This place is absolutely phenomenal. The negative reviews are meaningless because my experience was top notch. The place is cozy and very welcoming. It almost reminded me of restaurants I'd frequent on holiday in Zanzibar before moving to the US. The shrimp ceviche is fresh and wonderfully balanced but the star of the evening was the lobster thermidor. I grew up eating lobster thermidor in Tanzania and this is one of the best I have had outside of my home country. Paired with rice and some fresh fries brought back memories. To put it plainly, it is sublime. Rafael is awesome and his hospitality is an art form. This is officially my go to spot on every Puerto Vallarta layover. read more

El Patron - Shrimp ceviche - Seafood Near Me - Puerto Vallarta, JAL

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Great little restaurant. I have been enjoying for years. Highly recommend. Fresh foods, good service, a quaint neighborhood environment.

Our favorite restaurant in PV! Ask for Christian and you won't be disappointed. The food is amazing as are the prices . Bring cash and go early-- early in your week, too because you'll return again before you leave. It's that good! read more

Delicious food, kind service, and great location. We are staying at the Sheraton and it was only a two min walk. Free tequila shots for dessert! Great outdoor/indoor spaces for tables and nice view of the park across the street. I had the coconut shrimp and my husband had a michilada, atún carpaccio, and pecado chicharrón. All were great! read more

El Patron - Free tequila shot for dessert - Seafood Near Me - Puerto Vallarta, JAL

Excellent food but this location is not beachfront and that's okay! I believe this location is better than the beachfront for that. Very reason you don't have as many tourist and the food is absolutely on point order the Aji tower. I had the Aretta and my sister had the chef special excellent food excellent service authentic feel this is the place to go. Make sure you go to the one on the America's not the one that is near the beach. read more

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Was told by another couple at the Sheraton Buganvilias about this place and it was well worth the short walk. Food was very good and the waiters were super friendly. One thing to take note of is that it's cash only. They will take USD! read more

OUTSTANDING EVERY TIME Food beyond comparison Stuffed fish filet Yummy margaritas Service excellent read more

Wonderful drinks and lobster was incredible. Fantastic service In English. Fast service and good off the path place.

Ok I seriously cannot say enough about how wonderful this restaurant is and the quality of the food and the entire experience. Had the marlin burrito and lobster which was the daily special. The waiter was so welcoming and friendly. Absolutely the best meal we had while in PV. Located next to the stadium in a quiet neighborhood. Superb food and excellent prices. I highly recommend! PS the margaritas are also top tier. read more

El Patron - Marlin burrito - Seafood Near Me - Puerto Vallarta, JAL

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One of the friendliest places in a town filled with friendly places. Great value seafood, cash only. Christian and Francisco will take care of anything you need, make recommendations and treat you like family. There is sometimes a wait for a table, but things move quickly, so don't be discouraged. read more

El Patròn is a short walk from the Sheraton. The food was excellent, and probably a third of the cost of eating at the hotel. Perfect for air crews! Bring pesos. read more

Service was excellent. Food was extraordinary. The guacamole was perfect and we ordered fish ceviche to share and it was plenty and very delicious. View was phenomenal. Service was very fast and courteous. I'll be back here very soon. Loved it. read more

El Patron - The view is phenomenonal. - Seafood Near Me - Puerto Vallarta, JAL

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Food was GREAT, reasonably priced, and Renzo provided excellent service. Unexpectedly at the end we each received either a complimentary shot of Tequila or Kalua. We are definitely going back. read more

Easy walk from Sheraton. Good food drinks & great service. It a must for our PV trips. Usually a line waiting to get in bring peso no credit cards & no reservations yet worth it. Shrimp Patron or coconut our go to. read more

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Walked right in and got a table. The spot filled right up behind us. There looked to be an equal number of local groups, families and expates. We had a pan fried snapper, steamed veggies and eh rice. Got a side of delicious fries. They gave us a free shot of very smooth tequila and a thin coffee liqueur reminiscent of kahlua read more

We came here last year and this year - the same waiters were all there! It's only 2 blocks from the Sheraton and the seafood is fabulous. Always busy with local Mexicans and gringos. Delicious limonada and the shrimp tostadas are AMAZING! I had 2 tostadas: shrimp and jaiba (crab); hubby had 2 tostadas: marlin and mixed seafood. Hubs also got a classic margarita. Total bill was $415 pesos (about $21USD). read more

El Patron - 4 types of tostadas - Seafood Near Me - Puerto Vallarta, JAL

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Good fresh food, wonderful polite service, particularly for a small neighborhood mid priced spot. If this restaurant were in a better location, it would have been a six! It was fun to see the coconut seller ride up on his bike and cut open a coconut with his machete for restaurateur to try. Looked like plenty of locals there. read more

