My husband and I ate here yesterday. Let me just say that I have ordered catering from here as well…read morefor a party I hosted and it was good. So we decided to show some love as we are Puerto Ricans ;) and well we love our culture and food. Cute little spot nice and clean and loved the decor. Friendly waitress. We decided to try a chicken empanada it was good but the hot sauce they had was cholula which we are not a fan of. Definitely needed some homemade PR vinagery hot sauce on them tables or at least Tabasco, or even goya. I got the fried pork chunks very tender and the amount was a lot but they did not serve any lime with it. I did not want to bother the waitress it was only her serving and she was busy the rice and gandules was ahhh good but missing something. My husband also got the same rice and said the same. His fried chicken was tasty tho. We decided to try the guava flan oh lordy it was over load SWEET!! too sweet!!!! Will we come again????? absolutely!!! I just hope they have better hot sauce!!!!

Great little byo! Good food and such friendly staff that makes you feel at home! I messaged them on…read moreInstagram saying we had a group of 12 coming and they had a whole set up in the corner of the restaurant for us including a little table for our drinks and white elephant gifts. They stayed open a little late for us and were so attentive! But most importantly, I loved how responsive they were on social media and how friendly they were in person! Don't sleep on this place if you're in the area!

The kid was craving Mexican food so we searched Yelp and found that this place has good reviews…read more The photos of the food looked good. We decided to try it. There is no parking lot for this place. There is a Municipal parking lot about one block over behind the post office. We lucked out as there was street parking directly in front of the restaurant. We ordered agua de Jamaica. Huge glass for $4.95. I would guess that it's 16-20 ounces. Gigantic. Well priced. We ordered guacamole which was good too. They didn't give us any salsa for the table like they do at other Mexican joints. For our mains, we ordered their mixed fajitas with shrimp chicken and beef. It was about $21 and it was a huge dish. It's not the usually fajitas that I've had at other places. Theirs comes in a delicious sauce which we thoroughly enjoyed. It was a generous portion and the flavors were on point. We recommend it. Our other dish was the El Rinconcito which came with grilled items: pork cutlets, beef, chicken, shrimps cactus, Spanish cheese rice and beans. It was an alright eight. We prefer the saucy fajita dish more. We def plan to go back. Next time, we are going to order their molcajete which is listed at $34.95 so I assume it'll be a huge dish for two based on the price. From the owners description, it Comes with all kinds of meats steak chicken shrimp pork sausage. I'm trying my best not to go back two days in a row but I may swing by for Lunch later. Good is good as is service. Good came out quick and she asked a few times whether we needed anything else. I believe they give some sort of cash discount or charge to use credit card because she asked how I was paying. They add an auto tip of 15% which I didn't mind. Gave her a few bucks more. All in all, it was a good meal. Appears to be a small mom and pop store and I'm happy to support local small business. It helps that the food is delicious too.

The best guacamole and pico de gallo anywhere. Reasonably priced and very good lunches.read more

Update 2: In honor of Cinco de Mayo, we got - Chorizo…read moreCemita, Chorizo tacos, rice and beans, sautéed onions and peppers (new find, highly recommend), and something I thought I wouldn't enjoy much but ended up having most, Chicken Enchilada in salsa verde sauce. Communication can sometime be a little difficult, but the food more than makes up for it. Update 1: 5 stars again, got delivery via the restaurant a few days back. The arabes had great flavor, and lasted for days. Chorizo tacos were obviously the favorite, as expected. Also, was blown away by how filling and delicious the Cemita was. Support local businesses, if you can, please! I was starving after my massage and ordered tacos to go - two tacos with chorizo, potatoes, onions and one with chicken, smoked chipotle. Literally sped home to eat them (I had one in the car right away. Don't regret it) Amazing, amazing tacos. The chorizo tacos said onions (cebolla) but they were long stemmed bulbs - not sure if they're called something else but I loved them (please let me know if anybody knows what they're called. Check photIt came with lime, radish and green salsa (not sure). Red Bank has awesome options if you don't care about these places being small, cramped and not upscale. Top quality authentic Mexican food. I'm going to go back soon to try more of their menu.

I love tacos, especially when they are authentic. Red Bank has no shortage of Mexican restaurants…read moreso I went on a mission to find lengua (beef tongue), which can be hard to come by. Thankfully North of the Border came through. I like to try a variety of tacos but unfortunately NOTB, like many others, does not let you mix and match. Therefore, I chose an order of 3 lengua and 3 chorizo tacos. I also ordered a bottle of coke to go. I had to do a double take of the receipt as my total was pushing $30. I asked the woman at the counter to break down the prices and confirmed that the lengua tacos were $13 and chorizo were $9. This threw me off as an older picture of the menu shows all tacos priced at $7. I really enjoyed these tacos. They were super authentic and full of flavor. I may order again but will be shopping around first to find tacos that are more reasonably priced.

