El Gran Patron Mexican Cocina & Bar — Restaurant in Virginia

The atmosphere is definitely a highlight—the aesthetic aligns perfectly with the cuisine, making for a visually enjoyable experience. Despite being packed, the place had an unexpectedly calm feel, which made for a pleasant dining environment even while sitting in the middle of it all.

In terms of service, the staff really stood out. Our waitress was gentle, soft-spoken, and consistently checked on us every 10 minutes. In fact, the attention we received went above and beyond with other waitstaff and even the manager stopping by to ensure everything was satisfactory. While it might feel like a bit too much for some, I appreciated this proactive approach, especially in contrast to other spots where flagging down your server can be a challenge.

However, the food was where things fell short. I ordered the Fajitas Texanas (a combination of shrimp, steak, and chicken) with corn tortillas. Unfortunately, the dish leaned heavily on onions and green peppers with only sparse portions of the actual proteins. While the presentation was inviting, the lack of seasoning was hard to overlook, and it felt like the flavors were muted—something I've encountered often since relocating from the DMV area. This isn’t unique to El Gran Patron, but it’s worth noting if you’re expecting more robust, well-seasoned dishes.

My drink, a strawberry margarita on the rocks (no salt on the rim), also left me wanting. There was a heavy residue from whatever powder was used, leaving a gritty feeling on my glass, which detracted from the overall experience.

Would I return? Honestly, I’m on the fence. While I’m glad I visited, I much prefer Guacamole Restaurant in Locust Grove, which offers food that feels more intentional and flavorful.

To sum it up, El Gran Patron excels in atmosphere and service, but the food didn’t quite hit the mark for me. If you’re in it for a cozy setting and attentive staff, it’s worth a visit, but if you’re after food that makes a lasting impression, there may be better options...

This place was awful. The prices on the bill were higher than what was listed on the menu. The orders were wrong, and the service was extremely slow. Our total time at the restaurant was over an hour. We ended up asking for our food to be packed to go because of how long everything took.

Once seated, we waited about 10 minutes before anyone even approached our table. When we finally ordered two margaritas, they took over 10 minutes to arrive, came out with the wrong flavors, and were later found to be $14 each. Even after bringing the drinks, the waitress didn’t take our food order and disappeared again. Another 10 minutes went by before she returned with water, left again, and finally came back five minutes later to take our order.

I ordered a steak super burrito, and my wife ordered the burrito deluxe (one beef and one chicken). After waiting another 30 minutes, the waitress said it would be just “a couple more minutes.” That’s when we decided to ask for the check and have the food packed to go.

When we got home, I opened my steak super burrito and found only one small piece of steak on each end. The rest was just rice and sour cream. My wife’s burrito deluxe was wrong too. She received two chicken burritos instead of one beef and one chicken. Halfway through eating, she found a three-inch bone inside the burrito, which completely ruined her appetite.

To make matters worse, the steak super burrito was listed at $13.99 on the menu but was charged as $16.99 on the receipt. That kind of overcharging is sketchy and unacceptable. On top of that, they clearly skimp on portions, which makes the experience even worse.

To sum it up, the food was bland. The salsa was watery. The chips were broken. The portions were small. The service was terrible, and the wait time was ridiculous. I wouldn’t recommend this...

The easiest way to determine if a restaurant is an "authentic" Mexican restaurant is very easy. If there are mashed potatoes (and seeds, lol) in your Chile Rellenos, it's not authentic. If your Molcajete does not have cactus and pineapple in the dish, it's not authentic. If your burritos have rice in them it's not authentic. This is just high priced Taco Bell.

No respectable Mexican puts rice in a burrito, ever. Chipotle does, but again, McDonalds owns Chipotle.

The "beef tongue" in the BURRITO JAROCHO is just beef. Not tongue. Just regular beef. Same exact beef as in the BURRITOS VERDES which are $9.75 compared to $14.95 for the tongue. (I got both to verify). Yep. True. I felt stupid. But, not my issue. A lot of places do this exact thing.

The Mexican Restaurant in Mineral is a lot better, and 1/2 the price of this place.

Growing up in Arizona and California, being able to actually drive into Mexico to get real Mexican food, you can even find better Mexican food from street vendors.

I think white people must run this place. It's not Mexican. It's "White Boy" Mexican at best, and overpriced for even that.

The "salsa". Looks and tastes like it came from a jar with a little sprig of cilantro on top. Nice try. A few fresh onions in there, stuck together. Just horrible on the prep side, and delivery. No flavor at all, just tastes like tomato paste with cilantro on top.

Very bland, and very overpriced. Nothing about this place separates it from Taco Bell, except the price. $20.00 for Molcajete which at this place, is just Fajitas? In a bowl........ just everything wrong. Drive down the road a bit. There is real, authentic Mexican...