I have probably driven by this place a milion times and never really paid any attention. I finally stopped in and I'm so glad I did, this is a yummy spot for Mexican and it's super fast if you're in a hurry. A co-worker recommended coming here so we showed up for dinner on a weekday. The place wasn't super crowded and it's very small, but does have some dining tables available. I'd love to come back and have a margarita while I dine. I ordered 3 al pastor tacos, my usual favorite taco anywhere, and these did not disappoint. You order your food when you first walk in at the counter, and they have most of the food items/meat ready like a Chipotle/buffet style and make as you order. I was unsure what to expect of this fashion, but my tacos were excellent. A co-worker got the birria tacos and at one point while we were dining blurted out "this might be the best birria I've ever had." Other co-workers got a quesadilla and burrito - everyone said their food was great. Staff was super nice there, too. I'll definitely make a point of stopping back here. read more

El Rancho Mexican Grill - Al Pastor tacos w/ onion and cilantro - Mexican Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Restaurant style is order/pick up at the counter. Fresh ingredients and super friendly staff assisted with any questions we had on our first visit. Awesome pork tamales! My kid loved the chicken burrito. Restaurant has 4 counter seats overlooking the street and 6 tables. Quick and flavorful lunch. We will be back to try other menu items. read more

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Food was okay. had it delivered to Saint Mary's which was less than 1000 yards away. Between GrubHub and the tip it was a $30 fee. The delivery driver never confirmed it was delivered or message us when it was. When we got worried/ hungry we went looking, got down to the table where they set deliveries our name wasn't on our delivery. No receipt no name just a plastic bag. Not wanting to blindly search through other people's deliveries, we just sat and waited and waited and waited. The GrubHub app never updated so we waited. Then we waited some more. Finally we started to peak into our delivery walking away with it 45 mins after it delivered. In the end, it wasn't worth the $65 for cold tacos. read more

Great service and food. Loved the chorizo burrito. Yummmmmmmmmm. So gooood. I liked the tacos too read more

El Rancho Mexican Grill - Mexican Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

My colleague suggested this place for Mexican food as it's just a short walk to the restaurant from work. Tiny parking lot in the back. Small hole in a wall place with 2 workers. Had 2 steak tacos w/corn tortillas and a horchata. Flavorless meat and very little protein. They were so dry and maybe the worst tacos ever. Rice and beans were ok but how can one even messed that up? Horchata was refreshing. No need to return. read more

El Rancho Mexican Grill - a tray of food - Mexican Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I'm a simple girl. I like a bean, rice, and cheese burrito with salsa verde. However, the last 5 years I have been searching for salsa verde like my hometown, and as soon as I tried theirs, it transported me back home. Amazing service, delicious food, and a homey ambiance. I will be returning quite often, you might even get sick of seeing me! read more

Food is authentic Mexican cuisine. Fair price, good selection, very tasty. Great staff and I talked with other diners and people ordering to go meals. They all said this was their go to neighborhood spot. Fish tacos were highly recommended. Will get those next time I come. Highly recommend El Rancho. read more

Great Mexican food made fresh. The Burriro is made just how you like it. A small l, but nice dining room. Parking is a bit of a challenge, but worth it. read more

Got the taco salad and the meat tasted like dog food. Barley no lettuce , tomato , green blck olives. Well. O salad at all. All dog food meat. The worst taco salad I have ever had. Will never go back. Hope I don't get sick...it was that bad!!! read more

Food was amazing. Most Mexican places in Madison completely suck, but this blew our minds. Highly recommend, and the tamales were wonderful.

