El Ranchero Bar & Grill

I have been to El Ranchero many times over the last 15 years or so. It used to be a good place for standard Mexican food at a good price. Unfortunately, it seems as if the quality of the food has gone down as the prices have gone up. Most recently, I ordered the taco platter ($ 13.99), which comes with three tacos, rice, and beans. The tortillas were soggy and the tacos were only sparsely filled with meat. On the plus side, there is unlimited chips and salsa for the table.
In addition, the service here is lackluster. There is usually only one server taking care of the entire restaurant, so service can be slow if it is crowded.
Drinks prices also seem to be a dollar or two more than you would expect. This is a place where you walk away feeling like you didn’t get a good value for your money. There are better options in the area if you are looking for classic Mexican food.

AVOID. Really terrible Mexican food. Actually just terrible period. I’ve been to some places that are mediocre Mexican — they don’t get the flavors right or what have you. But this place the food just tastes bad. The salsa was bitter, the chicken in the flautas tasted off. It is not good. Save yourself the stomach ache.

I hate to see all the 1 star reviews on here. This place has stood the test of time and the food is great. It is your typical Mexican restaurant with a twist. I come here quite often when I am in the mood for Mexican.

Do not waste your time!!! My wife and I went here thinking it would be great since it’s home made and not much is open due to new years day. We got there around 5:50p.m the host wasnt very friendly. We were seated the waitress that came wasn’t freindly either never told us her name asked what we wanted to drink. We assumed she went to get them instead the host brought us our drinks. 2 big glasses of ice and a can for the soda. He left then the waitress came back and asked if we were ready to order and we declined as we were still looking through the menu 2 minutes later another waiter comes and takes our order literally I lie to you not 5 minutes later the waitress brings out our food. We thanked her and she left. How do I even begin to describe what should have been enchiladas monterey. Plain and simply put it was nasty. The rice tasted like box rice from the grocery store. The chicken tasted like it was freezer burnt and over microwaved. The ground beef was just as bad. The sauce tasted like nothing. All that to be charged $ 35!!! We will not be returning ever again!!!

Don’t bother… period. The owner is rude and the food is not authentic. If you want the real deal go to la jarochita on glebe or guapo’s if chains are your thing.

Empanadas were great! You get four «miniature ones, but they fill you up. I didn’t have room for my main course. Next time I will just go for those and call it a day.
Vegetarian fajitas were alright (i’m not vegetarian). Waiter/​bartender was friendly.
I give this place 3 stars because it wasn’t AMAZING. Just your typical Mexican restaurant. but i’d go back should I have a craving, especially because it’s up the street from where I work. (:
enjoy!

I should have known to turnaround and run for the hills when my friend and I walked in at 12:30pm (prime lunch crowd time) to only two diners. We work up the block and wanted to try something new. I saw this spot when taking a detour last week and decided to try it. The first sign it wasn’t going to be good was the salsa. It was clearly not fresh and from a can or jar. I ordered chicken and steak fajitas (you can’t go wrong with that, right?) and my friend Tamales. As soon as I got back to the office, I knew it was going to be a long evening. I left to head home so I would be more comfortable getting it out. I texted my friend to warn her that the food did not sit well with my stomach. She let me know this morning she was back and forward to the rest room at about 4am. Needless to say, I will not return here or recommend that anyone does.

Fast service and great food. Awesome sangria and guac. Try the mole chicken. Not sure what the other reviews are talking about.

Terrible. Just terrible. Waiter was fun, but food was pathetic. I’ve had ice water with more flavor. Speaking of ice water, that was terrible too.

Dark. Dingy. Dated décor. Surly service. Non existent air conditioning, hot, humid, sticky atmosphere. Sarcastic waiters. Horrible, bland unappetizing food. They should pay you to eat there. Not a full whole star. Just a half star for parking on Wilson boulevard. We had high expectations based on friend’s referral but we were sorely disappointed.

Haven’t been back to one of my old neighborhood favorites often since we moved to Alexandria, but running errands in Ballston made this an easy stop. The patio is a bit overcrowded with the new furniture. Although it’s been a while since my last visit, so maybe it’s not all that new. Chips were a bit over fried. Salsa was as zesty and tasty as I had remembered. Very rustic with largely cut jalepenos. Ordered my standby flautas and they were as good as I remembered. Guacamole was fresh and delicious. They’ve changed their poco de gallo and the tomatoes seem to be fire roasted now. It’s an interesting and welcome twist. Hubby lived his chimichangas too. Margaritas were strong. We devoured out dessert platter of sopapillas as well.
They seemed to have been short staffed I the patio with only two servers for inside and out on a Friday night, but the weather was nice, so we didn’t mains the extra wait outside at first. Then rain started to move in, so we had to go inside to track down our server and our check.

Terrible service, left to sit for 20+ minutes. Drinks took another 20 minutes to come out though place was empty. Didn’t have the type of margarita I wanted so they just brought me a different one and mentioned it after. Also the waiter forgot if we were carded so he carded us again… after we were already drinking.
Chips were soft, salsa was needlessly spicy. Drinks were bad (terrible wine, weak margaritas).
Outdoor seating uncomfortable, tables low and chairs awkward.

