Possibly the best quesadillas I've had, prepared in front of us. Served/cook/possible owner friendly and customized our plates as we practiced our Spanish with him. Lots of meat and filling options. Tacos de Barbacoa tasty; pork tamales ok. Basic inside and outside seating, but I suspect much of their business is takeout. Good portions, ok price. read more

Needed something quick after a late night at work so we stopped at this unassuming Mexican restaurant and boy am I glad we did!! If you want some thing delicious and quick this is definitely the place. The flour tacos are my favorite, my hubby likes the burritos!! The tamales are yummy also. It was so good we actually went back the next night!! Definitely on our favorites list!! read more

El Rancho Mexican Grill East - a taco and rice burrito - Mexican Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Very good local Mexican food, no frills, you get what you expect -- especially if you are expecting something delicious. Their quesadillas are, IMO, their shining star! Exactly what you'd want -- cheesy, meaty (if you order meat anyway), and the right amount of grease-i-tude. Their burritos and tacos are good, perhaps not as great as the above, but that's a hard marker to reach. Do yourself a favor: Pop some queso on your order and you'll be a happy camper. read more

So glad to have fast Mexican food nearby! I recently moved to the area and my one petty complaint was how few dining options surround us. Now just a mile down our street, the former "Mr. Torta's" was bought up and converted to "El Rancho Mexican Grill," a second location identical in function to their popular South Park Street restaurant. My wife and I both got takeout burritos. They tasted fantastic and were ready in a few minutes. It reminds me of Chipotle but without the corporate nonsense. Will be back... again and again... read more

Ordered through DoorDash. The queso was disgusting and super chunky... threw it out as soon as I got it. Also the torta did not come with all the described toppings.. the meat was BLAND. My taco plate was bland and the portions are absolutely tiny. Don't recommend this place- not good nor authentic. Vayan a otro lado mejor! read more

Normally I'm not a fan of this type of Mexican -- ordering at the counter while they build it in front of you, because it's usually nothing too special. But, boy, was this tasty! I had the sampler platter and I'm a little ashamed to be unable to report exactly what it consisted of. I asked of course, but I didn't quite catch it due to English being a second language for the staff. Still, I knew it would be Americanized Mexican and it was all very good! Unlike other reviewers, I thought the prices were reasonable for what it was. My meal was $6.99 and was just the right portion so I didn't have to either fight my conscience about throwing away food or take home leftovers that probably wouldn't translate well for the next day. Hopefully this place sticks around. We'll definitely be back! read more

El Rancho Mexican Grill East - nachos and tortillas - Mexican Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Solid Mexican food and a sister restaurant to the one on Park Street. Very tasty and quick. The ground beef tacos are very savory. Probably worth splitting with a friend in my case! read more

El Rancho Mexican Grill East - restaurant counter - Mexican Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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The food here is really great! I had the three shredded steak tacos. You can pick what you want for toppings to make exactly what you want. The people are nice and friendly, the facility including the bathroom was very clean. I will be back to patronize this business. read more

This is a wonderful spot to eat, very welcoming. Great burritos and way better than chipotle or qudoba. Definitely have my Afro Latino support. read more

Consistently good burritos no matter what I order. The "spicy onions" are really tasty and delivery is always quick and cheap. The portions are always generous and I usually have some leftovers for a tasty midnight snack treat. They have a good selection and the last time I ordered the food was here faster than I could even believe! Definitely a staple in the Mexican food scene in Madison. read more

Amazing service, great food! Tamales are $2! El pastor (spicy pork) on the menu is not too spicy. Outdoor seating!

The quesadillas were excellent and you MUST get them if you go here! I also especially enjoy the homemade guacamole! The tacos were excellent too! I will admit, though, that the prices are kinda high. At least they are not outrageous, however. And the rice and beans were not the greatest. Quesadillas and tacos, though, just amazing! read more

Ordered delivery from Uber Eats. The meat was weird tasting. The plastic bag corner was full of grease, the meat was poorly packed. The rice was a waste of space, tasteless, with no aroma whatsoever. Might as well have been styrofoam. The pinto beans were very bland. The cheese sauce was bland as well. The only good things were the horchata, and the pico. All in all, a waste of money. read more

