I will say this was a great find. As lovers of Mexican food this checked alot of boxes. Our server Liz was very versed with the menu. She directed us to everything we were looking for. The chef had free rein as far as our tacos and not one disappointed. Refried beans, gaucamole, 3 salsas all outstanding. KAREN the bartender made us a smokey Mezcalita that was off the charts. This is a very cool atmosphere with a outdoor garden soon and a event room upstairs. This is a Top place on our list and please check it out. We had alot of food for $80. Drinks outstanding. The food was outstanding and we will be back very soon. read more

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Very nice place with an awesome look. The server was good, attentive & quick. The food was OK. I had a "rice burrito" with five or six little pieces of Carne Asada & more rice in the side. Not my definition of a satisfying meal. I know meat is expensive, but damn there was barely any in the burrito. Maybe I'll try something else that doesn't have so much unnecessary filler next time. read more

What a pleasant surprise! My Goddaughter and I went there and had a fun experience! Food was great and the atmosphere was such a cool vibe!

Not sure where to start. Went for dinner, ordered drinks, appetizer and meals, two couples, separate checks. Drinks arrived, only one couples food ( dinner only no appetizer). Waiter apologized 3 times, but after one couples ate their meal, and we had been there for 1.5 hours, I asked to cancel our order and be comped for my wife's glass of wine. We were told by our waiter that he would need to talk to the manager. Returned stating that the wine would be at no charge and later mysteriously a new glass of wine arrived. Before leaving I clarified that my bill was 0. Was told I owed for a glass of wine, I stated that this was previously discussed and I was not paying for the 2nd glass I did not order. Bad experience in every way. My biggest complaint is why the manager did not get involved, apologize to us and address the situation. In my opinion, both our bill (not delivered) and our friends should have been no charge due to this colossal failure and a manager who appears to be non responsive to issues! read more

We were recommended this place by friends and let me tell you ot did not disappoint. The atmosphere was amazing. The service was beyond amazing. We had Jenny as our waitress and she was so warm and welcoming. We ordered the with all meats on a pig statue and it was delicious and worth every cent. We had told Jenny it was our anniversary and after dinner she helped us celebrate it. We will definitely be back! read more

El Patio - Elgin - Celebrating our anniversary! - Bars Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

Amazing, attentive service and fantastic food!! Found my new go-to Mexican spot!! Everything we ordered was delicious but my absolute favorite was the warm chips and salsa! read more

First time dining here and it was yum! The carne asada is excellent and I am a tough critic. My boo had the fajitas and says they were tender, delicious and flavorful. Our waiter was great and asked for any suggestions or critiques after our meal. The beer was so big I needed both hands to pick it up - Will definitely come back! read more

Great food, amazing drinks! Best place to get margaritas, so many different options! Beautiful place! Service was honestly amazing even though there was only two girls running the place they freaking killed it. Our server was the bartender and her and the waitress had great communication and teamwork. (Shout out Jessie and Julie great work) You could tell they were a bit stressed but still all smiles and amazing service. Second time here and it does not disappoint. Love it here! New favorite Monday spot. Will definitely keep coming back. read more

Not sure I understand the reviews for the place. Food was kind of average, beans were really watery and the salsa was just OK. I did like the rice. Seems like it's "white people mexican". Veggie burrito had no beans and weird things like green peppers. Two doors down is Beaunique which is some of the best food in the area, not sure why you'd ever want to go here instead of there. Not the worst mexican food I've had though, definitely middle of the road. read more

Over priced. Traditional or America tacos there is a $10 upcharge to add lettuce and tomato. Rice and beans were cold. Steak tacos were flavorful but fatty. Just a bizarre vibe for us. Wont be back. read more

Great food and fun atmosphere. Definitely will be going back again. Julie was our waitress and she was super nice.

