El Patron Mexican Grill — Restaurant in Prattville

Buyer beware! El Patron used to be our favorite Mexican restaurant, but we will not be returning. Multiple times they have tacked on extra charges for things they didn't tell us we would be charged extra for, but it's the way they went about doing it that really makes it wrong.

I ordered a chicken quesadilla, so they asked if I would like shredded or grilled chicken. What they didn't mention, and the menu also doesn't say, is that grilled chicken adds an extra two bucks. The next trip, I was ready for that (they tried again), but they did the same thing to my wife, but with a different tactic. She ordered a taco salad and they responded by going through all of the things it comes with along with one item not usually included, as if to ask her if she'd like everything that normally comes with a taco salad. She just said "yes", and sure enough, several extra dollars for added guacamole.

The servers all do this. They are obviously trained to do it and this is systematic deception. Now I'm seeing from other reviewers that they're charging a fee for using a credit card. Really? The prices on the menu have nearly doubled in the past 4 years and I understand that cost of operation is higher and most places have had to raise their prices, but add the El Patron Deception Tax in there and they have priced me out. Talk about spitting in the face of their...

The waiter seemed annoyed we were taking our time to order and even more annoyed I ordered off the Al a carte menu. He wasn't very friendly. The food was great, and very filling. We gave the bill n credit card to the waiter but waited more than 15 minutes and still no waiter or card, We stopped another waiter and were told that the credit card machine wasn't working. Okay, we replied, it would have been nice to have had that information. A Few more minutes and our waiter came by and repeated what we had been told AFTER he was alerted by the wait staff that we had stopped. Now it's more like 20 minutes we have been waiting. He asked if we had cash, but we didn't. He offered us to go drinks but still we waited over 30 minutes. Finally we were supplied with a paper form to fill out with credit card information. The food was impressive but the waiters unfriendliness along with the long haul sit and how the credit card situation was handled, I'm just not sure i will return. Going out to eat is a Treat we don't get to do much these days and I refuse to Pay for Poor Customer service. We felt held hostage because Their machine wasn't working. Our time is Valuabl as well as our $. All businesses especially these days should have a Back up plan for situations...

Update: It has been a few years since I have gone back to El Patron. I was raving about the Molcajete to my best bud. We went up to get some. We dined in. I have no idea how they managed to do it, but the Molcajete is even better than I remember! The prices have gone up a bit (like every place else) since I last went there pre-Covid. It is still 5-stars! The staff was very attentive, the service was excellent as was the food. My best bud was blown away too. We're going to grab some of our other friends and go again soon. I would give El Patron 6 stars, if it were possible!

(Previous review 2019)

The restaurant was at about 30% customer capacity when my guest and I arrived. The food was terrific, as always. I recommend the Molcha Heta. I get it almost every time I go. The server was very nice and friendly. She checked on us several times during our meal. I plan to continue going...