The food here is good, solid Mexican. The service was very good. The patio is the place to sit when the weather is cooperative. Inside is a little dark/cramped. (Restrooms are interesting with two toilets but only one stall in the ladies room. Luckily the main door locks. ) Rice and beans great. Loved the flautas. They made a quesadilla for my kid although it isn't technically on the kids menu. Chips and salsa were not a hit for any of us sadly (but this could just a personal preference thing...) Worth a stop! read more

El Patron - Flautas - Mexican Near Me - Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona

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We were in the neighborhood and needed some Mexican food to satisfy that craving. Great place to pop in for some drinks and good Mexican food. read more

El Patron - Chicken burrito - Mexican Near Me - Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona

The food was mediocre. No favor. I wish we asked for hot sauce or something. The waitress was nice but slow. read more

It's uncommon for my fellow Yelpers to let me down. It happened tonight in a big way. My two friends were wanting some Mexican food and El Patron was close to our resort. The service was fine. There were only two other tables. There was confusion over when happy hour ended so I had to ask for the manager. I was able to order my margarita - crisis averted. Then my meal arrived. How do you screw up a taco enchilada combo. They found a way. The meat tasted gross, literally inedible. The beans and rice even tasted dry and bland. When I asked the server to take away my plate that had nearly all of the food remaining and he asked if everything was OK. I expressed my situation. No discount was offered. Do not eat here. It's not worth the risk. read more

El Patron - Combo dinner with shredded beef chimi and ground beef taco - inedible. Literally. - Mexican Near Me - Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona

A great authentic Mexican restaurant in Show Low! Their tacos, burritos and sals are excellent! The service is good and attentive. Don't miss this restaurant next time you're in Show Low! read more

First time eating here and had a great experience! The salsa, surprisingly, had a kick to it and the meals we had were delicious. Service was great. Would definitely eat here again! read more

El Patron - Cheese enchilada - Mexican Near Me - Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona

So good, so relaxing! The food, the open air patio, the happy hour live band, and more! Loved the carne asada enchilada style; and it was so big I shared it with my wife. The sides are awesome too...rice and refried beans. We added a guacamole side order to enhance the experience. Warning...the Skinny Margaritas are AMAZING! Also, the servers are great...so attentive and happy to accommodate your every request. Can't wait for our next visit to El Patron! read more

Service was absolutely horrific. Drinks were ordered and brought out one at a time. Several of the orders were confused and inaccurate. Then we waited for an hour and a half for our food. The only saving grace was the food, it was very good. Some of it was not warm for those nice warm meals were good. read more

Best / most authentic Mexican food in the Show Low / Pinetop-Lakeside area!! Chips made in house. Beans just like Abuelita used to make. read more

El Patron - Carnitas. - Mexican Near Me - Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona

Just had a ground beef taco which was almost tasteless, also a bean tostada, again tasteless. My wife ordered the red tamal with pork, also tasteless with old dry meat. Ordered a sopapilla with the meal and the server said "oh we forgot it" In short go to one of the other place and don't waste your money here! read more

Dog friendly patio and food was fresh. Young man at the front never once looked us in the eye and our server was friendly but we only saw her twice briefly. All in all though I could not get over how dirty and disheveled the place was. Trash and food all over the floor and dirty rags on tables. Flies on the patio were really bad. Despite the food being good can't imagine going back. read more

Food was bad and service was slow and didn't care about the customers. Dirty tables, drinks horrible, server would not show a care in the world read more

No flavor, shame cause cute restaurant. Rice was not cooked all the way, beans needed salt and flavor. Steak fajitas no forever either. Cheese crisp good with green chile but really greasy. Disappointed read more

Small family owned place. Food was tasty and service is s quick and friendly. A local spot. Air conditioning was not working and it was hot and humid inside. Made for an uncomfortable eating experience. However the tacos were filled full and the enchilada had a great green sauce Ion them. Salsa was spicy and chips were fresh. read more

