We are only in town for a few days but of course we had to come for some great Mexican food. Great as always. Service is terrific even when the place was packed. I love the rustic feel of this old building. We will be back again on our next trip to the desert read more

El Ranchito Restaurant - Back in our old stomping ground at a favorite place. - Mexican Near Me - La Quinta, California

If you are in the mood for authentic Mexican food, this is an absolute must!! The atmosphere is so charming and it is the best and most friendly service ever! They make me feel like the most important person here. And to top it off, the food is outstanding!! read more

I'm disappointed in El Ranchito, La Quinta, I ordered the supremo burrito not the same as the one in Palm Desert not the same ingredients, size or taste but the same price now El Ranchito Palm Desert is 5 star restaurant ..Will not be going back to La Quinta El Ranchito...should be 1 star. read more

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. ;) read more

See all

we started coming here many years ago after moving here to the desert. The food was always good and tasty. I don't know what has happened but we ate here recently and the food was awful. I had the two cheese enchilada special, it had a lot of sauce but there was absolutely no flavor, very bland. My husband had the beef enchiladas and again bland, no flavor. He also had the tacos, horrible, bland, no flavor. The margarita was nasty. Nothing tasted good so we won't be returning. The service was good, the ambiance okay. read more

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! read more

El Ranchito Restaurant - Enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - La Quinta, California

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. read more

El Ranchito Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - La Quinta, California

See all

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 read more

See all

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

El Ranchito Restaurant - Hands Down one of the best Chili Verde Burritos I've ever had, Trust me when I say. I'm a connoisseur. - Mexican Near Me - La Quinta, California

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. read more

El Ranchito Restaurant - cheese enchiladas and Carnitas. - Mexican Near Me - La Quinta, California

Attempted to try this place again but now there were roaches inside on the ground so we didn't end up eating here. Then found out on a separate occasion recently some of my family got food poisoning from twice cooked chicken. No one is returning. Rather just cook at home. read more

You know... people say that it's the simple pleasures of life that make the difference. I absolutely love Love LOVE the "off the beaten path" location of this restaurant. Seating outside is perfect. You can have the sun on your back at 12:30pm and be in the shade of an umbrella at the same time. The people who work here are SO friendly and nice. Service is FAST! The food is delish & well presented. You'd think that if you ADD an egg to any dish that there would be ridiculous big upcharge.... There is not. There is an egg shortage and many restaurants are charging more ... not this one. I forgot about this restaurant for a long while .... Not anymore ! Now that I'm not Yelp Elite anymore ... I can speak my mind without any repercussions . . . Have a beautiful wonderful Feb 20th 2025 ! read more

A delicious quesadilla--only one on the menu! A busy, lively restaurant with mariachi music on the patio some nights. read more

Great food every time. Never disappoints. Anything you get here is by old from the enchiladas, tortas burritos anything you get here, can't go wrong. read more

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

See all

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

El Ranchito Restaurant - Carne Asada Fiesta Salad. - Mexican Near Me - La Quinta, California

Hot tortilla chips with three different salsas! Excellent chicken fajita shared by two of us leaving us more than satisfied. And a great mezcal margarita with no skimping on the mezcal. All of that combined with incredible service and a nice patio makes this five star rating easy. We will be back versus going to competition across the street. read more

Warm atmosphere with friendly staff. Best to eat there and enjoy their chips and trio of salsas! Happy hours, daily specials... you can't go wrong. read more

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

Best Mexican food in town. It is so fresh. I eat there many times a week. I had the machaca plate tonight. You get 3 types of salsas with your fresh, hot basket of chips. I usually get the especial margarita. It's really good. Now, the service. This is why I come to this place. The bartenders, Jesus And betto are too notch! I always feel welcome and always greeted with a smile. Leslie always is quick to greet you when you come in. The owners are multigenerational. Father and son work as a team to make this thee destination for breakfast lunch or dinner. Btw, this building is historical in La Quinta. That's how long they have been serving excellent food here. read more

El Ranchito Restaurant - Especial margarita with chips and salsa. - Mexican Near Me - La Quinta, California

My friend and I stumbled upon this when the restaurant next door was full and the hostess inattentive. We walked in here and were welcomed with open arms and incredible vibes! Our waiter Joel was so nice and the food was really lovely and fresh. This will be my new go to feel good comfort restaurant whenever I'm in town visiting family. read more

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

I just paid $33 for (4) tacos. Sadly, after 25+ years of eating here, I'm no longer going to consider it as an option. Thank you to the wonderful staff for all your kindness and great service over the years. I sure hope you're all making $20+ per hour given what prices look like. PS Before you criticize CA or the economy, I paid $3.50 for tacos from Taqueria Guerrero a few days earlier. read more

El Ranchito Restaurant - I didn't even get the cheese, lettuce, tomato, etc on two of my tacos. - Mexican Near Me - La Quinta, California

Good authentic Mexican, prices have been slowly going up but that's just the economy tbh not their fault. Overall very reasonable given how over priced other Mexican restaurants are that aren't authentic or don't taste good Good servers, strong drinks, good prices! Good times! read more

