Even though it was in an historical hotel....Food was cold, short staff...maybe. We could not recommend it!

My kiddo and I are on a roadtrip and staying across the street at a Best Western. We walked over after I took a look at the menu online, and we had a great meal. It was just what we needed after a long drive. I had the mole plate with calabacitas and mashed taters, and she had a burger. Margaritas were "eh", but the service was friendly and I'd stop here again. read more

El Rancho Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Gallup, New Mexico

See all

So, very small restaurant inside of a kitschy hotel. The hotel sits on the scenic and nostalgic route 66, which runs from Los Angeles, California to Chicago, Illinois. On the night I went to the restaurant they were very understaffed, with only 2 servers. The restaurant only has about 14 tables and I'm told that every so often they get very busy. I decided to have the Leo Carillo, which was a plate with three tacos, a small dish of air cream and a small serving of beans and rice. The tacos were sad. The menu said the beef was seasoned, and sadly it was not. I could have had a better meal at taco bell. The only thing saving this from getting one star is that the server was great and the prickly pear margarita was refreshing, delightful, and full of tequila. So, do I recommend eating here, no, but I can recommend stopping by, getting a drink, and hanging out in the read more

El Rancho Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Gallup, New Mexico

See all

Just cruising down Route 66 and found this Gem. Beautiful old place. Wish we could have stayed the night. Pictures everywhere of Stars who stayed here. Excellent Restaurant with a star studded menu. Had the Ronald Reagan Cheese burger with a side of jelly beans. Individually rapped for our safety. Waiter in training took wonderful care of us. We ordered the Route 66 banana split. They didn't have bananas so instead of telling us they were out they ran to the store for more.  We loved this place. read more

See all

They serve beer and wine on Sunday! The lobby and the resturant are very festive. The big booths can accommodate a large family of 6! It isn't very busy for lunch, and the staff is very attentive. There aren't many good options in Gallup, this looked like the best option. read more

Kind of a awkward location. You have to look for the sign but I saw so many not know to look up. The restaurant is okay. Drinks overpriced for what they are. You do not get chips and salsa. If you want them you have to pay. My food was okay. Hubby agreed. It does have more of a kick then other Mexican restaurants. I would tell someone to not eat there but I would tell them to not expect much. read more

The food was average, surely not incredible, but the place was not crowded, quiet, and the service was very good. Pleasant place to have lunch. read more

The food here use to be great. I'm not sure what happened. I think there might be new cooks here. My food was over salted. The flavor wasn't amazing. The menu has definitely been downgraded. read more

My wife and I were traveling to the Grand Canyon and we stayed at the El Rancho Hotel and ate downstairs in the restaurant our bill was about $48 and we put it on our credit card when I get my credit card notice it was charged $118 instead. I've called Hotel. numerous times and they keep telling me they'll correct the mistake but after two months I still have not gotten a refund. I would not recommend going to the El Rancho in Gallup New Mexico. I reported the dispute to American Express and they contacted merchant merchant never replied. I have recently contacted the Attorney General's office about this incident. read more

Servers need to be more hospitable, food was good. I like the old esthetic but more confertable tables an chairs would definitely make the place feel like home are server was a little pushy about placing my order. . .just needs to be more polite read more

El Rancho Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Gallup, New Mexico

It was good not great... Definitely a cool place to stop and check out. The ambiance is a 5 and the food is a 3. It's very clean and the waitress was super friendly. Worth trying out at least once! read more

El Rancho Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Gallup, New Mexico

See all

Resturant was in an old Hotel that was on the National Historical Records. The restaurant was clean, service excellent and staff were groomed very well and professional and helpful. The food was very nice and refreshing. Just a great experience. read more

Super yummy!! I enjoyed my Mother's Day lunch here, meant all my expectations! Only downfall was it took so long.. read more

El Rancho Restaurant - Happy Mother's Day to me - Mexican Near Me - Gallup, New Mexico

Not sure why there's not more reviews here. It seems to be quite a popular hotel. My roommate and I are traveling across country and decided to stop in Gallup for dinner and then ultimately the night. Everything was closed so we "settled" on El Rancho, and I'm certainly glad we did. Despite the current coronavirus outbreak they were able to offer limited seated dining. We sat on the open air patio which was quite lovely and felt secure in the soak distance between the tables. I had the Ricardo Montalban; cheese enchilada, beef tamale, chicken taco and a tostada with a side of rice and beans. The rice was a lot redder and richer than the Spanish rice I normally get in California. But it was very flavorful. The red sauce on the enchilada had a nice heat to it. My roommate got the green chili and he said it also was a little spicy. Everything was very tasty. Not gourmet quality but just good, satisfying food. The waitress was very nice & sociable. Not just nice for tips. Wish I had taken pics of our dishes but we we're pretty darn hungry after 9 hrs of driving and only 1 drumstick and a snickers bar for sustenance. read more

Great food, service was attentive and quick. Don't hesitate to stop and get some fantastic food from El Rancho.

