Got a to-go order. Everything was dead on a nd quality. My brother goes here once a week. I loved my entree and everything was great!

If you're in the mood for hearty, flavorful Mexican-style fare in a lively setting, El Patrón hits the mark. Their chuletas (marinated grilled pork chops) are a standout, tender, juicy, and perfectly seasoned. Served with rice, beans, pico de gallo, hot sauce, and warm tortillas, the plate comes together with classic, satisfying flavors and great balance. What really elevates the experience is the consistently great service and the vibrant ambiance. The staff are welcoming and attentive, and there's often live music or a festive crowd that gives the place a fun, social energy perfect for a casual dinner or weekend meal with friends and family. read more

El Patron Bar & Grill - Chuletas, marinated grilled pork chops, served with rice, beans, pico de gallo, hot sauce and tortillas - Mexican Near Me - Helena, Alabama

Very kind, attentive and friendly staff. Casual atmosphere. The Sarapes are a truly memorable and unique dish that I haven't seen at any restaurant in Alabama. Generous portion with robust flavor. It is definitely a must-try if you come here. read more

El Patron Bar & Grill - Sarapes - Mexican Near Me - Helena, Alabama

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Always friendly and helpful service. The bean dip is amazing and it's free with the chips. It's the usual Mexican menu but they have a few more items on the menu. Consistent quality read more

This is one of my favorite spots to grab some great Mexican food. The margaritas are always outstanding get one or two. The staff are so friendly always smiling and recommending good choices. Try the queso. The location is perfect with enough space for work luncheon or birthday party's. read more

El Patron Bar & Grill - Beef taco salad - Mexican Near Me - Helena, Alabama

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Amazing Mexican food and the staff and waitresses are so nice and friendly. I go here pretty often. Highly recommend!

Good and service is so good. You could order a feast and be out of there in two seconds so Quick! Food is amazing . Waiters and staff is SO nice. ambiance is so amazing colorful and fun great decor inside. Come here you will not be disappointed read more

The food was burnt and dry Service was slow at best Drinks were over priced with too many up charges read more

One of our favorite Mexican restaurants in Helena. It is our go to when we are in the mood for some Mexican. The green salsa is very underrated and by far my favorite salsa in town! read more

Love this place everything we get is so full of flavor very friendly staff fast service perfect margaritas we always visit once a week

Took the family to El Patron the other night for a nice dinner. We were welcomed and quickly seated. Promptly served with warm crisp chips and salsa. They also include a bean dip and salsa verde with the chips. My son can't get enough of the bean dip! Wife ordered the steak fajita salad. She said it was excellent, meat had a great flavor and salad was crisp and fresh! I got the mixed fajitas with chicken, steak and shrimp. Shrimp was large and plentiful, chicken was moist and well seasoned. Steak was cooked to perfection and tender. (Some Mexican restaurants have 'chewy' overdone steak.) Service was great and menu choices were many! We will be back, great experience! read more

Extremely upset that my husband and I come in to eat. Sat at a booth, NEVER got greeted, a buss boy asked if we needed something to drink because he saw the look on our faces. Meanwhile we had several people peak over the wall and look at us several times yet no one even bothered to come take our order. Another couple walked in got a table next to us, immediately got drinks, ordered 2 coronas and instantly got there order taken. WE WALKED OUT!! We were so mad that we got ignored for 18 MINS and no one did anything. We won't be back. Pissed because we live right next door and wanted to enjoy a new restaurant by our new home. read more

I've tried to give this location a real chance by going several times but it just went from bad to worse. I mean the food is decent but the restaurant wasn't the cleanest and there was baby roaches on the floor by my booth. Now I'm not trying to disgrace this restaurant nor am I being disrespectful. What I am is disappointed that my experience was unsatisfactory the times I went. The wait staff was nice though. I gave 3 stars only because of the bugs. Not a bunch but 4 or 5 babies was just a turn off. Hopefully they will get it taken care of. Still a decent place to eat. read more

Opted for lunch instead of dinner this time at my favorite Sunday spot. I ordered Tacos al Carbon--seasoned steak wrapped in fresh, soft flour tortillas. Like most dishes served at this restaurant (and any Mexican restaurant, really), it came with rice and beans. My server had my meal out to me in a matter of minutes and everything was extremely tasty. Another great thing about this place is that they never charge for a beverage to go--if you're still thirsty after your meal, they'll bring whatever you had with your meal (alcoholic beverages not included) to you in a styrofoam go cup with a lid. read more

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Ordered via phone for pickup. El patron fajita. The chicken and steak were tender. I would have liked more than 3 shrimp and for the overall meal to have more flavor. The beans and cheese had more flavor for me. The salsa verde had to be on every bite of the fajita for me to enjoy it thoroughly. I loved that the veggies weren't overcooked. They still had a little bite to them. It was a lot of food and they definitely gave my the veggies I requested. The bag was literally 2 pounds. The salsa and salsa verde was immaculate. I would definitely return here to try more food when things open back up. I believe dine in experiences are always better than take out experiences. read more