The food is the best. I love eating there but service is very slow. the live bands are way too loud. The atmosphere is great. This a great place but they do have some things to work on yet. read more

The food was really good. However, if you are not Caucasian they don't really pay attention to you. I was dining with my significance other, I am Hispanic and he is black. We sat around for a long time before they came to ask us if we needed anything. The person that seemed like she was the manager in charge sure checked on the tables next to us, where Caucasians where seated, pretty often. Everyone walked past my table multiple times and only asked once if we where ok. read more

Amazing atmosphere, waitresses were super nice, great food and drinks. I got a blueberry margarita and it was so good! I have never had a blueberry margarita and it did not disappoint. The quesabirria tacos are super good as well! Definitely coming back! read more

I had the taco dinner and it was delicious! The ambiance was also great, so much energy and good music. Service is friendly and attentive.

Karen hace las mejores bebidas en downtown en Elgin, buen ambiente te la pasas genial si buscas un lugar donde celebrar tu cumpleaños se los recomiendo; gracias read more

El Patio - Elgin - Bars Near Me - Elgin, Illinois

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I usually don't leave reviews. The "manager" behind the bar was extremely rude. We celebrated a 21st birthday and when they asked for her id and it was vertical there was a whole ordeal. They first just said no, then when we said we also brought our passport, the manager got annoyed. He additionally asked for a credit card. He then looked at 3 forms of id with an attitude for a long amount of time as if they weren't real. It was weird how much they didn't believe she was 21. It almost made us leave because it was so odd. After we kept repeating that she is 21 and we just wanted to celebrate her birthday, He rudely explained that you have to go to the dmv and get a new id when you're 21. He was condescending and mansplained how to go to the DMV as if we didn't know how it works. Keep in mind, her id didn't expire until May. We completely understand policy and we said that. But the way he almost was mad that we told him we had other forms of id was strange. She was with her parents, she had three forms of id, And she was 21. Turning 21 is supposed to be fun and celebrated but i guess he had a problem with us. Our server was very sweet and apologized but the manager or whatever he is was the problem here.:( read more

Great food and service. Plus the owners are super nice too! Our drinks were good and everything on their menu sounds so good.

Love the food and lively atmosphere! The staff is attentive and friendly. The only thing is that the music is so loud you can hardly talk and have to yell at each other. We were a table of 3 and after 2 hours we felt we had no voice left. We had asked whether the music could be turned down a bit but it did not happen. read more

Food was delicious and service was great!0 The place was crowded but we were seated right away and taken care immediately. read more

Perfect service, amazing food! If you find yourself in Elgin don't skip El Patio. We had the verde enchiladas and birria tacos.....so delicious. read more

We went for a Christmas lunch and I was hoping to have a good margarita. It was delicious! The chips and salsa were served with a selection of 3 sauces which we enjoyed and they were complimentary! We had tacos, and between us we had 4 different ones. They were all delicious! The bartender was very gracious and generous! It has beautiful murals and subdued colored lighting that invites you to relax! We also enjoyed the music that enhanced the experience. It was our first visit and we'll definitely be back! read more

Celebrated my son's birthday there, we had 15 people. Flor took Great care of us with a smile on her face the entire time. Steak tacos, chicken quesadilla, fish tacos all were great, along with the drinks. As advertised very family friendly and a great atmosphere, I would highly recommend giving them a try. Thank you to all of the staff that helped Flor take care of us, Great Food - Service and atmosphere you couldn't ask for Better !!! read more

Wonderful restaurant with cool art on the walls, excellent service by Gilbert and incredibly yummy and not your typical Mexican food! We had the beef tacos with dipping sauce, amazing, the grilled calamari taco, outstanding and the Mexican Omelet was the best!! We will be back!! read more

Food, drinks and service all above average . I'm very picky when it comes to Mexican food and this place ranks at the top . I wasn't expecting much because so often any new place I go to is just so so. However this establishment blew me away. Food was amazing!! read more

The service has been horrendous the last two occasions. Sat outside with my family for 30 minutes and couldn't place a drink order. For the prices being charged for what this place "thinks" it is, the service should match. read more

We heard about this place from friends. They start you off with chips and an amazing salsa platter. All the salsas are great! Food, drinks and service is amazing! I would definitely recommend! read more

