Had some pretty good drinks and okay food at this Mexican restaurant in DeKalb. It for sure isn't as authentic as some can be but it seems good enough for the people around here. Los Rancheros is a place that has a pretty big menu of classics and specials. A lot of the typical items. The prices are kind of high but you get a lot on a plate. Could be disappointed if expecting authentic flavors. It's like a lot of the typical restaurants around here of this style. There's typical favorites like chimichangas and all that. Kind of pricy for some items. Seems the portions are big though. It's about $12 for a margarita. There's also bigger ones that cost even more but these are humongous ass ones. Food is not that bad. It's about $16 for the Veggie Taco Salad. This has broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, onions, peppers, squash, tomatoes, and zucchini. Also there's the cheese sauce and sour cream which I left off. This is also topped with guacamole, lettuce, and tomatoes. Big enough we could share it. There's a crap ton of things on the menu so you can get burritos or even seafood like scallops. Good place for getting some Americanized Mexican food. It's located in DeKalb Market Square close to Wal-Mart and other chain stores. This is maybe the most authentic one around so whatever. read more

Los Rancheros - Margarita And The Bean Burritos - Mexican Near Me - DeKalb, Illinois

Fantastic food and service My family has been here before but was my first time. Absolutely loved it. Great chips and salsa. Each of us had something different and we all enjoyed it. My NIU student found this place when their club needed a place for a lot of people last minute (other restaurant they had reserved couldn't do it last minute). After a great experience there for that, she's brought other family members back. I can't wait to come back and try the different margaritas read more

Well for starters the food was definitely "not" worth the pricing (way way too expensive for what you get). The worst part was the stale tortillas and we had to keep asking for more cause we got 6 for like 2 lbs of a plate called fajitas for 2 which by the way it only had 3!! Shrimps?? The staff (because we got attended by like 3 people) forgot to get an order for one of my kids, which by the way luckily I had order and extra plate for myself and that's the one he ate. I brought it to their attention and made sure that they wasn't going to charge me for that plate they NEVER brought. We also ordered 3 more tacos while we were eating because my daughter ordered something accidentally and it took 20 or more minutes to bring (3 plain steak tacos took almost half hour to bring! How hard was that I'm sure that the steak was already made and to heat 3 tortillas takes like 15 seconds). Oh and they are sneaky LOOK at my receipt how much they charge me for GRATUITY. honestly I did not see that until I started this review I Also left a $6 cash on table not knowing the GRATUITY but that was my fault. MY POINT IS THAT FOR OUR 1ST OR NOT EXPERIENCE AT THAT PLACE THEY DON'T DON'T DESERVE SUCH A HIGH especially for bad service honestly we have been to several places and I leave $10+ tips and with joy too but this places steals!!! I want to let everyone know what we experience and no one has to believe but go there if you want to prove it to yourself and if you liked getting cheated out of your hard earned cash. Honestly I don't recommend Los Rancheros in Dekalb, Illinois Food average, high price, risk of bad order taking and GRATUITY way high (in my opinion for a party of 5). Definitely not returning when I go back to Dekalb, there's a TON of Mexican restaurants out there, a day before we went to the 3 burritos in Dekalb and it was great! read more

Los Rancheros - Mexican Near Me - DeKalb, Illinois

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Best Mexican food in DeKalb, although it's a little on the expensive side. I still highly recommend !! It a great way to treat yourself! My family loves the table side guacamole and I love the chicken chimichangas! read more

For years, this was my favorite Mexican restaurant. Then we had a terrible experience on Father's Day 2025. The service was slower than slow and the food was...different. I decided to put it down to it being a holiday. We went again last night and it was exactly the same. The guacamole is still perfection. No notes. But the Los Rancheros fajitas, which has long been a favorite, completely changed. Instead of tasting rich and full, it was bland, lacking peppers. Instead of strips, there are a FEW diced red pepper pieces. Then, on top is shredded cheese and black beans. The meat is bland and tough. Overall sad and disappointing. And we waited so long for service that we ran out of time and couldn't order dessert. I didn't care to stay with my, now, antsy kids until midnight. read more

Excellent food, service and overall experience. We had the guacamole prepared tables side. So fresh! Then we had a table of Birria (tacos and quesadillas). Delicious! read more

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GROUND BEEF CHIMICHANGA! Not Chicken, too dry Not enchiladas Not burritos Get the GROUND BEEF CHIMICHANGA It's literally the best bite I've had. The melted queso cheese on it is sooooo good. Love the rice, beans are beans Chips & salsa are very good. Newer waitress tonight (in her 50's) was not good, we couldn't get her attention for refills or to order more food to go. read more

