One of my favorite local Mexican restaurants. I've been coming here for years. If we lived down the street we'd be regulars. Sweet: The have the best beef flautas. Cooked to perfection. The shredded beef is flavorful. They top it with sour cream and cheese. They aren't oily like others. I used to not be a big fan of beans. But there beans is definitely a favorite. They taste almost as good as my husband's abuelas beans. They are very flavorful great to eat with chips and salsa. The Spanish rice is very good as well. We enjoy their breakfast options. My favorite is the chilaquiles. Besides the flautas I like their crunch beef tacos, enchiladas and carnitas. You really can't go wrong with anything you order here. Sour: The prices are a bit high for counter service. But they have good daily combo deals. The salsa options aren't my favorite. read more

El Ranchito Taco Shop - Menu - Mexican Near Me - Poway, California

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You cannot go to the San Diego area without going to a taco shop. I've been to many all over Arizona, Los Angeles, hell even Mexico but for some reason San Diego shops are the best. We accidentally turned into a strip mall and decided to get some taco shop. We both had carne asada burritos and it was everything I wanted it to be. The salsa bar is another staple and did not disappoint. read more

The food: mixed reviews. I loved my tacos. I got one with pollo asada and one carne asada. Both were amazing. It is a good thing I don't live here or I would come everyday. My husband got Al pastor nachos. Good portion size. The seasoning on the meat was overpowering. He would get nachos again but with a different meat. My son got rolled tacos. In his 11 year old fashion, he only ate one , but he liked it. The salsa: so good! Not overly spicy. The chips were on the salty side. The service: employees were great and very friendly. The atmosphere: good size dining room with plenty of tables. We were there on a Sunday for lunch and it was pretty full. We will definitely be back when we visit again. read more

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I just had the chorizo burrito you've been dreaming of! I did add cheese, extra chorizo and a thin layer of beans per the cashiers suggestion; also it was $20 but worth every penny and of good size. There was no weird pork parts or bone chips or extra grease, but just quality chorizo deliciousness with the eggs n beans taking their rightful backseat. So good that the fine spicy red salsa was added after a while. This is my first time at El ranchito as I only work in the area and usually do the company cafeteria. Nevertheless I shall return, and look forward to trying other goodie's, but that chorizo burrito.... It's gonna be a regular. Bravo El Ranchito; I can see why many locals have long proclaimed your superiority. read more

El Ranchito Taco Shop - Sampling this deliciousness in my car; sorry I eat my burritos partially with a fork - Mexican Near Me - Poway, California

Ordered Carne Asada fries - what was wrong with it? 1) Cost $17.00 not enough meat & what meat was served was burnt. Asked for 6 salsa's & I was told based on the price they could only give me 3 salsas. Not going to be a customer after going here quite frequently read more

I had to try this place with all the high ratings but disappointed. I ordered 4 flautas and a chicken burrito. It was busy but 5 people that ordered after me got their food before me and some had larger orders. My burrito was huge but only had salty chicken, rice and guacamole. No flavor at all and kinda pricey. My wife and daughter liked the flautas but nothing to write home about. Not sure what all the fuss is about but I'm not impressed, especially for the prices. On to the next one. read more

El Ranchito Taco Shop - Chicken burrito - Mexican Near Me - Poway, California

Great food and friendly service it is on the pricey side but it's really good. We love the tacos and I love their shredded beef burrito,great food. read more

The service was very slow. Took too long to pay for the take out order. Ordered the carne asada burrito, meat was like rubber and inedible had to throw it out, complete waste of time and money. read more

This is one of the best taco shops in Poway. I wish this place was closer to me because this would be my go to Mexican taco shop. But whenever I'm in the area and craving Mexican food I would come here for a burrito, taco or enchilada. The food here has always been consistent and prices are comparable to other taco shops. This time I ordered the #1 combo which was a beef taco and enchilada which also came with refried beans and rice. The beef taco came with a crispy shell. It was very delish and I was satisfied with my order. This is a spacious restaurant with lots of variety on their menu. Service is always very good. Only thing I feel they are lacking is that they don't offer complimentary tortilla chips for their dine in customers. Nonetheless the Owner of this place supported my kids' school fundraiser which I appreciated greatly. It's important to me that local businesses give back to their community. read more

El Ranchito Taco Shop - Beef taco and enchilada - Mexican Near Me - Poway, California

