This is your average texmex joint Texas is famous for. It's not great food but it's widely viewed by my family as "just a place to eat". Nothing special, yet nothing offensive. Reasonably priced, so it gets plenty of traffic. This isn't the kind of place you would bring friends to, thinking that you are introducing them to a hidden jewel. It's just there, and every place has a purpose. I can't say anything good, and I can't say anything bad. If this restaurant were a girl, it would definitely be a 1:00am booty call. She serves a purpose but you'd never introduce her to your parents! read more

This place is very popular with the locals for a reason. I have never waited long for my food here even when it's extremely busy. Not expensive. Home made chips are good. Good variety on the menu and the cheese they use is the best! Love those Nachos Compuestos! The Enchiladas are very good as well. This place is a more of an authentic Mexican food type place. If you are looking for Tex-Mex look elsewhere. read more

My Kingwood colleague recommended El Ranchero for happy hour as an alternative to one of the chain Tex-mex restaurants around. Happy hour prices for regular margaritas were reasonable, $3 I think. The top shelf, which are really the regular margaritas with a shot of Cuervo Gold, are not at $7. No happy hour pricing there. And they were fair at best. The chips and salsa were good and the queso, while flavorful, had a powdery taste to it. Since we stayed longer than expected, and I had to drive downtown, I ended up ordering fajitas. Nothing spectacular, but solidly done. So, there isn't anything gourmet here, just basic, no frills Mexican. It apparently is really popular with the Kingwood crowd. By the time we left around 7.00, there was already a wait for tables. read more

Haven't been here for awhile. Expectations were high as this was a favorite. Not disappointed at all. The same exceptional Tex Mex in an area with no lack of Mexican eateries. Love it. Even the hot coffee was good. I will be back. read more

El Ranchero - Chile Relleno. Beef or cheese stuffed pablano pepper. - Mexican Near Me - Humble, Texas

We eat here on a weekly basis and the food is great. I am writing this week to say how greatful we are that they were opened every day during hurricane Harvey. This is a family owned business that opened and was serving food during a time that would have justified them closing... And to the couple who was complaining that they were not utilizing all the tables -be greatful you had a place to go to get a hot meal during this catastrophe and quit complaining that you had to wait because they were short handed. Remember that these workers have family that may be stranded or they may be stranded themselves!! read more

Received a coupon in the mail for fajitas for two at $15 for two, so we thought that we would try it out. Read a few reviews on yelp and they were mixed.... So when we got there we were seated right away. The gentleman that brought us the chips/salsa was also the same that took our drink order. I asked if all draft beers were $1.50 and he said they were and listed them off. We chose the Victoria Draft beer. We ordered the combo fajitas, which were good and two kids meals and a half order of cheese sauce. The sauce was not worth the $5 they charge for it as it is almost like velvetta. The kids meals were a rip off as well. My daughters order was the taco and queso plate and it was $5.50 for the taco and queso drizzled over an upside down taco shell!. All in all , the beer was not the draft beer price and they wouldn't honor the waiters mistake and had said it happens all the time. Bottom line, fix the dang menu and train the wait staff. Needless to say I would have been better off spending my $51 somewhere else for Mexican. read more

By far my favorite place to eat for lunch in Kingwood. They have a very large and inexpensive lunch menu with many different combinations (at least 29 choices) The services is quick and the food is ready really fast. Almost questionably fast but not quite. My favorite item on the lunch menu would be the pollos diablos. Bacon wrapped chicken tenders with jalapenos. More jalapeno would be welcomed with open arms but they are delicious nonetheless. The rice that accompanies this magical combination of spicy and bacon is also remarkable. A bit oily but definitely delicious. We have used Ranchero's catering for work functions as well and we're always pleased with portions and the generous tortilla amounts. 4/5 would recommend this place. read more

We have been going to this restaurant for more than 10 years. The owners and the staff have overall been great. Unfortunately, during Covid 19 we have not gone in as much; however, we have ordered carry-out. Thanks for being a part of the community. read more

