We always have great food here. The guacamole is absolutely delicious, every time. The atmosphere is cozy and family friendly. We come here once a year or so with friends and always have a good time! read more

Atmosphere was nice and quiet. Wait time could have been shorter at least for the drink. Most likely won't return. read more

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Torn between the crab enchiladas and fish tacos. Went with fish tacos. Listed $15 on menu. Ate. They were great! Needed a little green salsa or cheese but good. Got check, were charged $17! Don't change prices without notification. I would have ordered something else! read more

Stopped in while on a road trip. The ratings didn't give much confidence but I was pleasantly surprised. Super clean restaurant. Greeted and sat right away. Service was great. Got a Modelo. Ice Cold! They might have Texas Roadhouse beat for coldest beer! To the food. Got lunch fajitas and enchiladas suaza. Lunch portion of chicken fajitas was VERY generous. They were excellent. Same for the enchiladas. Asked for a spicy sauce to go with fajitas. Not sure what it was but they should bottle it. Amazing. Would go back in a second. read more

Freestanding box restaurant. Nice murals on the wall. Clean. No host or hostess on duty. Great menu, with a small bar area. Service was slow but drinks perpetrated so service was fast. Nachos took a while but they provide chips and salsa while you wait. read more

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I stopped in because Hagerstown's late-evening dinner scene is abysmal. El Ranchero is open until 10:30PM, so that is a positive. First things first, the place is nicely decorated but I feel you can always tell how good Mexican food at a place is going to be based on how much effort they put into their chips and salsa. El Ranchero, unfortunately, doesn't seem to put much effort in here. The salsa tasted like it was straight out of a jar and was not exciting in the least. I got an enchilada plate and while it wasn't horrible the enchiladas were all the size of street tacos and the sauces for the enchiladas also didn't taste like anything special had been done to them. They all tasted premade from the jar. The delivery of the food to the table was quick and the service was good, there's just nothing special here to merit a return to the restaurant again in my opinion. read more

Came in on a Saturday around 3:30pm. We were seated immediately. Our servers were all friendly. They brought us chips and salsa within 2 minutes of sitting down. Our orders came out within 15 minutes. My grandpa and I both ordered enchiladas and my grandma had the taco salad. Both plates of enchiladas were great. I had the spinach and chicken and the spinach sauce on top was super creamy and flavorful. The side of rice was also delicious. I ended up mixing the rice in with my sauce My grandpa had the crab and shrimp enchiladas with a cheese sauce. He kept raving about the sauce on his, as well. My grandma added a little hot sauce to her taco salad, but other than that said it was delicious and filling. The bathrooms were clean and stocked with soap and paper towels. The decor inside was bright and colorful. Would recommend! read more

El Ranchero - chicken and spinach enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Hagerstown, Maryland

Great food. Great Service. Happy atmosphere. Checked all 3.cant beat that. John Chicken Enchiladas were outstanding! read more

I was craving some Mexican food and decided to stop in El Ranchero, the restaurant is very popular I was excited to taste the food here. I ordered a a well done fajita is was made just the way I ordered it, was a little bummed that they didn't offer hand made tortillas. The tortillas were stuck together and the edges were hard so I couldn't eat it with my meal. I did love the rice it had an authentic Mexican flavors. The beans tasted out of a can so I didn't enjoy them. The service was great our waiter was one of the two there so he was extremely busy servicing almost the entire restaurant. Very impressed with his rapid service. The restaurant is family friendly, super clean with lots of space. read more

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Prices and service were good. Food was average. Decent lunch options and combos available. read more

El Ranchero - Enchilada and taco combo lunch - Mexican Near Me - Hagerstown, Maryland

Our family made a reservation for a birthday dinner and confirmed it the day of with the restaurant and we arrived for them to tell us they didn't have any room for our group. Restaurant acted like they could have cared less and we left. Horrible experience read more

Went to dinner with my family and I ordered the burrito jalisco but asked for no shrimp because there was an allergy at the table. We all got our food and I started eating but noticed there was shrimp in there. I let the waiter know and I waited an additional 20 minutes for it. Started eating again and it seemed fine but again there was still shrimp in there. I'm pretty sure they took it back took out the shrimp they could see and brought it out to me. What if I had to allergy?! Luckily I didn't because that could have been bad but for the manager to not even come by was absolutely ridiculous. I've worked in restaurants and you're supposed to do what you can to make the guests happy and they completely failed. Loved their food but this was now my last time here. Be careful if you have an allergy read more

