Great dinner after a long drive back into Dallas. Had Camarones a la Parrilla y Chile Relleno, and of course, Margaritas. Great service, as usual. read more

TEXAS ROAD HOUSE IS CHEAPER AND BETTER ALSO ITS FRESH!!!!!!! Food was cold, meat wasn't cooked fresh more like they had it sitting there and expected the parrillada to heat it up, shrimp rice beans were cold aswell, they should have some type of noise control, terrible place to go out to eat, our server was great and got us exactly what we asked for, Total pay was like 250, save your money and time go get some Steak with a loaded potato read more

I stopped by this place 3 months ago on a whim & I'm so glad I did. Came in today with my whole family to celebrate my daughter's 20th birthday and the food, drinks, atmosphere & our waiter Ignacio was excellent! Thank you Ignacio for putting up with us and great customer service. I'll be back very soon. read more

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Ordered caldo de res the meat was tough, hamburger wasnt seasoned and fries tasted like they sat in old grease, pechuga ranchera lacked flavor i was able to get 1 taco down by putting hot sauce on food. I had to flag waiter down or ask other waiters for anything we needed. Very expensive for service and food to be this bad read more

Favorite Mexican food place in Dallas. Experience is awesome. The people are awesome. The food is the best. read more

El Ranchito - a plate of food on a table - Mexican Near Me - Dallas, Texas

Amazing Restaurant the staff here is super friendly and patient MAKE Sure to Ask for Carlos He is a D1 server he will treat you like family and make you right at home read more

First visit. Very cool, authentic old school vibe. Quick and friendly service from Jose. He took good care of me. I had the lunch chili rellenos special- one chili stuffed with cheese, egg battered and deep fried. Option is chicken or beef. Rice, retried beans, a small amount of salad, chips, salsa and choice of fresh hot tortillas. Oh, and choice of chicken or beef soup. All for $8.95ish. Everything tasted great. The beans were especially delicious. Good iced tea. Jose even fixed me one to go. Don't forget the tip Kate for the lady making your tortillas! read more

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The moment you walk in, you are transported to Mexico! I just loved the décor and the entire experience - authentic. Carlos was our waiter and he made us feel welcome and provided great service. The food was great - I opted for chicken fajitas. The chicken was cooked perfectly and was very flavorful. It was a hot day and a margarita was in order. My favorite margarita? No. But it definitely wasn't my least favorite. read more

It has been there since the 80s. Since many older restaurants are gone now, this is one of the few left. My family has been going there for decades. Delicious food. I do recommend it. And it will be packed on weekends. read more

This cheeseburger is so good and the fries to this place is amazing I love this place!!

Such vibrancy and joy! I really enjoyed my visit to this beautiful restaurant, and the bustling tables made me look forward to the dinner. We ordered the Cabrito al Horno, which took a little bit more time than usual since it was more a regional dish. Very nice, tender young goat, with accompaniments. The flavor was nice, although the meat could have used a bit more seasoning, yet the presentation of the food-on top of a little grill-was nice, yet I would consider eating quickly since the heat can overcook the meat. The live mariachi band was a nice addition to the ambiance, and made for a lively dinner. Overall a nice experience, although I would probably try another type of meat to see how they do. read more

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Service was good. Food was great! We tried the whole fried tilapia, baby goat and fajitas. And everything was delicious!

Several colleagues and I decided to have lunch at this spot. I've heard great things about the food and they were definitely true. I ordered the lunch fajitas with chicken which were delicious. I practically inhaled it. While I waited for my friends, I munched on their chips and salsa, which was pretty flavorful, and not too spicy. We had the rice pudding which was good. We also ordered the sopapillas as I was craving some hot and cold with my sweets and seeing it combined with ice cream, it was a winner to order. However, when it came out, there was no ice cream. I didn't understand why not and it never came. The only other thing that went wrong was that the additional jalapenos my friend and I ordered ended up with the wrong folks. We didn't realize this till the end. We just figured they forgot and we just didn't bother anymore. Overall, the experience was decent, food minus the no ice cream was great. read more

