Omg! My bestie order me and my mom an enchilada plate. Let me tell you: we were disappointed in not having a picture of our food. It was soooo delicious that we ate it up hella fast. The presentation of each plate was amazing. Enchiladas surrounded by cheese, meat, and... more cheese. The service was fast and friendly. The restaurant was a vibe. We are coming back! read more

"You've live in Austin how long and never ate at El Patio?! It's the best Tex Mex in Austin!" So I finally went and can honestly say, it's the best Tex Mex for people that don't like Mexican food. Bland and flavorless. How they're still in business since the 1950s is beyond me read more

Finally, after 40 years I return. Up front let me say, this is an old school Austin hole in the wall serving Texas style Tex Mex! Just that simple. If you come here wanting to decipher what the "old days" were like, you will be rewarded with a history lesson of simpler times.. Come hungry,get some cheese enchiladas,chips,salsa and of course a taco and you'l be a happy camper. Extra points for taco Tuesday! Go! read more

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Ordered chilli and cheese enchiladas! They didn't ask red or green sauce. Didn't have chili. Was just a folded tortilla with cheese inside and the whole plate was cheese. $22 for a plate of Cheese read more

El Patio - Chili and cheese enchiladas? No chilli, just tortilla and cheese for $21. - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

We had been on a trip to check out Ceviche7 which, unfortunately, was closed. Then we saw El Patio and decided to try this Austin stalwart. In business since 1954, the restaurant is definitely old school and the interior has that 50's vibe but in a good way. The service was friendly and prompt and our chips and salsa arrived at the table literally as we sat in our chairs to begin perusing the menu. The selections are unsurprising but what you might expect at a Tex Mex joint in Austin: tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, chalupas...pretty typical. Our fajitas and enchilada came out quickly and noisily sizzling away. Fajita meats were cooked spot-on with a good helping of onions and peppers beneath. In fact the portions were generous with everything set before us. Our server was constantly checking on us and made sure our drink glasses were full. Was the food amazing? Not really. It was solid food and delicious, and the experience was awesome overall and worth the visit. Prices were definitely easy on the wallet. Recommended. read more

El Patio - Menu - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Super conflicted. The food is NOT good. It has no flavor. I've gotten multiple dishes here and the only thing I can actually eat is a plain quesadilla. However, the service is AMAZING. Our server Alex was so nice and attentive, despite the busy restaurant. Good place for margaritas and chips, but I wouldn't get food again. read more

El Patio - Quesadilla - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

I would rather eat a microwave burrito in a gas station parking lot than ever go back to El Patio. The food tasted like someone Googled "Mexican food" and then guessed every ingredient wrong. The salsa had the flavor profile of spicy ketchup left out in the sun, and the queso had the consistency of melted plastic. Service was somehow even worse. Our waiter disappeared so often I thought he transferred to another restaurant mid-shift. We waited so long for the food that I had time to reconsider my entire life and question every decision that led me to sitting in that booth. The atmosphere felt like a sad birthday party where nobody showed up. The music was loud, the tables were sticky, and the overall vibe was "health code violation but make it festive." If disappointment were a restaurant, it would be El Patio. 0/10. I would not recommend it to my worst enemy. read more

I went to UT in the 90's. I don't know if I didn't go to El Patio because I ate so many of the TV dinners or I thought it was expensive. Fast forward 20 years later and we finally give it a try. That was pretty good stuff and the price wasn't bad. Fast forward to today. El Patio has been in our rotation for a few years now. I really like the crispy tacos, although they're a little more like a chalupa. The enchiladas are excellent too. We showed up for happy hour, didn't really hold back, and wound up with a $50 tab. Maybe we only had two margaritas, but anytime you add drinks to an order these days, you're getting a $70+ bill (I'm looking at you, Fresa's). I will lamentfully note their queso is not all that good compared to everything else. Their chips though? Oh man, their chips. We were solid El Milagro customers until a friend had some El Patio chips at the house. They are so crispy, so light, and so corny, my God they're good. El Patio brings a solid Tex Mex game and there's usually parking to be had. read more

