Food was amazing brought us to TEARS! Reminded us of home :) The service was so amazing really felt so welcoming and safe. The coolest pot belly (?) fire place is in the center of the dining area, at night they use this to warm the place! Definitely recommend eating here. they also have an awesome lunch special that last till 2pm! read more

El Michoacan - Cute X-mas Decor - Mexican Near Me - Ramona, California

When we walked in the doors they were open, it felt very welcoming. Once we stood inside it was hot, they had house fans set up by different tables. It was 5:00 pm on Saturday.We are a family of 6, my kids are teenagers that eat well. The food was authentic mexican food, however the servings were small and the prices were high for what we received. I had a combination plate which included a taco, enchilada and tostada with rice and beans which was $19.95. Two of my kids order asada fries which were very small for $17.00 each. The service was good the food was good but definitely over priced. read more

We stopped in for lunch today and what a cool spot. Yolanda was our server and what a wonderful person. This restaurant is family owned. We started with drinks and then ordered our entrees. My wife had the chicken enchilada entree and I had the chicken enchilada, chile relleno and beef taco. The good was good and the ambiance positive and authentic. Recommended read more

See all

Food was amazing and service was wonderful. The restaurant was authentic from food to ambience. Highly recommend.

Found this place for a weekday lunch spot when I was in town visiting relatives. Love the interior. It's very spacious with a large fire pit right in the middle of the room. Nothing fancy whatsoever, but that's the way I like it. The interior adds so much character to the restaurant. Food and service were good and it appears that this is a family owned and run restaurant which made it even better. Would pick this place over any other chain Mexican food restaurant there is out there. If you want decent food and want to support a family owned local business this is your spot. I would recommend. read more

This place is a hidden gem. The food and service were awesome. The chile relleno rates as one of the best I've ever had. The chicken enchilada was packed with meat and the taco was crispy and delicious. I grew up in Riverside Ca and this is the best food I've had since El Serape which is now sadly closed. read more

With a name like that, we wanted to like this place. Unfortunately that's far from our experience. We were on our way to Santa Ysabel passing through Ramona. We're decided to visit the Smoking Cannon Brewery next door for some local beer. While there we noticed a menu for the El Michoacan Restaurant next door sitting on the counter. The gentleman behind the counter informed us we can order take out from there and eat at the brewery. We decided to try the carne asada nachos thinking something easy. My wife went to place the order and returned. After 20 min. I walked over to pick it up thinking it would be ready. It wasn't. The place was huge but no where near full. The order desk was at the back of the dark restaurant which was hard to see because of the massive fireplace feature at the center of the restaurant. I had to wait another 5 min for the take out to be ready, something that should take less than minutes to prepare. We finally open up the foam container (which we thought were being fazed out in CA) to be so, so disappointed in what we saw. This being a mexican restaurant, we were so unimpressed with the look and the taste of the carne asada nachos. The nachos were store bought, the cheese was from a can, the little bit of carne asada was over cooked, the salsa was from a jar. The beans it came with were buried under the nachos. This is not something I would serve my guests at home. Definitely a disappointment. Please improve your ingredients and presentation. This was the only dish we ordered and for the $18 it was far from woth it. Maybe the other dishes are more authentic, but this was not. read more

This eclectic Mexican restaurant has outstanding, and very friendly, service - the staff really made you feel welcome, let you know that they were very pleased that you came, and that they were able to serve you. It was obvious, from all the decorations and memorabilia on the walls and hanging from the ceiling, that this place has served Ramona residence for years. Food was very good. We enjoyed the chips and salsa that were served when we sat down - it was a very different salsa than you get in a lot of Mexican restaurants, and outstanding. I ordered a "Super Tostada", with the shredded beef, and asked them to substitute sliced avocados for the guacamole that it usually came with. It was brilliant! My wife had a cheese enchilada plate; the rice was a bit disappointing (to our tastes), but the enchilada and beans were excellent! All-in-all, we would detour to El Michoacán if we are back in the Poway-Ramona area. read more

