Rancho Bravo Tacos
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Lunch, Dinner, Late Night
- Alcohol: None
85 Reviews for Rancho Bravo Tacos
Too many of you are giving this place too many stars, obviously forgetting that drunkenness does not excuse the fact that everything here is covered in orange cheese.
Go to Memo's. It's open...all the time. They like you even if you're drunk. Their food doesn't suck butt.
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/03/2007
I love me some taco truck.
I love me some good Mexican eatin'.
Well, it's a truck, and it serves… Read more »
Why hasn't anyone told me about this place earlier?!! Good Mexican food in Seattle! Tons of unlabeled hot sauces! And all for $5! I will be back here again... and again... and again!!
(oh and the old fashioned donuts next door are pretty killer too).
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I love taco trucks---- Don't care too much about the fact they are found in the middle of parking lots, usually next to gas stations. Looks sketchy, yes, but place your order w/ the owner/worker that doesn't speak a lick of English. Uh huh. Validated. Authentic Mexican grub, heck yeah. Take a back seat Azteca. You kinda suck.
Love the simple 2 bite tacos w/ onions & cilantro- pour on the hot sauce & Cool off your tongue w/ the horchata. But where are the fish tacos at....that's what was missing.
I think a good tamale is worth hassle with the TSA. The tacos are what my dreams are made of, literally recently. The tamales, tacos, burritos and horchata are all top notch.
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I choose Rancho Bravo over Dicks Drive In any night. I suggest the Burritos and Tacos. Grab some horchata to drink. My favorite fast food stop in Wallingford.
My dad's lone request for Father's Day was that we eat somewhere outside. I suggested Rancho Bravo and a short drive to Gas Works Park. I make great suggestions all the time.
This time around at Rancho Bravo, I noticed that "chicken mole" was one of the options for meat, which I'd never seen at a taco truck. It wasn't the best mole I've had, but better than I'd expect out of a truck. (Unfortunately the Bravo burrito added a few too many onions to the sauce.)
The truck workers always have something to say, unless they're watching their telenovelas. This time they dissuaded my mom from pairing mole sauce with a quesadilla (it sure wouldn't have been finger food.)
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This place will sell you a fine taco, late, with a huge horchata. And some good sauce. There's nothing wrong with that.
Next time some vegetarian monoglot authentic-fetishist from southern California tells you how a Seattle-area Mexican offering can't compare, just tell them if they don't like it WHY DON'T THEY MOVE TO RUSSIA.
That'll learn em.
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I am not a professional eater of Mexican food.
I was raised in an Irish family in Portland, Oregon. I don't know how people in California, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Yakima, etc. qualify or quantify Mexican food.
But I know what I like in Mexican food - and I like Rancho Bravo.
Having first stopped on a whim I now find myself craving their pork tacos at least once a week. And for $1.75 a taco that craving is inexpensively satiated.
Oh, and the fact that they are open super late is an extreme bonus.
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I love me some Taco Truck.
But more than that? I love Taco Trucks that are open on SUNDAYS.
It breaks my heart sometimes when i wake up lazy, hung over, and in dire need for Taco truck, and realize that my favorite Taco truck residing at the 76 gas station in shoreline is closed on sundays. FUCKING A.
Rancho Bravo, you make my Sundays happy Taco Truck Sundays.
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Best Mexican food I've had in Seattle.
Being from CA, I'm allowed to be snobby about this sorta thing. I dream about this taco truck. Finally, the real thing, traditional tacos, meat cooked to perfection with all the fixins.
Everything is cheap, and delicious. And tastes especially wonderful after a LONG night of hard boozing. Thank goodness they are open til 2(?).
Ranch Bravo burritos rock my world.
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All right haters, this isn't the mission district. Seattle folk have no idea what mexican food is supposed to taste like, so mexican restaurants can sell us whatever they want so long as there is sufficient cheese.
Is the place the best ever? Absolutely not. Possible health violations? Probably. One of two or three places in a ten mile radius that make an authentic and decent burrito? Absolutely.