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El Ranchito Taco Shop is located in a little mall in Poway near Trader Joe'.  It's a convenient stop after visiting the Poway Farmers Market.  The tacos used street sized tortillas and 3 filled me up.  The carne asada taco was overflowing with carne asada.  It was seasoned expertly and full of flavor.  Carnitas taco was overflowing with huge pieces of carnitas.  I loved the greasy flavor of the pork.   Shredded beef taco featured a hard fried corn tortilla.  A good amount of tender and juicy beef was in there.  I liked the flavor. 2nd visit I tried the regular size carnitas and fish tacos.  Carnitas was crunchy on the outside and tender in the middle.  Loved the pork flavor.  Fish taco had a big piece of fried fish.  I liked the crispy batter and the tender flaky fish which had a mild flavor.  Tasted liked cod. Staff was nice and my order was out fast.  Nice clean shop with delicious tacos.  I love how the tacos have an excellent meat to tortilla ratio.  The carnitas taco was my favorite. read more

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Tried this place for the first time and it was actually really good. I ordered a cheese quesadilla, a potato taco and a grilled chicken taco and everything came out hot and fresh. The quesadilla was super cheesy with a nice crispy outside. The potato taco was honestly my favorite - crispy on the outside, soft inside and really flavorful. The grilled chicken taco was simple but really tasty and cooked well. Nothing fancy, just really good, comforting food that hits the spot. Service was quick, staff were friendly and the portions were solid for the price. read more

The place was half full for 4th of July. I had 2 fish tacos and they were excellent. The fish sauce was ok. I squeezed some lemon on it from the salsa bar. They have a lot of tables inside. And the place was clean. I can't wait to bring the family and try other items read more

El Ranchito Taco Shop - 2 fish tacos - Mexican Near Me - Poway, California

Visited 11/7/2024 Wow Nice little Taco Joint with a Big Selection of Good Food. Staff was friendly and helpful. Plenty of parking. Lots of seating inside. I ordered A Fish Taco, A Carnitas Taco and Two Shredded Beef Flaunts. Everything was good and The Salsa Bar has lots of extras to load up your plates. I'll be back. read more

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I came here because I want to eat something for lunch will hubby is in the doctor. I was forced and the carne asada burrito is $15.00 tasteless, oily and unappealing. I ate barely half and almost throw it in the trash. I had better ones. read more

El Ranchito Taco Shop - Carne asada - Mexican Near Me - Poway, California

We really enjoyed this spot. Service was friendly. The place was non stop busy. The food was tasty. I think cause mostly everything is fried or cooked in lard lol. The rice and beans were way better here than anywhere else. I only wish the carne asada had a little more seasoning and was cut up. Their salsas were good too. Will definitely be back. read more

El Ranchito Taco Shop - Crispy beef taco and cheese enchilada combo - Mexican Near Me - Poway, California

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I've been going to El Ranchito for many years now. The staff is absolutely wonderful to my client. It is her favorite shop. The food is GOOD!!! read more

El Ranchito Taco Shop - Tosada... I always order it because I want something simple and light. I add rice on top of it. - Mexican Near Me - Poway, California

Had a potato burrito and added beans and rice to it. It was super super flavorful and the salsas were amazing to say the least! Will be back read more

El Ranchito Taco Shop - Potato burrito add rice and beans - Mexican Near Me - Poway, California

I ordered a Beef burrito and it is literally all shredded beef with a little bit of onions and a tortilla!? Every time I order a burrito here there's guac and lettuce, but none of that can be found here. Very disappointing. read more

El Ranchito Taco Shop - Beef burrito - Mexican Near Me - Poway, California

Unfortunately they aren't open at 6 anymore. Wish theyd open early again, used to be my go to breakfast burrito spot before work.

SALT SALT SALT, WAY TOO SALTY, food also does not taste great either, I had to practically beg for salsa, which is mostly just jalapeno...... The service was ok. I will never eat here again. I am assuming they have to many great reviews, because the people in Poway do not know any better. Never eating here again. read more

The food is delicious and the staff are beyond wonderful. Charging $13.25 for a chicken burrito that isn't necessarily oversized and doesn't come with chips. They charged me a dollar for chips for my to go order. Either ownership is greedy and customers are dumb or the minimum wage hike is hurting this business. I'd go back for the overpriced skinny burrito and one dollar chips only because the food quality is decent in the staff are lovely message. The ownership take a look around town for Mexican eateries of your level. I think you're overcharging possibly read more

El Ranchito Taco Shop - Mexican Near Me - Poway, California

Yummy salsa... yummy rolled tacos (shredded beef, not the others) guacamole or creamy guac, crunchy beef tacos, super decent Carne, and did I mention the salsa? I buy a large jar to take home for the week. read more

