This is not my go to Mexican restaurant in the area, but I do come here about once a year The service is fabulous It is rarely over crowded It's a peaceful place to come for a sitdown, Mexican meal I absolutely love the margaritas here Truly, my favorite thing about this place I could be happy just doing margaritas and chips and salsa This time we ordered food My daughter ordered the Carnitas tacos. In retrospect that we could've shared that. I ordered beef enchiladas Both were very tasty, and we had leftovers to bring home The place is decorated in a old-school Mexican Restaurant vibe I'll be coming back I know read more

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I really liked this place! Is it the best Mexican food I've ever had in my life, no. But it is authentic, generous portions, fair prices and probably the best sit down Mexican restaurant and bar in the area by a long shot. They also have plenty of seating here, including outdoor patio, at the bar and a couple of different dining room areas in the main restaurant. I wanted a traditional carnitas plate which is not on the menu. However, if you ask the server, they will order a carnitas burrito deconstructed which is actually exactly what I consider a carnitas plate. A nice portion of tender lean pork, guacamole, rice and beans, salsa fresca and some sauteed onions. Very tasty and filling. I also decided to start with the queso fundido appetizer which was good but all in all it was too much food! read more

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Cocina del Rancho is a rare gem, tucked away in Rancho Santa Fe, where one can actually enjoy authentic Mexican cuisine. The type of great food I enjoyed as a child in Aguascalientes, Mexico. For us, Cocina is truly unique in all of San Diego county; our family has dined there several times and have had different dishes - each deliciously prepared and unparalleled outside of Mexico. Marlon is an exceptional server and always cheerful and attentive. The Queso Fundido with roasted Pasilla peppers is a great starter. So are their Pulpo Tostadas. Their guajillo pepper sauce Enchiladas Rancheras are delicious. Their Mole Poblano with chicken just like my grandmother made it. The Surf and Turf fajitas delightful and juicy and well marinated. Their blended beans can be improved a bit. But their Spanish rice is perfect! The corn tortillas feel and taste like home made. And to top it all off, their Cadillac and Patrón Margaritas are strong and authentic. We will return time and again... read more

I drove up to this restaurant because I've heard how good they are. I set up my daughter's rehearsal dinner. She lives in RB but there's nothing in that area that has a good Mexican restaurant to have it in. The girl that helped me explained everything. They don't even charge extra to use the private room. We get to order off the regular menu. We are very excited! It's a small restaurant but apparently so good plus full bar! Can't wait! Thank you! read more

Honestly, so good! Had one of the tacos (the black corn tortilla isn't my fave but everything inside was delish), tried some of the chicken fajitas and california burrito, and the churros were yummmm. Habanero sauce plus guac such a good combo! read more

Amazing service. So friendly from host to server to bartenders. The food is so delicious! Love the spicy salsa and the verde sauce was so fresh and yummy! Don't forget those sweet margaritas, on the rocks or blended, YUM!! read more

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The food tasted fresh and satisfying, especially the soup, which had a rich flavor and a good balance of ingredients. The dining area felt comfortable and inviting, making it a pleasant place to sit and relax. Service was mostly fine, but there was some confusion with the order that could have been communicated better. While the issue was eventually acknowledged, the interaction felt a bit rushed and lacking attention. Overall, the restaurant has a nice atmosphere and enjoyable meals, though a little more care with customer service and order accuracy would make the experience much better. read more

It has become a tradition that I host my annual MeetUp Fun Diego Ladies Halloween celebration at this restaurant. This was our 3rd year and we had a great time! I discovered a new menu item that I absolutely love: Salmon Tacos. For those of you who love fish tacos but want to keep a healthy diet, you have to try these! The salmon is grilled, not deep fried, and is juicy and flavorful. I asked for a side of black beans instead of refried beans to keep with my healthy theme. It was delish! Cocina Del Rancho never disappoints! As always, the staff took excellent care of us! The beautiful restaurant was decorated with a Halloween theme. It was perfect! Thank you, Gaetano and your staff for welcoming our group! read more

