Mi Rancho Taco Shop Numero Uno

Tacos! Coming from the North East coast, where you don’t find taco shops very often, this place was a beautiful intro to real tacos! At first you look at the place and it looks pretty strange on account that it’s in an older plaza, but that doesn’t stop this place from throwing down some great tacos! I had the Carne Asada taco with some poco de gallo, cilantro, habanero, tomatoes, and guacamole, and it made my tastebuds dance! My second taco was a shrimp taco, which was definitely a first for me. This shrimp taco made me look at every other taco as if they were the most basic things on this earth. This shrimp taco had the most splendid flavor that anyone can ask for in a $ 5 plate of lunch. Not only was the shrimp cooked to perfection, but the sauces used and vegetables placed were so perfectly orchestrated that it made me want to go back again and again to see if they made it the same way each time. I loved it!

For food is always delicious. I love their shrimp burritos. Don’t use the restroom please.

Some of the best fish tacos on earth. Cash only. Killer salsa bar. A must go to. If you are in the area. Please go.

The food was blah! I wanted to order the #4 combo but with chicken instead she told me I couldn’t do that because tacos were pre-​made even though they also sell chicken tacos. Problem #2 they have a sign on the soda machine that says only one free refill per visit! Are you kidding me?! Problem #3 I ended up ordering the chicken fajitas and it was subpar. A lot of meat but you get not even a spoonful of lettuce, and only one slice of tomato but 5 corn shells. So I proceeded to ask for cheese and she said there was a charge. I’m thinking its going to be maybe $ 0.50 at the most nope $ 2.30! No thanks and it was only for a spoonful! They clearly have lost their marbles! Do not go here unless you’re in a crunch for time and need something quick. I thought it was funny to that under the burger section it says «plane» instead of «plain». Made me chuckle so I guess that’s my one positive!

I had to sigh a couple of times after eating here with disappointment for a number of reasons. I came in for breakfast and ordered the breakfast machaca plate combo with corn tortillas, and the first thing I notice was that the eggs were not well scrambled, so I knew I was in for a long morning (
).
Now, the machaca meat tasted pretty good and was juicy, and I liked the tender onions and green peppers (
), but I could not get over the the uneven cooked and over done eggs. There large portions of egg white and then dried yolk portions which I found not very attractive nor appealing to eat (
). As a result, I spent some time eating around them. I can’t understand how some one can be so careless during the machaca’s preparation to not being able to properly scramble eggs. Nevertheless, I did the best I could with the four warm corn tortillas they gave me to make some tacos with added salsa (
).
The beans were okay and were seasoned well, but the tortilla chips were stale so I did not eat them (
). The Mexican rice was probably the best thing on the plate with its nice flavor and fluffy looseness (
). I really wished they would of not put the guacamole on the plate because it had a darker color and lacked that fresh quality flavor, not to mention it had just to much going on with other ingredients (
). When eat guacamole, I want to taste the avocados, not just the onions and tomatoes.
To sum it up, please scramble your eggs better and don’t over cook them, don’t serve stale chips, and provide freshly made guacamole. Another words, pay attention to details…

My coworker and I happen to see this restaurant when we were looking for a place to eat for lunch. There was a Subway next door, but I usually pick the local restaurants over a franchise when Im in a new town. I tried the chimichanga simply because there was a huge pic of it on the menu and I was too lazy to peruse the entire menu. I also ordered a horchata. The chimichanga was big, topped with fresh salsa, guac and sour cream. The outside was crispy and the inside was filled with carne asada. It was delicious and it definitely help me power through the second half of my shift.
Oh, and the cashier kind of resembled a Mexican Olivia Munn. haha

Great. Would of been five stars if the menudo had hominy in it. Watch out for the crack heads outside.

I don’t know any taco shop that adds lettuce in their quesadillas. As I am eating and I start feeling a crunch I just left sick to my stomach. In addition why the hell does their guacamole consist of SO MANY tomatoes. It was very difficult to taste the avacado.
My boyfriend had the California burrito which was made just WRONG.
We will definitely not ever come back to this taco shop again. We’ll just stick to Los Panchitos down the street.

Very expensive. Not very clean. And the staff is somewhat rude. They get very upset if you grab a lot of condiments… but if you are having a large meal it seems appropriate. The a/​c does not work. And when they brought out my food there was a long curly pubic looking hair .Can’t say I’ll be back ever

Went here to pick up some burritos for lunch. Service was «ok» in a sense that the lady thought i’m ordering 22 carne asada burritos, she called a younger lady to double check which is good and they finally entered the right amount. Place is a normal mexican cafeteria not too clean and not too dirty, tv was loud so it adds up to the laguage barrier and can cause miscommunication. Downside to this place: they don’t accept cards so it’s cash only policy but they do have an atm machine inside which charges your card an additional fee.
Ample parking space, they have tables outside, fast service for an order of 20 burritos and the carne asada burrito was great (meat was juicy)

Good hole in the wall, quick and cheap. I had the California burrito and crane asada nachos. The meat was good — tender and grilled well, but lacked flavor. The nacho cheese, beans, and guacamole are almost tasteless, resulting in a large mush on both dishes. But the salsas and tortillas were above average. Plus you get a TON of food. If you like a lot of bang for your buck and don’t mind drowning everything in sauce to add flavor (the dark red salsa is outstanding) this is a great spot.