The food was ok Americanized not truly authentic Mexican taste the service very friendly [[HIGHLIGHT]]the ambiance was cute and romantic[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

I took my daughter here for lunch. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The interior of the restaurant is beautiful.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] When we entered we were warmly greeted by the hostess. We were seated in a booth and given menus. The waitress came to our table and introduced herself as Irma. She asked if we wanted to order drinks or an appetizer. She then stated that chips and salsa are being brought to the table for us to enjoy while we reviewed the menu. My daughter ordered water and I had a bottle of coke made with cane sugar. I opted for the Taco Salad. The Taco Salad was made in a Flour Tortilla Bowl with Shredded Chicken, Shredded Cheese, Cheese Dip, Refried Beans, Rice, Lettuce, Pico de Gallo, and Guacamole, The chicken was tender, juicy, and flavorful. The flour tortilla bowl was crisp, warm, and complimented the Ingredients perfectly. My daughter ordered the Carne Borracha Arrachera which comes with Steak Simmered in Ranchero Style Citrus with Rice, Black Beans and House Salad in a hard flour shell. The meat again was tender, juicy, and flavorful. I ordered the pick two combo for my son to take with us. The pick two combo came with two beef burritos with rice and beans. My son loved it and complimented how the burritos were stuffed with beef, cheese,, and topped with queso dip. Outstanding! We were enjoying our meal so much that we decided we should stay for dessert too. My daughter loves churros. We weren't disappointed. The presentation was a work of art. Three churros in a tall, wide goblet filled with ice cream, whip cream, and drizzled with chocolate syrup. The churros were fresh, warm, and covered with sugar. The ice cream was chilled and had a strong vanilla flavor, while the whip cream generously topped the ice cream and was lightly drizzled with chocolate syrup. The presentation and flavors were amazing. Los Rancheros accomplished making "culture and cuisine unite." One of the best meals I've had in a long time. read more

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The chicken salad is Amazing, lots of flavor! [[HIGHLIGHT]]I love the amount of space the restaurant has and cleanliness.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Los Rancheros - The chicken taco salad was one of the best ones I have ever had. The chicken has so much flavor, and the salsa is so good. - Mexican Near Me - DeKalb, Illinois

Staff was friendly but the steak fajitas was not so good. Meat was tough and the veggies were over cooked.

Oh boy where do I start... birria tacos taste like pinecones. Took a bite of Christmas. Rice is dry and and mush looked like sweet potatoes. Regular tacos taste like soap. Taking a bite of Carne asada was like biting a rubber sandal straight outta Walmart. Stay far away from these place. Service from the women suck. read more

Los Rancheros - Birria - Mexican Near Me - DeKalb, Illinois

Steak taco's were very good tender steak. Salsa chips.. margaritas were great! The service was excellent, we will be back. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Good size place nice atmosphere.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Used to be great food. This visit my meal was over cooked. Informed our server and they did not even offer to make a correction. Even after multiple discussions. All I heard was "sorry about that". I would have been happy to have a replacement or even an offer to have some tacos. Crickets. Nothing comp'd. Paid full price. Won't be going back. Left the entire meal on my plate sans a couple of bites that were edible. read more

Los Rancheros - Dry meat that I could not get a fork through. - Mexican Near Me - DeKalb, Illinois

We have been coming here for years and it just keeps getting better and better. We came here tonight for the first time in about 6 months and as usual we had amazing food and the best restaurant service I have probably had in the past year. The Thursday night jumbo margarita special for $6.95 is definitely a plus! [[HIGHLIGHT]]It's been fun to watch how this restaurant has grown from a single storefront spot to a huge restaurant with multiple rooms and amazing decor.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We've never had anything but excellent service. The manager is very devoted and isn't afraid to pitch in. He visited every table to thank the customers and regularly checked in and took orders and brought drinks himself. read more

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Environment felt nice, clean, and spacious. Service was timely and friendly. However, I was a bit disappointed by the food. I tried the pollo acapulco and it was only alright. I was not a big fan of the chicken and the shrimp and scallops were alright. It was a giant portion and could easily feed two people. I'm thinking I just didn't order the right thing so hopefully I'll be back to try something else on the menu to leave a more positive review. read more

Los Rancheros - Pollo Acapulco - Mexican Near Me - DeKalb, Illinois

This food was so good even though it gave me diarrhea I found it really pleasing. Even though I got served five things of beer and got multiple counts of dui but the food was still amazing. The service was amazing all everyone was Mexican. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Ambience was very very Mexican.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

