El Rancho

The service was excellent. We were seated immediately, despite being a party of 6. Our drink orders…read morewere promptly taking, and their margarita were very refreshing on that hot day! Our group ordered, and appetizers were brought promptly. Very delicious! The main courses came quickly after, and we left very full. Everything was amazing and authentic texmex. Highly recommended!

We are rating the food only... (Servers are AMAZING!) We…read morecome here quite often; today we tried, for the first time, the botana for 2. Fajitas were delicious. But...they seemed to put a pile of chips with VERY LITTLE CHEESE. We had to ask for more cheese. For a pile of chips n cheese and fajita with 2 plates of rice n beans it's $35.99. For panchos it's $16.99. Basically the same thing with less rice and beans. I'm not sure we will order this again.

View from the private dining room door. Perfect for events!

ENCHILADAS EN MOLE

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SEAFOOD STREET TACOS

Lenos Y Brasas

4.6(9 reviews)

0.4 mi

Food was okay. Service was great. The only reason to not give it 5 stars, is the orders come as…read moredescribed. If you want more cheese, butter, etc, you ain't going to get it. Thats even if you want to pay extra for more cheese, or whatever you want, it will not happen.

Great tasting food and good service. Went to visit my sister who recommended the place and they…read morewere great. You also have to try their fresh aguas and lime aid.

Parrillada de fajita

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Costillas & beef fajita

Las Vegas Restaurant

4.1(254 reviews)

1.7 mi

Good food with good flavor Botanas are good. Cheese is…read moreyummy especially on the enchiladas.

Best Enchiladas in town. Sometimes a small wait but worth…read moreit. Great food and customer service.

Indoor seating

Smoked Sausage Taco

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Interior

Blanquitas Taqueria

5.0(5 reviews)

4.0 mi

Vibrant decor and great Tex Mex. Chips were more like strips and a little too over fried, but the…read moresalsa was good - not chunky or spicy. They also had two table side salsas which seemed to have heat - the green more than the red sauce. Also served the charros beans which were also flavorful. I got combo #2 with bistec tacos. It was served with a loaded baked potato (is this the Tex in Tex Mex?). 3 bistec tacos are served on corn tortillas with tiny bits of sliced beef, cotija, avocado and fresh limes.‍ Very delicious. I also ordered one flour tortilla to go which if I'd known it was $2 I would've passed. My bill with tip was under $20.

The food is great and very tasty. The customer service is excellent. The atmosphere is great. The…read moreonly thing they need to change is the chairs that are a bit uncomfortable. Suggestion may get cushion for comfort. Again love the place.

Tacos al pastor

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Chicken Flautas plate

El Gallito Mexican Restaurant

4.3(49 reviews)

2.3 mi

4.5 stars Great…read moreplace! Sizable menu, attentive service, generous portions, fair prices and delicious food! Chips & salsa: Crunchy chips; fresh, chunky salsa with just enough salt and mild heat. Some days the salsa is more flavorful and some days it is bland. Pollo in mole: Mouth-watering! A bit more sweet than savory with a spicy kick! Served over shredded chicken breast. I don't know of any other restaurant that serves it like this. Such a treat. This has become one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. Always a treat!

I don't know who hurt this restaurant, but they are taking it out on the food. Came in hungry, left…read morebetrayed. Chips were stale, salsa tasted like tomato-flavored water, and the tacos had so little meat I thought it was a garnish. Rice was dry, beans were sad, and somehow my cold drink was warm. Only thing that worked perfectly was the exit.

Margarita on the rocks

Tacos a la mexicana

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Cheese and chicken mole enchiladas served with rice and refried beans

Pepe's Mexican Restaurant

3.8(83 reviews)

0.1 mi

My family and I have been going to Pepe's in Harlingen for over 25 years…read more The Jose's Special with charro beans is my favorite. Their cheese enchiladas are the best. Haven't been able to find any better. Their prices are reasonable. Their service is also top notch. All their waiters and cashiers are professionals and have been there for years. I have been to just about all the Mexican food places in the Valley and by far Pepe's in Harlingen is the best.