The service was excellent! The food was okay. I'm Mexican, yes from Mexico! The salsa was not spicy mostly tomatoes..my daughter had tacos...nothing to write about....I had chicken fajitas, still nothing exciting and my husband had shrimp ceviche....it should have been minced shrimp ceviche with mostly tomatoes so this is a No thank you for me. read more

I have eaten at El Ranchero many times while living in Virginia. The food is served super quick always hot and delicious, clean, and excellent staff with a very large menu to choose from. Perfect for lunch, or come in and enjoy an ice cold margarita and a great dinner read more

On March 22nd, 2025, my friend and I went to El Ranchero for lunch at the Dual Highway location. I visit this place frequently. Right from the start, we were assigned a waiter who was very unapproachable and rude. When it was time to pay, I noticed I was double charged for lettuce, I only ordered nachos and a coke. I quickly pointed out the mistake, thinking it would be resolved easily. However, my total was $16.24, and the waiter claimed my card was declined. This wasn't an issue for me, except I had proof on my phone that the transaction had gone through. She had charged my card four times and still insisted it hadn't gone through, accusing me of being wrong. I had proof that El Ranchero had charged my card for $16.24. Instead of the manager addressing the issue directly, the waiter acted as a go-between. It would have been more professional for the manager to approach me directly. Frustrated, I went to the front desk where the manager confirmed my card had gone through. It's strange that it was resolved only after I spoke to the manager, but the whole situation was handled very unprofessionally. If you're considering El Ranchero for a meal, I suggest you make sure what you are being charged for and you're only being charged once read more

My friend took me there a few times. I enjoyed their shrimp fajitas. Their chips are very good too! A nice place in Hagerstown. I've been meaning to be back soon! I definitely recommend this place. read more

Favorite all time Mexican restaurant for both drinks and food! Always tastes amazing! Good size portions and love guacamole made table side!

We normally love this restaurant and the food, but had a very poor experience recently. There was a miscommunication on a take out order. We attempted to order vegetable fajitas, but instead received the Texas fajitas. We drove back to the restaurant after bringing our food home to straighten out the order (so my vegan daughter could eat dinner). After speaking with the staff and the manager, we purchased the correct order (in addition to paying for the incorrect order). What's even more disappointing than paying for two meals, was that no one from the restaurant apologized for the mistake/miscommunication/inconvenience. An apology goes a long way for customers in the service industry, regardless of who's at fault. But let's be clear...a vegan wouldn't have ordered a meat entree! read more

Service is slow, buy the food was fine. I just can't get past the service, took to long to take order and was wrong. Won't do take out, it's never right. read more

Very good, service A+, food was very good! Will come back again for sure Chips were crispy and their salsa was very good! read more

Amazing service and delicious food from this wonderful restaurant. The margaritas were also delicious! I ordered the chilaquiles $8 lunch special and they were fabulous and a large portion. Highly recommend this restaurant! read more

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El ranchero is a delicious, clean, festive, and has great service. I had the fajita quesadilla for lunch. The food was delicious and it was the perfect size portion. I also enjoyed the chips and salsa. Overall, it was a great experience. read more

Place is very inviting clean, cool, Greeted as soon as you open the door. Maintaining Social Distance. Great place to eat food came out appealing fresh, hot a lot too eat. Server was very friendly. I recommend this place. read more

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Great service, great salsa, great Mexican food. Making a decision on a Mexican menu is always a struggle for me. I know, it's like an old Jim Gaffigan joke about Mexican food. "What's a (insert Mexican entree here)?"..... "Oh, it's your choice of beef or chicken with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and a tortilla, crunchy or soft, served with rice and beans." But it's so good. I had the chilequiles, wife had the chimichanga. No complaints, just full, warm and cozy, washed down with a tall Dis Equis and aa margarita. I could've used more spice so next time I'll ask for some hot sauce read more

We were seated within a few minutes and a server came right away for the drink order. I appreciated the smiles from staff who served us and took the time to listen to our orders. My husband ordered a shrimp taco salad in the edible shell and I ordered chicken and shrimp fajitas. Our friend ordered a loaded enchilada. We loved it all, and enjoyed warm chips with our salsa. The sides for the fajitas were perfect, also included guacamole, which is usually not included. The shrimp and chicken came sizzling beautifully to the table so it was still cooking, and so tasty! The restaurant itself was very roomy, spacious enough to get in and out from our table. It was a great evening, served in a timely manner as well! read more

Wow! One of the better Mexican restaurants I've ate at. Service was great, and the food...wonderful! The food seemed fresh , the meat perfectly cooked (steak) in my burrito; the shrimp actually tasted great like it was just delivered from the just caught market and had never been frozen. Very clean and very nice atmosphere. The waitress never pestered us but was there when we needed a refill . 5/5 stars from me! read more

El Ranchero - Mexican Near Me - Hagerstown, Maryland

If you enjoy queso with the texture of mucus, salsa with the flavor of v8, paired with stale chips. Then by all means.