Good food and nice selection. The servers are always pleasant any attentive. The salsa is very tasty and we love the rice and beans. Haven't found something we didn't like. I also appreciate their checks plainly state the cash (vs credit) price - that is an appreciated up front practice. read more

Disappointed. *Burritos were enchiladas (maybe wet burritos?) *Not as pictured or described in the menu. *food was okay, not great *ingredients did not list cheese + I asked if they had cheese and they said no but a cheesy mess was melted on top. *Guacamole was watery *several signs say order online which did not work. Place is super cute and looked good so I just ordered there but annoying. They weren't busy, frustrating to get cheese when I asked, as I don't eat dairy. But when I did eat cheese never liked them in my burritos. Anyway, would go back for drinks as it's a cute place, clean and nice people but recommend you eat elsewhere. read more

Los Rancheros - Supposed to be burritos ‍ - Mexican Near Me - DeKalb, Illinois

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Service is great, The food is amazing and the Bartender makes great drinks. I have been here several times and this is one of two great restaurants in De Kalb read more

Not the best in this area. Could be better! The drinks are nice, and I do enjoy the back bar area, but otherwise the food is ok. Just "ok". Service is so-so...it's a hit or miss depending on who is working. Overall, not too impressed. read more

I'm pretty disappointed with the experience my friends and I had at Los Rancheros last night. The atmosphere was fun, but the food and service is what made the experience unpleasant. What I ordered: my friend ordered the sangria, but our waitress brought a sangria Rita, which is half sangria/ half margarita. I asked the server if we could have a sangria, and she agreed, but she didn't acknowledge the mistake at all. (But okay fine not a big deal). For dinner I ordered the veggie fajitas. They were okay, but I don't know if I'd order it again. The same friend who got the sangria, ordered a steak quesadilla; however, she was brought a chicken quesadilla. My friend hates to complain so she said the chicken quesadilla was fine, but our server barely even apologized for her mistake. And I get it, everyone has bad nights, but I was very disappointed in how both situations were handled. 2 stars instead of 1 because the chips and salsa are good. I will probably not be back. read more

Los Rancheros - Sangria rita - Mexican Near Me - DeKalb, Illinois

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There were some good things here. Service was good. We were seated promptly by a hostess in a mask, and the chips, salsa and water hit the table seconds after we were seated. Nice! We opted to go for the table side made guacamole. The person making it knew what they were doing, and 2 avocados and a bunch of jalapenos later, we had a very nice and spice guac! Don't forget to tip the guac maker! We ran down to a few chips - before we could run out, more arrived. Attentive server. My wife had their #2 dinner special, while I did the 12" steak burrito. It was more than 12" and more than I could finish - I took a good third home with me. It was a bit over-cheesed for my liking. It tasted good. The check was a little slow to get to the table. That's about the only negative. read more

Stopped in late on a Friday night and had a satisfying meal. Ambience is the loud and colorful Mexican fiesta flair, margaritas, and the usual dishes: burritos, enchiladas, tacos, quesadillas, etc. I had their Enchiladas Mexicana--three enchiladas stuffed to the gills with the juiciest white meat chicken and smothered with enchilada sauce, guac, sour cream, and pico. Served with beans and rice. All were tasty and filling. I washed it down with a monster sized margarita--regular, on the rocks, with salt. They definitely didn't skimp on the booze; I'll grant that. But I was missing more of the lemony limey (is that even a word?) tang of the margarita mix. Suffice to say it had medicinal purpose even if the balance was a bit off. But all in all it's easy to see why college students in a college town (DeKalb) would gravitate here. No regrets from me either. --Jayson read more

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4 stars because the food is insanely good. Pricey but good. The service on the other hand is bad and my server was lazy. read more

Los Rancheros - Street corn - Mexican Near Me - DeKalb, Illinois

The "greeter" did not greet us at all. In fact, didn't even say excuse me to get past, just brushed by. No "hello", first red flag. The food was okay, my mother didn't like the verde it was bland, the food is okay. I was not pleased with the waiters service, she was okay not really polite. The only one that spoke to us was the gentleman that brought our food out. Wish he could have been our waiter. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The general place is nice it's a nice scenery, however service is not great.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] read more

