The food is always great. He made something that isn't on the menu I hope soon he decides to get the Jose Cuervo margarita mix as the commercial mix is too sweet. Oh and thank you for taking care of my father on his bday Javier. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Unfortunately, while sitting at the bar there were four individuals who were cracking jokes about their Husky dogs not liking non-white people... followed by his girlfriend expressing complete discuss for Ethiopian food.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] She proceeded to say that it was mushy and nasty. Followed by her friend referencing $100 hot dog. [[HIGHLIGHT]]I don't understand why people must talk so loud or speak inappropriately.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Sometimes I believe it it's just people liking to be heard by others or they simply like to hear themselves talk.. read more

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]When you walk in immediately it feels like you're traveling back in time in Mexico.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I had the chimichanga shredded beef burrito was delicious. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The music is at a reasonable level so you can enjoy conversation without shouting.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Friendly staff. I don't even live close by but I'd made the drive here anytime I take my wife out for date night. read more

The food here is very authentic! The portion sizes are very generous. This is a tasty place to eat Mexican food! [[HIGHLIGHT]]Love the atmosphere.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]It can tend to get super packed, so I wouldn't go on a Friday night.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I am looking forward to going again and trying something new! read more

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Great service and solid food. Been our spot for 12 years. Nice and friendly. Recommend to everyone.

Came in right after they opened and was told just to grab a seat. Sat for what felt like forever. Staff was back and forth from the kitchen to the bar. We got chips and salsa and then ignored for a while. There was one other table and a few guys in the bar. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The place is musty and service is so painfully slow.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I was about to leave when the waiter finally came back. We went ahead and just ordered drinks to see how that went. Servers changed and so did the attitude. The next server was happy and energetic, and totally changed the mood. Overall, drinks are fine, just maybe skip the food. read more

This is a hidden place, but I wouldn't call it a hidden gem. Typical Mexican food, nothing special about my visit to report. Doors literally didn't open to 4:30 PM. There was no hostess, so that made the wait for a table and our order longer. Our waiter was kind, but he was non-stop with all the customers who came one after another and the tables, poor guy, so we didn't get to create any bond with him. The food was good, not great. Margarita was good, not great. read more

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Absolutely incredible experience at El Patio on Stockdale Highway! From the moment we walked in, the service was top-tier. Oscar made us feel right at home with his friendly and attentive service. He was knowledgeable, welcoming, and made sure everything was perfect from start to finish. Now let's talk food. The portion sizes are seriously generous! You get more than your money's worth, and everything is packed with flavor. The Chile Verde was hands down the star of the show tender, flavorful, and perfectly seasoned. It's easily one of the best I've had in Bakersfield. If you're looking for great food, amazing service, and a place that knows how to deliver on both, El Patio is it. Ask for Oscar you'll be glad you did! read more

I've been coming here for over 20 years. We know the wait staff by name and my sons now take their friends there as adults. Went there last night with the family and the service was quick, friendly and professional. The food is excellent, best Al Pastor anywhere in Bakersfield. They now have more local competition than in past years but the food is by far second to none and the prices fair. read more

We were in here tonight, a Friday. The food was inly remarkable in that it was below average for Bakersfield. We had the Vallarta Fajitas and the scallops were overcooked, they become rubbery after being cooked too long. The shrimp- same same tough and chewy. Also ordered was the Carne Asada, waiter asked how wanted cooked medium rare was requested. A very tough cut of meat was bought to the table close too well done, no pink showing. Also this tough cut had at least 4 ounces of gristle and fat that is inedible. The cheese enchilada with this dish was good. Chips and salsa were below average as well, the chips were cold and a bit tough and the salsa did not work too good for us either. Service was probably close to average for the venue, it did take a long time to order, and then about 25 to 30 minutes to get food to table. A table of people who came in five minutes after us were served food first. A refill was offered for a drink, then requests to provide too go box went ignored. Also had to ask someone else if we could get our bill. When we went to the front to pay, waiting again. Waiting is the central theme of our visit here. This place is one and done with us, no reason to come back, our city is awash in a sea of good Mexican food, unfortunately we did not find it here. Much better places to spend our time and money. EDIT 10/18/25 Claudia replied to my review as if I made up the facts of the review. She may or may not know that Yelp is here for people to describe the interactions and experiences in the business community. The service was slow, the chips were cold, the scallops and shrimp were tough, (I do not concern myself with the others ordering the vallarta fajita) I only review our order. The asada was cooked too long and had a quarter pound of waste. we did get one refill for one drink and asked for a box that did not come. We asked another employee for boxes and when he brought the box we asked also for our bill. The place was not busy as we were paying and leaving. These are the facts about our visit. The rating of two stars-could've been better describes our visit. read more

Have been going here for many years. Even closed out the place. Great food, great service.

