There are no half stars so I had to really think about if this was three or four stars. The amount of food you get for the price pushed me over to the four star review. Friendly waitresses! Our food was on the table within five minutes or our order being placed and we dined on a Friday evening when all tables and the bar was full. I got wet chicken burrito half red and half green sauce with sour cream on the side. The green sauce was significantly better in my opinion. Green sauce was an easy four stars red was a two stars for me. Green has more spice to it! My date got the La Compuesta salad, he loved his. He ate the whole thing which I could not have done. I took half my burrito home. The beans they serve with chips are delicious as you see in others reviews too. The salsa however left a lot to be desired. Price, food portion and service are with highlighting! read more

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OK, listen... If you're going to do Mexican food, please at least get the rice right! It has absolutely no flavor! You can tell just by looking at it. And what I've learned in my years is that you should never expect good quality, authentic ethnic food if the main demographic in the restaurant are white people. That's not saying anything bad about white people, but most of us don't know any better! We think Taco Bell is Mexican food and panda express is Chinese food... I had high hopes because the bean dip and chips were really good, but we were terribly disappointed with the nachos... It's definitely not what we were expecting. The portion sizes are ridiculous... But that's kind of what I have come to expect in Americanized Mexican restaurants. Definitely will not be returning... We wish the food was better, because the service was pretty decent. read more

Always great food and good service. Sometimes gets pretty busy so call ahead for reservations during dinner hours.

From the moment we walked in to when we left, everything was excellent. Our waitress wished me Happy Father's Day, took careful note of our orders and special requests and brought delicious meal and drinks. Can't wait to go back! read more

Open 9:00 a.m. for breakfast, seven days a week (not 10:00 as Yelp states). Love this place. Best food and service

Back on rotation, this night didn't disappoint. Food great, service was friendly and food plentiful and yummy. Everyone was happy from grandma to the kiddo! read more

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Food and Service is always perfect. Workers, Waiters are super sweet and fun to talk to. Food is always fresh and best value for your money. Come this restaurant if you want Authentic, Fresh and Value. read more

It was later in the evening, and I was in need of a burrito. Found a delicious Carnitas burrito supreme and took it home to enjoy. The restaurant was fairly busy and had a taqueria vibe. We also ordered a Tortilla Soup that was definitely shareable. If you like pork, the carnitas will not do you wrong. read more

Amazing caldo de rez! My quesadilla was ok. Very generous portion of chicken. I found it dry though and next time I will try something else. My lunch special came with a huge serving of rice and beans. The staff was friendly and the restaurant was clean. read more

My hometown Mexican restaurant and the best around the central valley! Service is great, food comes out fast, large restaurant with lots of menu options. They have the best bean dip and salsa ever. The horchata is bomb, i always get enchiladas with rice and beans and they're delicious. Ultimate comfort food. Comfortable booths for anyone to sit at, even for 2. read more

Good food. Only issue was service was a little slow . The one thing to watch for is the lunch menu prices are "cash" prices and there is nothing telling you that on the "lunch" menu. It cost more for a credit card. It's not a lot of money but it the point you should be aware of the up charge. read more

Esmeralda's Mexican Restaurant - Lunch burrito plate and chimichanga plate - Mexican Near Me - Ripon, California

We are locals and this is our go to spot a few days a week for lunch or dinner! The staff is always friendly and welcoming! The food is so good! For breakfast we get chorizo or the chilaquiles both great choices! For lunch or dinner can never go wrong with the chicken quesadillas or the cheese enchiladas! Everything is delicious! They have a full bar as well! read more

food is good service is bad they take a loooong time to get you food we wait way to much and was not even busy can image when is busy nope we are not coming back if you are hungry this restaurant is not for you . read more

We waited almost an hour for our food. Service was slow and food was slow. I can understand if their was a reason for it but none was given.

a must try for delicious mexican food in the central valley! I've visited several times and we are typically seated quickly. there is a full bar/bar seating as well as the general dining area + patio seating. The staff is kind and service is quick. They offer complimentary chips, whipped refried beans and cabbage. The chips are warm and fresh! We ordered the chicken fajitas and taquitos. Everything was amazing highly recommend read more