El Patron Bar & Grill - Mexican Near Me - Helena, Alabama

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My friends brought me here and I have to say I wasn't terrible impressed. We were put in the very back with no one else near us so it felt like we were forgotten about. I got the carnitas with rice, refried beans, and guacamole salad. The beans tasted like coffee, which was weird and off putting. My friends said it wasn't normally like this taste wise but since I'm hesitant to go back I'm not sure if I'll ever know. The meat was good though. I had never had it before but I would try it again at another restaurant for sure. The rice was okay and the salad was fine. They did give us 3 different type of salsa. A bean dip with some cheese, a green salsa, and a regular one. I didn't care for the regular salsa and I didn't try the the green one because I could see the cilantro in it and I'm one of those terrible types where cilantro tastes lime soap so it's very off putting for me. I did, however, love the bean dip. I did add more cheese when we got the cheese dip we ordered, which was also very good, to it but that's just because I'm fat and I love cheese dip. We waited a long time for everything except for refills and more chips. The girl that was bringing the chips was very nice and attentive in regards to our drinks and chips but other than her I wasn't very impressed. I might try it again if my friends want it but I probably wouldn't pick it myself. read more

El Patron Bar & Grill - The 3 automatic dips - Mexican Near Me - Helena, Alabama

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Best Mexican food I've had in YEARS, I've stopped at Mexican restaurants between here, Mobile and Texas and this one is just top tier on the taste buds. I'll say as well, the 10 times I've come here in the past year the staff has always been so welcoming and warm. I truly recommend giving the a try. I'll try an update this review with some food pictures when I come in next. So far this is the 2nd day in a row. read more

This is the type of Mexican food I want to be eating. This restaurant is authentic, the service is super fast it was hard not to feel rushed. However, this also makes them hyper aware of emptying glasses. I chose the fried fish and I could not be more satisfied. The dish was delicious and came with rice and beans that were definitely different from your typical texmex restaurant. I would recommend. read more

El Patron Bar & Grill - Mexican Near Me - Helena, Alabama

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This is one of my family's favorite places to eat on the weekends. They always give us so much with each meal that we bring home several boxes of left overs. This is also the only place I've been to that gives you three different kinds of 'dip' to the table with your chips. Red salsa, green salsa, and bean dip. I almost always get the steak fajitas which are very flavorful. Lots of meat on the skillet and they add a nice blend of spices to it. They have flour tortillas which I like most with my fajitas. My husband gets the spicy burrito which is huge! He says it's delicious though. My son gets the kids bean burrito. It's almost the size of the plate. And it comes with rice. It's only $4.50 and you get a ton of food! They also have chicken fingers, quesadillas, and burgers for the kids who aren't as into Mexican cuisine like my youngest daughter. We can usually get dinner for all five of us for $50 which I feel is a great deal for a sit down restaurant. We have been back at least five times since my first review and they just keep getting better! read more

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Great food and service. Love the place because of how clean it is and the friendliness of the staff.

This place never disappoints! Both the food and service were exceptional! I love their salsa because it actually has a bite to it without being too hot to enjoy! read more

I had the Sarapes and my wife had the pachuga and both were absolutely delicious Best mango margaritas I've ever had !!! read more

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Food was underwhelming--chips tasted stale and steak fajitas were seasoned oddly. Very convenient if you live in the area, but there are much better Mexican food options around. read more

This place is SO GOOD. staff is friendly and the chips and salsa are delicious. I also love the black bean dip they serve. They have a large section of vegetarian combinations. The sauces on the enchiladas and burritos have so much flavor. And it's cheap. Delicious! read more

Our family have been weekly visitors of this restaurant for last 2 years since moving to Helena. This might have been our last visit - order same thing every time. 3 entrees ...no cheese dip. Wife and I used restroom before ordering while daughter occupied table. Waiter arrived at table with drinks (which daughter ordered) and cheese dip (which she did not) When asked manager about the charge - he discussed with waiter who claimed that we ordered. Never have, didn't eat any of it, but because it was "on the table." ....we must pay for it. As a locally owned business ourselves, we try to support local businesses. Not sure we will continue doing so after tonight. read more

From the outside, this place is gorgeous! It was also packed on Friday night when I came to eat here. Coming inside, it was your typical Mexican place. The booth I sat in was pretty torn up so hopefully new furniture is in their future. They give u both a red and a green complimentary salsa as well as bean dip. It was all okay, but the queso was where it was at. I couldn't stop eating it. I ordered a small strawberry margarita. It was pretty okay. Not very memorable. To eat, I ordered a grilled chicken quesadilla. It wasn't exactly the quesadilla with all the fixings that I wanted when I ordered, but keep in mind there are several different kinds of quesadillas on the menu. This chicken and cheese quesadilla that they brought out to me was probably the best quesadilla I ever had. The chicken was juicy and swimming in cheese. So good! The waiter we had was also super friendly. So overall there were some hits and misses, but nothing that can't be fixed. read more

