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Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Spring ValleyMon-Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
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Everything I've had here was been wonderful. The restaurant has a wonderful vibe and owner Oscar is the BEST!
I LOVE the red sauce on the shrimp enchiladas--so many interesting flavors and just the right amount of heat. The veggie quesadillas are great. I was suprised how much I liked the nopales (cactus). The cochinita pibil is amazing.
Don't miss this one!
I thought I might be getting my hopes up a bit too much after reading all these reviews, but this place still somehow exceeded my already-high expectations.
Oscar was incredibly nice and helpful, and he let us try samples of the tomatillo pork, annatto & orange pork, peanut butter chicken, and their special mole sauces (green and brown). Everything was incredible.
I was craving some seafood so I ended up going with the chipotle shrimp. Perfectly cooked shrimp in a creamy chipotle sauce with mushrooms and onions... yes please. My friend ordered cheese enchiladas with the green and brown mole sauce. Might be the best mole sauce I've ever had.
I will definitely be going back here soon.
This is the most authentic Mexican place I've been in SD. The food is unique, compared to many other places in San Diego. there's a lot of stuff that I didn't recognize that was really good, so it's worth asking about the various menu items. I like the nopales (cactus) dishes here as well as the various sauces that they make here. The Al Pastor taco/burrito is also good.
The customer service is great here. Oscar is polite and tries to make the food as you like. He recommends dishes and explains what dishes are very thoroughly. He even made an item for us that wasn't on the menu, but that I'd try elsewhere.
Ranas continues to roll out incredible authentic Mexican food. The Fish Taco plate is so darn delicious! I also have fallen in love with the fajita plate that is heavy on bacon. You have to try it.
Tell Oscar you saw his restaurant reviewed on Yelp and you will get the biggest smile in return. This restaurant is fantastic!
Ranas serves the best Mexican food in San Diego. The prices are so affordable. Every sauce is to… Read more »
This place is a must go in San Diego for Mexican Food!!
The food is authentic and the flavors are wonderful! The service is outstanding, your beverages will be refilled promptly and you will get just the right amount of attention while you are there to make you want to come back again and again. It is a small location yet its very cozy and inviting.
The best part is that you can sample some of the foods, so you know exactly what to expect! Try the chicken mole and the sopes! We have found our favorite place to eat in San Diego :)
I highly doubt that anyone would be disappointed. TRY IT!!!
Love, love, love the food here so much, it's in our regular rotation- you will find us here about every Friday night partaking of the deliciousness. There are new items on the menu which are wonderful; if you love spicy, the Huasteco Alambre which consists of carne asada, chorizo and nopalitos ( cactus strips ) is right up your alley. If you're hungover , a Caldo Tlalpeño with its chicken soup goodness, rice, garbanzo beans, creamy panela cheese and avocado slices floating about will soothe any headache, stomach ache or whatever ails you.
Highly recommend this place. Best Mexican food in San Diego !
This is authentic Mexican food ! Try their excellent guisados instead of
tacos or burritos ( though…
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Delicious authentic Mexico City food. Food is presented in a beautiful manner. Great service. Nice clean environment and decor.
I like this place :) It's a small family owned restaurant and everyone is really friendly and helpful with the menu since there is a lot of different stuff on it people may not have heard of before. It was authentic and normally priced. None of that baja-cali-mexican stuff.
I got Shrimp Enchiladas with mole and my boyfriend got a spicy chicken dish. Both were good. My shrimp was a tad bit over cooked, but everything else was great. The sauce was delicious, beans were good, and the rice was very flavorful.
I actually found this place on Yelp. They provide delicious food that's not as oily as other Mexican restaurants. One of my favorite dishes that I regularly order is nopales salad (cactus). It has the texture of bell peppers without the bitter aftertaste. Apparently it's high in fiber and low in calories. Last time I came here, they had some special dish with bacon, mozzarella, nopales, and pineapples. If you want to try something new, Oscar the owner can recommend something different.
I've been here numerous times. It's one of my favorites.
I like their salads even though I don't…
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Do you know how hard it is to find huitlacoche in America? You cross the border and everyone is terrified of corn fungus...did you idiots forget that your beloved mushrooms are fungus too?