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A very special shout out to 2 very kind and hospitable servers here who always take the time to talk to this weary traveler. Vianka and Larissey. I hope I spelled your names right. No matter which one of you is working I can count on kind service and a wonderful conversation about our days. Thanks to you both and also the entire staff that make this place run on a daily basis. This place is always it's consistent when it comes to their food. As you can see, I tend to order the same thing every time. And it is just as good as the first time i've been there. Closest thing to a home cook meal That I can find near a truck stop on the 99. Always look forward to my reset when I'm in Ripon because I can come in and enjoy a nice meal and a drink. Again thank you to the staff and I will see you soon read more

Esmeralda's Mexican Restaurant - Burrito Supreme Carnitas Red Sauce - Mexican Near Me - Ripon, California

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Stopped to get dinner on our rode trip. Drove into the strip mall. Saw that it was busy so thought it a good sign. Got seated right away. Then downhill fast. Chips were a mixture of corn and flour. The flour chips were mushy. Service very slow and very disappointed in the courses. Two taco dinner - everything was cold... Rice seemed straight out of a Mexican rice box. Pinto beans were cold and no flavor. That was the real turn off. The pastor and beef fillings were salty with no flavor. The chicken soup had a huge piece of chicken breast in it. Should have been shredded. Difficult to eat with a spoon. Needed to pull the chicken apart by hand because no one came back to see how we were doing. The broth tasted watered down with maybe a hint of cumin. The bar was busy. Not sure drinks would have made this food more palatable.. Found it hard to sleep due to stomach not too happy which carried over into the morning. The staff seemed unorganized. Will not venture back. read more

I have to come here whenever I visit Ripon, because it's just that good! The enchilada is my go-to order--the right amount of cheese and sauce. The veggies for the lettuce and guac are always fresh. The tamale and taquitos were aight, but could try something else next time. Both were a little dry. My friend and her parents all ordered the tostadas. Overall, love coming to this place because there is something for everybody. The place was packed! We got our stuff to go so we can enjoy at home. The service was friendly and fast! read more

Esmeralda's Mexican Restaurant - Combo (enchilada, tamale, taquitos, rice and beans with lettuce and guac) and tostada - Mexican Near Me - Ripon, California

Don't get the breakfast special. It seems like a deal but tasted like ! Mad I spent $50 on trash.

Order food over the phone, we were told it would be ready in 25 minutes. An hour later food was ready, no apologies whatsoever. Server seemed annoyed when we advised him we were given the wrong drinks, and asked if we could get what we had ordered. Overall bad experience, we also the notice that the owner was around and he didn't care to ask if we needed help or at least apologize for the wait. read more

Always love when a place has vegetarian options. Chalupas were delicious! Highly recommended.

Stopped by on way home from Kaiser. The bean dip, salsa andChips were warm, perfect start. I ordered transition breakfast I didn't Notice potatoes were fajita potatoes if you love bell peppers onions it's good, the bacon was crispy? Eggs good overall good breakfast the only complaint was the tortillas while home made (my husband Loved them)I prefer a more traditional corn Tortilla this was made with white masa and tasted a little like the masa for tamales, my husband had combination plate with red sauce for chicken enchilada, chicken taco and Chili relleno he loved it! Service was good, our waitress was friendly, courteous and prompt. The price was fair so overall would eat here again. read more

We stopped going to this place due to poor service. We would call in and order, they said to pick it up in 20 mins, we give them 30 mins because we know they are slow, then we show up and they just start our order and have to sit there for an additional 45 mins. This happened multiple times. My husband got a gift card as a present so we called in lunch. I asked if the super burrito comes with sour cream and they said yes. I ordered 2 asada burritos and 2 carnitas burritos. Lo and behold!! My husband brought the order home and there was no sour cream and 2 of the burritos were chicken instead of carnitas. Smh. This place obviously still hasn't gotten it together. read more

Amazing food and excellent service. I come here all the time and I love all of their food. Everyone is so friendly and always greets me with a smile. I will continue to come here each week and I highly recommend this Mexican restaurant to everyone that I know. read more

Good food, good service, and lots of activity. Locals say this is the spot. Everyone knows the bartender. Very friendly.

