El Patio Restaurant

Excellent atmosphere with a welcome bowl of nice crisp chips and home-made salsa as soon as your seated. The food itself is great and authentic Mexican as opposed to some of the food dished out by the large chains. Only dropping 4 stars for service because they seem to be understaffed that particular evening. Resulting in slow delivery of the orders..

If you want Tex Mex style this is your place. Great happy hours and daily specials. I had the #4. The open beef taco was great with my sour cream and pickled jalapeños but I wasn’t a fan of the enchilada or rice. We managed to catch the Sunday happy hour $5 for frozen or rocks margaritas. Would come back for drinks.

Pretty decent Tex Mex style food. The chips and salsa are by far the best in the area! That’s the whole reason we came - we buy it at Central Market and wanted to try it in person. The place itself is pretty dive type and unique. Service was a little slow but the staff were very friendly.

Best chips make the best nachos, and they definitely have both. Such great service. For its size, the bar has decent seating. In the end it's really good mexican food.

Do Not Go Here. I repeat! DO NOT GO HERE! horrible service and horrible food. Read all the low star reviews, believe it and it’s much worse. Other than the chips and salsa everything else was the worst. I will never go here again, I have told everyone about the experience and most already knew how bad it is, “since the grandkids took over”. I unfortunately found out too late. The manager/owner appeared to hear our concerns but doubt anything will come of it.

Came in for happy hour today. Margs were top notch. ‘chiladas was banger. Guac was mad tasty. The owner was greeting everyone that came in and working the floor and our waiter Isaiah was awesome. Coming here was the buenoest part of our day and we’ll definitely be back.

First time trying the food here. Ordered the queso w/ground beef. It was a little runny but tasted really good. I ordered the guacamole chicken enchiladas and they were delicious! The chicken Quesadillas plate was huge! Tasted very good too! Overall, I'd absolutely eat here again and I definitely recommend!

Ordered chicken tacos. Chicken was cold and dried up. It was definitely not freshly cooked. Tacos were served with flavorless chicken lettuce and tomatoes that’s it no sauce. We showed the food to manager and he agreed that yes chicken was cold but still charged 50% of the bill. We ordered chicken fajitas too but after seeing the tacos we canceled the fajitas but still was charged for that too. Definitely not recommend this place. Wanted to give one star but extra star was for the person who took our order as he was very kind and helpful.

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!

Another one bites the dust. The cold plate was fine, but my hot plate was over cooked, or I should say over microwaved. The rice was stiff, beans burnt, and the enchiladas so tough I could hardly cut them. What a disappointment. 70 years gone to hell.

came out of state and thought this was a good idea..... i was wrong first off the tortilla chips were like costco chips, second off the enchiladas were one of the worst meals i have ever tasted. The enchiladas tortilla was kind of hard and they had minimal taste. Next the rice was almost burnt... some rice in the dish was hard. Lastly the cheese tasted like nacho cheese out of a can..NEVER COMING BACK, very disappointed with this .

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!

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!

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

The chips, salsa, and Queso are quite literally unmatched! So beyond happy they sell the salsa and chips at Royal Blue and Foxtrot. If they were to ever sell the Queso somehow I presume that was also be a major hit. Intrigued by the chips and salsa, we finally dropped into the restaurant and we were pleasantly surprised with the lovely bartender and cozy appeal to the restaurant. Ironically, they do not have a patio, but it's a very nice set up. The tacos and quesadilla were very good and the margarita flight was very fun! Highly recommend!

I'm passing through town and stopped in for a quick lunch. Best ever!! This is a hidden gem! Great service love the waiter Francis! Hip, efficient, polite and honest. I had two enchiladas with guacamole verde sauce, one beef and one chicken. I also had rice and beans. I never feel that something is a 10/10 but honestly I loved everything about this place. The chips were light, crisp and airy. The salsa was tangy with a smoked garlic flavor, fantastic! I was slurping it up so fast they poured me a second round from the hilarious syrup container. The main course was served piping hot which I prefer. The verde sauce was tangy, colorful, sweet and blended with the protein perfectly. If I had to choose I would go for the chicken first. The guacamole was fresh, homemade, real and not puréed. Thank you, thank you, thank you! The manager walked by to check on me and she was bright, cheery and sadly her last week. It's time for her to put her feet up and train the younger generation. I have only two complaints, you need 3xl in your T-shirts and can you open a restaurant in East Tennessee?? Thanks for a fabulous lunch!! stuffed

