El Rancho

Prices aren't too bad and the servings aren't too shabby. Nice flavorful beans, the shrimp had a great flavor as well, needed a little more Verde sauce but yummy! I liked that they didn't skimp on how much shrimp used as well. Husband likes his enchiladas as well, the flavor became more developed as he dug in. The place was clean, but she needs a scrub down.

Tried this place tonight and had a mixed experience. The service was actually pretty good—we were seated quickly, our order was taken right away, and most of the food came out in a reasonable amount of time. The only delay was with the tortillas. Unfortunately, the food itself didn’t live up to expectations. The carnitas had a texture and flavor that reminded me of Spam, and the chips and salsa were pretty underwhelming. For the price, I expected better quality and flavor. I’m not sure if this is a family-owned business, but if it is, I hope they take feedback like this seriously. With a few improvements to the food quality, this place could be much better.

I had a beef enchilada. I was passing through this town and didn't know what to expect. It was the only place open on Christmas eve day. Surprisingly, it was very delicious. The ground beef was embedded in a savory sauce and not greasy at all - very flavorful! I recommend this place!

Good service. Below average food and portions. I got the fajitas and it was mostly onions. And it tasted off, not bad, but not the usual spices. Husband got the taco salad and thought it was small and greasy (see photo) but it tasted fine.

Always an excellent time and place to be

Nice place in a good location downtown. My brother and I stopped for lunch. I ordered a cadillac margarita and Carne asada. My brother ordered a ground beef enchilada. Great favor on asada and really good enchilada! I recommend stopping in of your in the area.

Don't pass up this restaurant for a fast food place. The service here is as fast as a fast food place. Also, the food is delicious with many options. The chips are warm and the salsa is mild to medium spicy. I stop through this city often on a drive but never stopped here before and I am glad that I did. It is a wonderful, family - owned - restaurant.

This was not very good Mexican food. There really was no flavor in the food. We ordered the spicy Camerones Bacon for $19.99. It was chunks of shrimp with bacon in a boiled BBQ sauce. All you could taste was the vinegar from the sauce. For my meal, I ordered the Carne Asada Quesadillas with rice and beans. It was bland but edible. My husband ordered enchiladas with rice and beans...he said it had no flavor. Also, if you finished the small bowl of salsa and chips, you had to pay $2.75 for a refill. The waiter, young man, and waitress did not ever smile one time. It just wasn't very welcoming and the food wasn't good. I will not go there again and don't recommend it. I gave two stars because they were open.

No lunch specials noted on the menu, so you gotta call and ask if you want a to go order? Huh... Small portions for what you pay. Subpar to average quality of food at the very best. If you're super hungry and don't want to go 15-20 minutes into Aberdeen or 12 minutes to Elma, you've been warned. I will only go to El Ranchon in Elma, if I'm in East County. This place is definitely not worth the price of what they charge.

I've been here multiple times and it never disappoints the food is amazing, and theyhe service is great!

This was 8 o'clock dinner in a new town. We went simple, Renellos n beans n rice. A first for me, instead of being batter dipped and cheese filled, he wraps the Serrano chilies in a egg crepe' that is cheese topped. Almost a breakfast in concept. He said people didn't like the old style so this is what he invented. Ok for once, but I like traditional. The beans and rice were excellent.

Always a go to when in town. Great margaritas and excellent food and service, even when crowded. Large restaurant so rarely much of a wait, even on rodeo weekend.

Honestly the staff here is superb and extremely attentive. Did well for a decent sized group and was extremely accommodating. All of our food tasted great, but please be prepared for way smaller than normal portion sizes compared to other places you go. The prices will reflect those small portions thankfully, but I wasn't expecting that. My carne asada was probably one of the most flavorful I've had, but so small, lacked most condiments you'd normally find (sour cream, lettuce , pico) to build onto the tortillas.

Called in a to go order on our way home from a long day of baseball. One order of chicken fajitas (to share, which from most restaurants is still too much), two extra tortillas, and a side of sour cream. Picked them up, got home, and laughed out loud when we saw what we got for $27.20. Approximately one cup of fajitas, 1/4 cup rice, 1/4 cup beans, and a couple of tablespoons of brown gacamole. $19.99 for the fajitas, $2.99 for the sour cream, and $1.00 for each extra tortilla, which were definitely not needed. To top it off, the quality of the food was sub-par. Tried this place several years ago and were disappointed. Nothing has changed.

Food is getting expensive in all restaurants so we really expect really good food for our money. I would say the food is OK. Then they charged a dollar each for the to go containers.