First time ordering takeout, as I wanted to try some New Mexican. I had driven by the place and never thought to try! It's very similar to chipotle, but has a more homey feeling. I had a carnitas burrito and overall it was pretty good. I like that it had a mexican rice as opposed to white rice which added more flavor. It was hot and fresh, but a big smaller than chipotle. Nevertheless it tasted pretty good! Personally wasn't a fan of the chips. They were a bit dry, thicker than what I prefer. read more

Order via DoorDash Loaded Nachos, 5/10: wasn't quite loaded as I was expecting. Got this with al pastor.More cheese and meat would have made it a 7/10. Tacos, 10/10: got the steak and it was yummy! Burrito, 8/10: got this with steak. It was okay for me. My partner really enjoyed it. I would reccom to have 2-3 sauce with it. We only got 1 sauce and it wasn't quite enough to enjoy the burrito. Horchata 10/10: taste great. However, for the price, I was expecting a larger cup size. Over all, 7/10: definitely get the steak! I'm not sure if I'll get the loaded nachos and Al pastor again. Next time, I will be requesting more sauce for sure! read more

After several debates on what Mexican restaurant I was going to go with, I finally decided on this one. I ordered the steak burrito with chips and queso. The restaurant followed directions with me wanting the sauces on the side. Delivery was pretty fast and food was still warm enough to eat. The burrito was big and tasty. I could taste everything in it: the steak, the lettuce, the onions, the beans, and the rice. Not sure if white cheddar is supposed to be mild in flavor, but it was okay. The salsa was QUITE watery and I didn't care for it. The chips tasted like plain Doritos, not a huge fan. The only thing I'd suggest is to add more meat (if that's your thing) because halfway through my burrito, I stopped tasting it and seeing it. I was stuffed. I'll be ordering again soon! read more

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El Rancho is open for takeout and delivery during covid. It has a very lowkey exterior so be careful because you might drive right by it! The cashier was nice when I went to pick up my order, but upon getting home, I realized he forgot the guac which was $2.05 extra so was not happy about that. Check that everything is in the bag before leaving! Also, the red salsa that they have is HOT, and I can take a good amount of spice so beware! You have been warned. I ordered the chorizo tacos with side of rice and beans ($7.99). The meal as a whole was pretty mediocre. The chorizo wasn't flavorful and the rice tasted like it was seasoned a few days ago and reheated. The corn salsa was pretty much the only exciting thing. The beans saved the dish but note that they are whole and not refried, so they're a little watery. Not terrible but nothing to write home about. read more

El Rancho Mexican Grill - Chorizo tacos w/ corn salsa and fajita veggies. Side of rice and pinto beans - Mexican Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I stopped by El Rancho for the first time today. Small place with some excellent burritos. The burritos are built in front of you with a nice selection of meats and add-ons. Small seating area for perhaps 20 people total. The staff could not have been better. read more

Bland. Three different meals and all were bland. The chips for the chips and salsa were pretty much the type you buy from Costco. For the price, we had all hoped for some good, flavorful Mexican food. Very disappointed. read more

Absolutely legit burritos. Best burritos I've had east of Oakland. They're wrapped in foil with all of the filling on the inside, like a burrito is supposed to be (but I'm a little biased). Very flavorful pico and salsa (with lots of different options). Carnitas and al pastor were both excellent. Great customer service as well. Horchata came right out of the fridge already in a cup, with all the ice fully melted, so that was a bit of a disappointment. But I'll be back for the burritos (and will try the fish tacos as well). read more

A great mom and pop who make genuinely authenticate Mexican food. I recommend going early before the line starts. This place has become a popular destination in town so park down the street a bit and walk over. read more

Amazing food & horchata!! Cute little restaurant. The service is wonderful. Easy to follow the menu and customize your food! The burritos are HUGE! Definitely coming back again. read more

