El Patron Mexican Grill — Restaurant in Durham

I love this restaurant, I come here all the time and the food is amazing. But please beware of the terrible customer service. I usually only have minimal issues but this time my experience was horrific. I went to sit at the bar and order the super tacos to go, not knowing that they only come in steak (as i do not eat red meat) I was a little set back receiving my food. I got the attention of the bartender at the time letting her know my issue and she acknowledged that they do come in steak and she’s sorry. I then proceeded to ask if they could be remade and she proceeded to say there was nothing that she could do, I was shocked because why would I or anyone at all pay for something they do not eat. I let her know the problem wasn’t paying for the food it was only for it be remade, she then began to get very combative and I politely asked to speak to a higher up .. instead of bringing the manager she came back and said all they could do was take 10% off of the bill (it was literally $1) & bring another server instead of management againnnn. At this rate i’m getting irritated because I had elsewhere to go & all I wanted was my to go order redone whether it was my mistake or not. I went ahead and paid for the food and my drink and gave the tacos to someone who could eat them. I’m not saying don’t support this business but the only good experiences i have had, have been when i order in togo only. Very sad I can’t support a local...

We chose this restaurant because it was close to our hotel and we have an El Patron in our home town that is good. We were not sure if it was the same group or not. The restaurant was clean on the inside and we were immediately greeted by a hostess. We were promptly seated in a quieter area of the restaurant. The chips and salsa were tasty and we did not finish them before our order came out. The food was very good and our waitress was very nice. In today's world, the prices were not horrible. Our waitress and hostess both made frequent stops to make sure everything was okay.

The only down side is the location. It is located next to a mattress store at the end of a shopping area (tucked into a corner), and a guy was selling melons out of his truck. El Patron can really control that. We took a chance on still eating there. We are glad...

Cleanliness: Tables were clean as was the entire dining room area. Bathroom had been neglected a bit and smelled heavily of urine. Food preparation was taking place without gloves on, after staff had scratched their faces or wiped sweat from their foreheads. I noticed this while looking through the kitchen doors while waiting to pay my check. Service: Was awesome. Our waitress was pregnant and still working very hard to give us drink and chip refills. She was great. Quality: Your typical Mexican restaurant dishes, like fajitas that come out on a sizzling griddle, chori-pollo, shrimp tacos, etc. Not entirely authentic, but good. Price: Wonderful prices and big portions! I would say this is the best part about this place. $0.99 cent Taco Tuesdays? Incredible offer and price! I will definitely make this my local go-to...