Taqueria El Ranchito

My first impression wasn't the best. The tortilla chips were ok, but to compare to every tortilla chip I've ever had, they would be in the bottom 20%. I ordered a strawberry margarita but I think my server on this particular Sunday just didn't know how to make the margaritas look like the ones in Google photos. However, the birra torta was excellent. The service was very good, and the atmosphere inviting. Their hot sauce is very much what I like in a hot sauce too. Bold, dark, smokey, and HOT.

We stopped at Taqueria El Ranchito for an early dinner. We were the only ones in the restaurant but still had a great meal. The food came out hot and fresh and the service was fast and friendly. The restaurant is decorated like a party and they have a couple TVs with sports on them.

Some of the best authentic Mexican food I’ve had in a while! Very filling and affordable!

We love this joint. Because it's quiet, intimate and small town. And let's be honest... Mexican restaurants are a dime, a dozen, right? But if you're looking for a place to just stop in and enjoy Latin cuisine, it's super good with great service. Stop here okay?

I came here and ordered a vegetarian burrito with no sour cream, no cheese to go. I drove all the way home to find it had sour cream. I called the restaurant, informed them that the order was wrong and drove all the way back to pick up the correct burrito. The second time, I got home and the burrito had cheese on it. I tried to call the restaurant to ask for a refund since I had driven there TWICE for my order only for it to be wrong both times, but I was left on hold for over 10 minutes. I understand getting an order wrongonce, but twice in a row is unacceptable. I won't be returning

There are much better places near by. I ordered takeout later at night which is why I tried this place out. Not good. Chicken chimichanga was mostly beans and rice. The chicken that was there was dry and scary. A shame really. 😔 It seems like they stuffed things they had left over from the day in it.

Waited an hour for food and when I asked for when my food was coming out and if I could just get it to go. They said no and that I had to still wait. Two big parties of Mexican families got their food and they came in after me. The parties contained the same food that we had ordered. Ended up having to walk out because waiting an hour and 10mins is very unrealistic. It would’ve been better had the waiters stopped at our table and asked us if we needed anything or that we were still waiting but instead we were just given flat pop and a small amount of chips…. And then never spoken to again.

I have been here multiple times. Chicken quesadillas always have rubber chicken and burnt side. The last time I went I got enchiladas without toppings and they gave me no meat with only cheese in it like rubber. charge me 10.40 for it. My last bill came out over $50 never before has that happened. Then I was charged another 6$ for a servers tip and she didn’t serve nothing… had to wait 15 minutes for refill. Never coming back. Way better Mexican and overpriced.

It's sad to see so many negative reviews that are filled with prejudice microagressions. Shush and go to Taco Bell. ‍ I grew up in a small town latiné community and once I moved to Ft Wayne I was homesick for the food. El Ranchito is on par with those restaurants from back home. Great Tacos, Tortas, Menudo and refreshing aqua Frescas. The staff is lovley, and even the ambiance reminds me of the restaurants from back home! This is my goto for the best Mexican Food in town!

Overall experience at this restaurant was not good. Restaurant is not well lit in the evening on the outside. Went in around 9pm on a Friday night. Place was not that busy, but we waited and waited and waited. No prices on the menu or anywhere to be found, so prices are up to them I guess. Server brought one basket of chips and salsa. They took our order, then we waited and waited. We should have left. It took over an hour for us to get a plate of nachos and 4 tamales. I saw several couples that were there before us share in the frustration. Food was similar to other Mexican places. Would not visit here again. I left a 10% tip because I'm not a complete jerk when it comes to bad service, but it wasn't until I got outside I noticed they charged a 15% service charge???, so congrats to them for getting one over on me. Never again.

This place is amazing. A few months ago I did that there food was nasty and I'm never going back. Well I did go back, the steak tacos were amazing! (Better than famous taco too) the girl is also very kind, although we didn't get chips and salsa at the start, we asked for chips and salsa when we ordered and she was very helpful and went to go get it! The tables were also fixed as well for the vibe there. I will be coming back.

The single star awarded in this review is only included so I *can* write a review. Walked in at 5:00 on a Friday, maybe 4 people total at tables in the dining area. Planning to order takeout, so we went right to the counter. We waited for someone to approach us and greet us or at least acknowledge us, but to no avail. While browsing the menu, we noticed that none of the dishes had any description of ingredients/inclusions, nor did the menu display prices. The entire experience, albeit brief, left a bad taste in our mouths. We left and visited another local Mexican establishment, instead. First visit will be our last.

