If you're craving good Mexican food and are tired after swimming at the beach, stop by El Rancho…read moreand get your fix! This hidden restaurant is around a 12 min walk from the shore and neatly packed with long tables perfect for bigger parties (4 to 6 people). The few times I've been there, there had only been one waitress manning all the tables, but she does a good job of keeping tabs on everyone. I haven't had a chance to try their other items on the menu yet, mainly because I keep going back for the grilled chicken chimichanga. Let me just say, it is heavy, cheesy, saucy and satisfying! Especially given the refried beans, hot rice, sour cream and salad, this is a hefty plate. Each time I order, it ends up in the to go box, ready for another meal (and I can't say I'm upset about that :) ) that's all from me, ty for reading!

We first visited El Rancho about six years ago while vacationing near Ocean Grove with our kids,…read moreand we've been trying to remember the name of this lovely spot across from the train station ever since. We finally made it back -- and it was just as good as we remembered! I had the carne asada, which was tender, flavorful, and cooked perfectly (so many places tend to overcook it until it's like cardboard, but not here). My wife ordered the chicken torta, generously layered with lettuce, crema, and all the right fixings. Both dishes were absolutely delicious. The food is not only tasty but also reasonably priced, and the warm, cozy atmosphere paired with friendly service makes the experience even better. We're so glad we rediscovered this gem -- still a favorite after all these years!

Parking lot in rear…read more The chips were delicious. Our food took a long time to come out and so we finished the chips while waiting. We subsequently ordered another basket of chips because we were still waiting for our food. My food,Seafood fajitas, was tasty. The seafood was fresh. The peppers were not cooked enough. The chicken flautas were flavorful, but the chicken was inconsistent across the 4 flautas; some of the chicken was over cooked. The menu listed piña, coladas, and margaritas, implying that there's alcohol served. They do not serve alcohol and did not specify that the drinks were non-alcoholic. The place was busy and the only waitress at the time also had to answer the phone. She had a pleasant demeanor even though it became very busy. By the time we left, a second waiter, also the delivery man, came to help her wait tables. The lunch crowd was rowdy, so it is not a good place to have a lunch meeting/conversation. There was a beautiful aquatic mural on one of the walls. I was surprised when I received my bill and there were hidden charges: $2.00 for the 2nd set of chips and $1.00 for the to go box. The waitress should have mentioned that these items would require a charge.

Outstanding authentic Mexican Food. I love their chicken enchiladas, but have tried other dishes as…read morewell. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

Holy...guacamole? We did not get the guacamole, but the nachos were really well made. Huge plate,…read moreperfect amount of toppings, well baked in the oven. The Birria tacos were outstanding. Cheap and excellent margaritas. Will be back!!!

I leave a lot of Yelp reviews and rarely give 1 star ratings, but unfortunately that was my…read moreexperience here. The service, wait times, and overall cleanliness were all extremely disappointing. When my friends and I arrived, there was a sign asking guests to wait to be seated, so we did. After about 10 minutes of standing there without anyone acknowledging us, despite making eye contact with multiple employees, we finally asked a server if we should just seat ourselves. She responded with a rude "yes." We went to the back room to find a table and ended up choosing the only one that felt clean enough to sit at, as most of the others still had not been cleared or wiped down from previous customers. It then took another 15-20 minutes before a server came to our table, and close to 30 minutes just to receive chips and guacamole. Our entrees arrived roughly 45-60 minutes later, which honestly felt lucky considering the table next to us, who had three small children, had apparently been waiting nearly two hours for their food. Overall, this was a very disappointing experience. We came on Cinco de Mayo and expected it to be busy, but long waits don't excuse poor service and lack of cleanliness. I hope the restaurant plans and staffs more appropriately for holidays and high-volume nights in the future.

Sunday at night, the service was HORRIBLE. The food was not good and not the same as it used to be,…read moreit gave my sister food poisoning. If you're thinking about going to eat here, dont.!! Very horrible experience.

Great spot.. very small place not ideal for dining in as there are only two 2 person tables there…read more Tacos were delicious! I got the five taco order and could barely finish two. They are stacked! Very friendly staff.

It was 88° today (after hitting a frost 2 nights ago), so we drove down the shore. It's Cinco de…read moreMayo as well, so we figured we would get some Mexican food and headed to Long Branch. We stopped at a couple of Mexican restaurants. Somewhere either way too trendy or way too expensive or way too crowded. One had live music but a terrible singer. So we decided to drive down Broadway and passed a bunch of places. We found a parking space and just walked and came across this place and figured what the heck. Best choice ever! We were the only gringos (always a good sign) and ordered fajitas and a grilled chicken dish with a red sauce. Both were excellent and our total was $33. It's BYOB and we brought some margaritas and had a great time. Excellent service & huge portions. We will be back next time we are down the shore looking for Mexican. You should try this restaurant, too.