El Rancho Mexican Grill - 1. Burrito Horchata - Mexican Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Lord have mercy. I'm angry with all the people giving this place 4-5 stars. Y'all lied to me and now I'm out 20 bucks. Just why? The order: Nachos with pastor and 3 carne asada (steak) tacos, delivered. Don't get delivery. It took an hour and my food was cold. But even worse than cold food is SOGGY DISINTEGRATED CHIPS. I mean come on, how hard it is to pack the chips separate? Or at least put them ON TOP of the wet stuff instead of underneath when you know they're taking a car ride to the customer? Easily avoidable but instead I got ruined food. The quality: Dude, why did my taco taste like canned soup? How is that even possible? Was it the weird strips of pastor that clearly weren't cooked and cut from a spit? Maybe the meat was boiled rather than roasted/charred? The texture was way off and the meat wasn't flavorful. Was it the tomatoes in the pico? Which should have been fresh salsa but instead had tomatoes that squished to an indiscernible red mush when you touched them. Were these tomatoes cooked or overripe? I had to pick them out of the taco to get rid of that weird Progresso Soup flavor. Perhaps it was the utter lack of cilantro, what I got was a sprinkling of wilted leaves in a dry taco. Oh, and the double tortilla was a no. These are not little street tacos made out of thin tortillas that have been tossed on a grill to soak up some of the delicious meat fat. These are two massive, thick, machine made tortillas you can buy at the store. Like these are the same tortillas I have in my pantry right now. You don't double these because they are too thick and make a dry taco. They didn't even tastes grilled, just like went straight from the bag to my plate. Even the salsa was bad. The red is an overly thin flavorless habanero nightmare and the green is an almost delicious but OH GOD SO MUCH SALT disappointment. Go with the green. Skip the pico unless you like Campbell's minestrone flavored tacos. At $8 for 3 tacos that's over 2.50 each for less than mediocre BS you could make better yourself. I actually removed all the soggy chips from my nachos which made me see a) not many chips and b) not much topping. The carne asada on the nachos was at least more flavorful than the boiled pastor, so I used it to fill a taco. It was fine. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 2 stars since I had a bite that was just a pinto bean and a little cheese and it was like "ooh flavor thank you" but sadly this "flavor" eluded me for the rest of the meal. read more

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I work in the area and stopped in for a quick lunch date with my BF. The setup is perfect for lunch - quick counter service, easy to see ingredients, and a handful of tables for dining in. For eight bucks I got a burrito that was too large to finish and full of fresh ingredients. The counter folks were friendly and had me through the line and finished paying in under three minutes. Definitely a bonus when you've only got half an hour to order, eat, and get back to the office. The only thing I didn't care for was my meat choice. I ordered the carnitas and it was very wet. It also came with a large tube (a vein? a ligament?) which turned my stomach. I'm a very picky meat eater, so it's easy to put me off. The rest of the burrito was so good, though, that I just picked out that section with a fork and finished the rest. Next time I'll stick with a veggie option and likely be a happy camper. read more

I love this place with every fiber of my taco-loving soul! You'll drive right past it without realizing it, and don't you dare park in the Dunkin' Donuts lot between the two buildings as that owner is NOT tolerant of that, but once you find a spot to park and make it inside you'll be glad you did. It's all good. All of it. Their queso and homemade chips are the best I've ever had. I've tried all of the tacos, the burrito, and while I'm currently stuck on getting loaded nachos every time I go, I intend on getting tamales someday. The owner is kind and invested in you enjoying your visit. Prices are reasonable. El Rancho makes me happy. read more

El Rancho Mexican Grill - Mexican Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Great food. Plenty of choices. Friendly staff. Reasonable prices. Need better parking & signage at Park St location.

This is my "go to" place for nachos. El Rancho nachos are by far my all time favorite! Excellent and friendly customer service every time!

El Rancho is a great family-owned restaurant with authentic Mexican food. I always get a chicken or steak burrito here and it's replaced Chipotle as my regular burrito place. In fact, it's hard to go back to Chipotle once you get used to El Rancho. They use fresh ingredients and the burrito comes out tasting much better. If you're a Chipotle regular try replacing it with El Rancho and you won't be disappointed. It costs about the same, the food is higher quality, and you're supporting a locally-owned business so it's a win-win. The only negative is the dine-in area is very small so I'd plan get takeout. read more