This restaurant is on the edge of Lakeside AZ next to the Lions Den bar. Their tacos and burritos are great. They do have a bar which I did not try on my visit but will try next time I go there. Staff was friendly and prices were reasonable. I would recommend this restaurant. read more

We've come to this area several times over the past decade, but this was our first visit to El Patron. How on earth did we miss this gem for this many years. The food is some of the best Mexican food I've ever had in my life, and amazing. The service is outstanding, food is amazing, and we will definitely be back many times. Cannot say enough good things! read more

We wanted Mexican for cinco de mayo, so this place was open and had an extensive menu of choices. We started with a margarita on the rocks and complimentary chips and salsa. The salsa was a bit bland, but they were very generous with the amount of chips they brought to our table. I ordered the fajitas de camaron--shrimp and mushrooms sauteed with normal peppers and onions. They substituted some lettuce in place of the rice. Other items for the fajitas were refried beans, sour cream, a scoop of guacamole, and pico. When it came, they were very generous with the number of shrimp. Peppers and onions, but no mushrooms on the plate. When I asked about it, he said they'd run out of mushrooms. If I'd known this, I probably would've switched to one of their chicken fajita options. Not a big deal, but they also didn't bring any tortillas with the meal. The fajitas were good, albeit somewhat bland in flavoring. Salt helped. My husband ordered one of the combination dinners and he enjoyed the three items he asked for. It's a cute little restaurant and the servers were all very nice. read more

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Seems quite on the outside but towards the back it's nice with the tv's with sports by the bar; The ambience is really chill and the decor is cute! But what really shines is the food and service from Ariana, who is a great and quick server. I had the carne asada fries and added the salsa, queso, and guacamole (sold separately) which really elevated my meal, definitely recommend! read more

El Patron - The bar (some random kid) - Mexican Near Me - Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona

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Best margaritas in the area. Only place I found that serves salsa that is hot and doesn't taste my tomato sauce. Ask for it. Tip your servers. read more

El Patron - Mexican Near Me - Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona

Great food and reasonable prices! The fajitas are great! My boys like the Mexican pizza and the bean burro with enchilada sauce. We've been back twice now and will visit again when we are back in town. read more

This restaurant was a pleasant surprise. Not many places are a solid 5 stars but this one definitely is. The young man serving us was on top of it. Constant bowl of chips and salsa. The chips were soo good. The most notable excellent thing about the food including the chips is that they weren't drowning in salt! If someone wants to salt, let them salt! Hard to find a restaurant that doesn't drown the food flavor in a salt bath. Thank you for not doing that! They have a delicious hot salsa if you ask for it. Everything was clean and cold AC. I will definitely return here if I come back up. A well deserved 5 stars, folks! read more

Horrific service. Employee vaping large smoke clouds in the kitchen. Promised 20 Minutes for a Togo order that took an hour. No honest reason why it took So long. No discount or accommodation of the order. Customer service is lost here. Never again. read more

We were excited to try this based on reviews. The food was super mediocre. Nothing was good, and nothing was horrible. And the service was incredibly inattentive. We had to go ask for the waitress to take our order after sitting for 20+ minutes (wasn't super busy; she just forgot). Some items were messed up on the order and then not made right until after food was done. Carne asada was overcooked and dry as were the carnitas. Salsa pretty mild. Chips were good. Margarita was huge and not too expensive but tasted like cheap tequila. Between two adults we didn't finish...didn't want to. We are bummed because we wanted to like this. But I don't think there's read more

El Patron - Huge, not god margaritas - Mexican Near Me - Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona

Only for taco Tuesday. One time - won't happen again. Taco sheĺs are store bought and margaritas are only fair.​

Hands-down the best michelada I've ever had and the margaritas are as yummy, strong, and enormous as the ones in Rocky Point, Mexico! As far as food goes, believe it or not, the wings are the best in town--surprising for a Mexican restaurant, I know! read more

