El Patron has been our Mother's Day tradition for a few years now. My Mom truly Loves this place. My Mom , fiancé and I showed up a little before noon and the place was basically empty. We picked our table and were on our way. I Love the fact that they started doing Margarita pitchers! So guess where we started! Always have to get the special Salsa with our hot Chips, no Pico de Gallo. These 4 Salsas cover the full spectrum.....a flavorful yet mild Salsa Verde, a Earthy Arbio, a spicy Habanero Aioli and a killerHOT Habanero Salsa round out this great offering., They have a great Birria de Chivo plate and that's what I went for.....plus Rice and a Salad. Tasty chunks of goat simmered in a super flavorful sauce just really satisfies the palate. The Rice is always hot, fluffy, and is one of the best Mexican Rices around.....lots of flavor. I like to use the Habanero Aioli as the dressing on my Salad. It really compliments the chilled, crispy lettuce and the tang of the Cheese. My Mom got a shredded Chicken Taco with Rice and Beans, and she was extremely satisfied. My fiancé got 1 Chicken Enchilada with Red Sauce and another with Green Sauce. She really Loved the combo. Aleen is a great server. A great smile, very attentive and a warm personality. Her service is top notch. Thank you to the entire crew at El Patron for the continued consistency, excellent service and all the flavor.i read more

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Located right by the Bunny museum (at least where museum was). This is a small but mighty restaurant especially after the Eaton Canyon fire. In fact the buildings exactly across the street were all affected so very little business left in this immediate area. Let's keep supporting our small business. Seems like a semi ghost town for all the businesses near here. Parking is on the streets which is enough. Seating is very little inside maybe 9 tables but there is about 10 outdoors. Price is right. Very affordable for this area. Anywhere $12-$20 depending if you order seafood. Oh there is a kids menu for $11.50 where there is a a selection of Mexican food or chicken nuggets. Bottle of entire wine is $23 (great). Food time.... Every table gets chips/ salsa. I like to order appetizer combo that comes with taquitos, quesadilla, chips with chicken or beef. Burritos are super huge (can never eat even half) with a delish red or green sauce on top. Served hot and tasty plus plenty of meat inside. We also ordered fish tacos a la cart which was good. Rice and beans are very tasty. I really would like to order breakfast next time because plenty of people talk about their yummy breakfast. Freshly made flan is only $8.99 which I highly recommend. Every bite is worth it and so smooth. Fridays is karaoke night but I haven't been so maybe soon. Thank you El Patron staff for being so friendly. Thank you for supporting Altadena. See you soon. read more

El Patron - Mexican Near Me - Altadena, California

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Maggie makes you feel like family. Here for their 16th Anniversary and Cinco de Mayo. They hired mariachi band to celebrate and arranged their customers. Great beers and cocktails. Had their margaritas. You know a place is authentic Mexican food based on their salsa, and theirs hit the mark. Had Ceviche and Chile Relleno! Fantastic and huge portion! Maggie went around passing fans and gave tequila shots for anyone who was game! She also introduced and brought around her beautiful grandbabies! What a treat! We should all support Altadena small businesses whenever we can! read more

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Great air conditioning at this corner eatery. Ordered juries ranchero with corn tortillas & taco y chili relleno. I liked my rice but hubby thought it was on drier side. He thought beans could be better. I liked the pico salsa. I asked if they had different salads and was brought four others! Service was nice i like the location next to a quant little parkscape. Come drive up to Altadena Forever this is on lake Ave. Taco Tuesday $2.50 read more

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I stopped here today for a late lunch this way I didn't have to wait, this place has indoor seating and outdoor seating, plus there is a park in the rear with picnic tables, This place has WiFi and I sat down to eat so I would not get any food on my clothes like I do when trying to eat in my car. The seating area inside has very comfortable seats and the tables are large and spacious, so it is not tight against my belly. I highly recommend eating at this location. read more

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Wanted to support a local family business in the area. I wanted a non chain restaurant. Glad this restaurant is still standing after the fires. Quaint corner restaurant. I like their atmosphere and ambiance. Food is good. Service is good. I enjoyed my lunch. Good stuff. read more

El Patron - Mexican Near Me - Altadena, California

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Omgeee I fell in love with this place!!! My granddaughter loves dr. Seuss books, and she's been very fascinated with green eggs, and ham!! my granddaughter, kindly asked the server, if they had huevos verdes con jamón because my granddaughter is fluently, Spanish and the server said no. I'm sorry we don't. Obviously we knew they weren't gonna have green eggs and ham. so, we had our order. We were eating, and the young lady came to us,and said guess what we have on the menu. Sure enough it was green eggs and ham. This is a kind of service that you love because they go above and beyond without knowing you. And it's very appreciated. Thank you read more

