Always fresh, always hot, always made to order! Friendly staff! Clean restaurant! read more

Spacious dining area. Waitress was friendly however; extremely slow service. Had breakfast on Saturday morning. Was not crowded. Had the most tasteless meal I have had in many years. The Migas were overcooked, very dry, even the jalapeños didn't have a kick or much flavor. Red Salsa was watery and barely had any flavor. Beans dry and tasteless. Tortillas and Avacado were the only things that was good at this restaurant, other than the cold water. read more

Food was bland, fajitas had no flavor. Too much cumin in the hot sauce. The food tastes better at Taco Bell.

ordered tacos to go with unsweet tea was overpriced for quality of food, had no flavor at all

Myself and my family made 2 trips in 1....!! Our 1st and our last....!!!! Definitely NOT worth the money ...!!! read more

Man oh man what a disappointment, we only stopped to eat there because Don Julio's was closed so we gave it a shot . I don't mind waiting but I should've known better after looking at the menu And then trying the "salsa" they serve with the chips. We were a table of 8 and everyone's faces when they served our food and once tried. Bland bland. Fake and cheap version of Mexican food/ Tex mex food. Im truly sorry but idk how you locals say that they have great food. If y'all want good fresh hot Mexican food. You're better off at Don Julio's or Casa Jalisco. Picture I'm posting is from CASA JALISCO ordered the fajitas norteñas that's the picture I added . We came today. Had to go get some real food after yesterday's disappoint. I would post a picture of yesterday's food but it's just too awful. read more

The most delicious and most consistent Mexican Restaurant for the last 40 years! Yes, my family has been enjoying El Patio for decades. It's a traditions for us! The pleasant and very attentive waitress, Gloria, has every family member's order memorized! Yes, she's that good!! Anything you order on the menu is absolutely delicious but my all time favorite is the beef fajita platter (Carne Asada Plate)! If you're a caldo (soup) , beef or chicken lover , you will NOT be disappointed. It's the best caldo in the Crossroad's area! Their salsa is spicy and very flavorful! For decades their carne guisada plate is truly the best in Port Lavaca and I've tasted many! read more

Service was absolutely so slow, I had to ask someone for drinks (1st sign to leave) had to ask for chips n salsa (2nd sign to leave) idk what was going on Looked like the take out orders were going out before anyone's food read more

Ordered Taco Shell Tacos. They were delicious and the service was quick! For the price is cheap. Love to people that eats around here! Friendly atmosphere. read more

All the locals rave about this place, and I have tried it twice. Both experiences were bad. The first time we ordered Queso as an appetizer and the cheese was nacho cheese straight from a can. We ordered Mexican combo plates and the Taco meat had no flavor whatsoever. It tasted like just unseasoned ground meat. The cheese enchiladas has very little cheese on the inside. It was a little melted cheese on top. The guacamole looked unappetizing. On the second visit, I ordered a Quesadilla and the guacamole was spread over the top outside of the tortilla, I have never seen anything look like that. Even the ice tea tasted old and stale. We will never go back. read more

Let's just say we got her on a Sunday at 1:10, didn't see a server at our table until 1:18. At 1:24 we finally we asked what we wanted. When we got our drinks and chips at 1:31, our salsa had a hair in it. We didn't get our food until 1:45. We will never be back. So sad. read more

Horrible service, cold food..... Very disappointed! Short handed and the server seemed overwhelmed.

Over prices food not worth it! I am from Port Lavaca believe me not worth it for the wait or food. Don't believe these comment what people post there are employees or families. I suggest go somewhere better!! read more

I grew up in Port Lavaca and didn't really go to this restaurant much. However, once I left and only returned to Port Lavaca for holidays and weekends, we always have to make a stop at El Patio. The experience begins with picking your own table to sit at. Maybe you know those neighbors, maybe that group is too loud, but you pick a nice spot for you and yours. Then the wait staff brings out the free chips with salsa and crackers with butter. The salsa is not too spicy to devour and is thin enough to use later with your meal. I either get the Mexican Plate or the Beef/Fajitas a la Mexicana. The Mexican Plate comes with two enchiladas (I always get the beef filled ones), a crunch taco, and rice and beans. It is a good variety and goes will with the salsa all over. The beef or fajitas a la Mexicana is a great mix of meat, onions, bell peppers, jalapenos, and other stuff. It is served with rice and beans and tortillas to wrap all that goodness in. Normally I just eat it without wrapping it because it would just take too long to get into my belly. The place is authentic and delicious. They even close for a week or so over Christmas break because a lot of the staff returns to Mexico for the holidays. read more

