The food was good but the service was terrible. The Burrito California was delicious and made fresh to order. My husband really enjoyed their house hot sauce. There was not anyone else eating in the restaurant when we went as we went for a late lunch on Sunday. We had to hunt the waitress down when we were ready to order and when we were ready to pay. One of the other servers was on their lunch break and they were eating in a booth. Our server sat with her even when we were attempting to order or pay. Would recommend for the food but would not go back because the service was so bad. read more

"Fast tasty Mexican on Hillsborough Rd across from Harris Teeter near I-85 exit" I've been coming here for over a decade now, and this place has consistently gotten better over time. Now, I come every few weeks and thoroughly enjoy the place. The service is excellent-- always treated VERY well. The staff answer questions, and MAN the food comes out fast. I've been here even with a group of 14 people and we still got our food in under 10 minutes. The quality is strong. My go-tos are the fajita burrito and burrito California, but I do like the mushroom quesadillas and other dishes too. I've never been here with anyone who said they "disliked" their dish, either. The price is fair-- it's not the cheapest Mexican place in town, but the pricing is about what you'd expect it to be... good lunch menu prices in the $10-12 range, and most dinner entrees in the $16-$20 range. And one big thing-- giant covered outdoor patio, and they sometimes put heaters out there too so even good when it's cold out. Only tiny negative is the parking spots are a little tight, but totally not their fault. Great especially for folks coming from Duke for a meal. I recommend it! read more

I've really been craving Mexican food and decided to try someplace I'd not been before as where I have been going just hasn't been hitting the mark lately. Of course I went to Yelp and this is where I landed. The staff is very friendly and there were several to greet me as I entered. I was immediately seated and my drink order was taken. It quickly arrived and so did salsa and chips. Yum! Since it was lunchtime I decided to go with a lunch item, two chicken enchiladas with rice and beans. I was having a bad craving for cheese dip so ordered that while my lunch was being made. The cheese was brought in record time and I gleefully dug in. Oh, it's so good and such a huge portion as you can see from the picture! Almost as quickly my lunch arrived and even though it was a lunch portion it filled an entire platter! OMG, between this and the huge bowl of cheese dip I would have just gotten one enchilada ala carte had I known. Too late now. I promised myself I'd only eat half of everything and bring the rest home. Well, I hadn't had a thing to eat all day and it was after twelve. Yes, I ate it all! My waitress, Fatima, was so attentive checking on me often. I asked her if there was a half sized order of the cheese dip and if you can believe it, the one I got is their small serving! Whoa! All in all a nice experience. The menu isn't huge like some other places, which is okay as that can be overwhelming. I look forward to returning and trying some other items. read more

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20% GRATUITY AUTOMATICALLY ADDED TO YOUR BILL There were no signs anywhere pointing out this practice. We had 3 people in our party, so I assume they do it to everyone. The stuff was nice and attentive. Guacamole was great. Did not enjoy chicken fajita as much, it was too salty for my taste. They really need to make it known about the automatic gratuity. Put up a sign or something. They also bring you the card scanner to the table with the additional tip option. I always tip very well, but you do not get to decide for me. read more

It was okay. Good and fast service. Nice little Mexican spot. Food tasted a bit bland. Disappointed with the meal due to the taste. read more

My ticket was 74.00. A friend came because power was out ate there, and got a Togo plate as a favor because someone else's power was out. Because the TABLES bill came to $100 they added 20% gratuity. No one had a problem tipping for good service but tell me how she should have to tip almost 9.00 for her $20 worth and the to go order. When we had to wait for refills on our drinks and was not there even 40 min. The gratuity was 15.00 on my ticket. WE WAS TOLD SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. You automatically get 20% gratuity added to the tables tickets if over 100. 00. HOWEVER ITS NOT POSTED ANY WHERE. and has never happened before unless the party is over 6 people which it wasn't. No one was drinking. We ate and left. The food was not great on top of that. read more

Extremely disappointed - nvr had a taco salad so small, mushy, and tasteless. Burritos tasteless also. Way too bright in there and the booths are tight and very uncomfortable. Nice server tho. read more

Us ladies at the office were craving Mexican one Friday lunch time and decided to order from here. We all got giant burritos that we were all very satisfied with. We called to place our order because we wanted some "white sauce" and it wasn't on the online menu. They got the order correct and had it ready when requested. read more

El Patron Mexican Grill - California burrito - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Was very disappointed with the service today. Been here over a dozen of times and this is the first time we were charged an automatic 20% tip on our bill on a party of 3. When asked, waitress said they charged 20% automatic because they work on tips.. so they work only on tips on the weekend, but not M-F?? This is beyond a shady practice to charge a 20% bill when the service is mediocre, the restaurant also did not disclose that to us at all. Will not be back here. read more