We found this place on Yelp, it was the closest most interesting place to eat by our Airbnb at the time. Plus we didn't want to go too far cause it was raining a lot that night. I believe we came close to closing time because it was dark and quiet and only a couple people in there eating. I ordered a beef chimichanga burrito to go. The sour cream, pico and guacamole made the burrito -chef's kiss-extra muy delicioso. And I just love the deep fried tortilla taste of chimichangas. It was so big too, I ate half and ate the other half for breakfast. read more

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Does not open on time, ways out front 5 min prior to opening. Check door at opening time and 5 min after door remained locked. As I walk away staff unlocked door but did not invite us in. read more

You ever have that one restaurant you went to years ago but couldn't remember why you never went back? This was that for me, we stood around for close to 5 minutes before we were greeted. At which point one server said let me check to see if we have any clean tables. I could clearly see that there were only three tables with customers and they all looked ready to go. Then the server came back up front with another server and they debated over who was supposed to get us before we finally got seated. I will say the server we had was good at making sure we had what we needed but lacked any semblance of a personality. The inside of the place has the walls painted to resemble what looks like patio walls that you would find in Mexico and the upper portion of them and the ceiling are painted to look like a partially cloudy sky. Kind of a cool look. Now onto the food, mediocrity at best. I ordered the Chile Verde Burrito and my wife had the Molcajete. The burrito was almost entirely cheese both on the inside as well as the outside, the meat had the color and texture of a pork chop, the verde sauce was ok but the only spice it had was from pepper and I'm not talking jalapeños. I mean like salt & pepper kind of pepper. The refried beans were watery and only the cheese on top and the burrito at the side were holding them in place on the plate. The Molcajete came out boiling and steaming which is what you expect but lacked flavor. The chicken and chorizo were overcooked and dry despite being in a cauldron of boiling juice. The asada was a low grade of meat that had a lot of gristle and where there was just meat again was overcooked and rubbery. I give it two stars only because of the decor and the servers attentiveness once we actually got seated. read more

El Patio Mexican Grill - Chile Verde Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Bakersfield, California

I'm from out of town and visited your restaurant with relatives who highly recommended it. Very disappointing, ordered chili verde and the meat was cold with lukewarm warm sauce. Pointed this out to the manager who was not the least bit concerned. Food was taken and reheated but was still cold in the center. No apology. My relatives were very embarrassed. You lost long time customers, they will never return! read more

The food was absolutely delicious! I had the shrimp fajitas and enjoyed every bite! The only thing is the service got a little slow during the end of our dinner but they were very busy. read more

We have been going here for years because it has some of the best Mexican food in town. High quality food and great service.

I've been coming to this spot since I was a little kid. The employees are friendly, and the food is great. Their salsa is the best in town, I could eat it all day. Overall a solid spot for great food at a good price. read more

Delicious, plentiful dishes. The staff treat us like family. [[HIGHLIGHT]]We have a ball in the bar.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]]

Some friends and I went to a local Mexican restaurant last week, El Patio on Stockdale/Allen. There were 5 of us and we were celebrating a birthday. I have been to this restaurant 7-8 times and have had similiar incidents on the last three occassions. One friend has been going to this place for several years. The food is generally pretty good. So, we all ordered drinks, dinner and I brought a cake, which the restaurant put into their frig until after dinner. When we ordered we ask that we be given separate checks. We had been there over an hour and had just finished eating and they brought the cake out. We cut the cake, chatted and at least one in our party ordered a second drink. We noticed the hostess standing at the end of our table just staring at us 2-3 times. We soon realized she was trying to get us to leave. She needed our table. After her second "visit", she brings over the plasic container the cake came in and literally tossed it on the table as I'm reaching for it. It was obvious she wanted us to leave! The waiter, who has been very rude the last couple of visits, brings our tab. It's all on one tab, but he has assigned us each a letter and put our total next to it. A B C D E. Since he has done this in the past and mixed the cards up, we told him we were only going to give him two cards to run at a time. He argued with us about this but we told him we would just have to run them separately. He DID NOT like this at all, but he has no idea who's card is A B C.....!! It turned into such a mess the time before and there were only two of us. This made him really mad and he let us know. He grabbed my drink glass, a couple of plates...making it very clear he was irritated with us. He ran the two cards, the hostess is mad dogging us, making it VERY obvious they want our table. When the waiter brought back the first two cards he said, "you others will need to pay at the front, you need to leave we need your table"! Now we have just spent probably close to $150.00 in this place and they are telling us we need to leave. I turned to the waiter and told him that I thought what he said was extrememly rude and that he had been very rude to us through most of the meal. He said, "yeah ok" and walked off. One of the gals got up and went to the owner to tell him how rudely and badly we had been treated and that she wanted to see what she was paying for not just her total. Well, the waiter snatched the bill off the table, brought it back a couple minutes later, EXACTLY the same. I really don't think I have ever been treated so rudely at a restaurant before....especially by several members of the staff. The hostess is very very rude! read more