I REALLY was looking forward to this Austin staple. The hostess was an absolute sweetheart. Kudos to the long brown haired gal with the beautiful smile and warm welcome!!! Unfortunately the bartender seemed so bothered by our simple existence. I had no idea how horrible it was for her to be in her presence. She seemed annoyed by any question we had. I'm sorry to take so much of her time asking if the served a Chile Relleno... her response, "I don't even know what that is"... my apologies sister...didn't mean to annoy you with a simple question! We noticed it wasn't just hercustomers she hated but she was rude to her coworkers. To this, I ask, why are you even in the service industry? The chips weren't great and the salsa was even worse (ketchup heavy). As a vegetarian... there were limited options to say the least. Sad, sad, disappointment.

Well, what can I say?! Haven't eaten at El Patio in literally 13 years-we're a Maudie's Stan when it comes to local TexMex. BUT decided to give it another shot and it was DELICIOUS! The service was great and so was the food. I had a cheese enchilada with con carne, queso rice & beans along with a guacamole taco. So yummy and will definitely be back.

Yoooo I had the Chalupa. omg it cleared, literally my plate was cleared afterwards. like i didn't even get the chance to take a before pic (my bad y'all ). but if you're sitting in the restaurant rn reading the reviews, get two Chalupas. it slapped so hard. you might need a side because i wasn't full full off of that. but it was so immaculate. & if ur there on a Thursday, treat yourself to a margarita pitcher. bring 3 more friends too. if you need a sign to choose this place, this is it right here.

It was so lame of me to never have eaten here after so long in Austin. It was one of those places that are just part of the landscape, perhaps, despite that I love Mexican food. I ordered the El Patio no. 2 dinner. First to come out was the beef taco, which I ordered with a flour tortila. It was stuffed with enough ingredients for two tacos, although I'd added the scoop of guacamole that came with it, atop shredded lettuce, on the side. So much tasty! Before I finished eating the taco came the cheese enchiladas with rice and refried beans. Good thing that I like cheese - its inside and all over the top of the enchiladas. I devoured. The rice was really well-cooked and -spiced. The waitess told me that she'd used to come to this restaurant with her family when she was a little girl, and now she loves working there because the food is so good. Service? Informal and for-real. Ambience? A family-style restaurant sparsely-occupied at the middle of a Sunday afternoon with the temperature of 100 degrees outside. I almost succumbed to heat stroke on the way home, but the food at El Patio made me feel so good inside that that was no big deal. EAT HERE NOW.

I have been going here for 40years. Its not good my food was cold the place had 2 tables at 630 that should of said something. After sending our plates back it took forever the service was bad . The manager sit there never came to check on anything it was taking forever .for the food to come out .I remember when before you got done with your tacos your plate would be hot an out.an the place was packed .not anymore. Miss David an his sister's. God hope yall make changes to the way it use to be food did not taste the same at all .

If I were truly objective, El Patio is probably a 3 star Tex Mex joint with inconsistent food. But I'm not objective. I grew up with El Patio TV dinners and the flavor of the enchilada sauce is still there... except when they overwhelm it with cheese, which happens occasionally. The cold beers, the margs, the tequila shots menu up to and including 1942, and the now OPTIONAL basket of crackers, and pretty great warm tortilla chips all work to force me into accidentally and consistently keep going back and giving it 5 stars. Please don't ever go away...

Zero stars, rude employees, nasty food, vibes were gross. It's rundown. I do NOT recommend.

Very old school a step back in time it appears this place never changed which is one of the best things about it. Walked in and eventually had to ask to be seated, once seated the service was good. The chips and salsa were pretty good, ordered a combo, nothing stood out as exceptional though the cheese enchiladas are true Tex-Mex but not the best, ordered a flour tortilla which was likely store bought and not worth reordering. I felt the prices were high, I'd return but not out of my way.