Always too busy, food quality is now poor because it's rushed. I'd only visit for late night options.

We stopped in last Saturday. Very slow that night, but we still waited a while for service. I ordered a strawberry margarita which arrived in a smaller size the ordered. No tequila in the drink. It was just crushed ice and strawberry syrup. Because of the less than friendly service, I took a few sips, but did not send it back. I only ordered queso, and it came out room temperature. My husband's food looked okay, but kind of edible. Besides the poor service, bad food, and lack of tequila, the bill was the shocker. 38.00 for two people, and I did not order a dinner. My husband told the service staff about the lack of tequila, and was given a shoulder shrug and a smirk from the other employee. Not a friendly place to go, not good food, and being overcharged. No prices on the menu too. I wonder why!

First timer, poor customer service, I ordered a simple plate the Mexican rice was grainy/crunchy, the frijoles were very watery and the carne asada tacos were soggy and multiple thick fatty pieces. I will not be back

I am so sad at what has happened to this restaurant. My boyfriend and I used to love coming here. Now they try to charge for chips, add hidden fees, and give people salmonella poisoning. Do better.

Always empty inside! No one is waiting on you when you 1st come in! Salsa was Delicious, but Margarita was not strong and was to Foamy? Menudo was fresh and hot, but way more broth that meat! Barely had meat in the soup!!!

The el pollo tacos are enough for me to come back every single time. I always do carry out, but I have ate in the restaurant a handful of times. Service has always been great.

Bet!! The servers are in the back room making fake 5-star YELP reviews, because they sure as shit are NOT greeting customers, communicating/being courteous to customers, refilling chips or drinks, cleaning the place, or doing anything to benefit anyone. This "taco ranch" is far from authentic or deserving of anywhere near 5 stars. Been visiting this spot for over a year. I am leaving a review as I feel customers should be aware before dining here. Pros: Menu in English, however prices are scratched out so you have no clue what you'll pay. Plenty of tables to clean yourself, as you seat yourself. TV to watch all the Hispanic soap operas one can stomach. Cons: Very argumentative wait staff. Language barrier seems intentional only to later be used against you when order is incorrect, wrongly priced, or wholly fucked up! No free refills on drinks or chips. Less than hispanic-ish salsa...like wtf is this stuff? Tomato paste + water + ro-tel? Automatic 19% in fees added to final bill when paying credit card. This is not on the menus, explained during order, or explained when checking out on the Clover tablet. 15% auto gratuity (I had a 2 person party), 4% fee for non-cash adjustment, and the tax. After you put card in slot it asks you to tip your waiter. Full stop, at this point you don't even know the 19% has been charged. Very deceptive!! Biggest con - THE FOOD IS HIDEOUS. Hispanic is my favorite cuisine and this place bloodstains the other fine hispanic restaurants in my area, hands down!

No ranch! No chitos! Embarrassing!!! I don't speak Spanish but I know ranch chitos when I see them. Not here.

Went so far downhill lately, do not go unless they change management and/or wait staff. Not worth the headache.

This is a place that absolutely does not like Black people! Bartender rude could not get service and served everyone else... then announced they were closing after my party left started playing music again! Couldn't believe this was a reality. Such a horrible experience it's funny literally in 2022.

Birria tacos are amazing, was not prepared for that. Lady up front was nice, and they had the takeout order ready to go on time. Definitely plan to be back

This was literally how my taco was, one taco is for also 3$ and this one had barely any meat in it. I would not recommend ever going here. I've been here multiple time and they tried to charge me extra before, and the service is not very good. I would give it a 0.5 if I could.

Wanted tacos and decided to tried this place. The steak tacos were good but the Birria were disappointing. Not the same as I had had elsewhere, a picture would had help as I wouldn't had ordered it.

we were not attended by the waiter. She kept walking past us and attended customers who got here after.About 20 minutes later we then got attended by the hosts person and the waitress attended other customers but not us.

The food is pretty good, prices are okay. Plastic glasses have a Slumdog grease on them and they are in fire need of a plumber for the restrooms. How hard is it, really, to leave cheese off of a plate of fajitas? No cheese, no sour cream, no dairy please!! Oops, sorry doesn't make it right! Remake it, or offer a discount for the half of the meal that had to be discarded on a napkin. I've never seen fajitas even served c with cheese. It is as if the cook went out of his way to !and someone sick! Leave the kids at home unless you WANT them watching borderline porn on the big screen!

