Amidst the overly saturated taco truck scene in Salem lies El Ranchito, one of the city's more popular options and has the added bonus of being a late night destination. Overall, I think this truck has a lot to offer, and tacos are just the best way to start. (#1) I'm pretty impressed with their truck setup. The neon light signs, along with the cater style format that their food is setup in makes it an easy grab-n-go situation. There are outside tables and a dedicated condiment station that has a number of salsas, limes, radishes, and other quality taco add-ons. Last time I checked, tacos were just about $2-3, but in the inflation world we live in I wouldn't be surprised if the prices have somehow changed since then. In addition to tacos, they have burritos (super sized too), tortas, sopes, quesadillas, and tostadas. Out of all the meats they have (asada, pastor, carnitas, tripas, pollo, and cabeza (#2), I think their carnitas / lengua have the most promise. That being said, I do enjoy almost all of their meats. Tripa might not win me over, but most everything else I give a pretty solid thumbs up. The asada has this juiciness to the meat, the carnitas has this hint of saltiness, and the lengua when combined with the right salsa (verde) is magic. If anyone is going with the torta route, the jamón milanesa is a nice way to go. It's all cash only here and the service is always good. During the colder months they bust out the heaters, which is always appreciated. There is likely to be a line here during any evening, but a little patience and an appetite go a long way. ___________ (#1) Gateway food. (#2) Spelled "cabesa" on their menu. read more

Good quesadillas and tacos. Different kinds of meats for your tacos or burritos and they're salsa are really spicy. They close late so if youre looking for something besides fast food think about stopping here. Outside Seatting available read more

Some of the best tacos in town coupled with amazing staff. I highly recommend this place over other tacos stand due to the customer service. I recommend the Super Burrito, it's beyond delicious. read more

Before leaving this review I want to make sure it's clear how unbiased I am. I am Mexican and 12/10 times will make food myself rather than go to a Mexican restaurant because I am PICKY. El Ranchito makes the best asada tacos in all of salem and they have the best, most fresh sides. Every mon-thurs that we have stopped by the 2 people working are always great and do an amazing job with our food. Today really topped the cake for me because I'm having mouth surgery and won't be able to have tacos for a few weeks and this is the last meal I wanted, and I LOVE their purple onions, so when I called and ask for some and they said they didn't have any I was sad but it happens as they're a hot item. But when we got there the chef said hey! I made you some! And I never wanna eat at another Mexican restaurant that isn't el ranchito, in my life again. read more

Such good food. They have a killer veggie burrito, and they discount it because there's no meat, so it's only like $5.50. Very tasty. One of my favorites in Salem. read more

El Ranchito Mexican Food - Mexican Near Me - Salem, Oregon

Normally we love this place, however last time we ordered the order was botched. Don't close at 9:00 p.m. when your hours state you close at 10:00 p.m. Ever since the main cook left this place hasn't been the same. It's a shame because we actually love this place. read more

I can drive here: Eat two tacos with a bottle of Mexican coke and be back at my desk in 30 minutes. I'm a Cabeza, Tripas or buche taco person and all three are great here. The Lengua is always good too. Ask for Toriados. Yummmmmm. read more

Best taco spot I've been to in Salem. The flavors are amazing. It is slightly more expensive than other places in the area, but well worth it in my opinion. They also have an excellent salsa bar and are a open late. I've become a regular at this food truck. read more

This was by the worst taco truck I've came to. I ordered a torta and it came so soggy I couldn't even eat it ! My boyfriend got 4 sopes and they were cold ! I will never come back here read more

I understand that really good authentic tacos are hard to find in the Pacific Northwest. When I try a new place, my expectations aren't very high. I was born in Mexico and have visited/lived in places that have really good authentic tacos. This food truck, unfortunately, does not hit the spot. They were good, don't get me wrong. I actually liked them more than the other truck down the road (La Guadalupana). However, I've had better in Oregon. I'm starting to take these amazing reviews with a grain of salt. I am learning that many people that rave about some of these tacos around the state, have never actually had authentic and delicious street tacos. I'm adding two stars because I actually liked their lengua and carnitas tacos. They were surprisingly good! It was just too expensive, and just because it was good, it doesn't mean I was blown away or that it deserves a really good star rating. They're still just "average good", if that makes sense. I'm also adding an additional star (3 total) because they had Mexican candies/chips available along with a small hand washing station! You don't really see that from a food truck. The reason I am leaving out the remaining 2 stars is because they are definitely not as good as I expected, they were expensive, they only take cash, and they had a sign that said TODAY: CHAMPURRADO, but when we ordered it, we were told they didn't have that. Would I come back? MAYBE. For $2+ a taco I'd expect better tortillas and better flavor. read more

Delicious I wouldn't go anywhere else for real Mexican food. Very good customer service the owner has had her business Nd customers over 20 plus years so I'm pretty sure she knows how to cook. Amen read more

Came here the other day and was not impressed. Their carne asada meat is cut into really big pieces and has a lot of fat in it. Apart from that, they are overly priced for their tacos $2.50 each and not even homemade tortillas. The lady that took our order was a little snotty and we waited about 15 minutes for our food. Will not be back. read more

Been here a few times and it's great. Delicious, succulent al pastor, carnitas and carne asada are what I've tried so far. Plus there's a flavorful salsa bar and the servings are generous. I lived in Los Angeles for nearly two decades before moving to Salem a few years ago. This is the food I missed. read more

The "El Ranchito" I had last night was a taco truck that a coworker recommended. The tacos were fantastic and the tripe tacos were actually good. They cook the tripe so it has a tougher consistency and not that normally chewy horrible consistency that keeps me from menudo. The salsas here though deserve 5 stars. The have a creamy, spicy red salsa, and an amazing aguacate crema that goes great on everything. Tacos are $1.50 and their hours are something crazy like till 5am on the weekends. They don't open until relatively late though. I'll be back soon read more

Ask for the super burrito al pastor. And get the orange hot sauce. I work close by there, the greatest burritos great portions.

Damnnn. Big fat yummy tacos. Killer salsas. Nice little enclosed eating area. Hot ass seranno peppers and onions come with your meal. Salsas are amazing. Great selection. Great prices easy to find. Only and mean the only bad thing is cash only. And if you go be patient and all because they don't speak good English. But it's one of the best little taco trucks around. Once your on this level it's hard to compare. read more

This is the BEST little taco place EVER. I LOVE their guacamole salsa, it is the perfect amount of spicy for me. I go to other places and theirs have no spice at all. They have all kinds of condiments you can put on a taco, just writing about it makes my mouth water. They have made a better enclosed area, where before you had to check the weather to make sure you were dressed the part to eat here. I was caught in a rainstorm here one with lots of wind! You have to at least try the tacos once. I love the asada tacos. They are perfectly seasoned. You can easily spend $25-$30 for 2 people here. So worth it for me at least. And there aren't many places I would be willing to pay $2/taco. They are honest too. I have never been over charged here. Other places like this they add on another taco or 2 and make you pay though they only give you what you asked for originally. I do the math before I get charged everywhere I go because of this. You MUST try this place at least once in your life :) read more