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    El Ranchito Restaurant

    3.8 (300 reviews)
    ModerateMexican, Salad, Soup
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

    El Ranchito Restaurant Photos

    Business Info

    EL RANCHITO RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - El Ranchito Restaurant

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    Nicole W.

    Service was excellent. We sat at bar, jj was our server/Bartender. Drinks he made were superb. He made great recommendations for the food, and wat tequila we shld use for my margaritas. Food was good, forgot wat I had. My son got the chimichanga n it was good. Big portions. Thank you jj for the excellent service and a unforgettable time. ;)

    Enchiladas
    Jenna A.

    Enchiladas were delicious! Very fresh verde sauce! Service wasn't as attentive as we could have hoped, waited awhile before we were able to get someone to give us the bill, but they were attentive before and during the meal. Great place to grab lunch!

    Stacy H.

    Lovely restaurant in old town La Quinta. Plenty of seating both inside and outside. The house margaritas were delicious. The salsa has a nice zip to it. David our server was friendly, fast and efficient. All of our dishes were delicious. They have a nice happy hour and food specials daily. A very enjoyable meal.

    Go Big or go home
    Darla A.

    Super sweet restaurant. Found it cruising through La Quinta. Staff so nice and welcoming. Decor was warm and homey. Don't sleep on the Chiles Gueros. They are amazing. Yellow peppers stuffed with Al Pastor, carne asada and shrimp topped with melted cheese and served with a side of aioli and special sauce. They are outstanding. Carnitas Sopes were delicious. Tender and charred carnitas with beans, lettuce tomatoes, Sour cream and cotija cheese. We are happy campers after this tasty, tasty lunch. We will return. Probably on the way home from this vacation. Thank you El Ranchito

    Hands Down one of the best Chili Verde Burritos I've ever had, Trust me when I say. I'm a connoisseur.
    Mike L.

    Hands Down one of the Best Chili Verde wet burritos I've ever ver had. Thank You And the Service e was phenomenal!!!

    cheese enchiladas and Carnitas.
    Rob H.

    My kid's ordered me El Ranchito for my birthday. They sent us cheese enchiladas and Carnitas ( my favorite). Both plates were average at best. My Carnitas looked liked they were cooked yesterday and reheated the next day. The hard uneatable portion of pork out weighed the dry uneatable pork. If I'd been at the restaurant it would have been sent back but because it was a delivery, they sent it out. The cheese enchilada was under stuffed and lacked any flavors. There are so many great local Mexican restaurants in the area, why deal with this place.

    Carne Asada Fiesta Salad.
    Maria P.

    The service was amazing. The food was great. truly authentic Mexican food yummy. Very clean place love the vibe and ambience.

    Kids cheese burger
    Esteban A.

    I've wrote several reviews for this place. It's my absolute favorite. Service is always amazing. And the vibes are always immaculate.

    Especial margarita with chips and salsa.

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    2 months ago

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    6 days ago

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    7 days ago

    Our Favorite place, Food and ambiance great! (So is the Manchaca!) Beside the good food also great Mariachi's on Fridays.

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    7 months ago

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    6 months ago

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    1 year ago

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    5 months ago

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    4 months ago

    Excellent food and service. The margaritas were excellent. Yummy warm chips and salsa.

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    5 months ago

    What an absolute gem! Amazing food and wonderful service. Wait staff is exceptional! Highly recommend! David is very attentive!

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    7 months ago

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    7 months ago

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    10 months ago

    Great food, love the Cadillac Margarita. Super great staff, always on point. Don't sleep on the breakfast menu!

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    10 months ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Always delish! Attentive service, excellent food. A hidden gem in La Quinta highly recommend!

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    Page 1 of 8

    Ask the Community - El Ranchito Restaurant

    How's the food?

    Awful, came out incorrect and contained items no listed on the menu, also got food poisoning.

    View All 2 Questions

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    Casa Mendoza

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    SHORT ANSWER: Just an update, but Casa Mendoza seems to be just getting better. Some new staff but…read morefood quality and people here are very welcoming. LOCATION: In Old Town La Quinta, OTLQ easy to find, tons of parking but at times it gets busy so you may have to walk a bit. FACILITY: very traditional inside and out, clean, and lots of space between tables. MENU: rather massive, we usually order the same things so all the other options makes my head hurt so we just go with what we know. FOOD PREP: excellent, always looks the same which is a good things. FOOD QUALITY: some of the best in the valley. LIBATIONS: lots of choices and not too expensive, wish they had a locals city of LQ discount like some of the other options in OTLQ.. WAITSTAFF: very nice, everyone. OVERALL VALUE: if you order the right things, it is a great value but you can go nuts and spend a lot, tourist dollars spend well, upselling happens for those who want it and deserve it! TIP: Sitting outside is great most all year, we don't go out when it is crazy hot, but have dined outside in 100+ temps, we prefer the front outdoor space.

    *Mi Casa es Su Casa*…read more My buddy had a small casual bday get-together with his family and invited me to join the celebration. I saw all the favorable reviews on Yelp and was looking forward to my first visit at Casa Mendoza. Very chill & lively family owned Mexican joint in Old Town LQ. The place was kinda busy @6:30pm on Hump Night ~~ always a great sign when I see this. Felt more like a Sunday Evening. It took an hour to receive our meals. Ordered @6:45 arrived @7:45pm. Good thing the Chimichanga & Gauc apps arrived pretty quickly. The Gauc was Excellente. All their food was very good. But all our meals arrived cold/lukewarm. Took forever to receive our food and we knew for a fact it's because all our plates sat a while until we were served. The actual plates weren't even warm and the sizzling fajitas had sizzled out and lost its dazzle. Because it was still 95 degrees when dinner was finally served, our lukewarm meals were doable on a hot night. Everyone did enjoy their meals tho. I was very pleased with my Mahi Mahi in Garlic Butter Sauce. The refried beans were outstanding. The rice very good...and I made tacos with the 3 corn tortillas. But would have enjoyed it even more had all the food been a little warmer. I stuck with H2O but all margarita drinkers said their drinks were good and hit the spot on a warm night. The service in general was also inconsistent for our small party of 8. The Birthday Boy was a little frustrated and got up a few times from his throne seeking assistance -- such as missing tortillas for meals, water refills, extra napkins. We even had to wait longer than anticipated for them to acknowledge the bday boy with a celebratory bday song & sombrero...and the fried ice cream, which didn't include a candle. Tho we all enjoyed ourselves and time together...a 2 hour dinner at a Mexican joint on a Wednesday night wasn't what we anticipated. Especially with one restless 7 year old ;-) But everyone working at Casa Mendoza is very friendly with great attitudes. Hostess team, waiters, servers & runners too. So that made up for the spotty service, just a little bit. Since I'm closer to the other Casa Mendoza in Palm Desert, I'd go there in the future with my wife, and order the exact same thing. But hope for much better service and warmer food.

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    Casa Mendoza - Mango and a skinny cucumber margarita are strong and tasty and these are the small size!

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    Mango and a skinny cucumber margarita are strong and tasty and these are the small size!

    El Ranchito Restaurant - mexican - Updated May 2026

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