Sadly, I'm dropping my rating on El Patron. Salsa and flavor is huge deal at Mexican restaurants and this place is lacking. It's a solid place to eat if you want very basic American Mexican food, but they've changed their salsas. The mild is like tomato sauce and their spicy tastes like a smokey store bought sauce. The food is decent but it's not spicy or distinctive in any way. Service is always great, friendly and fast. Outdoor seating is fun and there was some live music there. read more

El Patron is one of the sadly undiscovered (by many) gems of the White Mountains. I'm often surprised that, on a Saturday night, they are not that busy. They should be packed! Excellent Mexican food in comfortable, clean surroundings. I especially like their Carnitas - large pieces of roasted pork served with sautéed vegetables and tortillas. I get the flour tortillas with melted butter. Excellent! Rice and beans are typical with any Mexican meal, but El Patron's are untypically flavorful! I think they are the best on the mountain! Quality is exceptional, and prices are reasonable. If you haven't tried El Patron, DO! read more

The prices are too much!! Their salsa is bland and has more smell than taste!!! The shells to the tacos were all soggy when they came out. Fell apart!! I've been to multiple mex restaurants here and this one, I will not be returning to! But to each is own!!! Judge for yourself!!! read more

Stopped in while on a road trip, food was great, portions are huge and prices are good too. Biggest molcajete I've ever had! It was for two but could definitely feed 4. read more

El Patron - Molcajete - Mexican Near Me - Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona

The food was middle of the road good, the service was spot on, the restaurant was clean and I really liked the decor. I had the sampler platter that came with wings (2),fried cheese sticks (2), jalapeño poppers (2), flautas (2) and nachos. Plenty for 2 people. I wasn't fond of the beans in the nachos though. They didn't have much flavor. Husband had chicken quesadilla and it was huge. Most of the food was yummy and I will return. Don't order the flan, it wasn't good. It was curdled and not the texture of good flan. read more

Better than expected Mexican for the middle of the mountains in AZ. We had the chicken quesadilla (huge), chicken flautas, and chicken mole. Fresh chips, ok salsa, good rice/beans. Clean restaurant and ok service. Definitely getting a margarita next time! read more

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Excellent food and service. Being from Tucson I cannot believe that this place wasn't busy on a Sunday afternoon. My Husband and I have been searching for the best Mexican Restaurant on the mountain since moving here. This has proven to be the best out of all. The house margaritas are amazing, the food is flavorful and plentiful and the waitresses that we've had are always prompt but never hover; we even got watermelon shots after our food. They offer two different salsas too, mild and spicy. You have to request spicy but it's worth it! HIGHLY recommend this as the TOP Mexican restaurant on the mountain! read more

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Great atmosphere. I am from New Mexico and it's the real deal. Chili rellenos are amazing

The food was amazing and our waitress was amazing handled a lot of tables by herself!! Would highly recommend this place to anyone, they have a dog friendly patio as well. read more

Would not recommend to anyone. The food was mediocre. I got the carnitas with beans, rice, and guacamole. The carnitas were overcooked and it took forever for the tortillas to come out. The service was very slow. We waited for the waitress for possibly and hour. We finally went up to the kind lady at the front to see if she could get someone to take our order. The patio was small and insjde was smaller than expected read more

Food is always good and usually, so is the service. Last time we got a server with an attitude- put a damper on the experience.

Good food , and ample servings. Great margaritas. Friendly staff. Indoor and patio dining with entertainment.

Food was ehhh but what was particularly disturbing was how filthy the menus were! There were hunks of food (not just stains) on both menus that were given to us. Service was less than friendly or welcoming. read more

The food was good. We enjoyed it. The service was a bit slow the day we went. It seemed like they may have been short staffed. It was a cute little Mexican restaurant with a sports bar atmosphere. The ambiance was casual feeling. read more

El Patron - Yummy house margarita - Mexican Near Me - Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona

Love the food. Great value and excellent flavor. The owners are awesome. Absolutely love their margaritas!