Anyway, Rana's serves it and they serve it right. That alone earns them five stars.
Of course, everything else here is f-ing amazing, so that doesn't hurt either. The plantain dessert was the best thing ever.
Bottom line: huitlacoche. Learn it. Love it. Live it. Eat it.
Living in Spring Valley, I often heard about Ranas as the place that serves the best "authentic" Mexican food. Like many have reviewed, my wife and I were a bit confused by the menu, as we really didn't know what food to get. We came in expecting to get carne asada something, but came out trying foods we couldn't even pronounce which I'm guessing had some sort of Mayan, Aztec, Inca origin. Ask the waiter for a taste teaser of there dishes and go from there.
In all seriousness tho, very very very good food. We had the Cochinita Pibil (Marinated small Pork Strips in Annatto paste (slightly sweet and peppery) with freshly squeezed orange juice (don't get it twisted, the orange juice is part of the marinade)...had it with corn tortillas (and cleaned my plate) My wife had the Camarones en salsa poblana (Fresh shrimp sauteed in Poblano Chile, caramelized onions and corn kernels) and loved it. I liked her dish more than mine.
For desert we had a cheese flan...it was OK. We were told the Kahlua flan is the most ordered desert.
Staff was friendly and informed us there goal is to move into a bigger place. At first glance of Ranas, you would think it was a normal everyday Mexican Restaurant (very small), but they have a flat screen and a small outdoor patio. Its next to a Fresh N Easy grocery store and is very hard to find. Despite the location, its worth the adventure, the price, the service, and above all the food.
As a native San Diegan with Hispanic background, I have eaten at most Mexican restaurants in San Diego from the taco shops (_ _ _ _ ertos) to the higher end fare. However, Ranas in Casa de Oro has opened my eyes to exciting and unique Mexican food that I have never experienced anywhere else. Ranas specializes in Mexico City cuisine which is much different than our usual fare. You will find tempting sauces and mouthwatering combinations included in their menu.
Now open at 7am we often start our day with a great breakfast. I love the chilaquiles while my gringo husband enjoys the nopales (cactus) and eggs. The variety on the lunch and dinner menu offers so many choices and I hope to try every one. Oscar always welcomes us with a smile as he explains some of the menu items and oftentimes offers samples. One of my favorites is the Azteca plate which includes zucchini flower and corn truffles. I also love the shrimp enchiladas with one of Dulce's special sauces.
Oscar also tries to bring culture to his customers and we have enjoyed several events in the past. This week we plan to attend an exhibit by an accomplished Mexican photographer at Ranas while enjoying the food and live music.
We were one of the first customers at Ranas and continue to remain loyal and open trying new taste sensations. This family run business is a shining example of what hard work, determination and following your dreams can achieve.
It is all about style. Most Mexican food served in SD is Baja influenced border food. Ranas much like Romesco's in Chula Vista and a lesser extent Rancho Corona in Old Town is bringing a different style of Mexican food to SD. While Ranas calls their food Mexico City style it is really mainland Mexico style.
Fire and grease are not necessarily the first flavors to register. In fact none of the table's choices could be considered hot, spicy yes, hot no.
The most interesting dish didn't have much if any spice. Diced chicken breast in an almond and pecan cream sauce, "Pollo en Crema de Almendras" and it was wonderful.
The table ordered a combination of veggie dishes, which, per the waiter total 15 and meat dishes. The dishes were uniformally good and interesting not just grease and pepper.
The cooking and service are step above the usual Mom&Pop Mexican even though the meat and poultry were cooked well done. Don't know if that is the target diner's preference or a cooking misstep.
Ranas serves only wine and beer. That makes the proliferation of 5 star reviews even more impressive. My guess is that 75% of the five star reviews for Mexican restaurants are soaked in margaritas and chased with tequila shots.
For me the flavors make it worth driving past all the other Mexican, stands, joints and restaurants to Case de Oro and that means 4 stars.
Ranas is really good food. It is so cool to get to try Mexican food that is not Baja or Cali style. This is, as I understand it, more central Mexican food. I tried what the waiter recommended and it was really good and different... now I can't remember what it was called but it had corn and chicken and it came with Nopales (cactus) which I though was great. I like veggies so this was a cool new veggie I had not tried before.