I guess I haven't been here since the pandemic, though I kept meaning to. The interior seating is changed a lot. On a warm October weekday evening I asked if I could sit outdoors on their nice deck and of course it was very pleasant. I got a big Margarita and a big burrito with rice and beans and I really enjoyed it! I think this place is really good! read more

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The best guacamole salad ever! Staff are friendly and accommodating. Affordable and authentic Mexican Cuisine so far.. Will definitely be back! read more

El Patron Mexican Grill - Guacamole Salad - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Service is terrific, food is tasty and comes in large portions. Outdoor seating is a plus when the weather is cooperative. All in all a good Mexican restaurant. Try the Enchiladas Supremas, they're terrific! read more

Omggggoodness!! Beef Birria Tacos and add a little Queso with the spicy salsa that came with the order is a party in your mouth!!! I love tacos!! But these right here were everything! read more

El Patron Mexican Grill - Beef birria tacos - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Nothing is good about this restaurant. I took away the deluxe burritos on a Friday night. One came with chicken and the other one with ground beef. Both were covered with cheese and lacked flavor. The rice was terrible and the beans tasted like they came straight out of a cold tin. I hate wasting food but the whole meal went straight to the bin. read more

The food was good. The server was very attentive. The drinks were on point. Good spot on a Tuesday night read more

El Patron Mexican Grill - Street Tacos, Chicken and Shrimp Fajitas, 2 regular and 2 soft tacos - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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Great service, welcoming and pleasant atmosphere, the food is excellent and the margaritas with all fresh ingredients are amazing! Definitely recommend this place. Just wish they stayed open a bit later! read more

The place doesn't have a lot of ambiance but I think they've got a Mexican grandma back in the kitchen whipping up some seriously authentic food. I got the birria tacos and they were fantastic. Highly recommend this restaurant--a hidden gem! read more

El Patron Mexican Grill - Birria tacos - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

I like places with good food and great ambiance. El Patron is located in an odd part of Durham, but once you are at the restaurant the scenery, pace and your dedication to any other Mexican restaurant changes. This is by far the best place to sit outside, drink a margarita, or alcoholic smoothie, eat a fantastic meal that doesn't feel overly Americanized, and just relax. I'm not a big fan of most of the Mexican places around here because they always feels like overkill with all of the decor and most everything typically tastes like grease. El Patron is our new "go to". I just wish it hadn't taken so long to find it. read more

Went there to eat for the first time today after teasing a friend that apparently they were Duke fans since they had a #1 Fan Duke sign on their outside on the Patio side.....Definitely had a variety of sports on the TV ranging from Soccer (the world's number one sport) to Bowling and College Basketball.......The food was definitely tasteful and the Wait staff was friendly......Bill was comparable to other Mexican restaurants like El Rodeo and Torero so wouldn't call it cheap but wouldn't call it expensive either...More like Moderate...Will definitely be back.....Haven't tried the drinks but that might be on my return trip... read more

Food is always very good! The California burrito did not disappoint! Eating in or take out the food is always consistently good! read more

Everything you'd expect in a Mexican restaurant, minus the flavor. If you like bland food you'll probably enjoy it!

Above average Mexican food. The flavors and quality ingredients and flavor. I ordered ala cart vegetarian items. Salsa was tasty and chips weren't stale. Parking was a breeze, place was clean and the service was friendly and fast. They are setup for an efficient take out service and it does seem popular. read more

El Patron Mexican Grill - Guacamole was unique. Kinda creamy and very fresh. - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Nice hidden spot. Margarita was delicious and beautiful. We both got the combo platter. Steak was not offered, but I would have preferred it over the chopped beef. Service was ok. read more

I've been here before many times and it's always been a good experience. This evenings dinner was quite the experience. The services was mediocre, everyone was extremely nice but our waitress didn't know English well and messed up our orders. Then instead of fixing it and bringing out a new plate of food (which could of been two but I didn't want to complain) they just didn't charge her and I guess didn't expect her to eat anything because they didn't bring her a new plate. It was a big mess and hassle and feel like a lot of it was just a language barrier. We certainly weren't expecting free food but some kind of compensation for their mistakes would have been a nice gesture. My quesadilla was good but I missed the grilled onions I ordered with it. read more

Great fresh authentic food!!! Waitress was wonderful. Great mojito and margaritas. Definitely recommend and will be back .. read more

