El Patron Cocina Mexicana

Since we couldn't make it out last night, we had our Valentine's dinner tonight. Out of all the options we considered, I took the wife's recommendation and we went to El Patron on 51st.I'd heard nothing but good here and elsewhere, so the bar was fairly high. We got there around 5ish and had to wait all of about 5 minutes for a table, which turned out to be upstairs.Promptly seated and drinks ordered, they brought out the chips and salsa sampler, with drinks immediately after. It took me a while to decide on what to eat because honestly, the menu is huge, and it all looked good. After flip flopping around on a couple of choices, I landed on the Chamorro Enchilado, which is a braised pork shank, seasoned with sauce and baked baby potatoes, also with sides of beans and rice. The wife went for beef fajitas, and we got a large queso to start with.Queso is outstanding. It's thick, so eat it while you can. Great flavor, not overly spicy, and sticks to your chip. The salsa assortment is the standard red, spicy ranch and citrus pineapple variey, with the addition of an outstanding smoked green pepper salsa. Not sure what peppers they used, but I don't think it's just standard jalapenos. Anyway, it was a welcome addition.Food arrived quickly, if a little disjointedly. Wife got her fajitas first, with several minutes wait until she got the rest of her fixings. My dish arrived about 5 minutes or so after that. Not a huge deal, but the expeditor needs to work on that a little.The food itself was worth the wait. Her fajitas were easily some of the best I've had in Tulsa. Plenty of meat and veg, all sliced small enough to easily pile onto the fresh tortillas.The Chamorro was hands down one of the best meals I've had in recent memory. The pork shank was perfectly cooked, and just the right size. The sauce was a mixture of enchilada and bbq type sauces that had a bold heat to it that kept my sinuses clear the entire meal. The roasted potatoes that came in the dish were equally outstanding and could have almost stood on their own.Service was above excellent, and we felt well taken care of the entire time.Overall, an outstanding experience, probably 4.5 out of 5 stars, and that's just due to the expediting kerfluffle, not the quality or quantity of food.I will definitely be back.

Vibrant atmosphere with lots of room. I must of got to the restaurant right on time because no more than 30 minutes later, there wasn't a seat that wasn't filled which was a good sign that I was in a good spot. Service was fast and efficient. The food was pretty good! Chips came out warm with a variety of salsas to dip. There were plenty of items to pick from on the menu. I ended up getting the steak with the bone marrow dish... it was awesome! The wife ended up getting a dish that had chicken cheese and peppers served in a pineapple along with tortillas, rice and beans. The borracho beans were amazing!!!I will be going back to this spot! Check out the photos!

Thursday night was the perfect night to try this new place out. I drove by tonight and there was a line outside waiting. The food was good and I'm really looking forward to exploring the big seafood menu here in the future. Service was excellent and what really impressed me was the managers working the room to make sure everything was flowing well, and the customers were happy. Sitting downstairs I noticed a pretty steady stream of people going upstairs to the bar, which might be a thing Posting up our food and pictures now and looking forward to going back again, but not standing in line

We went the Friday night of opening week. While it was very very crowded, we only waited about 20 minutes for a table (and we got to go upstairs). I really liked the architecture and decor, especially the cacti and succulents under the stairs. I really thought they did crowd control well. (I wish we had been told there was a bar upstairs, too, though.) I tried the Cantaro and it was refreshing but I would order something different next time. I'm not a huge fan of tamarind candy and while I love tajin, there was too much running down the side of the glass. Fingers were red. (Bar service was a bit slow, too.)The Enchiladas Verde (ordered with birria beef) were quite good. I would certainly order them again. I ordered a side of black beans (above average) and the elote but was told they were out of corn-on-the cob and the corn would come in a bowl. I said that was fine. What arrived WAS delicious but I can't believe I'm saying this--there was just way too much butter.I would totally return. The building itself merits a five star. The staff also deserve high marks running everywhere.

