El Patron Family Mexican — Restaurant in Waterloo

Tried to enjoy the town of Waterloo with family and friends and this was are second time staying over night,first time was bad. So like normal we try to give small buisness our money, but this service by far the worst I've ever had in the US. When your waiter serves 3 tables before your table and we order 5minutes min before her 2, 3rd and 4th table walked thru the door..we were the only people inside for 10min. All three tables got there food before us table of2,4, and6 we had 4 with two children orders comes out 5 mins min after the 3rd I thought was bad, then took over 12minutes to fill tea, 10 minutes to flag down waiter who had 4 tables while we were there. Then when we asked for more soft shells, she grab the plate and said omg and walked off, another person finished are order and we got the hell out of this place. We watched another waiter play on his tablet serve 2 tables inside and 4 outside and had no problem checking on his customers. I have never walked out in a restaurant but I really wished I did now. Very disrespectful waiter and in front of a 2 year old and a 10 years old. I'm glad I didnt snap, and thought my youngsters how not to act. Was it worth 57usd teaching the young ones yes, the food no I can make better authentic mexican food...

Update 6/7/19: I'm now a frequent customer and I have to say, El Patron has some great menu options! Service is great. Drinks are awesome. Food is priced a little higher than some other mexican restaurants in the area but this place is a little more upscale. I am so glad I gave them another chance!

*This occured on Cinco de Mayo, so I'm giving them two stars in hopes this is not a regular thing. Once seated, no one came to take drink orders. After 20 minutes we flagged someone down- she said she didn't work there but could put our drink order in. Ok? My drink was dropped off at our table and it was wrong. Flagged down another employee and pointed to the menu, asking if the drink in front of me was the drink in the picture I ordered. He said no, apologized, and took it back to the bar to have it remade. Watched the bartender argue with him, and they both went on with their other orders. Watched my (wrong) drink sit on the bar for 15 minutes, no chips and salsa, and no one ever actually waited on us or took our food order. We let the front desk know we were leaving and offered to pay for my husband's drink- they apologized and said it was on the house. Maybe we'll try again when it's...

Very delicious. I’m super picky about flavors. When the salsa arrived with warm chips, it was a good start. The salsa was terrific, just the right spice; so I ordered guacamole, which is always a test for good flavor. It too was terrific, so an appetizer was certainly to follow. The Camarones Al Mojo De Ajo, shrimp sautéed in garlic butter with mushrooms and onions were fabulous. The shrimp was fresh, cooked perfectly, and the flavor was delightful. The entree was the Patron Combo, steak, chicken, shrimp, sautéed with onions, peppers, and special sauce; it was deliciously special; wow!! Large portions and big enough to share. I’m grateful for the excellent flavors. We were there during a very busy surge. Front of the house service was definitely a little chaotic, and stressed; no real organization or flow, but you can tell this is a true Small Business, and they are working very hard. I’m a small business owner, I give them a break for the chaotic front of the house, because I can see how hard they trying. Casual atmosphere, clean bathrooms, and reasonably priced. El Patron Mexican Restaurant is really great Mexican food In...