Great tacos and food, shitty service. With that being said I had the carnita, asada, and pollo tacos. All were delicious but I wished I had not gotten the chicken, it just wasn't as good compared to the others. I also tried a chicken tamale and it was good, nothing overly exciting about it ....so if your looking for a tamale that tastes like it should then definitely get them. One of the people in our group ordered a quesadilla that looked so good I ordered one to go. Finally the horchata is great here. The service is just a bit slow....we got our menus, after about 7-10 minutes they asked us for our drinks orders and food. The lady waiting on us missed a drink and didn't bring it until the food came. We didn't see the server again until after we were all done eating. We waited again for another 10 minutes after we asked for our bill. To be clear this is not my first time here and each time it is always slow service. The food is worth the wait especially when they are one of the few places open late lol.

Just an FYI tha Taqueria El Ranchito ranks as the WORST Mexican food place I've ever tried in my entire life! The "carne" asada was a bunch of chopped up gristly meat product with zero flavor or seasoning. The "birria" was a glop of flavorless mush. The corn tortillas taste and texture was closer to that of cardboard. The drinks were okay, which was why we didn't just leave To top it off, service was a mix of non-existent and terrible. No one ever came back to check on us after they dropped off the "food". Seriously, not a single time! They all sat in the corner talking and we were the only other people in there (obviously a bad sign). AND... they freaking charge at 15% gratuity on every check! They don't give you an itemized bill, just a total, so we would never have known they charged us the tip already if we hadn't insisted on getting a printed bill! We normally give 20% so they'd have ended up with a 35% tip. With the awful service, I can see why they trick and force people to pay it. Yes, we tried to talk to them about the issues, but they had zero interest in our feedback so I'm happy to give it here.

Authentic Mexican restaurant. Wife and I each had tacos based on a recommendation. Waitress was very nice but kitchen messed up our order. I got one extra taco and they forgot sour cream and cheese which was ordered. Choriqueso was an appetizer and very good. 3 choices of salsa all of which were very good. All in all, tacos were good, not great. Steak a little dry. Fish tacos though were awesome. Worth a trip as an adventure. Does not have a full bar. Located at the end of the strip mall to the south.

Fantastic Tacos Friendly staff and strong margaritas! Always s clean and the service is fast

BEST Taco's in the pow dunk town of Ft Wayne! Besides being the most authentic in taste they are the cheapest as well. Yes there are a couple ghetto spots on the south side that sell taco's for a $1 but they are 1/2 the size & loaded with salt instead of flavor. The new bbq item's I've had are great too! The brisket taco's are a Must!!

If you like REAL tacos and Mexican food, this is the place. Nothing fancy, but good prices, cold beer, and fantastic food.

So my daughter and I stopped here for lunch today. Have to say it's a little jem if a place. The prices were fantastic. The wait staff was good. Even though we stopped by for a late lunch. There wasn't anyone in there. I ordered 2 tacos that were made with ground beef. I love how authentic they are. They come with onion and cilantro. I also got lettuce and tomato on the side. My only complaint is that the meat was very dry. Even with the salsa and guacamole on it. But they came out on corn tortillas. Which are my favorite by far. My daughter got the steak nachos. Which came out looking fantastic. They were loaded with meat, cheese, jalapeños, refried beans, tomatoes, sour cream and lettuce. She put the extra extra hot sauce on them to top them off. The prices were fantastic. We got all this food on top of drinks and I paid 20 for it all. Gotta say that's a pretty good deal. Will definitely be going here again that's for sure.

It was very dirty, there was sauce on everything even the tvs. None of my friends touched their food. We paid and left. I would NEVER eat here again. Save your money and eat anywhere else.

Shitty service, shitty margaritas, had to ask twice for basically everything, and they add 17% gratuity when they barely even come to your table.

Amazing tacos!! This place is open until 4am! It is great for when you are out late or you just want some delicious tacos! Their carne asada tacos are incredible! They are only $2.50, even though they are not super big it only takes 3-4 to fill me up. Also their horchata is delicious and never disappoints. It also is reasonably priced for the quality. Highly recommend!

Best Mexican in town! Its a little run down on the inside, but that's part of the charm. Cant go wrong dinning in or doing carry out. Their tacos are my go to!

