Ranchero King Buffet

There are many Asian buffets and got very interested in Ranchero King when I heard about it. Came here for weekday lunch. The variety of choices was good; they had authentic Mexican dishes. There was a good selection of meats and we especially liked the pork ribs. Pleasant atmosphere and big dining room. Enjoyed Mexican music that was playing too. Would like to come back and try the menudo.

Week day lunch buffet with varying offerings. However as a non-spanish speaking individual, I was quite sure what some of the items were. What I did have was tasty.

Want some authentic Mexican food? This is the place. There is a good selection of items to choose from. Food was tasty and I enjoyed it. You do feel the Mexico vibe. However, this place does need some updating.

It was excellent . So many great dishes to choose from with homemade sauces and salsas. Being close to closing time it was still hot. The staff encouraged us to keep on eating and try more delicious dishes. The roasted corn was so delicious .

1. PLEASE TURN YOUR MUSIC DOWN! 2. The food is not good at all, except the baked chicken wasn't bad as well as the green beans. Even the fajita meat was dry (chicken), and the fajita meat (beef) fatty. Sorry, but the soups look very greasy. The fruit (pineapple) was very hard (watermelon) was not sweet at all. The pastry area looks disgusting and not clean at all. Why do the chocolate chip cookies taste off? I won't touch the other dessert! WELL, AT LEAST, THE PEPSI ZERO TASTED GOOD!! $17.49 a person, NEVER AGAIN! Needs alot of work.

Well... really disappointed about this place. The food was cold, no variety of meats or authentic Mexican food. I went early in the morning, I was hoping they had eggs, bacon or papas, NOPE. The service was great, I'll give them that, really quick and friendly. It's a shame about the food, I mean, it's a buffet, you guys can do better for sure.

3rd visit in the past 2 years and everything is still good. This place serves authentic Mexican food and nothing TexMex here. The pulled pork, chicken and Barbacoa selections were extremely tender and filling. I wish I knew the names of the huge selection of food that was offered but I did try a little of everything sticking mostly with non spicy items and it was all pretty good as well as fresh. One of the favorites was a crispy taco spread with beans and topped with an over medium egg. Lots of meat choices, 8' steam table of soups as well as a long cold table of desserts & ice cream. I already have plans to visit again later this year between Thanksgiving and Christmas with family coming in for the holidays. Get there at the beginning of lunch or dinner service for the best & freshest food because they seem to get packed pretty fast.

For the price the all you can eat buffet was very good. If you like authentic Tex-Mex food, then this place is great. The service was very good.

It could be good but it's sadly about how all the reviews say it is. It's a huge buffet but only a very small part of it is actual food. Most of it is just condiments and add-on stuff. Entree wise there might be 10 things and only a few of those edible. Service is friendly but it's mostly self service. People are right who say it's all filthy. It is. Poncho's is definitely better.

It a option if your going to Ikea. I went there it wasn't like the cheapest but it was okay they had a lot of different things to eat and I found things that I liked.

Want some authentic Mexican food? This is the place. There is a good selection of items to choose from. Food was tasty and I enjoyed it. You do feel the Mexico vibe. However, this place does need some updating.

All the food was old and not any good. We haven't came in years and will never be coming again. What a waste of money

Went here when visiting Houston. Arrived at 1030a and the food seemed to be old from a day or two before and re-heated under the lamps. Very disappointing. The service was also lacking. The staff were all sitting down eating and avoided customers. They asked for tips but no one tended to us not even for drinks. I grabbed a bowl and a spoon out of the clean dish stack that had dried left over food stuck on them. The place could have potential but this time around it was terrible. Do not recommend it.

Service was good, food was just fair. Not horrible but not planning on another visit.

Food was awful and maybe the only things you can choke down are enchiladas and chips. Place is dirty and dingy. Skip this at all costs. Friend loves buffets and has had good luck picking ones with good food so I went along with it. We both regretted it. At $20 we could have been to Kim Son buffet and actually enjoyed it.

Just FYI if you're looking for Michelin star Mexican food. Go somewhere else. But this is a buffet that has many many many options. The food lacks seasoning but it's what I found in many Mexican restaurants you amp up the flavor with the condiments. The wait staff as always around to pick up dirty plates. They are constantly refilling food on the buffet. The decor is old and dingy it could use some updating but overall not bad They deserve more than 2 stars just for the variety they have and the food is pretty good.

ewww The food is gross La comida está muy mala Everything is dirty the place and the utensils

This was definitely the bang for the buck . I paid $29 for 2 people to eat everything. Usually buffets have a bunch of cheap unseasoned food. Not this buffet. Everything I put on my plate was good. I have no complaints. The waiter has great table service, getting used plates off the table as soon as you go back to get a new one. Perfect place to go to Fred multiple starving people. They have a variety of options and after trying almost everything I am here to inform you... it is great

Amazing and authentic food! Ambiance takes me back to Mexico. I love it here. I've been to other buffets but nothing can compare to Ranchero King

the Manager named Juan was being rude and unfair towards the cook the manager was clearly targeting the cook as far as following him around and just yelling at him every single chance he had I feel like this was really unnecessary but overall the food was decent as well with the service.

