La Rancherita

La Rancherita – 3/5 Stars The food at La Rancherita is truly amazing—delicious, fresh, and full of flavor. When we dined in, the waiter was very friendly, and overall, the service was great. However, the experience was a bit disappointing the night before. We arrived 25 minutes before closing, expecting to get a quick bite, but were turned away without service, which felt unwelcoming. Especially when other places, like The Cheesecake Factory, were happy to seat us even later. So while the food and staff are excellent, the handling of late arrivals could be improved. A little more flexibility and hospitality would have made all the difference.

Great food - as usual. We had a group of six so the server knew that she would be getting a 20% gratuity. The service was not good. I ordered the Tirras di Pollo. The flavors were fantastic! My wife got the Steak Quesadilla. She will be having the rest of her meal for lunch the next day. The chips and salsa were flavorful.

Had an awesome dinner at La Rancherita in Crabtree. The vibe was super chill and welcoming, and the staff was really friendly and on top of everything. Could be great for casual dinner, date night or celebrating a special occasion. We started with chips and salsa (fresh and addicting), We had the choripollo, enchiladas verdes, and chicken tortilla soup — everything was delicious and full of flavor with very generous portions. Also… the margaritas? 10/10. If you're in the area and craving Mexican food, this place is definitely worth a visit. It was only 5 mins from the Embassy Suites where we were staying and Marriot.

The food was DELICIOUS here!!! Service was excellent, the food came out fresh hot and fast. The pineapple jalapeno margarita hit the spot on a hot summer day. If you are visiting when in the Raleigh area, I highly recommend this place 🤤😋

First time doing a takeout order. The food overall was great and would order again or even come in for a dine in service. Ordered the chile queso shrimp, order of chicken and shrimp quesadillas and one order of the chicken rolls.

If you're looking for a Mexican restaurant with good food and big portions, this is the place to go. I got the arroz con pollo, and it was huge! I had lots of leftovers to take home. I opted out of getting peppers on it but did get onions. I did think the onions would be smaller, so I might not get it with onions again. The queso was also very good, and they gave each of us our own salsa, which was nice. The service was great. The booth seemed to be a little tight, but it was manageable. I would definitely come here again!

I have been here a couple times with my family and the food is always awesome! No matter what I've ordered it always has a ton of flavor. The most recent visit I got the king charlie fajitas and each meat was cooked perfectly, and again so much flavor!! I would highly recommend this place if you're looking for some tasty Mexican food! Long Charlie Fajitas - 8.5/10

This feels like every Mexican restaurant ever, decorated exactly as you'd imagine, and playing the same vaguely pleasant music in the background. It's not an exciting experience, but there's a certain charm in it's familiarity. The service is good, though, the free chips & salsa taste fresh, and the prices are fair ($15 a lunch per person seems to be the average - before drinks). I wasn't crazy about the fried plantains on every plate and neither was my lunch companion, but that's on us. The menu clearly stated that plantains were part of our orders, like it or not. I only wish there was a substitution available. Still and all, worth it

Great place for both takeout and dining in! The drinks come in fun glasses and are always tasty. The chips and salsa are fresh. Pro tip: get the cheese dip! The decor is great and the inside is always clean. My boyfriend gets the king ranch burrito and it's massive! Can easily feed two for a great price. I've tried multiple menu items but I specifically love their enchilada sauce. Their combos make it easy to have a bit of everything. Overall, no complaints about the food or service. We consistently come back here.

Great Food- HUGE dishes. Great Service, very nice ambiance. First time in and did not disappoint. We will be back.

This place is worth the stop. Great service at the bar, good food, fast, delicious, and friendly. Can't ask for much more.... Ok you got me. Yes, the beer was cold and and served in a frozen mug.

If you're looking for a Mexican restaurant with good food and big portions, this is the place to go. I got the arroz con pollo, and it was huge! I had lots of leftovers to take home. I opted out of getting peppers on it but did get onions. I did think the onions would be smaller, so I might not get it with onions again. The queso was also very good, and they gave each of us our own salsa, which was nice. The service was great. The booth seemed to be a little tight, but it was manageable. I would definitely come here again!