The host that seated us had a very unfriendly attitude. I had quesabirria, the tacos lacked taste, the consome had big chunks of fat. My husband had an asada burrito, he disliked the meat very chunky. They were out of lemonade, iced tea, or aguas frescas, very surprised for a Friday evening. The restaurant is nice but that's about it. Will not visit again sadly. read more

Amazing food! Great ambience! Great polite knowledgeable staff! Love this place! Proud to bring people here! Love sitting outside with the river right there! The inside and outside both nice! It's tough to find great food and great atmosphere but this place has it all! The fresh margaritas are great too! read more

Great ambiance, however, the prices on the menu are incorrect. The burrito dinner was $13.00, they charged me an extra $5.00 for the rice and beans. Correct me if I am wrong but, burrito dinner should include rice and beans in the price. Also they had advertised a $7.00 sangria special all weekend long on fb and they charged us full price., $9.50. read more

After viewing different reviews on tik tok and Facebook we chose El Patio for a double date. Let me tell you that from the time we arrived till the time we left we could all not say enough about our experience. From the delicious food, the ambiance, the service and the hospitality of the owner himself. They definetly earned a 10/10! If you're looking for generous portions, flavorful, delectable food accompanied by fast and friendly service you have found the place! I am stoked to return with friends and family. They've definitely earned our business and recommendation. We had the Marranada which is their version of a emparillada but on steroids with succulent cuts of meats, Amazing! Also the guacamole was phenomenal along with the shrimp empanadas! The drinks were awesome! The strawberry mojito and cantarito were nothing short of amazing! Kudos to the owner and his team for making our experience memorable. Our server, Vero was amazing and took the time to make several recommendations from the food to drink menu. My new go to! Definetly put on the top of the priority list!!!!! Thank me later! read more

Nice outdoor patio but the DJ is very loud. Went on a Sunday afternoon and we had a hard time talking over the music. I have no issue with music but it doesn't have to be dance club loud. read more

Had a fabulous time. Great food, drinks and atmosphere! The Marranada presentation is so fun! Recommend this restaurant wholeheartedly!!

Fantastic tacos done with juicy and awesomely prepared steak. Great drinks and tasty array of salsas. I'd definitely recommend this place as it's a bit more gourmet than most Mexican restaurants, for sure! Go Elgin!!!! :) read more

The dinner came out cold ,beans and rice were cold, the tacos were like warm. The salsa was tasteless. Worst Mexican food I ever had, we will never go back. read more

Nice ambiance and very welcoming staff. Recommend making a reservation, but our wait wasn't too bad as our wait was ~15 minutes. I'm a Long Island fanatic and this was the 1st time having a Blue Long Island. Different taste and not as strong as I prefer, but above many other establishments that I have been to. The Flautas as usual are dry, but tasteful so adding some hot sauce was ideal for me. The beans and rice were very good, especially the beans. We really enjoyed the warm chips and salsa. The spicy salsa is excellent as the fire creeps up on you and is tasteful. The only disappointment was that we didn't receive our water until near the end of our meal after asking for water 3-times. We will return and hope this establishment is here to stay. read more

Food is great!!! Service fantastic!! View was great. I will recommend this restaurant!!!

Karen hace las mejores bebidas y las cervezas bien frias y ella es muy hamable y la camida muy rica !

Had dinner there last night for the 1st time. There were 5 of us and all our plates were delicious. The chips along with 3 different salsas were amazing. We all can't wait to go back and servicer could not do enough for us. Oh, and the music and the wall art was amazing. Margaritas were also delicious. read more

This was my first time inside. My sister treated me to lunch for my birthday, and as we were leaving, when the waiter heard birthday, he immediately ordered the special treatment -- sombrero, happy birthday sign, and tequila shot! I think a small ice cream would have been better, because the shot was huge and very strong (after having a margarita). Other than that, the tacos (fish, shrimp, mushroom and chicken) were all excellent, as were the chips and homemade salsas. Relaxing ambiance, music a bit loud for us old people. Great service. We will definitely be back. read more