There was an unmasked employee working out in dining room conversing with customers and the restaurant was seated at well over 25% capacity. They are not taking Covid precautions seriously at all. Food was fine and service was good.

If you're in Montesano or the surrounding areas (my folks live in Aberdeen, about 5 minutes away) and you're looking for good Mexican food, check out El Rancho. This is a wonderful family-owned spot right down the main drag in Montesano. Their Cadillac margarita is excellent, and they don't hold back on the tequila, which is always a bonus. Their salsa is very clearly made fresh in-house and it's a great way to start a visit with their warm chips. My go-to here is the combo plate with the taco, enchilada, and burrito. The chicken is always moist, white meat chicken. I always get the shredded beed burrito, and it's always a very high quality beef. In fact, sometimes it seems like straight up carne asada chunks, but either ways always very good. Also love that the rice and beans are delicious. Sometimes you get rice that is very dry and very obviously old, not here. It's been moist and hot every time. Minus one star for a very confusing reason: on dishes that should typically use cotija cheese, they instead use parmesan. Now, if you've ever looked at a world map, you know that Mexico is very far away from Italy, so why parmesan? We asked the waitress and she said it is a similar cheese and there isn't enough demand. Which is strange because most other Mexican restaurants I've been to garnish the refried beans with cotija cheese. Given that there's a supermarket literally right across the street, it is a little off-putting that an Italian cheese is substituted for a classic Mexican cheese. Not a huge deal though, and everything else is so amazing that I'll be back many times!

I feel bad for this review, mainly because the owners and the workers are super nice, great people. However, I am surprised anyone pays to eat here. Both the food and ambiance are completely lackluster. The interior is very outdated- and not clean. There is paneling on the walls that resembles an older mobile- and dusty decorations throughout. The fajitas were primarily onions. The rest of what you see was either overcooked and dry- or mushy and tasteless. There's really nothing even mediocre going on here. Welp, that's it.

Food was very good, service was excellent. We will definitely be coming back. It's definitely nice to find some decent Mexican food. Give it a try!!

The food was nice, as was the service. The guacamole was excellent, a highlight of the meal for sure. Prices were reasonable. If you're in the mood for Mexican, this is the place to go.

Love the food and the service is wonderful the flavors of the food taste authentic and the drinks are amazing thank you for a wonderful service and making my experience amazing.

I am blown away, and I do NOT mean in a good way. By all that is holy: order ye not the "vegetarian burrito." That term has been absolutely mangled in the hands of these people. You would have to be some sort of masochistic extremist vegan to consider this a burrito. No beans! No rice! No cheese! One thing only: soggy grilled vegetables, and even those are bad! Broccoli, carrots and water chestnuts?! Are you out your dang mind? Word to the wise, Rancho: VEGETARIANS EAT RICE. AND BEANS. AND GUACAMOLE. God help me I was even expecting sour cream and cheese. Don't be fooled by the offer of "vegetarian options," the better option would have been to go hungry. All right that's an exaggeration. They're getting two stars instead of one because I DID eat all of it, so it met the definition of "edible," and no one was a jerk to me. But dude please: 1) at least call this travesty a "vegan" burrito and 2) don't punish me for not ordering meat for once in my dang life. I'm not even vegetarian, I wouldn't have cared if there was lard in the beans. The final insult? TWENTY BUCKS! El Rancho you have degraded us both. Hang your head sir*. *and/or ma'am

Been there a couple times and thought the food was pretty bland and mid-grade at best. Noticed during those times that the two people working there , which I assumed were the owners, weren't wearing any face coverings during the 2020 pandemic. Then months later I saw their "Let's Go Brandon" sign in the front window. Now I'll never return. Way to alienate an entire demographic over something as stupid as politics. Meh.

Rude owner. Slow service. Typical generic Mexican food. But hey, that's all we have to choose from.

I hate giving bad reviews but this place sucked. Not only did they say bad things about us LOUDLY thinking that we didn't know Spanish but the food was also not good. The first time we visited it was ok but I will never return here again.

Our family of 7 went on a Monday during lunch . It was super quiet. The server a young man was patient and did a great job! The food was very good! My husband ordered a chimichanga and asked if they could make it spicy ! The accommodated both of us on a spicier option ! I ordered the pork burrito . I wish they had used a fattier part of the pork but it still had tons of flavor ! It was especially good with the added charred jalapeño.

