Friendly service but incredibly slow. It took at least 30 mins for our food to arrive - a taco salad, one beef enchilada, and a kid's cheese quesadilla. The queso dip wasn't anything special and was a little cold. There was a ton of grease in my friend's taco salad. However my enchilada was delicious - I really loved the enchilada sauce they had! The wait staff was all very friendly. I'm hoping I find a better option for Mexican in Bloomington but this place would do in a pinch. read more

This is a really good place to eat, hangout with friends, and have good drinks. Upon walking into the restaurant you are greeted with a friendly smile as well as the aroma of authentic Mexican food. The house margaritas are very good and go with about any dish. If you are feeling adventurous with your cocktails then order a espresso martini. The fried ice cream is a good Deseret to finish off your meal. Finally the bathrooms are always clean and smelling fresh. read more

El Ranchero - Mexican Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

See all

I don't get the taste for Mexican food very often, but when I do I come to El Ranchero to scratch that itch. The service is always on-point, and staff is very friendly. I've had a taste of a few dishes here: the taco salad, fajita salad, pollo con queso, and steak fajitas. Each dish was delicious. The portion sizes are a bit large, so expect to take some food home with you. In terms of pricing, El Ranchero is about average. The atmosphere is welcoming, even if the Devore sucker-punches you with some over-the-top designs and truckloads of color. So glad they took over the old Pizza Hut! read more

Was so-so first go around but I thought I would give it another try, against my better judgement... the scenery was nice, service was good but the quality of the food was below sub par. I could handle that but the food was WAY over priced! I had to take out a small loan to feed a party of 4. NOT coming back. read more

Sadly, after two mediocre meals, I have to lower my review and it's a shame because I want so badly to love this place. It's grubby. The menus are sticky and they quit putting drink menus on the table. But here's their cardinal sin: I was just charged $13.99 for a Don Julio margarita that was little more than ice, salt, and sour mix. Just...no. Those potent drinks were the main draw, but alas, it's back to Chilis on margarita day. The only reason this glass looks half empty is that we were passing it around trying to discern whether there was ANY alcohol in it. Some tasted a faint pop, but I did not. I'll check this place out again in a couple months; hopefully they'll be on an upswing. read more

El Ranchero - The accidentally virgin not-margarita - Mexican Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

The new El Ranchero south of town is a great addition to the crowded Mexican food market in Bloomington. It's located in an old Pizza Hut, and provides ample room as it was a GIANT Pizza Hut. This one features a full bar which is nice if you're a margarita fan - no fake margaritas here like the other places. Food is basically the same as the other El Rancheros and like places - good, inexpensive, fast. The staff is, as always, delightful. They also have a great outdoor seating area that, while it is located on a busy road, is still a great addition on a nice day. Be warned, the interior is dramatically different than the other places as it is decorated. And by decorated I mean somebody went crazy on the design - it's lovely - but bright, busy, and looks a bit like somebody found a magazine called 'Mexican Restaurant Decoration Catalogue' and ordered several of everything available. All in all, it's my favorite Mexican place in town right now. read more

See all

This restaurant seems to be going downhill quickly. We ate there on Sunday and it was a horrible experience. The food took about 40 minutes to get and when it arrived the rice was hard and the beans were cold. Our server came to the table 4 times, 2 only after trying to get his attention. Then it would take about 15 minutes for him to come. Our drinks were not refilled and the food was not very good. Behind us were friends of the restaurant and other employees kept coming by the table to talk with them but kept ignoring us. I asked to speak to a manager he came and I told him what was going on. He said OK , took the beans and rice and walked off. The waiter came to the table (4th time) and gave the check. The manager did not even take off the rice and beans that he took back to the kitchen. RUDE, BAD FOOD and BAD MANAGEMENT. I WILL NEVER RETURN TO THIS RESTAURANT. read more

No longer a Pizza Hut... Mexican food and a restaurant on the South side of Bloomington is a much welcome addition. Plus they have a liquor license and the South side was absolutely in need of margaritas! Walk inside and you are no longer in B-town, but a Mexican adventure of color in every direction. Awesome patio seating. Fresh chips and salsa. Great service. They have been open less than a week but we were thrilled with this initial experience. He got his usual, street tacos. I tried the Quesabuena for something new and was not disappointed and will try more of their pulled pork menu soon. read more

