Jason Dean

Great Mexican food. Really nice staff and reasonable prices. Most of the staff and many of the customers speak Spanish as their first language but don't let that deter you as an anglophone. A little good will makes communication a breeze.

macdaddie mcallister

We were staying in Albany for the baseball hall of fame weekend and went here on Sunday after the induction ceremony and were totally impressed. We're from Seattle and have oodles of Mexican joints. This is in our top 5. Margaritas by the pitchers are the way to go. My wife have the child rellenos with poblanos was excellent. I had the chicken and beef fajitas was enough for two and very good. Sarah our server was excellent and very sweet. If you got a hankering for Mexican, the patron is a must!

Shawn Keehan

Leaving work today I decided to take the top off the Jeep Wrangler I rented and enjoy one of the 5 days a year in Albany where the sun is out and the temperature's are tolerable. As I drove down the highway and garnered numerous stares I couldn't help but feel like a Boss. I'm sure the glances were for no other reason..... and what better way to celebrate a day of being the man then eating at El Patron. After dodging the bullet spray from the neighboring tenants I made it inside and was immediately welcomed. The queso was the same as every other Mexican restaurant this side of the Mississippi, but the salsa was actually really good!! I ordered the steak burritos covered in queso with rice and beans. The rice and black beans were the same as everywhere else but the steak burritos were really good. Absolutely packed full of tender steak!! Unfortunately there was only steak. No tomatoes, no cheese, no cilantro, no anything. But I digress. As I could see the sun starting to go down through the window and by the sirens from the ambulances constantly meandering by I knew my day of being a "Boss" had come to an end. Although I will be back for those steak burritos.

Nicole Bartner

I’m giving El Patron Mexican Grill and Cantina one whole star just for the spot it’s in. I don’t know what this building was originally meant to be, but the stained glass windows are giving a definite church vibe, while the topless ladies 1920s frescoes still up at both ends of the main dining room are more “Grand Central Station” vibes. There are plenty of existing interior Art Deco 1920s elements. It’s a REALLY NICE space. The decent sized bar is at the back of the space. The exterior has a GREAT, bright paint scheme (oranges and blues - FUN!). Disclosure: I don’t eat beef, pork or poultry. That’s usually not a problem for me at American Mexican restaurants. These days you can pretty much always find fish options and nachos etc. When I first started reading the menu at El Patron I was worried. Pretty much everything I was seeing had chicken or pork. But this is a LARGE menu and when I slipped a few pages I found not only does El Patron have a Vegetarian menu. They even have a VEGAN menu! I was impressed. I wanted to try as many things as possible. But the portions here are what I would describe as HUGE. My plan was to try as many different tacos as possible. But I ordered stupidly. I’m pretty sure I could have mixed and matched more types of tacos if I had thought it out. Each “full taco order” is 3 LARGE tacos. And if you get the whole meal option it comes with a PLATTER that is half refried pinto beans and half Mexican rice (both very tasty and extremely filling). I started with Guacamole and Bean Dip. The guacamole is made from avocado puree. I’m not a fan. I wouldn’t get it again. The Bean Dip is really Queso on top of refried beans. Which, let’s face it, is DELICIOUS. FYI: This food is Salty. With a capital “S.” Drink your water so you can enjoy all the salt! The first tacos I ordered were Grilled Shrimp. Honestly? They were DELICIOUS. All they had were grilled shrimp, lettuce and a little cheese. They came with spicy salsa (actually spicy…) and pico de gallo (very good). I ate the first shrimp taco plain. It was really good. Then I ate one with the pico and another with the spicy salsa. ALL DELICIOUS. Then I ordered the Vegan Tacos. Which were even MORE filling because they are refried beans, sliced avocado, lettuce and tomatoes served with a side of the spicy salsa. Also, DELICIOUS. I wanted to try the Vegetarian Tacos and Grilled Fish Tacos. But I couldn’t even finish what I ordered. Excellent value for your money.

+1

Karen Kendzierski

The decor in this restaurant is very unique as it was formally a church. Luckily there wasn’t a wait and we were able to get promptly seated for dinner. The server was very attentive and nice. I ordered the Quesadillas Texanas and it was very good - I just wish it came with rice and beans for the price.

+2

Froggy “Froggy” Jen

We stopped here for dinner during an overnight stay in Albany. I believe the restaurant is in what was once a church, so we were curious about the interior. I ordered a Top Shelf margarita which was very tasty and a generous size. For dinner I had the chicken fajitas. While the vegetables were cooked perfectly, I was a little disappointed in how bland the chicken was. It wasn't horrible, I just wish it had had more flavor. My partner ordered the chicken Baja tacos, which he also commented the chicken was a bit tasteless. Our server was very friendly and attentive, and I enjoyed the atmosphere, although it was a bit loud. I suppose that's to be expected in a former church!

hawk messias

The service was excellent. The food wasn't so good, then when you sit down it reads A 15% fair wage service fee will be added to every bill......how about the company pay your employees a fair wage instead of adding on to paying customers bills, it's not our job as customers to pay the wage....I WILL NOT EVER GO THERE AGAIN

Andrea Guerrero

Food was okay, I could tell it was microwaved because of the beans. Devil meat was not spicy, just had chipotle sauce. They give alot of chips and salsa which is nice. Decor and atmosphere is lively and beautiful. Might be one of the few Mexican places here so maybe go once for drinks and appetizer.

De’Asia Mayers

Will never order from here again. I usally can write in notes for request never has been a problem. Not only was the food wrong but missing the best parts of the meal. Wasted $30. 0/10 order steak chimichangas and got beef poop.

Ananya Gupta

BEWARE!!! El Patron is serving a vegan menu with rice and beans that contain chicken bouillon!! Both the refried beans and black beans are neither vegetarian nor vegan. This is a lawsuit waiting to happen, sadly. On the other hand, their regular salsa and spicy tomatillo salsa are quite good and tasty. However the chips seem a bit too industrial. The lemonade also tastes like it's straight up based on a bottled syrup. I really wanted to like this place but their menu betrayed me.

+2

Samanta C

If I could put 0 stars I would. Idk why this place has 4.4 stars, people must not know what REAL GOOD mexican food is. The place is cute inside but the food is horrible. My family and I felt nauseous afterwards and the carne asada aka steak was full of fat. The chicken was also full with seasoning that wasn't even good and the tex mex burrito was DRENCHED in sour cream and cheese to the point it wasn't enjoyable. The only good thing was the chips and salsa they serve you before your meal. The waitress saw me taking these photos and got upset, too bad. Do better and find better cooks.