Patron Grill — Restaurant in Livingston

Frustrating experience. Our server was great, very attentive and friendly (if I was her manager though I would have told her to bring 1 bowl of chips, maybe 2 max then if the customer requests more bring more, she brought us 5-6 bowls and pulling them when only half empty. It was entirely too much and we filled up way too fast and there was also a lot wasted, we would have more than likely ordered more food if we didn't fill up on all the free chips) but we had some issues with the food and drinks.

I live in Los Angeles and have had some great Mexican food so I was expecting good things being in Texas. The guacamole was ok, it wasn't seasoned at all and tasted bland and as if it had been sitting out and not made fresh to order. My main dish was mixed beef and chicken fajitas, it tasted it good but what threw me off was the veggies were very large cut and plentiful but the chicken and beef was very small pieces and few in number, for $10 I guess it's ok, I've just never had fajitas served this way. My beans and rice were on the cold side, they seemed to be sitting out a little while as well, I didn't eat them.

The drinks were not good. I ordered a Don Julio with seltzer water and a splash of orange juice. I could not taste the tequila and I'm a bartender and love my tequila, but I will say it was garnished nicely with a lime and rosemary sprig. My girlfriend ordered the Pina colada, it was garnished nicely but again tasted watered down and didn't have much flavor.

The real problem was with my girlfriend's main dish, she asked the sever if they had a vegetarian quesadilla and the server said no but she could order the chicken one and just remove the chicken. Her plate came piping hot and the first 2 quarters of her quesadilla tasted great and were only veggies and cheese (I tried them just to make sure, however the quesadilla itself was very small, I believe they used small tortillas you would use for tacos, not large burrito tortillas we're accustomed to) however she took a bite of the third quarter and she said it was chewy and tasted funny (she hasn't eaten meat in 6+ years) I'm a meat eater and took a bite and said it tasted like ham or pork (definitely not beef or chicken). When our server returned we told her about it and she said she would have it remade, but then quickly returned and said the manager would not remake it unless we paid for another entree because half of it was eaten (although none of the sides were touched) so we asked if we could please speak to the manager, again the server was great and none of this was her fault and she was working hard. She returned again and said they were remaking the entree for us, no extra charge. It came out very quickly but the plate only had the remade quesadilla on it and rice and beans, it was missing the sour cream, guacamole and Pico De Gallo with lettuce it originally had on it.

This was very frustrating because we both work in the service industry and anywhere we've ever worked it's industry standard the customer is always right and if there is an issue with something you make it right, remake the item and take the charge off the tab. What was furthermore frustrating was that the manager would not come and talk to us when we requested to speak to him/her, not very professional at all.

Overall it's unfortunate because the restaurant looks great from the outside and the staff we did come into contact with worked hard and you could tell care about their job, but management do not and I feel the food does have the potential to be great, but it's being held back by something. We will not be returning unless...

UPDATE March 3, 2022 Another nice meal with old friends from Houston, and though we have more than just a few new dining options in Livingston, they said they've had a mad craving for Patron's and no other place would do. Happy hour all day on Thursday, but we met there and all enjoyed iced tea with our meals. The hubs and I shared Lalo's Special, which is one of my fave sizzling platters of fajitas, featuring Patron's jumbo shrimp, beef, chicken, BACON, mushrooms,and mixed veg. It comes with plates of rice, beans, fresh guac, and their perfect pico de Gallo. (I still always get a bowl of that on the side, no matter what I order.) Plenty of both corn and flour tortillas, warm crispy chips, chunky salsa and the creamy, mild green sauce that I adore. Good food, good friends, and BONUS, we took home more than half of it after eating our fill at lunch. Service, quality, cleanliness, generous portions on point, as usual. I ordered a large frozen margarita to go @ happy hour prices and enjoyed the tart refreshing treat after I got home, while working with my chickens and prepping my garden and soil for planting. What MORE could anyone ask for?

Yum! I've missed good Mexican food so much! Ceviche is great but it's a gigantic portion and they wouldn't do a half order, BUT the queso blanco did not disappoint, but I do get a little side of pico de gallo and stir it in. Chicken enchiladas, under $11, were pretty satisfying, as well as the Pollo Rio. This is a grilled chicken breast smothered in a rich cheesy sauce, with sauteed bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, crawfish, and shrimp! Just when you think that's enough, it also comes with avocado wedges and fresh pico de gallo. I'm loving the black beans here, a side that I have completely ignored in the past. It's an appetizer, meal, and a generous portion left for later, all for $10 and some change, I believe. I'm ready to try the crawfish! Lovin' this place more with each visit.

Update: Went back for more. Had queso Blanca, the Mexican guac which is a must-have. Everything was as amazing as always, each of us taking more than half home again. Portions are huge, so it's totally worth the price. Clean tables, clean restrooms,...

Horrible, horrible, horrible! Ordered chili relleno, it was hard like a green pepper, not cooked through, they took a poblano pepper, sliced it open and set it on top of some cut up chicken breast and cheese. This was the absolute worst relleno I have ever eaten. I prefer Krogers frozen ones anyday over this! I ordered the chicken fajitas, 1/2 chicken breast atop almost an entire grilled sliced onion. I was given NO hot sauce and specifically asked for it upon ordering. The chicken was not seasoned well and it wasn't cooked properly. This was my first and last experience here, will never step foot in your establishment nor recommend it to anyone. This one should be on america's worst. It was that bad. Also I found the menu online and she upcharged me on every single item at 4:40pm saying happy hour was over. The menu prices were not listed under happy hour. $11.99 for a burrito my companion ordered, said it was ok, he wasn't impressed either. I only wanted to try this place out due to the 4.5 star reviews. I'm assuming all the people who love this place have never had good authentic mexican food as this place does not serve that or they are too drunk to know the difference. My first impression was that this place is not making enough money to provide the service to their customers. Skimping on meat and giving so many onions, skimping on ingredients that we are paying for is absurd. For almost $40 for a burrito, fajitas, and an a la carte pepper I expected to be fed well. I was not. My pig will eating Patron...