Omg the food is so slightly above average...which is the best thing about it! This is the true American Buffet experience with a Latin twist! They have all kinds of food, some stuff that I've never tried. The process is really cool, go in there, pay first, and get a little receipt you put at the table. Reminds me of the old hometown buffet days. I only ate here because Fogo De Chao was closed, pleasantly surprised.

I've been coming to this restaurant since I was 14 years old (I'm 29), the place has change management about 3-4 times. However, this time I think they got their food just right! I am usually very picky about trying Mexican restaurants because I grew up eating and cooking Mexican dishes. My mom raved about this buffet and for her to rave about a Mexican restaurant is very unusual. So I decided to give it a try and I was not disappointed! The menudo is amazing! They have a taco section with fajitas, virria, chicharrón, carnitas. Great variety! They have gorditas, quesadillas, flautas, and tamales. The lines can get a bit long if you come right at 12pm. They also have aguas "frescas" and a dessert aisle. I recommend you try their pudding with ice cream! So good! Overall, not a bad experience. I'll definitely be coming back.

lately every Buffet we have been to has been terrible. That drove us to this one and wow did it surprise. It's not Great Mexican food, but honestly it really isn't bad either. I would say middle of the road to slightly better. The only draw back was the price, but it certainly beats cardboard pizza or just really bad Chinese. SO when your ready to spend the money I certainly recommend!

food wasn't good, spider in my cup. i mean whatever it was just a bad experience. This was my first and probably last time coming here honestly.

my family take me to this places for my birthday (8/11/24) but we have a horrible experience food was horrible, the champurrado was a masa glue, the caldo next to posole was bubbling up and stinking (bad condition) we paid close to $100 for 4 people only for couple spoons of food, we got sick at the point of we have to go to ER, the fourth of us got food poisoning definitely not going back

Ts was nasty plates dirty and floors to the flavored waters nasty asf ! Wack ass place

Went to this place 6/12/2022 at 1:26 pm at the urging of a family member. The first sign I should have turned around was when the giant fan at the front counter was blowing full blast towards customers as they stand in line. Can we say messed up hair? The front cashier was polite and and gave me the to go cups and plastic ware I asked for. BUT that's where the end of the good news stopped. Several items were missing utensils to get the food with so people used other utensils to get them which also caused drippage from one food to another. The food is awful basically all tasted as if it came from a can. The tamales looked like they had promise but again disappointed us. The beef fajita meat with the onions and peppers had a good flavor but what was a turn off about that is when you ask for flour tortillas they pull them from a package and cook them for you on the flat grill. I know you are probably wondering why that would be bad BUT the lady heating up the tortillas wiped the counter with a rag then used the same rag to wipe by the edge of the grill to wipe up black grease THEN USED THE SAME RAG to wipe the damn spatula she was flipping the tortillas with! I stood there in shock. She then passed the tortillas to me and I took them to my seat and explained to my husband what happened and we left. I mean I don't like to waste food but I literally tried the SAFE items that are usually hard to mess up at a buffet (fried chicken tenders, fries) all awful. I wanted to ask for a refund BUT considering how everything was going I was actually afraid to. If I could give them a negative star I would. I'm sure they will be changing management or ownership if not closing down in the near future with as much wasted food I saw.

The food use to be soo good years ago. Now everything is terrible definitely not coming back. I don't mind paying the price for goods quality dos but this was disgusting.