This place is amazing! I always get the taco al carbon(: the chili con queso is yummy, but I always add the salsa in it and it turns it into something extraordinary. I'm really picky with drinks and I've never had a problem with the drinks being flat or over carbonated. Chips are just amazing. I would give this five stars but, I prefer my refried beans to be more smooth and not 'beany' read more

Took my dad to lunch today. Thought of Los Cucos in Kingwood, because l had lunched at the Humble location once before. So l check out Yelp and am l glad l did! They had horrible reviews, mostly for service. Who wants that? I had to say this, so l could say the following. Then l saw El Ranchero Mexican Restaurant listed, read the reviews and decided this will be our lunch destination for today. I've never been here before, l guess l always thought they were on the high dollar side. Not the case!!! OH, OH, OH my, had trouble deciding what to choose from their many, many lunch offerings. My mouth was watering in anticipation. I decided on the Pollo Diablo. It was soooo delicious! 6 strips of boneless chicken breast, wrapped with a whole strip of bacon, jalapeno and Monterey Jack Cheese served on a sizzling bed of grilled onions. Rice, beans and sliced avocado and tomato on lettuce served on a separate platter. Again l tell you it was sooo delicious. ***** I could only eat half of my lunch, the portions were very generous. The other half is in my fridge for dinner tonight. Dad had the Carne Asada. He could hardly eat the large, charbroiled, marinaded fajita steak. It also was served on a sizzling bed of onions. (Cast iron is the best for them onions). On a separate platter, rice, beans, pico de gallo and guacamole was served. He said he really, really liked it. Needless to say, we will be returning in the near future. There's so much to try! Eating is an adventure. And we still have the dinner menu to explore. I highly recommend El Ranchero Mexican Restaurant. I wish l would have tried them sooner. Oh, service was excellent. read more

Completely average Americanized 'Mexican' food. Not bad or inedible, just nothing different that made it stand out. Food was served very quickly, which leads me to believe nothing is cooked to order...just heated up. I was hoping for much better from a highly rated Mexican restaurant in Texas. The warm table salsa was the best part of the meal. It had a surprisingly spicy kick to it. I should have stopped there. Staff was friendly and atmosphere was comfortable. read more

Had the shrimp soup and it lacked flavor. Who puts corn in shrimp or seafood soup? And the seafood soup had imitation crab seriously for the price that they are changing it should be real crab. The service is good but the food lacked flavor, they need a good chef consultant to show them how to make real seafood, and shrimp soup. read more

Consistent Tex-Mex. El Ranchero definitely does it's chips and its own take on salsa verde right. I typically order the enchiladas con mole, and they are consistently covered in some sort of mole sauce and filled with some sort of American/cheddar (?) blend cheese mixture on the inside. I'm a little disappointed where volume has been going with El Ranchero though - I noticed that the fajitas-for-two plate (which my folks typically order) has been diminishing in size recently (hence, my 3 star rating). I hope this trend stops in the future! read more

Been at this joint a few times over the years and decided to try it again. Then, I remembered why we quit going. Waitress serving our drinks spilled mined all over the table. Didn't say a word, just walked away. They must have had a napkin shortage because none were brought to clean up her mess. The store bought chips with a pound of salt and watery salsa were the pits. Ordered a couple of drinks which were pretty good and the tortilla soup wasn't bad. Sat for 20 minutes after finishing our meal before we had to call for our waiter. However, the two piece musical group were quite good. We won't be going back though, Kingwood area has some of the worst Mexican food joints. Going back into town for much better cuisine. read more

Okay okay. They fixed the booths. Thank you. I think most of the booths are normally spaced now. I haven't had the courage to try the wuevos rancheros again but I hope they don't normally make them with the white part of the eggs still watery. It may have just been my meal that had that problem. Love the queso for the chips. Its not crazy special and unique. Its just pure cheesy goodness and not spicy at all. But it also comes with jalapenos on the side for those who like spicy. Recently tried the tortilla soup. Very good. Not the best. But flavorful. The chicken enchiladas are killer. Delicious. Better than my moms. Even better if you put some of that cheesy queso on it. The queso also goes good with beef fajitas and tortilla. Always big portions here for a fair price! read more