El Michoacan - Mexican Near Me - Ramona, California

See all

My Summer of Tasty Tacos tour has never been more "country" than at this place. El Michoacán is literally a barn building in the middle of downtown Ramona consisting of a large dining room with a large grill in the middle. Ramona unexpectedly produced the winner of my 2017 #SummerOfFriedChicken (Marinade on Main's sous-vide fried chicken), and I was hoping lightning would strike in the same town twice with my #SummerOfTastyTacos. Unfortunately, as interesting as the décor and venue was, I disliked El Michoacán's "Carne Asada Taco." The meat was waaaaay too salty such that I could not abide the salinity, despite it being prepared competently otherwise. I even didn't mind the odd-looking guacamole or the bagged corn tortilla, but the over-seasoning of the steak made it nearly inedible. The "Milanesa Torta" is what I instead implore everyone to order here. It's a really damn good sandwich, featuring a fantastic buttered telera roll and juicy-yet-crispy milanesa (Mexican-style chicken fried steak, derived from Italy's cotoletta alla milanese). The mayo and vegetal toppings (onions, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado) are distributed evenly on top of the milanesa in appropriate amounts, ensuring every bite is as delicious as the last. Ramona may be crap at tacos, but this is a town that definitely knows how to fry stuff. Food/Décor/Service: 3.8/4.3/3.4 (Owner/manager's ability to take feedback on Yelp without exhibiting creepy, sociopathic behavior = 0.0, hence the 1-star) Taco Score: Carne Asada Taco (55/100) What to Order: Milanesa Torta read more

Visited 12/10/2022 One last dinner out last night before The First Snow of the year tonight here in Ranchita. El Michoacán in Ramona is a landmark Mexican Restaurant being serving this town for well over 25 years. This is the first time I've tried them in over 20 years. Still the same as my last visit. Grandma still sitting in her rocking chair watching everyone dine in this family run establishment. Large menu to choose from and fantastic friendly table service. We chose two dishes from the menu. The #1 Flauta, Chile Relleno, and a Shrimp Taco with Beans and Rice. And The #20 Tamale, Shrimp Taco, Ground Beef Enchilada, Chile Relleno with Beans and Rice. Sadly they were out of Tamales so I got an extra Enchilada in its place. Food was average and a bit overpriced for the size of the serving but not bad in general. Sauce is flavored nicely. Enchiladas we're my favorite. The Chile Relleno's were good but on the small side. The Shrimp soft tacos were a disappointment. Chips and Salsa were a nice way to start. It hit the spot for a quickie. Give it a try if your in town. read more

See all

Ate dinner with my parents here and little has changed regarding the inside of the restaurant. We have been coming here for the past 40 years and it's a solid establishment in Ramona. Fire pit in the middle of the restaurant and quite a bit of memorabilia adorning the walls with tables throughout. Yolanda was our server and she was quite attentive and gracious during our stay. We ordered drinks and dinner at the same time and within minutes our drinks appeared and dinner 10ish minutes later. My mom and I both ordered the #7 which consisted of a chile relleno , cheese or chicken enchilada and beef taco. My dad ordered a beef tostada with guacamole. During our stay we saw the owner, Amelia, and she waved hello to us and smiled as she passed. Our food was hot (temperature wise) and tasty. Meals are generous in serving size and prices are mid range. A solid choice! We will be back! read more

I always loved this restaurant and it was my go to. But, then I started having gut issues after eating there and discovered that they had replaced using lard in their food with Canola oil. Have not eaten there since, sad to say. There are only two Mexican restaurants in Ramona, to my knowledge, that still use lard in their cooking, so those are the ones I am sticking with now. read more