Super slow service, took over 90 minutes to get our orders of tacos. The food was good but service was beyond awful. It took over 20 minutes to receive ice waters, waitress never was around. People walked in maskless and then were vaping in the restaurant. No one said anything. They were fulfilling to go orders but not the customers in the restaurant.

Mediocre at best. I ordered tongue tacos and for $3 a taco the meat better be tender. It wasn't. It was rubbery with some pieces and charred and hard as a rock with other pieces. The soft corn tortillas are not homemade and fell apart in the center with a crispy outer edge. It was disappointing. I did say something and they offered me another taco. I ordered the head meat and it was seasoned well and tender. The tamales were dry and very small. The sopas were ok, the toppings were Good but the fried dough was awful to eat. Hard on the bottom with soggy edges. The ground beef was ok but had hard pieces mixed in as well. The rice and beans were the best part of the meal. We did love the choices of salsa they brought to the table and the chips are store bought but still good with the salsas. The server wasn't attentive and was behind the counter most of the time. It wasn't busy but he didn't care to see if we needed anything. I had to ask for refills etc. we used to go more but after today we won't go back. The food has gone downhill and service as well.

A great place for both traditional Mexican and American style tacos. The chorizo was flavorful, but not too spicy. But don't worry, if you like a spicy taco, all you need to do is add some of the complimentary salsa, which IS spicy. Wait staff were very compitent and friendly, even though it was a bit busy when we were there.

The doors to the men's bathroom don't lock, the quesadillas lacked cheese, and the rice tasted foul. I had to ask twice for a refill on my drink. Plus, it was too expensive for average food

Started coming here roughly 5-6 months ago. This was my go-to place when i was hungry and didn't know what to eat. the food was great and i had a good experience every time. Now, whenever i go with my friends, we order chips and it takes roughly 10-20 minutes for them to get back to us. when we are done with out drinks, first we have to flag down a waitress and order drinks. THEN, it takes them another 5-10 minutes to get the drinks for us. Also, prior to us asking for drinks, no one came to the table to ask how the food was, if we needed refills, nothing. i'm not sure what happened to their business model in the last month or so, but i am not a big fan.

One of the best tacos here in Fort Wayne! The steak tacos are by far the best here! The service could be better to be quite honest and they could remodel the place because a lot of the seats are worn down to the point that the springs are broken and there's holes in them. Aside that, they have karaoke nights in which is extremely loud. It's very distracting, plus you practically have to shout your order to the waitress and scream at them when you need more water in your cup. But overall, this place is tucked away in an almost completely abandoned plaza hut don't let the location fool you. If you're in Fort Wayne and you're here just avoid Thursday's because that seems to be the night in which they have karaoke. So if you want to enjoy your food and don't want to scream at your server, come on any other day. 3.5/5 stars

Don't come here if you're in a hurry. Everything moves at a crawl. 20 minutes to get our food after ordering. Place isn't very clean either. Tables covered in chip crumbs, menus stuck together, bathrooms serviceable, but not great. Makes me wonder about cleanliness of the kitchen. Service isn't very good either. Served half a baskets of chips, our drinks, and then nothing. Couldn't even get the servers attention. We had to go to the bar and request service to get more chips. That said, the food is great. No complaints, very authentic, very tasty.

The server was sweet and friendly. That's about the only good thing I can say unfortunately. I ordered the cheese enchilada dinner, my boyfriend ordered tacos and rice and beans. We were literally the only customers in there and it still took almost 30 minutes to get our food. He said the tacos were just ok. I cut into my enchiladas and realized they were chicken and not cheese like I had ordered. I didn't have time to send it back because we had somewhere to be soon. My rice and beans were stone cold and so were my boyfriend's. We had heard good things about this place, so we were very disappointed.

I've recently went and got 3 steak tacos , and 1 shrimp . DELICIOUS !!!! Nothing more nothing less to say !

I love this place. The food is amazing, favorite taco place around here. But..... service SUCKS. Been sitting here for 20 minutes without drinks or chips. another server brought out the food before we even got the drinks or chips and salsa.