Been coming here for over 6 years. Always good and consistent. Best in SD? Nah… but Damn good. Bring cash… And don’t be scared to come to the hood, we won’t bite.

Just had the most amazing, stomach filling rice burrito you can ever imagine!!! I had actually ordered the shrimp burrito though lol! Had to drop you one star. I do recommend the Campechana though and the Carnitas burrito «con todo»

I go to this taco shop quite often as they have great bean & cheese burrito. However, there customer service is terrible speaking only Spanish and giving attitude. For example, tonight I had to use the restroom REALLY BAD (yes, I am a customer) and they said I couldn’t use it. A lady spoke broken English and said I can’t. I didn’t understand what she said and then she said, «because I just cleaned the restroom.» I was pretty shocked by an employee telling me I couldn’t use there restroom because they had just cleaned it and again I am a paying customer. Plus, it was only 8:30pm. So, I repeated what she said and she still had her attitude and then motion to the cashier to tell me in English that I couldn’t use it because they just cleaned it. Duh! You clean restrooms, people use them, and then you clean them again.
In addition, put away all the hot sauces already and told me to go back to the kitchen myself and get them. Really? What kind of Mexican Shop is this. Very disappointed with this shop and I would recommend going to Church’s chicken next door.

I’m surprised this place has so many good reviews. There are so many mouthwatering Mexican restaurants in SD, but this is not one of the best, to be sure. My only guess is that it’s close to base, so its a last resort if you want Mexican food but you don’t have time to go further. Or, maybe I should have ordered a carne asada taco or sope like other people are raving about.
I was craving carne asada tacos but didn’t have a lot of time during lunch. I work on base so I quickly drove over to pick up some food. First I ordered 3 carne asada tacos but the cashier said that was over $ 9. I thought that was really pricey, I guess I’m just used to tacos being cheaper? So I decided to get a carne asada burrito instead, which was like $ 6.50. Weird, huh? I thought the salsa bar was nice, I like being able to take different kinds of salsa, in case the flavor is bland.
I ended up using all the salsas, because the burrito was strangely bland. The carne asada did not taste flavored, like it had no salt in it. I asked for sour cream in my burrito, but even that didn’t flavor it up much. I’ll probably try a sope or taco next time, if I ever come back here.

LOVE this little place! No frills, super huge portions and the carne asada is soooo tender and tasty. I really appreciate a burrito that is not stuffed full of fillers like beans and rice. Unless I am ordering a bean burrito, I want my tortilla full of the good stuff!
This place is tiny, in a sketchy strip mall and it can get pretty warm inside… but it’s all about the comida (and the people watching can be amusing).

LOVE IT! My husband introduced me to this place because its near his work and we now go there once in a while.
The carne asada fries are awesome! it comes with nacho cheese sauce which makes it special. And they are very generous with their toppings.
The rolled tacos are yummy! LOADED with guacamole and cheese .
Always coming back to this place =]

I have been coming here for over 10 years and will hopefully go for another 10.
The California Burrito is simply amazing. The Carne Asada Fries are delicious. Everything is authentic and out of this world. The best Mexican food ever.
Don’t bother going to any of the other taco shops; nothing even comes close.

I eat here almost every week since it’s right near my work. Well, make that twice a week since I always have leftovers. Portions are huge especially considering the price!
Carne asada anything here is delicious. Try the chimichonga. it’s h.u.g.e.
Ultimate favorite: the shrimp burrito! It’s got a magical white sauce and they don’t skimp on the shrimp.
Bonus: FULLY STOCKED SALSA BAR!!!
Minus one only because it’s cash only and parking is super tricky at lunch time.

Mi Rancho Taco Shop is located in a shopping center that includes a donut shop, laundromat, advance payday store, cell phone shop (all with bars over the windows and doors) and a Church’s Fried Chicken. There’s also a «Pimp Ur Ride» shop that features rapper Xzibit (he used to host a show on MTV called «Pimp My Ride») on a banner near the street. I wonder if he knows that his image is being used? Anyway, instead of asking to have my ride pimped I asked Mi Rancho to pimp my burritos.
Mi Rancho (
) is cash only but features the most high-​tech ATM machine that I’ve ever seen in a taco shop before. Usually the ones I’ve seen look pretty old and the internal parts are probably hamster-​driven. They have a bug zapper hanging near the salsa bar which I guess is working since I didn’t notice any uninvited guests flying around. Speaking of uninvited guests, I tried three different burritos which I’d like to tell you about if you don’t mind.
Their breakfast burrito (# 90 —
) is one of those «thick-​ass» ones I keep telling you about. Nice equal amount of ingredients with fully-​cooked bacon is always a good sign to me. 4 stars.
Their carne asada burrito (with beans and cheese only # 73 —
) was only ok which bummed me out because I thought this place would be an OG taco shop with OG carne asada. I am a white boy, so take that into consideration. No raised eyebrows with a nodding head here — 3 stars.
Their pollo asado burrito (with beans and cheese only # 28 —
) is another PLUMP work of art. A 70 – 30 chicken mix (in favor of breast meat) that was delicious and was only helped with excellent beans. 4 stars.
As my Grandfather used to yell at the girls whenever we visited the beach, «Pimpin’ Ain’t Eazy!» While it might not have been easy for him, Mi Rancho shows that it is when it comes to offering good carne asada and great breakfast/​pollo asado burritos.