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note: seems to have habitual health code violation issues
so if they are closed for "no reason"
there's your reason
!por dios!
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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09/25/2007
Dear God - help me find some edible Mexican food in my hood and I will start saying the rosary… Read more »
This Taco bus has a great location but is pretty unspecaculr when compared to the buses down on Rainer.
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I lived in Yakima for 15+ years, so I feel like I've got a pretty solid handle on Mexican cuisine. It took moving to Seattle and a good long while until I was ready to brave a taco truck. Enter Rancho Bravo. Thank you for not scaring me away.
True standouts include the pineapple agua fresca (made with real, fresh chunks of pineapple) and the green cilantro salsa concoction. Speaking of cilantro, they use a LOT of it - even by Mexican food standards - so if you're one of those sad souls who thinks it tastes like laundry detergent, drive right on by and leave more for me. (They may be able to leave it out, but why would you want to do a thing like that?) Seating is limited and wall-less, so to-go orders are the way to do it unless you mind eating in your car or sitting on a curb. Despite the hygienic questionability I've always seen as being inherent to mobile food-dispensing operations, I've also never gotten sick or seen anything more scary than you'd find at Beth's or some other local standouts.
I haven't compared it to any other taco trucks in the region (because I can't find them) but overall, Rancho Bravo has the best fast-food Mexican goodies I've run into in the Seattle area.
More then enough people have reviewed this...So I'll keep it short. Really good mexican food. I love how they don't limit your usage of hot sauce. One of the best Taco Trucks in Seattle. Wait was kind of long, but well worth it.
Usually I'm all for Rancho Bravo, but I've heard they upped their prices and changed their tortillas on the tacos. And not in a good way. I'll have to check this out for myself to see if they're going downhill, but taco eaters beware! Seems like Rancho Bravo is trying to pull something on us. If they start serving flan slowly step away from the bus.
Don't get me wrong, this is fantastic food... considering it's from a taco truck. But I have to wonder how many margaritas equal five stars (j/k). Had the beef, chicken and pork tacos, LOVED the hot hot sauce, and crave the heck out of this place late night after a couple beers.
Oh, really really nice (and fast) service too. Evidently Jarritos are pronounced Harritos... which provided for some good-natured banter.
Only lost a star b/c of the parking lot. These folks deserve way better than the digs they're serving from. Makes me want to go back just to help them get there.
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Soooooooo good! I love the Bravo Burrito with al pastor (pork) and a little guacamole. Delicious. Plus it's right next to the all-night donut place. I only wish they had breakfast tacos- back in Texas, the taco trucks have breakfast options, like bacon & egg, bean & cheese, etc... This is a good place for lunch or dinner though - I just wish they'd branch out a bit.
I wanted to like this place but I was let down. I tried to order the tamales but they were out. This must happen often since other reviews have mentioned this before. So, I ordered the chicken and beef tacos. The beef in the beef tacos was so dry. The chicken tacos were tasty but too salty.
On a good note...The lady behind the counter was very nice and the service was prompt. The price was right too.
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Holy shit. I think I just had the best tacos of my life. I don't give a shit if this is "authentic" Mexican or not (though a lot of Mexicans and Southern Californians think it is, if that tells you anything). However, I DO know what tastes good in my mouth! I love the simplicity of their presentation and the ingredients. Just meat and onions garnished with lime, cilantro, and a radish, served on two corn tortillas. Absolute perfection.
The super red, hot salsa is really good, but also really, really spicy. If you're a wuss, stay away. However, for spice lovers like myself, this was heaven! A side of guac was only $1 extra and I walked away full, satisfied, and my mouth on fire. I wouldn't have it any other way. :)
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Seattlites are idiots when it comes to Mexican food. I'm just far too spoiled, having grown up in the San Joaquin Valley, I *know* good mexican and it's far and few between in this city. Yes, I know. The novelty of the 'taco truck' amuses you but it's really shitty food. Yes, I know...they're open late. I live right by it.
