El Ranchito

Good food and friendly staff. Great music! Great place for birthday party or any other special event.

I love El Ranchito… They have Mariachi I believe eveyday…

I love this place, they have the best authentic Mexican food in the area, best drinks and great staff

I believe this is the first time I’ve ever had a Mexican parrillada. Comparing with the South American parrillada, I do not think that the cuts are as good, and the accompaniments are not as healthy. But still, it’s nice to have an option to have a Latin-​style parrillada. I give it kudos for being an unique standout out of all traditional Mexican restaurants in Dallas.
I’ll have to try the rest of the stuff in the menu to see exactly how much I like this place. But service was good, atmosphere was cool, price was fair.

We came in hoping that they had carne asada fries but sadly they didn’t. Instead, we munched on chips and salsa and shared the tacos al carbon. This place reminded me of the typical Tex-​Mex restaurants but bigger. There were still plenty of people in the restaurant at 9 PM with the mariachi band in the background. I loved the salsa which was spicy enough to make my tongue go woo. There were three tacos which were big and I don’t think I could come close to finish it if I ordered this dish to myself. The beef that came with the taco was soft and very moist. Come here if you are in the area and craving Tex-​Mex food!

Great atmosphere, very busy place caring staff will take great care of you. Love listening to the mariachis. This place is worth the money everything is so delicious from their home made toritillas flour and corn.

El Ranchito is legit! Let me just go ahead and recommend the cabrito al horno. It’s a little pricey, but it’s well worth it. When you get the food, you realize that you’re probably being undercharged for the amount of food you’re getting.
Okay, so that’s the plate I recommend. I’m Mexican, and I always have a hard time finding Mexican restaurants that can compare to the cooking that I’ve tasted from my family. El Ranchito is definitely one of the FEW places with great, authentic Mexican food. Everything that I’ve tasted there is good. The service and atmosphere is great as well. Our server truly did all that he could and more to ensure we had an exceptional experience. Go check it out. I highly recommend this place.

Atmosphere was really nice, plenty of seating, pay @ the register. In house made corn tortillas that were great ! Wow… I tried the Menudo and was very impressed… I will definitely return cause, I wanna try the awesome looking fajitas for 2 that I seen on another table.

I would give El Ranchito another star, but it seems like there’s consistently something missing from my to-​go orders. To be fair, I will say that im including El Ranchito and their sister restaurant La Calle Doce.
My order tonight was missing a side so I called and was quickly told that I wasn’t charged for it. It just seemed like a quick response on a very busy night. i was also told that one of the plates I ordered had quacamole. That’s cool if it would’ve been my plate! They also said that they didn’t hear me say I wanted the quac. In the end, I just had to take their word for it bc they didn’t give me a receipt. My bad for not asking for it. I guess I’m just frustrated.
I advise that you always get your receipt and make sure everything is in your order.

Worst experience ever tonight, came to celebrate an uncles wedding everything was great at 1^st. and then we got kicked out of a room we weren’t even done eating. They rushed us out and wouldn’t let us eat in peace. I was a server for many ears and would never had been so rude to kick someone out, because another party was scheduled. They never told us in the beginning that we were given a certain amount of time, never once did they apologize…

The food is wonderful. An excellent dining experience. The wait staff is very attentive.

I have lived in Dallas most of my life, but sadly I am just starting to really begin «discovering» the Oak Cliff/​Bishop Arts area. One such recent find is a true gem, El Ranchito.
A family friend recommended that we try them and so we did. Between 8 of us, all but one being a first-​timer there, they were able to please all 8 of us! The food was delicious, the service was quick and friendly, and the prices on most dishes were pretty affordable. From traditional Mexican dishes to Tex-​Mex favorites, and even hamburgers, they are sure to have something that will please everyone.

Great, classic Dallas place for Mexican food. Came in under the guise of getting our typical fajitas or burrito, etc., but thanks to Francisco, we took him on his word, and tried the cabrito. So glad that we did. Extremely tender and flavorful! And even after we stated that we only wanted flour tortillas, he brought a few corn tortillas, imploring us to try them. Again, so glad we did.
So refreshing to have service from someone as passionate as Francisco. He really translated his emotions for this dish, and the memories he had from growing up in Monterey, Mexico. Great to have such a good story to accompany our meal.
Thank you

Winner! I am forever searching for a great Mexican restaurant, always disappointed but not this time! I loved everything about this place, from the old school décor and mariachi band, to the excellent service and food.
The menu offers authentic Mexican dishes as well as Tex Mex favorites and a large variety of seafood options.
Our waitress was very knowledgable of the menu items and was very helpful in assisting with our orders.

