My wife had the carne asada, and I had the nachos--both were absolutely delicious. The portions were huge; we couldn't even finish everything. Our waiter was very quick, which honestly surprised me. He was a little clumsy at times, but still attentive and got everything to us without issue. The restaurant itself was colorful and full of character, yet still had a relaxing atmosphere. I would definitely come back. The prices are fair for the quality and portion sizes. read more

I was craving Mexican food ! This restaurant is huge . Really vibrant decor with lots of spaces and rooms to dine. Would be a great location for any event . Service was awesome . They accommodated my vegan requests easily . Had the veggie fajitas , grilled jalapeños , grilled nopales , & grilled green onions . It wasn't bad at all but also wasn't the greatest Mexican food either . The restrooms definitely could have used some tidying & attention . Overall we had a good experience. read more

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We love this place! It's classic Mexican fare at a great price. The cheese sauce is always good, the food is fast and hot, and the margaritas are always great! The staff is so polite and always wants you to have a great meal! The chips are nearly always topped off in abundance (much to my waistlines demise!) The decor is classic Mexican restaurant, with music that isn't too loud and not too soft! Kids are always welcome and the place is big enough they don't cause a concern for other guests! read more

El Rancherito - Mexican Near Me - Effingham, Illinois

This restaurant was weird to me personally, the plate super hot, when I say hot can't even touch it. I ordered one taco, one enchilada and beans. I just wanted a warm and quiet lunch it was a nightmare! Like I said the plate super hot, but the food was like warm, I just pushed it away from me , a person came to my table told me you didn't like the food I said no it's not hot. I was just going to pay the bill and leave. The gentleman went in the back and told the kitchen what I said and the waiter said in Spanish that this lady she just didn't want to pay! I speak Spanish very well and I just turned into a Karen, it was not enough that the food was cold I was insulted by the waiter. read more

Not far off the highway and easy to find, the outside needs some updating and the door isn't welcoming. Let's get a sign that clearly designates it as the entrance. Inside was a little dark but well appointed and clean. My server was friendly and efficient. Really nice interaction! The chips were a bit too salty for my tastes and the salsa was very homogeneous. I prefer chunky, but it was pretty tasty. My food was okay. The vegetables seemed to have been cooked well before I ordered them so the texture was a bit off, but it was warm and they still had some good flavor. It is more likely that they were frozen and cooked to order that way. Good pricing, good service and decent food. I'd go back. read more

Food was very authentic and quite tasty, actually delicious! Service was quick and our waiter was very friendly. Portions were bigger than I could eat so I got a box to go! Great Mexican restaurant!! read more

Great free standing place to dine near interstate exit and local hotels. Pretty decor, architecture, tabletops, and chairs. So many things on the menu. Mostly booth seating indoors, but we did request and get seated at a table. Cute patio adjacent to indoor restaurant. A bit of a language challenge, but service was very good and prompt. Our meals were generous and tasty. Requested a Paloma to drink, and waiter did not understand me, but made a point of asking the young bartender who knew exactly what to prepare. The Nacho Fajitas were a unique entree that I would definitely order again. Muy delicioso. read more

El Rancherito - Nacho Fajitas with skirt steak - Mexican Near Me - Effingham, Illinois

We go to this place often. We love the food. My favorite is the Alan special (chicken, rice and cheese).

A short walk from everywhere you can park a semi, this little gem offers consistently excellent everything. Great food, drinks, ambiance, staff, it's impossibly to find fault. Place is spotlessly clean, staff does outstanding work maintaining it all. Eat here quick, you will never regret it. It has become my weekend destination, completely winning me over with their incredible presence and offerings. read more

El Rancherito - Tamale. Freakin amazing, as usual. - Mexican Near Me - Effingham, Illinois

Food and service were excellent. I got the Chori Pollo, my wife got the Burrito Colorado.

Stopped in for dinner passing through while moving across the country and this place did not disappoint! I ordered the poblano sauce smothered chicken and it was amazing! Sauce had ton of flavor and the chicken was very tender! Gold margaritas were a great addition to a long day on the road! The place was super clean and the staff were very attentive! I highly recommend! read more

I'm going to say it very bluntly. I ordered food. Got a look from the waiter, eye roll. Ordered queso fundido w/corn tortillas and 2 steak tacos w/cilantro and onion only and a side of beans. The waiter dumped the microwaved cheese on my table. I left. He got a $2 tip for his effort. Didn't wait for the rest of it. Garbage. read more

Food was not good ordered chorriqueso and margaritas. The margaritas had no tequila (alcohol). And the cheese dip and Mexican sausage was gross (chorriqueso) Will not be going back!!! read more

El Rancherito - Chorrizo and cheese dip. will not be going back (Warning) - Mexican Near Me - Effingham, Illinois

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Very good and varied food. Excellent service and reasonable prices. Family atmosphere.