I really love the food here and have never had a single complaint until tonight, and that is because one of the employees started mopping while we were still eating which was extremely overwhelming. My partner was not able to finish her meal due to the intense smell. I hope that in the future they will allow patrons to finish their meal before mopping, as it also made us feel that it was perhaps time to finish up yet the time was only 9:20 pm and we would have preferred to finish the meal abd relax a bit before leaving. read more

The good: Good service, decent food with good portion sizes, clean, beautiful decor with a fun atmosphere! A plus...located on the southside of Bloomington! The bad: Music to loud (sometimes hard to have a conversation). read more

I had ordered a Vegetarian No. 3 on 5/6/2022 at 8:15 pm. They were very busy and told me to wait. So I sat at the bar till the take out was ready, about 45 minutes. I also gave a food good tip to the waitress, I picked up the package and left. When I arrived at home 9:30 pm, I realized that it was not vegetarian...because my order was supposed to have Rice, Cheese Enchilada and Burrito, but all I saw was three Meat Enchiladas. I had to drive back and told the Manager that the order was incorrect. The Manager was arrogant and blamed me...I showed him the print out, then he started shouting in Spanish and went inside, after 10 min. he brought the right dish but he told me not to come to his restaurant again, instead of apologizing for the error. I had to drive 10 miles each way. What a nerve, he was short, short tempered and I do not know how he became a Manager. I request the Management of El Ranchero to show him the door. He was rude and arrogant. read more

It was a 10/10. Great food, great service. I ordered the third lunch special, top tier. I go the beef tamale and enchilada it tasted like art. The taco I ordered was also very good, I got chicken in, very flavorful. This restaurant might make me influence my college decision and attend IU just so I can eat there often. read more

El Ranchero - Mexican Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

Absolutely fantastic! The staff are friendly and attentive, the food is phenomenal - with plenty of delicious vegan options - and the decor is gorgeous. The El Ranchero team have transformed this former Pizza hut into a great sit-down restaurant with beautiful and thematic decor, and even have several American-style dishes for my picky parents. And most importantly, their jalapeño peppers and guacamole is fresh and delicious and pairs well with their excellent margaritas! read more

I ordered online, and when I went to pick up the food, the order was wrong. I told the waitress that my order wasn't correct, and she did not offer to correct it and told me she couldn't do any modifications. I asked if I should call in next time, and she didn't answer me. I left very confused and with food that I couldn't eat. read more

Great decor and lots of space. Pretty good food and very, very fast service! Chips could be better though.

I automatically appreciate any place that can remodel an old Pizza Hut into such an unique place. Great food and very affordable. My favorite go-to is the Fiesta Fish Tacos. read more

El Ranchero hits you with an explosion of family-friendly color right off the bat, but the flavor doesn't quite live up to the decor. It's not bad food - the beef in my friend's flautas was particularly on point in terms of balancing a citrusy sweetness with meaty savoriness - but it could be so much more. I'm used to enchiladas swimming in sauce; mine were lightly moistened. The service and prices were good, and I'd go here again in a pinch, since Bloomington's Mexican food scene doesn't exactly have a lot of options. Still, not exactly mind-blowing. read more

Tried the flautas - they offer a very generous serving of delicious food. Coupled with a kind and friendly staff, this is a great place to have a relaxing lunch or dinner. I'm glad I stopped by today! read more

New Mexican favorite on the south side of town. Food is excellent and service is great. They have been very busy and kitchen can get backed up. Highly recommend a visit. The decorations are unique and interesting. read more

Came for lunch on Sunday. Awesome ambience, decor, service and food!! Great chips and salsa, wonderful chimi, enchilada, and quevos mexicanos!! Highly recommended! read more

The food was amazing! The staf were friendly. Love the new location! Great job setting up!

I'm a tamale girl, and theirs was excellent. The ambience was a bit too touristy for my taste ( been to Mexico and they don't do the over the top decorations like found here, nor was there loud music ). I get my food to go so I can eat in peace. read more

One of the best Mexican spots in Bloomington. The menu is fairly standard. As a vegetarian I appreciate their ability to customize orders in addition to having a veg section on the menu. Beans dont have lard which is great. In addition their house hot sauce is feugo. read more

We have been to this new location three times since it opened and had to park at the bank across the street. Finally we have some better choices on the Southside! The food and service is outstanding every time we go there. I like the colorful artwork. It reminds me of the Spencer location. All of Bloomington's restaurants should be run this well! read more