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Mexican Comfort Food! There are a ton of similar neighborhood Mexican restaurants in the area all with similar menus and offerings. El Patron Bar & Grill's menu does not stand out from the its competitors but the food tastes better and the service is excellent. If you're looking for fancy gourmet Mexican food this is not the place for you. If you're looking for a reasonably priced local establishment to take your family with good tasting food you're in the right place. Best way to describe this restaurant is consistently average. The food always tastes the same, they're generous with the portions, and the cost is fair. Everything I've tried from enchiladas, tacos, burritos, etc, have all tasted fresh like they were made to order. Nothing tastes like it's been sitting around (especially the rice) which happens often at these types of places. And the service has always been good. Plenty of parking, fast and a good drink menu. I rated it 3 stars because it's not top shelf food but it has good service and it's consistent. I'd definitely recommend if you're looking for some comfort Mexican food. read more

Always love coming here! Like family always good always fast best chicken tortilla soup best queso and casadillas

Visited here last night with some friends. We were excited about celebrating National Taco Day and thought we would give a place closer to home a shot. When I pulled up, initially, I thought there might be a wait, as I literally got the last available parking spot. However, when I walked in, I was pleasantly surprised at the availability of tables and how much bigger the place actually was. I was sat fairly quickly. That's where the real fun began. Our server was TERRIBLE. My friends and I thought he may have been high on something. With the wide eyed look he gave us all night and the slowness of all the things the entire night. Water, shots, hot sauce. The delivery of food.. which was delivered cool. Not cold. But not hot either. Just enough to be an annoyance. And he was just short of being rude. I don't expect joyful behavior from Mexican restaurants but I also don't appreciate feeling rushed by a server that took his time delivering everything all night. To be fair, I did share with the manager my displeasure, and he did discount my meal. But.. these things did still happen. So... decide on your own if you would like to take a chance. Oh and the margaritas are pure mix. That's the reason for the order of shots.. we were trying to help them out. read more

Well, I took Azzy R.'s advice! I got the Chuletas (grilled pork chops), added the grilled onions on top and asked for black beans! Wow was it good! Perfectly seasoned, not too salty, but highly seasoned chops. Tender and juicy. Even the beans and rice , when most Mexican restaurants use that as filler, had great flavor. They were so good, I went back twice in one week and ordered chops again. I've never seen Chuletas on a Mexican restaurants menu before. So thankful they have it right here in my backyard of Helena. My already great meal was topped off with a slice of their homemade flan! Yummy, silky smooth caramel flan. Thanks, Azzy R. for the recommendation. read more

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Love this gem right here in the neighborhood. Remains open late enough for those who are craving a good meal prior the ending their day.

Friendly staff & super fast!!! Their workers are always putting in a lot of effort & running around to please everyone. I love their nachos, I have gotten them like 5 times literally. Their enchiladas are good too & fajitas!! Their prices are low too so it's super nice :) read more

El Patron is always on point. The service is consistently fast,friendly, and efficient. They give you complementary chips and dips. This includes red salsa, green salsa, and bean dip! The food is solid Mexican food and for a great price. Couldn't recommend this place more read more

I've been here a couple times, and always had a good experience. The paella is delicious, as is the bistec la mexicana (I think that's what it's called). However, I'm writing this review because I went in for lunch today and had a life-changing experience. Now, I've had good, even great pork chops before...from my own (‍), to even hand cut-fresh grilled-white tablecloth-why am I paying so much money for porkchops porkchops. But today, for $9.95, I had THE BEST PORKCHOPS I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE. Holy moly. I can't fully put into words what I experienced (and no, I wasn't just hungry)...but dear God, if you go, get the chuletas and ask them to add grilled onions. Thank me later. read more

El Patron Bar & Grill - Chuletas, I asked for grilled onion to be added on top! - Mexican Near Me - Helena, Alabama

Can not say enough about our local treasure! It's always fast & always good. I've never had bad service & we go at least 3-4 times a month!

I give it two stars because the food is pretty decent, nothing anymore special than another place though. The service is what will be the downfall of this restaurant. Went in today and the server we had was too concerned with flirting with a table of two girls than actually taking care of any other table in the section. Bad attitude, never asked if food was good, had to flag down a different server to get my husband a refill after being bone dry for 25 minutes. Typically you can pretty much count on a Mexican restaurant providing decent service, and this was actually a first of having horrible service at any Mexican restaurant we've ever been to. My husband handled the check and made note of the bad service and was offered a manager to speak to, but since he's super nice he said not to worry about it and left. I tried to call shortly after coming home just to find out the name of the server so that if we ever returned we could request not to be in his section, and when I asked for a manager, I was told "there's no boss, theres no manager" which I found funny since 20 minutes prior we had been offered one. Just avoid this place, nothing special about the food and severely lacking service. read more

Absolutely the best Mexican restaurant in the area!! Best food, best prices, best service, best experience! Thankful for you!!

Best Mexican restaurant in the area. I love their top shelf margaritas and Sarape's. You get three varieties of salsa with your chips and they have a diverse selection of dishes. read more

Great food. Great service!! Had the taco salad and they use all white meat chicken. Bean dip and salsa were great

This place is fantastic now! I must admit, I've been a few other times and it was pretty good. They have stepped up their game. Seriously, I over stuffed myself and couldn't even help it. Also, the top shelf margaritas and spicy salsa are both amazing! read more

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