Wishing I could land a buffet on the way to a friends house, the first exit I ran into Ranchero King. I had a flashback of one time when I was broke down on the side of the road and I ended up here. The staff were nice to me. So I tried it for the first time today. It's a huge Mexican restaurant with many options. If they don't offer you a receipt upon entering, your next meal is free. The salad bar is limited but relatively fresh considering that it's early evening. Its green salad has basically iceberg lettuce, carrots, cucumbers and hard boiled egg; and that's pretty much it. The flavor was not phenomenal even though they were fresh. I decided to try something new which is their carrot and cauliflower salad. It's very spicy with jalapeño juice, but the flavor is really good. The cucumber and onion salad was soggy, but it didn't taste terrible. The egg salad had a little kick to it. The macaroni salad had an earthy flavor to it. It wasn't unpleasant just something I'm not quite used to. The pear cobbler was extremely sweet. The crust was average texture. Their corn bread was on the dry side. The flavor was average. Onto the tamales!!! Who doesn't like unwrapping a gift! I enjoyed the tamale verde. It was moist and you can taste the green flavor of it. The tamale dulce is the one that looks like watermelon. I was told it's sorbet, yet it's warmed. I was really surprised at how nice this sweet it was. It reminded me of cake but made of corn. The small piece on my plate was the Rojos. It was dry. Here's the fun part: the hot drinks. You can serve yourself some fresh coffee using a ladle, as well as a chocolate cinnamon drink called champorroso. It is thicker than hot chocolate, yet tasted creamy like melted milk chocolate. Mmmmm! Then there's the anato de nuez. I can't describe what it tastes like, but it's frangrant and heavenly. Definitely one to try. The fettuccini alfredo was too salty for me. The rice was bland. The chicken mole was a little on the sour side. The watermelon, orange and jicama slices were as expected. Just good old fruit! I tried the boborón, and it's basically a cookie that's very fine and crumbly. It's nice and sweet. I don't feel guilty. To finish with my favorite, the bean, cheese, egg tostada was delicious and crispy. Try to catch the cook at the station as she puts it on to the buffet. You will be able to get the over easy egg to use onto the rest! This was one of the more interesting buffets. Obviously I did not try many other items, but perhaps I'll be back. Remember to still tip at a buffet, because the waitstaff work hard. :). Gracias!

Not inexpensive. Thought it would be a Mexican version of Golden Corral. Which it is. But everything is cold, greasy, extra greasy, and tasteless. The American fare AND the Mexican fare. Huge disappointment. If you are going to IKEA, pick somewhere else to eat. ANYWHERE ELSE! And the handicapped bathroom stall HAS NO HAND RAILS! WHAT THE HELL!?!?!?!?

Service is good. There was not a lot of people. The food was the problem. Buns were hard as a rock. The Mac and cheese looked and tasted awful. The sauces specifically the green sauce was way too salty. The fried chicken was super oily. The only good thing I got from there was the pupusas, sopes and the fruit.

Went to this place on a Thursday evening last week, a few hours before closing time. It was my first and quite possibly last time going. $30 for two dinner/drink meals is a fair price for this type of restaurant. The concept of a Mexican-TexMex buffet is a great idea, however, the food is terrible. I would have literally been better off going to a Taco Bell. The food was either cold or stale or tasteless or too salty. Nothing was fresh. Our meals were so bad that we didn't even bother with the drinks. I am extremely disappointed!. A Mexican buffet in a prime location, with poor service is a no go!! When I say poor service, that's attributed to the waitstaff who was told that the food wasn't fresh and simply said in Spanish, "that's all there is." I really wish that I could recommend one item at a buffet, but that's not possible. I sincerely hope that I just went on one of their fluke days. Still, I don't see myself returning to kick $30+ for two people and the food being poorly made. Good luck!

My dad has been going to this place for years and I finally went with him to try it out & OMG I have now found my favorite buffet. Everything I tried was absolutely delicious and flavorful!! I got like 3 plates worth full of food to try nearly everything they had. I've been to other buffets before where the food is basic and tastes bland where you can tell the food was made with low quality ingredients but not this place. I truly felt as if I was eating food served in a Mexican household in Mexico. No exaggeration. I did like everything I tried but I highly recommend trying the red enchiladas, the chicken tinga & beef near the taco station, & the grilled chicken. Just thinking about it is making my mouth water.

Do not go here $15 for trash food so trash everything was cold the only good thing was the corn shit was depressing

This place was so trash the food has no flavour and i am writing this has the owner of the place is next to me and i am sincere when i say i wish stake country was still here instead of this buffet

Good: the food was good. Good quality, good variety. Bad: service was not that courteous. So-so: location

Overpriced..felt ripped off(13.95 on weekends) Low quality meats and cheap (i.e. chorizo was dried and crusty, no white meat chicken, orange slices had dirt on them, churros looked like limp dicks, ice cream was nasty and even the tamales were old...how do u mess that up? I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone. Just go eat in IKEA and you'll thank me later.

The buffet was amazing. Many items to choose from staff was very polite and friendly. I will come again. Very clean dining area and restrooms

Perfect place to stop by if you're interested in throwing away your money. I can't believe I even decided to give it a try after walking around the establishment to preview what they had prior to making a decision. The kids where hungry after soccer so I gave in. What a big mistake! This is by far the worst buffet of my entire LIFE! Nasty looking establishment, terrible food and dirty cups. I make better Mexican food and I'm not even Mexican or an expert. I HIGHLY DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE. PERIOD. BTW, the only perfect thing here is this ice cream cone my kid just served himself.

American food was ok.the Mexican food was great which is why I came. We came at 10 am so no wait. Massage choices on the buffet.