We stopped in for lunch today, and the restaurant was quite busy, which speaks well of its…read morepopularity. The staff was friendly, welcoming, and provided attentive service throughout our visit. Our experience with the food, however, was a bit mixed. While everything was prepared well, the flavors were much milder than we were expecting, and the dishes felt a little under-seasoned for our taste. To us, it's not what we expected a Mexican restaurant to be, being so close to the border. We also felt the prices were a bit high for the overall experience. Everyone's taste is different, and it's clear this restaurant has many loyal customers. For us, we were simply hoping for a little more bold, authentic flavor. We appreciate the excellent service and wish the team continued success.

Enchilada verdes

Pepe's Pico Tacos

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Tacos (3)

Platillo's Mexican Restaurant

4.0(27 reviews)

1.0 mi

Randomly reviewing since I haven't - It's always great this…read moreis one of our regular spots for years and years. If you're here thinking about it - go, it's great

Chips and salsa not fresh or savory $2.50? What! A fork nothing else to eat with. Blah sour cream…read morechicken enchiladas which gave me diarrhea later that day. Lunch the next day at LaPlaya nearby gave me faith in Tex Mex again! 5 stars!

Almost done as you can see! Beef enchiladas with rice and beans.

Tapaquenia

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Beef comb

Tejano Grill

3.7(155 reviews)

0.6 mi

These brisket burgers got me through my pregnancy and after! I love tejano grills brisket street…read moretacos with green salsa. Love the sweet tea! And I love their free chips and salsa.. gotta say the fried shrimp are the best on this side of town :)

As close to the Boarder as you can get with Mexico and this is some of the most disappointing…read moreMexican (Tex-Mex) I have ever had. First, of course, the chips and salsa. The chips were hard as rocks and had zero salt. Seriously NO SALT. They felt like they had been made the day before. The salsa was underwhelming. I was hoping the food would redeem the chips and salsa but they did not. I got 2 cheese enchiladas, a taco and a chalupa. The taco shell Was stale. I dumped the meat out (that's all that was in the shell) onto the chalupa hoping to add some flavor. None! The ground beef was bland. No seasoning- just regular cooked ground beef. Mi took one bite of my chalupa- lettuce and what tasted like baby food beans. The cheese enchiladas had a lot Of cheese melted on them and very little in them. Tasted like melted cheese in a flour tortilla. My husband had the spicy flounder. It came with 2 nice portions of flounder, cooked very well, however once again, it lacked flavor. I thought since it said spicy at least it would have some seasonings but my husband had to have the tartar sauce and ketchup to eat it. The food was very reasonably priced. Had the taste been there I would have recommended it. Nice little restaurant if you are sensitive to spices this might be the place for you. However as native Texicans, we expect our food to have at least salt and pepper. Wait staff was attentive and professional. We had ordered a baked potato go for our son before we got our food. I'm hoping I can update this post, but not holding my breath.

Hard ground beef tacos w/beans & rice, take-out,

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Los Nortenos Mexican Restaurant

2.4(43 reviews)

2.0 mi

Great service on an 8am Ash Wednesday visit for some breakfast tacos. Greeted immediately,…read moredirected to the front counter for to-go order. The young man behind the counter was very friendly, and extremely appreciative of the gratuity. The egg & bean tacos were large (ordered two, more than enough), coffee was a bit weak. There is a select menu of breakfast items on a small whiteboard when you walk in, I was hoping some other taco options, but "egg & beans" was the only one listed. I had my food ready within 10 minutes.

It's fine. I have to suppose that this place stays in business because the BBQ and water hole…read moreacross the parking lot runs out of brisket. It was fine I guess. Nothing special. Nothing particularly outstanding but nothing notably bad. I would eat it again. But this is a plan C type place. The menu was all over the place with very traditional Mexican dishes next to pancakes, burgers and BBQ. The waitress did not recommend the brisket so take that into account.

Choriqueso

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Taqueria Jalisco

4.4(29 reviews)

1.0 mi

This place has good - cheap food. A great place to enjoy a delicious taco after an evening of…read moredrinking with old friends.

Great food & holds true to expectations! Decent prices considering how expensive everything is now…read more... (prices went up)but for obvious reasons. I usually order pick up or drive through but service seems to be very well carried out as well as managed. If you're in a hurry order ahead, it's not exactly fast food,I don't particularly enjoy dining in as the ambiance is not as comforting as the food. Please tip your servers !

Clean, well managed interior.

