El Rancho Cantina & Grill

Just left El Rancho with a very full belly and a smile! We were in the area, and I woke up craving chilaquiles, and hubby searched Yelp and found this place. So glad he did. The chilaquiles were FANTASTIC! The sauce was fresh and flavorful, without being overly spicy. The eggs were scrambled into the dish, which is how I like them (some places just drop the eggs on top) Hubby got the beef rolled tacos and a potato taco, and loved both. The chips and salsa were good too! Fresh chips, and two choices of salsa (both good, but I liked the chunkier one best)We sat outside on the cute little patio since we had our pup with us. Service was quick, friendly, and attentive. I'm not in this area often, but if I might just have to come back to get some more chilaquiles!

My daughter recently moved to the Santee area and I've been coming by to SD to visit for my the past 5 years and I have NEVER found a good cook Mexican food til I found this restaurant. The owners daughter (forgot her name) so sweet and made me feel at home. Now let's get to the food. If you're Mexican you know if Menudo is good or not. OMG this he menudo was DELICIOUS NON GREASY and Mimosa's were perfectMy son in law and my daughter had burritos and were delicious. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS PLACE. It very re will be my spot when I come visit and I know my daughter and son in law won't be the last time. YOU WONT REGET IT !!

This quiet gem is the Mexican restaurant you've been longing for! That's right . I've been wishing there was a cozy mom and pop style Mexican restaurant nearby that I could feel welcomed and enjoy hanging with the local friends here. I'm loving the relaxed atmosphere and friendly staff wearing beautiful colorful Mexican style dresses. And onto the food. Their humble menu has it all and I tried their beef chimichanga and it didn't disappoint. I enjoyed a delicious Jamaica drink. We also tried their rolled tacos and they weren't bad at all. I liked sitting outside watching the traffic go by on Mission Gorge. We will go back.

Great experience every time we come here. We're glad this restaurant is near us, since there arent may eateries in this part of the neighborhood. I like their pozole & rolled tacos, tastes yummy. We also enjoy their outdoor patio with our dog. Nice service today

Stopped at El Rancho Cantina and Grill for lunch. The food and the service are always stellar. The food and drinks can get a bit pricey. Beers not terribly expensive at $6.50 per pint, but a house margarita will set you back $12.We walked in and grabbed two seats at the bar. Ally was our bartender, she was great. A Pacifico for me and a house marg for Becky. Ally made a superb margarita. She happily put the Aztecs basketball game on for me. For food I ordered the #15 combo plate: One Chile Relleno and one Cheese Enchilada (I added beef for a $1.99 upcharge) served with rice and beans. The chile relleno was recommended to me by a friend. The chile relleno was on point, but I learned something. I'm not a huge fan of chile rellenos. I'd had one once before, but it was stuffed inside of a carne asada burrito. This one was cooked perfectly and stuffed with delicious cheese. I just need to stick to foods with a protein. Which brings me to the shredded beef enchilada. It was excellent. The beef was well seasoned and the sauce had a nice bite to it. Really good rice and beans too. It was served with a pile of shredded lettuce too, which i didn't really understand, but whatever.Becky had the Carnitas plate and loved it. El Rancho makes a really good carnitas. Tender with nicely crisped edges. Served with rice, beans and tortillas (she chose flour). It was a lot of food and there was plenty leftover. The food, the service, the drinks, are all great at El Rancho. They really need to add a Happy Hour!

Super shocked by the good reviews here. Four of us ate here on a Saturday night....we had high hopes after reading reviews, but honestly the food was horrible. All of our meals arrived to the table cold, and hardly eatable. Customer service was good, but the food needs help.

Good food especially the steak tacos, ambience is cute and clean , normally I order tacos and Coca Cola, the Mexican coke

11/22/2023 - I called in 3 orders and will take about 20 minutes. The call was at 4:15pm. The call was interesting. I asked for a combo #5, the female employee asked do you want beef, been or chicken with the tostado. I said beef and is there an extra costs? She doesn't answer. Again I asked about the tostado and she said yes, I will add another beef tostado. I then said cancel the order and just give the comb #2. Hoping when I arrive this specific item is just a combo number 2, there are no combo 5s or extra beef tostado. The number 2 is just a simple bean tostado and a taco. One star right now. The last 2 times I went here the service was very poor on a Friday night and had a jacked to go order one time. The food is delicious though.

A bit pricey but the service and food was good. I enjoyed the Albodingas and the sope. It was a great meal to have after hiking midday at Mission Trails. This place is about a mile away from there and I'm sure a lot of hikers hit this spot up afterward. The chips and dip was also darn good.

We have made this our go to place for Mexican food in Santee. The food is great, they have a bar with tvs, and the decor is updated. Since discovering this place due to a great Yelp rating three months ago, we've discovered this place is getting busier and busier with many times no parking spaces readily available. I am biased for crispy tacos if you like them too, you will not be disappointed !