We went here based on a recommendation from a young nurse at MD Anderson. Normally I would no go to a place with such a low Yelp rating but I thought we would take a chance and I'm glad we did. First interior is nicer than average. Our server was adorable, a young lady who was very helpful in selecting our lunch. The chips were crispy and a little thin, which was great. There was a green salsa that my wife liked. The red salsa had to be made in house. It was spicy but not too hot. I had the brisket tacos and they were exceptional. I never thought I'd be able to eat all three but I couldn't stop until I finished. My wife had the Chipotle Chicken and it was delicious. It had a mild sauce that I have never had before. The chicken was tender and moist. I wish I could cook chicken like that. I love Mexican food and am kind of a snob in my ratings. The Yelp rating for this place is way low. It is darn good. read more

Nice lunch specials and rhe street tacos are always super fresh and handmade. Love them!! Staff is super lovely. read more

El Rancho Mexican Restaurant - Chicken street tacos. - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

Amazing quality! Great traditional taste and feel. We eat here at least once a week. The family owners and staff are always friendly and attentive. I have never in 7 years had anything but a great experience here. Support your family owned restaurant. read more

This was me and my husband's first time trying this place. We pass by it everyday and had been wanting to try it for a while and So glad we did! Chips and salsa were great, we ordered the southwest egg rolls and demolished them like it was the last super. We were kind of full so we decided to split the Pollo Tampico. It was sooooooo delicious we couldn't stop eating after trying to convince ourselves it would be the last bite. We debated on liking the plate but we didn't want to leave a bad impression since we plan on coming back. The service is amazing, the ambiance and bar area looked very inviting. Can't wait to come back and try more!!!! read more

Great family owned authentic Mexican food, great staff and ownership. Cynthia is the best and super nice. All the food has been good so far, today, desert! read more

El Rancho Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

Staff was friendly and attentive but If they offered breakfast or brunch I would go back.

One of my favorite Mexican spots in the area. The service is always friendly, and the inside looks very beautiful. Not to forget the food is always amazing every time we go. read more

I wish I could give it a negative number, but the margarita was good. Small but good. I came in just for a margarita until traffic died down. I was going to sit at the bar, but the waiter, Marcial Jr., encouraged me to sit in a booth even though I didn't want to take up a full booth for one seat. He asked me the size of the Margarita I wanted. I asked him what the large looked like. He showed it to me on the next table. It was a regular size glass, but smaller than a pint. Sometimes it's hard to tell. He says it normally comes in a big glass, but they were out of them. Then he said, "it's happy hour, I said okay after he showed it. I thought it might be good regardless of the size. I wish I could give it a negative number, but the margarita was good. Small but good. I came in just for a margarita until traffic died down. I was going to sit at the bar, but The waiter, Marcial Jr., encourage me to sit in a booth even though I didn't want to take up a full booth for one seat. He asked me the size of the Margarita, I asked him "what size was the large?" He showed it to me on the next table. It was a regular size glass, but smaller than a pint. Sometimes it's hard to tell. He says it normally comes in a big glass, but they were out of them. Then he said, "it's happy hour small or large, I said okay after he showed it to me I took the large and he gave me the menus. I got a phone call, and I decided that I wasn't going to be able to stay as long as I needed to. He gives me the bill for the full priced margarita even though he's the one that advertised it! When the check came, I said, "you said it was happy hour he said yeah, but it's after 6:00. I said but you told me it was happy hour, I can't control how long it took you to make the drink. If it took you 6 minutes to get the drink back to me and happy hour ends at 6 p.m. that's not my fault...you advertised happy hour and I never even asked! I suppose it was punishment for only having one small margarita and not having time to eat. I'll never go back. #firsttimelasttime read more

Best Mexican Food in Katy! Ambiance is perfect for date night or family gatherings.The servers are helpful and positive. read more

Been awhile since I have been here. What was I thinking. I really think these folks knick it out of the park. The menu has changed since my last bidirectional and I could not be happier. New item, Birrias was outstanding. The console was tasty and the right spice. Beefcake was tender and overall this was a great choice. Other items ordered. Burrito, taco salad and street tacos. No complaints at all. Chips and salsa bit the spot as well. The green sauce I did buy some to take home. Service from the time we entered was spot on. I highly recommend them. read more