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My family lives just up the street so we have been coming to this shopping center and this specific restaurant location for many years even when it was another Mexican restaurant with different ownership and a different name. It's just as good now as it was in the past and can honestly say Cochina Del Rancho is worth visiting no matter where in San Diego you are from. They take reservations or you can do walk-in and inside is very large with many different seating options as well as a room in the back for private parties. They also have a large bar with tons of drink options and a huge menu filled with all sorts of great dishes. Being that it's in a shopping center and a quiet part of Rancho Santa Fe there is plenty of parking spaces so finding a spot will never be an issue. Our server was very polite and everything that we ordered came out quickly. For this visit, I started with the Queso Fundido and really enjoyed it although the portion size is very large. It's more than enough for a party of four so if you are solo, I would not recommend ordering it unless you are very hungry. For my entrée, I chose the Chicken Mole Enchiladas, and really enjoyed them. The mole had some great flavor and the chicken was cooked just like I like it. Overall, a great Mexican restaurant in a beautiful part of San Diego and I would highly recommend anyone. read more

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We came for lunch. This is a restaurant we had not tried before. The initial impression was very positive! Loved its interior. It was an upscale cantina. We ordered a small street carnitas taco, a carnitas quesadilla and a couple of cocktails. The taco was delicious! The quesadilla was not so exciting to my hubby. He thought the onions and cheese overwhelm the flavor of the carnitas. Service was friendly and attentive. Yes, you should give it a try. read more

Cocina del Rancho - Inside - Mexican Near Me - Rancho Santa Fe, California

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The Carne Asada Nachos (5/5) were great as always yesterday. I tried the Spicy Margherita (5/5 $9 HH) for the first time. Terrific. I ordered it up, and it arrived with slices of Jalapeños floating on top ... SPICEY! Perfect with the nachos. Bar service was very good and attentive. read more

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A group of us went there for happy hour. I had the pulpo (octopus) and a cup of chicken tortilla soup. The pulpo was excellent. The soup was good, although I've had better. Most of the others in the group enjoyed their meals, however, a couple of them said the chicken in their dishes was dry. Service was very good. Overall everyone enjoyed the evening. We will all definitely come back. read more

This is a neighborhood spot where we stopped in for dinner. The chips and salsa were exceptional. The salsa is a real standout. Had the chili relleno which was delicious. Beans are really good too. Hubby enjoyed his chicken enchilada and Carnitas taco. This is a really cool spot for Mexican food. read more

Not my favorite. Queso was decent, rest of the food was alright. Place was dead and they asked if we had reservations- which we didn't. They then acted like it might be a while... they found us a seat. The place was not busy the entire time we were there. It became very loud with music. So that was kind of annoying, probably won't make the drive back out there when there's better Mexican food closer. read more

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The food was very fresh, service was excellent, and the ambiance was perfect. My wife and I shared a coconut margarita, and we truly enjoyed it. We will be going back again. read more

Cute place and I thought the food was good and service was fine. They ARE skimpy on the chips which are light and crispy. The salsa is good too. So, fill up the chip basket! read more

I have tried chicken tortilla soup at many places, Cocina del Rancho is the very best; no others compare. It is layered with complexity and the jack cheese adds a richness that makes it more like lobster bisque. It is so nice! Loaded with vegetables, chicken, spices, crispy chip strips, potatoes, a hint of salt, quality broth, carrots, squash, and about half an avocado. Such an amazing quality, value, & flavor. The ambience is nice. The service is good. I love everything about this hidden gem. read more

I had the lobster tacos. Not very good at all. Service was bad also. We had 4 people and was given 2 small baskets of chips. We asked for more and she said the 2 baskets were the max, any more we would be charged! read more

Great cozy place with solid food. Homemade chicken tortilla soup I added some lime to and was delicious on a cold day and amazing carne asada as well read more

