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El Ranchero Mexican Restaurant
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
16 reviews for El Ranchero Mexican Restaurant
16 reviews in English
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Review from Tyler S.
Hagerstown, MD
12/31/2011
Simply put- this is the best restaurant in the Hagerstown area, and my favorite restaurant EVER. The service is 2nd-to-none. You cannot beat the prices (my girlfriend and I eat here for $20 or less sometimes, and always leave full!). This is as much (or less) than we normally spend at a fast food joint. But most importantly, to me anyway, the food is absolutely incredible. Here is a rundown of a typical dinner at El Ranchero. Let's just say its on a Friday night:
First, you walk in to get your buzzer, because there is usually a short wait. After about a 10 minute wait (which is not bad for a Friday night) you will be seated. Immediately following you will be given a basket of tortilla chips with a small bowl of salsa. At this point I HIGHLY RECOMMEND ordering another small bowl of queso cheese dip. They make the best cheese in the world I guarantee it.
Soon after your chips and salsa is brought out you will be greeted by your waiter or waitress. I have never had a bad experience with anyone in this restaurant. They are all willing to go above and beyond to insure you have the best dining experience possible! Your drinks will be brought out quickly, at which point you will be ready to order your food. This is where it really gets good- each time I have been there I've gotten my food within 10 minutes of ordering it. After enjoying your meal you are free to take your check up to the front counter and pay. There is no rush, but there is no delay either. You will feel completely comfortable with either eating and leaving, or staying and relaxing.
I have been to el Ranchero 10+times, and have been 100% satisfied each and every time. Location is key also, it's less than a half mile from the Valley Mall. This is a restaurant you will not be disappointed with I can guarantee it. Definitely the best authentic Mexican around, if not the best restaurant period.
What I typically order: queso cheese (appetizer), 3 crunchy tacos & a side of Mexican rice with queso cheese on top.
What I typically pay: $18-$23+tip(2 people)
Pros: great prices, great service, amazing authentic Mexican quisine, fast service, friendly staff
Cons: can be crowded on the weekends, small waiting area. Sometimes you do have to stand outside in front of the balcony while you wait.
Overall- A -
Review from Jim M.
Williamsport, MD
11/27/2011
I have read the other reviews and agree that the servers can sometime be over attentive. Having said that, I never feel rushed at this restaurant. I have found the service to be very good and I really enjoy the food. It is fresh, well prepared and reasonably priced.
If you are looking for the ultimate authentic high-end restaurant, El Ranchero probably isn't it. It is, however, a great place to eat and I find the staff genuinely interested in providing good service. -
Review from Mike L.
Hagerstown, MD
11/13/2011
Food is really good, but the service is getting pretty bad. The last three times I've been it has taken no less then 10 minutes to take my drink order. One time after the order was taken I had to ask three time where our drinks were. We actually got our food before we got our drinks.
La Tolteca across town has food that is just as good for the same price and much better service.
Sorry Ranchero, three strikes and you're out. -
Review from Armando S.
Martinsburg, WV
11/16/2011
Their Mexican seafood dishes are so fresh, but it is hampered by hurried service. Last time there, a waitress came by a total of ten times to check on "how I was doing" with my meal in a matter of 45 minutes
Seriously--there's no need for excess asking of questions while people are conversing and attempting to enjoy their delicious meal.
Service gets 2 stars while the food gets 4 1/2 stars. -
Review from Kate O.
University Park, PA
5/5/2011
Delicious Mexican food for 2,000 miles away from the border. Prices are very reasonable & its a good for a family dinner.
Try the cheese dip & frozen margaritas ! -
Review from Kristy P.
Rockville, MD
9/7/2011
Not authentic, weak margaritas, canned enchilada sauce.
-
Review from Kelly P.
Greencastle, PA
6/2/2010
Wooo Hooo El Ranchero ~ I can get anything from my husband by using this restaurant as a bribe!
I have been here many times with hubby and a couple times with co-workers and it has always been FAST service with AMAZING FOOD. Every time!
Always seated right away even when pretty crowded the tables turn quick. Margarita's are delicious and perfect on Mondays when they are on SPECIAL!!
Fresh HOT chips and spicy salsa are replenished as quickly as they are woofed down and they keep up on refilling your WATER which is a MUST with hubby.
We have tried many menu items and haven't yet been disappointed and we walk out feeling good! -
Review from Rory C.
Hampton, VA
5/23/2011
Holy relleno, Batman, this place is awesome! Just left, had several delicious margaritas and an amazing chile relleno. It was literally the largest relleno I've ever had, tasty and stuffed with delicious cheese. The enchilada was also amazing, white meat chicken dived nicely with good sauce and plenty of cheese. I'm in Hagerstown on travel and I will definitely be back to this place!
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Review from Frankie F.
San Francisco, CA
3/6/2008
3.5
Came here with a LARGE group of corporate folk. Numbero Uno rule for the entire week was NO alcohol during group events. So I can't rate the boos which can either make or break a Mexican restaurant. So this review is solely based on food and service.
We were seated right away because arrangements were made and based on the crowd on a Tuesday night that would be highly recommended. Very crowed. There is a mariachi band which was loud and fun kinda took the disappointment of no margarita with my food tolerable, OK not so much but they were cool.