Recently relocated to ATX. My Uber driver swore this was "the place" to go for authentic Mexican food. Upon arrival, loved the looks of the place. Everything about it felt authentic. Service and food were both a misfire for us on our very first visit. Huge downer because I wanted to love this place. Wife ordered a burrito (Linda's or something) and I ordered bean and cheese nachos. Took approximately 50 minutes to get our food. Server told another table they were out of guacamole. What Mexican restaurant runs out of guacamole? Server never apologized for how long our food was taking until I stood up to ask him to make our order to go. Then the table behind us asked when their food would be arriving - and they ordered before we did. He just told us the kitchen was backed up and nothing he could do about it, yet the place was half empty. Only complaint about the nachos (which I guess is 50% of the equation when you order bean and cheese nachos) is that the cheese tasted like a chunk of Velvetta box cheese. Looked like it too. When it cooled down it was very thick, rubbery like. Not impressed. Not sure if we'll go back or not since it's about 20 mins from where we live. Again, wanted to love it but only barely liked it.

This place is about as old school Tex Mex as you can get. You may need to be over 45 years old to appreciate this form of original Tex Mex cuisine. And for this old guy, El Patio reminds me of my childhood at Felix's Mexican Restaurant in Houston. In fact, the cheese enchiladas were like a time machine. The combo of yellow cheese and thin con carne sauce was magical. The chips came hot, crispy, and a perfect level of thickness for me. The salsa is thin and spicy which I loved. The tacos are open face and piled with shredded lettuce. I needed some queso to anchor them down and the guac was great. Prices are low and ambience feels like throw back decades ago. Service is fine bland everything got to our table but took a bit ong to get some beers.

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!

Best chips I've ever had and I'm in San Antonio. Can't wait to be back to visit in person.

This has to be the worst Mexican restaurant I've ever experienced. The food was awful and even the margarita was terrible and the most disturbing thing was paying for it. Everything about this place was so wrong.

5 stars... Every. Single. Time. We celebrated my grandfather's 89th birthday here and there were 16 of us. It was wonderful food and he ordered the exact same plate he'd been ordering since 1963! Senorita Special.

Food was ok. The enchiladas were hard like it was setting in fridge and then warmed up. The fajita were overcooked and cut into extra small pieces that you could barely taste with extra onions and bell peppers. The queso was good. The service was horrible. Had to ask the bartender if they were even seating anyone since we walked in and no one even acknowledged us. The waiter took the order and we had to call her several times. She never came to check on table without being called on. When she was called on she was on her phone every time. Ordered a to go order and waited over 45 mins and it still wasn't ready. There were only 3 of us. The other table behind us with 11 people experienced the same thing. It was hot by the windows. They had the blinds open which made it warmer. You could feel the heat next to them. We have been going for years to this place and since it changed management (different family members) it's getting worse and worse. Might be the last time my family goes here.

Let me start by saying: $20 margarita pitchers on Thursdays for college students!! While I am no longer a college student, this is an awesome deal - definitely will bring in a packed house and enticed me. I did not get to try the margs, so perhaps an update once I can. The restaurant itself is quaint with longhorns decor everywhere you look. A college town hang out for sure. Parking pretty was easy even on a Friday night. Pros: our waiter was very nice and the salsa & queso dip was very yummy. Queso was smooth and like a warm mouth hug. Also the food came out very hot as soon as it was ready. Chicken in the enchiladas was very flavorful. Cons: it took quite a while to place our order (possibly because of the large birthday party at the table next to us). Understandable. But the biggest reason for the rating was that the food was standard - not my favorite rice & beans (but it's a hard standard with all of the Austin options). We got the queso-covered enchiladas which were also a little overwhelmingly cheesy, but some may love that. Overall, despite the dishes we had just being ok, we will be back to try more (including some margs). The staff was truly very nice, and it would be such a fun place to watch a longhorns game.

Met a man who works here in HEB and was selling their corn chips. He was very nice and was telling us the neat story of their restaurant. Best parts are that it's family owned and that they use all non GMO corn which is becoming rare these days. He said they strive to use all non GMO ingredients, so cool! Chips are great, well made and airy and just right. Other food is also top notch.

Hands down the best enchiladas in Central Texas!!!! My family and I have been eating there for years! In fact El Patio enchiladas was the first solid food my son ever had and he will be 18 on Tuesday!!!