Ordered CARNE TAMPIQUEÑA. The description implied it was strips of marinated beef, cooked with bell peppers and onions. Sounds perfect right? My mouth was salivating for a sizzling plate of Carne Asada with peppers and onions served on a sizzling platter. Wrong! What came instead was pale gray strips of beef with limp bell peppers and soggy onions that had all been boiled. There were rivulets of water running around on the plate. I haven't had boiled meat since since my mother served me baby food. I understand this may be a traditional dish, but a better description would've been much appreciated! On the plus side, El Ranchito has massive amounts of character, good chips and good service. I'd go back, but definitely stick to the grilled platters and TexMex. read more

Only reason there is a star is because the server was the best. Just came from attending a funeral with my wife, mom, and aunt. Mom and aunt wanted a caldo so we decided to go to El Ranchito. From Dallas I thought this was the best place since I have been there many times in the past years. Friday February 10th, mom and aunt ordered a caldo. Both caldos were cold. But since mom and my aunt were so hungry they ate it. My wife ordered cabrito. It was over seasoned (salty) and added too much chili powder. So all you tasted was the spices. If you know how to make cabrito, all you need is a little salt and pepper to taste the meat. So the waiter took it back and brought her some crispy tacos. The taco meat tasted like dog food. I ordered the mole. What the hell was I thinking?? First I ordered a chicken breast, leg, and thigh. I was served a breast and two legs. The mole tasted like shxx. The rice was over cooked. Wow what happened to this place??? Damn I could have gone to Taco Bell and get better food for less!!! No manager was around. But because of the server and mom and my aunt, I just paid the ticket. I will never go back to this place again!!!! I will make it known to all I know and people I don't know for them not to go in this restaurant ever. If the manager or supervisor want a copy of my receipt I will be glad to forward you a copy of it! read more

You can't go wrong here! Their food is always delicious. We love going here for their fajitas y mollejas. Not to mention their drinks are awesome as well. Parking can be tricky at peak times but the owner is a great person and the staff is always welcoming. read more

Food is good but what this place is great for is the ambiance. You have mariachi playing all night and the place is always full with birthday celebrations. It is great to enjoy a meal with people having fun and celebrating life around you. Food we have had - Guacamole: good Queso w chorizo: awesome Quesadilla: really good, though we are usually too full after the guac and queso, so we take it home. It is an easy warm up in our pizza oven. Horchata: delicious Fajitas: good, too big in my opinion, but very tasty. Definitely not Chili's - haha. This is the real thing. read more

Been here twice now and ordered the same thing both times: Asado de Puerco (pork in ancho chile salsa) and Arrachera (charbroiled flat steak). Almost everything was fantastic: warm chips and house salsa, both the meats, beans, guacamole, spicy pico, roasted jalapenos, homemade tortillas. If I had any complaints, it would be the rice (meh) and the onions and peppers that come on the fajitas/arrachera plates need to be far more browned and well done. Service is prompt, attentive, and friendly. Prices are moderate, but the food is mostly worth it. I will request to come here whenever we are in the area. I need to order something different next time! read more

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Service: Our waitress' listening skills were slim to none. Both mine and my friend's orders were incorrect. She was more argumentative than apologetic to trying to fix the errors. Atmosphere: Large, but tight. The over head music is too loud. The live music as well is over powering. Food quality: A+ The steak has the best flavor, tender and cooked to perfection. Beverages: A+ Delicious... strong and tasty Pricing: B- Average $$ read more

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Terrible! No bueno!! What have ya done?? Lower the prices on this crap. Lacks flavor. Not even Tex Mex. Like frozen tv dinners. How are people giving it so many good reviews??? WTH do ya eat??? Should be illegal charging this kind of money for this food. Never again. Ni madres!!!! Service and margarita was the only good thing. read more

This is an old-school Oak Cliff genuine gem. Not one of those trendy taco fusion kind of places that probably owe Mexico an apology. It must've been there since the 50s because the building and signage has that mid-century travelodge vibe, like a dank cave when you walk in. The celings are soaring, strewn with festive papel picado streamers. Always hopping, packed with big Mexican families celebrating something or another. The mariachis are lively and always make me smile, and the delish tamarindo 'ritas are served in proper goldfish bowl goblets. Hell yes, freshly fried chips and homemade salsa on auto. Top-notch Tex-Mex all the way and tons of authentic norteño dishes. The food is not chef-driven, but homestyle and satisying. It's more about the culture and the celebratory vibe here. Great place to meet friends. read more