A corner piece of heaven. Man this place was the best place I have eaten at. Not the prettiest place, not the fanciest place but none of that matters when your chefs can get down. I hate to even share this place. It's not a secret because both times we went to eat there they always had a line. And the prices are very fair. To be honest I would have paid triple for each plate. I have paid just that and the food and portions did not match this place. Sea food was fresh, meat was tender, juicy and packed with flavor. Pictures look just as good as everything tasted. It was all so scrumptious, we ate at this place twice in 1 wk and would have been back if we did not have things planned away from it. Ambiance had the good ole family style feel to it and that is exactly how you were treated. You even get a shot or coffee at the end on the house. read more

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Fui con mis sobrinas el Jueves 24 de Julio. Muy sabrosa la comida. Yo ordene Salmon, muy rico, con una salsa deliciosa, arroz blanco y vegetales. Una de mis sobrinas encargo una Langosta. Ella quedó encantada. Aparte, el servicio de los tres muchachos que nos atendieron fue al100!. Nos recomendaron lugares muy bonitos de conocer en Puerto Vallarta. Y yo recomendé a una familia a comer con ustedes unas horas después de comer con ustedes. Gracias Muchachos por su buen servicio, comida y atención. Esperamos regresar de nuevo. El mejor lugar de Mariscos en Puerto Vallarta, por la zona Hotelera. Un ambiente Familiar :) read more

For starters, the service was excellent. Everyone was very friendly. The food was delicious. Some of the best seafood I have ever had. And the ambiance was nice. read more

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The food was excellent and authentic!! The service was above and beyond my expectations!! The atmosphere was festive and relaxing. I'll be back again before this trip is over!! read more

Great service . The food always done perfectly .Drink are always amazing. I highly recommend.

Waiting for a table to become available was our only negative: there was a sign up sheet inside and we were in a line, outside on the sidewalk and two tables got seated ahead of us and we had arrived before them. The seafood "Mariscos" choices are many at fair prices. The place was more than busy but the service was not bad, considering. We visit El Patron at least once a year and always bring new visiting friends there. read more

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Excellent food, great service and ambiance the fajitas were wonderful. The wine by the glass, better than must places. Cash only read more

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The food at El Patron was fantastic! We had the Lobster and shrimp fajitas! We loved this little restaurant on the corner and appreciated how great the service was. We didn't feel rushed and we had an enjoyable time read more

Views are superb, as is the service. Graçias Julio y Andy! Yesterday was my husband's birthday, we celebrated here. Margaritas para mi sposa y vino Blanca (Argentinian Chardonnay) para mi. We started with chips and excellent homemade salsa. He had Crab Enchiladas, which is unlike anything you'll find in the States. They're filled to the brim with crab hinted with cilantro and onion and covered with a creamy Chipotle sauce. Most excellent. I had the Surf and Turf Mucajeto. For those who are unfamiliar with this wonderful traditional dish, first have a big appetite, share it, or plan on having leftovers the entire next day. It consists of steak, shrimp, Manteca Cheese, Chorizo with a scallion and cactus brought together in an herbed tomato sopa (soup). It's served in a hot lava caldron which keeps the soup boiling hot (literally) as you enjoy it. Homemade Corn Tortillas are served beside it in order to soak up all the delicious juices. Add 2 Margaritas, 3 Chardonnays, and a generous 20% tip (normal in Mexico is 10-15%, but this is on El Maleçon -- tourists and our servers were most excellent and attentive), total bill was $62.50 US. What an absolutely spectacular evening. read more

El Patron - Sunset View - Seafood Near Me - Puerto Vallarta, JAL

What can I say, I will come here everytime I am in PV. This place has great food, cool servers and fair prices. Plz tip cuz you already got a good deal for great food. read more

El Patron - and Margaritas - Seafood Near Me - Puerto Vallarta, JAL

Service is first class and the food forgetaboutit lol it was fantastic. Definitely a place to eat when in Vallarta.