I tried El Ranchito today for lunch. The last time I had tried their glorious tacos was a few summers ago from their food truck. They have since then expanded into an actual restaurant. The inside is clean but nothing special. I find the best authentic cuisine to be found in spaces that do not care much about the decor. Which is fine by me when the food way surpasses the ugly tile I am looking at. The ladies working were very friendly and the tacos were done fast. Possibly waited 5 minutes. I ordered 3: carnitas, pollo, and asada. The tacos are served taqueria style with white onion, cilantro, and your choice of salsa. I chose salsa verde and their hot salsa to accompany my tacos. The hot salsa is HOT. It is almost a smokey hot and left my lips burning after. It was best paired with the pollo while the verde was best on the carnitas and asada. My favorite was the asada-- the steak diced. The carnitas were the second favorite. I wish the protein was a little bit juicier and not as dry. The pollo was bland but the adding of salsa made it a great taco. Each taco is $2. It is a deal. Very authentic. I plan on venturing out on the menu but it will be tough to get away from these delicious tacos. OPEN VERY LATE. Open until 3am Monday- Thursday and 4am Fri-Sun. If you need a late night fix I recommend these tacos over taco hell.

Big fan of both Mexican and American Mexican foods- it's hard to find anything good to say about the food here. Tacos pastor were tasteless and very dry. The tamale was so dry and hard, I couldn't even eat it. I'd say 'pass' on this one.

This used to be my favorite taco place in town, and we came quite frequently. We will not be back again. We order soft drinks and water that never came. We finally tracked down our server who said the machine was broken. We chose to cancel the soft drink order because we had wanted them when we ordered them. They brought them anyway- completely flat with no fizz. We were charged 3 dollars for each one. The green sauce (our favorite sauce of all time) tasted spoiled and very different from what it has been before. The carnitas which are usually awesome were full of fat. The worst part was the service- which has never been stellar here, but we go anyway and realize they don't usually have enough help. We got no refills, no checking on us, extremely rude response to the concern about the pop, and had to go find our own bill because after waiting for a half hour, it never came. Then we were charged automatic gratuity (for two people) and a check out fee. Totally unacceptable. We always tip over 20%, but when you automatically charge us for service that wasn't rendered and everything was terrible, it's pretty annoying. You lost loyal customers. Looking for a new taco place!

I can't give them less than a five! They advertise as authentic Mexican food and they do not disappoint or fall short! My meal started with the chips and salsa, they bring you regular salsa and different levels of hotness in three bottle. The hottest is only suited for those who eat spicy food any chance they get. I ordered the lingua taco and a asada burrito, and couldn't finish it all. The burrito was humongous and the tacos were pretty big for regular tacos. To sum it all up the food 5 and the service 5.

We ended up here at 11:30pm because this was one of the few places open late. I ordered 3 chicken tacos and my bf ordered a bowl of pozole. As soon as our food was brought out, something smelled awful. I assumed it was his pozole because of how it looked. It was a huge bowl with a weird, fatty hunk of meat that looked like a cow knuckle. Gross! But turns out, the smell was the chicken in the tacos I ordered. I took a small bite and they was terrible! The meat was bad. I returned my dish to our waitress who asked if I'd like to order something else. Uh, no. My bf was not impressed with his soup and we both agreed we'd never come back. Shoulda went to IHOP.

Super authentic! The steak tacos are amazing! I've never had a bad experience here. The ambiance and decor are nothing to right home about. But in my opinion, those are usually the best places!

This is a hidden gem amongst chain restaurant laden Coliseum Blvd. the tacos are great, the tamales are delicious. The salsa is also very good, and it isn't the runny soup style so many other restaurants serve, it has actual body. Nice Mexican beer list as well. It's definitely off the path and hidden in the corner of a shopping strip mall, but this place makes the list of good ones to seek out.

We love this place. Extremely reasonable prices. Street style tacos on warm corn tortillas with onions and cilantro, lettuce and tomato upon request. Tamales are great too.You can choose pork or chicken tamales - preferred the pork I always get the #2 combo. Your choice of taco (I like the carne asada), a full size quesadilla with cheese and meat if you like(I think the steak is awesome) and a pork or chicken tamale. They have 3 bottles of sauce they bring - one is extremely hot so beware. I like the salsa verde (green salsa). I don't think they serve fountain drinks. I have only seen cans or bottles of soda, and they do have a liquor license as I have seen beer and margaritas being served. The atmosphere is very plain, and occasionally the staff struggles to keep up with orders and clearing tables, but never to the point that it negatively impacts our experience. The servers definitely work hard! On our last visit the music was unbearably loud, but we ate fast and left. We go back very often. And it is nice that it is open late, as my adult children often aren't ready to eat until other places are closed.

the best tacos in fort wayne. i get a strawberry margarita every time and never leave disappointed. id recommend this place to all taco and marg lovers.