Thanks to my friend who told me about this place!
So after living in mexico for 4 years. I have finally returned to the United States. I went to college there and blah blah blah blah you really dont care. you just want to know if you should go here or not and to be honest with you ......YOU SHOULD! After 4 years of eating grandmothers best mexican food coming back to the U.S. and seeing taco trucks and california this and fish taco that ...it makes me wanna puke. If your tired of breakfast burritos and shrimp tacos (that is not mexican at all gringos) come to this restaurant. Its not grandmothers home cooking on a sunday afternoon but it does the trick. I always have the cochinito pebil which is actually cuban but whatever. The point is im inviting all white people who think baja fresh is mexican to come here and see if u ever go back to super cosina or any other degreding mexican joint... THIS SH*T IS LEGIT.
**JUST DONT INVITE TOO MANY WHITE PEOPLE. ITLL RUIN THE AMBIENCE..OH YEAH REAL MEXICAN RESTAURANTS DONT SERVE CHIPS AND SALSA...THIS IS THE ONLY REAL ONE THAT DOESNT. IF U GET CHIPS AND SALSA THAT SH*T IS FAKE FELLOW MEXICANS
Authentic regional Mexican cuisine - period. I was so disappointed with the quality of Mexican food in general in Cali - I am sure there are many great secrets out there - but it takes years to acquire those secrets.
One of these secrets IS Ranas - no BS - pure authentic food that is outstanding and a must try.
This is a GREAT place to eat .Food is always hot n fresh .Service was really cool and helpful.
Good quality yummy food. I'm very in love with the fish tacos and can't bring myself to order anything else, but, having tasted other people's dishes, I like what's going on here. There's a peanut butter sauce that rocks!
The owners and staff take so much pride in their work and business.
I proudly take friends and family here; everyone has given it thumbs up.
Love the little patio - I don't care if it does overlook a parking lot. This is a gem for Spring Valley no matter how you slice it. Please, please stay in business!
Great authentic mexican food from the region of Mexico City. Service is outstanding. Very kid friendly. Pay close attention to GPS directions or you will miss Ranas. It is worth traveling the 10 minutes from downtown for a good mexican meal. Don't forget to try their homemade desserts
Thanks Yelpers for telling me about this place. It is a find!! We went for a late lunch/early dinner and met the famous Oscar. Nice guy, very friendly, maintained the perfect degree of attentiveness. He did not offer samples even though we told him it was our first visit -- maybe because of the odd hour, perhaps they didn't have everything cooked up? At any rate, I plan to go back and get my samples :-)
We started off with a michelada spiked with lime and chili. Fun to try but I probably wouldn't order it again -- it's basically watered-down beer. Then my husband had the entomatado pork. Very tasty and VERY spicy, not for lightweights. I had the huitlacoche quesadillas. The flavor was excellent and exotic but the portions a little small. They were the size of two tacos -- certainly adequate but I wanted more. I was still hungry so we ordered the cheese flan. It was yummy.
I'll definitely go back. As others have said, this is a great change from standard taco shop fare. The food is delicious and different, the menu is big, the prices reasonable, and the service is right on point.
I can get great Chinese food in SF Chinatown, Korean food down the street in Berkeley, and Vietnamese food when I visit my mom. Why would anyone travel to Mexico for great Mexican food when you have places like Ranas in San Diego?
Our waiter liked to flirt (appropriately) with the girls and tease some of the guys--all things which gave us an overall good time. He asked if we were first timers at Ranas and came back with some shot sized samplers of their food and pulque, an agave mexican drink. Although we had some trouble remembering what sampler was what dish and pronouncing some of them as well, he seemed happy to remind and help us newbies out.
I had appropriately sized carne asada sopes, a huitlacoche (mexican truffle. its a fungus, like mushrooms.) quesadilla, and a smoothie textured mango pulque . I'm limited in determining what is good Mexican taste, but I can say the food brought me into another country.
Mexican Viagra?