El Patron - Green eggs and ham!!!! - Mexican Near Me - Altadena, California

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Don't go on Friday evenings unless you like Karaoke. The place is way too small for this, so it makes it hard to talk to someone if you're planning a cozy dinner date. This is the wrong place for that. read more

Little wait time. Good food and reasonable prices. Friendly atmosphere, nice staff. Lots of options and they will make to order for special requests. read more

Came in for an early dinner. Some great weekday happy hour meal specials. $7.99! Carne Asada tacos were delicious. Tap Modelo was ice cold and service was fast and friendly. Charming little place that survived the fires. Lots of family and cultural pics on the walls. Come support this great little Mexican food spot in Altadena. read more

El Patron - Tacos asada - Mexican Near Me - Altadena, California

Very nice restaurant in Altadena. The service was great, and the food satisfied us all. My family loves all their different salsas and the with the varying spice levels we all were able to find the right one to suit each of our tastes. read more

Street taco supper delicious, service is excellent. Come join their taco Tuesday and try it out!!

Nice Mexican restaurant on Lake Ave in Altadena. It's a casual place with indoor and outdoor seating and friendly staff. The food is good and I love sitting outdoors because of the nice mountain view. My sister tried a tostada and I had the quesadilla. Please support this business, they barely survived the fire and need the community to come through so that they can stay open. read more

El Patron - Tostada - Mexican Near Me - Altadena, California

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Went here for lunch today to support local Altadena small businesses --- and to have an amazing meal! I had the Chile relleno, and a soft taco with Shredded beef. It was exactly what my taste buds were looking to have. Not every day a craving itch can actually get scratched! The portion was big too! I couldn't eat it all. More to have later :) The server was very helpful in choosing my meal. I wasn't sure what I wanted; just simply I knew it wanted Chile relleno. Well, she took care of me and was extremely sweet while doing so. I am glad el patron feels like it's unharmed by the fires ((even though I know it has)). What i mean is, the ambiance is still welcoming, music is playing, and you're comfortable once you take a seat. El patron, keep going strong! read more

El Patron - Chile relleno rice and beans - Mexican Near Me - Altadena, California

I love the chilaquiles! If you're here in late afternoon/evening, have a margarita and enjoy the views of the mountains. Service is always friendly and the surroundings are so cozy and cheerful. read more

I can't say enough how much we love El Patron. It's our go-to for take out and just simply the best local Mexican in the area. Everyone here is so lovely and welcoming. Their margaritas are worth mention and my favorite dish is the Chile rellenos. It's simply perfect. Their outside patio is cute and it's a nice reminder of what we are holding onto. read more

El Patron - Mexican Near Me - Altadena, California

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When I say this place hits the spot; this place hits the spot. The Paloma is a MUST try. The service is 10/10. In a returning customer. This business has persevered through a lot and is still thriving and putting out great food and service. Give them a try. read more

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the owner is very sweet! the food has a delicious flavor to it the horchata is so good aswell i recommend

All the one star reviews are close to accurate. A zero star would be exact. Only positive thing about this place is negra modelo draft and the architectural design and adjacent park. read more

This is one of my favorite places for homemade Mexican food! The shrimp enchiladas and goat birria were AWESOME! The team is so sweet and sincerely grateful. After the devastating fires in January, please consider driving up the Lake Avenue corridor to support them if you're in the area. Not only is the food fantastic, but let's all keep this and all local small Altadenaean businesses going since so many of their customers, who've become extended family over the years, have had to relocate. read more

Food was delicious! Family-owned restaurant that survived the fires in Altadena. Everything our table had was so good. Definitely recommend! read more

El Patron - Crispy taco, carne asada taco - Mexican Near Me - Altadena, California

I've been coming to El Patron for many years and have always loved the food and service. Today was the first time I came in since the fires, and can confirm the food and service is still great! Thanks to everyone at El Patron for a great experience! read more

El Patron - Ensalada De Camaron/Shrimp Salad - Mexican Near Me - Altadena, California

Had lunch at El Patron today. It was my first time there. Am trying to support as many Altadena businesses as possible. Cute place! Food was tasty. I just had a taco/enchilada combo. Loved the spicy salsa options! Service was outstanding. Go and support small businesses in Altadena! ‍‍‍‍ read more