Consistently good service and great fresh authentic Mexican food. This neighborhood gem is one of our favorite go to places. Chips and salsa are always fresh. Street beef tacos are the bomb and my favorite beef tacos Al carbon. Refried beans and Mexican rice are like my mom's. Great authentic Mexican food, always consistent and always offer great service. I highly recommend El Rancho!! read more

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Went with 15 family members and many had never been. It was my choice because I love it. Always have fresh chips and yummy salsa and great service. Every single one of us loved our food! Started with blanco and yellow queso. Yum. Food is always consistently fresh and made to order. The fajita meet is to die for and so are the margaritas! Delicious! Our server Brian was awesome! It was a great evening with my cousins and aunts! read more

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The chipotle sauce is amazing. Get it on the enchiladas, fajitas, chicken breast, or anything else...doesn't matter! Service is great. Never had a bad time at El Rancho. read more

Service was good waiters were great , the ambiance was nice. We enjoyed the food and will go back.

Amazing food! Everyone here is so nice! And service is spot on. They don't miss a beat! read more

El Rancho Mexican Restaurant - Carnitas - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

was staying close and wanted some Mexican. I decided on the Pick 3 Tex Mex Combos. I got chicken flaunts, Beef Tostada, and Beef Chimichanga with the small side of Chili con Carne. It wasn't good. It was voluminous as each one was filled, but there was no flavor or seasoning. The queso was velvita. It was horrible, and the salsa tasted rancid. I would not recommend it. read more

Ordered company lunches there for Christmas Eve and we all say the food was plentiful, flavorful, and enjoyable. Upon picking up the order, the host was friendly, and receptive. Wished us a Merry Christmas as well. The place had parking for "To -go" orders so it allowed me to pull up instead of looking for a parking spot. the inside was spacious, clean and festive. Love the Christmas decorations by the door. I will definitely go there again. Thank you El Rancho for being open Christmas Eve!. We were extremely satisfied. read more

El Rancho Mexican Restaurant - Office Christmas Eve Spread - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

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the ambience was drab, 2 tables filled out of maybe 100 ... I see why they charged for an extra chip and salsa. should've went to Los Cucos... this was my first experience and Fernando made it a poor one. I work in the service industry and I would NEVER treat customers the way he treated us. read more

We were greeted right away, received our chips and drinks right away. The girl said she'd come back to take our order since we weren't ready. She came back like 7 minutes later. We placed our order, cheese enchiladas and fajitas. 30 minutes later, 2 apologies, the table next to us gets their food, 2 orders of fajitas. They arrived 15 minutes after us. Our waitress kept saying sorry and it would be right out. Another 15 minutes later, still nothing. I went to talk to the manager and he said that the waitress said we wanted to wait to take our order and I said but it's been 45 minutes since we ordered. He didn't say sorry, I felt like he just made excuses, blaming someone else. The lady next to us said that they only tend to their more frequent customers. One of the waitresses did give that other couple some pretty bad attitude and raised her voice at them. I felt embarrassed for them. We will not be back. It was one of the better Tex Mex joints we had been to read more

Rip off!!!!! 1 tortilla for carne guisada!!! Crazy when you spend $90+ dollars!!! And manager said employee was new!! No excuse!!!!

I had lunch at this restaurant yesterday for the first time. My order was for the mixed fajitas with charro beans and homemade corn tortillas. Their flour tortillas are homemade too. First to arrive were the chips and red and green salsas. I liked the green a little better than the red in taste but thought both along with the chips were a 3. When the entree arrived less than 10 minutes after ordering I dug in. The 3 corn tortillas were large in size and hot and good. The charro beans were ok in taste and the platter had plenty of meat on it along with onions. The meal also came with pico de gallo, cheese, sour cream and guacamole along with Spanish rice. All in all, I thought this was a satisfactory meal and graded it at a 3. The beef meat was very good and tender. Not chewy or stringy like the beef at some other places. The chicken was good but the beef was better and if I returned I would order my next entree with the beef fajita meat. My table service started out excellently but failed at the end. My waiter, an older gentleman, seated a couple who had arrived and then stayed at their table talking to them for a long time. Obviously they were friends. It took him at least 10 minutes after I was finished to come by and ask me if I wanted anything else. All I wanted was my check. I think you will receive a decent meal if you come here but mine did not stand out except for the beef fajita meat. read more