El Patio has been a running joke in our family for years because, when we first went here many moons ago in our pre-Yelp days, it was one of the worst meals we ever had in the city. We even made a comical epithet for it that we won't share here to protect delicate eyes Anyway! We heard that they were under new ownership and that everything is better, so we decided to give it a go this past weekend. It still retains lots of charm on the inside and it was so nice, for a brief while, not hear any loud music playing. Things did not start off auspiciously. The frozen margarita is pretty good, but the balance of ingredients for the one on the rocks was way off. We ordered the supreme queso and the beef in it was so greasy that you could see the melted fat pool in the queso, which itself wasn't quite fully melted, so the whole thing was a bowl of glop. Our daughter ended up with the wrong dish, but her enchilada was fine. The chalupa one of us got was pretty bland and the beef on it (ironically) was quite dry. Meh. The El Patio #3 was consistent with everything else on the table. Our server was very nice but she messed up a couple of our orders. Well, at least the value was there! We're glad we went because the last thing we want to see is another Austin institution die but we cannot say in good faith that the food here is good. 2.5 stars, rounding up in a spirit of local business support. read more

We received the best service from Gabriel! He let me charge my phone, brought out substitutes for things we ordered incorrectly and all with a great attitude. Thank you so much Gabriel! read more

Don't let the name fool you, this is not the same El Patio that is in Houston. The place is just a no all around. No air conditioning. The food was mediocre. The rice was more of a tomato sauce base than what most Mexican rice is. The tortilla's are not home made. They taste similar to mission tortillas. So strange for a Mexican restaurant in Texas to not have great tortillas or maybe I'm just spoiled from living in Houston with amazing Mexican food. Either way we definitely won't be back. The only thing it had going for it was the nice waiter that was running the bar and helping our table. read more

We decided to stop here on our way home from San Antonio since we love their tortilla chips they sell in stores. We got seated right away and the chips and salsa was very good. Nice and fresh! We ordered sweet tea to drink and it was very sweet my husband said he can taste granulated sugar so it seemed like maybe it wasn't mixed well. We ordered the Spanish chicken Enchilada with beans and rice and the chicken fajitas. Hubby said the chicken fajitas were good and flour tortillas were fresh. The rice seemed undercooked and the beans were alright. My Enchiladas had weird taste to it and the tortillas were not soft very hard and undercooked. It was not good I got sick shortly after and felt very ill! Not a good thing to do especially on a road trip back home. The service was good but food for me is a 3 out of 10. I dont think we will be coming back. Definitely gonna buy their chips still since they are amazing lol read more

El Patio - Spanish chicken enchiladas and chicken fajitas - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

Just a heads-up -- this has NOTHING to do with the restaurant itself, but about the parking situation. If you park in their lot, you are not allowed to go anywhere else -- not even for a minute -- before or after eating at the restaurant. My friends and I parked at 5:17 PM and walked a few steps over to check the hours of a nearby thrift store to see if we'd have time to stop by after dinner. We came back to the car at 5:21 PM to grab a phone, and it already had a boot on it -- placed at 5:19 PM, just 2 minutes after we parked. The man who showed up said it would be $100 to remove it. We explained we were planning to eat at the restaurant, but he still refused. He said that even if you do eat at the restaurant, you're not allowed to go anywhere else before or after -- or you'll still get fined. We ended up leaving and not eating there at all. Just wanted to warn others before they park -- the rules are very strict and the enforcement is immediate. read more

El Patio - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

Great customer service, specifically Betro! The queso and food is amazing. The vibes are always right in there!!

WONDERFUL.... The magic of the WISHING WELL, is back .....! I was worried if this historic little oasis of TeX-MeX , L O V E....! could hang on. But their (Staff & Owners) have done the damn near imposable of opening back up and doing business in Austin Texas where it damn near IMPOSABLEe for small family run businesses to operate... Stick with the Number #1 on the menu...., or any of the fan favorites listed ....... These good people are attempting the imposable some nights, however if your expecting perfect move on, but I for one can over look the small hiccups and be thankful the neighborhood and west side of history at El Patio..... I do wish they would bring back the crackers with butter and hot sauce. read more

Always our go to restaurant for Mexican food in Austin. Maria was our waitress and did a great job on a busy night.

second time visiting because i wanted to give them another chance after months, and just believe it when the reviews say that the cheese in the enchiladas tastes like melted kraft cheese squares.. everything is flavorless and barely tolerable. store bought enchiladas would have been so much better. sincerely confused as to how this place is so popular. read more

El Patio has some of the best chips I've ever had in my life -- I seriously couldn't stop eating them. The food itself took way too long to come out, and I was already full from the chips by the time it did, but honestly, they were so good it almost made the wait worth it. read more

Maria has been so amazing tonight! So kind and such an amazing server. We appreciate her so much! Thank you Maria!