We found this little hole-in-the wall after passing it a couple of times. There is a tiny parking lot in the back that we squeezed into. I'm glad we did. The soft corn tacos filled with shredded beef were fantastic, the chips and salsa were fantastic, the tamale was fantastic and the quesadilla was OK. The prices were fantastic and the service was very friendly. Overall, this place is fantastic. Like the Terminator, I'll be back. read more

Lovely little place. The torts was good sized with plenty of meat. Both the pork and the chicken was flavorful. Drinks are bottles or cans and street parking only. read more

Such a cute local type Chipotle/Qdoba with even more options! I had a sampler which only cost $6.99!! Basically everything on the menu is $6.99-burrito, burrito bowl, tacos and include your choose of meat plus toppings. The sampler comes with one taco and nachos (your choice of meat) and a cheese quesadilla. Interior is sort of dimly lit which is why I gave a 4 star review. Food seems like it's perfect to go! read more

El Rancho Mexican Grill - Sampler platter $6.99 comes with a taco, cheese enchilada, and nachos - Mexican Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

We were just returning from ER and needed some tacos to lighten the mood, it was 8:45 pm and knew we would be approaching closing time based on our GPS ETA. The man answering the phone kindly waved any of our poor etiquette and put our order in. We arrived, yup 8:57 pm and even as they were cleaning up the restaurant, they happily greeted us and even went out of their way to ask if we needed silverware. The ordering style reminds me of Hanbaneros off of Stoughton Rd. We chose the tacos, with steak. You can choose from two colorful salsas; Red or Green and load it up with veggies. We wanted to stay authentic with only cilantro and onions. Quac is $0.50 for a total of $7.86 with tax before tip, ask for it on the side as I think you'll get more. Pickled jalapenos appeared from a can, but I can't be for certain. The meat was very good. It's always a little sketchy to order steak from a hole-in-the-wall, but the stead didn't have any fat or gristle and not chewy. They accept credit cards! read more

El Rancho Mexican Grill - Steak Tacos $7.50 - Mexican Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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We had a little of everything: tamales, torta, chips, guacamole & a burrito. Delicious. Drinks were in a can or bottle. No fountain drinks Warning there is on street parking. The parking lot beside the restaurant is for Dunkin Donuts. read more

Cheap. Fast. And delicious. This is my to go taco place. 1. It is very cheap. I spent $6 for lunch and I could have food coma right after because I was so full. The family platter lasted me 4 meals. You get 3 choices of meat for it and my fav of all time is the chorizo, ground beef and steak. 2. It is very fast. Because come on. Taco is easy. You come in, order and they heat the tortillas for you, add toppings and you are done. It just like ordering from chipotle without the line. 3. And most importantly, it is very delicious. It is my taco joint. I eat here after work out, after my exam, after a long day at work. Basically the food is so good it makes me happy. The only I would change though, is that they don't have parking. So if you are craving taco and you are in rush hour, just order for pick up! read more

El Rancho Mexican Grill - Mexican Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I had lunch here earlier this week. It's a small place that's easy to overlook, but the food tastes really good! The staff are friendly. They give a good amount of food, I had leftovers to bring home read more

It's quick. It's cheap. And let's be honest. They finally did something with a long standing vacant building. When you walk in, you order at the counter where they make your food assembly style to order. I stopped in last Friday and walked away with a carnitas torta. The carnitas were full of pork goodness and tender to the bite. Topped with your choice of toppings and under $8, it was a solid lunch. read more

Stopped in to the new El Rancho Mexican Grill on S Park last night and was pleasantly surprised. Think of it as a small-scale local Chipotle or Panchero's in the "quick casual" space, with meals generally ranging from $5-8. They have a small but solid menu of tacos, burritos, tortas, quesadillas, and nachos. You simply order and pay at the counter - staff was funny and accommodating. There is a small, poorly lit sitting area with a few tables surrounded by dark wood paneling or you might just want to take your food to go. We tried the tacos (corn tortillas - yum) and the build-your-own nachos. Overall, things were good - favorite meat was chicken. Carnitas was okay - the meat needs a bit more seasoning, but it is on the right track. Red salsa is sufficiently spicy and the green is available for the less adventurous eaters. Need something quick and cheap and in a mood for mexican? Stop by. read more