One of the best for takeout. Our family always chooses the 3 meat combo with the barbacoa and carnitas as big wins for the family. Along with all the toppings, the 3-meat combo makes for an amazing deal and is an easy crowd pleaser for our littlest pick eater to our hungriest adult. read more

I've been to the El Rancho on Park. Staring at the menu, just wanting a quick bite for under $7. OK, the menu does not allow that. So at Park I got a "bowl" with al pastor and the works. The 'bowl' doesn't really work - - piling all those ingredients in a heap, is not a pretty meal. Though it did taste considerably good. Here, at the east side location, I went for a burrito, and WOW was that the treat. The formula is simple: ask the customer what the customer wants in the burrito, piece by piece, bit by bit - - and if you are a thinking customer, you can cobble together something very satisfying. Asked for minimal rice (rice, in burritos, folks, can be empty, tasteless filler - - just saying); then the black beans, and then the choices of spicy lovely yummy accents that kept rounding out the deal, till it got bigger and bigger, and finally you get the burrito wrapped up like a juicy, packed, BOMB in silver foil - - loved the spicy onion accent, the layer of guac, the succulent al pastor, the pungent bites of jalapeno - - the more you say "yes" and round out the burrito, the more of the BOMB it becomes. (The advantage to a burrito, over a 'bowl', is that the ingredients are packed together, and stay warm, and the flavors start to blend.) Thoughtful, caring staff; quality ingredients, I have to say; and the sum of the assembly is greater than the individual parts. Best. Burrito. Ever. (but maybe I'm getting old in the tooth). At least I am still very much happy in the tooth that devours a burrito like this. read more

Just opened on 4/25. They have a location on Park st with a loyal following. It's a no frills Mexican joint. Tacos were good and very reasonably priced! Tons of meats and topping options as well. Super friendly staff. I heard they eventually will start delivering to the area. Looking forward to this being a staple on the Far East side. We need it! read more

This place is amazing. Went there right before close so they didn't have any steak left for the tortas or nachos, but that was OK because the other meats we chose were just as great. I had nachos and they were so flavorful!!? My boyfriend had a ground beef torta, he's used to the steak ones in Chicago which he loves so he was a little disappointed they were out of steak but said he's willing to come back and definitely try them again. Which is hard because he's picky . Everything tasted so good I can't even pin point what had more flavor. Love this place. Wish they had more seating though, I'm sure it gets pretty busy. read more

El Rancho Mexican Grill East - Mexican Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Oh my God, the food here is amazing. The menu is authentic as can be but somewhat limited (don't worry, all of your favorites are there). The flavors are incredibly intense and you have to get the spicy onions! Clearly they pay attention to maintaining the dining area meticulously clean as well as the bathrooms. The service is incredibly friendly and I strongly recommend asking for their recommendations. We happened to land on a day when they had tamales and oh my goodness they were incredible! Simple advice: Come here. Eat a lot. Enjoy the hell out of it. read more

I am from Sacramento California. I was out visiting my parents who just live around the corner from here. Been wanting to try this place my last few visits here and finally got around to it the other day for dinner. Got the burrito bowl and it was amazing! My parents also were also impressed with their dinner too. I recommend this place to grab a bite if you are in the neighborhood or passing through and looking for a good place to eat! read more

This place is really good! My tacos tasted very fresh and delicious. Owner was also very nice. Try this place and support a great local business! read more

This is a great spot for tasty fresh Mexican basics. They make everything fresh in front of you and you pick all the ingredients. Very much like qdoba, but cheaper and more authentic! Very friendly staff. My parents eat from there weekly and love it too! read more

Excellant burritos, build your own.Great people running it. All fresh.ingriedants prices are cheap,for the amount of food they give you.

Let me tell y'all that this place has some of the best tacos I've ever had in Wisconsin hands down! If you have not tried them please do you won't disappointed read more

First time here this evening and it was fantastic! Great customer service and delicious food. I ordered the tacos to go, right away was asked if I'd like flour or corn tortillas, having two young children I needed 2 flour with ground beef. My kids inhaled them along with the chips which I believe are homemade. I then got five chicken and five carnitas, they were so good. Meat was juicy not dry and you could choose the toppings. I will definitely be back! read more