Looking for an alternative to fast food, I found this Mexican place in the old business district of Spruce Pine, WNC. Surprisingly well repurposed building, with original pressed tin ceiling and quite good food! Parking is super easy, and the trains rolling through past the old passenger depot add a feeling of transportation to another age. Highly recommended! read more

El Ranchero Restaurant - Main dining area. - Mexican Near Me - Spruce Pine, North Carolina

Yummy food and service was great had a good time I recommend a lot quality restaurant

Has went downhill over the years. Staff is always friendly but food quality isn't that great.

We went on a Sunday and there's was a sign that said, " wait to be seated" so my daughter my son my husband and I stood at the entrance near the sign for what seemed like 20 minutes. We were never even acknowledged! There was another family checking out at the register; the cashier never looked at us or said we will be with you shortly nothing not even it will be 30 minutes or 1 hour wait. Mine as well been invisible!!!! We left and didn't eat. read more

Was expecting imitation Mexican food but this place is the real deal! Clean restaurant, great service and delicious food.

IMHO this is the best Mexican food in the area. Everything is fresh and well seasoned. The portions are generous. Try the salsa bar. The wait staff is always friendly and happy, service is great. It's a dark ambiance, a lot of wood and Mexican themed decor. The tables are comfortable and immaculate. read more

My favorite Mexican restaurant. It's always good. I've never had a bad meal. The staff is always kind and polite. They remodeled recently, looks really nice. If you're craving Mexican food then this is the place you need to be! read more

We had plans to go to Tropical Grill but unfortunately they were closed due to a family emergency. We weren't quite in the mood for Knife and Fork. (We love Knife and Fork, just weren't prepared to drop $100+ on dinner this particular evening.) With those two spots ruled out, that didn't really leave many other options. Spruce Pine isn't exactly over run with restaurants. In fact, there are only 5 or 6 in town that serve dinner on a consistent basis. So, off we went to try a new place, El Ranchero! It was packed when we walked in around 8pm on a Saturday night. We took that as a good sign and settled in, ordered some margaritas. After the drinks arrived, things started going downhill. Our server, Jose came over in a rush, and when we tried to order just guac and queso to start, he stormed off. I guess he was upset we didn't want to place our dinner orders, yet? I'm not sure. The "guac" arrived first and was some odd, whipped concoction of sour cream and what I can only guess was avocado as it was pretty green. Inedible. It took almost 15 minutes for our queso to come out and our table of 4 had to practically beg for another basket of chips to eat it with. Eventually, Jose warmed up to us enough to take our dinner order. (He ignored us for a while after his initial hissy fit.) I ordered the Enchiladas Tijuanas. They were gross. The corn tortillas were stale. The chicken and steak filling was tough. The rice was cold and hard. And, somehow, despite the plate being about 1,000-degrees, everything was just lukewarm at best. My mom ordered a combination and everything on her plate was cold when it arrived. She waited 10-15 minutes to get someone's attention to have the food warmed. By the time anyone came back to the table, we were all just so ready to leave, she asked for it to be removed from the bill. This is where the evening totally felt apart. Jose looked at my mom, smirked and said, "I don't think so." After a bit of a scene, he finally obliged and took the $6 meal off the bill. But was sure to tell us, "I only took that ONE off." Great, Jose. Thanks. That's all we asked for. Avoid our mistake and stay away from El Ranchero! With any luck, Tropical Grill or Knife and Fork will be open. If not, you'd be better off just driving to the next town for dinner. read more

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Delicious food! I was honestly surprised because I thought there's no way that there could be a good Mexican restaurant all the way up in the mountains but I was wrong! My boyfriend got the Burrito Texacano and loved it! And I got the Fajitas Del Mar and also loved it! Would definitely go back if i'm ever in the area again! read more

El Ranchero Restaurant - Fajitas del mar & burrito texacano - Mexican Near Me - Spruce Pine, North Carolina

Very good food. Generous portions. Friendly, quick staff.

The food here is incredible!! The staff is always super nice. The chuey special is always amazing!!

Decent food, service is pretty fast though. I absolutely recommend this place. The waiters are great. Price is decent. There's always parking. This is a great place to take the whole family. I ordered the chicken verde and I was stuffed. The portions are HUGE! They bring you chips and salsa, which is pretty good to snack on while you wait. Oh and check out their deals on drinks...AWESOME! read more

El Ranchero Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Spruce Pine, North Carolina

This local Mexican restaurant is really a little jewel. It's affordable and a family run restaurant that serves very good food. I recommend the Burrito Amigo a great value and delicious!!! Our 3 rd time here and really a pleasure. read more

Everything is sticky: tables, menus, floor, salt & pepper shakers) Overall a dingy place. The food is not appetizing. I got the taco salad-- The shredded chicken was literally in a pool of watery (bland) cheese. Lettuce was so soggy I couldn't even eat this dish. read more

The Mexican guac is to die for! It is soooo good! I also like their chips and queso! I get it almost every-time I am in town!

We came in shortly before closing and asked if it was too late for takeout, but the host kindly offered to seat us. The food was great. Enchiladas verdes were the best I've ever had. The chicken was beautifully cooked. Their rice is even noteworthy. Service was excellent. read more

The food was cooked to perfection so I had to give it a number 1 rating. Probably one of my favorite restaurants ever and I loved the people working there. So nice read more

Food had no seasoning to it, very bland. Asked for guacamole salad and got a tablespoon of creamy avocado on lettuce.

Friendly, fast service; good tasting food in hearty portions and great prices! This place is a gem.

If you've never had good Mexican food, you may think this is the best you've ever had...worst ever

For the small town, it is decent food. Typical Mexican fare. The waiters are nice and no issues.

Your average run-of-the-mill Mexican place. Their menu has all the standard things you expect. My cheese enchiladas were nothing special but they were filling. The service was quick. Not a bad place for lunch in downtown Spruce Pine. read more

Not very friendly staff. You are not even able to use the restaurant's WiFi. Useless manager but amazing chips!!!

Coming home from little Switzerland looking for a bite to eat after not many choices we ended up here. I am from California and this was basic lukewarm food very bland not much flavor nothing compared to what I am used to. Beer was cold that was a good thing priced fairly read more

El Ranchero is one of the best places to eat in Spruce Pine. I have eaten here many times, and I haven't had a bad experience here yet. Good food, clean and comfortable. read more

El Ranchero is a very good Mexican Restaurant with an extensive menu, great salsas, and first-rate service. The food is plentiful and consistently good, hot, tasty, and very reasonably priced. The staff is friendly and the service is the best! The beer selection is good, too. It's the perfect place for quick workday lunches or evening dining with the family and kids. Also, being located in beautiful downtown Spruce Pine adds to the charm. read more

Their tacos de carne asada are as close to those I lived on in San Diego as anywhere else in the country. I'm also very partial to their "enchiladas supremas" - 3 (or is it 4?) different enchiladas with all the fixings. 5 stars might seem overkill, but quite truly - one wouldn't normally expect Mexican food of this quality in a little mountain town. read more

DO NOT EAT HERE. I am a local, and I used to love going here, until my friend found a piece of metal in the food. We informed the manager, and he was nothing but rude to us from that point on. I will never go back. read more

Very good! Authentic Mexican food at a great price. Margaritas were great! Kid friendly.