I've eaten there a handful of times (albeit drunk) but I will never again. They boast a 'vegetarian menu' but let me tell you, biting into a bean, cheese and onion burrito and chomping down on a large piece of cartilage...will make ya not eat there again if you expected it to be veg. Oh, not to mention the rice is also cooked in chicken broth. (I watched them prepare it one night, after that ordered burritos with no rice which seemed to be a feat itself.)
Sure, it was always amusing to go and be told by the older mexican lady to 'no atencion chicas chistosas' , then have her make the smoking a j gesture but it's still a taco truck folks. Sure, use it to feed your late night drunken urges but absolute perfection? Bitch, please.
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I loves me some street food and it has always saddened me that Seattle has no street food whatsoever. Plunk me down in NYC or anywhere outside the USA and I eat street food until I puke and then count myself lucky that my stomach is now empty and I can fill up on more street food. This is why the appearance of taco trucks here and there around Seattle fills me with joy. We're still no NYC, but it's a start.
So, just because I love food cooked in front of me from sketchy streetside locations, this place automatically gets three stars. Add in that this place is serving relatively authentic Mexican street food (to all'y'all Californians complaining that this isn't authentic I'd like to point out that the Mexican street food in SoCal doesn't look all that much like the street food I ate in Mexico, so one persons authentic isn't necessarily another persons authentic) and is pretty darn cheap--their tacos are more expensive than other trucks but they're bigger, too--bumps this place up to four stars.
So, what earns Rancho Bravo that last, coveted star? The taste! The food here isn't bland! In fact, it's pretty darn good. I just had a mole torta and I am all glow-y with happy. The mole sauce leaned more towards spicy than sweet, which pleases me, and the torta was spot on in flavor, bread and spiciness. I also treated myself to a fish taco-Yum! I'm a sucker for fish tacos and this place certainly delivers.
Next time I'm up in Wallingford I will definitely make a point of stopping by and indulging myself in more tasty, cheapy delightes.
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Ok. So I know it's not "authentic'. The quesadillas are made with jack and cheddar. But god help me, the al pastor tacos are fantastic. They make this ex-pat Californian happy. And I don't have to drive all they way down to the taco bus to get the spicy savory porky fix I need. Bravo, Rancho! Bravo!
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Passing thru Wallingford starving...oohh lookey a Taco camper! RRRRR!! (screeching tires) as I pull into the Winchells parking lot. Um, lots of choices, what to do?
"Rice and bean bowl with chicken please..."
"$4.75 please"
Hands over a $5--"keep the change" (what can I say, I'm a generous tipper)
"For here or to go?"
Let's see, "here" means 4 plastic chairs and a table...
Ok, a little cold outside, think I'll take it to go and eat it in the car.
Literally 70 seconds later--"Rice and bean bowl!"
"Gracias!"
Car door slams...munch, munch, yum, yum...hmmm, lots of cilantro--I likes the spicey sauces--lets just stir it all together...mmm, mmm, good!
Ok, I must say that they really could spend a few $ and upgrade the canopy that's about to fall over, and pick up the trash all over the place, please! I know, I know, its a taco truck, but in all honesty, I can't believe this place hasn't been shut down by the health department--it makes a Taco truck in Mexico look a bit upscale!
5 stars for the flavor and price
1 star for the atmosphere
Flavor and price take precedence and weight heavily, thus 4 stars overall...
Just don't bring your in-laws to eat here...
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Thank you lord for being open at 1:00 AM to soak up the alcohol in our systems. And not only were you open but you were damn freakin good! And four of us ate for just under $20...now that's a deal. Good, cheap tasty food from a parking lot...gotta love it! Three of us ordered the Rancho Burritos (two had chicken, one had carnitas), all were so good until we tried the red sauce. Beware the red sauce unless you have lost all your taste buds and senses in some sort of freak accident...that stuff WILL set your mouth on fire (and for a gringa I can usually handle spicy food). The green guac-like salsa helped to ease the raging inferno in my mouth.
Thank you Rancho Bravo for providing tasty late night treats and ensuring I didn't have a hangover that next day that raged as much as my mouth did after eating your red salsa.
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It's like their burritos have sex with my mouth.
Do the Humpty Hump!