Food was great! Not sure why this restaurant has less stars and reviews on yelp than on google. Reasonably priced and very tasty. Carnitas tacos are tender and taste like street tacos. read more

First visit to L Ranchero was a light enjoyable atmosphere with pleasant staff. The food was very good and had a large portion. I was somewhat disappointed in the house margarita tasted like a mix. But overall a very good experience. I will be back! Visit number two, the Don Julio margarita was MUCH better! The enchiladas supremos has a savory red sauce with fresh tasting tomatoes lettuce and sour cream topping. The sampling of a beef,chicken,and bean enchiladas contrasted and complimented one another nicely. The service was quick and efficient at my 530 Friday visit. The restaurant was very busy but not a unpleasant atmosphere. Again large portions are welcome for the price of both my dinner and margarita! Total bill just over twenty dollars seemed a very reasonable price for the meal I enjoyed. read more

El Ranchero - Enchiladas supremos - Mexican Near Me - Bloomington, Indiana

Fantasyland decor. Good guac, queso. Steak chimi was quite tough. Service was decent, no wait for a table. Will go back.

Awesome decor and looks great. The food was by far better then the other chains here in Bloomington. Customer service was great.

Terrible. The bartender who took my order was rude and argumentative, very unprofessional. They screwed my order up and gave me dry nachos with dried out chicken and some black beans. There was no way for any of the contents to adhere to each other, no cheese or sour cream to make them nacho like. Always open your dishes and check them before you give them your money and get home, only to be disappointed. Never going back. read more

Quick summary: The food is not nearly as good as Casa Brava/La Charreada/Juannitas...the service was terrible. I went here with friends about a few weeks after they opened. The lot was packed, which I expected for a new restaurant. We went in and instantly noticed the very intense decor. Definitely something that sets it apart from other Mexican restaurants. Every square inch of the place was brightly decorated. We are told there was a 45 minute wait. Considering the amount of cars in the parking lot, we were expecting this and were fine with it. We only ended up waiting about 30 minutes, which was nice. However this was the last good part of the experience. We placed our drink and food order. A few minutes after that new customers were seated on both sides of us. Both tables ordered their drinks, food, were served, ate, paid, and left BEFORE we got our food. We asked for updates many times and were always told the food was on its way out, but then we just kept having to wait. When we finally got our food, two of our orders were incorrect. Next comes the worst part of the experience. We approached the staff and politely complained and asked for some sort of discount. They were very defensive and didn't want to give us one. They were clearly agitated that we were asking for one, and said that it was busy and long food waits can happen. I told them I understand, but that doesn't explain why other customers around us that were seated after us got their food, ate, and left before we even got our food. We eventually got a discount, but considering we were there 3 hours, the orders were wrong, and the food was very subpar (my opinion of the food is unaffected by the wait time), I strongly wish Pizza Hut was still occupying the space of this building. read more

I took my family here and we really wanted to like it. We sat down and waited quite a long time for anyone to acknowledge that we were there. We also asked for a high chair twice and never got one so I searched for one and got it myself. We ordered our favorites. All three entrees that we got were wrong. When we asked the waiter about it he said that they were right when they clearly were not. Parts of the meal were missing and the specifics were wrong. Ordered a chicken enchilada and got a beef enchilada. Ordered the chile relleno and it was missing the pepper so all I had was rice and beans and cheese sauce. They weren't going to do anything to fix it so we just paid and left. I haven't heard much good about it from other people in the Bloomington area. read more

I love their west side location, and was excited to try the new south side location. Beautiful decoration indoor and out. Upon arrival I waited in the front of the restaurant with three other parties. I asked the other parties if we seated ourselves, or waited to be seated, and they said they did not know, and no one had spoken to them. During my 10 minute wait at the front of the restaurant at least three different workers made eye contact with me and walked away. I finally went to the bar area and asked the bartender what we were supposed to do, she said they were extremely busy and understaffed, but someone would eventually come and seat us. The restaurant was not that crowded, and there seemed to be plenty of staff. All of this would however have been totally understandable if someone just approached us and explained the situation. Waiting for 10 minutes at the front of a restaurant is just not acceptable, with no explanation or greeting. I am willing to try this place again, and hope that since it is new they can work out the kinks. read more