On a recent episode of Anthony Bourdains No Reservations, Pulque ("pool-kay") was referred to as Mexican Viagra. Pulque,Tequila's mystical ancestor, is a fermented beverage made from the juice of the agave or maguey plant. Unlike tequila or mezcal, the agave sap is not cooked prior to fermentation for Pulque. Pulque is like beer - it has a low alcohol content, about 4-8%. The resulting liquid is milky and slightly sour tasting. Mexican Viagra ? I'm not sure about that claim but if you want to try an alcoholic beverage that dates back to the pre-aztec days Ranas is serving up four flavors.
The owners from Mexico City have created an extensive Menu, everything from standard San Diego taco shop fare, to the slow roasted pork specialty Cochinita Pibil. One of my favorite things on the menu has to be the Ranas Huarache. Huaraches (Spanish for "sandals" or "shoes") slightly resemble a shoe sole. Thick corn masa is shaped into an oval and topped with with a variety of choices. The Ranas Huarache is topped with beans, nopales, carne asada, lettuce, and crema. The marriage between Cactus and Carne Asada is a perfect one.
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The sopes are also just as good. The Azteca sopes are a carb lovers dream. Potatos, beans, and cactus
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Looking for a real sandwich? Try the tortas. On my first visit I ordered the Torta cubana and my fellow yelpers defined it as "The Pinnacle of Gluttony" ham, bologna, milanesa, frank, avocado, swiss chesse, and a fried egg!
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I have so much more to try here especially thier guisados. If you want to test the powers of pulque, or you want to try something beyond just tacos and burritos, give Ranas a shot. Im sure you wont be disappointed.
Feels like the food here is lovingly cooked. A family run operation that knows what is means to provide good service. The wait staff typically have a good sense of humor, and remember your face after you've been there a few times.
We often have out of town guests, and this is one of the only local establishments we like to bring them to. They offer samples for those that have never eaten there before.
I've liked everything I've tried. Now, keep in mind, this is a different type of Mexican food....so don't come here and order a damned quesadilla or California burrito. For that type of Mexican fast food, go down the street for Saritas. For a nice relaxing dinner with lots of flavor and love, go here.
After reading all of the hype about this place I decided to go there today for lunch.
I ordered the entomatado plate which was a pork stew with a spicy red chile sauce that came with rice and beans.
The rice portions and the bean portion were a little bit small.
The rice was good nothing special. The beans were decent nothing special either.
The sauce was good but did not have the depth of flavor of the Spicy Pork dish at Super Cocina. My taste buds were constantly comparing the two dishes.
The deal breaker for me was that the pork at Ranas was a little dry and the meat just slightly tough.
That has happened to me maybe once or twice at Super Cocina but every other time the Carnitas and the Spicy Pork which I order nearly every time usually never disappoints!
Compared to the thousands of Mexican joints in San Diego this Ranas place is decently good but not memorable like Super Cocina.
The tortillas were good at Ranas and better than Super Cocina.
That is maybe the only criticism I have of Super Cocina. The tortillas there are very pedestrian.
My lunch partner enjoyed the torta she had.
I will try Ranas again but if I find myself longing for Super Cocina again it will be all over for this place for me!
Hubby and I dined here for the first time tonight. All I can say is I wish I could have tasted the whole menu.
The Torta Cubana had an amazing butter soft bolillo, perfectly cooked egg and a heavenly combination of meats. It just tasted sinful!
The Ranas Huarache had tender nopal and carne asada strips over frijolitos riquisimos layered on a savory, dense corn tortilla all topped with shredded lettuce and sour cream. The only thing, in my opinion, that would take this over the top of fabulousness is some crumbled cotija cheese.
The agua de tamarindo was light, yet flavorful and refreshing. Tasted freshly made.
To top it off, the ambiance is very comfortable with music in the kitchen, minimal but cheerful decor and the most amazing service I have ever encountered - even in an upscale restaurant. We were greeted from the moment we walked in by a friendly, warm lady who recommended the evening's specials and brought out dinners out promptly. Every staff member we walked by greeted us and thanked us for coming by.
I'm bringing my parents soon. Can't wait to try the cochinita pibil and platanos. Oh, and the pulque! Gracias!