This is the default setting of Mexican cuisine. They actually deliver though! Will they be there in an hour and a half? Will they be there in twenty minutes? Roll the bones, bite the bullet, and pray for the best. One time they forgot a chimichanga and took an hour to come back, only to return with a dish of guacamole and shredded lettuce. We all just laughed and took the L at that point. On a good day though, it's a nice, familiar, and safe default setting for Mexican cuisine. read more

The dining area is decked out in Mexican style and perhaps a bit overdone. There is plenty of seating, a good amount of space between the seats so you don't feel jammed and from where I sat, the place was clean. The wait staff are very friendly and tentative. As for the menu; I didn't see anything unique, but it does cover the usual items one would expect to see at a Mexican restaurant in the US. I'll admit, I did do my homework before coming here and under normal circumstances, considering many of my fellow Yelpers have given poor ratings I would not have come here. But, considering Effingham does not have many Mexican Restaurants, I thought it was to check it out for myself. I kept the order rather simple, but even that, the chicken came out overly cooked on a greasy griddle. The beans and rice were also very bland. The meal was so poor in quality that I didn't even bother finishing, paid my bill and left. Clearly I will not be coming back here again. More importantly, I would encourage everyone to stay away and if your in the mood for Mexican, then I would suggest going to Don Pedro's which is by far a much better experience ! read more

El Rancherito - Mexican Near Me - Effingham, Illinois

Super busy Saturday night! Beers cold! Food spot on! Even short staffed, service excellent! What a find...

Actually I thought this place was quite good. Beans and rice, Salsa were good. Chicken was grilled and marinated well as was the steak. Not a taco bell if that's what your looking for ...yeeecchhh to that btw. I've eaten at Mexican places across the states and this was fine. Especially for Illinois !!! read more

Tied for the best salsa in town. (Puerto Vallerta same owner). Usually fast and attentive, the food is always fresh and hot.

Food is "so-so" we have so many great authentic restaurants with Mexican food in this town and in comparison to Don Pedro and Innova I feel this restaurant is just mediocre. The restaurant all isn't always super clean and I found some weird stuff in my food here and there. Their menu items are the same as you find any run-of-the-mill Mexican restaurant. read more

May be the worst 'Mexican' i've ever eaten. The chille relleno was the wierdest thing- a blob of processed meat-like substance with a slice of something green on top- i think it was supposed to be a chille? Topped with canned enchilada sauce and orange melted cheese. Go to Chipotle down the street- at least it's somewhat fresh. read more

Forgot to check yelp before stopping by this place ...Doh!! Waited for server to show. Ordered 3 taco dinner for $9:95. Server turns away with out asking what kind of tacos and disappears in back. My server returns with my 3 taco dinner. 3 salty ground beef tacos. No rice and no beans... that's no bueno. Ok ok I learned my lesson. I will always check yelp before eating when on the road. Do yourself a favor and skip this place. read more

Went to the newest El Rancherito in Altamont tonight. The quality of food was below average. The appearance was poor - lettuce, tomato and guacamole were not fresh. Margarita was ok but far too much mix vs tequila. Also prices were higher than other area Mexican restaurants. The service was good though. Suggest management make some changes...I'm local and notice that business seems to be very slow - esp given the fact there are few choices in the area. read more

We stopped here for dinner during a trip. Looked for Mexican and let the GPS take us to what was close to the freeway. We didn't want to eat anything with meat and were happy to see that there was a vegetarian section to their menu. I had the veggie fajitas which were pretty good. My wife enjoyed her meal as well. Sides were alright but nothing to rave about. Service was okay. We didn't have any of the negative experiences the previous reviewers have had. read more

A guide to rancherito: 1. Do you like waiting 20 minutes to get your drink and another 10 to order? 2. Do you expect to take into account the time required to grow lettuce and slaughter your meat when you eat out? 3. Do you wish your fajitas to come out stone cold with no tortillas while your family waits another 15 for theirs? 4. Do you find yourself wondering what the contents of your stomach look like after eating? Yeah, didn't think so. So there's your guide to El Rancherito. Just don't. read more

I've been enjoying "the ranch" ever since it opened in the 90's. They have great Mexican food and I am blown away by how quickly the food is ready. While I don't live in the Effingham area anymore, I make a visit here every time I visit. read more