Food is all watered down, only good there here is the climate if you like 60 degree ac while you're eating. Table says "We appreciate tips" but who am I going to leave the tip with if the waitresses didn't once walk to my table? $32 for two people buffet. I would have had a better experience paying $100 for a military MRE.

So many varieties of Mexican food to choose from. Good quality and good price. My favorite is the caldo de verduras. Definitely recommend this place .

Amazing food.. Had not stoped here do to reviews but soooo glade i did the agua Frescas we're worth it alone so was the Barbacoa it was amazing the only thing that let me down a little bit was it tamales but that's okay to each its own everything else was amazing can't wait to come back again. Wish they had Abuelita since it is a little chilly in here

Ok, I have really liked this location until now. Just tried to ho and they have the absolute worst COVID-19 policy. If you wear a mask that you must provide, you can go as normal. Otherwise, you have to have some one from their staff help you. However, its not posted and they don't tell you until you pay. Then there are no emoyees to assist and the one that did gave us an attitude. Im in the medical field and this policy makes no sense. You mean to tell me that I'm supposed to be talking to a staff member over food that other people eat a that is not 6 ft away. This policy puts more people at risk. End of story.

The only reason they are getting a star at all is because they actually do take precautions during covid times. Now the food... disgusting. Mediocre food cost me $30 for food and drink for 2 and the drinks where all artificial which is understandable for a buffet but it literally tasted like water with a hint of nasty flavor. Food is very very hard to swallow the desserts where beyond terrible started with their "concha" that was rock hard and tasted like nothing, overall steer clear from this place. You've been warned

First time coming, unfortunately, service wasn't the best, The food is okay, some dishes I tasted and quickly learned to avoid; while there was one good dish I did enjoy, the red sauced enchiladas were great, they seemed to constantly bring fresh ones in! Amongst that, most others dishes were sub-par,

This was by far, one of the worst dining experiences we've ever had. First of all, it was $35 for two buffets and we couldn't eat anything we selected off the buffet given it was all cold. The chicken strips had no flavor and tasted like re-heated day, old chicken. Beans and rice were cold as were the tostadas, eggs and bean tacos. When we asked to speak to the manager, we waited only to be told he was too busy. This was 10:00a.m. in the morning and only about 10 people were there in total so he or she could not have been that busy. We gave up and left, still hungry and $40 wasted. I'm not sure how this place is even still in business but hopefully, it won't be much longer at this rate. Don't waste your time or money...Taco Cabana serves much better food!

I have been here at least 5 times and keep returning. You pay upon arrival, which in general I prefer, then you sit where you want. Lots of space, lots of comfy booths. About 20% of the food has labels that are in Spanish only, so kinda unfriendly to non Spanish speakers, but otherwise plenty of various options. I always go when it opens up and food is quite fresh, as would be expected.

The ribs will break your knife, The vegetables are canned, and the food tastes terrible. I took my dad to get lunch there once and we both make fun of our experience to this day.

Tasteless food, greasy and expensive, really bad experience, a simple ice cream didnt even taste good was i cant believe how bad was this place

The food isn't hot enough to taste good enough not only that the chicken flautas have a very bad taste and are very dry not only that the frijole quesadilla taste horrible and it's so burned. Everything looks appetizing but when you eat it is a whole different story I will not be coming here again worst place I have ever been.

Not that impressive. Food was cold. Huge let down. Wouldn't recommend coming here but it was okay.

It is great place to have authentic Mexican food. Good price as well, $14 for each person with only water. If you want other drink, it charge another $2 or $3. But overall it still good!

Let me start off by saying this If I could give this place zero stars I would. Absolutely the worst food, nothing tasted good and apart from it not tasting good the food was also cold. The Mexican rice tasted like it came straight from a box and the refried beans came straight out of the can. I'm very disappointed because about 2 years ago the food was super good and I used to come here more often but unfortunately the quality and taste went down enormously. I recommend not coming here and waisting your money on terrible tasting food I will definitely not be coming here again.

they need to stop spending money on decorations and put money on the food coz this shit not even mid, the best thing in here was the ac

This was my first time to visit & just might be my last. The MUSIC was way to loud !!!! Why is that loud music make a pleasant dining experience? Food select was good - flavor ? Just Okay

Im not sure why there are any negative reviews? I mean, you cannot expect a buffet to be a 5star experience because you are not being served fresh cooked food to your table made to order.... but you can expect semi fresh, hot food and a good variety of dishes and this place delivers just that! And as for seasonings, everyones tastes are different and that is why buffets tend to not to add enough. There is salt, pepper, sriracha, tobasco, salsa valentina, pico, and more available here to season your food with. And on top that, there is the fresh tostada section whwre the lady will make you the fried egg tostada!! YUM!!!! No complaints here at all!