Recent visit was not up to the same standards as on previous visits. Some of the same menu items on a new menu, but prices have increased quite a bit. Busy day, seated promptly, but took awhile for waiter to arrive. Chips and salsa came out quickly. Salsa was tasty, a bit on the mild side. We had chili rellenos, huevos mexicana and chicken enchiladas, cheese quesadillas for an app. Quesadillas were very tasty, nicely toasted, they disappeared quickly. Chili rellenos and chicken enchiladas were both just ...blah... Huevos mexicana were excellent, recommended. Accompanying corn tortillas were perfect. Charro beans were good, refried beans should be renamed to rewatered beans, a very poor example of refried beans. It took awhile to get the food, much longer than in our previous visits, maybe short staffed in the kitchen? Overall visit was just OK, would not bring out of town guests here to sample great mexican food as we have done before. read more

El Ranchito - Cheese quessadillas, very tasty! - Mexican Near Me - Dallas, Texas

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Killer nachos and good margaritas. I could go on for days about how much I loved the nachos but I'll spare you. The amount of food I had during this meal made me feel like I was on an episode of my 600lb life. Everything was seasoned perfectly. Their chicken may have been some of the best grilled chicken I've honestly ever had. We Also got chicken quesadillas, nothing to write home about. But I'm not a fan of quesadillas so take my review on them with a grain of salt. For some reason after we were all already stuffed we ordered the grilled meat meal (can't remember the name) It came with chicken, steak, ribs , pepper and shrimp. I only each chicken and shrimp and the shrimp was way over cooked. We all also got individual plates of rice and beans, the rice was great. The beans didn't seem seasoned. I recommend, I will be back in the future. Oh yeah, LOVED THE SALSA AND CHIPS read more

El Ranchito - Family style grilled meats - Mexican Near Me - Dallas, Texas

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Good always on point, service is excellent! Have never had a bad experience here. Look forward to every visit.

I believe this is the first time I've ever had a Mexican parrillada. Comparing with the South American parrillada, I do not think that the cuts are as good, and the accompaniments are not as healthy. But still, it's nice to have an option to have a Latin-style parrillada. I give it kudos for being an unique standout out of all traditional Mexican restaurants in Dallas. I'll have to try the rest of the stuff in the menu to see exactly how much I like this place. But service was good, atmosphere was cool, price was fair. read more

El Ranchito - Interior - Mexican Near Me - Dallas, Texas

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The beef tacos taste incredibly delicious,the service is nice and the overall ambience felt like you're at home.

OG comfort food. SO delicious. I have always been fascinated by how many different types of mole there are and my chicken enchiladas had their version of mole which was rich, creamy, slightly tangy and glorious. The rice is tender and flavorful and the beans were lights out delicious. I could only eat half of my lunch because the portion was so large. Also tried the elote and that is another homerun. The restaurant is so cute inside the way it is decorated, staff is nice and prices are reasonable. We are working our way though the Dallas Observer's top 100 restaurants and this one made the list for a good reason! read more

El Ranchito - Half of my rice, beans and chicken enchiladas with mole. YUM - Mexican Near Me - Dallas, Texas

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Authentic food. Service is good. Food is good. I would visit again. Parking can be difficult.

Been going here for 20 years at THE LEAST!!! My last AT LEAST3 experience has been trash. From the service to the food TRASH!!!! Highly recommended this place to many of ppl and have positive feedback. So sad to see them fall to this. read more

Family dinning at El Ranchito for the first time, I ordered a Margarita and las enchiladas de queso. Margarita taste like a slushy at a 7-11. I remember the table next to us asking us if our margaritas were any good because they joked theirs taste like juice we strongly agreed he went to the bar himself and asked for a little more alcohol. He recommended us to do the same. Enchiladas came in and the rice was very dry around the edges, crispy as if they were out for awhile, enchiladas were good. The bill came in and it was ridiculously high priced!! For a Mexican restaurant in this neighborhood is ridiculous!! We were all shocked. The service was great. The mariachis were amazing. The music vibes are really fun. The food, the drinks and price are just horrible!! read more