I ate here with my girlfriend a couple of weeks ago and had a decent experience--good food, quick and friendly service. Unfortunately, our most recent visit was a completely different story and we won't be returning. We stopped by yesterday to eat at El Patio again. Before heading in, we quickly ran into the adjacent thrift store to pick up some clothes we had previously dropped off (we were in and out in under two minutes). I then walked back to the car to drop the clothes off while my girlfriend went into the restaurant to ask for a table. Within that incredibly short window, an "employee" from Central Parking Enforcement booted our car. Despite clearly seeing us return and enter the restaurant, he refused to remove the boot. He even went into the restaurant to get my girlfriend--further proving that we were there to dine, not abuse parking. This restaurant uses a private towing company that boots vehicles almost immediately, even if you're a legitimate customer. The "parking enforcement employees" attitude was dismissive and unprofessional, and the entire situation felt aggressive and unfair. We won't be returning after this experience. read more

Came here for breakfast with my wife. After parking she ran into the cute thrift store next door, was in there for about 6 minutes. While walking to the restaurant I noticed that there had already been a boot placed on my car.. the young boy (Adrien battle) had been hiding waiting for us to park and boot the car, he then demanded $100 to take it off. We will never return to El Patio. Don't waste your time with this place. read more

This is super old-timey Austin Mexican food. It's like mat have the Velveeta delivered by the truckload. Not fancy. Not adventurous. Nice ambiance, pretty good food, pretty fast service. You know what you're in for when you walk in the door. No surprises. Once you become a regular they'll call you by name and hug you coming in. read more

The enchiladas here will rival any Tex-Mex in Austin! I am the 3rd generation in my family to make this a must stop when in ATX. Great staff, hot food, and cold beer! read more

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I am so glad we popped in here after thrifting. The food was delicious and the building is quirky and historic! read more

El Patio - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

This place is a great place and honestly they serve up some of the best Tex Mex around. Queso is amazing, same with the chips and salsa. I ordered the David Special which was a lot of food. The parking is limited due to the size of the parking lot and service is middle of the road. But the food more than makes up for it. read more

Love this place. I try to get other stuff on the menu but my go to is 2 cheese enchiladas w rice and beans and guacamole salad. That plus the chips and salsa, a DP, and the occasional order of queso w friends, and the occasional margarita.. pretty much perfecto. I personally like my crispy tacos folded and able to be held, so the El Patio tacos have never been my favorite, but it doesn't bother me one bit, and many people seem to love them. The staff is ALWAYS pleasant and remembers us for the most part, and if there are the occasional misstep, it's always corrected quickly. Don't hesitate to discover or rediscover this Austin original. Imagine how hard it would be to stay open for 70+ years. Good help you if you try and go on a UT home game though ;D read more

betro had phenomenal customer service and was an amazing server that made me want to come back! chips and queso here are some yummy

Honestly if you want real Mexican food I would never ever ever recommend this place. They messed up our drinks, they messed up our food (which we waited an hour for), and then the food was really not enjoyable and extremely bland. The service was also not great and the waiters seemed annoyed when we asked for the items that we had actually ordered instead of what they gave us. I never leave reviews but honestly this was the worst dining experience ever would not recommend. read more

The food was delicious but my car got booted even though I had eaten here I had to pay 100 dollars. They said even if i confirmed with the workers i still had to pay. Please fix your parking read more

We've been going to el patio since 1989 but since they changed owners from the original family a few years ago, the food is not as good and the margaritas are not as good and it's more expensive. The chips are great, but their salsa has changed and is not worthy. The service is good, however. read more

Had them at a catering event and got the nachos but they didn't even provide napkins for their customers.