In a city where Mexican restaurants and taco shops populate nearly every other street corner, Rana's is a refreshing change to the usual Mexican fare. From the outside, it doesn't look special, with it's unremarkable strip mall location. Inside it's casual, but the food is nothing short of spectacular.
We told the waiter we were first-timers, and he gave us samples of the sauces and pulque. Yes, pulque. Where else can you order that?
Don't get me wrong, I love my carne asada fries and bean and cheese burritos. But the chilango-style menu had a unique and tasty variety for nearly any palette. It's kinda hard to describe the food. You just have to try it for yourself. Unless you're a picky eater, you won't be disappointed.
I trusted Yelp's recommendation and Yelp didn't disappoint :) I'm not an expert on Mexican food so maybe I'll let other people describe it in detail; I just liked what I had. It was a fried green pepper in some sauce with a side of beans and rice and it was pretty good (I even enjoyed it without any meat!). Oh yeah, you gotta try the leche flan too. Pulque with mango was sweet and light.
The best part of the experience was the friendliness of the owner (Oscar?) and his wife. They inquired how we knew about the place and they actually knew about Yelp (yelpers are everywhere!).
Outstanding!! My kids introduced me to Ranas on my previous trip home to San Diego (Mt. Helix), and I couldn't wait to go again. !Es Delicioso! I enjoyed the small samples they brought to the table, including their tasty chicken in peanut sauce.
On the first visit, I ordered one of their fajitas dishes, which was unique with a wonderful depth of flavor. On Sunday, I had the camarones (shrimp) a la chipotle. Yum yum! Thanks to Jordan, Rosemary, Bethany, and Diego, I sampled four additional plates, which were all amazing.
The food and service at Ranas can't be beat and having the football games on the nice flat-panel is a bonus!
AMAZING food. The yelpers did not steer us wrong on this one. It truly is authentic cuisine. Oscar served us, and he was so outgoing and friendly. He has so much pride in his business, and it's obvious. He told us he makes desserts, and his wife cooks the meals. I got the Pollo a la Diabla - very, very spicy, but I love it spicy. It was absolutely perfect - the sauce was a light tomato sauce with red chilis, the chicken consisted of tender, white meat cubes that had been marinating. The rice and beans were mouthwatering and homemade. Not to mention the prices...very reasonable! I cannot wait to come back here....it is my new favorite place. I have no problem driving to Spring Valley for this. Gracias Oscar, y su esposa! :)
All I have to say about this place is...OMG!!! I was first encountered with this little "hole in the wall" place by yelp. I was working around the area and was craving Mexican food. Myself along with several other coworkers decided to give it a try and we all fell in love with the food. I am a sope lover and a nopal (cactus) lover so this place had everything wanted to try everything the first day so I decided to go three days later to try it once more and once more, I wanted to try everything.
All I have to say is that its authentic Mexican food. You have to try their specialty, the huarache (hope I spelled it right) with my favorite, green sauce. Also, their sopes, the best. I grew up in a Mexican household and miss this stuff especially the nopales. All I have to say is that its heaven when I go eat there. It's as good as it gets. I took my good friend there as well and she loved it. She loved the micheladas (beer with lime, salt with ice) and their specialty the "pulque". Many wont like the pulque because its made from the maguey and its a milky like Alcohol mix. It was good, not too impressed with that, but I was with the micheladas though.
This is probably the best Mexican place in Diego its all I got to say. The owner is a very nice gentleman even invited us to the five year anniversary party which will be held June 14th with Mariachi! I just hope my Spanish gets better by then.
This place is the shit.
Three things that you look for in a restaurant
1) Cleanliness
2) Quality of Food vs Price
3) Service
Everything else is gravy!
This place does everything in spades.
1) Cleanliness: How clean is a restaurant that lets you walk through the kitchen to go to the bathroom. The kitchen was bright, organized, and clean.
2) The quality of food vs price: When you look on the menu and most things are $5.99 - $8.99, you should be happy. When the food comes and the quality and flavor suggests that it should be $7.99 - $10.99, then you are ecstatic!
3) Service - impeccable! The waitstaff is constantly making sure you are OK, not by asking constantly, but by observing from a distance to make sure that you are having a good time. The staff really knows their menu and I would be comfortable trying everything the waitstaff suggested.