El Patron Mexican Grill - Taco Tuesday .99 tacos - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Highly recommend trying the Birria tacos. Definitely come hungry as the portions are massive. So flavorful with every bite

The service is what really makes this place. Family owned with such caring and fast customer service. Now don't get me wrong the food is also good and affordable. I think they could be a little cleaner but other than that I love it and will definitely be returning! read more

Awesome Place! We have passed by this place for years, and had heard really good things, so we finally tried it and Man O Man was it Awesome. The food was really good, and the service quick and friendly. Of course we picked up as we are not doing the sit down thing until we get vaccinated, the food was still piping hot when we got it home which was a big plus to begin with. read more

Hubby kept asking and I was hesitant about this place. Loved it. The salsa is not your usual watery heat fest, a little thicker and full of flavor. The skinny margarita took a while to make but I got to watch them squeeze that fresh juice and it did not disappoint! We ordered our favorite chile rellenos to test the food and were rewarded with fresh peppers cooked just right. The ground beef filling was not mushy at all(sometimes I wonder if it has refried beans in it at other places). And the cheese tipping was just melted- obviously these were cooked up fresh. Waitstaff was friendly and fast- just the right amount of attention. The place is very clean as well. I recommend it. Enjoy! read more

El Patron Mexican Grill - Chile Rellenos- okay we took a bite before the photo!! - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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This establishment is RACIST. I am of Hispanic decent and I date an African American man. We walked in for the first time to eat lunch on 6/1/17 and placed our order to go. As my boyfriend is making his way to the restroom, the girl who took our order used a derogatory term while referring to him "where is that n*** going" Due to being on the clock, we decided to call and make a formal complaint over the phone, and we were hung up on mid sentence by a different person. I called again and spoke to the manager who did not seem to care. Due to me having friends in common with the restaurant owners, I let them know of the situation; they informed me they don't care about unhappy customers or their rude employees because all of them are family. Unacceptable. read more

Just tried el Patron last night. Nice surprise. The food was reasonably portioned and quite tasty, and the house margarita was better than some of the other traditional spots. The decor was bright and fresh and didn't appear to be a converted ice cream parlor. I enjoyed it enough to return. read more

El Patron Mexican Grill - Macho Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

This place has the best salsa around. Love salsa Verde as well. All the lunch specials are reasonably priced and a very generous proportion. I have never had a bad meal here and look forward to eating here again soon read more

El Patron Mexican Grill - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

Awesome food and even better service. Unfortunately for me they were closed tonight and had to settle for elsewhere

Wellenjoyed it so much we had to go back while in Durham. Once again the food was delicious, the service awesome and the prices were great. It truly is a nice quaint M exican restaurant. Tucked away in a corner of a strip mall like area. But if you just give it a try. I am posting more pics so you can see the nice size portion you get for your money. We will be back, when in Durham. I love their tomatillo sauce and salsa. Their chips are light and crispy. Great M exican food, and place altogether. read more

El Patron Mexican Grill - This was so delicious, can't spell it or pronounce it but great plate. - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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They have definitely improved in all the 4 years my husband and I have been coming here. The food has always been very very good. I love the revamped look though.. I have also seen so much more people coming here now. This place has great food. You must try! read more

Our family comes here several times a month. It's great! We love the staff, so friendly and nice all the time. Everything we have had here has been wonderful. Vibrant atmosphere! Whether you are up for a casual dining experience (lunch or dinner), or just want to relax and catch a game on one of their many flat screens, you will feel at home. read more

Wow the food was disgusting I ordered fajita burrito the chicken tasted old and it had a watery been juice. My wife ordered the beef nachos they was soft and looked like the chips was old and had no taste next time I want Mexican food Taco Bell is better then this place the food sucks and then they changed my credit card 31 dollars and the bill was 24 dollars never again read more

Good service. $2.50 Mexican Beers on Thursday. Huge *delicious* portion of enchaladas rancheras. Loved it and will definitely be back. read more

El Patron Mexican Grill - Delicious Enchiladas Racheras with a ton of pork! - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

They charged me for food I didn't receive, service is usually good. horrible experience and bad service.Check your receipts

This place is hidden so not many people know about it but the service is fast and friendly and the food is delicious and affordable! What's not to love about all that! Great drink specials and cheap but delicious food! I had a combination player with a chicken quesadilla, chicken burrito and bed soft taco! It was so much food for only $8. Every table also comes with complimentary chips and salsa which were also really good! On Tuesdays, they have dollar taco day which is hard to beat anywhere! Definitely worth a try! read more

El Patron Mexican Grill - Chicken quesadilla, burrito and beef soft taco! - Mexican Near Me - Durham, North Carolina