Gracie was amazing !!! She was super attentive and lovely, the nicest bartender ever ! Great service and the chips and salsa were bomb! The frozen margaritas were also delicious and the restaurant was bustling and so fun !!! So good! read more

So I ordered a quesadilla to go and it was $14. The tortilla itself is delicious and huge! Let down with the cheese whizz instead of actual cheese, and the to go order had little to no actual guacamole, it was a dash on top and a LOT of lettuce. The ambiance inside is amazing and very cozy. And the manager that runs the bar is a really kind person and so are the other employees. Unfortunately the high price point for the quesadilla, the lack of guacamole (cutting corners with the lettuce) and the cheese whiz keep this place from receiving 5 stars for me. But I'll be going back fs read more

El Patio - Quesadilla - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

I recently had El Patio chips at a party and fell in love. I was delightfully surprised to learn that El Patio was a restaurant, and even more surprised when I learned it was less than ten minutes from my doorstep! I immediately made plans to grab my girlfriend and visit. We were greeted by a friendly staff and an energetic atmosphere. Our waitress, Alex, made our experience nothing short of amazing. She was very knowledgeable of the menu and answered all of our dietary questions. The food was amazing and the strawberry margarita was top notch! Thank you el patio! read more

El Patio - Frozen strawberry margarita - Tex-Mex Near Me - Austin, Texas

Bucket List Check! I lived in Austin for 10 years, mostly in the 80s. I never stopped into El Patio although I always wanted to. I even worked a couple of blocks away at a Bed & Breakfast that last year I was in Austin 93, and never stopped in there. Well, old Austin is soon disappearing, so I have a list of places that I want to hit up again or maybe even for the first time, like El Patio. Remember El Patio frozen dinners? I did my research for this review... not the same company. Although for the record, it was a San Antonio man that first decided to make frozen dinners in the 60s after seeing the Air Force fly boys loving San Antonio Mexican food... the frozen dinners gave them an option to bring the Tex-Mex flavor home with them. El Patio Austin began in 1954, almost 70 years ago. That's amazing to see any business, especially a restaurant, open for so long. Although the original family did close the restaurant in 2019 so they could retire. Within a month, it was re-opened by members of the same family with same menu and wait staff. I stopped in one weekday last month, just as they opened so I was the first customer of the day. It's a tiny place. I really enjoyed the chips, light and crispy. There is one thing I loved about this old school Tex-Mex family-owned restaurant is that they served the combo plate like I remember back in the 60/70s at other similar restaurants like El Fenix in Dallas where I grew up... the taco, chalupa, guacamole is served separately before the enchilada plate. I like those served this way as it keeps the shells from getting mushy sitting on top of enchiladas when served all together. That's a super win for me. Thanks El Patio for still keeping it original! read more

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disgusting food and horrible service, would never recommend to anyone, avoid this place

Went to El Patio with some friends and we had such a good time. The margaritas were only $5 on a Sunday! Our server, Alex, was super helpful in explaining the menu items and was so charismatic, she actually made our experience that much better. I would definitely recommend asking for her if you go there if you want excellent service. 10/10 read more

Omg..I have been reading about this most amazing, incredible, delicious one of a kind restaurants in Austin! I have so many loving memories of going there around 1966-67 with my beloved mama, Henrietta and my Step Dad Ernest..after we left the VFW 8787 and playing bingo on Friday nights we always went there to eat..and yes, I so remember the crackers served with hot sauce..so good! Sometimes even Mr. Joseph would wait on us but if he was there he would ALWAYS come chat with us..such a gracious, loving wonderful man..and yes again, he always treated you as family..may he rest in peace..thank you to the Joseph family for not only El Patio, but The Stallion too! If not for yall opening some of Austin's fine restaurants, my youth would definitely lack in loving memories.. Thank you to the current owners for keeping a Austin's tradition still very much alive! read more

Husband & I love their chips & salsa. Its our grocery store "go-to". So, we decided to give the restaurant a try. It wasn't bad, but there are a few things to consider. Its "Tex-mex", the tacos may confuse you as tostadas. I had the "Seniorita Plate" and my husband got a variety of enchiladas. He was pleased with the verde sauce. Unfortunately, his stomach didn't agree. I thought the cheese enchilada reminded me of the skillet queso at Chili's. Anyway, I give it a 3. Not bad, but have had better. The chips and salsa are so good- they sell them at the register counter. read more

You don't come here for the food, you come here for the vibes. It attracts an older clientele. The food is not amazing, but the pricing is reasonable. The margaritas are weak and sugary, but the price reflects that. Our server, Francis, was incredible! read more