Sorry to have to give it 2 stars. Wanted to like it. Miss good Mexican food. (We lived in CA before.) Fiesta tacos were all onion and the shrimp wasn't good, fish was salty. For $10 no rice and beans served with tacos. Not all entrees came at the same time. (2 out of 4 were wrong). Chips & salsa were good. Margaritas were pretty good too. Hope it gets better but we won't be back. read more

Normally awesome food. Today, however was bad. The food was blah, big time. I had chicken fajitas which I normally love. Today, bland, tasteless....bad. Where is the awesome taste I'm used to? In my opinion, no one there cares anymore. All the parking by the door was occupied by employees. Walked in, most employees were watching soccer or just talking. Our food came out less than 2 minutes after it was ordered. Really?? Batches instead of fresh? As we were walking out, every, and I mean EVERY employee was on their cell phones in booths or at the tables. Total lack of pride in the food.....and it showed!!!! I ate the chicken, left the rest. Doubt if I'll go back. read more

The old Pizza Hut is totally transformed. Every surface is ornamented, tiled or embellished. The decor, and the traditional music, prepared us for a great experience. The table we were seated at was dirty, so we moved to another. The waiter was friendly. Complimentary chips and salsa - the chips are just ok-- thick, heavy; salsa pretty good. You get a cruet of salsa, which is nice. The menus arrived -- extensive spiral bound corporate-looking affairs. Mine had beans smeared inside. There were flies buzzing around--it's new, but already dirty. That sort of added to the authentic experience. Prices are very high for drinks, and, as we learned when our food arrived, for the dishes, too, given what we were served. The food ranges from mediocre to poor. First bite of pulled pork tacos yielded a mouth full of fat. The rest were just not good. No sides for these made for a skimpy plate. Carne asada tacos served with no sides, meat was like dried kibble. A combo platter was supposed to be a chicken tamale, cheese enchilada, beans and rice. All tan and squishy looking, served on a yellow plate-- it looked so barfy and unappealing that that the children laughed hysterically. Turned out the chicken was beef, so back it went. The waiter returned, and said they no chicken tamales, what would I like instead. Everything else I ordered with chicken, they didn't have-- no chicken. When I said I would have nothing, I wasn't hungry (plenty to eat since no one else wanted to finish their meals), the waiter said "can I bring you a cheese enchilada and some rice and beans"? I said no thank you. He said "are you sure?", so I said ok. It arrived -- so nasty! A soggy mass with chunks of cold soft white cheese inside. It looked and tasted like bad school lunch made with government commodities--institutional food. None of it seemed fresh, flavorful, or cooked by a chef. So it sat untouched, but showed up on the bill! It took a bit of back and forth to get it removed from the bill. The waiter acted like it was comped, due to the mistake, but nope! Just a hard sell. We won't be back. Atmosphere is loud and fun, but it's dirty, expensive, inhospitable and the food is bad. Too bad it's not as good as it looks! read more

Exciting new location and wonderful staff. I'd give it five stars but the area where we had to wait on a table (it's been packed!) was so hot we decided to wait outside in the shaded area. I had the tacos carne asada and they were delicious--although I ordered the carnitas and got the carne asada instead bc they ran out of carnitas. It was also a fairly short wait for such a packed evening and they offered a student discount read more

Yes indeed a welcome addition to the south side food fare. 3 in party, 1 had El Ranchero burrito lunch plate and a Chile Relleno on the side. 1 had Chimichanga El Ranchero plate. 1 had mixed meat fajitas. Salsa and chips good. Chile Relleno good but sauce a little bland. Fajitas were tasty. Chimichangas tasted good. Ground beef in burrito had flavor. I will probably go again sometime just no WOW factor. read more

Fajitas were fantastic...large portions and lots of sides!!! Definitely worth the price

We were so excited to see the opening this summer and with each visit are not disappointed. From the moment you walk in, the decor delights wherever you look and the staff are friendly and helpful. Everything we have tried has been super, but my latest favorite is Pollo Guerrero. From chips and salsa to flan, it is a super fun and tasty treat. Best Mexican food in town. read more

I am so thrilled that El Ranchero opened this new location on the south side of Bloomington! The food is amazing, (as expected with El Ranchero), and the inside of this new location is absolutely gorgeous. The combination of great food and beautiful ambiance adds to the overall great experience you'll have when dining! Everything on the menu is worth recommending, but if you're looking for more bang for your buck, I'd suggest visiting for the lunch menu. El Ranchero is hands down the best Mexican restaurant in Bloomington! read more