Honestly, this place has gone so far down in quality and so high on price, it's no longer worth it. When you get hassled for asking for more salsa, you know the management are fools and the employees are rude. Overpriced, tasteless food made with no care or proper ingredients means this place sucks! Do better by making changes or go out of business. There are 10 taco shops in the same neighborhood that are 10x better. Adios! read more

13 years later Update: Continues to be my Go-To Taco Shop! My family has been coming here since the 80s and we always get the Beef Tacos, Flautas, and Menudo. I've tried a few of their other dishes throughout the years but it will always come down to those. They're a pretty busy shop so the line can sometimes go out the door - but if you call ahead your order, it'll be ready in 15-20 minutes and you can just grab your order and go. I love that they sell their pico de Gallo in jars cos we eat it with everything! They have our favorite hot salsa too - it freezes well and we use it when we end up with non-El Ranchito Mexican food. read more

Best chili relleno in the world! Their sauce and salsa is amazing too. Highly recommended. I drive from Del Sur to get their food.

Omg!!! This place is amazing, the food was spot on, service was excellent, and the restaurant was absolutely spotless. Will definitely go back. read more

Only some things are good here, the bean burrito and the green hot sauce. The California burrito is not bad just very tiny. It's very small for the price, it's pretty ridiculous how small it is for a $15 burrito, the rice tasted like perfume, the rolled tacos have ground beef in them like Taco Bell!!!! What the!!??? The 'guacamole' is that neon sour cream fake guac mixed stuff. Nothing authentic about this place, this is not good Mexican food, this is more like a bigger and more expensive Taco Bell. read more

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This is our favorite taco shop in the area. Their California burrito is my favorite and my wife loves the beef tacos. The salsa is good (can be very spicy , beware). read more

This is my favorite Mexican place to go to as a Mexican living in San Diego. It's the closest to authentic Mexican food eating out and it's so delicious. If you come early enough they have buñuelos for .75 cents and their salsas are so good. I always order tacos but ventured out and got their birria and was not disappointed. Highly recommend this place! read more

El Ranchito Taco Shop - Birria combo - Mexican Near Me - Poway, California

Food is delicious and very consistent. I've been going with my family for 35 years. It's just outstanding.

I'm sorry but ground beef in rolled tacos?! And it's EXPENSIVE for ground beef rolled tacos. Extremely dissapointed. Should state they are ground beef. Only cheap taco shops do that but for $16 for a plate of 4 is criminal. read more

Worst tasting Burrito , Ordered a Carnitas Burrito Mojado , maybe different Taco shops do them differently, 1st off it was closing so the Carnitas were extremely dry like end of the night meat , the Green sauce was just poured over the Burrito, green sauce was extremely spicy didn't help the taste of the Burrito , my past experiences with mojado meant melted steamed cheese poured over the whole Burrito with slices of Avocado , Garduno's in Rosemead & Covina Manuel's in ELA Moreno's Orange read more

Great authentic Mexican food! They never disappoint! We love the Pollo Asado burritos and the rolled tacos!

Ordered the breakfast burrito and paid extra for bacon and hash browns. Didn't get either. All I got was a flimsy burrito with eggs and beans. Tortilla was chewy. Burrito was also on the much lighter side. read more

Food was good. Taquitos were crispy and delicious with shredded meat. Service was quick and amicable. read more

El Ranchito Taco Shop - Rolled taquitos with rice and beans. Guacamole and cheese. - Mexican Near Me - Poway, California

Service was ok, my food came out quick. They don't give you salsa to go. Maybe because they want you to buy their jars of salsa. I definitely wouldn't recommend their breakfast burritos. I got a sausage and a bacon and I don't think I tasted any meat in either burrito. Definitely some better places in the area that I would go to next time. read more

I liked that you can buy salsa here, and it's great plus the chips are homemade, too. Food quality is above average for basic mexican fare in Poway. It definitely gets busy in the evenings but can't go wrong. read more

Amazing staff and food. Best rice and beans I've had from any taco shop. They also have great salsas. Getting more pricey but that's happening everywhere so can't reaaaally complain about that. read more

First time chicken chimichanga $16 dollars for this no rice or beans.I threw it away gummy tortilla gross chicken florescent green guacamole how is this Mexican food went to El Indio where I got the same thing for $11 dollars and it was pure heaven.This place is an insult to Mexican food read more

Amazing. I love this taco shop so much. The food is incredible and authentic. Everything you order is cooked with love and so much flavor. The salsa bar is excellent. The prices are reasonable. The staff is kind and attentive. This taco shop is clearly the best in Poway. It's welcoming, homey, and yet serves up some of the best, most authentic Mexican dishes in the whole city. I cannot recommend this place enough. read more