Local favorite for people that grew up here. Not much to get excited about for outsiders (myself included). Pork chop is one of my preferred plates and my wife (a native of PL) always gets enchiladas. Service is hit and miss depending on how busy they are. read more

I have eaten here many times at this is a childhood eating place for my wife. She has many fond memories of eating here growing up in the area. I understand nostalgia and have enjoyed my experiences eating here but there are highlights on the menu and then some things you just shouldn't order. The Caldo is very good!!! The Enchiladas are very good although I have yet to eat a chicken one. The Re-fried Beans are done well. I do like the taco too but if it were me I would season the meat a bit more. The salsa is thin but does have a little kick to it. In the past 2 years they have raised their prices. I understand needing to raise your prices as everything cost more these days and the folks that supply restaurants with their supplies have raised their prices due to fuel cost BUT they have gone a little bit to far. I am sure I will eat here again as my wife always has to go here when we are in the area. She loves this place and gets mad at me if I have anything bad to say. Like I said, some of the things are good and some are not, I just have not found anything here to be great. read more

Walk in 7 servers sitting down eating. (First time here) we stand there like deer in head lights. They stare and do nothing. Seat ourselves. Wait 15 min for a lady to finally get up to give us menus. Food bland but still good. Still hard to get our server since she goes back to eating with the rest of them. 4 tables seated in whole restaurant. Port lavaca eateries probably all failed due to lack of service. Second place to get this same attitude. Blah read more

I'll give it a five because it's my honey's favorite childhood restaurant. It was a great little place to eat and really satisfying. The atmosphere is very old style restaurant and colorful. The food was nice and flavorful and crunchy where it was supposed to be. Like the other reviewer states they bring out crackers and butter along with salsa and chips for those with the delicate palate. It was pretty hopping in there with customers. The food was hot and delicious, the usual menu. I liked it. read more

Best fajitas and charro beans and flour tortillas in town!!!! And the taco shell tacos were excellent too!!Thought I'd never find a place with good food that's not dripping with grease. The tacos (taco shells) were perfect!! Meat perfectly cooked and not greasy! Charro beans had a really good flavor--not too salty. The chips tasted homemade and the salsa had a good flavor, just the right amount of heat. The flour tortillas weren't too thick and were actually fully cooked, not white and still doughy as in other places. The rice was cooked perfectly--only thing was it had a strong cumin flavor--too much cumin. This is definitely our new favorite Mexican restaurant in Port Lavaca. Have tried about three others--still planning on going to all of them at least once! But El Patio is definitely our #1 choice right now. I'm from the RGV and it's hard to find anything that compares to the delicious Mexican food over there, but this came pretty darn close!! Oh, and the service was excellent even though they were extremely busy!! read more

This place is awful. I don't understand why there are always cars parked here and a high rating on yelp. The salsa is Mexican V8 Juice and very watery. I ordered the chicken taco and cheese tostada. The chicken was simply boiled and shredded chicken with absolutely no flavor-not even salt or pepper. The cheese in the tostada was on a level below ballpark nachos. Not to mention they charged me $8 for this. I'm still hungry. My husband and I are gonna have to go somewhere else after this just to be filled up. Absolutely never will cone back here. read more

So here's the deal with this restaurant. It's high rated on Yelp but more of a 2-3 star caliber in actuality. Its not a bad restaurant, but definitely not an almost 5 star rating like on Yelp. Thats reserved in my book for the most elite in dining experiences. Its an older restaurant, a tad dark in some areas due to low lighting, but not bad. After getting the salsa I had high hopes. The chips were ok, but the salsa definitely was flavorful and spicy. The combination plate was the lunch special today, but it was completely flavorless. The taco meat had zero seasoning. I got cheese sauce instead of chili con carne on the enchilada, but it was obviously canned nacho cheese. I guess I'm used to the homemade white cheese sauce I get elsewhere. The waitress was super nice, and the food came out fast. It's not a bad place to stop if passing by, and the people here are friendly. read more

Never again! First time first place tried two years ago- awful then. With a group of co-workers went back. WORST the second time. Disgusting unappetizing food, terrible service, stood in line while cashier left the register to check order. Never again. Several better places in town! read more

