Walk in not expecting much but the food was fire! Great price and the garlic shrimp was awesome. Kid friendly and service was good as well. Chips with the bean dip was really good so much sure to ask for that too! Next time I past this area I'll be eating here again for sure! read more

Horrible service! I literally had to wave down the waiter to get another drink. But on that note! Food was freaking bomb . Really authentic taste definitely ate well can't deny that! Good job chefs! read more

One of our all time favorite places to eat! The food is fantastic and the service is excellent.

This place has really gone down hill. Food always takes forever. Even when not busy. I did a To go order of posole, chips and salsa and a side of rice. All stuff that should have been cooked already and just needed to get put in containers. Took over and hour!??! They said they lost our ticket. We used to eat here at least twice a week. Even food has gone down hill. Everything super salty. We no longer frequent this place. read more

Valerie really made our experience great tonight. Thank you so much! We came in late after ordering a Togo and had a drink (or two) while waiting. Lol sam was funny and we really had a great time finding our Sunday night spot. She's a keeper :) 100% recommended.! read more

What a dissapointment.... I wish I could give 2 stars because service is decent... but the kitchen is so lazy and just plain incompetent i have to give 1 star... Ordered the Marie special and the sauce was like it was microwaved as one bit is piping hot next bite is stone cold.... But then my wife orders a two item plate a taco and tamale... taco with no tomatoes and tamely with no red chunky red sauce but with enchilada sauce... first off taco tomatoes everywhere as them make new taco.. they scrap of tomatoes and then throw taco back in plate right in the beans.... then we notice chunky red sauce which my wife hates... please take back and out red sauce ... comea back with red sauces just dumped over the other red sauce.. how lazy can you be.... they must do this alot .. keep it up and you will be just another Mexican restaurant out of business because if the substandard food and cooks who dont care.... read more

I have tried most if not all the Mexican restaurants in Ripon and I have heard the best reviews from friends and family about Esmeraldas. I have gone here three times now and each time I get the same thing: a burrito supreme with green sauce on top. First time I went I was thrilled with the flavor, price, quality, and amount of food. Each time since though, they have progressively gotten lower quality. My burrito didn't even look like a burrito this time. It looks flat and shaped in a triangle. I was much less than thrilled when I got my burrito this time. I will have to resort to my second choice now in downtown Ripon. read more

Esmeralda's Mexican Restaurant - Burrito Supreme w/ Green Sauce - Mexican Near Me - Ripon, California

Another just ok Mexican restaurant in Ripon. We visited Esmeraldas for breakfast while in the area for the weekend. The hot bean dip and chips were yummy! And I'm pretty particular about beans (being a Latina) the gal who helped us was nice and sat us down quickly. But unfortunately that's where it ends.. I ordered their potatoes with Chorizo and eggs. It's like they forgot they had to make the eggs scrambled for this dish and tried to chop up the already sunny side up eggs in with half scrambled eggs.. potatoes?!? Only had 4-5 pieces max.. and the rice was over cooked with no flavor. The gal noticed I made bad one bite to try and did ask if I had not liked it. I didn't reply to not make her feel bad about it because it's not her doing.. even without me asking or complaining she removed the order off my tab. Another gentleman who was working also apologized for me not liking my meal which I appreciate. Maybe just not a good day for the book but SUPER appreciate the staff for caring regardless! Which is why I gave it 3 stars not 2 read more

Esmeralda's Mexican Restaurant - Order of potatoes with eggs and chorizo - Mexican Near Me - Ripon, California

Top of the chart for Mexican food! Ripon tacos is the family favorite. The flavor of the beef in those is superb! The salsa is awesome and the chips are fresh tasting. We have tried almost everything on the menu and all has been great! read more

This is one of my favorite restaurants in town! I usually get the mole enchiladas and they are consistently amazing.

I just tried to order a taco platter with 3 hours notice. Lady on phone was very rude and said it wasn't enough time. She didn't even try to accommodate us. Sad! read more

Outstanding. A large collection of authentic Mexican Food that went wayyyy beyond standard TexMex. Their Molcajete was to die for! Nice people in a nice setting. Reasonable prices, too. read more

One of our favorite places to have dinner. Everything from their fajitas, to their super burritos, their Molcajete's, or their chicken with chipotle raspberry sauce is absolutely delicious!! read more

Waited an hour, after others after us were getting their food, decided to leave $40 cash for the 4 drinks my wife and I had while waiting. Asked server for an ETA, no answer, so we walked out. Terrible, but I should have checked the most recent reviews first. You'll see very similar experiences on poor service. More of a bar than a family restaurant. Go to Las Casuelas or Primos in Ripon for far better food and especially service. read more

We love the menudo on the weekends! Could use more options on the side like chile en aceite and serano peppers but flavor is on point!