I came here on a Friday night and the staff was friendly and attentive, however the food was TERRIBLE. I have never had such terrible Mexican food in my life. The cheese looked like Kraft American cheese, it was so greasy, the chicken was incredibly dry, and the enchiladas were so small. I sadly will not be returning to this particular establishment.

We stopped by on a recent weekday evening to check out an old fav! Haven't been to El Patio since the COVID scamdemic. In short, it was REAL good. The gratis chips and salsa were a good as we remembered... spicy salsa and the chips are light and fluffy! The house margaritas were awesome! Our entrees included the chicken fajitas and the El Patio #1. WOW! Deelish... we'll put this back on our "regular stop list" ... it was as good as ever!

We came for HH and ordered the queso. Man, I wanted to like it so bad but just couldn't. The cheese tasted like nacho cheese from a concession stand. I was so perplexed. We decided not to eat anything else and get the check. Our wait staff was so nice. That's why I'm giving them two stars.

Our first visit and it doesn't get anymore Classic then this..it's been so long since we have even tasted a basic chili con carne sauce and it was super good...food was so hot it was still bubbling when it can out...wife had the beef enchiladas with rice and mine was a combo with cheese enchiladas, rice, beans and a beef taco and guac salad on the side..now the crunchy tacos are served basically like a tostada...made in house shell with a great flavor. The service was some of the best we have had in awhile...we asked for a container for our Queso and she even brought some chips To go as well. Outstanding visit all around!!

Did I just eat restaurant quality food, or a TV dinner? The Vibe: Feels like you're in a relative's old house. All the tables are close to each other which makes it feel crammed. It's also super loud because of the amount of loud obnoxious college kids in the dining room. The decor is also very confused. There's beautiful artwork accompanied by a collage of mix match picture frame. It make the restaurant seem clutter and busy. The Food: This is Tex-mex at its worst. I could see just by looking at other peoples plates that they food wasn't going to be that great, but I was optimistic and decided to give them a shot. The food tastes like someone is just warming TV dinners in the back. Our food took forever to come out so we put some of our order in a to go pan. The food was basically spread out on the plate to make it look like a decent portion but this was it. Drenching everything in nacho cheese is not culinary excellence or very Mexican. This seams like a place for broke college students. The entire meal was a complete waste of money. The drinks were great. We were able to get the burnt entree of the bill and still ended up paying $54. For a quesadilla, entree, and (1) cocktail. What a rip off. Service: Our server was great. He was a really nice guys who appeared to be working very hard. Wouldn't recommend.

2 stars for being an institution. Otherwise just not that good. Overpriced margs at this dive. Chips and salsa are good, everything else is just meh. Better if you're already drunk, otherwise good money says this should be a pass. Looking for something Austin-y for you and your drunk pals, OK, but if you're fully alert and want food Cabo Bobs is around the corner.

If I hadn't ordered an enchilada, this meal would've been a 2 or 3. The chips are nothing special and the queso is just so-so. The beef enchiladas, however, were amazing. This is the first time we had been to el patio, but we agreed that the enchiladas are the way to go in the future. They were cheesy and the sauce was delicious. Prices here are reasonable and the staff are very nice. Quick service!

Right, I'm just going to cut to the chase. Our server was inattentive, lacked mannerism, and was absolutely rude. We had to ask everyone else for refills and she chose not to bring us tortillas (even though it came with our meals) because she said "y'all have to tell us." The entire time she had a bad attitude and it showed on her face when she just looked mad and as if we were inconveniencing her. As human beings, we understand that everyone has bad days, however, in the service industry you sometimes have to put on an act and take care of your customers right. And let me leave you with one last thing: the only time she chose to talk to us (besides asking for our order) was when she said "Ya'll are so great, we have a big party coming in and we didn't know where to seat them." It was unbelievable, mean, and rude. -In case you were wondering, the food is mediocre. You could cook these dishes much better at home. -Host was nice but that's it.

Came in for a retirement celebration/lunch of a coworker the other day. Service was good especially for the number of us there. However, I would say this is the worst Tex-mex I have ever experienced. I got enchiladas that were so bad I didn't finish them. So much cheese and not even good cheese, nasty. My only two thoughts on why a person would come here is that they love nacho cheese or they are drunk and looking to absorb some alcohol. Don't recommend.