El Michoacan has been an institution in Ramona for a generation! I don't eat here often, but when I do I'm always impressed by the rich history and tradition of this place. Their menu has an endless amount of Mexican combination plate favorites that can be easily customized. I recently had an enchilada, tamale and two rolled tacos with guacamole combination plate for only $12. The food here is very good and thoughtfully plated. Not the best Mexican food I've had in SoCal, but everything I've had here has been solid. I can really tell they're using old-school recipes likely handed down by someone's grandma. Chips were outstanding this time. I've been before when they seemed stale. The tamale was smaller than many I've had but tasted great. I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, El Michoacan is probably more of winter-time restaurant for me. It was very hot in there when I visited last. The nice lady turned on a single oscillating fan that was near my table. That along with an ice-cold Modelo Especial took the edge off somewhat. My forehead was starting to bead before I was done. Excellent service from the ladies working there at the time. I just love their seasonally rotating vinyl tablecloths. Such vibrant colors for summer-time. If you've never been to this cavernous restaurant on 8th Street just south of Main, I highly recommend it. Just wear appropriate breathable light cotton fabrics if you go during our hotter months. read more

Good was amazing! Service was great love the service prices were right staff was friendly

Best food, service and place to spend cold winter nights. Owners are great people who support the community

Great food, service and ambiance in cool months. They even have a fireplace in the middle of the room. In the hot months we get take out. It is hot inside. read more

The venue is funny ~ a big, dark cavernous space with tables plopped in the middle around a fireplace. But we loved everything we ordered: A beef taco, chile relleno, bean & cheese burrito, beans and guacamole. And the service was so nice! Everyone was very friendly and the food came out fast, too. read more

Their food is mid. Their services great, and they have amazing workers that try their best there. The ambience is quite entertaining to look at, but kind of a mess. read more

Great family owned restaurant! There's nothing we don't like about this restaurant. The family that owns it, The food, everything is wonderful! read more

Review for Nachos only (which aren't even worthy of the title of nachos) I don't even know where to start and will say this was the grossest "nachos" I have ever had. We were having a beer next door and thought some chips and salsa would be delish. This completely stumped the person taking our order who could not understand we only wanted chips and salsa. We finally acquiesced and ordered the carne asada nachos without meat. Annoyingly, we were charged the same price but that's neither here nor there. The real disappointment came after opening the container to find chips drenched in cheese sauce without a single hint of real cheese. A small squirt of sour cream and fake guacamole topped off this disgusting serving of nachos. And on the side we were served a back of chips and containers of salsa...SMH...two black hairs accompanied our meal. After dumping some salsa on them trying to pretend they were edible, we gave in and threw them away. Such a waste... Maybe their entrees are better?!? read more

El Michoacan - One of two black hairs retrieved from our nachos. - Mexican Near Me - Ramona, California

See all

Just 4Stars here which is the norm for this place from other eaters also. Lol my son and I have been going here since he was a kid really our favorite place in this area for authentic Mexican food. I wish it was here in San Diego. This restaurant has been here for 40 years and as you can see by the inside has not changed. One of the reasons why we love this place it doesn't change. The food stays the same, staff is good and yes it is very dark inside. It was a fireplace which lit it up the place and it was very comfortable in there as it was pretty chilly outside today. I ordered the chile relleno with pinto beans and rice. Sadly the chile relleno was very greasy and all I really saw was the chili LOL the chili was good not too spicy but definitely not a true chile relleno. The pencil beans were excellent and so is the rice. My son enjoyed his chicken enchilada, beef enchilada rice and refried beans. Of course, I enjoyed my Modelo. When we arrived at 1:30 we were told that we had to leave by 2:15 as they were having an event there and that we had to order immediately as they were closing for an event . This was not what we had in mind rushing the kitchen for our food and having to eat faster than normal. Well, we were just glad to be able to get some food and enjoy each other's company a little bit longer today. Going back in time and have a wonderful memories of our travels together weather in San Diego or abroad. This restaurant is on a side street if you see green canopies on a corner you're close. Ramona has not changed much over the years it's still a farming town and unfortunately like many places since covid have closed. It's a quieter Town than ever before. The shop owners are very friendly and it sure has that community feeling. read more