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Really, I would like to give it a 4.5, if that were possible. We stopped in for a late lunch after a day at the zoo, based on the proximity and positive reviews. We were the only customers. The prices are extremely reasonable and the flavors as authentic as any taqueria I've been to in CA. The spicy red salsa is hot, the green is mild and flavorful and both taste very fresh. I love fresh chopped cilantro and it's one of the add-ins on the selection of entree toppings bar. The man who assembled our burrito and taco order was very helpful and definitely generous with the meat fillings. I had a question about the difference between carnitas and pastor pork, and he took the tongs and handed me a large sample of each to try rather than try to explain in detail. I thought that was nice. Both were flavorful and tender and delicious. My daughter didn't care for the chorizo taco too much because of the cinnamon flavor, but the barbacoa was a big hit. I had the carnitas burrito and the meat was absolutely delicious. You definitely get more meat than anything, unlike some other burrito places. I only knock off half a star for having nothing but coke products to drink, and for flimsy plastic silverware that is far too weak to stand up to cutting through a burrito. The interior is small and somewhat dim, with Mexican telenovelas and music videos playing quietly on a TV mounted near the ceiling. My daughter noted that there are outlets at every table, but I'm not sure if they have wifi. Seems like it would be a nice quiet place to have lunch and get some studying or other work done, if they do. read more

El Rancho Mexican Grill - Three tacos - Mexican Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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I have dreams about El Rancho's outstanding veggie burrito. I recently moved far away and I seriously can not find a burrito that compares to this one. It's the same format as a Chipotle so you can customize your order the way you like. It always tastes super fresh and the veggies were nice and crunchy the way they should be. Super friendly staff who even started to recognize me and know my order. They have beverages too including horchata which was always yummy. My boyfriend usually got tacos and he recommends those too. I can't talk this place up enough. You have to try it if you're in Madison. I miss it so much. read more

I really like this place. It's mostly tacos and burritos. We ordered tacos and the meats were seasoned perfectly. They top them off with lots of lettuce, cheese and salsa. We got them in corn tortilla and tacos did not fall apart. I loved that the spicy salsa was actually spicy! Be careful! I believe if you order the 3 taco combo then all toppings come with but if you order single taco then you pay for adding on toppings. We asked only bc 3 tacos combo was $6.96 but single taco was $2.25 (meaning three single taco would be $6.75?? and staff said combo came with all toppings). Cheese quesodilla was nothing special and nachos were fine. Ordering is easy- right when you walk in, menu is clearly posted on wall to your right. You just order and food is made in front of you. They have canned soda and Mexican sodas to choose from. I thought prices were reasonable, restaurant was clean and staff was really nice. read more

El Rancho Mexican Grill - Combo- steak taco, cheese quesodilla and nachos. - Mexican Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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This is THE PLACE for burritos and tamales! Fresh, authentic, delicious... what more could you ask for? I LOVE the colors and the general vibe of the place. Literally, the best Mexican food place. GO HERE YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!!! read more

Stopped in for lunch and got the three tacos. I went with chicken, pastor, and barbacoa on corn tortillas. Pastor was my favorite. Chicken was just okay. Love that you can add jalapeños! Guy behind the corner was friendly and helpful. I would try again for sure as it was quick, tasty, and affordable. Bonus that they are open on Mondays (which many places are not). read more

Excellent food at a very modest price. Ventured over from St. Mary's hospital for a quick dinner. Tacos and nachos were fantastic, flavourful and the portions were very adequate. The people behind the counter were helpful and very nice. Definitely worth stopping for, I wish this was I my neighbourhood. We'll be back! read more

El Rancho Mexican Grill - Park St., Madison WI - Mexican Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin