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    El Ranchito Mexican Restaurant

    3.9 (63 reviews)
    InexpensiveMexican
    Closed 8:00 am - 9:00 pm

    El Ranchito Mexican Restaurant Photos

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    EL RANCHITO MEXICAN RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - El Ranchito Mexican Restaurant

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    Desire R.

    Good ass tacos. A hole in the wall, diamond in the rough. The tortillas where so warm and they had a beautiful fresh smell. The meat was falling out of the taco, they do not leave you hungry or wanting more.

    Two Shrimp and one al Pastor tacos
    Melissa N.

    I have been coming to El Ranchito for quite a while, and it is one of my favorite authentic Mexican restaurants around. They are one of the few places that serve shrimp street tacos. I never have luck finding those, so I happily get them here. They are located in a run-down plaza, in a not-so-fancy part of town. But, this doesn't mean you shouldn't tried them out. Prices are extremely cheap, and the food is wonderful. They also have daily lunch specials. Tamales and Horchata are always good here, as well as, any of the tacos. But, I don't discriminate against tacos, I love them all equally. The girls immediately bring out chips and a spicy salsa. The chips are much thicker than your regular tortilla chip. It actually took me some time to like them. Now, I really enjoy them. Service is super friendly, but practice your Spanish. It is a very simple restaurant. They have been making a few changes since my last time here. They have revised the menu, and even they added a TouchTunes jukebox. Yep, I like them.

    Delicioso!!
    Mark P.

    Good cheap eats. You'll find them sort of hidden in the back of a small mom and pop Mexican grocery store in a worn out part of town that's obviously well past the comfort zone of most fainter types. Brushing up on your Spanish might help but isn't necessary. They do these really thick chips I've come to like and their salsa's on the spicy side, at least for Orlando. Their tacos are cheap and really good. They have some adventurous choices like tongue and hard to find shrimp but my favorites are the chorizo ones. The Caldo de res is wonderful here and there's a cooler with interesting sodas. Love that Horchata! ...but there are times they're off enough to weigh down my rating from a four.

    Randy J.

    We have lived in Orlando 16 years coming from California. We are always searching for good Mexican food. It was my birthday and Mom asked if I wanted to go to Agave Azul in Winter Park. It's more upscale Mexican restaurant and we like their food. I said I'd rather go find a new hole in the wall Mexican place like El Peublo on 426 (warning their hot sauces are WAY Hot). It's small authentic Mexican food joint in a strip center next to Race Track station. We searched Yelp and found El Ranchito. Read reviews and I said I'd like to try this Mexican restaurant. I'll tell you it did not disappoint! The Flavors of their food, the chips and their perfect salsa! It has some heat to it but the right amount we finished the bowl. I'll include some pics but should have taken before we started eating! I ordered the enchilada plate that comes with 4 enchiladas AND your choice of chicken breast or thin flat steak. I ordered 2 chicken with green sauce / 2 beef enchiladas with red sauce with steak as main meat. It's a good amount of food! The green sauce has some heat to it over the red sauce being more mild. Next time I'll be ordering 4 chicken enchiladas in green sauce with the thin steak. Mom ordered 2 asada tacos and enjoyed her food as well. It's not fancy place... it's a small Mexican Market with a decent size restaurant inside the market on right side of store. I think it's a hidden gem. Exactly what I wanted... real authentic Mexican food. I feel as a California raised person that has been spoiled with great Mexican food growing up... we are always looking for authentic in Florida. Habaneros or Amigos is NOT authentic. Give El Ranchito a try and see for yourselves. I give it 5 stars and a California approval. After dinner they have a meat counter to pickup meats for home... produce... and full little Mexican market to take home your favorite staples. Bam! P.S. I saw a review saying unsanitary? Uh, no. Maybe that reviewer needed to go to Agave Azul I remember specifically saying to Mom. The bathroom is definently old, but it's really really clean. (I'm a weirdo about clean bathrooms)

    Chicken fajitas
    Ashley C.

    Hole in the wall with decent food and decent prices. Definitely not fancy. The servers are not very attentive and the chips are hard and could leave you with broken teeth if not careful. The salsa they provide is considered "mild" to them but very spicy to a softee like me. Overall okay. I wouldn't go out of my way to go there but I'd go again if I was in the area. The quesadillas were my favorite out of everything I tried.

    Ho L.

    Fancy? Definitely not. Delicious? Absolutely! This is hands down one of the best little Mexican restaurants in Orlando. Sure, it's located inside a grocery store, but the food here is fresh, tasty, and perhaps most importantly, cheap! Forget those hipster $4.50 tacos in Winter Park. Here. you get something just as flavorful, if not more so, for about $1.50. If you love Mexican food, you owe it to yourself to check this place out!