See all

I was actually really surprised to see the good reviews on this place. I'll start with the good... it's clearly family owned and the woman that served us was just as nice as could be. My partner and I stopped by here after a very long drive. We mostly just needed to get out of the car for a bit so we decided to stop for a drink and an appetizer. We walked in (1pm on a Saturday) and were the only guests in the restaurant, perhaps that should have been a clue. The decor was fun. A bit "all over the place" but I liked it, a lot to look at. We sat down and ordered a drink and went to pick our appetizer and were disappointed to find that the only option was Nachos. They point out on their menu that they use "Que Bueno canned cheese". I wanted to leave after our drink at that point, but my partner wanted to stay. We ordered the carne asada nachos and were given chips and salsa. The salsa was tomato sauce. No flavor, at all. I added salt and pepper to try and spruce it up, but it just wasn't good. I asked the server if they had any other salsa or even taco sauce and she gave us tapatio. The nachos came, chips on a plate, covered in fake cheese sauce with a sprinkle of carne asada in the middle. I ate a few and was done, no flavor whatsoever. I don't think they even use salt and pepper. The meat had potential if they had attempted to season it at all. My partner calls me picky, I call him a garbage disposal that will eat anything, so halfway through eating he discovered refried beans UNDER the mess of chips and canned cheese. Weird way to assemble nachos. Either way, not a place we would return. The staff was great, but I don't think they have ever actually tasted Mexican food. read more

Service is always excellent and the good is good. This is one of Ramona's better restaurants.

You know the food is not good but great when the Bean taste homemade. They had good reviews so I decided to stop in and let me tell you I was not disappointed at all. The food was great, service was good and the Price was average.. Check it out its good. I had the Taco, enchilada and Chile relleno plate... Very satisfying. read more

El Michoacan - Taco, chicken enchilada and Chile Relleno. - Mexican Near Me - Ramona, California

Some of the food here is good Pricey Service tends to be slow Family owned & operated read more

Stopped here on the way back from Julian. It's off the main drag and you kind of have to find this place by accident. I think mostly locals eat here. The food was tasty. The place kind of has the vibe it is struggling to stay open and with Covid I can understand that. read more

In our house we call it the hole in the wall. It has always been our families favorite Mexican food here in town.

Casual, comfortable, come as you are and enjoy the yummy Mexican dishes! My family loves this restaurant!

I like this place. My wife hates it. I like the food even though it is kind of like gringo Mexican food. It's still delicious. Some complain that it isn't authentic Mexican food. I know it's like the Mexican food you might find in Fargo North Dakota but it's still delicious. This restaurant has been owned and operated by a really nice Mexican family for decades so that's Mexican enough for me. Thumbs up! read more

A few days after reviewing this restaurant I received a very nasty direct message on Yelp. I don't know if this individual has any affiliation with this restaurant but regardless future patrons now have awareness. read more

See all

FINALLY made it to El Michoacan a couple weeks ago. What a fun place! The food is pretty good...not out-of-this-world amazing, but pretty darned good. Service was a bit slow but understandably so as it was Thursday cruise night. The prices are quite fair! And...now you can go next door to Smoking Cannon Brewery before or after ... or even order food at El Michoacan and take it next door to Smoking Cannon to enjoy with your beer. Definitely a must-see in Ramona. Quite unusual - nothing else quite like it! And the people that work here are super nice. It's kid friendly so bring those little ones with you! read more

If you're used to real Mexican food . Do not come here you will be disappointed. They gave me a burrito with nothing but meat inside. Rice and beans on the side .. like why couldn't you just put it inside the burrito read more

If you want a cool big social spot to dine come here. If you want good drinks and chips/salsa come here. If you're looking for tasty mexican food, this is just average. I want my beans & rice to have lots of flavor, these were only ok. read more