Amazing meal with great service. Possibly the best Mexican food I've had this side of Mexico. Chips, salsa and bean dip was incredible! We heard about this place from three different people and had to give it a try. We drove all the way from Tracy. So happy we did... Looking forward to our next visit. Thank you... read more

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First things first. I'm a Mexican whose been eating Mexican food all __ years of my life. So for me to say these things about Esmeralda's means they carry some credibility. Top 5 reasons to eat here! 1. Fast and friendly people who work here. 2. The bean dip and salsa were top notch! 3. The only restaurant where we were given corn AND flour tortilla chips in the same bowl. 4. The frijoles charros had amazing flavor as there were whole peppers sprinkled throughout! 5. It is easy to access right off the 99 freeway! I have more reasons, (beef fajitas were great) but I like to keep these short and sweet! read more

Esmeralda's Mexican Restaurant - Beef fajitas and frijoles charros! - Mexican Near Me - Ripon, California

Probably the best breakfast burrito I've ever eaten! My husband and I stopped here for takeout and although it was busy (everyone piling in after church), they got our order out in a very timely manner. Staff was welcoming and kind. We will be back! :) read more

Don't waste your money or time with this restaurant. Food took over an hour to get to our table, and once it arrived the ordered food was incorrect. Total time in restaurant was 1.5 hours, one meal was sent back because it was incorrect and cold. You can get better food for cheaper at any other taqueria in town. read more

This place is our neighborhood favorite! Love to share the mixed fajitas. Carne asada tacos are great too. Love the taco salad in a crispy shell. Service is great and staff is very friendly. We continue to come back regularly and it's very consistent! read more

Pros: great bar, good service, delicious chips and salsa Cons: aside from the chips and salsa, the flavor here is so bland. I ordered a carne asada taco plate, and asked for them to be prepared spicy. "We don't do that here," the waiter responded, and was that ever a subtle understatement! The tacos reminded me of Ritz crackers. There were also a couple big pieces of gristle in the taco meat, which I couldn't chew and had to spit into a napkin as low-key as possible. Thankfully the drinks were ok and the bill wasn't outrageous for 5 meals and 7 drinks, but I still won't go back. read more

Came in the other day with a few others and had a Burrito Supreme with the grilled chicken. The burrito was just OK.. I had the grilled chicken and it was very dry and rubbery. The red sauce cannot be homemade, I assume it was straight out of a can. It had the consistency of can sauce. Had to ask the waiter and the chip runner a few times to get more chips and salsa. The bean dip tasted just OK, but was very runny.. more like a bean soup. I am really rooting for this place but for quality of food and quality of service, I will say there is much better options elsewhere. I hope they improve. read more

Excellent spot in Ripon. Best kept secret is they are open for breakfast that a lot of people don't know about. I highly recommend the pancakes or breakfast burritos. For lunch or dinner I recommend the carne con Chile...nice spicy dish. Family owned business, really nice owners who are kind and friendly with their customers. read more

Esmeralda's Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Ripon, California

Best Mexican quality food without the missing guest service recommended checking it out for yourself read more

Esmeralda's Mexican Restaurant - Green Chile relleno and breaded shrimp - Mexican Near Me - Ripon, California

YUM! Never had this dish anywhere else but don't think I'd go anywhere else to get it. You can't improve upon "perfection"! read more

Esmeralda's Mexican Restaurant - Never had this dish anywhere before but don't think I'd go anywhere else to get it! Can't improve upon "perfection"! - Mexican Near Me - Ripon, California

Esmeralda and her Staff always provide excellent service. Very friendly and professional. Their food is REALLY GOOD! We actually took a vote in a meeting with various cities - and everyone voted to have Esmeralda's cater all our quarterly meetings - and any extra meetings we may have. They have never disappointed! Getting ready to place our next order right now...and my mouth is watering! read more