Tostada

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Smallest, most flavorful bowl of beans I've ever had.

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9 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Isela H.

15 years ago

I worked there and quit because of what I saw. Let me just say N*A*S*T*Y things happen in the kitchen. The sauce that is given with the chips is just poured in a big blender, the tomatoes and chile aren't washed! straight from the box to the blender, saw bugs in those boxes. The onions can be going bad and they don't take them out just poured in as well. They also don't wash the cilantro... No wonder the first time I tried it I felt like I was eating dirt. Everything is just blended in together. The beans aren't washed just poured in from the sack to the giant pot with hot water. The cooks are also bad. They come out of the bathroom without washing. I called them on it and was told "I'm going to wash inside" uhh yeah meanwhile touch everything on way to the kitchen huh? Gross! I only order breakfast because i know it fresh...and ask a certain person i know in the kitchen is very clean to fix my food. :-) read more

Miguel V.

14 years ago

Crappy restaurant that can't even get your order right and makes you sit for 1hour and 30minutes while other people around you that got there after you get served their food. The waitress with the silver teeth sucks and shouldn't be allowed to serve tables. I call to complain and they tell me its because we have a lot of phone in orders. I don't give a rats ass if you have a lot of phone in orders if that were the truth why did the OTHER 5 TABLES THAT GOT SAT AFTER ME RECEIVED THEIR ORDERS FIRST! Nevertheless we walked out of this hell hole, and what makes me even more pissed off is that its wasn't a BIG order. 2 pancakes 1egg, 1 taco of bacon egg and cheese, and chillaquiles..how hard is that...S.M.H. Here is the kicker...we go over literally next door to a REAL Mexican restaurant..LOS ASADOS order LUNCH and are served in less than 10 minutes..EL Rancho is a freaking JOKE! read more

Janet R.

13 years ago

They have problems providing consistent good quality food and good value for all menu items. I don't their prices are cheap, but sometimes we get a good meal for a reasonable amount. read more

Vic P.

7 years ago

Food was good. Large portions and a good price while we were there. I ate maybe two plates of food and was very good. I will be coming back to this area again. read more

Rebecxa F.

8 years ago

great mexican food best part it is 24 hrs love the tea it is brewed not like other places that use powder mix!

Beck G.

11 years ago

Delicious food open 24 hours drive thru available great daily specials (956)412-9291 great prices

Jesse D.

14 years ago

Awesome Mexican food for any meal of the day, love it...

Jamie C.

13 years ago

Good food, good service....will definitely be back!!

Chris E.

14 years ago

Geat place for Mexican breakfast.

El Rancho - mexican - Updated October 2026

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(41 reviews)

My boyfriend's dad recommended this place and I was a little hesitant since I had never been there…read more We showed up at 8:00 a.m. It was early so not a lot of people were there so our service was quite quick. We both ended getting the same plate with barbacoa, eggs, potatoes and refried beans. The plates came with tortillas and I asked for flour. The flour tortillas were hands down the best I've had. They were large, perfectly cooked, and incredibly tasty. The refried beans were homemade and y'all, they were amazing. I feel like they added in some bacon grease (they may not have) but it tasted awesome! I didn't like the barbacoa which is why I couldn't give this restaurant a 5 star review. The barbacoa tasted bland. And I didn't like the texture of this particular barbacoa. My boyfriend loved it though so maybe I just wasn't in the mood for it. Also, I thought the potatoes were undercooked but my boyfriend did not. Again, maybe they caught me at a bad time. Either way I enjoyed this place and can't wait to come back to try some tacos!

The breakfast here to me is great this to me is one the best places I've tried breakfast when in…read moreHarlingen. I haven't had regular menu items but the place is packed in the morning for breakfast when I went service was quick and ambiance normal background noise . Highly recommend

Las Vegas Restaurant

4.1

(254 reviews)

Good food with good flavor Botanas are good. Cheese is…read moreyummy especially on the enchiladas.

Best Enchiladas in town. Sometimes a small wait but worth…read moreit. Great food and customer service.