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Very average Mexican food. Close to home and east parking. We were seated quickly and the ambiance is nice. Food came quick with big portions but nothing special for San Diego. We got the shrimp ceviche and it did not seem very fresh. Chips and salsa were great with free refills! The carnitas burrito was tasty but some pieces of meat were a little too salty for my liking and the rice and beans could've used more flavor. Overall decent and quick for a sit down place read more

Cocina del Rancho - Mexican Near Me - Rancho Santa Fe, California

We really wanted to like this place, but unfortunately it was a disappointment. We were driving through Rancho Santa Fe one afternoon and decided to get food here. ordered several items to share. The service was extremely slow even on a weekday late afternoon. Our food took a long time to come out. Each item was very mediocre in both presentation taste and flavor. Decent portion size, but twice as expensive as Mexican food everywhere else. The ingredients used was also extremely average. All the meats were definitely over cooked and flavorless. there was no service at all, someone basically dropped off our food and left and we never saw them ever again. Probably will not come back. read more

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The place looks great. The decor is fun and inviting. Our server was very helpful and nice......... However, My Al Pastor tacos were gorgeous but not good at all. They had no Al Pastor flavor at all. The meat was thin pork steaks and the fat hadn't been rendered. I frankly took two bites and left them because they were so fatty and hard to chew. The portions are very large but almost ridiculously so. The queso fundito was pretty ok, But for $15.00 it was very greasy and such a huge amount that it congealed long before you could eat it. My daughter got a quesadilla with Carnitas and she did enjoy the meat in that. Also Huge, pictured below AFTER she was full. Overall unless I knew that this place was brand new, I would not return for a second try. read more

Cocina del Rancho - Tacos Al Pastor - Mexican Near Me - Rancho Santa Fe, California

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This is one of my favorite places to get Mexican food. The food is SO delicious and they seriously make the BEST chicken tortilla soup. Make sure to crackle your tortilla chips into the soup -- it's so so so sooooo good! And all of the plates we've gotten here are amazing. I would maybe pass on the queso fundido though - it's not liquidy like I like (but you might like their thick cheese version). My favorite plate is their Parrilla Mista! Their carna is excellent. Deducting one star because we've had negative experiences with one of the waitresses, but the other waitresses are nice, otherwise it would totally be 5 stars! read more

Cocina del Rancho - Chicken Tortilla Soup - Mexican Near Me - Rancho Santa Fe, California

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Stopped by here after purchasing a Groupon for this restaurant. We ordered the al pastor tacos, fajitas especial, cochinita pibil and enchiladas poblanas. Each plate came with a side of rice and beans but both lacked flavor. They also provided complimentary chips and salsa. The al pastor tacos were the best dish of the night. The meat was good, and I liked the addition of guac! The fajitas were a little underwhelming as the chicken and steak had little flavor. The chicken was dry, and the steak was tough. The sauce on top of the enchiladas and cochinita pibil was interesting as i've never tried either. Parking was easy to find since the restaurant is located in a plaza with other stores and restaurants. Overall, food was decent but will try other authentic mexican restaurants! read more

Cocina del Rancho - Cochinita Pibil - Mexican Near Me - Rancho Santa Fe, California

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Excellent food & lots of it. Great helpful service. They welcomed the Groupon that I used. Beautiful environment- makes you really feel like you're south of the border! They also have seating outside. I had a comment that their Coconut Margarito didn't taste like coconut and without any fuss, they brought be more coconut cream to add to the drink. Truly signs of fantastic customer service! read more

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My family has dined at Cocina del Rancho at least a dozen times now. Every meal is prepared exactly how we order, with fresh ingredients and is always tasty! Their coconut margaritas are absolutely dreamy. Highly recommended! read more

We order burritos and to add beans in burrito, but they didn't do it. Food was not the best flavor, drinks were good. Salsas did. Not have good flavor. Service not the best either, customer come at the door and left cuss no one welcome them to the restaurant and left. I wouldn't come back. Proxy for the quality food and service. read more

