El Patron Mexican Grill

This taco shop is close to my job. I actually enjoyed the food from here. I am from the southeast, land of all the good taco shops, but this one is ranks right up there with shops in the «hood». Suggestion, if you’re at work, call in and order ahead to save time.

I’m so disappointed. I ordered the Tostada salad with chicken and the chicken was definitely old. It was disgusting. It was hard. The salad was good but couldn’t eat any of the chicken.

This place has seriously gone down hill! $ 4 tacos, $ 8 burritos, and (honestly) $ 9 carne fries WTH? I used to love their signature El Patron Burrito; carne asada marinated with aneheim chiles is a white sauce… so good! NOW, it has decayed into an average bean n cheese burrito with some carne conservatively sprinkled in. Lame waste of $ 8. Too bad too, because this used to be a go to spot for me!

Hidden away in a strip mall, the food is pretty good. The sign out front says El Patron but the receipt says Cotijas on it. I got a fish taco and a beef taco and they were pretty good. Staff is friendly. The hot sauces were pretty good.

Tried this place for the first time today. Just moved into the neighborhood and I’m on the hunt for a great fast food Mexican joint. El Patron probably won’t be it. I got a California burrito (pretty standard) and was not that impressed.
Don’t get me wrong. There was nothing wrong with the place. There was just nothing great either. It was about $ 8 a burrito, which I thought was on the higher end for a Mexican fast food place. The salsa doesn’t have much flavor, but the burrito itself was good.
They have 50 cent mini fish tacos on Wednesdays from 3 – 7. I’ll have to try that one day.

I come here often because it’s close to work and good for a quick bite. The folks that work there seem nice but overall the food is just so-​so.
The parking lot is atrocious, everyone drives thru there the opposite of the arrows and most of the parking spots are far too narrow to park comfortably in. If you have a nice car don’t bother coming here. Then again if you had a nice car you would probably head up to Carmel Mountain and eat at Yasenia’s for the best Mexican food in North County.

This taco shop reminds me of Cotijas just by the way the menus are set up and how the food tasted. Service was great as the cashier helped us out with a smile and even greeted us when we left. Food was served quickly and the restaurant was easy to get to. I recommend ordering off their specials menu or combos, it makes life much easier.

I couldn’t give this place 0 stars so I gave it 1 star. WORST Mexican food in San Diego. Save your money. I threw the food away. I wouldn’t even feed it to my dog.

Would have gave it 5 stars but they recently jacked up the price. Their staple meal there is surf and turf.

The food is waa… aaay overpriced, and curiously enough there is a sign on the counter appologizing for the overpricedness, and attributing the high prices to the cost of doing business in California. yup. that’s why. I was there during the daytime, and ordered their chicken burrito. It was certainly high quality, with none of the standard bean and rice fillers, just chicken and the fajitas fixings. For nearly $ 9.00 is was big enough, but still, $ 9.00 is tourist pricing. In certain parts of LA, you can feed a whole family for $ 9.00. The salsa bar was stocked with the hostest salsa on record. You can’t beat this place for hot salsa. The atmosphere in this place is just meh. Just your typical mom and pop mexican place in WASP suburbialand.

My kids and I love the Bean & cheese burrito’s from here and you def can’t beat the price. I’ve actually had a few other items that were very good as well, however the service is Horrible & They are so unbelievably rude there. My daughter and I went in about 40 mins before close and with the biggest attitude the lady took our order, She did not ask if it was for «here or to go», So they put it in a to go bag. which was no big deal… We decided to stay and eat real quick and the looks we got from both the cook and the register lady were crazy… I heard them even saying «well they have 10 mins» I was livid. I would have said something to them if my daughter wasn’t with me…

Machaca burrito is a go-​to. El Grande Burro is good, as long as you have a hungry friend to share with. Steak and Bacon breakfast burrito is very good. Overall, a decent taco joint for the area… with very good prices… and in heavy rotation for our RB lunch team.

This place is our go-​to place for Mexican food on a work day. The service is fast and the food is consistent. I would recommend the hash brown burrito and the fish tacos… my 2 faves! The fish tacos are pretty big and very cheap (only $ 2!).
My only complaint would be the service in the evenings. I’ve stopped by here on my way home from work a couple of times and when it’s close to their closing time the lady at the counter can sometimes be moody. The food is just as good, but they will have sometimes put the salsas away, and then asking for salsa is like asking for a flight to the moon!

They have daily specials from 3PM to 7PM! On Wednesdays, they have fish tacos for 99 cents. Can’t remember the entire specials menu, but definitely worth checking out if you have a couple of dollars in your pocket.
I ordered carne asada fries. Fries were crispy and the meat was actually pretty good. Not overly seasoned like most people like it.
The salsa bar was pretty good too. They had grilled peppers, onions and carrots as well.
Only thing is that they close at 7PM. And aren’t even open on Sunday. Boo! I understand that they cater to all the companies in the area and probably wouldn’t get business otherwise, but still!
Will definitely come back during their «happy hour» for their daily specials.
Also, not necessarily enough to hurt the review, but they clean up early. Some Unilocaler mentioned this. I was in there at around 5PM. The lady was already mopping and putting the salsas away. Hmm.

Ok Mexican food. I’ve stopped here multiple times to see if I’d find something I’d like but haven’t.
The stuff is over priced and it doesn’t take like most Mexican restaurants here in SD.
Had their horchata I don’t recommend it. There’s not taste and hugs bits of cinnamon that you will have to fish out or chew.

We really liked this place until I found a twisty tie in my shrimp quesadilla tonight. Really bummed.

Ditzy — what the heck? Why is «ditzy» in here?
Anyhow, I have enjoyed numerous breakfast burritos here for the past six years. I think this place is great for a simple uncomplicated breakfast. The girl behind the counter will cook your food if the head cook is busy with other orders. She is really sweet.
So if you just want something uncomplicated, easy and fast, this is the place to go. I have had other items on their menu, I am picky eater and they have accommodated some of my requests.
I will continue to eat here, it’s good and they are nice. The place is really, really clean. Minus one star for not having a toilet. These types of places need a public bathroom for a variety of reasons.

It’s called Taco Patron now, but still has the same good food and service. Good $ 5 specials menu and the rest of the items are not too bad on price. Love the onions that they have available in the salsa bar and a good selection of salsas. Portions are pretty large and the taste of the food items are good.

tip: look for the $ 5 specials on the right
Adobada burrito was good for five bucks. No beans which was good. Had guac in there which was even better. has horchata vat which not alot of mexican joints have. breaded Fish burrito was very flavorful. great value.

3.5 but going to round up. Very tasty food. Ridiculously large portions and solid prices. Salsa bar is really good. Great range on menu. The staff works hard and the customer service is nice.
Shrimp burrito and fish tacos are excellent. My only problem ordering the famous #1 platter is it’s huge with everything overflowing into each other and there’s too much sauce in the tacos and burritos. Sloppiest meal I’ve had in a long time.
I like to taste the tortilla and the texture of it instead of fishing it out with one side covered in beans. They need to cut their portions back 15% and have a more manageable meal. It will still be enough for anyone. If you can deal with a messy meal, you’ll love this place.