I order their tostada with rice & beans instead of meat.. And it's delicious & huge.. one of my favorites.. The guys are very nice here too read more

The menu has so many items, some items are great, others are just so-so. The drinks are fantastic and the service is really great, so this makes up for what the food lacks. I recommend the Queso Dip and a house margarita, pair with friends and family for a casual evening out. read more

Super slow service. It took 20 minutes to get a drink order, chips and salsa after sitting. BUT the food tasted good as always. I'll assume it was just an off day for the staff. But we were starving by the time the chips arrived. read more

Great cozy bar. Very inviting ambiance. Bartender gets to know you right away. The food is good, typical Mexican fare. Tacos in the bar area are decent. read more

My coworker recommended El Patio for their chile verde and their rice. Had to go. Convinced a friend to join me in trying a new spot. I had read the Yelp reviews and was ready for the heat of the Chile verde and pushy staff...lol. We arrived. No waiting. Got a table and our drink order in immediately. Chips and salsa came a few minutes later. Spicy salsa with a little mouth burn. I liked that. I ordered the Chile verde burrito, my friend ordered the Chile verde chimichanga. When I placed my order, our server checked to see if I was up for spicy. Lol. Food arrived. Large portions. My friend was checking out my rice. Jasmine rice. Not your usual red, Mexican rice. He tried it. Liked it. Refried beans were good, too. I dug into that burrito. Oh my! So flavorful. Not as hot as I'd expected, but good. Service was good. They rush to take orders and bring food. They bring the bill quickly, too. I had read that they shoo people out to get more customers in. I refused to be rushed and we had a comfortable dinner. We left when we were ready and there was no one waiting to be seated. read more

El Patio Mexican Grill - Chile verde burrito - Mexican Near Me - Bakersfield, California

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Everything at El Patio's is wonderful Including food, service, ambience, the most friendly servers I've ever seen

Let's be honest. Bakersfield isn't known for having quality Mexican food. With that said, this place is a true gem in town! If you have not tried this place out, you definitely need to! What we ordered... Shrimp in garlic sauce - Damn good!! If a restaurant has this on their menu, I am ordering it. What's not to love? Garlic, butter, and shrimp?! Can it get any better? Oh, and don't forget their Spanish rice. Sooo good!! Chipotle Shrimp and Fish special - This isn't on their menu, but it was on a sign at the entrance with specials. Chipotle sautéed shrimp on top of a white fish. This dish seriously stole my stomach heart. I love anything chipotle flavored and this dish DELIVERED! It had a good balance of a mild spice. My other half, and myself, could not stop raving to each other on how this dish was so delicate, yet strong with flavor. This place now has a permanent place in my foodie heart! Check out their margaritas as well! read more