This is my Favorite Mexican place ever. Love the employees. Love the food. Flavored margaritas are my favorite. The shrimp fajita burrito is the bom

I've lived in Montesano for four years and have dined at El Rancho once. What surprises me is that a restaurant that is so clearly mediocre would feel it makes sense to post political signs. In addition, although technically the "brandon" statement isn't vulgar, we all know what it's saying, very low brow guys. Good luck with that weak food AND alienating at least 50% of your audience.

If I could give negative stars I would. When we first walked in, first time being here, we got scowls from all the workers there. When seated, we were all given children's sizes glasses of water. Between getting our water and getting our order taken was about 20 minutes. The prices were not pleasant. Fajitas were $14.25, which is a little much for the portion and taste. We ordered sodas and got them about 15 minutes after we got our food. They completely forgot about us. I had to flag him down to get our check. Then while waiting to pay, we waited another 20 minutes to just get out of there. Absolutely so horrible! Do not recommend!!

Great place for lunch or dinner, to go out as a family or meet up with a group. Good food, yummy drinks and friendly staff!

Excellent food and portion sizes, and all at reasonable prices. I recommend the nachos!

Came in and got some food with my family. Server was not friendly. Ordered the carne asada and it was the worst I've ever had. It was a little piece of burnt meat. It was crunchy when I ate it. We also ordered the fajitas which were mostly undercooked onions with no flavor and about 4 pieces of meat. For the money I spent, you'd think it would have been better. Will not be going back. Has went down hill.

Decent food, generous portions, and fast. Good price for the food you get. Great family dinner or lunch stop.

Absolutely Horrible! I've lived in Montesano about 4 years. My wife and I have eaten at every local food place there is. They've all been steadily declining. Just today, and for the Last time, we're done with El Rancho! For some reason, they can NEVER get our order right. Sub standard ingredients, watery beef, tasteless rice and beans, hung up on us when we tried to let them know that we didn't get what we ordered. They charged us 30 dollars for a 3 beef enchilada plate with a single enchilada with a salad. Simple! but we couldn't get the meat choice we ordered, let alone the salad dressing we ordered. There's no way we're going back to take their disrespect and attitude. What happened to the customer service, the product excellence? I mean, it's Mexican food for Christ sake! How difficult can that be to make? They don't wear hair nets, they don't wear masks, their prawns are hard, sandy and tasteless with no sauce they were made in. Damn!

Have you ever tasted magic? You will if you eat here! We were just driving through and I am so happy we stopped in. Fast, friendly service, and the best house made salsa I've had in Washington so far. Flavored margaritas made with fresh fruit you can actually taste! I'm 100% willing to make the two hour drive to come back here. Be nice! Because these guys are pros.

I'm not sure what they were trying for. Seems extra Americanized for the region. I had the carnitas but it was just sliced pork roast done fajitas style (overcooked with onions and peppers). Kinda underseasoned. Won't be back. Not saying I won't finish it, though.

Decided to stop here on my way down US-12. I ordered Chicken Flautas (in the dinner part of the menu, which would have cost $12-$14). The food server asked me if I wanted the "lunch" size (didn't know it was there) for $8.75. I appreciated this! I requested NO BEANS on the Flautas. Well, someone other than the person who took my order brought my lunch to me, and obviously didn't get the message that I didn't want beans. I asked for a clean plate (as in, "please don't just scrape the beans off) and it appears they complied with this request. The flautas were.... ok....... The rice tasted kind of funny. Maybe the water in Montesano that you cook the rice in does this, who knows. I have to comment on the salsa. I have a finely tuned palate for determining if the salsa is made with fresh tomatoes or cheated with tomato sauce. It was definitely "cheated" tomato sauce, but it was pretty good. Chips were warm and pretty good, made me wonder if they make their own chips. No place to park an RV, unless you turn in on a side street and walk over. This restaurant is in downtown Montesano. Street parking only. I came here in a car.

I had a traveling job in the Imperial Valley in 1973. In each town we'd seek out the Mexican restaurant, and every night I'd order Chile Rellenos, and wow, every night I'd get a different dish! red sauce, green sauce, brown sauce, with eggs, without eggs, and since relleno means "stuffed" - always a surprise - cheese? pork? chicken?. I'd stopped buying Chile Rellenos because lately it's the same dish, taken out of the freezer, mass produced. So I was pleased to find out that at El Rancho, a REAL cook makes a handmade Relleno on site, and mine was great. Going Low Carb? You can have a plate of scallops or prawns, onions, mushrooms and red and green peppers.

The last two times we have eaten at the El Rancho in Montesano, the food has been less than just okay! The chips were stale, the place was freezing cold and very cluttered and dirty. We will not be making the mistake of going back again!

