East Patio Méxicano Restaurant – Authentic Mexican Food in East Sacramento
We are local East Sacramento residents and we live walking distance to the well-known East Patio Méxicano Restaurant. I was eager to compose this foodie review because I only have glowing remarks, which makes it easy to write. When you are craving the flavors of real and authentic Mexican food, this should be your go-to spot in East Sacramento.
My husband is Mexican-American and he grew up eating homemade Mexican meals made by family members who grew-up in Mexico. This restaurant receives his stamp of approval as real authentic Mexican food. Read on to see our complete review, which will help you plan your own visit to the East Patio Méxicano Restaurant.
Favorite and Noteworthy Meals on the Menu at East Patio Méxicano
When you plan to dine at a Mexican restaurant, there’s definitely common and popular foods you expect to see on the menu. The East Patio menu is very extensive and you’ll see many “hard to find” Mexican foods listed. Their offerings go beyond the basic into niche foodie favorites.
Some noteworthy menu items at East Patio are:
- A variety of tamales (pork, veggies, and cheese with jalapeno)
- Pozole
- Chile Relleno
- Both soft tacos and crispy tacos
- Enchiladas
- Super burritos, which can be served wet with sauce
- Birria de res
- Ceviche
- Chilaquiles
- Chicken Mole
- Menudo
- Machaca
Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Are Served at East Patio Méxicano
Mexican Style Breakfast and Brunch
It’s rare to find a Mexican restaurant serving breakfast at 10am on the weekends and 11am on weekdays. Their breakfast menu is robust with morning staples like pancakes, eggs, etc., but then they also have Mexican style breakfast. Consider trying eggs and nopal (cooked cactus), chilaquiles, chile verde with eggs, carne asada with eggs, huevos rancheros, chorizo with eggs, omelettes, breakfast burrito and machaca (eggs, shredded beef, pico de gallo and jalapenos). Breakfast and/or brunch is served everyday until 2pm.
Lunch and Dinner
The remainder of the menu is served until the end of the day. As I have notes above, there’s a very wide selection of meals on the menu. You’d be very hard-pressed to not find a favorite Mexican food listed.
Specialty Drinks to Accompany Your Meal
It wouldn’t be a proper Mexican restaurant without a frozen margarita! East Patio Méxicano Restaurant has 18 different varieties of margaritas with an assortment of tequilas and flavors to choose from. Fruity margarita flavor options include mango, strawberry, passion fruit, raspberry, watermelon, pineapple and melon.
Additional beverage options include Mexican coffee (kahlua and coffee), horchata, ponche (Mexican hot tea with fruit), Mexican hot chocolate, Jarritos, Shirley Temple, Roy Rogers, Virgin margarita, Mexican Coke, milk and juice.
Desserts for Sweet Tooth Lovers
Leave room for dessert! On the menu they serve the following Mexican sweets: vanilla flan, ice cream, churros with ice cream, banana splits, sopapillas (fried puffed dough), tres leches cake and brownies.
I also want to mention that they serve Sacramento’s famous Gunther’s Ice Cream!
Special Diets Such as Vegan, Vegetarian and Gluten Free
The menu does not have any symbols or indicators on which items would fall into a special diet. That being said, most menu items are customizable so you can most likely have them leave off meat, flour and dairy ingredients. They have several meat-free dishes including veggie tamales, veggie burrito, guacamole and chips and burrito bowl.
The Restaurant Dining Atmosphere
The East Patio Méxicano Restaurant has both indoor and outdoor seating. There’s a long patio that wraps around the building with murals, gardening and twinkle lights setting the scene. There’s plenty of shade and privacy from the street when seated on the outdoor patio.
On hot or cold weather days, there’s plenty of indoor seating with booths and tables. There’s a full bar with seating and TV’s playing sporting events.
I would describe the decor style to be very typical of a mom-and-pop family owned Mexican restaurant. Not necessarily modern, but very comfortable and welcoming. It feels very authentic Mexican with cultural art and motifs.
The Staff and Service
We’ve always had great experiences with the staff. The servers are always very friendly and attentive. We are a family with young children and my toddler is sometimes a challenge when eating in public. They treat us with kindness and understanding, always with a smile!
Pricing and Portion Sizes
In our current era of dining out being so expensive with all the inflation, I am happy to report that the prices at East Patio Méxicano Restaurant are still very reasonable. While they did recently increase their own rates, you can still get a hearty and very tasty meal for around $20 (including a drink). Their prices are publicly listed on their menu online, so you can plan your budgeting ahead of time.
The portion sizes are very large, especially when you consider all the chips and salsa, rice and beans, tortillas, etc. We ended up bringing half our meals home in take out containers for a second meal the next day.
Centrally Located in East Sacramento
I mentioned in the introduction that East Patio Méxicano Restaurant is located in East Sacramento, but more specifically you can find it on the main drag of Folsom Boulevard and 51st Street. After your meal, you can walk off that full belly with some boutique store shopping or heading over to the Fab 40s neighborhood to see some vintage Tudor style homes. There’s also coffee at Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters and ice cream at Yume Gelato.
Do You Need to Make Reservations?
We have never needed to make reservations in order to get a table. While there’s almost always other patrons enjoying a meal, we’ve never had to wait very long for a table.
If you are planning on coming on a Mexican holiday like Cinco de Mayo, or you have a large party, I would call in advance to ask about the wait time.
Is East Patio Méxicano Restaurant Kid and Family-Friendly?
Yes! You’ll often see babies, toddlers and kids at this restaurant. They have a kids menu, kid-approved drinks, and the staff is very good with kids.
Should I Plan a Date Night at East Patio Méxicano Restaurant?
Yes! On Friday nights they are open until 10pm, and 9pm on weekdays. This would definitely be a fun place to share some drinks and good food with a special someone.
Catering for Your Special Events
One last note I’d like to offer. East Patio Méxicano offers catering for special events. I always appreciate when a host uses a locally-owned and authentic cuisine catering service for parties, weddings and events.