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I love this place. Everything is delicious and the staff and owner/manager is so friendly and attentive. I have had their beef fajitas, chicken flautas, seafood soup, guacamole and drinks. All perfectly seasoned and very fresh. read more

El Rancho Mexican Restaurant - Caldo de Mariscos - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

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First time visit and OH MY! This was fantastic. Server was very sweet and our order was perfect. Had chicken quesadillas on corn tortillas, appetizer sampler and chicken seafood. It took a little while to get our food and the prices were somewhat higher than other places but it was so worth it! The restaurant was very clean and the music wasn't too loud. read more

Outstanding, friendly service. The food was great! If I'm ever in this area again, I'd come back.

Food was great as usual, but the wait staff chewing and popping gum was not needed. It is gross to have the waitress serving your food while chewing gum with her mouth open. Then to have the other staff members popping gum while trying to enjoy our meal. LOSE THE GUM! Very unprofessional! read more

The service was absolutely unacceptable. We sat at our table for 15 minutes before anyone came to take our order. The establishment was not even busy. We we're probably 1 of 4 in the entire restaurant. The server that finally helped us was not good at their job. The food was very tasteless and over priced. Horrible experience. Do better. #Pooremploymentreflectspoormanagement read more

Got the paridilla for 2 and it took almost 40 minutes to receive. The chicken and fajita was starting to burn on the skillet so I changed it to a regular plate. I was going to make a taco when I realized the tortillas were literally raw dough. I had to ask for them to cook them all the way through because they said that's how they serve them. While I was eating the chicken I realized it was cold and had some chewy parts, so I spit it out it was pink! The rice was chewy like it was the bottom of the pot and the sour cream was old. The server didn't look like the she wanted to serve us or be there. We didn't eat the food but still payed for it. I don't know the whole experience for the first time being there and being the only ones in the restaurant it was just a terrible experience. And the food being old and under cooked! This place needs Texas DSHS to make sure their food is safe because it's no way they are serving this all day. read more

I love this place and definitely recommend! I come here as much as I can. Today I had my usual margarita, but also stepped out of my comfort zone and tried the Appletini. It was good, but I'm sticking to my frozen margarita. I ordered the Antiojos Mixtos appetizer as my meal. Come with nachos, flautas, mini quesadilla, and stuffed jalapenos with a side of sour cream and chili con queso. I asked for guacamole because why not? I was not disappointed at all. Can I just say this is my favorite place to come?! The hospitality is awesome and I just love their food and drinks. I hope your visit is as great as mine always are! read more

El Rancho Mexican Restaurant - El Rancho Margarita with Antiojos Mixtos appetizer - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

We love El Rancho Mexican restaurant. The food is great! We highly recommend the beef fajitas. The meat is so soft, juicy and flavorful. The staff is always friendly and attentive. The restaurant is also very clean! read more

El Rancho Mexican Restaurant - Beef Tacos Al Carbon Roger 's Combo - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Food was fantastic. Got the Steak Chipotle. Beef was perfectly cooked. Had a grill taste was so good. The servers checked up on me multiple times and were great. They have music playing as well as TVs at the bar where I was. Really good. Spent $34 including tip in a hr and absolutely worth it. read more

El Rancho Mexican Restaurant - Steak Chipotle - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

Pulled in here thinking about a happy hour margarita, only to find out it starts at 3pm. But the staff was nice enough to give me the happy hour price, because the "old menu" said HH everyday from 11-7, when it is really 3-7. Great service and margarita is good as well! read more

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I came here 2 other times different years, and I thought to give another try thinking something may have changed either with the service or the food ,however I was wrong the food and service is HORRIBLE, the waitress told me they had homemade flour tortillas however brought me a soft taco on a store bought tortilla and told me it's tex mex taco, I asked for a homemade flour tortillas and she brought me after 10 mins a jumbo burrito size tortilla food was cold, she said if she takes it back it will be an additional 15 min wait. So I said nevermind I will eat it. My family and friends will never come her again. Giving this place a 1 star is ALOT for what we experienced. read more