Was staying in Raleigh on a work trip and had a craving for Mexican food, which led me to La Rancherita. I found the ambiance inside to be welcoming and provided a nice atmosphere. My server Yessenia was very kind and checked up on me multiple times while I ate. I ordered the steak and chicken fajitas which hit the SPOT. The meat was flavorful and cooked perfectly so it was still tender and not tough. The food was incredibly fresh, high quality, and the portions were enormous. You really get your money's worth, which is always a welcome occurrence nowadays. I definitely enjoyed my experience here and would recommend it to travelers and locals alike!

Out of towner here and if you are staying close by this is a must try place. quesabarria tacos are amazing

Such Great people! We like to eat at the bar- the bartender is awesome always gets our food and drinks correct. The food is plentiful and delicious. The place is clean. One thing they need to think about is what they are showing on the TV's over the bar - there was a police show lots of shooting and killing, blood and gunfire.

La Rancherita is bueno. It's bright and cheerful inside. I was impressed. The staff is very friendly. Their margaritas are outstanding. They use fresh squeezed orange juice in the margaritas. The food portion size is massive. I ordered the fajita burrito. It's all the fixings of a fajita wrapped in a tortilla. It's was very good. Should have asked to have cheese added. We had a fun time atRancherita.

We walked in and were seated pretty quickly. I always check the vibe and there was quite a few kiddos so I knew we were in the right spot having our 5 year old with us. We quickly received chips and salsa. They chips weren't stale but the definitely had an extra crunch and the salsa was perfect. I personally was between the chicken/shrimp fajitas or the agave chipotle chicken tacos. Ultimately, I chose the tacos and boy am I glad. They had such great flavor even without the crema and cheese (boo lactose intolerance issues!). I will be dreaming of the sweet agave nectar on the top of the tacos for a long time. We will definitely come back since we are frequently in the Raleigh Durham area.

OMG!!!!! The food was AMAZING! Every single thing we had was seasoned to perfection - from the warm tortilla chips - to the salsa - to the entrees! This is hands down the best Mexican restaurant I have been to in the Triangle. Our waitress was sooooo friendly and patient. She gave great recommendations and was really knowledgeable about the menu. The vibe in this place was great too! There's even an upstairs dining area! To say we were pleased is an understatement!!! It was our first time there but it definitely won't be our last.

We can rely on a pleasant experience at the Crabtree location of La Rancherita. It's easy to have a conversation over background sounds, and the service is fast and friendly. The food is tasty, and portions are substantial. Over the decades, decor, food presentation and seasonings have matured with their local success and the rise of competition, while pricing has kept reasonable pace with Tex Mex popularity in the area. Following hard-to-resist chips and salsa, our table enjoyed two variations on the Fajita Burrito (with delicious next-day leftovers), ACP, and Lime Carne Asada. La Rancharita Crabtree was a great place to complete our holiday weekend.

Absolutely delicious steak fajitas!! Amazing portion sizes on everything from the fajitas to the margarita!! The service is always great and they are fantastic at refilling the chips and salsa. Definitely one of the best Mexican food spots in Raleigh!!

Came here with my girlfriend a while back. The atmosphere was very nice, were there for lunch, so it was quiet and comfortable. Everything was clean! The service was fast and friendly. The chip were great, but the salsa was sooo good! The food was great, large portions and lots of extra like sour cream, guac and extra salsa. Hard to beat for a quick lunch!

Bae I love youuuuu, you my everythinggg. If I wasn't trying to watch my weight, I'd be here every weekend. I love the upbeat atmosphere and the menu never misses...

The restaurant is nice but they had the ambiance music very loud. So it was hard to have a conversation. The servers were courteous and helpful. The food was average. We ordered tacos but they lacked flavor and the tortilla did not feel fresh. Also, the tortillas chips served at the beginning were too salty. It's okay if you want something to eat, but there are better Mexican restaurants.