Authentic in every possible way.
We ended up here on the suggestion of a friend who lives in Oak Cliff. He had previously brought friends from Mexico to this place, and thought we non-​Mexicans would enjoy it as well. ;)
First observation upon walking in: lots of Mexican patrons. Definitely a positive sign when looking for authenticity. ;)
Second, good Mexican beverages. It was busy when we arrived that Saturday night, so we first sat at the bar and had drinks. I tried the Pacifco (one of several Mexican beers available) and enjoyed it. My friends opted for margaritas and a spicy concoction that I can’t recall the name of. All good.
Third, yummy food in generous portions. I had the fried catfish filet, which came with enough fish for two people. The fish was flaky and yummy (I kinda believe anything’s good once you deep fry it). ;) We also helped my friend with the Parridilla, which was beef, chicken, shrimp, and sausage on a grill. We ate the Parridilla with awesome corn tortillas and guacamole (which had to be ordered separately). So good.
Finally, the entertainment: mariachi! There was a mariachi group playing music for patrons who paid (which seemed kinda silly because even non-​paying patrons could listen to the music). Really set a fun, festive tone. The only downside was that it felt too loud at times, making dinner conversation a struggle.
What a fun place to eat Mexican food. I highly highly recommend.

This is how great love affairs start. Anticipation. Anxiety. Excitement. These are the emotions I felt upon entering El Ranchito. It looks good from the exterior: handsome, established, lots of character. It’s just my type.
El Ranchito continued to impress me throughout the night. Delicious, fresh and spicy salsa — why, yes. Thank you very much. The margaritas are massive, or as I like to say, «drunk in a glass». It’s a $ 9 ‘rita, and worth every tequila soaked penny.
My fella had the mole enchiladas, and they were spectacular. The mole has a very rich, deep, flavor. He is a Santa Fe food snob, and he was extremely impressed with the mole. I had the combination fajitas, and they were tasty.
Our server was attentive and checked on us often. As we were walking out after dinner, a bus-​boy ran after us with the to-​go box we forgot on the table. That kind of chivalry is rare now-​a-​days.
As if El Ranchito hadn’t already sealed the deal, the TV in the corner was playing the CONCACAF Gold Cup game.
As we left, I turned to my guy and told him I’d found another love. He said he was OK with it.

Came here with a pretty big party and we were seated almost immediately. The food was actually pretty authentic, I’m very picky when it comes to Mexican food and this was good. Portion sizes were large. The Agua de horchata tasted good as well, some places don’t make it quite as good. I had Camarones enchipotlados I believe was the name and my husband had a parrillada. Service was good and they even brought us arroz con leche for dessert. I would recommend it if you’re looking for some legit Mexican food.

After reading about this restaurant in American Airlines magazine, I had to try it and compare with the dozens of other Tex Mex places in DFW. Everything tasted freshly made with bold flavors and nothing bland! One of the best!
The frozen mango margaritas are a must! After seeing repetitive photos of them on Unilocal,it was clear they must be a favorite and wow, were those reviewers right! They are huge and yummy, not syrup tasting.
Their salsa is spicy, but house made and delicious!!! I cannot say FRESH enough!
Cheese enchiladas, out-​of-​the-​oven warm tortillas, rich beans and rice, thick sugar crystal sopapillas, it was all amazing!
It’s a casual restaurant, and we saw everything from casual to business people eating there.
The margarita was $ 10, lunch enchiladas $ 8, and sopapillas $ 5 for two of them. It has a small parking lot next to it, not a valet type of place.
The waitress we had spoke little English, but was very kind and attentive, so be patient with them!
Love it!

I have FINALLY discovered the secret to eating authentic Tex-​Mex in the DFW!
Craving some authentic Tex-​Mex, and not wanting to drive down all the way to Houston to eat at my grandmother’s table, I did the next best thing. I Unilocaled best Mexican restaurants in Oak Cliff. I don’t know why I haven’t thought of this before. Many options were available, but I finally settled on trying out El Ranchito.
As soon as I walked in, I knew I made an excellent choice. The colors on the wall, the people dining there, the mariachis… everything was what I was used to dining with my parents as a child. We were promptly brought out salsa, which was delicious. It had chunks of onion and cilantro in it, which I more than appreciated. I wish more places did this.
I settled on getting combination fajitas, and my girlfriend got the Pedro Infante. When our food was brought out, I was jumping with excitement in my chair when I smelled the tortillas. I know, I know, I have a sizzling platter of chicken and beef in front of me, but all I could think about was how good those tortillas were going to be. I was not disappointed. They were fresh, delicious, and the absolute perfect medium for the meat. The beans are cooked in lard and the guacomole was spot on. I sampled a bit of my girlfriend’s plate, and the tomatillo sauce on the chicken enchilada was up there with the best I’ve had.
I walked away satisfied and can’t wait to try out more places in the area. If you are craving real Tex-​Mex, and appreciate a good tortilla when you taste one, you must come here. I knocked this place one star, only because I thought it was a tad expensive compared to other restaurants, especially given the area it’s in. The food is 5 stars though.

Pros
Baby goat as an option for tacos
Free sopa pilla with two entrees
Orchata was spectacular
Cons
Fatty goat which was over sauced