Great margaritas! Terrific local place for an authentic bite. Guacamole is great but their pico has to many onions .

Overpriced, mediocre food. The beans taste like they came directly from a can, microwaved and put on the plate. I think next time, I'm better off getting a frozen Mexican meal from the supermarket and heating it up. read more

Great food and margaritas. The atmosphere is very nice. I do feel like it's overpriced.

Love coming to el patron ! Everything is so fresh. Ordered take out today! Was nice and easy but I think they would benefit if they had curb side. The staff suggested different dishes which was very helpful. I always appreciate recommendations! read more

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Great place, great decoration, great food, lovely staff. Everything was so good. Would have been nice if they could offer smaller portions for lunch. Like 2 tacos instead of 3. read more

When I first moved in around the area this was our first time here! A year ago today loved the food and drinks!

Great food and service it is our go to Mexican restaurant in the area. Favorite dish is the steak Jalisco. And their homemade hot sauce is great. read more

Food wasn't bad, nothing to drive out of your way for. I don't understand how people are raying the great service as it was not even busy and we never were asked if everything was ok. The margarita was straight up tequila on the rocks, in that case I could have asked for a shot by itself. I always stack the plates to make it easier for the servers to grab, they remained Stacked and left on the side of the table even after dessert was served, again they weren't even busy. Would I give it another try? Probably not as there are other good mexican restaurants around my area. read more

6/20/21 - Had lunch with my family at El Patron. We had heard good things about this restaurant and wanted to try it out. We started with Las Alitas (chicken wings). My wife ordered the Enchiladas de Mole Poblano (beef), my son had the Flautas (beef), and I had the Steak Burrito. The wings were excellent...perfect crispness. My burrito was very good. The enchiladas and flautas were good, but a little too salty. Food quantity was just right. Onsite parking lot is available. Note, the Health & Safety description on Google indicates that masks are required and the staff wear masks. (See my screenshot.) Neither is accurate so this description should be changed since this may be important to some of your clients. read more

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El patron is a great restaurant. The food is very good ! The staff is very friendly!!! The restaurant is very clean.

Food was good and people nice. The guacamole was very fresh and tasty. Everything was clean read more

Took my son here while in town for a baseball tournament. Very good good, quality ingredients. Was exactly the healthy food we were looking for after too much drive thru death food. Highly recommended. read more

Great atmosphere, but not really great food. Small portions, high price, and the food was salty and presented as if taken out of containers and scooped on plate. We love Mexican food and this was not what was expected. read more

This is a nicely done restaurant. Decor is very nice. We stopped in for an early dinner. The service was excellent. I liked my entree, Shrimp Diabla. My wife was not impressed. Her taco salad and soup were non authentic and ordinary. The salsa, uninspiring. read more

El Patron Mexican Restaurant - Menu - Mexican Near Me - Glen Gardner, New Jersey

This place is the best restaurant I've been to in my most memorable times in life. The ambiance was amazing. The staff is super courteous and attentive. I, as a human appreciate the caring and decency that is severely lacking in this country at this time in history. Probably the only business that I'm aware of in the Biden era that still stands by the "customer is always right policy" . Thank you El Patron for everything. I'm a a loyal patron and always will be as long as you remain the exact way you are now read more

Authentic cuisine. Generous portions. Make reservations because we usually find them busy.

Salsa was chunks of tomatoes and onions. By far the worst salsa i've had. I tried wings and they were fried plain wings. The shrimp dish was bland. Really not much fkavor on shrimp, rice was bland, beans also. Can't say i'd go back. Beer was good. read more

Just had their tableside guacamole and Al carbon skirt steak tacos. The guacamole was delicious and fresh. The tacos were to die for. The steak was delicious and it came with a char grilled green onion that just enhanced the flavors of the steak. The tacos were more on the side of auntentic Mexican food while the rice and beans added a great texmex flavor to the meal. The rice and beans are not overly seasoned which is a classic mistake most Mexican restaurants make. Happy they keep the side dishes simple to make the tacos the star of the dish. Will definitely come back! read more

El Patron Mexican Restaurant - Al carbon tacos - Mexican Near Me - Glen Gardner, New Jersey

7:30 on a Thursday night. We were seated immediately (love the cushy chairs!). Marvin took our drink orders and returned with them sooner rather than later. The Mexican Mule (tequila, jalapeños, ginger beer and lime juice) hit the perfect sour and spicy spot. My friends Red Sangria was strong, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The salsa was amazing!! My husband devoured his steak taco salad. My Barbacoa tacos were SO freaking delicious, and even better with the black beans and salsa on top. My friend loved her chicken fajitas, and the portion left her with more than enough for lunch tomorrow. I'm so glad we stopped in El Patron on our way home and will definitely be back read more

We've been here several times over the passed year when we visit my sister who lives nearby. I've had many items from the menu and everything I've ordered here has been tasty and delicious. I come for the fresh guac and Margarita pitchers and I stay for everything else. We usually come in between the lunch and dinner rush but it gets pretty busy. The service is always fast and friendly and this place will continue to be a go to when in the area. We've come with a group of 7, a group of four and just us two and they'be been consistently accommodating read more