We've been a loyal customers for 12 years. Food quality and service are declining. I always order the same entree,and because I ask them to hold the cheese, the rice, the beans and the tortillas, they always give me 1 extra TBSP of guacamole and pico each without charging me as the plate is otherwise empty on one side. Tonight, they tried to seat me at a table that wobbed so badly I asked to move before my drink came. The guy acted all annoyed and said "All of our tables do that!" I asked if he'd rather I left, and he hesitated. A lady came and left me to another table that didn't wobble. When my order came there was less guacamole and pico than normal, way less, so I said I'd the same amount as I usually get. He then brought me this huge plateful and told me it would be $2.50 for making a substitution.. When I said I didn't need a whole plate, just a tablespoon because they had given me so little, the server sent the manager over to explain I needed to pay the extra $2.50 for the guacamole. I ate only 1/6 of what was on the side plate, so when I left I told them it was my last time eating there, they'd lost a 12 year customer, and I hoped that important $2.50 keeps them in business. It's not as though I needed the whole avacado! read more

Horrible food. Absolutely tasteless "queso". Even melted Velveeta tastes better. The ground beef didn't smell like any beef I've ever tasted. Completely gross. The cheese enchiladas were filled with something resembling Velveeta. WHAT'S SO HARD ABOUT USING ACTUAL REAL CHEESE IN A CHEESE ENCHILADA??? Bland rice and beans. When we left, my teenage daughter asked, "What just happened there?" Horrifically nasty Mexican food. That's what. read more

Can I just say this is my go to place for Mexican food. Have been coming here since 2008 and it doesn't disappoint! Great food, great prices, atmosphere and people are what makes this place the best family friendly restaurant around!! The churros are off the chain! read more

Ate breakfast for our first visit. Food was great and hot. Didn't care for rice on breakfast plate but will ask for potatoes next time. Salsa was very tasty. Coffee was great. Service was excellent. read more

I have been an avid fan of their carne asada for years but last night I tried Alambres. It was awesome. Choose beef or chicken or a mix of both, on a sewer with amazing veggies, beans, rice, chips, tortilla wrap, salsa and guacamole. I did a take out and it's enough for 2 meals for me. It was freshly cooked and tasted really good. The tomatoes, bell peppers and onions were amazing. This is my new go to dish when I need to keep carbs down. read more

Dinner was excellent! We met friends and enjoyed our food and the great service.We dined on Beef Enchiladas, Fajita Nachos, Enchladas Verde and Summer Platter. Our iced tea was filled regularly. The Mariachis showed up around six and serenaded the dining room. A good time was had by all. read more

The best sizzling fajitas I've ever had, the servers are always great and most Saturdays they have a mariachi band playing music that is not overwhelming to dinner conversation. read more

Best Mexican food around! Staff is always friendly and attentive, will be a lifelong customer.

We have been customers of this restaurant for the last fifteen years. They have always offered good service and great food. I do recognize good Mexican food since I am from CDMX. Not ever have we had a bad meal. read more

We went with friends for lunch after church. Straightaway I noted the servers were borderline unfriendly, just functionary in their tasks but definitely not a smile or welcome at all. We ordered. I had the stuffed avocado with beef. Halfway through the avocado I encountered something very very chewy, and discovered a piece of white and blue plastic about an inch square had been cooked into the food (and there was another smaller piece in their too.). I should've snapped a picture but I was already unhappy with the lack of welcome I felt. I gave it back and informed the server he needed to deduct the meal. He asked if I wanted to order anything else however no offer was made regarding that. I firmly but politely declined. No manager visited which didn't surprise me. We won't return. Period. read more

Food is amazing and great prices. The staff were not attentive. At first my table waited 10 minutes at our booth before getting a drink then while she checked my ID that took her 10 minutes. I was started to get frustrated and called the manger to check my ID since clearly she couldn't do the math. After we got our drinks we waited for 10 more minutes for food. I called the manager over to place our order and he wasn't too nice to me. After all I'm the customer. During our visit our waiter never once came to our table to check on us. I approached her for refills. The food here is amazing but that was the 2nd time we've been treated like that. Staff is horrible. read more

