El Patio de Old Town

Best Authentic Mexican food I have had in a long time. Had the best Caldo de Res with freshly made corn tortillas. Try the the extra hot sauce. Best around! What a treat! Enjoy!

Tucked away in Old Town the value of El Patio can’t be beat. Their crunchy beef tacos are only $ 4.00. And they are a generous portion size with perfectly seasoned shredded beef. You would think it would be easy to find a decent taco in Old Town. So far El Patio seems to be the best tasting and the best value.
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My family and I ate here and the atmosphere is very welcoming. The food was authentic and delicious. We were treated with kindness and thoughtful service. If we were to come back to Old Town we would definitely come back here.

Not happy with the service we received this past Saturday night. Our waitress took way too long to take our order, bring out the food and it took so long for her to check us out.

I would make the drive down to San Diego from OC just for the meal I had at El Patio. Carne Asada Burrito with rice and beans was the BEST I’ve had. Michelada was made perfectly. A great old school vibe with a guy singing oldies and classics and playing guitar. We will for sure be back!

Great music wonderful margaritas but don’t over order because they are large and very authentic ambiance chips salsa fast service it was a nice experience

Three generations of homemade cookery. It’s quaint and lovely. The carnitas are crispy and the tamarindo margaritas are delicious. It’s the restaurant that’s actually inside old town so your not going to find it driving. Look for the «patio» and don’t go on the weekend.

Pushed the Buffett really hard, but failed to say that the Buffett ended in 15 minutes. By the time I was done getting my daughter’s their plates most of the trays were empty and they weren’t refilling them. A waste of $ 15.99 all I got was a cheese enchilada and corn tortillas. They wouldn’t adjust my bill either.

Best mexican restaurant in Old Town San Diego. My family loves this place great atmosphere live music delicious food a must when in San Diego.

Delicious freshly made and live music. Can’t wait to bring my friends back! But next time I hope they have their liquor license.

GREAT Mexican food. Real authentic!!! The homemade Tortillas are out of this world! Very casual atmosphere. I had the Buffett and felt that it was a great choice on my part. Mainly because I got to taste a little bit of everything. Their chicken Mole was soooooo delicious!

Very underrated little restaurant hidden in a corner of Old Town San Diego.
Pros: –Live music was on point. For those that don’t know Mexican music, there is a difference between a Mariachi BAND vs a solo singer performing Ranchero. This night, they had 1 ranchero performer singing some Mexican classics, a guitar player doing his solo, and another singer finishing up when we first got there.
–The food was delicious! The rice was the best rice I’ve had in San Diego. Closest thing to homemade I’ve ever had.
–Menu had a large selection to choose from. Chicken, Pork, Beef, Seafood… Everyone at our large table ordered something different and everything came out great.
–The portions were a great and reasonable size. Many restaurants over do it with large excessive plates that would be better off shared but these plates were large enough to satisfy without going over.
Cons: –The speakers are all in the front so it’s not equally spread throughout the restaurant. Also sucks if you’re sitting up front. Won’t be able to enjoy an in depth conversation.
–It’s hidden. If it weren’t for the man out front offering discounts and letting people know there’s a restaurant behind the trees, you’d never know. It’s between little shoppes. It’s cute but hidden.
There aren’t many cons. I really enjoyed my experience there and so did my husbands family. We had a great time.

Pretty good. Off the beaten path but worth a stop in. I had the carne asada casadilla. Very good. Worthy of a try if that’s your thing. The large margarita is LARGE. I got buzzed off it. My wife likes her chili reienno and tamarindo margarita as well. We usually eat at Freds in old town but El Patio is on our radar now.

My first impression wasn’t great when being seated, maybe it was because they were closing within an hour. But after we got our food I can honestly say it was some of the best food I’ve ever had! I got the carne asana fajitas! The glazed onions and bell peppers were amazing! Not to mention the flavor of the meat!
The only thing I would complain about is when I ordered a margarita for my friend I ordered large thinking it would be a bigger glass, when it came out it was bigger than my head and $ 24! I wish the waiter would’ve mentioned how big it was or asked if we knew how big it was or the price. It was our first time.
Other than that the lady makes fresh tortillas next to you, the food is absolutely amazing!