Communicating with the staff was difficult. There is a language barrier and the noise in the establishment didn't help much. Good chips and salsa. They also bring out this white cheese dip which I didn't try but the gal next to me described it as 'cheese crack' so I guess that means it was good.
We started by sharing the nachos. Now I was refraining from the chips, salsa, and cheese crack for the nachos so when all the entrees were served and the nachos came out last, my hips were happy my tum not so much. The nachos barely got touched. I had to sample for Yelp purposes. The original menu item comes with both beef and chicken on the chips. The meat was good but not enough cheese and I think the cheese crack was poured all over them. Tons of toppings too much to even see what was underneath, which is normally not a bad thing but in this case it was pretty extreme.
I ordered the Texas Fajitas. A beef, chicken, shrimp mix, very good. Plentiful in all three. My only complaint was that it could have been hotter. I ordered the corn tortilla's which took forever to come out which made my entree even cooler, but the food overall was good.
For dessert we shared the deep fried ice cream which wasn't very deep fried. The ice cream was actually extremely hard to get my spoon in, but ice cream is ice cream so I enjoyed the frozen treat.
I would come back and eat here again, next time I would have the margs and maybe the rating would get bumped up to a 4. -
Review from Cristina G.
Washington, DC
1/1/2010
This is one of our favorite Mexican restaurants...it's just a shame we live so far from it. We frequent the restaurant every time we drive from DC to WV which is about twice a month.
The restaurant is quite authentic.....the food is very tasty as well as the margaritas. And the price is ridiculous....very inexpensive but maybe I am comparing it to DC prices which are sky high.
Our favorite part of the meal is the salsa and chips....the salsa has the right spice to it. The chips are nice and warm and thew thin kind..not the big thick "hard to chew" chips that some places have. I usually get the cheese enchiladas and absolutely love them. The margaritas....well....we ordered the 30 ounce version and wow were they potent. 30 ounces for $9 is a steal when in DC they are $15 for a splash of liquid over tons of ice!!
I good place to grab a bite to eat!! -
Review from Kim W.
Hedgesville, WV
2/10/2011
I've been here a couple of times, now and the food is very good. Depending on what day you go, the service can be backed up a bit; it's a bigger restaurant than our regular place (Mi Dellogados in Charlestown, WV).
I've traveled a bit and hit a lot of Tex-Mex across the country. For the Eastern US, El Toritos an La Plata Grande in MD were the best but they're now extinct. But El Ranchero and Mi Dellgados are pretty good for Eastern Tex Mex. Of course, the best are out West. Sigh. That's where you get the *real* stripped beef tacos, etc. :)
Try El Ranchero, esp on a Sunday when the crowds are lower and you'll be glad you did.
Try their Pollo Asado (I believe it's called) and their Fajita Burrito is pretty good too. -
Review from V H.
Hagerstown, MD
7/17/2011
Nothing to write home about. Their sangria is pretty poor.
-
Review from Luke H.
Washington, DC
2/22/2011
Great food, unbelievable cheap prices, fast service, charming Mexican restaurant ambience--what more could you ask for? My girlfriend and I were driving back to Washington, DC after a day of skiing at WhiteTail and decided to pull off the highway for something to eat. We found El Ranchero on Yelp and thought we'd give it a try.
We both got the Speedy Gonzalez lunch special--1 taco, 1 enchilada, rice or beans. The shredded chicken was lean and delicious. I was a little less wild about the ground beef taco (prefer shredded), but it was still very good. The chips were fresh and tasty. The Dos Equis on draft for about $3.00 was refreshing. The $1.99 Monday Margaritas were pretty good too. Portions were big but not so huge that you felt bloated walking out of there.
OK, so it's not actually all that close to Whitetail. But there is a total dearth of good restaurants on the road back from Whitetail to DC and they don't serve alcohol in the Whitetail foodcourt, so this is a very good alternative if you're hungry and headed home. -
Review from Nick W.
Owings Mills, MD
2/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
Nice local restaurant. Probably my favorite place to atop returning from a day of skiing. The guacamole is good and the portions are just enough to fill u up but not make you feel like a blimp.
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Review from Rachael M.
Martinsburg, WV
7/2/2011
El Ranchero is alright - pretty typical for American Mexican food. We went on a Thursday night and it was very busy but we were seated immediately. Unfortunately, we were seated in a very tight spot on the aisle right outside the kitchen and next to the bar. I couldn't back my chair up more than a few inches and the sound of sizzling platters passing a foot from my head was not exactly comforting, but whatever. We did really enjoy the fact that Fox Soccer Channel was playing on the TVs. I ordered a house salad and the Sopa Azteca. The house salad was iceberg lettuce with a TON of shredded white cheese on it and a few other vegetables. The house dressing was good although it appeared to just be ranch with a red flavor added, perhaps hot sauce. I would not order the salad again. However, the Sopa Azteca was pretty awesome. It was luke warm when I got it but I was too hungry to ask for one that was hotter. I would absolutely return to get the Sopa Azteca again. I was disappointed that the menu is the exact same as Las Trancas in Martinsburg, WV. We had hoped to find something better but Hagerstown is lacking in good Mexican restaurants. We'll probably return there until something better comes along. Prices are good, food is alright, but I wouldn't make a special trip for it.
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Review from Chandra B.
Hagerstown, MD
2/1/2011
Great prices, and clean fun environment. Recommend Margarita Monday. It's getting kind of busy as more people find out, but it's worth it!