San Diego Taco Series, Part 6 Employee time clocks. They can be useful tools in measuring when an employee clocks in and clocks out, but they are useless when determining their contributions in between those two moments. For example, the "Al Pastor Tacos" were observed merely loitering about during our visit. One could describe their affect as "disinterested" (much like that of the service we received). These tacos may have clocked in, but they appeared to be preoccupied with clocking out as soon as possible. On the other hand, the "Pollo Asado Tacos" may have clocked in for the same 8 hour shift, but they delivered as if they worked a double. So many of their components were effective, but we believe it was the "Chipotle Lime Cream" that deserves particular commendation on their evaluation. It was as if they were a motivational speaker that inspired all of the ingredients to work together for the common goal of satisfying your taste buds. They unquestionably receive our nomination for "Employee of the Month." In whatever capacity you happen to interact with employees, be kind to them and let them know that you appreciate them. We've never met an employee who has ever grown tired of feeling valued. And that's...Henry's Take. #sandiegotacos read more

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Our new favorite Mexican restaurant! Cocina has some of the best salsa, margaritas and chicken tortilla soup. The chicken quesadilla and fajitas are also so tasty . Thank you to the amazing manager Dulce ! All of the staff are so nice and attentive. Did I mention the margaritas are one of the best around? read more

Came by for dinner with family and friends and we had a great time. We had tried a few margaritas and got a 2 liter for the table! We had a wonderful server who was very attentive and accommodating! The surf and turf enchiladas plate with beans and rice was delicious! Our friends had the fajitas. The portions were generous enough to share. read more

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Love this place. Always delicious food. Pretty good prices. Staff is super nice and the restaurant is clean and well decorated. Lots of seating too read more

I'm 86 years old. The carne asada in their tacos was the toughest meat I have ever had in my life!

Food was horrible. The lobster tacos dry, rubbery, fishy smelling. Chips stale, salsa bland and not spicy. Albondigas needed more vegetables, less rice, offer with cilantro and lemons. Meatballs tasted old. Taste all dishes and hire a new cook maybe. Ensure all food is fresh. The waitress was nice and kind. read more

Worse than average Mexican food at 2x the price, rude inattentive service. First, I agree with all the previous reviews here. Avoid this place if you want good food. Worst mole I've ever had. It wasn't sweet or spicy. There was no discernible food like taste. The sauce had an overwhelming stale and cardboard flavor. Surf and turf enchiladas had over salted shrimp and tough as nails stringed beef. I haven't eaten something like that since school cafeteria lunches. Any other Mexican restaurant, fast food taco shop, etc will have better and more dynamic food. Second, I was having technical difficulties with pulling up a restaurant.com voucher. The hostess said, "Oh those aren't working today." So she already knew we wouldn't be able to use the voucher. She then said, "let me know if it works!" as she walked away with a definite feeling of Schadenfreude. I couldn't believe it. The thing is, I called earlier to make sure they worked at the restaurant and all the terms. I even made a reservation because the host said it was getting very busy. They never said the vouchers don't work! Honestly, yes I'm pretty upset I had to pay full price for their "food." Third, when we got there it was dead. Only three tables with patrons. When we left, only two other tables were being served. So, being busy was a lie. Regardless, the hostess was so rude and slow, had attitude, and never checked in other than to take our order. Definitely felt a sense of dislike and negativity. read more