I would recommend coming here with a group of people and sharing everything. Everything that we had here was amazing!
I will always have fond memories of this place since one of my dining buddies this night was the legendary Mikey, the Taco Hunter!
The only draw back for me is the distance from my house. Spring Valley is a jaunt for any restaurant from my epicenter of cool. But if there was a place worth driving to, this is it.
Ranas has what many Mexican restaurants don't: unique food and excellent customer service. On my first visit (yes, I went back) I was given samples of their popular dishes in tiny-shot-sized portions. I loved this! More restaurants should embrace this concept! We tried 4 different flavors of the many dishes they had to offer - all tasty.
The menu had me so intrigued I had to read it from cover to cover. The tortilla soup is super flavorful, and a "small" is a big serving. The pambazo (like a torta but dipped in sauce then toasted to a lightly crisp outside) was super-satisfying, especially for less than six buck$! Oh, and if you have room -- try the dessert.
SO, FIRST-TIMERS: let 'em know it's your first visit so you can sample the flav-ahs. They're really accomodating so if you're unsure of whether to have "green" or "red" sauce on some dishes they'll do a half 'n' half. The dining area is nice, cool if you want to take someone on a casual date (no worries, very clean inside and the patio is cute). The spot isn't really set up for large parties and parking is cake. Try it!
"Welcome to flavor country." OK... in reality, Ranas is located in a strip mall right off the 94 in Spring Valley, but it sure doesn't taste like it!
I made plans to dine at Ranas with the intent to try a torta ahogada, a torta drowning in a picante salsa. But upon perusing the menu, I learned they actually sell something a bit different... pambazos. It is also a torta, but this one is simply dipped in a sauce, and then browned.
My pambazo came with chorizo and potato inside. It was a truly unique torta experience. The filling and the bread came together to create an interesting texture. And the salsa they used tasted great! I was a little worried about it being too spicy for my tastes, but it was just right. I washed it down with a refreshing michelada.
The delicious food was made even better by the ambiance of the restaurant. You might not expect much from the outside, but upon entering, you're hit with a welcome and happy vibe. The staff know the menu really well and have a great sense of humor. The interior is very very clean. And when I was there, I had the pleasure of listening to Mana and the Brothers Gibb.
Any review of Ranas would be remiss not to mention the platanos flambee. Similarly, any meal at Ranas would be incomplete without trying it for dessert!
An absolute steal at $4, this sweet treat is a large plantain halved, length-wise and cooked in sugar and butter. When its almost done they add Kahula which burns off but leaves a hint of flavor. It is served with ice cream. Mmmmm. You've GOT to try it.
Wierd to go into a Mexican restaurant and not understand most of the menu. We tried a peanut sauce and a green mole dish both with chicken. They use chicken breast chopped up. I am old school I would have prefered chicken pieces with the bone left on. Over all it was different and tasty.
You can't go wrong with anything at Ranas. It's a little pricier than other places and isn't open on Mondays, but the food and service is absolutely amazing.
This is real, authentic, way south of the border Mexican food, but, unlike somewhere in Mexico, this place is super clean and safe.
This is a gem in a very unlikely location. I know people that drive all the way from North County and La Jolla to eat here.
My man and I were kinda stressed out and decided not to go to far and try this place out. What a stress reliever!
1st - the parking was easy...at the front.
2nd- greeted with a smile we sat down right away
3rd- they had the NFL Network on playing the Dallas/Baltimore game.
4th- MANGO MARGARITA! (on the rocks)
5th- The food was very yummy! Every inch of my tongue was happy tasting flavor.
6th- reasonable prices for high class food and treatment.
The waiter was very knowledgeable, professional and friendly. The owner (we think) came by and spoke to us asking how everything was.
We left relaxed, happy and full.
I tried the Huitoacoche - came with rice and cactus
Oh- definitely tell them its your first time because they will bring out samples of their other delicious food.