I am always around far west subs while my poodles get pampered in Genoa. It was cold so I can not spend time at farms and out so I decided to have some meal. I chose this place based on great reviews. On the side of place, place is hugeeeee, clean, service very fast and always around. I was little meh when my server said they have no soup options. I asked him for suggestions and he brought me appetizer which was hugeee even for two. I didn't like that fact that I told him Something smalllll bc I am not to hungry but I thought will have it later. I decided to go with scallops and shrimps over rice. Again HUGEEEEE portion. What surprised me with first bite is that food is almost tasteless. I had few bites from appetizer and maybe 3-4 bites from rice and scallops. It was a loooot of cheese everywhere. Way to cheezy for me. I enjoyed sitting there a little bit more while I made some phone calls. Almost half hour after I left, I felt discomfort in my stomach! Long story short I had food poisoning from this place. Place is not bad bad and bot too good. They replaced quality with quantity and if that work for you good. It never worked for me. I tried to call them and explained what happened, they put me on hold and never answered back. Reason of my call was just for warning so they can check and remove bad food for future clients maybe. But, it is what it is. read more

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Los Rancheros is one of our favorite restaurants, the food, service, and atmosphere are excellent. We eat there at least twice a month. You can't go wrong with this choice! read more

Visited here around Christmas 2010, and was not very impressed. There are better restaurants in the area. The Chips were pretty ordinary, though the Salsa was ok (not great). The Guacamole appetizer was chunky with strong flavors (usually a good thing), but the onion was too strong, almost overpowering. I had the Shrimp Diabla, which I thought was OK, but kinda ordinary. When I wrapped the Corn tortillas around bites of shrimp, etc., they fell apart. The Flan was overcooked. We did not order the Soppapillas, as their description have them starting with tortillas and ending by adding ice cream. read more

Los Rancheros - Exterior, in strip mall - Mexican Near Me - DeKalb, Illinois

Fun decor, delicious queso, and the service is usually pretty good. My husband loves this place!

OMG! The best I've had since moving from California to Illinois. That's saying a lot as Mexican food in California is elite. Chips are meh, but everything else is delicious. Table-side guacamole is yum. Enchiladas, tacos and rice are amazing. Ambiance is pleasant. read more

It's pretty basic Mexican food, but next to Eduardo's in town, this is the 2nd best sit down place. You'll find more authentic spots but those are more taco shops with very little sit down appeal. read more

Normally when I come eat here, it's a great time. Today was not the case unfortunately. I had placed an order for curbside pickup that would be done at around 5pm. I arrived at about the same time and received the notification that my food was ready. I followed the instructions on the sign for curbside carryout and called them, but received no answer. I attempted to call them multiple times over the following twenty minutes with the only response being an automated message telling me that my call could not be completed (I did double check the phone number and confirmed everything was right on my part). After about a half hour of waiting, I called it quits and left without my paid-for food. read more

Friends shared this little secret restaurant with us last month and am so glad they did. Great atmosphere - festive and colorful. Staff was very helpful. Start with a margarita - one of the best around and although we did not partake, they have and 80 ounce margarita - OLE!!! Quac an chips are fresh. Cn have it made right at your table. It was very tasty (and I am particular about my quacamole). I liked theirs. I was very happy with the combo platter. One partner had the veggie nachos (huge platter). Summary: Food is fantastic, drinks are great and will definitely be making the trip back out there. read more

We came here for my brother's birthday over the weekend and it was superb! The staff was very friendly and accommodating to our large group. The food was excellent and the margaritas were just as good! Highly recommend! read more

Los Rancheros - Chimichanga - Mexican Near Me - DeKalb, Illinois

Drinks are good, service is good, food is good. I'm from Chicago and I can honestly say this food was good. read more

Los Rancheros - Mexican Near Me - DeKalb, Illinois

Huge portions and great food. We love their guacamole, and they are generous with the serving. To me, the best Mexican food in DeKalb.

2 1/2 years later, the situation has gotten worse. No restaurant in town messes up more meals than Los Rancheros. Not one. We've eaten there since it has opened and their ability to correctly and accurately prepare food is awful. The food is adequate when prepared correctly, but is disappointing at best when not as ordered. This has become extremely problematic now that we have to do take out. Can't just send it back when you are home. I'm so tired of the constant mistakes, that I will not return. They've lost a years long customer. read more

Best Mexican restaurant in DeKalb County! Their food cannot be beat and the cost is very reasonable. If you want good food, go here!

normally a great experience here. tonight I am afraid it fell well short of expectation. waited over an hour for food and when it finally arrived it was cold. it was a busy night so I can understand some of it but serving cold food to people who have already waited that long is not good. at one post we were told "5 more minutes" it was another 20. don't tell me 5 minutes if it's going to be longer. just be honest. food once it was hot was as good as ever but the wait and the cold food was less than ideal. read more