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I came here with a group of five, and it was honestly a huge disappointment. From the start, the staff made no effort to accommodate us -- even though we called ahead because I had my service animal with me. We were told that the owner of the establishment does not allow the staff to move tables to seat bigger parties. This came as a shock because the owner asked us to consider returning with our church. We brought close to 40 people from our church to help this business and sadly they were not able to accommodate all in attendance. As a whole we will not return. The food was average at best and definitely not worth the hassle. With so many other restaurants nearby that actually care about their customers, I wouldn't bother coming back. read more

First... the place is really cute. Comfy booths, small cozy size, adorable photos... but, there were no Latinos eating here... it was definitely the worst tasting Mexican food I've had in years. The margarita was undrinkable, the mole was swimming with oil and very bitter, maybe it was old, the chicken breast strips were cooked hard... the server said "I hope you enjoy it" with concern in her voice, because she knew we wouldn't. My boyfriend had the fajitas. The meat was overcooked, but the vegetables were cooked well. The beans were ok, but the rice and guacamole had no flavor. The waiter knew we weren't happy... but didn't offer to fix anything. My boyfriend said he wished he'd taken us to Carl's Jr.'s. Well, you've been warned... might I suggest trying your luck with any of the fine taco trucks on Lake instead? read more

Amazing food! Amazing owner!!! We all need to support our local businesses and this one is easy to support with its delicious food and customer service we love! read more

We were told to support El Patron since its been hard to get going after all the fires. We celebrated a birthday there and the food was good! Nothing oily or overly greasy. Just good, tasty food with excellent service. We will definitely go back. Support local business and have a taquito or tamale! Yum!! read more

Whenever my friends and I get together, the vote for "favorite Mexican food" is always El Patron! Breakfast, lunch, dinner--the meal never fails to be classic Mexican style and delicious. The restaurant has a family feel, with servers who never fail to be courteous and friendly. El Patron will continue to be our favorite! read more

The staff is rude is already a red flag but the food is overpriced for the quality and portion of it. Wish I wasn't in a rush to leave or I'd make a bigger deal for a refund because it was that serious. On top of all that I go food poisoning shortly after very disappointing experience read more

I strongly recommend this restaurant last night it was my first time went there with my girlfriend every single thing about this restaurant is amazing very nice employees nice and clean high quality and delicious foods I really enjoyed it and foods with that quality weren't expensive at all this is why I give 5 stars every weekend I'll go there read more

Elvis impersonator was awesome! The food and service were great! Our waitress was so attentive. We hadn't been in a few years (don't know why) so she helped us a bunch. read more

Excellent food! Meals prepared beautifully with large portions, faithful to originla family recipes. A clean and friendly environment, family owned restaurant. Located at the feet of the San Gabriel mountains. Have a great meal with spectacular views of nature. read more

I love the soups, salsa and chip is so yummy I almost get too full. Please support them to continue their business in Altadena read more

Tamales were excellent. My husband usually picks it up at all the favorite eastside Boyle Heights, ELA places but we have to admit El Patron beats them all. Also got taquitos but my son scarfed it down before i got a taste. He loved it. read more

Love this place. Took a long time to finally go there and now we are and will be weekly customers. The best Carnitas tacos I have very tasted. We love this place. So nice, so gracious for the business. It survived the fires. It is a 5 in my book. I am 80 and know my restaurants. read more

El Patron is the best! The service was great and the carnitas tacos were delicious. Highly recommend checking out this neighborhood gem, perfect for lunch with friends and family. read more

El Patron - Mexican Near Me - Altadena, California

Nice atmosphere, Mexican food here is bland, chips were stale & tasted like they were fried in old oil, food had no flavor, Jamaica drink was bland & pink, should be a deep red, horchata was from a dispenser, too sweet & not authentic , bleh food, should have gone to Cabrera's where food is better, they need to add seasonings at least some salt, truly disappointed, if you like microwaved food-this is your place read more

El Patron - Bad Jamaica drink - Mexican Near Me - Altadena, California

Very friendly service and yummy food. Very happy to support them! We will be back for sure.

THEY'RE OPEN!!! Delicious lunch and friendly service. We got fajitas and taco salad. Yum. Very pleased with meal and glad to be now-regular patrons. read more

My first time eating here. I live in Altadena and wanted to support their business. My first impression was that the restaurant didn't come off as being clean. The waitress barely spoke and sat me at an end table near a wall. I had to push the table to get in and out. The margarita was more sweet rather than flavorful. I now know from other reviews that they don't use tequila. It would have been nice to know that before spending $15 for a faux margarita. I ordered the shrimp salad and was surprised they placed hot veggies and shrimp over a cold bed of lettuce, it was just ok. Disapointed I spent almost $40 for a mediocre cocktail and meal. Not going back. read more