WARNING DONT EAT HERE !!!!!Me and my wife had gone to the mall and then we decided to come here to eat and my wife ordered queso birria tacos and they were very oily and tasted off next thing was I didn't realize but in my cup of sweet tea that the waitress girl served me in had red lipstick on the edge like a woman had drank out of it, issue was I had already drank my sweet tea and later manager came over and explained that it happens a lot that because they have about 1000 cups and dirty cups get used very often so I told him that I wasn't going to pay for the nasty food and his nasty teas but I'll pay what I ate which we got a lime ceviche as a appetizer to share and he said again that a lot of the time the cups and plates and utensils at his restaurant that are used for paying customers are dirty and they can't do anything about that because there's so many cups and plates and utensils. This dirty scum bag said that there's lipstick that is 100% water proof and won't come off the cups and even with scrubbing hard it won't come off but I used a napkin to see if it was lipstick and it just came off like butter so he was and is a liar and my wife knows all about make up because of her previous managing position at a cosmetics store. ALSO MY WIFE WASNT EVEN WEARING LIPSTICK THAT DAY ! PLEASE HEAR ME OUT AND DONT COME HERE THIS PLACE IS NASTY AND THE BATHROOMS WERE SMELLING BAD LIKE SEWAGE

First off, and most importantly, the food was great. We had the chicken rolls starter which was surprisingly light. I had the burrito Al Pastor. Apart from being a bit too large.. the flavors were right on. I particularly liked the generous pineapple. Fajitas were better than average and carnitas enchiladas also solid. A bit surprised by the wait given how empty the mall was.. but their estimates of when we would be seated were right on. Contrary to some of the negative reviews, the servers were prompt and friendly. Decorations are cool as well.

We came to Raleigh for the weekend and looked for something near our hotel. This place had great food, service, and prices!

Food is decent but way overpriced for what you're getting. We decided to grab their dip sampler and got some super small thing that was like $11 and the cheese and other dip had a dried film from it sitting out to long so not sure how long that was sitting before it even got to the table. Then the margs are way over priced and we had to send one back because it tasted like melted water. Had no flavor at all. The biggest thing I'd say is the prices here need to be lowered for the experience and quality of food you're getting. We wouldn't recommend and won't be back.

Order: Chili relano, beef taco, chicken enchilada (green salsa) Pros: chips & salsa was really good. Chips not overly salty and the salsa had the right amount of kick and flavor. The ambiance was a vibe! The music was super fantastic and made me want to dance. Its clean in this place as well. The food was very very flavorful and delicious. I received a lot pf food for u def $15. Cons: there wasnt a lot of customization you could do to your meal. But Im wondering if the bartender wasnt understanding me. But it wasnt bad!

Love this La Rancherita location. The mojitos are the best and the food is great. They have a great ambiance and seating. It can be kinda loud sometimes but is expected. Service is always nice and accommodating. Great for a casual-fun Mexican dinner

This lovely restaurant was located right near our hotel in the Crabtree Mall area. It has a great atmosphere, with a friendly staff, and delicious food. The Dip Sampler was a nice appetizer while we enjoyed our cocktails and looked over the menu. My husband and I shared the nachos with ground beef. They were delicious! We'd order them again.

I called the restaurant on 1/15 for a reservation for 20 on 1/25 for my daughter's birthday. I spoke with the restaurant on 1/24 to confirm the reservation. We got there on time at 1:30 & there was another party happening where we were supposed to be. We were not seated until 2pm. Didn't get our food until 3pm. This was by far the worst experience I have ever had. To eat an hour & a half after our reservation is unacceptable. Then the gratuity is already added in, so they can do as they please. We will not be dining there again.

I love this restaurant, everyone is very attentive and the food is delicious. I love to go whenever I can either alone or with my friends because the staff is very warm, especially the manager Yessica.

Amazing food and amazing service, 10/0 would recommend!! It's in a perfect location right by the mall so you can eat right after you shop!

I popped in for a Friday dinner after living near this spot for a while. Safe to say, I've got my go-to local Mexican restaurant now. They've got everything I want in a casual Mexican spot: free chips and salsa, a rock-solid bar, big portions, bold flavors, prompt service, and a no-fuss experience. We will absolutely be back sooner rather than later. Since moving to Raleigh, I have been searching high and low for a classic Mexican joint that delivers where it matters. I've had so many good (but not great) experiences in Raleigh, and I'm so glad I finally gave El Rancherita a visit. Excited to try the rest of the menu.

I've never had a bad experience w a Mexican restaurant, until now. The inside & outside of this place is so nice!! The service is good too. Food was just ehh! For starters the basic chips and dips are given in a small bowl. But they are not good! It doesn't taste like the norm. And I get every Mexican restaurant is different. Some serve pico, spicy taquera, verde, and etc, but the one here is just not exquisite in any way! The tacos I got were the spicy steak. They weren't hot and they were dry! I've never had dry tacos lol the rice& beans served w it were good! I should've asked for sauce but it was too busy. My friend hyped this place up for me. Maybe I need to give it another try!

Veggie medley burrito was a nice vegetarian option, but it was a bit bland. Also, it came with french fries... very strange. Staff was friendly, and the food came EXTREMELY fast.

The food is always quick, hot, and delicious. Somehow it's always completely empty in here though! The bartenders are great, and I have never had a bad experience here. It's great for a quick snack and a beer, or a full meal.

The enchiladas were very delicious and stuffed with chicken but they needed more sauce. The rice was great too. I also got the dip sampler and it was good as well

This restaurant has become our favorite Mexican restaurant the quality of the food was excellent the server Jorge is the best he's been serving us for 15 years and the beer is cold and fresh.

Went here for dinner with my hubby and baby Beagle and had a very nice meal. Chips very flavorful and salsa. Ordered the Line Carne Asada. Came with very tasty rice corn on the cob and pepper medley. Steak was alittle tough but tasty. Declined on the beans. Husband ordered the Steak and Chorizo Fajitas. Very fresh and tasty but meat was sliced very tiny really wished it was alittle bit more hardy. Service good and had outdoor seating with some fans for dog people.

3.5! This felt like a locally owned Chilis rather than an authentic Mexican restaurant. Ex) the side of beans that come with tacos had zeroooo flavor However there is still good service, good ambiance, and good quality food. It's even tasty! Just an Americanized version of Mexican.

6/30/23-Ok let's start with the positive which at times can get buried under negative experiences. We were planning to dine at another restaurant but the wait was over an hour. My daughter suggested this place as she has dined her before. I have actually dined at another location and was pleased. Positives: no wait time, most of the staff was friendly and eager to assist, food was good and plentiful. Negative: OUR SERVER WAS THE WORST! We were seated within a few minutes of arriving. It took a couple of minutes before our server acknowledged us and once she did it was downhill from there. They bring you chips and salsa as you wait. Well we waited a good 7-8 minutes before she came back to even take our food orders. And that was after stopping her to do so. Other tables had been seated and orders taken before she came back to us. I ordered a pineapple Agua Fresca which after several minutes NEVER arrived so after tracking down our server I told her never mind. Once our food arrived, which was good, we only saw the back of our server as she would avoid our table to assist others. We literally had to ask other servers for things we wanted. I'm not sure what was going on but she was the absolute worst! I asked for a refill of water for my son that she never gave, had to get another server to assist. If they're short staffed I would understand it better, but this server literally would skip us to attend to surrounding tables. If I do decide to dine here again I will make sure not to have the same server, better yet dine at the other location.

Festive place for great Latin food. My party if 6 ordered several items on the menu, including the amazing shrimp ceviche and fresh guacamole. However, the cocktails were not good. I had their margarita with jalapeños, but it was too sweet and did not taste spicy. The waitress forgot several of the items we ordered and she was not too familiar with the menu. Overall I give it a 3 star due to the service and the drinks.

awesome dining experience. Carnitas enchiladas are out of this worl, tender and flavorful. Service outstanding. Nicole is an asset.

Came here with another couple late in the evening and we were seated right away. The restaurant was comfortable and pretty clean. There's a nice variety on the menu. I ordered the chicken soup which came out in a large bowl and was full of shredded white chicken. Server was attentive.

Nicole was great. thanks for doing such a great job. I enjoyed talking with you. The nachos were delicious and I love the salsa.

This place is the BEST, I have been here with my kids and wife, and been here with me and just my wife and every time the food was great, the service there was fast, food was hot, can't wait to go back there again. Ken & Stephanie R.

I'm not sure exactly what happened but the food is downright nasty. They went downhill. The last time I ate there my food was good. Well I went there last night. My food was disgusting. Even the rice and beans were dry and nasty. The tacos were extremely dry and gross. I ate one and threw the other two in the trash. The food is overpriced to begin with so $17 I can't get back when I could've went somewhere else with cheaper but better food. I am not sure if they are under new management but do not go here. Terrible quality food. I'm not even that type to feel like I should get my money back when food isn't good isnt but it was so awful the only way they could make it right is by giving me my money back.

PLEASE for the love of God stop hiring people that aren't honest and have terrible work ethic!! we love coming here but this is the second time we have had an issue with the servers lying then charging us for things that we, even after clarifying, didn't ask for. Beyond frustrating!!!!!!!

Food was good. Service was slow. I had a rancherita bowl, the didn't mind subbing cilantro for lettuce so it was very tasty. My husband had a combo and said his food was a bit bland. The minus star is because we never got a refill on the water we were drinking.

I've ordered take out from here 3 times, all 3 times it has been incorrect. Once they made me the complete wrong thing and when I got there to pick it up they told me they made it incorrectly and said there was nothing they could do about it and I still had to pay for it, once they made double of what I ordered and i didn't realize until I got home so I was charged a lot more than I expected, and another time they made my order incorrectly and I didn't realize until I got home. Good queso though!

La Rancherita is my favorite Mexican restaurant in Raleigh. I've had delivery from their Six Forks location and was invited here on a blind date this evening. Service is phenomenal and this location has a dining room with a bar, outdoor seating and a large 2nd floor dining space. Our waiter suggested the Mango berry margaritas which were served in a bottled glass jar. These were excellent ! I decided on a lobster quesadilla that was served with corn/ pico de Gallo. Delicioso! My date had a pork and steak combo dish. We really enjoyed the music here, vibes and the food of course. La Rancherita is still my top fav in Raleigh next to Coco Bongo. Parking can get hairy because of the parking lot that is shared with the other businesses. This location is within the Crabtree Mall parking lot. I would avoid during weekends.

This is my new go spot for Mexican! The food and drinks are so good! I've only been twice but both times were great! The staff is so nice and sweet and the bartenders know how to make a good drink! We have the ultimate ACP that comes with steak, chicken and shrimp with poblano peppers and some kind of agave sauce. The corn is good, the cheese dip with chorizo is also good. I will definitely go again, and may try something new.

Strongly recommend the platano relleno it comes with plantains, steak, cheese, beans, cream sauce, and guac!! This dish was so yummy and I would 100% get it next time I stop in.

My review above this one had been typed up prior and I apparently got interrupted and had not submitted until now. Update ... I boycotted this restaurant for MONTHS NOW (wonder if they missed $150-$200 we used to spend weekly on DOOR DASH) and my husband and daughter surprised me last night by order 2 orders of my old favorite Chicken Rolls and NOTHING HAS CHANGED WITH RESPECT TO THEM FOLLOWING SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS (which are real simple - to leave the Chipotle Creame off because I've had a stomach resection and can not eat spicy food)!! Not only did they PREDICTABLY FAIL TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONSȚ ("NO CHIPOTLE CREAME PLEASE" ... ADDITIONALLY they have changed from the seasoned shredded chicken they served in most all chicken dishes we ordered (unless you ordered and paid extra for "grilled" but what was in the chicken rolls last night was terrible and frankly resembled dogfood in looks and I'd imagine taste. Called to speak to manger again and again phone was passed around to different people an finally was told to call back manager was on break! I've talked to Jessica before and she is rude with very bad attitude. I'm not going to waste my time or energy since learned she is still there!

Delicious! I loved the rancherita bowl with shrimp. The guacamole, beans, rice, lettuce, cream mexicana, and crispy tortilla was a perfect combination. The chips and salsa were really tasty. My husband and I both weren't crazy about the lobster tacos-they were sort of mushy. The little one enjoyed her kid's enchiladas; she especially liked the rice and refried beans. I'd definitely get the rancherita bowl again anytime. The inside decor was really cute. From the outside, I was expecting a more traditional, old-fashioned Mexican restaurant. Service was also very friendly.

Awful service, asked for a salsa in the beginning twice! Never got it, no refills, no check ups. We seriously debated dining and dashing, just be prepared for bad service the food is ok