Had dinner with girlfriends the other day. Margarita pitcher was huge, not too sweet, had good flavor. Waitress was attentive, but was quick to have us order. I ordered the chicken burrito. Came out within 20 min. Chicken and tortilla were on the dry side and the portion size was way too small for the price of $19.99. No one asked us if we wanted any dessert of more to drink, just put the bill on the table. This is a tough spot to keep a restaurant...very hard to turn left back on to Route 31 South. With other Mexican restaurants in the area, it's fair to say I won't be back. read more

El Patron Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Glen Gardner, New Jersey

We got here at 5:30 they said 25-30 min wait We waited 50 mins ,their were 9 of us,we stayed and waited ..and finally got seated. After 20 mins we finally got a waiter who seemed like he never did this before..deer in headlights look....we ordered drinks..that took 20 mins...after getting drinks the waiter finally came back and took our orders. If it wasn't for the family being together I would have left. But that made the stay their a little easier. Food finally came and was cold ...we had to send to orders back to get heated...the steak which was supposed to be well done was med rare ‍ it was a mess but we all stayed calm and ate what we had as we were starving. To make things even worse the Sangria we were ordering a pineapple sangria which was actually good, they couldn't get us another as they had no more pineapples. Hate to give bad reviews but I would want an honest review from other yelpers and so this is mine. I do have to say myself and two sons wanted to see some of the Yankee game so while the kids and moms sat in the chairs ,we did sit at the bar to have a Corona while we waited and the bartender was really good and I do like the bar part. I do feel if they can figure out the waiting part and have a host who speaks English and is more concerned with seating than it could be good, otherwise I think it will be just another failed Mexican restaurant . read more

I got the Tocos to go & it it was so salty my wife & I could not even eat it.

This place is amazing. I was pretty bummed when the previous Italian place closed, but El Patron quickly cheered me up. Margaritas are delicious, food is amazing, and everything tastes SO fresh. Have eaten there multiple times and the food is consistently delicious and service is fast. I am a huge fan of Mexican food... this place is definitely authentic. My table ordered fajitas and fresh guacamole; it felt like we were on vacation! Decor is fun and restaurant is very clean. read more

Best authentic Mexican food I have ever had. Even better than the fanciest and most expensive one I've been to! Their ambiance and service is absolutely incredible. I have been there several times and it has always been perfect and memorable. The guacamole is freshly made to order, and I kid you not, even their water is extra special. If you're searching for a place to eat Mexican, this place is a must try. read more

El Patron Mexican Restaurant - Such a beautiful atmosphere - Mexican Near Me - Glen Gardner, New Jersey

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The food is fantastic and a great value! Friendly staff. Great drinks. They do take out! Can't ask for more!

Over priced as heck! Wow this place was flipped so fast from an Italian place to this new place!! The inside furniture is very original, I must say! However the tables were very close together and I felt as though the person next to me was on top of me. Our experience started out good, we got drinks right away! For the portion of drinks vs price I thought that it was a bit expensive! The salsa was kind of bland and thick. Also the chip basket had no lining on it and I felt it was a bit unsanitary(baskets cannot be washed think about all the germs)...The food came out very quickly considering how busy it was! Again, the portion vs price, it was way too expensive. Was not filling to say the least. One meal was the camarones al mojo de ajo and for $20, six shrimp isn't cutting it... Also there was little to no lemon and garlic sauce under the shrimp and it tasted super bland. When they say served with guacamole they more mean with a dash of guacamole on the corner of the plate too... The other meal ordered were the shrimp fajitas. This meal was an easy one to compare with the other mexican place up the road, and I must say I was not pleased with the shrimp fajitas. Although there were no pictures taken of the shrimp fajitas, there were five shrimp which is outrageous for $22. Furthermore, it came with 3 tiny tortillas and no sides! The guac was a small little spoonful of guac and same with the sour cream. It did not come with cheese or salsa either. Way too over priced! Although they had a bigger selection of meals than the place up the road, the only thing that is better is the bar. This is more of a non original mexican food place and then the other place up the road is more authentic. If theres one thing you should get from reading this, it's way too overpriced! read more

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I just need to let people know that Gift Certificates purchased 2 years ago will not be accepted at El Patron in Glen Gardner NJ. Got a super nice gift card from a very good client of mine, value $100.00 as a thank you gift. Decided today on a beautiful autumn Sunday after a long walk in the park at Spruce Run to finally redeem it for a relaxing lunch. Just to be rejected at the check in by either the owner (let's hope not) or the manger couple, who was eating their lunch at the bar, which was definitely not a great welcoming situation. I very friendly explained that I got the Gift Card 2 years ago and with COVID and distancing wasn't really able to come to the restaurant to redeem the GC. According to the rude guy that was eating his lunch, the GC was not longer valid due to the change in the system about 2 years ago. Well Mr El Patron, all GC's purchased in NJ do not expire at all, regardless of your change in the system or what ever reason. Therefore you and the El Patron Restaurant will be reported to the Better Business Bureau for cheating customers out of their high priced Gift Certificates. What a wrong way to do business right in our Neighborhood. I live approximately 7 min away from the El Patron Restaurant and will make sure to tell all my clients to never purchase GC's from that restaurant and definitely to not eat there. What a sad and unacceptable behavior. read more