Been here several times. The 2 waitresses I've seen Sunday mornings are incredibly friendly and are great servers. Only complaint is the crew of morning drinkers who come through on Sunday mornings. They tend to get all the attention and today that was especially true. We watched our food sit on the kitchen ledge waiting to be served for close to 15 minutes. Cooks rang the bell twice. My food came cold and one plate came another 5 minutes later. One of the customers went behind the counter to grab at orange juice from the fridge and change the channel. Bottom line, this place needs more servers. Had there been just one more server, maybe just to tend the bar, people wouldn't be waiting so long for food and others wouldn't be going into areas meant for only servers, which I'm sure is a health code violation or something read more

Food is good but service is horrible. No one wants to help you they all act like they are busy. And always say there wait time is more then 20 mins Well all the waiters are just chit chatting. So they will get 3 stars read more

This is on me. Why did I continue to patronize this place with great tips rewarded with horrible service food so-so staff oblivious to basic customer service. I am a local who likes/tries to support independent businesses but tonight was the last time for this place. I would eat here fairly regularly by myself as well as occasionally bring family and friends but tonight was the final and last time I will go there. Noe (Noah) do you read or respond to any of these bad reviews you are getting? Tonight I sat at your bar for 10 f ing minutes felt like I was invisible sitting and sitting before asked if I wanted anything ordered a beer and tequila. Got the beer didn't get the tequila until I started trying to flag down any number of people working walking by me numerous times without so much as hello we will be with you as soon as we can. I also wanted to order dinner never ask for an order. Almost always have to initiate request for some stupid chips and salsa. Decided to see how it would take this time without me doing the leg work of asking for help put my iPhone on a timer close to 20 minutes -nothing. Got up left I'll find somewhere else from now on. I get that sometimes we are busy, sometimes we are short staffed but how much effort does it take to acknowledge a customer? read more

Tacos Caseros were freaking delicious! Simple, fresh, and cooked to perfection (sorry no photos, I was too enthralled with my tacos to pick up the phone). Guacamole, salsa and bean dip were decent. Service was great and very attractive. Every waiter/waitress that passed our table checked in to make sure we had everything we needed. We'll definitely be stopping to refuel here next time we're passing through. ¡Provecho! read more

Salsa had a weird taste like it was spoil. Food was very salty. Sauce over the food did not look fresh. Chile relleno not an actual chile relleno it is just a small slice of pepper with egg. That is not a chile relleno it's more of an egg omelette. Third time going there, the first time food was good but now the food was terrible even my husband mentioned that he didn't like his chicken dish, he said the meat meat was very dry. When I brought the chile relleno attention and said that I know how to make chile relleno and this is not how it's made, she said to me that they mostly only cater to white people. I took that as if white people don't know the difference between real good tasting Mexican food and awful tasting food. Good luck to all you White people because you don't know what you will be served next. Never again will I go back to this place! read more

Food is really good but ordered take out and it wasn't packed well. Would definitely try again to eat inside.

Best Mexican food I have had in a really long time. Best Mexican also in the Modesto area. I will take this place up against a San Diego restaurant, that is how good the fajitas, chips, beans, and service is!! My go to spot when I am in the area! read more

Esmeralda's Mexican Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Ripon, California

I ordered the cheese enchilada plate to go. It is CLEAR that they piled my food in the styrofoam box and then microwaved it. The box is completely warped and the beans and "enchiladas" are glued to the container. This is completely unacceptable. My food tastes like styrofoam. I am incredibly unhappy. I'm 5 days postpartum and I've had no appetite. This is the first meal I've actually craved and I can't even eat it. read more

Esmeralda's Mexican Restaurant - "Cheese enchilada" plate - Mexican Near Me - Ripon, California

Esmeralda's is the bomb! We had a party scheduled at 5:00pm on a Friday evening with food being provided by a taco truck style company, but they cancelled on us at 11:00am on the same day (and that was only after I had contacted them!). We called Esmeralda's and they were able to provide EVERYTHING needed for a chicken & beef street tacos dinner (including supplies to keep the food warm for hours!) and could have it ready for pick up at 4:30pm. We've always loved the food (and the margaritas!) when dining at the restaurant, but what they did on this day, was over the top! This is now our go-to location for Mexican food! :-) read more

Good Mole Chicken Enchiladas - Cheesy and Saucy. Friendly service - Good atmosphere. Will come by again to try their Carne A La Mexicana platter. read more