The server was very friendly in this restaurant, the food came out in a reasonable time. The chips were ok and the salsa was flavorful. I asked for a beef quesadilla that comes with rib eye, rice, bean, all the basic stuff. The food was good and reasonably priced, so I was going to give a four star to the place. However, I was not aware that there are places where you can still smoke inside the restaurant... As I was enjoying my meal, I saw this man enter the restaurant, pull out a chair and of course, sit behind me... I was already having a bad feeling (tell me about sixth sense), when I heard a sound that reminded me of a lighter... and guess what... yes, he was smoking in the restaurant, behind my neck... O well, needless to say that half of time I had to "enjoy" the meal with the smell of cigarrete and I rushed to finish my meal... bad experience... Well, regarding the service and food, it is an ok place, but the event mentioned above certainly destroyed my experience. read more

Love the food, the wait is horrible though!! Blame it on the food, of course! Heard a couple of bad things about them, but never encountered a problem. One of the few places in Port Lavaca I would recommend to a newbie! read more

We arrived about noon along with many others, so expected slower service. However, they handled the crowd efficiently. The food was good and reasonably priced. Service was good despite how busy they were. We would return. read more

Probably closer to 3.5 stars, but I have only been to this place once. I like the seat yourself and the chips. Carne Guisada is what I chose. It was pretty good. Nice and tender. My complaint is that there was as much (not very good) rice and beans as carne guisada. But, my belly was filled so don't want to complain too much. Going to try another establishment in a few days probably and am hoping it will be closer to 4 stars...maybe some homemade style beans and rice would be nice. Kinda funny how many 'restaurants' there are within just a couple miles(really withinn a mile or so) in Port Lavaca. That being said, El Patio was open later than any other establishment I passed..even though it was late and on Sunday. Appearance...typical local lil mexican food joint. The mini office at the register is a bit awkward but, oh well. Good stuff. read more

The food is bland, bland, bland. It is a local favorite but I don't understand why. I lived on the tex-mex border for 20 years and I love good Mexican food with spices like cilantro, cumino, onion, peppers, etc. El Patio needs to buy a spice rack or at least pick up some cilantro and other fresh stuff from HEB. The salsa is like watery catsup. The beef enchiladas have beef and cheese, but no flavor other than that. I have had breakfast there, too, it was tasteless. It's hard to mess up eggs. The charro beans are okay, but again, no spices. read more

Very disappointed. A friend recommended this place & we will not be back. Chips were cold & stale. Queso (cheese dip) from a can at $6...sent it back. Waitress was not very friendly. Chicken fajita plate was cooked not grilled and kept warm under a heating Lamp. Bathroom was very dirty. Was in town for sport event & not from this area. read more

I lived here for 20 years and use to love going to El Patio. After returning the food was of lower quality and the prices were much higher. The chips and salsa are great though and I'll return because it brings me back to childhood. read more

I like the food here, but everything on the menu is not as equally good. As a matter of fact some dishes are quite a bit better than others. I usually get the beef fajita compuestos or the chicken fajita quesadillas, both are pretty good. If you're looking for a bargain, don't let the outside appearance fool you, it's not cheap by any means. The chips are usually good and the hot sauce is always very thin with its fair share of chili powder. Different, good, but not the best in town, that would be the Monterey! read more

I grew up in the town of Port Lavaca and ate at EL Patio for years. I moved out of town 10 years ago but always came to El Patio when I visited Port Lavaca. Here recently I decided That I will no longer visit this restaurant and here is my reason. I have poured in hundreds of dollars into this business and have had good food and some bad service at times but the one that really made me decide I will no longer visit was that my wife was driving through town with a large group of youth and I called and explained who I was and they knew who I was and they said yes. I then proceeded to ask the owner if there was anyway I could receive a discounted meal for such a large group. The owner said no. I then asked if he could include a free drink when they order a meal, he also said no. This was so wrong. I have given to the business for years and this is how I was treated. So long El Patio! read more

Great food. one minus. You have to wait a long time before they tend to you at the check out register. This happens over and over and over agin each time I go there. Some times I do not go there for this reason. read more

This place has the worst Mexican food. Their hot sauce is made from campbell's tomato soup, their food has zero seasoning, and the service is pretty bad. Every time I've gotten food from this place, I have yet to try anything even remotely close to being good. Te only reason why I give this place 2 stars instead of 1, is because the food usually comes out hot when ordered. This is defiantly a last resort kind of restaurant. read more