Love their Al Pastor tacos. Amazing food. One on the best in the area. Definitely worth it.read more

This is truly one of the best restaurants in Red Bank. The food is authentic, flavorful, and…read moreconsistently excellent. The atmosphere is welcoming, and the service is attentive, making it an outstanding place to enjoy authentic Mexican cuisine. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone seeking a quality dining experience.

So authentic and lots of flavor. Spicy and they do make…read moreveggie options. The service is very welcoming , they have baked good as well. Got a veggie burrito and it was bomb!

The food is always delicious, and the service is generally very friendly, although sometimes the…read moretopic of tipping can be a bit insistent.

Delicious food, accommodating and friendly staff!…read more We had made plans to go to another mexican restaurant in the area for a family birthday get together for seven of us. Athough we had called ahead the day before and were assured everything was fine, we got there and the place was locked up and it looked like a private party was being prepared for. No signs indicated anything... it was just locked and dark. Thoroughly depressed and embarrassed, I Googled for "Mexican restaurants near me" and El Ranchero popped up less than 1/2 a mile away! We piled into our cars and headed right over. I saw the place looked small, and looked like a take out place with a few tables (think Chinese takeout type vibe) so I went in first and asked the young man behind the counter if he could do a party of 7. No problem.. a staff member helped me push to tables together and I went outside to wave my party in. Staff was all smiles and Sal, the young man, helped us navigate the menu and took our order complete with some custom requests. No hassle, no nasty looks... just pleasant service and a great vibe. They even brought us an ice bucket for our BYOB sangria without being asked. The food itself was delicious and as fresh as can be... get the guacamole! I dont think it's on the menu as a stand alone item, but it was great! The portions are VERY generous and many containers were taken home! I'm disappointed that the other place screwed us that hard, but it was worth it in the end because El Ranchero came through epically and is now at the top of the list for my next Mexican food urge.

I'm extremely jealous of the other houses and apartments on 1st St. that now have El Ranchero as…read moretheir neighbor. They specialize as a taqueria, with a variety of options to choose from. In addition, they make cemitas, burritos, enchiladas, and even pizza. The owner is extremely friendly and will help you navigate the menu, as well as suggest other off-menu dishes. You can't go wrong with their tacos al pastor (marinated pork with pineapple, cilantro, onions). The salsa verde and salsa roja are both excellent accompanying sauces to the tacos. Check their FB page or inquire about daily specials, such as pozole, mole enchiladas, and more.

OMG!! If you want some yummy food this is the spot!! Food coma at its best!! Don't walk RUNread more

If you're craving good Mexican food and are tired after swimming at the beach, stop by El Rancho…read moreand get your fix! This hidden restaurant is around a 12 min walk from the shore and neatly packed with long tables perfect for bigger parties (4 to 6 people). The few times I've been there, there had only been one waitress manning all the tables, but she does a good job of keeping tabs on everyone. I haven't had a chance to try their other items on the menu yet, mainly because I keep going back for the grilled chicken chimichanga. Let me just say, it is heavy, cheesy, saucy and satisfying! Especially given the refried beans, hot rice, sour cream and salad, this is a hefty plate. Each time I order, it ends up in the to go box, ready for another meal (and I can't say I'm upset about that :) ) that's all from me, ty for reading!

This place is definitely a local dive. I circled the block twice trying to find the parking lot…read moreit's not exactly where yelp says it is but I eventually got there. There's not much here by way of decour, empty tables and pictures of food wearing at the corners. But I was welcomed warmly first in Spanish and then in English. This place is family owned a kind mother and father smile from the back and their daughter runs the counter. There is a digital jukebox which someone chose to use halfway through my time there, it is loud and would make conversation difficult, but not impossible. I ordered the pork burrito which came with generous servings of rice and beans, which were flavorful by themselves it was truly a large meal. As they cooked my meal fresh they brought chips and salsas, both salsa were tasty and flavorful instead of just hot. If the chips were warm it would be heaven. The wait was a little long for a lunch break meal, but the quality and portion was well worth my time. Flavors are clearly a priority here and my stomach is thankful! For $11 I got a huge burrito with sides and a bottle of water. They have Spanish bottled sodas and home made juice if that's your kind of thing. Good little gem hidden in Long Branch, there are MANY good Spanish restaurants to choose from in this area, consider this one a strong competitor. Make sure to put money in the tip jar here it doesn't get any more local than this.

Excellent service and great food. Greatest chicken quesadillas!…read more They are warm and welcoming.