The bean dip is the best here and that just might be it. The service isn't always the best, it's a hot or Miss and the food is not anything special but for Ripon, it works. My biggest issues here is the seating. They wouldn't seat me until my whole party came. So, I just sat here waiting and being ignored until my party came. This is a little ridiculous and slightly rude. read more

Meh! Ate here 2x in 4 days at the request of family. Not the great Mexican food we are used to eating in California. The bean dip was good with a spicy bite. Salsa is mediocre. Service both times was somewhat lacking. Both times they forgot the soda that was ordered by a member in our party. The completely forgot a cheese enchilada that they sad was coming on a separate plate. It never showed up. Nothing fancy about the place and is very noisy, which is understandable with the amount of people in the restaurant. Not a place to go in a first date for sure. read more

I vowed never to return to Esmeraldas, but last night my friends talked me into it. They insisted that the service had improved. In short, I stand by my original review with one change. The wait staff wasn't friendly this time. It took twenty minutes to get a beer, and I only got it because one of my friends at the table flagged a waiter down (not ours) to get me one. I was waiting to see how long it would take for the waitress to notice. She finally came back and asked If I need something to drink - not seeming to notice the beer sitting in front of me.The evening went down hill very quickly from there. I won't comment on the food other than to say it was worse than usual. Many of our checks were wrong and had to be re-calculated . . . It mystifies me why anyone would ever put up with this kind of service. I down graded my review to one star because Yelp won't let give zero stars. read more

My husband and I chose not to return to Esmeralda's 5 years ago after a cockroach ran across our salad in the broad daylight of 1 pm. We squished it and showed it to our server. She was so blasé about it that it concerned us of their standards, so we decided to never return. Our friends have been raving about their remodel for over a year now, so we decided to give it another try. We really wish we had not. We brought our two teenage girls, their grandmother and great grandmother (who drove 5+ hours to celebrate one of the girl's birthdays). The six of us arrived at 6:30. The restaurant was less than half way full and never filled pass this capacity during our dining experience. We were seated and served our drinks promptly. The drink order was incorrect, but we let this go. We then sat for 25 minutes with our menus closed. I finally grabbed all the menus and stacked them at the end of our table. I was frustrated at this point not only because it had been 25 minutes of waiting, but because we watched four other tables sat after us that had already had drinks served and orders taken. Two of these tables had also already received their appetizers. Our table's order consisted of one simple melted chorizo cheese appetizer, two fajitas, a burrito, a taco salad and a single taco. We watched those same four tables receive their entrees. Twenty minutes later we were still waiting for our appetizer. We are now 45 minutes of waiting and we could not even have a melted cheese appetizer sent to our table in a timely fashion. I flagged down our server and helped make her aware of our ridiculous wait time. I asked her to fire everything because we were tired. When the chorizo cheese dish finally did arrive, our server left without leaving any share plates. It is quite difficult to share a chorizo fondue style dish among six people without share plates. We were finally able to flag someone down and ask for share plates. Mind you this took at least five minutes and our chorizo cheese plate was hard and cold by this time. Then yet another 25 minutes pass. It seems our server obviously did not fire the entrees when I asked her. Or, maybe she did. When our fajitas were served they were luke warm. Then we sat and waited for another 5-10 minutes. Why you may ask, because we were not served our tortillas, beans, sour cream, guacamole, or pico de gallo. It is a bit difficult to eat fajitas without tortillas. I was served a service plate for my fajitas, but it was dirty. I returned it and asked for another. Then I realized my mother-n-law and grandmother-n-law never even received plates for their shared fajitas. They asked for some and received them. I had to make my fajitas over a napkin. My husband finally got up and asked for a plate from the kitchen. By this time all the tables around us that were sat after us had either paid out and left, or were chatting over their dropped bill. Mind you, we were here to celebrate a birthday. We were so tired and disappointed that we just wanted to get out of here. A quick exit was the best birthday gift Esmeralda's could have given us at this point. We eat out 2-3 times a week. We strongly support Ripon restaurants and are accustomed to leaving 18-25% tips. We will never go back here to eat. We will never recommend friends or family to go to this establishment. And, for the second time in my life, we left no tip. This made my heart cringe a bit, but then I reflected on how they severely messed up and never addressed the situation, apologized or tried to make a bad experience better. Unfortunately, their attitude is still blasé. But at least this time there were no cockroaches. read more