After reading all the Yelp praise about Ranas Com, I had to try it and will be back no doubt. What a great authentic little hole in the wall. And all the talk about how nice Oscar the owner is, right on the money there too. Quality guy! To start, Oscar brought out a couple samples from the kitchen and all were tasty. We had the #1, pollo en Axiote and the #4, Entomatado Pork. The pollo was a Mexican take on sweet & sour with heavy orange flavors. It was good, but not great. The pork was extremely tasty and quite spicy. I like things more on the hot side and both my dad and I agreed the pork was the better of the two. The beans and rice were very good and Agave Natural beverage was.... interesting. Had to try it, but it's not my fav. Kind of tasted somewhere between beer and wine. My dad and I already look forward to our next trip there as we work our way through the menu.
As testament to how wonderful this place is:
I live in La Jolla but drive the 30 minutes to go to Ranas regularly.
Everything on the menu is AWESOME (even the more typical Mexican fare like tacos, burritos, tortas etc. are delicious) but I highly recommend items that aren't readily available at most Mexican restaurants, dishes that are unique to Ranas, that they do so very well, like:
1) the pollo en axiote (such a unique and rich flavor, undercurrents of the orange juice used to flavor this give the dish an amazing zest)
2) the cochinita pibil (a pork dish with a wonderful marinated; an almost woody, spiced taste perhaps symptomatic of the fact the pork is cooked on a banana peel)
3) peanut butter chicken (creamy, delectable, mildly sweet with a kick)
4) huitlacoche quesadilla (an inky black mixture of truffles with onions, pepper and cheese, unlike anything I've ever tasted before; I was sold on the truffle alone)
5) dedos de cuauhtemoc (everything and the kitchen sink thrown into a stone molcajete: juicy carne asada with an amazing smoky flavor, pollo asado, shrimp also with a killer smokey, just-grilled flavor, moist cheese fingers, grilled cactus tenders and the most delicious and mildly spicy beans you will EVER taste)
Killer, killer, killer ALL AROUND.
I've introduced several people to this restaurant and everyone raves about it afterwards.
And the service matches the awesome food. There's a younger guy that waits the tables, he's very knowledgable and passionate about the food. Then there's the man who I presume is the owner. He's always very pleasant, friendly, and like the other younger guy there, enthusiastic to answer culinary questions. The owner is a character who easily ranks an 11 or 12 on a 1-10 scale of charm. My grandmother tries to persuade him into giving her kisses on the cheek (it usually doesn't require much persuasion) every time she visits: so in terms of describing the levels of service and how very welcoming and warm they are at Ranas I believe the former example of grandmother gone gaga truly is enough said.
I'm so in awe of this place if anyone ever complains about the quality or taste of the food I'd sooner assume the person suffers some sort of retardation of the tastebuds then ever consider it a fault of Ranas.
Well I had this place almost a week ago and have waited to sort out my feeling about this place. I have actually been craving the food that I had there which is a very good sign. I ordered the huarache with shredded beef and the flavors work together perfectly between the beef, beans, shredded lettuce, grated cotija cheese and Mexican cream, yumm! All for $5.95...yummier! I can see how one may be confused between giving this place a 4 or a 5. What pushes my review over to a 5 is the uniqueness of the menu. Where else can one get their fix of a red sauce dipped torta that is crispy? How about nowhere. If you like Mexican food you have to try this place and order something you've never heard of before.
On my way to Rubios tonight, I got a phone call from a fellow yelper asking if I wanted to try this place. Without hesitation I said heck yes. I was expecting your typical taco shop but when we walked inside I could see that was not the case. The set up is sit down yet kind of casual. We were greeted by a very friendly guy with Ritchie Valens-like hair. He took our orders and quickly brought our drinks. I ordered the chicken enchiladas with green sauce, which came with a side of rice and beans. At first I thought that the enchiladas had too much sauce but as I was finishing the last little bite I realized that the sauce to enchilada ratio was perfect. I ate everything on that plate minus the orange and parsley garnish! It's not as cheap as a taco shop but you definitely get your money's worth. I will be back to try more from the menu at Ranas.
Spring Valley, CA
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Spring Valley
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Spring Valley
Category: Burgers
Neighborhood: Spring Valley
Category: Mexican
Spring Valley, CA
Category: Restaurants
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,…
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
If you visit this city and don't stop here, you'd…
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,…
My local dry cleaner, watering hole, deli, cafe,…