THIS WAS AMAZING!!!!!! I've been dieting, eating plant based and i've missed the queso, BBQ and wonderful delights that Austin offers. But a friend asked me to go to an early dinner after work and i couldn't say no. I'd never been here and looked forward to it all week until today (saturday 12/11) and boy was it worth the wait! Walking in, you can definitely tell it's an ATX relic. No gentrification, no upselling to out of towners. It's just down home US. We were seated quickly but right off I could tell service was going to be a bit slow. It wasn't crowded, but I think that's just the pace of the place. Being in good company I was totally fine Warm crispy chips with cool (NOT cold) salsa that was slightly spicy. Man they did it right! My friend's food came out VERY quickly. I believe she got the #1 Patio plate. It was beautiful. Cheese, guac and a taco that looked more like a tostada. She said it was a bit odd for her but that it was VERY tasty. It took a bit longer for me to get my 2 chicken guacamole enchiladas in verde sauce. But man when they came...they CAME! I don't order enchiladas often because they're usually a let down. Too thick tortillas, cheap filling and bland sauce leaves me less than enthused to try them over and over. But here there was none of that! First the plate came HOT. And the food was so pretty!!! the guac was so nice and green. Something I look for when ordering because that's not always the case. The consistency of the verde sauce was light but not runny. It coated the enchilada beautifully. And most importantly, the tortilla....IT WAS SO PERFECT!!!!! It was somehow slightly crispy but when taking on the sauce it softened a bit. It was so wonderful. It also had some mild white cheese on top and a tiny bit of cheddar inside. Just enough to add something extra as you're eating. The only draw back was the chicken. It was a bit dry. But not so much that it threw off the dish as a whole. It's VERY satisfying. I highly recommend these enchiladas. I also tried some of the sauce from my friend's enchiladas. She got the cheese with chile con carne. It was so flavorful! I think this is the enchilada spot that you're looking for...just trust me...I've gained so much weight in such a short amount of time that I classify as an expert! LOL We also tried their margaritas. They have a special EVERYDAY for $5 house margaritas! We got the regular frozen and it was great. They are definitely not stingy with the alcohol even though these are a special! I felt the first one. But we saw a woman who had one with chimoy on the rim and we had to have it! Turns out you can get flavored margaritas at the special price with the chimoy!!! We did a mango frozen margarita with chimoy rim and BOIIIIIIIII!!!!! I polished that bad boy off so fast and even though I was very full and a bit heady by this point I could have had another. I didn't though. I restrained myself. Mainly because we agreed we'd be back...for a Thursday night when they have $20 margarita pitchers! Yes, that's another thing here. I can't wait to return. The food is great. The atmosphere is great. The people are AMAZING. Come to this Austin old school staple to get a reminder of what we used to be as a city. Laid back family enjoying each other while enjoying food, family and football. This is truly Texas.

What has happened to El Paiio??? It pains me to write this review. My husband and I went for lunch today (Saturday). The salsa and chips were different. The salsa was a lot spicier than usual and the chips were different. The bean and cheese nachos were also different and took forever to come out. And they were semi homemade. Didn't have much in the way of refried beans. The cheese was the runny, pour on kind. Not at all like they used to be. I ordered a #4 with a beef enchilada with chili sauce, rice, beans and a Chili con Queso. The enchilada was a cheese enchilada with cheese sauce. And I guess someone realized it was supposed to be a beef enchilada, so they spooned some ground beef on top of the cheese enchilada and poured on more cheese. No chili sauce at all. The rice was very dry and overcooked. The refried beans were so over cooked they had a crust on top. The chili con Queso was just a tortilla round with poured on runny cheese. And it came out before our nachos. What a mess. My husband got one cheese enchilada, rice and beans. He said his was not nearly as good as usual and he had the same comment about the salsa, chips and nachos. We will go again because I have been going since I was a little girl. I just hope they correct these terrible mistakes.

Old school great Tex Mex! Loved the chips loved the salsa love the queso. I had a comb meal and it all tasted great.

Ordered a shirt off their website a week ago and paid for priority shipping. They took my money and still have nit shipped the shirt.