This is literally my second time ordering from this place the first time it was amazing, I absolutely loved it. Now this second time that I ordered I ordered EXACTLY HOW I ordered the first time and they gave me a different type of meat. So inconsiderate of the person I spoke too, blaming this on me, when #1 you should update your menu with types of different enchiladas: beef enchiladas- steak enchiladas to be added online to your menu! Also since I'm "wrong" here is the pink meat not seasoning causing it to look "reddish or pink" Very unprofessional and rude. read more

El Rancho Mexican Restaurant - Uncooked meat. - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Disappointed! I came the day before and the queso was good good! I came back the next day and it is clearly not the same. I brought it to the waitress attention that it looks different. The waitress said "yeah, it's a different cook " she understood why the difference. after I tasted it - there was a chest difference. I asked to just make the large I ordered a small to avoid returning the whole thing . I know since it don't taste well I was only going to eat some. Well I was told no . Even though it's a different chef it should taste the same. Thought I found my spot but I was wrong and won't be back not that they care . Just sad cause I ubered here for the queso !!!! #pissed #wastedmoney read more

El Rancho Mexican Restaurant - So disappointed. I really thought I had a winner . The fact the manger didn't even bother to look at it when there's a clear difference. - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

My daughter took me there on Mother's Day and everything was wonderful. The service was fast and our waitress was extremely nice and attentive. We had tried to go to Uncle Julio's originally but they were too busy to even ask us if we wanted to wait, the person at the desk just ignored us so he could wipe off menus. So I'm very glad we decided to go to El Rancho instead. The food as very good. I even had leftovers for the next day as the portions were large. I can't wait to go back to El Rancho again soon read more

Rodger is so helpful. He's so enthusiastic ! I love coming here, they have great options & they work with you with an customizations. I come often I highly recommend! read more

Food quality is amazing here. The service was top notch. I had a lovely time. Try the chips and queso! read more

El Rancho Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

This place is solid. Good food, great drinks, and wonderful people working there. I believe it's the manager (or owner) that comes to our table on each visit just to make sure we're good. The prices are reasonable and the selection is NICE! The restaurant itself is very comfortable, cozy and clean. Our waiter, whom we've been lucky to have on each visit, is amazing. Me and my wife will absolutely be dining here for years to come read more

I don't know much about Tex-Mex, but I know I like El Rancho. I like it when the nice servers bring me delicious margaritas as fast as I can drink them (on the rocks, because I'm not 12 and brainfreeze hurts). I like when they keep me supplied with chips, DOPE salsa and the green sauce throughout my meal. I like when the tortillas are fresh and soft. I like when my poblano steak fajitas are juicy and tender. I like when portions are so huge that I can feel like a real man after I eat it all, and then when I finish other people's food I can ride the edge of exploding for the rest of the evening. read more

El Rancho Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Houston, Texas

this new job has proven good things in my pocketbook but wreaking havoc on my waistline. I've tried so many new joints for lunch, El Rancho being the most recent. definitely a nice spot. not fancy, but no shabby decor either. the service was good, I had an older gentleman waiter and honestly I've never been called mami so many times in my life! And flashing all his 32's...I thought he was gonna offer to take me back to his place after his shift! I mean, ain't nuthin wrong with taking a little geriatric stroll every once in a while right? lol Chips and salsa...good! the green sauce though..meh! pass. I prefer Chuy's I ordered the fajitas mexicana mixed on the lunch menu. best $10 bucks I've spent on mexican food in a loooong while even if the smoke nearly choked me to damn death. But it was so yummy, it's a MUST try if you like spicy. It's probably a little too spicy for me, I think I'ma ask for half the amount of jalapeños next time. The meat was so tender, beef being my fav. Enough for lunch and dinner or if you're eating with a friend, the "for one" is big enough to share and get full. The rice and beans tasted pretty good as well. lunch break, so no margarita for me :( read more

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