The food is delicious!!! All fresh, tasty, home made. Service is perfect! Just didn't like one server who was unpleasant and charged my bill twice read more

Yeah, not really impressed with this one. The food was blah. The salsa was ok, quest was very wet and runny, the enchiladas almost taste like ketchup (or very Americanized Mexican) and the rice and beans were bland. read more

After long 8 hr drive arrived them to try something new and it was awsome.................................... read more

El Rancherito - Mexican Near Me - Effingham, Illinois

Very impressed with this little restaurant. I was looking for a Mexican Restaurante after a long day of driving, including killer traffic in Chicago, on the way home south. Who'd have thought authentic could be had in the middle of Illinois just off the interstate. The outside was authentic rustic, the inside was authentic Latino festive, and the employees were every bit awesome waiters and servers! I had combination 9 for late dinner, simple enchilada, tamale, rice, and beans plate, and it all was awesome to the palate. I found the chicken enchilada one of the best I've ever eaten, as the tamale, rice and beans were good as well. Great waiter and decent prices, and we were in and out as we wanted. Note small details that tell all, like the top quality of the flat ware above any other dining place of this type. Five stars all the way, so don't know what these other folks are saying bad for. Enjoy! read more

El Rancherito - Mexican Near Me - Effingham, Illinois

If you go you must get the cheese dip!! If you don't get it you're missing out on the best part. The food is also great but I normally stick to the chicken quesadilla. Worth a try for sure! read more

Good guacamole, good beans and rice, and good margaritas! A beachy-looking place with good food and good service! We had enchiladas, tacos, chile rellanos, and margaritas. Definitely order on the rocks and not frozen margaritas. Will definitely be back. read more

My wife drags me here every so often. I can't stand it. She seems to enjoy it though (she also considers taco bell Mexican cousine...). I can't name a singular bad experience but I know that I never look forward to going here. If you want some real Mexican food head over to don pedros. you can watch them make your food and it is delicious. read more

Stopped in while spending a week here with the wife for business. Picked them to change up our dinning choices- and we were very happy! Fast service from seating to taking our drink orders- chips and salsa were placed on table just as quick as we were seated- drinks came out fast and then we ordered- the waitress (think owners daughter) very friendly to is and our 14 month old- very knowledgable about the menu and offered some ideas- we ordered chicken fundido - very good- decent size and very flavorful- bill was not over the top- very happy with all around- read more

Despite introducing me to the addiction I know have for mexican I am leary to ever eat here again. They have been shut down on a couple of different occasions. Most recently a case of Ecoli. Before I have heard cockroaches and even rats. read more

this traditional mex resto was pretty good senior!... magusta! the beans had a good flavor and the service was great. our waiter was very friendly, and kept my coffee full. they kept good cheer as i recited every elementary level spanish word i knew to them :) liezl got the Pollo Poblano, and she wins for the tastiest dish... it was delish. I got a combination taco burrito chalupa. it was yum too. the taco is missing in the pic coz.... well... i was hungry :) good stuff, see the pics. muay bueno! read more

El Rancherito - pollo poblano - Mexican Near Me - Effingham, Illinois

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My bf & I went here for lunch over the weekend. He said that many people hate this place. I totally understand why. My pork tacos came out wrong. I ordered them with just the pork & nothing else. It came with lettuce, which gives me GI problems. The taco shells were clearly old. The pork had way too much oil. If I'm not mistaken, the tacos were supposed to come with sides which it didn't. The guacamole dip didn't have the usual kick to it. The salsa was okay. My poor bf ended up taking a couple of trips to the porcelain goddess. He ordered the beef fajitas. The server wasn't really helpful & didn't refill our chips. read more

Not a good experience. No customer service AT ALL. You wait forever for a waiter, then they never come back to check on you. We watched other tables and waiters and we all got the same non-attention. Heck, we had to stop him to get our check. Oh! Our "combination" fajitas reminded us of that frozen stuff that you just pour out of a bag and warm up. The tortillas are not fresh made. Just because you have a bunch of Mexicans working there, doesn't make it authentic Mexican food. Don't do it. SMH read more

This was NOT an authentic Mexican restaurant. It is a formula Mexican place where the menu and offerings come from "Mexican restaurant supply place" Food was edible. Service was good. The Chile Relleno was the strangest I have ever had.A round cut of a pepper (I think bell, not sure) over some mixture of meat and rice(?) covered in a cheese sauce. The best are typically a poblano stuffed with cheese (usually monterey jack) sometimes coated and deep fried with a relleno sauce. Large beer is LARGE. read more

Pretty standard mexican food, nothing too special. I've seen cleaner bathrooms at gas stations.