El Ranchito Restaurant

Food: Let's start with the reason we all would stop at El Ranchito. Their food is delicious, served in abundant portions, and is as fresh as it gets! Each visit will find a waitress/waiter visiting your table and bringing some fantastic salsa and a blend of flour/corn chips. My kids love the flour chips and almost make it their meal. My wife and I are creatures of habit, so we order the same things usually. We order off the menu, omitting what we don't want and adding what we do (like extra cheese). The Big Burrito is enough food for two people, or two meals. I love the Chile Colorado, and my wife enjoys cheese enchiladas. My two boys' go-to is bean/cheese burritos (and didn't I mention, the flour chips?)Service: The staff are family and treat you like their own. If you go more than once, they might even remember you! My own family has been coming here for decades (as in 40+years). First my grandfather, my parents, my family, and my boys. There's a reason to come back again and again, and it's the great combination of great food and friendly service. We have often called in orders to bring home when we are passing through. Orders are correct and so are the charges. Ambience: My boys call this place the "train restaurant" because you often see, but not hear, trains pass the west side of the building. Memories since childhood for them! We have brought friends, family, and out-of-state visitors here for one reason: you can not find a better family atmosphere, with great food, and friendly staff serving the best Mexican food around. No. Where. Else.Negative reviews: You don't get to go into any restaurant and tell them what to make and how to make it. If they can make accommodations to your meal, they most certainly do. My wife is one of the "those people." She is very particular, but she is also reasonable. Some who complain of one bad experience, an accidental overcharge, or other nonsense are missing out. You went there for a reason. Don't let one off-day let this one get away. And don't let these few Karens/Kevins dissuade you from a great meal. If you want to find negativity in life, it's out there, but you won't find any negativity inside El Ranchito. They are great people serving up a family meal (and they have a bar, too).

Great margaritas, awesome wait staff. Family run, food is excellent. Weekend shrimp is killer, made different ways for all taste buds!

We've been eating here for several years. Always delicious food, amazing service, and the margaritas OH MY!! The juice is real. Family owned and ran adds to the ambiance. You feel like you're at home with the fam. We love El Ranchito :)

My family & I have been going to El Ranchito since 1977 when they were in the old building. My parents, kids & now my grandkids have celebrated many birthdays & Friday nights there. We love the Tinajero family & feel like home when there. If you haven't had their margaritas & chips salsa, you haven't lived. It's a must if you live or are traveling through the area Wednesday- Sunday. Enjoy!!

This is hands down the best Mexican food in the valley. Homemade dishes from a long standing menu using quality ingredients. Also the absolute best margaritas I've ever had and I've had lots of them from many different places! It's very comfortable and always have a great time there, very fun place!

Great Service and the Best Steak Fajitas Ever!!! The Fajitas are not served on the weekends but are available Sunday thru Thursday. But well worth going during the week! Thanks you guys for years of Great Food and Service!

I went here on the recommendation of a friend because I was craving homemade flour tortilla chips. The first thing I noticed when I parked at 3:48 PM on a Saturday was the parking lot was completely empty. Apparently they open at 4 PM. No big deal I waited til it opened. I was promptly greeted by a very friendly server in a very outdated uniform from the show "Alice" kiss my grits kinda uniform but in mint green. Very strange but not a big deal. I was immediately approached by a woman who was my server and said water was on the way and asked if I wanted anything else to drink. While I was mid-sentence requesting the flour tortilla chips, here come a young woman with a basket of fresh hot corn and flour tortilla chips with salsa. Nice! They were delicious. Now here is where I will break down the pros and cons:Pros: EVERYTHING before the main entree. The chips, the salsa, the salad with homemade thousand island dressing and the carrot soup (OMG was that sooooo good) and excellent service by all I encountered. Plus at the end when I was at the counter paying my bill there is a window that looks directly into their immaculately clean kitchen. Many workers in there hustling around and plating food and they clean as they go. Not one crumb of food or drop of sauce could be seen. Cons: I ordered the combo with a shredded beef taco, pork tamale, and cheese enchilada. The rice was flavorless and dry. The shredded beef was burnt, like charcoal black burnt to a crisp. The pork tamale had little to no pork and mostly masa and corn kernels. The enchilada was paper thin with very little cheese at all so mostly a tortilla smothered in sauce. Refried beans were just ok. The decor is old and boring, and the uniforms are just silly in my opinion. The prices are reasonable compared to other restaurants, but the main course is just subpar and disappointing to say the least. I would go back but only for drinks and appetizers. Again, great service and pre-main course food but that's about it.

They have the very best Chili Verde. They also make the best Long Island's around. I always love going there

Last night we celebrated my son's 49th birthday at El Ranchito restaurant in Riverbank. The food was magnificent as he remembered going there as a child for every birthday. My entire family went and we were very well treated at 5 PM Friday night so pleased that the recipes have remained as good as the past with their very homemade split pea soup as we were leaving. We noticed another group coming into the restaurant with birthday presents as well for their birthday celebration. Best place to go for good food, friends, and family and memories.

This has been our "go to" restaurant for years. Service is always wonderful, everyone is so friendly & welcoming. I challenge you to find a better margarita !! No other restaurant comes close. We always compare others to the El Ranchito margarita, El Ranchito's always comes out the winner.Food is great. The halibut served on Friday/Saturday is amazing. The food in general is wonderful.If you want a true "local spot" Mexican Restaurant look no further than El Ranchito!!!!