Cocina del Rancho - Mole Poblano - Mexican Near Me - Rancho Santa Fe, California

I am sending a huge shout out to Cocina del Rancho for their excellent service, delicious food and adherence to safety that allowed me to enjoy a fantastic dinner with a girlfriend during a purple tier shutdown. We selected an outdoor table which was adjacent to a heater and started with skinny perfect margaritas. Being the picky eater that I am, I needed a little bit of time with the menu. Our helpful waiter allowed me to upgrade the meat in the tostada to mahi mahi for a reasonable upcharge. I asked them to use whole beans in lieu of the refried type that comes in the dish. I did not see any other dishes with mahi mahi on the menu so I was very happy to learn that they offered this type of fish in addition to the tilapia and cod. What I received was so much better than I could have imagined. The deep flour shell had just the right balance of crunch and flavor and the plates were gorgeously plated with a delicious sauce used as a garnish. Inside the edible bowl I received beans, lettuce and generous portions of perfectly cooked fish, fresh guacamole and sour cream. If this is what they are serving I will return again and again, and recommend it to everyone. Thank you for using fresh delicious ingredients and making this a great outdoor dining experience Cocina del Rancho, you are doing everything right! read more

Cocina del Rancho - Fabulous mahi-mahi tostada. - Mexican Near Me - Rancho Santa Fe, California

After a day at the barn your hunger only growls louder and what better way to feed the roaring voice then with margaritas and Mexican food. After a few people suggested this restaurant I drove over and had a margarita in my hand with in 15 min. The restaurant is decent size with some out door seating. The bar is the length of the restaurant and ready to pour you anything your heart desires. Not sure what to get a friend and I decided to try two dishes. We had the enchiladas rancheras at $16 made of three cheese enchiladas with guajillo sauce topped with avocados and cotija cheese. This plate also came with refried beans and rice. We also got the aguachile $12 which is shrimp with cucumber, red onions and avocado marinated in serrano spicy sauce served with mini tostadas. Both dishes were right up my alley. Although, neither were spicy for me they had great flavor and we no doubt left nothing on our plates and the pitcher of Margaritas was empty too fast. The only thing I have to complain about is the shrimp had tails on them and in the marinated sauce it was a surprise. The aguachile dish wasn't as appetizing looking compared to how great all the bright flavors it had. The salsa and chips had great flavor and was a great starter to this hungry girls belly. This restaurant has amble parking and great staff with a mixture of music for anyone to sing along with. read more

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run-down place; average quality of food, unclean restrooms, and not caring staff; address and location do not always mean quality

I have been taking my family here for years. We love the food and the consistency of the entrees each time we come for lunch and dinner. The BEST part of all is the amazing customer service. The servers make you feel like you are part of their family. We love seeing our server, Xochil on Fridays and Saturdays. Xochil always brings a smile and makes us feel special. We truly enjoy Xochil as much as the delicious cuisine. Thank you, Cocina Del Rancho. read more

We stumbled upon this place while branching out to find a New Mexican restaurant we hadn't trIed yet. What a great find!!! Dolce was our server and she nailed it! She knew the ingredients in the food, which is not always the case these days. We ordered: Albondigas soup- I could have eateen this alone and been happy. Pollo asada tacos- good portions and so flavorful I couldn't eat the whole thing Al pastor tacos- the marinade on tHe meat was delicious. The rice and beans tasted authentic. I was impressed Mixed fajitas- flavorful and good por Tion sIze. The tortillas were fresh Chips- couldn't stop eating these!!! Ask for the hot salsa it was so good we eat 3 of them!! We will definitely be back, cute place with great food and service. read more

Cocina del Rancho - Pollo Asado Tacos Plate - Mexican Near Me - Rancho Santa Fe, California

I like the name "Cocina del Rancho", since it firmly anchors this Mexican restaurant in the posh Fairbanks Ranch/Rancho Santa Fe community in which it is located. Some of the back roads leading to the area can be tortuous, particularly after dark, but Carlos provided me with good directions after I became lost and was travelling in the wrong direction on San Dieguito Road. The service at Cocina del Rancho started out shaky and confused. However, I had arrived at a "shift change", so the minute Ramferis took over [yes, that is his name] all proceeded smoothly and without further glitches. The Pescado Empanisada [breaded Tilapia], served with vegetables and Spanish rice, was enjoyable. And as a further plus, Ramferis was even able to make an after-dinner Carajillo right at the table, just as they do for me in Mexico. read more

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