By far my favorite Mexican place in the area. The dining is small and the table, chairs all brand new. The waiting area is tight with the big bench seating they have. Overall the place looked very clean. The food was delicious. Slightly above average on dinner prices but still reasonable. Granted I have had more larger burritos but it was sufficent as I was full but not over stuffed. We had the beef and chicken burrtios and chicken fajitas and they were delicious. It was a bit crowded as the place is new and seems they could have a few more employees when they are busy but still the workers hustled the tables. I free chip and salsa was great. The chips thin and not salty and the give a good size cup of salsa with a free refill. I will definitely be back. read more

Pros: inside was tastefully decorated and the salsa was good Cons: there are too many tables jammed in to their already small restaurant making it fill claustrophobic; dinner prices are quite high; no happy hour; no liner on the chip basket?; and my nachos were a joke. They have potential, but need to get things ironed out. read more

I usually don't like to leave bad reviews but I'll never come back to this business!!! We usual visit and the food is great but their seating process is horrible!!! Today was the 2nd time that my table was given to somebody else because they cross my name by accident. I know mistakes happen but this is something that seems to occur all the time at this place. What really was the last straw was that our party got called and then they realized that it wasn't our turn and given our table to someone else... right after in 1 min timeframe, they skip us and give another party the table. When I asked how long the wait was, she tells me that I was already seated and doesn't remember telling me to wait. This is unacceptable for a business of their size!!! read more

Fresh, quality food . If you're looking for the Mexican restaurants that just slap together their food on an assembly line this is not your place. Things are made fresh to order. We enjoyed the tacos (steak and chicken) and the queso. Lunch portions were very filling. We will be back. read more

El Patron Mexican Restaurant - Steak tacos (lunch portion) with queso in the background. Queso is NOT from a jar. - Mexican Near Me - Glen Gardner, New Jersey

We had a large party to celebrate a birthday. From the moment we got there all we received was rudeness. It's seemed they wanted us to rush through our celebration. Waitress took our drinks order never came back ask if we needed refills and new party member came never came back to them if the needed anything. Our food order came and we never saw our waitress again. When I asked for the cake they hesitated to put away for me is when I saw our waitress. The place was not busy at all. No reason for the mistreatment and the lack or courtesy we received. First time and last time they will ever get my hard own money.Sorry no photo I was so upset I didn't take any to remember the celebration. read more

Excellent mexican food! Order the delicious Cochinita Pibil prepared as authentic as if you ordered it in Merida, we had the Sopa de Tortilla as well and were surprised to have all the elements to transport you back when grandma prepared it for us! Mis respetos al Chef- tuvimos una experiencia maravillosa con un atencion excelente! Go support your local businesses and make El Patron a must stop , I know our familia will!!! Thank you for your dedication and respect to keep our cuisine artesanal and superb! Mil gracias! read more

El Patron Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Glen Gardner, New Jersey

Went there Sunday around 1:30. Place was well lit and felt inviting. Food and drinks were good and we will definitely be back.. I thing I don't not like: On the menu they have (L) lunch (D) dinner for the prices.. We were there at lunch time and the waitress came over to our table after we ordered and said, I forgot to mention but we charge DINNER PRICES DURING THE WEEKEND no matter what time of day!!! Did not like that one bit!!! read more

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Deliciousness. Fresh guacamole is amazing, salsa is amazing, steak tacos are amazing. By far the best Mexican food in this area read more

El Patron Mexican Restaurant - Carne asada - Mexican Near Me - Glen Gardner, New Jersey

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Inside furniture is gorgeous wood. Lots of onions used in salsa, taco topper and "guacamole". I ordered Tacos Al carbon. The steak was great. The "guacamole" was a thin layer of avacado liquid with lots of onion, lettuce, and tomato. My husband had the steak enchaladas. They were just meat pieces in flour tortillas. As soon as he cut them they fell apart. The sour cream was the consistency of ranch dressing and it had black specs in it. read more

I seldom review restaurants, but feel compelled on this one. We came in on a Monday at about 6:30 pm, the place was full, we ordered drinks and our dinner within 5 minutes and our dinner was served in less than 5 minutes time. I rate 3 stars because the food was good for a chain Mexican restaurant but the fact they rushed so much prompts a 1 for me. It is now 7:11 pm and we are paying our check! read more

I really enjoyed having lunch here. The shrimp tacos, salsa, and flautas were great. I would definitely eat here again.

Fabulous dinner-best shrimp cocktail ever. Just wow! Very good value, excellent service. Outstanding!!!