    Chorizo and asada tacos
    Dest B.

    Always a gem, they updated the menu. Looks nicer and cleaner. But their tacos are spectacular! My boyfriend had the quesadilla, he got into it before I got to take a picture but so much meat in it. I love it!

    That ceiling has mold over customers that eat here

    This place is so slowww when not even busy. Food took a whole hour and restaurant was very unsanitary and unprofessional Cashier was rude Very UNORGANIZED! First time and last time here!

    Carne asada
    Latoya C.

    Warning: Ladies do NOT and I repeat DO NOT wear heels to this place. I made that tragedy of a mistake and I ended up face down on the floor. Now that the announcement has been made..... This is some of the best cheap Mexican food I have had! Most Mexican food is cheap but this one takes the cake. I decided to give this place a try after church one day. I should have left my heels in the car or put on some flats. The restaurant is inside a grocery store. The surface of the grocery store is fine. When I entered the restaurant it was made of tile (that wasn't the problem). The floor was uneven and had a dip or two in it. As I was walking to my seat my Louboutin didn't have enough leverage and down I went.....was I embarrassed? No. Even though the entire restaurant seen me, I was on the floor laughing. I got up laughing. I crawled to the table and took a look at the menu. Everything was so friggin cheap! I got a few tacos and had a bite of a burrito. I recommend the chorizo or carne tacos....They all are delicious! I loved the variety of sauces on the table. This place was awesome! I will be returning without heels or barefooted at the least to get to this yummy place!

    Tacos to die for. These are al carbon and carnitas :)
    Michael L.

    Absolutely delicious and courteous, super good! Love it. I had tacos asada, al pastor, carnitas and they were so good and fresh! The salsa is homemade. The little grocery store next door has a fabulous selection of fresh produce and meats. I can't say enough good about this place. Open at 8 am and until late!

    Approach from Edgewater Dr
    MIKE V.

    Great grocery store for those everyday Mexican meals. The restaurant side provides LOTS of food, inexpensively. Most of their prepared food is take-away, but I always sit and enjoy the food in a quaint, yet comfortable space where I can catch up on the "telenovelas" Reviews from another Food review website: "Best Mexican and a Bargain Too! I love Mi Mexico! All items are freshly made and authentic. Also, they are very flexible and will alter all meals to suit your needs. Taquitos with soft corn tortillas are the best. Order individually and they will keep them coming until you scream ¡Basta!" - Rhett - Dec 19, 2009 "BEST Mexican this side of the border This place rocks. It is good, it is cheap and really it just has amazing food. I am craving it now just thinking about it. Now when you go most of the staff including wait staff doesn't speak much english. Also grab a drink from the cooler..." - Chris Rank - Aug 6, 2008

    Pechuga Asada

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    Agave Azul Cocina Mexicana - Kirkman

    Agave Azul Cocina Mexicana - Kirkman

    4.4
    (1.9k reviews)
    8.5 mi
    $$

    My sister and I came for early dinner since she's never been to Agave Azul and I'm a bit obsessed…read morewith their locations. This was my first time to this location and wow it's so pretty ! I loved the covered outdoor seating and interior decor with the waterscape feature . Service was phenomenal!!! We sat inside and enjoyed a the chips and queso and salsa before we our entrees arrived. I always order the same , shrimp chimichanga and it just taste so good I could never not chose it. My sister did the steak combo platter and added shrimp. She said this was so good, she wants to come back for her birthday in a few weeks!

    Experience: Hostess did not even greet us then sat us at the back of the restaurant where no one…read morewas sitting and we waited for 15 minutes without service. I approach the hostess asking what happened and she did not speak to me, she instead signaled me to follow her repeatedly saying ok ok ok. As she went to my table and began to remove the menu. I then asked again in spanish this time and she said "I am moving you". I asked why and she kept talking into her earpiece telling some one I was pissed off when I was not, I was confused. The Server came out and arrived at the table and the Hostess left. Server then told us there was a miscommunication, however I still did not get an answer. The food came out quick since we had plenty of time to view the menu. The female Manager made her rounds and had no idea what had happened. She then came to our table, did not even introduced herself and offered us a dessert while we were still eating dinner for what happened. She barely spoke and seemed clueless to what was happening and yet, still no explanation! We get boxes for our food and I pay the bill, I gave the server a really good tip because it was not her fault and we left full of food and disappointment. Note to Owner: Communication goes a long way, educate your staff and make sure they treat everyone with the same respect by being hospitable and bilingual. If I was given a reason, this review would have been amazing! Service : Terrible service, not friendly or inviting, there is a language barrier, and management has no idea about customer service which is my guess why the place was empty! Food: Amazing as always and it is a shame because I really love(d) this place and gladly spent $200+ every time I dine here. Ambiance: Clean, trendy, and inviting. Sorry Agave Azul, you used to be my favorite spot to dine but that honor will now go to Agave Bandidos.