This place was hopping in a late Sunday afternoon! We planned on going somewhere else, but they weren't open. My fajita bowl was perfect! Lots of flavor and plenty! Waitress was warm and friendly. We'll be back! read more

Esmeralda's Mexican Restaurant - Fajita bowl - Mexican Near Me - Ripon, California

Love this local restaurant! Been going for 16 years! The staff is phenomenal and the food even better! The rice is the best I've ever had, the filet norteno is amazing, the Diabla sauce is wonderful! Can't do wrong here!!! read more

We have eaten here many times over the years. Thought I would put in a review. Don't come here if you are in a hurry. services is really good but food comes out very slow. Today we waited almost an hour today for our food. The food is really good and service is good. Just expect a very long wait. read more

Lereslie -- thank you so much for your wonderful customer service and assisting me with our incorrect order! I will defiantly be back because of you. :) read more

Stopped in for lunch today. Outside dining with tables at social distancing. Upon arrival I was greeted and served warm bean dip (spicy) caught me off guard, however it was good. The salsa also medium but very flavorful. Chips were both Corn and Flour, always a nice surprise when you get a flour chip. I ordered the Garlic Shrimp Salad, a bit disappointing. Received about 15 small shrimp, didn't taste any garlic. Lettuce was iceberg (which was fine), 3 thin slices of avocado, 3 thin slices of tomato and a few slices of cucumber. The dressing was a green salsa. Perfect salad for $10, but this one was $14. Servers were prompt and attentive. read more

Esmeralda's Mexican Restaurant - Beans, Salsa & Chips - Complimentary - Mexican Near Me - Ripon, California

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Best shrimp fajitas ever. Cadillac Margarita was awesome. I'm going to bet. Thank you Esmeralda's read more

Celebrated our soon to be daughter in laws birthday here! Everything was so good! Authentic Mexican food! The enchiladas and chimichanga's were really good! Service was great and the mango margaritas is my new favorite! read more

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2 carnitas tacos, rice and ranch style beans. The tacos were expensive, but that is expected at a restaurant. Solid pork with good bark. Warmed tortillas with fresh pico de gallo cilantro white onion and grilled peppers. Interesting salsa, unique pepper blend. Just a bit expensive for a lunch spot. #spicemeister approved. read more

Esmeralda's Mexican Restaurant - Carnitas street tacos. - Mexican Near Me - Ripon, California

It's our first time here. Everything was so good! The ambiance and the customer service was great the staff is on top of it definitely will be back to try other items on their menu that has plenty of options to choose from. Not sure why they are at a 3.5 rating I will definitely give them a 5 from my family and me. read more

Esmeralda's Mexican Restaurant - Carne en su jugo - Mexican Near Me - Ripon, California

I had the Quesabirria tacos and they were actually pretty good, the place is very very loud cause of the ppl drinking at the bar but other than that the food is great. read more

Esmeralda's Mexican Restaurant - Quesabirria tacos - Mexican Near Me - Ripon, California

Slow food service because because its all homemade. A very friendly warm atmosphere. Ripon Mick read more

Chicken Enchiladas Mole sauce is one of their specialty dishes. Rich in aromatic flavors. The sauce keeps you wanting more. The combo - Chili relleno and enchilada are a classic choice. A very busy place good open seating in the dinning room with a small li- bar area. Lookes lit s place all the local come too. read more

Esmeralda's Mexican Restaurant - Chucks enchilada and chilie relleno combo plate - Mexican Near Me - Ripon, California

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Stopped here after a long day at work and long commute home for a to go order. I'm tired and hungry so I'm gonna keep it short. ! Service was horrible from host and hostess and food was horrible. Wasted money tonight . read more

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The lunch we had was mediocre -- the Grilled Chicken Salad was slathered in hot chipolte sauce, not a raspberry-chipolte dressing. It was not tasty. The Chille Rellano was flat, and seemed like it was cooked earlier and reheated in a microwave. the chips were broken and some of them were a bit mushy. We had several servers, all were pleasant. read more

Closing time listed as 10 pm Showed up at 9:05 was told they were close! Even thought the server acknowledged their closing time was 10. Then as we were leaving I told a couple walking in they were close and she said they knew them and went in in and were served. read more