We just left this restaurant. I ordered a cheese quesadilla and a carne asada salad. My fiancé ordered a carne asada burrito. Upon arrival, I asked if they had agua frescas. A horchata is a staple to a good Mexican meal. Horchata: Mexican food as green tea:Chinese food. I was ok without a horchata. I politely asked the waitress if the carne asada in the salad was the little pieces or the steak type of meat. (I'd gladly pay for the quality difference). I'm a very unprofessional tone she said it's Bisher's steak or Black Angus ("if I have heard of Black Angus.") She was insulting. I wasn't trying to be rude. If she wasn't a part owner, she probably would've answered a 1,000 times nicer. The waitress had five tables tops the entire meal. She didn't refill our drinks or bring my salad dressing (salsa) that I ordered when she took our order. She never returned after bringing our meal out. The older lady in there must be the main owner. It looks family owned. That's great. The lady in the back helped get us my salad dressing/salsa as my fiancé walked up to the doorway to the kitchen. She was sweet...she was awesome. She always helped us get checked out. I think she should be the waitress working with customers. read more

El Michoacan - This is a response from a classy customer that disliked that I gave the restaurant 2 stars. . - Mexican Near Me - Ramona, California

Service was very slow, food had no flavor. Ramona has many Mexican restaurants I would pass on this one.

This place made me feel claustrophobic. It is a huge barn-like building with no windows and one glass door, which was one of the three sources of light. Going in from day light to the darkened room was scary since we were unable to see where we were walking. The cash register is on the opposite side of the large room and no one greets you at the door or gives you any clue to what you should do about getting a table and menus. The other two sources of lights were 2 sky lights on the tall ceiling which made us feel like we were in a spot light for the entire meal. The walls were dark since the light was over the tables and chairs. The uncovered concrete floor was difficult to move our chairs over. The middle of the room is filled with a fire pit which wasn't in use but the fire wood completely lined the inside of one wall, which seems unsanitary to us. Only 3 tables were in use so our waitress came over quickly and put our menus and some chips and salsa in front of us and asked our drink order. Chips were too crispy and salty. Salsa just tasted like crushed, cooked tomatoes. The rice tasted like it had plain tomatoes in it. No beans or corn like I really like. The beans were also average. The beef burrito had good meat in it and cheese. Just average. The same with the enchilada plate. Four things that made us decide not to come back. 1. Really didn't like the building. 2. Just average food. 3. $18 for 2 plates without drinks. 4. We were both still hungry after we finished eating. read more

El Michoacan - Beef enchilada plate. - Mexican Near Me - Ramona, California

See all

They have Best Chile relleno plate in town and their Salsa are authentic with a kick to them. excited to go back and taste different plates. I heard another customer say good tamales so that will be something I try next. read more

People seem to really love this place, but aside from the giant (and seriously awesome) roaring fire pit in the middle of the stone floored, wooden walled joint, I am not sure what all the fuss is about. The service was nice, and the food showed up in good time. Though it al just tasted fine. If you're in the mood for warming up, this is a good choice, but the bland food and homognized menu choices makes me thing this is just another spot people in Ramona feel they have to like because qulity sit-down resturants are tough to come by here wihtout trekking to Poway or Escondido. read more

El Michoacan - Packed house on a Wednesday night! - Mexican Near Me - Ramona, California

Old...dated...nothing fancy...LOVED it! Had a very good meal. The service was great from the moment we walked in. A family-run business that is doing it right. Nice to walk into a restaurant where everyone was smiling and seemed happy. Our meal was very good and very fresh. Price was $27 for 2 and we are both full and extremely satisfied. read more

El Michoacan - Carnitas tacos, rice and refried beans. - Mexican Near Me - Ramona, California

I'm just being honest here. The three stars is simply for food quality. Not great. Very little flavor. Bland bland bland. Honestly Los Ranchitos is better, as is every other Mexican place in Ramona. El Michoacan is really more in line with a Mexican joint you might find in Ohio, not Southern California. I think it's been here so long that the older folks that recommended it really just liked the familiarity of it, unaware there is much better out there to be had. read more