Abigail Derkson/ Winonan

El Patron Mexican Bar & Cantina is the place to go if you want authentic Mexican cuisine in Winona.

From start to finish I was impressed with my dining experience. Despite it being a busy Saturday night, we were seated immediately. Nestled in a back booth, my friends and I enjoyed the vibrant, colorful atmosphere while we still maintained our privacy.

While the atmosphere was good, our food was even better.

Our meal started with tortilla chips and El Patron’s salsa. I was impressed with how, as soon as we sat down, we were given chips and salsa. I was even more impressed with how fresh and delicious the salsa tasted. It had just the right balance of tang and heat.

As good as the salsa was, the queso cheese dip was a definite must-have. It was hands down the best queso I’ve had. It was creamy and rich without being overpowering.

For my entrée, I ordered the grilled chicken tacos. They were topped with cilantro and onions. The tacos were the best ones I have had. The grilled chicken was crispy and flavorful, and the cilantro and onions gave the tacos the extra something they needed. The meal was simple but incredibly flavorful and colorful.

My friends all tried something different.

One of my friends, Sam Hildebrandt, had the tapatio chimi. The tapatio chimi was two chimichangas, one with chicken and one with beef, served with lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, pico de gall and drizzled queso cheese.

“The chimichangas were awesome,” Hildebrandt said. “The flavors balanced each other out. It wasn’t too spicy but there was a kick. It tasted like really authentic Mexican food.”

Overall, she said she enjoyed her experience at El Patron.

“If people like Mangos, I would recommend them to try El Patron,” she said. “I think people would like it better than Mangos.”

Hildebrandt not only loved the food but also the atmosphere of the restaurant.

“I like that they had a dining room but they also had the bar, so you can go there and have a drink and watch a game, or you can go there for a nice date or a family dinner,” she said. “It accommodates everyone.”

My other friends enjoyed their meals as well. One friend had the burrito fajitas with steak. She enjoyed how tasteful and well-seasoned the steak was. She also said this was her second time eating at El Patron, and she had a much better experience and would definitely eat there again. She even said she had a difficult time choosing between options on the menu because everything sounded so delicious.

Another friend had the enchilada verde, which was an enchilada with green tomato sauce. While she liked the flavors, she said it was too tangy for her liking and she would not order it again. However, she still said she would like to go back.

Overall I was very impressed and satisfied with the dinner. The flavors were incredible. We were all so impressed with the food and the menu options that we could not decide what we wanted for dessert, so the four of us split five different desserts: flan, chimi cheesecake, churros, sopaipilla and fried ice cream.

I personally did not enjoy the flan like my friends did. I found the flavor of the custard enjoyable, but for me it was not enough to make up for the gummy texture. While we disagreed on the flan, we all agreed the deep fried cheesecake was a hit: decadent and sweet. Like the queso dip, this dessert was a must-have.

When I asked my friends what kind of ranking they would give El Patron, Hildebrandt said, “Four out of five stars. But that’s only because I can’t live there and eat there all the time.”

I can’t help but agree.