Disappointed that my food was cold but I didn't complain! The service was not so great, I am Mexican American and our waiter offered the lady behind sherbet but failed to offer us any and he never checked in us after our drinks were empty. I still go there because of the food but service is nothing compared to when the original owners and waitstaff were there!!!

Best chips and quesadillas and service (Bruce). Loved it. Entire group raved about it. Couldn't finish it all due to our love of the chips!

If this place could get a zero it would but that's not possible, so... you get a one. Let's start by the name of this place calling themselves a "Mexican Restaurant " there was nothing Mexican about it. The menu sucks they don't know what "Tacos" should look like they gave me a side of tostadas with meat on top of it... everything about the plate I got looked microwavable no type of flavor or seasoning don't recommend and won't ever go back.

This place is great. No frills - just good ol' fashion Tex-Mex and margaritas. It's a classic college restaurant, with the food and drinks being inexpensive. Our server was the nicest guy. This place might get overlooked if you aren't a student, but it's definitely worth stopping in and having an enchilada.

All of the above. Tvs we're on blood and guts movie with sound. And music was way loud hard rock. The food left a lot to be desired including a hair in salsa. Eve the pralines ad sherbet. Aren't fresh. I sorry that these young people here care nothing for traditions. The ones the Joseph Family made. Been coming since David and Rosemary were very young but won't come back again. Rest In peace Joseph's as should your restaurant. You'd be so disappointed in what it's become. We are!!

Great service, atmosphere, and food. Love the history behind the building as well. The queso, nachos, and cheese enchiladas are to die for!

Not impressed at all with new owners plan to keep tradition going because the wait staff MADE El Patio! The atmosphere is blah, the waitstaff is now Keep Austin Weird style which is WRONG on so many levels!!! The food has also changed and I will just chalk my fantastic El Patio experiences a thing of the past!!! Very disappointing as I have been frequenting there since I was a small child and was always my favorite place but no longer!!!

I love this place. I've been coming to it since I was a small child. My oldest brother worked there while he was in high school. I am an Uber driver and recommend it as the best Tex-Mex in town. Unfortunately they are pricing the Austin Home Town people right out of going there. I've been a Mexican all my life. I was in the restaurant business most of my life. Pizza and Mexican food are the two least expensive products to make yet their cost to consumers is at the top. Beans and rice. We ate one or both everyday as a child because they are so cheap. Man I love this place but I can't see paying $16 for a plate of food where rice, beans and corn tortillas are most of it. When they were going to close down I said I would visit as much as I could to help save them. I can't do that anymore. There's plenty of Mexican food on my side of town, not as good but less expensive. El Patio has turned into a Special occasion restaurant when the cost is not an issue.

The #1 dinner is the pinnacle of Tex-Mex dining. My 1st time eating here was in 1986 and I still go back on the rare occasions I'm in Austin. The #1 is that good. Two full plates of food. The cold plate consists of an open face taco, large queso covered chip & guacamole salad. Fresh and delicious served on large crispy homemade chips. It is my unrivaled favorite. For the hot plate I order cheese enchiladas smothered in carne sauce with onions, rice & beans. Excellent! (Except the rice needs lots of salsa.) If your looking for fancy cuisine you should probably look somewhere else. El Patio is good honest Tex-Mex. Mr. & Mrs. Joseph set and maintained a high standard of fresh, quality food. The Joseph Siblings lived and maintained that standard. After many years out of state I was happy to return and find the Joseph tradition alive and well under the new owners. Well done folks! (Except for the rice, y'all need to look into that.) P.S. End your meal on a high note, order some sherbet. It's totally worth it and only one dollar. P.P.S. No saltine crackers with butter & salsa as a gratis appetizer was a bit off putting. However the chips they serve now are crisp, puffy and tasty. The salsa is slightly spicy and solid. Always has been, apparently always will be. Well done folks!

Says family friendly but Thursday night at 8 it was def a college spot. Young hip people surrounded me while I stuffed my face with the most air-y crispy chips I've ever had in my life. Our waiter brought us more fresh salsa IN A PITCHER. That would have been enough, but out came our combo plate - David's special: two enchiladas & two tacos. My mom & I split it and it was still a huge amount of food. It's 100% Tex Mex - and 100% delicious. I'm not from Austin but it's a mighty fine stop to fill up.