El Patio Restaurant — Restaurant in Port Lavaca

I live in Houston now, and found myself in what has been hailed as one of the five best Tex-Mex restaurants in the country. Funny that i gauged their enchiladas to that of El Patio, and were nowhere near as good as that of my favorite small town restaurant.

I literally cannot count how many times I have dined here. Hundreds of times over the years? More? I was raised in Port Lavaca, so El Patio is a staple for home cooked Tex-Mex. It set the standard for any other place I have dined at since. Sure there are better places. They all have their niche by serving what people expect. And what people expect isn't always real Tex-Mex.

Though I haven't been here in a few years, from 1972 to 2012, the food has always been delicious, and the service exceptional. From their hearty mexican breakfast to the delicious enchiladas I have always been fond of, this is the only place I will frequent when I come...

The food was great, but the service was horrible! This unfortunately out weighs the fact that the food is great! The waitress was very inattentive and when I was trying to call her she acted as though she never heard or saw me. I waited over 20 minutes for a coffee, then I ordered chile con queso and she never bought it, so I asked her about and she said she forgot. Moving on to trying to get my check and a to go box was impossible! We never saw our waitress again, I had to go to the cashier to ask if I could pay and get a box she said yes, but need to find our waitress to get the ticket. The cashier then comes back and states that she cannot find our waitress, for me jus to tell her what I had. I told the cashier all that had happened and all she she was that she was sorry! Never foto that...

Let me start by admitting I'm biased. I grew up in Southern California so I'm used to the Mexican food there and although I've lived in Texas almost ten years now, I still prefer the Mexican food from Cali. That's said, this place is just ok. The best part, honestly, was the staff. It really felt like a local hang out. The gentleman that brought me here new all the waitress' names and they new him. The food was forgettable. Not bad, mind you, but pretty run of the mill. There are so many Mexican restaurants in Texas, you really have to do something special to set yourself apart. If like to give a review of the food itself but it was a week ago, and like I said, it just doesn't stand out I'm my mind. I guess, try it if your in town. You might like it. At least I don't think...