My favorite Mexican food place north of Austin. Outstanding atmosphere. Place is lively, festive and fun. Food is outstanding and the staff are great. read more

Went to El Ranchito Arlington tonight with my husband. Horrible horrible service. After 15 min the waiter comes takes our drink order and I went ahead and ordered appetizers. Civiche is on the special board so I ordered it with queso. He immediately said I do t think we have civiche But I'll check. On his way to get our drinks 1 beer and 1 wine he stops at the table next to us gets their order and brings their stuff to them before us. I had to ask about ours and brings the one beer and five min later my wine. Eventually he brought the queso and asked if we were read to order. We did and I asked about the civiche. He said oh yea we do have it . so I aid cancel it because I wanted as an appetizer. I had my empty wine glass at end of table and asked if I could get another. And a glass of water. He brings a glass of tap water no ice! so ten minutes goes by and he never says anything. I stopped him and asked his response was oh we don't have anymore Wine. Wait you couldn't tell me. short after my husband had a seizure and and the waiter walks by I asked for some ice to help bring my husband out of the seizure. He brings it sets on the outside of the table and walks off. A nice lady near us asked if she could help I finally was able to go to the front and ask for to go boxes. The manager was standing there the entire time!!!!! And never offered to help.. The queso was watered down tasted like water with little cheese. I finally go my husband to th car came back in to pay my bill and was telling the manager about the lack of service we got. His reply sorry I'm like seriously that's all you got. Obviously you don't care. Then he turns to the waiter and spoke to him in Spanish in which i responded I'm standing right here you can speak in English. He said I just told him you were unhappy with his service. They both looked at each other and smiled. He said good day read more

I love this place. Been going here for over 20 years, and it's been great every time. The mollejas and guacamole are my favorites. Parking can be rough, but going here is definitely worth the parking issues. At least during the COVID era, there are far fewer people inside, but the food quality is as impeccable as it has always been. It's definitely one of my favorite places for authentic Mexican cuisine. read more

El Ranchito - Margarita - Mexican Near Me - Dallas, Texas

Really good food. Very authentic. Service very good. Clean restrooms and table. We will come again!

Do not get takeout from El Ranchito. I ordered chicken nachos. When I got home, the takeout container had a layer of water at the bottom, which is problematic for a dish made with a foundation of tortilla chips. They also failed to add any toppings except shredded chicken. It was so soggy and inedible that I had to throw it out. read more

Food was good, wait staff was good. Until all of the sudden they started setting up a area for a large party or group. And all of the sudden the waitress was rushing to clear our table and we were even still eating. It looked like the manager with his wait staff were all standing against the wall just looking at us it just left us feeling bad. This was my first time there and first impression's mean a lot. You will run off a new customer in an instant when you make them feel like they are a burden read more

Salsa and Queso are both very good! A bowl of beef soup, refried beans and rice came with my chili relleno. It was all delicious! Cheese enchilada was good. The service was excellent! read more

Love this place but the cost is a bit high. Fajitas are freaking amazing. Tortillas are fresh. Salsa and chips to die for...for real! Everything we had was fantastic! Great service too. read more

Super lively and colorful on the inside, but food was so-so and I wasn't really impressed. The queso dip was pretty bad- Think Velveeta with a pickled jalapeno thrown in, was runny, bland, and tasteless. Worst I've ever had. The entrees were OK... Wife had chile relleno meal, and I had what they termed brisket nachos. It was in fact pot roast-like meat, your typical mexican shredded beef, certainly not even close to brisket! Portions were OK, not ample. Even the salsa and chips were a little lackluster. I would not return to this joint. I'd try another spot first. Just OK. read more

Food was mediocre at best. Margaritas seemed to be from a mix, not natural. Service was good, nice staff. They declined my legitimate American Express card in a not so discreet fashion.........quite embarrassing. There are much better Tex-Mex restaurants in Dallas. "Killer" read more