Great food and service. Great lunch specials. Chips and salsa are great. Good happy hour deals!

Love the food. Never get the to go order correct. Always missing something Just double ck before you head home

I have been to this location a few times in the past. Normally the food is great. Yesterday I had an awful experience. I ordered the steak and shrimp, and the steak was ROTTEN. It was smelly, gamey, rotten, slimy beef. I'm also pregnant, so you can imagine how sick I felt after tasting that first bite. I had my husband smell the meat, who also thought it smelled rotten! After informing my server about the issue, I was told they would comp the meal ans bring me a different type of steak. They ended up charging me for the more expensive cut of steak (the one that was rotten- until I protested) and didnt offer any discount. I had to argue to be charged the fee for the carne asada which they replaced my meal with. They should have given me a free meal. It's disgraceful and unsanitary to serve someone rotten meat. I'm extremely dissapointed and will not ever be back. Gross! read more

This place was great. If I lived in the area, I'd be going here often. Stopped in on the way home from a show in Hagerstown. The service was LIGHTNING quick. I know Mexican places are usually fast, but this place was ever faster than that. The server was friendly and attentive, and the food was flavorful. Big huge open restaurant too so you never feel cramped. read more

I would give negative stars if possible. Terrible service, terrible stale chips, flavorless salsa, and weak margs. Had to ask for a shot of tequila for my marg. Don't come here, you've been warned. read more

Very good food taste, I had ordered chile - Relano- green pepper covered with egg batter which was the fresher ever eaten in past few years my visits to various national locations ! That's first . Rice was cooked with yellow saffron - great taste. So loved food , decor was ok and bland considering other locations . Still expect me visit the place. read more

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This is your typical sit down Mexican restaurant. They offer daily specials for lunch and dinner. They also offer different drink specials on different days. The chips and salsa run free here so enjoy as much as you want. They do offer a limited kids menu. read more

AS A FREQUENT PATRON OF MEXICAN CUISINE HAD TO GIVE THIS PLACE A SHOT AS I DRIVE PAST IT EACH TUESDAY. Actually, on this 48 hour stretch I went to 5 Mexican places to eat- from Moe's to the smaller independent type restaurants. So needless to say I will be non-stop shitting soon enough. I would recommend 2-ply, and a good piece of reading material. ATMOSPHERE: From what I understand this is there second location in the area, and is right on the Dual Highway in a large commercial area. There is a lot of room to move, the place is usually very clean and they can accommodate large parties. Bar is stocked heavily. FOOD: Your standard issue Mexican place- burritos, tacos, dips, Mexican meals and combos. I really appreciate the menu. I ordered a burrito and some queso. The burrito came out without the beans as I requested, which other places struggle with doing. The queso wasn't mealy or lumpy, seems like they make it fresh or stir a lot in the back. Salsa was one of the better salsas I have had. Just he right amount of chunky and thickness- not watery. SERVICE: The service was good, and helpful to people next to us who seemed to be first timers. Drinks were refilled quickly and the food came out quickly. CONCLUSION: I highly recommend this place. Quick off I-70 and right back on quickly. Take exit 32B read more

Awesome food and service. Highly recommend!! Must try mixed cheese dip appetizer. You will want to take some to go!!

We sat at the restaurant for 45 minutes and received 0 service, we asked for chips and salsa 3 times and never got any

These guys are great! They went above and beyond to take care of our vegetarian needs making up for the missing meat with rice and beans. Super friendly waiter and the food was absolutely amazing. Vegetarian California burrito is top notch! read more

El Ranchero - Vegetarian California burrito. Yum! - Mexican Near Me - Hagerstown, Maryland

I arrived about 6:30. There were a lot of vehicles in the parking lot and people seated throughout the restaurant. I was seated right away. My server was at my table within a couple minutes for my drink order. The margaritas looked very popular. I just ordered a sweet tea and a glass of water. The complimentary chips were warm and the salsa was tasty. I was in the mood for a burrito. So, I ordered the Grande California burrito with chicken and beef. The burrito was a very filling meal. I thought the taste was bland giving the assortment of ingredients. My server was friendly and stopped by several times during my meal. They have an extensive menu and friendly service I would definitely try to restaurant again. read more

Definitely not the same as the first. Waiter annoying, and didnt get order right tge first time he was in too much a hurry and not because it was busy. Food was not prepared as well either. read more