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Tasty. Fresh. Generously-portioned. Friendly folks. What more could you ask? The tamales were as good as people here said they'd be.
I loved this taco truck, but unfortunately it looks our friend's "The Health Department" shut this beauty down.
http://slog.thestrange...
I swear it was the dirt that must have made their food tastier.
Update: The taco truck has reopened! It was shut down for just a weekend, which I guess is all it takes to get clean enough for the health department to give you a gold star.
This Taco Truck is AWESOME! If you're not some snobby "I know Real Mexican Food, I'm from (insert anywhere in America with a significant number of hispanic people living there)" you will probably enjoy your food. I mean--it's made in a truck for god's sake--and it's delicious.
If you can get a tamale, do it. They're great, which is why they always sell out.
If you're vegetarian, this place will probably be a little difficult. Sorry. But if you guiltily eat meat, like I do, you should give it a try.
THEY NEVER HAVE TAMALES!! Am I shouting? Can you hear me Rancho Bravo? Stop taunting me!! I had it one time, only one - yummy corn and pork.. I want I want! (minus 1 star for being a tease)
Also - don't get the bottled sangria. A friend of mine cut his hand trying to open a bottle and gash went his hand. Although the dude still waited for his burrito to be made before going to the ER. It's not the Taco Truck's fault that the bottle was irregular but I kind of feel responsible as I forced him to go eat there by hearing my daily raves of Le Taco Trucko. He ended up with a few good pills and 6 stitches, and a tasty, albeit soggy, burrito. (minus another star for trying to kill my friend)
If the above two never happened, I would set up a tent outside of the doughnut shop parking lot that I always illegally park at, just to try and (first order the tamales but as they are *never* available) - order 2 pork tacos or the bowl (too much cheese but sometimes I OD on tortillas so I have to go naked - hence, bowl) AND either the horchata or the pineapple juice, both very delicious, non gash inducing beverages!!
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The other tacos stands, taco buses, and even full on Mexican restaurants in this town don't have shit on this place!!
The food here is simple, yet delicious. I sat across from a couple of guys (one from New Mexico and one from So Cal) and they said this is the only place besides their house that serves up Mexican food they'll actually eat. We all agreed that it's not hard to make good Mexican food - but somehow our town fails miserably at it.
However, this place is a ray of hope for us Mexican food lovers. I knew I was in love after the first bite. I went two days in a row and tried several different items on the menu. I'd have to say my favorite is the carne asada taco.
It's a bummer that the best place to get good Mexican food in this town has wheels and a dirty card table outside under a tent for seating (with no heater at that)!
But, this is Seattle. When good Mexican food is involved, I'll take what I can get. Especially when a satisfying and delicious dinner for two rings up at $12.
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I am not a Mexican....
I am not from the so called SoCal....
My Spanish is limited to "gracias"....
This is my 1st taco truck experience!
So what, I let only two things control my life:
1. Website called www.yelp.com tells me where to go
2. My taste-buds tell me if it's good or bad
My taste-buds just told me that the tacos (pastor and carnitas) I had from Rancho Bravo were good. Not the best but good and I will settle for that in Wallingford.
Garcias.
Oops, I meant gracias!
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| |
| ____ |
| | O | Taco $Dirt cheap |
| |_|_|\ | Burrito $Dirt cheap |
| Torta $You got it! |
|__________________________ |
( O ) ( O )
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I was so excited when I found I could get lengua tacos! The hot salsa actually made me cry. Authentic, tasty, cheap, perfecto. . .
If only it weren't all the way in Wallingford.
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Growing up in South-Central California, I've eaten at so many taco trucks I can't even count that high ... and it's not just because of my poor education in California public schools, either. I love everything about taco trucks: the low prices, the delicious food, the language barriers, the slight sketchiness of eating food cooked in a van ...
Imagine my delight when a taco truck started parking in the no-man's-zone of taco trucks, right in my neighborhood in Wallingford!
Much to my chagrin, this taco truck is sub-par even on its best days. The food is totally devoid of that authentic Mexican flavor, or any flavor at all for that matter. It's just oil and jalapenos, folks.