El ranchito is by far our favorite place for Mexican food. The staff is always great and service is usually quick even when they are busy. The skinny Margarita is the perfect blend of tequila and agave and their chicken is seasoned so well! I would really recommend coming here in old town read more

Great food, great service, family owned. A very relaxing experience. It's what you're looking for in a laid back Mexican restaurant. read more

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

One of the best, not perfect by far but perfect for what it is and where it is for sure and one of my locals favorite hangout spots. LOCATION: Lots of parking options I think a little off the Old Town tourist path which I enjoy but maybe not the best for the owners. Buildout: Excellent and so So Cal style. A little dark inside but outdoor seating is great year round. Menu: About what you'd expect and we've enjoyed maybe 50% of it without any sadness ; ) Libations: Well poured maybe better when your are at the bar BS'ing with owner but always well done and reasonable. Food Prep: Excellent, again for what it is. No eatable flowers or fogged fanciness just straight up Mex offering how it should be. Food quality: Always good, but way too much for a plate or combination. I'd pay the same if I could get a senior' portion option so as not to generate so much waste I feel bad and waitstaff always asks if everything was ok, yes, just too much... well hold on there, libations please keep the same size. Waitstaff: Over the years they have always had great people, nice, kind, and I wish some of them would return as we have always felt welcomed. Overall Value: I have the greatest respect for just how hard it is to run a business like this. It is family and the value is great. No it is not inexpensive but I would encourage you to visit and support. TIP: Outside seating during summer months can end up with a lot of flys joining you, which is normal anywhere in the desert but just an FYI. read more

See all

The Super Burrito was super delicious. The Chile Verde plate is as good as the best I've ever found. To note the El Ranchito Taco shop is as good, same owners. Enjoyed outdoors even with flies. read more

We enjoy the outside area, the food is great and the staff is always friendly. I've been going there since the 80's you can't go wrong there! read more

Love this place. One of our favorite Mexican restaurants in La Quinta. Great food, atmosphere, staff and Happy Hour. The Margaritas are AMAZING!! read more

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

This is our go to Mexican restaurant. We are locals and love to support small businesses during the off season. We had dinner there tonight and the chip tasted horrible. It tasted like the oil they were using was old. Order the appetizer plate and all the food was cold and greasy. It was not busy but the service was very slow. I was so disgusted with my meal I could not even eat it. I left feeling sick to my stomach. Looks like we need to find a new place to eat good Mexican food. In addition to trying to have a nice date with my husband, employees were hanging around the bar FaceTiming someone. It was so rude. read more

Very enjoyable Mexican restaurant Indoor and outdoor seating - heaters and lights! Got the following: Soap de Lima: 5 stars, got a side of avocado with it and it was perfect. Full of flavor but very light. Made for a great lunch 3 tacos: 5 stars, carnitas, al pastor, and asada. They gave me plenty of limes, but the meat was tender and flavorful without them Mini chimis: 5 stars, we got carnitas chimis, and they gave us plenty of sour cream and avocado and lime to go with them. Very filling - we ate this as a meal. Marianna was our server and was very friendly and enjoyable to joke with. Would come back! read more

See all

Amazing breakfast burritos! The food is consistently delicious, which I really appreciate--it never disappoints. The service is always friendly and attentive, making the experience even better. The salsa is a big plus, full of flavor and the perfect addition to the burritos. This spot has become my go-to stop on the way to work! read more

Food horrible. Service slow and ridiculous Waitress would disappear 20 minutes at a time 2 hours for poor pathetic Mexican food. Overpriced frozen chicken fajitas Tried to get into cafe Mendoza to big of a crowd so we went here should have known from "no wait"yuk " just awful read more

We arrived at around 11:00 am on a Saturday morning. There were two occupied tables outside and nobody else inside where we sat. We ordered a bean tostada and a vegetarian burrito. The burrito was not on the menu but they said they could make one. The food was bad. What a received was a tiny Crunchtada-sized tostada with a smear of refried beans and about 3 cups of shredded lettuce dropped on top. It was served on a salad plate. The vegetarian burrito had peppers, onions and beans only. No cheese, sour cream, rice etc. It was like $17.00. WTF? The service was way worse than the food. Server did not check on us, didn't refill our iced tea or waters, did not ask if we'd like anything else. Just brought the check. We were the only couple seated inside the restaurant. Two other tables outside. Will definitely never go back. The other Mexican restaurant across the parking area is far better on all fronts. read more

My family has been coming here for years. Some of the best Mexican food in the country. Great service. Big drinks. My only nit picky critique is they could get rid of the white fluorescent light to help the ambience read more

This is not our usual go-to spot for Mexican in Old Town La Quinta but I had never been before so it was time to try it. I hadn't heard many good things about it and I have to say I now see why. This place is pretty meh. The food is alright. I asked for green sauce on my enchiladas and they gave me red. The chicken tasted greasy in a way. The shrimp tacos were big but basic. I could definitely make those at home. Dirty menus and pretty slow service. The service can be looked past though, it's the food that matters! read more

See all

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