Horrible food and service. Just stopped for lunch because I work close by. Ordered a taco salad and to send it back because there was literally a thin layer of shredded lettuce in the bowl. The entire salad itself including meat vegetables and sour cream didn't even fill bowl halfway. No salsa although menu states it Waited at least 10 minutes after finishing for my waiter to appear so I could pay the bill and he completely disappeared. Had to walk up to the hostess stand to get someone to track him down. Food was bland and boring. Can't believe they charge 9.95 for a taco salad this lame. No tip which is completely unlike me. Never again read more

How does one call this "family friendly"? We, my wife and 2 kids, were sat next to the freaking bar. Anywhere other than the bar area would have been fine. I do not know how this place can pass as "Mexican". And what makes it even worse is their sign on the door that should be taken down:"Best Mexican food in Texas". Yeah right! Taco: Bland and tasteless. I can not get past the fact it didn't even come with cheese. Enchilada: Tasted as if were microwaved and then covered with the "cheese and sauce" Tamale: No freaking flavor! Re-fried beans: How can you mess that up?! No flavor! Rice: How does Mexican style rice have no flavor? Salsa: Could barely eat it with the chips Even My kid's quesadilla did not have any flavor And lastly: The cheese dip. Otherwise should have been known as: Melted Velveeta- There is no way on Earth that this place's "cheese dip" could EVER pass as queso. All and all, will not go there again. There are places on the East coast that are much better and know what Mexican food tastes like. I would even bet that places up in the New England states have better Mexican food than this place! WORST MEXICAN RESTAURANT EVER!!! read more

The menu selection was good, but I found the food sort of bland. Not as much flavor. I ordered the Pollo A La Parilla. Service was decent and friendly. read more

Really, for the price it's hard to beat. I have had just about every single thing on the menu and can't say that anything is bad. As busy as they get sometimes, the service is still pretty good overall. I will say that as they expanded, the food quality has gone down slightly. It's still good but not as good as it was in the beginning in my opinion. read more

This place seems over rated to me. My second to last choice of Mexican food in this area. Maybe good for large families with kids but just not for me. read more

this place is def a lil hood gem.. this time tried the carnitas and they were redic good!!!!! im talkin damn tender & flavorful with crispy outside to perfection!!!! also got a lil side picadillo stuffed pepper - damn good !!!! read more

My wife and I have been looking for a good Mexican restaurant and I think we have found one that lives up to our expectations. The food was delicious. The wait staff were friendly , courteous, and very helpful. This has become one our restaurants of choice. read more

This is like the worst kind of Texmex from the 90's. The tamales had literally no flavor, i didn't even know you could suck all the flavor out of food. The meat looks like the cheapest they could buy, and they pour bland queso on their nachos. Margaritas are bad, which sucks because you need to be drunk to enjoy this food. Even the decor and general vibe sucks. Take your hard earned money to a place that actually cares about the food they make m. read more

The food is consistently tasty and served quickly. The chips and salsa are wonderful and plentiful. Although they are very busy we have never had to wait too long. They really try to seat you as quickly as possible. We've been eating here for years and have never been disappointed. Great place to bring friends. Definitely my favorite Mexican restaurant. read more

El Ranchero is an amazing, family owned, restaraunt. All of the good is good, but the fajitas are beyond incredible. The staff is polite, fast, and accurate. The prices are very reasonable, and they have a full bar. This is one of my favorite up to places! read more

One of the best Mexican restaurants I have eaten at. I have been going here for about 10 years

Best Mexican food in Kingwood/Porter area!! We have tried several Mexican joints in the area and some we like the salsa, some have good margaritas and most have mediocre queso. We recently tried El Ranchero and were so pleased with the taste, service, price and everything in between. Great food, great margaritas, great salsa and the staff is amazing!! We have been back 3 times in 2 weeks. Our favorite Mexican place after 5 years of mediocre Mexican food! read more

Cold beer. Fresh chips. Perfect salsa. Great service. Can't wait to be back! Guacamole is on point. Enchiladas so good I hurt myself.

Exactly what we were looking for, cheep delicious food, cold beer and a delightful top shelf margarita (with Patron). Yum!