Don’t come here if you plan on talking with friends or family. The live guitarist is great but the amplification is turned up so loud that it was painful at times. We moved in doors but won’t be coming back for our next family reunion.

Old Town has some pretty decent Mexican food… and a wide variety to choose from. I’ve tried them all and although some are far better than others, they are all decent.
There’s only one, in my book, that has left me with a completely happy experience from beginning to end. It’s El Patio. If I had to complain, I would only say that it’s pricey… but they all tend to be that way in Old Town.
I absolutely love the ambiance here; eat out under the stars, live Spanish guitar, soothing fountain, friendly and helpful staff, plenty of elbow room and not all cramped. Feels like being in a resort area of Mexico.
FOOD:
Tamales are loaded with meat and not too heavy on the masa.
Shrimp Enchiladas are out of this world good.
Tacos and burritos leave me nothing to complain about either.
Chips are fresh and salsas are fantastic.
Handmade tortillas are served warm and delicious!
I’ve never had a meal here that has disappointed, it’s our «go to» in Old Town.
BEVERAGES:
Drinks, such as margaritas, are not too strong… which is kind of a bummer since they are pretty high priced (but, again, it’s Old Town). Don’t get suckered into the large drink unless you want a ginormous bird bath of a weak margarita for $ 25. I stick with the small ones and try many flavors. Sangria is also very good too.
Sure you can wait the 30 – 45 minute (or more) wait to get into the more popular and crowded restaurants, but I assure you that you’ll be much happier and pleased if you head on over to El Patio and enjoy a more romantic and relaxed dinner with less of a wait.
MUY BUENO!
CHEERS!!!

Wish I had more time to take more pictures. But I have to say a truly fantastic experience.
Due to Coaster delay instead of making our 8pm reservations at the bay, we decided to jump off at old town at the spur of the moment and eat there within 57 minutes before the last train out of SanD for over 2hours.
First thing we did was ask the Transit police for the best place to eat, he said El Patio.
Got to El Patio just after 8pm. Talked to the hostess and explained we needed to eat and be on the 907pm train. No problem, she said 5 minute wait for table, it was 2 minutes.
We looked at the menu while we waited.
As soon as we sat down, a young waiter brought us water and chips, he was told we were in a rush for a train. We explained we were ready to order, he was on the ball.
We ordered Molcajetes to share. It is a very hot (heated) volcanic 3 legged rock bowl, that hosts sizzling shrimp, carne asada, chicken, green onions, Napoli leaf and bubbling salsa steaming right to your table with as much rice/​beans gauc as you can imagine. Additionally home made chips, salsa and tortillas made just a few feet away.
The food was fantastic, the ambiance was awesome, live music and a real old Mexican towne themed restaurant complete with tables, landscaping and costumes.
The meal was quick, huge, very tasty and priced very reasonably.
Check out my sizzling picture of the Molcajetes.
Molcajetes for two,
2 glasses of wine
Extra Gauc and 25% tip. $ 75.
Wished we could have stayed there more.
–1 star Restroom situation is not great. I get this is a period town, but you have to ask the hostess for the key and do the walk of shame across the town square to a small barn type building that contains something that really makes no difference if you wash your hands or not.

The nachos were kinda dry. The chips tasted like it was from a bag. The flavor wasn’t really that great. Everything tastes processed. The only reason it’s getting 2 stars is because she had to deal with my aunt. She never refilled our drinks, checked on us once, then she saw us getting done and asked us for the check.

I enjoyed my meal here at El Patio, always came here whenever I come to San Diego! One of my favorite places to come to eat. It may be a little pricy, but it is really worth it if you come with family or friends! You get that pioneer feeling and the atmosphere is really friendly. Our server was warm and very welcoming. One recommendation to have here at the restaurant is the molcajete. You can get it with carne asada, chicken, shrimp, or mixed. It is so worth it! Along with fresh, handmade tortillas it is even better.

Nice ambiance on the patio. They have home made tortillas!!! Always a winner in my book. I ordered simple with just a crispy beef taco. That accompanied with the chips and salsa was a nice lunch time meal. The beef was perfectly seasoned. El Patio brings you a mild salsa and a spicy one to the table with freshly made chips.
My sons burrito and his friends taquito provided more than enough food for them. They took almost half of both home.
Ample portions, nice ambiance, tasty food, reasonable prices and great service.
I will be back.