Great food and great experience, looks like a local favorite. Right across the street from a local park, we walked it after to see some football (soccer) and some basket ball. Our waiter was great, he made some recommendations. Cash only, but really a good price for food and drinks. read more

Outstanding as usually . Try El Patron Salad as a shared dish . Then seafood of your choice One if not our most favorite place in PV read more

Top of the line service prompt, worth it friendly staff Great views good drinks , all and all just a great place Going to make it a regular hangout as it close by and convenient, well followed Covid-19 protocol rules and big screen TV from all angels read more

El Patron - Bday celebrations - Seafood Near Me - Puerto Vallarta, JAL

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On a day of going on a taco tour which filled us both up we weren't exactly starving but wanted to eat somewhere with a variety. The wife picked El Patron cuz it fit the bill. El Patron offered a little bit of everything I had Cielo Rojo with Modelo especial and wife had a margarita for drinks. Waiter brought out tostada shells and pico de gallo which was very flavorful. For our entree wife had the stuffed Mahi-mahi. It came with a red creamy sauce and a seafood stuffing, very flavorful. I of course took a couple bites and can confirm it was. I had Seafood Marinara with linguine pasta. I requested to spice it up. The "marinara sauce was creamy and I expected the sauce to be red. The dish included clams, shrimp and octopus. Very delicious even though the sauce wasn't red. Waiter brought out bread with the meal. The location was very convenient from the airbnb which we took an Uber to. Located on a corner across from a soccer field. Very authentic atmosphere. Just the kind of atmosphere we were looking for. I would recommend this establishment as it fits the " not sure what I want, so variety is key" kind of mood. read more

El Patron - Stuffed Mahi Mahi - Seafood Near Me - Puerto Vallarta, JAL

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Amazing fresh food. Vegetables sautéed in butter instead of canola oil. No one felt gross after eating. Pick de Gallo was spicy. Be careful if you can't handle the heat. I had the special with oh was yellow fin tuna. I asked for medium well, the waiter wrote "3/4" on his paper as my translation wasn't that great. And I said "¡Si !" It was cooked perfect to my liking. We also had just pasta noodles with butter, two steak fajitas which were good, coconut shrimp was amazing and the lobster was garlic buttery goodness. Six meals for $68 American. This was They do have non seafood dishes place for locals and tourists. read more

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We have visited Puerto Vallarta each year for the last 6 years. We try a different restaurant every evening for 3 weeks. Tonight we tried El Patron, two blocks inland from the Sheraton. My daughter had stuffed fish which had a sauce that was very good. The fish was stuffed with seafood, not bread stuffing. They were out of red snapper so I tried a different whole fish that was okay. Fresh but not as tasty as red snapper. Hubby had fish tacos that were very good. The waiter, Christian, was a sweetheart. I would definitely go back. read more

Food was great service was amazing even got free Bailey shots for the table from Jaime he was awesome. Tuna ceviche was fire

Wanted to try some seafood while here, so our friend took us to El Patron. It's located off of the main drag and kind of out of the way, but you should definitely stop in for a visit, well worth the trip. For dinner, I had the Coconut Shrimp with Mango Yogurt sauce (4 large prawns, veggies and rice), it was awesome!!!Shelly had the Flank Streak with veggies and rice. Before leaving, they bring you Kahlua and Cream. Great way to end the evening. read more

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Went two days in a row. Staff is amazing, and food is amazing as well. It's a local joint, two blocks off main drag between downtown and airport. Didn't see anyone but locals during our visits but if you don't speak Spanish don't let that keep you away, the staff speaks very good English. We also tried some shrimp dishes on prior visit. Again food is top notch and pricing reasonable. Cash Only not sure if the take foreign cash so show up with pesos to be safe. read more

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First - I went there because of the good reviews I saw here. Food perhaps is good but I did not like what I ordered. I ordered the fish tacos. They were battered and deep fried. I thought they would be grilled or just fresh and plain. The batter was super thick. I tried to remove it and it looked like a dark beige, there was so much batter it look like most of what was on my plate to begin with. The sauce was similar to the Big Mac sauce but more mayonnaise flavour, did not go with the deep fried shrimp. It made it taste richer, fattier and heavier. There were sliced onions on top but nothing else. They gave us limes and it helped but they were plain and disappointing. The lemonades were great and were made with real limes. The guacamole was ok, did not like the cheese on it, made it taste bad. Did not like the stick on it. They tasted old. I feel awful to give this bad rating but it's my honest experience with what I ordered. The service was excellent!! Very friendly, very attentive and at least two staff spoke English well. The ambience was nice and casual. read more

Inexpensive food, but just alright. I had the Marlin burrito at lunch time and the crab tacos at dinner. If you go in the afternoon there's generally no wait time -- at night between 6-7:30/8 its generally packed. read more

El Patron - Three crab tacos (rolled) - Seafood Near Me - Puerto Vallarta, JAL

It is a smaller Mexican restaurant serving delicious shrimp and fish dishes as well as many other items. The food has always been hot and nicely presented. Prices are very reasonable. Everyone we recommend it to has been impressed with the quality and price of the meals. read more