My vegetarian friend found a huge chunk of cartilage in her veggie burrito. (I thought it was kind of funny actually, but can understand that she was grossed out.)
I've returned to this taco truck many times like a fool, willing to give it yet another chance, hoping they've shaped up, but I am continually let down. The final straw was the last burrito I had there ... I made the mistake of removing it from the foil and eating it over a plate, and the amount of grease that dripped out of it could float a Destroyer. (That might be an exaggeration, but I was truly amazed at how such an obscene amount of grease could come out of one tiny burrito.)
Sorry, taco truck! I wanted so badly for you to be good, but I don't think I can tolerate you, even in my highest levels of wastedness. :(
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Three stars for the hours they are open. Not authentic at all but not bad.
I helped spray down their parking lot one night after we left the bar. For this I was rewarded a jimungus pineapple agua fresca. Unfortunately, it was so sugary that one of my teeths fell out not much later.
Yeah Yeah just like everyone says CA has better mex food... well they are right. I spent many years there and it's true. But I still love rancho for trying and also being not to far from my house.
Oh and one of the salsas I had was hotter than a fiery death at the hands of god Pele. Look out for that one.
I will give this place another try tonight. which means that I need to go out and get "ready" to win another agua fresca.
After a terrible dinner elsewhere that left me hungry and in need of a redeemer, my friends and I headed to the good ol' taco truck. A filling burrito for $4 dollars beats a $40 dinner anyday!
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This place was an amazing discovery.
Whether you're searching for a super cheap dinner, a quick mid-afternoon snack, or something for those late night munchies, Rancho Bravo has a delicious Mexican solution to your needs. Mealtime: a burrito (Bravo burrito is a must) and a taco is usually just the right amount of food. Snacktime: You can get anywhere from 1 to 3 tacos, which are always served fresh, extremely hot and accompanied by lime and radishes. Beware of the sauces on the table: I actually had to order an additional taco last night to stop the burning sensation!
Regarding the legitimacy of this truck, you know it's pretty authentic Mexican when you can get "lengua." (though I suppose I don't actually know anyone who has) Rancho Bravo is definitely among my top Mexican-food destinations in Seattle, and I haven't met anyone who doesn't like it.
A line can form during rush hours (read: bar closings on weekends) but don't let yourself cave in to going to Dick's or Winchell's - the service is pretty fast and the food is always worth it.
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A sentimental favorite with food to match.
Rancho Bravo is a taco truck parked in a poorly-lit parking lot outside of Winchell's Donuts. There's a somewhat dirty table, the truck, an awning, and not much more. This is a damn fine example of a taco truck. My rancho burrito with chicken was delicious - perfect cilantro, bursting at the seams. The burrito bravo wasn't as amazing, but held its own. They have a homemade pineapple drink, but I get the Jarritos, because I loves me some Jarritos. Built-in bottle opener, too! The lady at the counter is so nice, and you should be nice to her, because she works until 2:30 AM some nights!
Oh, and try the sauces. The green ones are different, and although the red isn't my thing, they're all interesting.
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The Lord only granted me one child, and It was a Lengua Torta from Rancho Bravo!!!! I ate it!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
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Having been born in SoCal and frequently visited San Francisco's Mission District, I'm a little spoiled when it comes to mexican food. So I was disappointed when I moved to Seattle and was told that Azteca is "some of the best Mexican food in Seattle." Naturally I stuck to things Seattle does best like Salmon, Sushi, and organically grow, fair trade, vegan fake soy-meat.
Well thank the Taco Truck phenomenon was made its way to Seattle. Rancho Bravo has taken Californian style mexican food and brought it to the Northwest. Its spicy, its greasy, it cheap, and oh god, the salsa they give you is good. To no ones surprise its also popular.
The tacos are my favorite by far. Small enough and cheap enough that you can eat 3 or 4 without going into a food coma. They have a variety of different meats so make sure to diversify.
The food isn't up to par with the Mission or some of the SoCal mexican food but its as close as you'll get in the northwest.
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