Very unfortunate experience here. Stopped in at non-​dinner hour, nobody in the place. Nobody. But, okay, it’s 4:50 p.m. Ambiance was pretty divey but we were starving after a day of moving. The salsa should have warned us away: it was horrible. Strange red goo with big unappetizing chunks of canned tomatoes and some green peppers & onions, all hot enough to blow your head off.
We ordered food and it was dreadful. We could not eat the food; taste was off-​putting in such a bizarre way that I can only offer this: one diner at our table likened the beans to tasting like cigarette butts. (No, she doesn’t smoke — nor does she ingest cigarette butts — but the beans tasted like that rancid, grievous smell.) Meat tasted strange. Refried beans were as runny as ketchup. Rice seemed okay but could not save any of it. This food was sad and disturbing.
Waiter gets high points for quietly clearing the plates away and saying we did not have to pay. We insisted on giving him money for the one beer ordered and his general kindness. We got out of there immediately.

I am still sitting in the restaurant when I write this review because the food is so bad. My wife and I have driven by the restaurant many times so wanted to try it. You should not make our mistake.
The enchiladas are impossible to finish. Just gross: little cheese, red sauce that was both sweet and cold, and covered in green garnish. The supreme burrito had such large chunks of jalapeño that even I, who likes spicy Mexican food, could not finish.
Plus the sodas are from a can, not fountain drinks.
Do. Not. Eat. Here.

The worst service I have ever had, at any restaurant, ever in my life. And the food was mediocre. Why doesn’t Unilocal let us give zero stars?
First, the drink trick. I ordered a gin and tonic and asked the waiter if they had Beefeater gin. He said, «yes.» My girlfriend ordered a margarita and the waiter re-​confirmed our order: «Gin and tonic with Beefeater and margarita on the rocks with salt. When he brought the drinks, he mumbled something, and asked if we were ready to order. I tasted the drink — it was not a gin and tonic. I asked him what it was and he said: «Bombay and soda.» That’s not what I ordered. Apparently, they didn’t have Beefeater or tonic water! I ordered a different drink, which was fine.
Second, the long wait. We ordered chicken nachos and beef nachos. The outdoor seating area was half empty and the inside was completely empty. There were approximately 6 tables with 2 – 4 persons at each table on a Sunday evening. After more than 30 minutes of waiting for our routine order, I asked the waiter: «Do you have a sense of when our food will be ready?» He went to the kitchen to check and returned immediately with our food.
Third, the cold food. Both plates of nachos were cold. They must’ve been sitting in the kitchen for awhile. We took a bite and then flagged down the waiter. We explained the food was cold and asked him to please pop it in the oven or microwave to heat it up. A few minutes later, another person brought us the food. It was much warmer. But possibly the worst nachos I was ever served.
Fourth, the dirty dishes. After we finished our nachos in 5 or 10 minutes we sat for another 15 – 20 minutes with dirty, empty dishes at our table. Not one visit from the waiter to check on us. At this point, the bad service was humorous. I did notice that some apparent friends of the waiter arrived while we were eating, ordered drinks and nachos, and received their food in just a few minutes. Eventually, after no one came by for 15 minutes after we finished our meal and sat there with dirty dishes in front of us, I flagged down a worker (not the waiter because he was busy inside flirting with some girls at the bar) and gave her my credit card and asked for the check.
I will be keeping an eye on the restaurant because it is in a good location. What I will be looking for is a sign that says: «Under new management.» Until then, I will not waste my time or dollars at El Ranchero.

What the hell happened here?! Still trying to figure it out.
My boyfriend and I were in the mood for some Mexican food, and we really wanted to support a mom-​and-​pop restaurant vs. some big corporate place. We popped into El Ranchero at around 5 pm.
We walked in the door, and the waiter was extremely aggressive. He looked at us and asked, «In or out?» It took us a second to realize he was asking if we wanted to sit inside or outside, during which time he brashly kept repeating, «IN or OUT? IN or OUT?» We finally said «out» to which he replied, «You guys are difficult.» HUH??!
My boyfriend tried to make light of the situation, gave the waiter the benefit of the doubt for a shoddy attempt at being humorous (?), and even tried to speak Spanish with him to lighten the mood. The waiter said nothing, which is when we realized he wasn’t Hispanic. Now, I’m not saying that one has to be Mexican or even Hispanic to work in a Mexican restaurant, but it was a bit of a shock to go to a Mexican restaurant in this area and not be able to speak Spanish with the waiter.
We were seated outside. No chips, no salsa. Fingerprints on the water glass. More weird banter with the waiter.
We ordered two margaritas. The waiter left before we could specify that we wanted them frozen. Please note that margaritas at El Ranchero are $ 8 each; when we finally got them, they were really small. My boyfriend and I are both bartenders, and we can attest that there was no tequila in those glasses. The waiter gave us pure sour mix. Had to have. The «margaritas» were sour as hell, had no kick, and tasted like window cleaner. I’m a lightweight and usually get an immediate buzz from anything I drink, so I know for a fact that there was nada/​nil/​zero alcohol in these concoctions. We left a $ 20 bill on the table and got the hell out of there, grumbling over the $ 4 tip the waiter was going to make off of us because we didn’t have smaller bills. Sorry, but for service and margaritas that horrendous, there are way better Mexican options in the DC area.
One of the weirdest non-​dining experiences of my life.