We have a pretty standard agreement in our household to not eat at brand new restaurants in their first week/month of opening while they work out the kinks. No need for the first impression to be bad when they just need time to figure things out. So we definitely broke our rule this weekend by going to El Patron's new establishment on 51st St. for our daughter's birthday celebration. It was already packed at 5:15 with a 25-30 minute wait, but they did get us seated right at the quoted time. We were led to a table upstairs. It's an impressive space with bars on both floors, patios in front and back, tons of tables. We did have to ask for chip refills, extra silverware sets that weren't delivered when we were seated, etc. All minor and easily corrected. We ordered 5 dishes and all came out hot and timely. Everything was just the same as expected from our experiences at the 41st St. location. Yes, I'm that person who goes to a Mexican restaurant and orders the crab legs, but honestly, they are so good and reasonably priced, I always end up ordering them. Everyone was happy with their orders as well. Oh, and I do love their spicy michelada mix with a modelo!I was happy that taking a chance on our "rule" wasn't regretful, our daughter had a great meal at one of our favorite places and everyone left full and happy!

Food was pretty good. I felt bad that my quesabrillas took longer than everyone so I had to wait for them to come in after 15 minutes that everyone got their food and the quesabrillas consomé arrived after 10 minutes that the quesabrillas arrived. So it was interesting, but they tasted good. So I think the preparation takes quite longer so just be aware of it. Everything else tasted good. The charros beans were not my favorite but the Mexican rice was good. Our waitress was a bit lost but she was nice and after reminding her she got what we needed it. Ambience was nice, will probably come back, but I might try sitting downstairs to see if that makes a difference in the service and getting my food faster.

Still new still learning the menu great look restaurant upstairs down stairs good vibe. Food was tasty but did not get all I asked for or maybe it's how they do it. Ordered the build your own burrito, grilled steak, and chorizo, it then ask what do you want inside well rice, then it ask you what do you want for sauce, then your sides. What a came to the table was a burrito with everything I asked for stuffed inside including the sides. Wife had the street tacos with house salad as her side, she asked for no croutons and no bacon, it came covered in bacon with wilted lettuce needless to say that got sat to the side and not touched, tacos were just ok. Food came to the table like warm I imagine the walk from the down stairs kitchen to upstairs where we sat chilled our food it was not hot. Maybe install a dumb waiter to get it upstairs faster or cover it. Food had good flavor, I will be back to try it again.

We have gone 4 times and the food has been great, the drinks have been delicious, and the service has been fantastic! Love having a yummy, neighborhood, Mexican food restaurant around again!

Chips and dips are great. Service is slow, lighting in the restaurant is annoying. Food was dry and over cooked. Cool concept but definitely not worth the money.

The Worst Dining Experience EVER - DO NOT GO HERE!!!!This place is an absolute joke. I've never been so disrespected at a restaurant in my life. Our party of 8 arrived at 7 PM, expecting a 20-minute wait. After being asked multiple times if we were a party of 4 or 6, a group of 8 who showed up after us was seated before us. We finally got a table at 8 PM, a full hour after we were told.The service was a complete disaster. Our server kept forgetting to put in our drink orders, and we had to remind her MULTIPLE times. We ordered our food at 8:20 PM, and we watched as other tables around us, who came in AFTER us, were served before us. It was clear they didn't care about us, and honestly, it felt like they were deliberately ignoring us.By the time our food FINALLY came at 10 PM, we were already upset. I ordered a rare steak - what they brought out was WELL DONE. I sent it back, and when they brought out the replacement, it was just medium. By then, we were so done with this place, I didn't even care. I was starving and exhausted from the incompetence all around me.And then the bill came - $500. And instead of even remotely trying to make it right, the manager took off a measly $40. That felt like an insult, after all the crap we went through. This place does not deserve your business. You will waste your time, money, and patience here. Food isn't even good. Do yourself a favor and NEVER eat here. This restaurant is a disgrace, and I'll be making sure everyone I know knows about this nightmare of an experience!!! I would rate this place 0 stars if I could.