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TLDR: good food, good drinks, bang for your buck, go on happy hours to save on margaritas. So about this place! A little gem hidden in a small place of Bakersfield! When I think of hole in the wall, a local eatery, this place is it! The atmosphere is quiet but there's definitely a set mood!(in a good way) their mango margarita with the Tajín rim was delicious! All of their dishes are so flavorful and the portions are massive! Don't over order! Or do! So you can have delicious leftovers! I thoroughly enjoyed their chicken tortilla soup(can serve 3) I've never had so much juicy chicken before in this type of soup! I didn't touch the fajitas plate my pops ordered because he demolished it(although the shrimp I snuck was tasty!) My ma ordered the fish tacos and said they were really good, I'll take her word for it because I don't like fish. Now let's talk about my carnitas burrito. In my personal opinion, it's hard to find a good carnitas anything because alot of places (I've been to) it tends to be kinda dry to super dry. Not the case here! The pork was still super juicy and pulled apart perfectly! I've never been so happy eating carnitas. I'm general alllll their meats were cooked really well and nothing was dry! The booze was great!(as stated earlier) go on happy hours! Wish I took the pictures but I believe it was 4-8 or something from sundays-thursdays or Wednesday, don't quote me on that. The server was also very kind and attentive, and he even spoke a little bit of Japanese to my parents surprise . 5/5 service even from the other attendants, ! Looking forward to my next visit to try all the other dishes! The ONLY reason I'm not giving it a 5 is because it MAY be a little on the greasier/saltier side and my reviews are meant for the general public and Im really trying to be strict about my ratings. I personally LOVE grease and salt, so it's a 5/5 personal rating for me! A personal rating of 5 and a general rating of 4. All in all, El patio is the little gem you never know you needed! read more

El Patio Mexican Grill - A close up of the trio fajitas platter - Mexican Near Me - Bakersfield, California

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I ordered Suizas enchiladas and asked to substitute white sauce for the green tomatillo sauce. After an over 30 minute wait I received a plate sprinkled with parmesean and then broiled until almost burned. Dry and salty. Then our bill came with an added margarita charge. We had no margarita. My husband and I both thought it was the worst Mexican food we have had in years, over charged on the bill, and food service was unacceptably slow. Any other restaurant would be better. Yuck !!! read more

Great service from the get go, the host Oscar helped us to our table and was very helpful when selecting our dish by providing insight to how large the portions would be. They have a vegetarian section of their menu that I found thoughtful as well as their lard-free beans that are so creamy and tasty unlike other establishments in flavor. If you are looking for somewhere cozy or for some romantic one on one, I would recommend this place and check out the cantina it feels like an escape from our times and the ambience is inspiring. read more

Food and service is great. Love the dim atmosphere. Lots of seafood options. Must try!!

Can't believe I've been missing out for so long. This place is so good, small hole in the wall with delicious authentic Mexican food. We got the wet burritos, they were huge and so delicious. The service was great as well, they were quick and polite. I can't wait to go back. read more

This place was good. Wish I had taken pictures . I just had fish tacos and the sides and they meal came with a good amount of chips too. I took it to go but the establishment was fine. Outdoor and indoor seating. There was a lot of parking too. read more

I would give this spot 0 stars if I possibly could. Walked inside to find out how long the wait would be and the host was nowhere to be found, and once she finally showed up, she acted like I was dumb for not writing my own name down on their wait list (I've never been there before, so how would I know I need to do the hosts job?). After being told the wait would be 15-20 minutes, we ended up waiting for 45 or so. Once finally seated, the service was initially okay, but it all fell apart after we ordered our food. The waiter was nowhere to be found for refills, and our food did not get brought out for another 45 minutes. Chili verde was cold and tough as leather, half our orders were wrong, and I had to ask for the check multiple times even though they could visibly tell my toddler was needing to leave. I most definitely will never step foot in the door again, and I wouldnt recommend this poor claim of a "mexican food" restaurant to anyone. Waiting 2 hours for garbage food and service is inexcusable. read more

Excellent food with many choices. I wish it was closer to my house. I have been twice and had two separate items, both were excellent. My wife was very pleased and she is not easy to please. read more

My favorite Mexican Restaurant. Absolutely love the seafood enchilada plate. My husband love the chili Verdi .

Been going for 20 years as my wife grew up in the neighborhood. Food is decent but not top tier in town for me. Main problem is the service. It is always terrible. They are severely under staffed and need to hire more waitstaff. The service has been awful last few years. Unfriendly and never come by and then rush you when they finally do. Usually forget most of the order. I watched a lady leave this weekend because her food took so long. It's a longstanding establishment but they need to hire more people and improve their service. People love it who live nearby but until service improves I would not venture too far to go there. Last visit for me. read more

Best Mexican food in town. Excellent, prompt service and great all-around feel. This restaurant is definitely worth the hype.

Good food...walked in tonight at 8:30, says closing time is 9:00pm on the door and on Google...waiter says they closed 10 minutes ago. What? My kid really wanted to go there tonight. Thanks guys. read more