I ate here the other day with a large group of people. We were well taken care of. The hospitality was good. I also enjoyed my food very much. I recommend this place to anyone. read more

Booked a room at the hotel for a night as we are just passing through. Had dinner and breakfast at the restaurant. Cozy environment. Friendly staff and good service. I had the fajitas for dinner and they were spot on. Breakfast was ok since we had breakfast from the complimentary menu since we booked a room. I'm sure if we went of the regular menu it would have been much better. Overall I have zero complaints and we will definitely be stopping here again. read more

This hotel is haunted but the food is great https://m.facebook.com/LoveGallupNM/videos/el-rancho-hotel-investigation-gallup-nmghost-adventureselranchohotel-elranchomot/444744110021771/ read more

Food is a 5, service is a 3. The restaurant is cool, we love the decor. My wife said the enchilada plate was great with the green sauce and beef filled. I had the brisket sliders, they were delicious. The server would go to get something for us and get sidetracked and forget so we would have to ask again. We will stay at the hotel again and eat here again. read more

Food is not very good and expensive. Service is slow and also not good. It's an interesting place to visit as it's like a museum but the restaurant is poor read more

After a long, late day of driving we pulled into Gallup looking for a locally owned restaurant and found El Rancho! Walking through the lobby on the way to the restaurant was like a step back in time to the days of movie glam and elegance! A fire was burning in the huge fireplace and the lobby is decorated with authentic south western decor. The food was excellent, the server was cheerful and attentive and we really enjoyed our dinner. Don't forget to tour the lobby and second floor to see the glam photos of a bygone era and it's stars!! Definitely worth the stop! read more

See all

We stop here every time we drive to & from Oklahoma. The service is good. The decor is cute & the restaurant is clean. I had really delicious Chile rellanos & cheese enchiladas with green sauce. Really exceptional. My only complaint would be the rice & beans are a little blah. The salsa was spicy & yum. It's a definite stop for us every time. read more

I want to give this place more than three stars ... I really do. They are trying hard! So, the story. We had arrived to stay at the hotel, because ... C'mon. Movie stars? How cool is that? And the hotel lived up to its billing, especially in the lobby (which is still gorgeous- check out the upstairs, too!). Since it was late, we got food in the restaurant. So the good news first- the service was amazing! Attentive. Really trying hard. It's clear that they are trying to make this place a success, and have staff that care. The bad? Well, the food. This is a weird thing to say, but when you order Mexican food in New Mexico, you expect it to be ... really good. Instead, it was vaguely reminiscent of something I might have gotten from a Chi-chis as a child. The table ordered a burrito (not good), the Desi Arnaz (I think- the big combo) which came with, well, an "Old El Paso" style taco, and enchiladas (meh). We also got jalapeño poppers, which were probably the highlight of the meal. That's not a good thing. The decor is nice. The service is great. And if you're looking for the type of "Mexican" food that probably appealed to the movie stars, like John Wayne, that used to stay there ... I guess they have that. But unless you want more Tex than Mex, I would recommend getting more standard fare here. read more

We've stopped at the hotel's restaurant every time we passed thru Gallup. The food was ... okay -- The kind of generic Mexican food you can get just about anywhere. What a difference! They have completely revamped the menu, turning it into a steak restaurant with Mexican flavors, alongside a small smattering of the more traditional fare. Think "Western" which embraces Mexican/New Mexican flavors. Sooo much better. And more changes are afoot. They reopened the bar/lounge, which is where we had dinner. It was much better than the dreary and tired interior windowless dining room. I'm told they have plans to move that dining room to a large windowed space that had formerly been closed off. I'm excited to see the changes so far, and look forward to an even better experience the next time we pass through here. read more

This is a funky little restaurant within the fabulous old El Rancho Hotel. The shrimp dish with vegetables sat on fry bread and was perfectly seasoned. The service was fabulous and as they had just opened the renovated bar that day, our server was kind enough to go run over there to get my Manhattan. After dinner we took our drinks to the cozy lobby and sat by the fire enjoying the old west ambience! read more