Tres Hermanos Restaurant

4.0

(11 reviews)

My husband and I are frequent visitors to this restaurant and have never left disappointed…read more Friendly and efficient service and delicious food. Must try: 1. Fajita Quesadillas are loaded and cheesy. 2. Carne Guisada melts in your mouth. 3. Breakfast Tacos are big and made with their homemade flour Tortillas. 4. Taquitos Mexicanos are delicious street taco style and come with their charro beans. 5. Micheladas are HUGE and so good.

Excellent service! Excellent food! Great Value!! No frills, No hurry, local restaurant. My cousin…read morehad the Mojarra Frita and it was served on a platter, not a plate!! Old school, hard worker hunger fed here! The mojarra was whole and finger licking delicious! The cucumber slices in the salad were as big as my phone! The tortilla chips were crispy fresh and The hot sauce was spicy hot! Home made tortillas, yes!Both corn & flour: huge and tasty. I had the breaded fish fillet plate. I'm sure I counted two whole fish on my plate-I focused on that protein and left the carbs waiting, after my salad disappeared! 1 problem: the AC is on its last legs or maybe it was the heat from the chile or the hot food; a fan might help but the 5th star melted away until then.

La Botana Grill

3.1

(20 reviews)

Are you looking for an Authentic Mexican restaurant? Well…read morelook no further. This place is off the charts Amazingly Delicious and has you feeling wonderful. Spacious High Ceilings and Perfectly Cooked Mexican Food. Excellent Salsas and the Best Coffee in town. Thank you Cookie and Staff for such a Delightful Experience every single time. A+

I went here for breakfast because it isnclose to my place. Upon entering it was empty. Of course it…read morewas 10:30 am. Most people are sleeping or at work. It was very clean. Alot of phone orders were c9m8ng in. I sat myself because the only server was on phone call after call. She came and took my order. The breakfast menu was on all tables. I ordered breakfast plate and it was very well served and very good. Service was very good as well. Coffee was perfect. I will be back.

Nana's Taqueria

4.0

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Traveling for work and stopped into this local restaurant. It was highly recommended and the…read moreambiance and decor were full blown authentic, such as walking through the decorated courtyard and being in the restaurant itself. I was told that the restaurant gets packed on the evenings and weekends. The staff was very friendly and I appreciated both the Spanish and English they spoke to me in! I ordered the Lonche lunch special (8/10). I had never had Lonches before and it was a nice little treat. The ground beef was placed in small bread and they provided some accompaniments to dress the lonches to your liking. I really enjoyed them and hope to come back and try out more entrees in the future! Go check them out, you won't be disappointed!

To start with the positive, it had a good ambiance and has a picturesque environment for dining out…read morefor a special occasion or simply sharing a meal with family. However, the food is overpriced and the service we received was dismissive. There were a lot of flies inside, and we found a fly in our margarita after a couple of sips. When we brought this up to the server, no apologizes were made and it was brushed over. We were told they replaced it with a new one, but the glass we received after was the exact same level it had been previously, which we were told was due to restaurant policy. Important to note, the "full" glass we were given not even a full glass. We returned the drink due to not feeling confident in the change. Would not recommend this place, and would recommend driving out to some of the other further restaurants in the area!

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Good food, good service, love the meal. My son's oatmeal looked pretty great. He said it was his…read morenew favorite restaurant. Beef taco and enchiladas were great. Will definitely come here again. Cielo was the best waitress. Fast service. Nice and clean.

I stopped in here to get food on a sunday while in town for work. A waitress suggested I try it…read moreout. I walked in and stood there for several long minutes without being so much as acknowledged by the staff. Several staff squeezed past me while I patiently waited to be acknowledged or greeted or told to take a seat (i don't know if I was supposed to choose any seat or order at the counter but that looked like it was only people paying on their way out). So I actually didn't have a chance to try the food as I eventually felt so awkward standing there like a ghost that I simply walked out. Terrible first impression and last as I do not plan on giving them a 2nd chance. They could have great food but the lack of customer service was so off-putting I will never know.

Don Kuco's Mexican

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Great service by our waitress Stephanie or as they call her Fanie. She's very attentive to your…read moreneeds and has a personality that makes you want to return every day, to cheer you up. Her service is great and puts a smile on your face even if you're having a bad day.

Food was okay! Charging a dollar for a small cup of cilantro is sad! Not impressed with the…read moremenudo, grease! The ranchero plate, to messy and not enough steak! Rice was sticky... service was slow

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