How I heard of this place: Our friend Bryan first recommended El Ranchero as «one of the best» Mexican restaurants in Arlington.
Type of cuisine: Mexican. Page after page of brunch, lunch and dinner selections for a taste of Mexico for an American audience.
Ambiance: From the outside, a lone building sitting on Wilson Boulevard, El Ranchero gives an air of humility, moderation and a less is more approach to authentic Mexican cuisine. Walking past the outdoor patio to make our way inside, we were greeted with a bright space, eclectic, bold and more of a let’s see how much we can cram in here approach. Brick flooring and half-​brick walls were the most untreated parts of the space. The yellow walls with rounded windows and doorways were painted with brick print around the curvitures. Every inch of wall space decorated with cowboy hats, metallic bowls, plates, framed pictures, paintings and artwork, a watering can, vases, paper flower leis, Corona beer signs draped from one side of the ceiling to the other, an enormous, over-​sized set of spoon and fork (with a missing prong), lanterns, sombreros, wicker baskets, something resembling a witch’s broomstick, and more.
One window space had a mural painting of a bustling Mexican restaurant with diners, wait-​staff and mariachi band. The thick, wooden tables and matching, heavy chairs with red cushions, kept close together in the seemingly small dining space gave each of us a comfortable, yet very erect seating posture. A large paper fan turned slowly at the center of the ceiling, attracting our eyes only when we looked up from the windows, bedecked with Christmas lights, facing Wilson Boulevard. Just when we thought we had seen it all, out popped the bust of a deer swearing a cowboy hat, red, flannel scarf and bead necklace, a guitar hanging backwards against the wall and a large, plastic balloon chili pepper. The interior, while warm and cozy, gave much entertainment in its clutter and lack of space.
What I ordered: After a quick glance at the menu, I found a page of house specials and was thrilled to see several combination platters that would give me a sample of more than one menu item. I chose the Rancho Platter ($ 14.95) with one cheese and onion chile relleno, one chicken enchillada and one beef chalupa.
My husband went for the Carne Asada ($ 15.95), partly at my request since I wanted to try it; grilled beef steak, topped with sauteed onions, jalapenos, tomatoes and slices of avocado served alongside four flour tortillas, rice and beans, and garnished with an El Ranchero side salad.
The other two in our party ordered the same. When seated, while awaiting our dining companions, we were presented with a plastic football-​shaped dish of warm tortilla chips and spicy, watery salsa, with large chunks of fresh-​cut jalapneos.
Needing a mini break from the spice, we asked for the Chili Con Queso Dip ($ 6.25) and were offered a small ramekin of smoked, melted, orange cheese (without the red-​hot crushed peppers) and our request for a small side of sour cream was never granted. Chris also chose a lemonade and our two dining companions went with the full Mexican theme and ordered margaritas, complete with salted rim.
What I loved: My favorite part of the meal was the fresh avocados! On my own plate, the Chile Relleno stole the show. My husband preferred my meal most, claiming, «You always order the best thing on the menu when we go out for Mexican food!»
Why I loved it: The food is great, the portions huge, the staff friendly and the space cozy. We love that it is only a five-​minute walk to our mini Mexican getaway.
Cost: Average ($ 13-​$ 20 per large entrée)

I really love hole-​in-​the-​wall Mexican food. I don’t care if it’s authentic, but I like it to be good.
El Ranchero was not the place for either. The $ 2 taco special could have been surpassed by a trip to Taco Bell, the queso was cheesy milk, and the margaritas were just lemon lime Gatorade with a splash of tequila.
It really screams «bring a date you’re embarrassed by here» but not much else.

Service was friendly and attentive, but just like the last time I ate here about 8 years ago, the food is just not up to par.
My chimichangas tasted like they were from a frozen pack at Costco. My husband’s steak tacos had old tortillas and fatty low grade meat with no seasoning to speak of. I feel like the quality of our food was just under a Lean Cuisine, but cost over $ 40 for lunch.
There are too many other good Mexican food options nearby to stop here. I am absolutely baffled at why this place is packed on the weekends in the evening unless they’re giving alcohol away.
Skip it.

I came here at at 9 o’clock with my friends, we were really hungry. It’s right around the corner from a friends house and it was walking distance so we thought okay we can check it out. We placed the order at about 9:10pm and didn’t get our meal until 9:50pm!!! We had a difficult time getting the wait staff’s attention even though we were sitting at the bar and there was hardly anyone else in the place!
We were in a party of three and they only bought one cup of water– and there were NO REFILLS. We ALL should have gotten water because the queso dip was hella spicy we almost coughed our throats out!
When we finally asked for our check we were given an attitude. And after signing the check the girl at the counter had the audacity to look directly at the tip section. Made me wish I had left that section empty.
The food was decent but the service sucked. I will not be going back.