Super fun place! It was $1 tostada night when we happened by. YUM! The vibe is laidback. Drink spot on. We stayed at the Best Western behind this place. It was a great location. read more

El Rancho Restaurant - Super fun time and really good food! - Mexican Near Me - Gallup, New Mexico

I was excited about the new menu. But the food was underwhelming. The barbacoa brisket sandwich was so dry! It was basic at mean, onion rings, and bread. The club sandwich was nothing special. It also was dry - no mayo. The kid's pizza was still frozen. We had to ask for the pizza to be warmed up all the way. The burger was burnt and also was so dry. We won't be returning anytime soon. read more

I have often stayed in Gallup, but this was my first time at El Rancho Restaurant. I won't be going back. I was dining alone, and although my name was on the list, the hostess sat several couples who signed in well after I did. OK, I get it. The couple's dinners would be more expensive than mine, but I'm not that far off. I enjoy wine with dinner, a great meal, and I've been known to tip 50% for a fine dinner and good service. When I finally got seated more than half an hour later, I was alone in an unpleasant side room that looked like a break room for the staff. Never mind. I was hungry for a good dinner. I could smell my rancid burger coming the instant the server entered that room with it. It reeked bad enough to convince me that the grill hasn't been cleaned since John Wayne himself stayed there. I asked the server for the check, and I left her a hefty tip because it wasn't her fault. I told her three words to give to the chef: CLEAN THE GRILL! read more

Hubby and I stopped in for breakfast one Friday morning heading back east. Absolutely the best breakfast I had! Loved it! I can't remember the name...something Verde...corn tortilla on bottom, smoked brisket, salsa verde, egg, and white crumbly cheese topped with red salsa. Also included some berries. Yum yum! Would love to go back for more, but only was passing through town. Great atmosphere, Great service and great price as well. read more

I'm so glad we took the time to research where to find the best New Mexican flavors and authentic food. This is it!!! I was really concerned entering into this place cuz it looked like a tourist trip but from way back it has a lot of history so it died attracted me but I was really concerned thinking the the food would be overpriced and not very good, but boy was I wrong! You've got to try this food it is delicious I had bought the red and the green sauce. Damian was our waiter and was super great. But all the service here is fast and friendly... read more

See all

Hit and miss... been there twice over the past six months, no need to go back. The ambiance of the hotel is quaint and the history is interesting, but it's not spectacular. The menu online does not match up with what is actually served in the restaurant... come to think of it, the menu didn't match what was presented. Go for the history, but don't expect any Michelin star quality. read more

First off, it's not a Mexican restaurant. After ordering the simplest thing on the menu, They messed up my order completely and took 20 minutes to bring it to the table after everybody else's entree arrived. I started eating after everyone else was done with their meal. Margaritas were not good either and a very sloppy service in general. Would not recommend at all!! read more

This has to be the worst place I have ever eaten food not so good service sucks. We were .are to feel it was a race thing. Everyone else was waited on consistent we had to go search for silverware napkins and condiments. We asked several times and felt ignored . read more

Basic food. Manager parks in parking labeled "guest check in only" covid 19 patients are staying at the hotel so beware

We really enjoyed our meal here. They had outside service and the place was a great place for an outdoor lunch. The service was spot on and they were very attentive. They all had masks and were concerned about everyones safety. The chips and salsa were delicious. We have the Pedro Infante which tasted delicious. The rice and beans were also very good. All in all a great place to stop on our drive through the Southwest. read more

Loved the hotel with it's history of housing old time actors who were filing westerns in the area. But the food was bland and meh. Tacos were store bought shells with unseasoned chicken. A side of gluey Spanish rice and pinto beans. (not refried) Green chili pork stew had flavor but mostly potatoes and a tiny bit of pork. Hubby got the green chili Mac n cheese which he liked. read more

Run! Totally bland, and pathetic Mexican food. Just go to Taco Bell and save your hard earned dollars.

Absolutely THE worst "Mexican" food on the planet. Go to Taco Bell instead. Yuck! I felt nauseated after eating a little bit. Went back to my room and chucked it up into the toilet. Sauce tasted like tomato paste and chipotle flavor. Absolutely horrible. The chips were good. read more

I travel here monthly and was looking for a place with good food with options to minimize the carbs. I ordered the steak sandwich and fries. It was one of the best six ounce steaks that I have found. I'll be back for dinner read more

El Rancho Restaurant - What's left of my steak sandwich - Mexican Near Me - Gallup, New Mexico

The place is pretty run down and dirty. Kind of cool to see the front lobby if you are in the area. Food was mediocre at best. Overpriced for sure. read more