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    Agave Azul Cocina Mexicana - Kirkman
    Agave Azul Cocina Mexicana - Kirkman
    Agave Azul Cocina Mexicana - Kirkman

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    Adelitas Mexican Cocina Bar & Seafood

    Adelitas Mexican Cocina Bar & Seafood

    4.5
    (121 reviews)
    5.3 mi
    $$

    Phone definitely did not eat first at Adelitas. They have such a wide range of food on the menu…read morefrom seafood to carne asada to soups. All made with love and you can seriously tell how much pride this business takes in each and every dish they put out. My husband and I got the skinny margaritas, had a few shots, and the best food. I could drown myself in their refried beans. Shout out to Jesus who has always taken such great care of us every time we've visited since they've opened. This place is so laid back, a great place to come to yap with friends. I love Adelitas so much and cannot wait to see where their next location takes them.

    A bummer experience, unfortunate for a restaurant with potential…read more We went on a Wednesday and ordered the fajitas (weekly special) and the chipotle chicken. The fajitas came out without the sizzle of the skillet (disappointing but not a deal breaker) and the chipotle chicken was overly salty. I would have gladly let my server know the food was too salty, but unfortunately they nearly completley absent our entire dining experience. We love the table salsa and could not find them in the restaurant to ask for more until our food was delivered. But after that, we never saw them again. It wasn't until the bartender noticed us looking, that we were able to ask for our check. There was maybe 4 tables in the restaurant during this time and 0 staff presence.

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    Menu
    Menu
    Chili Relleno
    Chili Relleno
    Carnitas Michoacanas

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    Carnitas Michoacanas
    San Jose's Original Mexican Restaurant

    San Jose's Original Mexican Restaurant

    4.0
    (56 reviews)
    16.2 mi
    $$

    San Jose's is a wonderful Mexican restaurant located in a strip mall just north of Lake Buena Vista…read morein the southern part of Orlando. I believe they have several locations in the area, and this is a newer one with very welcoming and modern interiors. They have wonderful daily specials and various happy hour periods that extend from 2 to 10 PM, including $3 tacos from 8 until 10 PM. Meals start off with complimentary chips and salsa (4.5/5), which are happily refilled upon request. We tried a variety of tacos (5/5) which were incredibly fresh and flavorful. The vegetarian San Jose's fajita bowl (4.5/5) was tasty and served in a generous portion that is ideal for sharing. The cheese quesadilla (5/5) hit all the fresh flavor notes without the cheese being too sharp in taste. The churros (5/5) were the perfect dessert, having a slightly crunchy exterior and softer core as you bit into it. We loved the food and atmosphere so much that we visited twice the same week while visiting the Orlando area. Service (4.5/5) was excellent on our first visit, and slightly slower on our 2nd visit, but still incredibly friendly with management checking in on customers to make people were enjoying their meals. Overall, I'd rate the food and experience a 4.5/5, but happy to round up since San Jose's is right up my alley for an ideal Mexican meal that is delicious and doesn't gouge you with prices like other restaurants tend to do. I'll gladly return on future trips to the Orlando area and will be recommending them to others, as San Jose's would crack my rotation of a Mexican restaurants I'd regularly visit if I lived locally.

    Stopped in for Cinco de Mayo. Mistake #1. Only a couple of overpriced margs on the menu. We…read moreordered the organic watered down version in a $25 souvenir cup. We left it behind. Mistake #2. Ordered enchiladas with gr beef and guajillo sauce. Absolutely the most bland, flavorless enchiladas I can recall having in a long time. Mistake #3. Ordered the Flautas with beef tinga. I had trouble finding the filling! Maybe I should have ordered the tinga tacos? I'm so bummed to have spent over $100 on a meal that left me begging for something more. The upside? The staff was friendly and prompt, despite being a busy night. Try at your own risk. We won't be back.

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    Booth
    Booth
    2 cheese enchiladas with cheese quesadilla
    2 cheese enchiladas with cheese quesadilla
    Organic Margaritas... amazing and fresh

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    Organic Margaritas... amazing and fresh

    El Ranchito Mexican Restaurant - mexican - Updated June 2026

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