Stopped on our way home from the ocean, and so glad we did! This place is awesome. The food was delicious, and the service was excellent! My daughter was tired and started not feeling well, and our waiter was so understanding and accommodating. Definitely will go back my next time passing through!!

Was named the city's Best Business in 2013 by the local chamber. I love the fajitas and the chimichangas. They make their own chips and their own salsa -- and it's good stuff. Locally owned with a great reputation and great service. They offer lunch specials.

For lunch I ordered the carne asada special... It sucked and I will not eat there ever again. The food actually taste stale. And the restroom was filthy. I don't mean to be mean, just honest... Never again!

Great food. Fast service. Everything I had was great and the kids agreed. The spinach enchiladas were awesome and they are usually hard to come by. The rice and beans were also great. Even the chips and salsa were really good.

Hard to understand the positive reviews here. The food is so mediocre. Very flavorless. I ordered the Tacos El Carbon. The corn tortillas were clearly frozen and thawed but never cooked. The refried beans were so thin and watery they were inedible. One of our guests asked for double rice instead of the rice and beans. She was charged an additional $4.00 for this swap on a $10.00 meal? We weren't drinking which may be the reason others found the food to be good? Maybe after a couple of margaritas but we will not be returning.

Incredible food! Eduardo is the best waiter, such great tasting food! Must try the spicy bacon wrapped shrimp as an appetizer.

For lunch, I ordered the carne asada and it was quite delicious. I ate every bite of the steak, rice and whole beans and guacamole. I also ordered a side of steamed broccoli. All of my food was very fresh. The staff were kind and the food arrived quickly. The salsa was really good. The restaurant and bathroom were clean. We were travelling from the ocean back to Seattle and I'm glad we stopped here for lunch.

I don't want to offend anyone; but this is not authentic Mexican food. I think I've had more authentic Mexican food from Taco Bell. Most people who grew up without access to good Mexican restaurants probably think this place is just great, but really it's really kind of sad. The servers are friendly enough and what not , but it's just kind of sad. someone needs to go back there show them how to cook Real Mexican food.

Sadly since new owners took over this place is not good, food was so bad I couldn't even finish eating it :( Won't return ever again, food not even close to good as before.

When we walked into the restaurant the cook and the waiter(or owner) were both sitting at a table on their phones . I heard a "sigh" when we stood there and than the waiter (or owner) reluctantly got up and sat us a table, gave us water and a few chips and said right back down on his phone. He finally took our order (there was only one table besides us. Served a fajita, my husband said it was ok and my enchillada was ok. husband stood at the till and both cook and waiter(or owner) finally looked up from their phones and came to the till again acting like it was an inconvenience. AND as fast as possible sat right back down to play on their phones. sorry to take you away from your (candy crush)

El Rancho has the best refried beans and carne asada ever. Whenever we eat at another mexican restaurant it never compares.

Love coming here whenever I'm in town- just can't get great tex-mex like this in Seattle, try the fajitas.

Staff was Courteous they just have an extremely limited selection when it comes to food .

There's really no other decent Mexican options nearby, so it works for Monte I suppose. The food is generic Mexican food, and we have had a couple of good dinners here. I would recommend staying away for lunch, though. I ordered a bean and cheese burrito, and my daughter got a kids burrito. The plates and burritos/portions were the same size, even though I ordered and was charged for a regular meal. It was seriously the tiniest little burrito I've ever seen. Not impressed. The service is good and the staff is pretty great, though.

We were in town for the annual Christmas parade and had some time to kill. We chose this place as we were lucky enough to get parking close by. The building is older and as such could use a bit more work than a fresh coat of paint. The bathrooms are seriously tiny, dark and not well ventilated. When we were seated my wife had to switch chairs because she feared it was going to fall apart on her. You're probably wondering why I've given them 4 stars by now. Well the service is very top notch. We were seated quickly, the menus could use a slightly larger font and the part that surprised me was the small pitcher of water to refill our water glasses. I assumed at that point the waitress would be mostly absent but I was wrong. They came and went at fairly regular intervals and our food arrived just stupid fast. I was amazed at how fast it got to us once the orders were placed. The food itself was pretty good... Possibly just short of great. The portion size was good but on the small side for the price. Take what I've said and the star rating into account if your going to visit.

Great food, generous servings, polite staff. And when they say spicy, they actually mean it! Definitely worth a stop if you're in the area.

They have a great vegetarian burrito. It had good flavor and more veggies than one would expect.

Hands down the best restaurant in Montesano. Their camarones el mojo de ajo is amazing. And their chimichangas are to die for. They are a little more pricey.