We really enjoyed our fajita dinners - chicken and shrimp fajitas served with warm and soft…read moretortillas, rice and beans. Friendly and helpful server- willing to put up with my meager Spanish. We felt like we were back in Isla Mujeres, Mexico!

My friends suggested this restaurant after a day at the beach. They spoke highly of it and the food…read moredid not disappoint! We called ahead to see if outdoor dining was available and it was. I was told that we did not need a reservation for 3 people. We were seated right away when we arrived. They have a very cute set up outside with a lot of tables and everything is spaced out. They gave us chips with a green sauce to start. The green sauce was pretty spicy but good. We also ordered guacamole and chips. The guac was pretty good and tasted fresh. I ordered beef enchiladas with green sauce. My meal was very tasty. Again, the green sauce was spicy but I like spicy food so it was fine. Everything was authentic and very affordable. The service was a little slow and it was not busy when we went. I would dine here again.

Ordered take out steak tacos - so yummy! Next time I think I'm gonna get the steak quesadillas…read morewhich looked baller cooking on the grill when I walked in. Let me put it this way, the interior is very "unique" or basically super authentic Mexican/Spanish style with a store in the back! I bought this huge bottle of Valentina hot sauce for $2.50. With the tacos my total bill was about $11. The main girl working there was a little abrupt but nothing to crazy. I do DEF recommend the food here if you like authentic Mexican. :) def get lots of the green hot sauce on side! P.S.- I downed the roasted onion and pepper they put on top of the tacos right away - so good but so spicy! I felt a little sick after but it went away. I think my stomach just hasn't had that heat in a while. Also, they had run out of guac(?). That was kinda lame.

The food is great and Hymie is a nice man. I especially like the chimichangas…read more Getting out of the parking lot can be a challenge.

Very clean location, very friendly and helpful service. I ordered the pork and pineapple tacos. I…read moreasked if I could mix and match flavors so I could try steak as well but they do not do that here. After the food came out the gentleman that helped us came over to see how everything was. The flavor of the tacos was fantastic. He explained they do not mix taco flavors because the meat is cooked at time of order instead of preparing ahead of time. The difference was noticeable, I will definitely be back. The hot sauce flavors were great as well.

This place is definitely a local dive. I circled the block twice trying to find the parking lot…read moreit's not exactly where yelp says it is but I eventually got there. There's not much here by way of decour, empty tables and pictures of food wearing at the corners. But I was welcomed warmly first in Spanish and then in English. This place is family owned a kind mother and father smile from the back and their daughter runs the counter. There is a digital jukebox which someone chose to use halfway through my time there, it is loud and would make conversation difficult, but not impossible. I ordered the pork burrito which came with generous servings of rice and beans, which were flavorful by themselves it was truly a large meal. As they cooked my meal fresh they brought chips and salsas, both salsa were tasty and flavorful instead of just hot. If the chips were warm it would be heaven. The wait was a little long for a lunch break meal, but the quality and portion was well worth my time. Flavors are clearly a priority here and my stomach is thankful! For $11 I got a huge burrito with sides and a bottle of water. They have Spanish bottled sodas and home made juice if that's your kind of thing. Good little gem hidden in Long Branch, there are MANY good Spanish restaurants to choose from in this area, consider this one a strong competitor. Make sure to put money in the tip jar here it doesn't get any more local than this.

Excellent service and great food. Greatest chicken quesadillas!…read more They are warm and welcoming.

I accidentally walked in here thinking it was the Valentina restaurant. Lol!…read more Since I was here and don't live in Long Branch (was on my way home) I figured I'd order something. I asked the girl working which tacos were the best here. I don't think she spoke much English which is completely ok, I unfortunately just don't know much Spanish! Lol She pointed to the cabeza taco aka head which is all good but I'd opted for the chicken (pollo! I do know that in Spanish) lol. So she took my order of chicken tacos I guess but I asked her to change to chicken tostadas. Of course once I went back to pick them up they had prepared both the chicken tostadas and chicken tacos which I paid around $18 for. SO MUCH FOOD FOR ONE PERSON! Haha. They were good but I think I liked the steak tacos at Valentina down the road better. The pulled chicken on them seemed a bit too rotisserie for my taste and the toppings were bland. Also not enough hot sauce! The positive side though is that this place IS super authentic and I'm sure won't disappoint on other menu items. :)

Omg!!! Thisss place!! Say you have a little piece of Mexico in Long Branch!!…read more As you enter it's very colorful, clean and clear!! The art on the wall make you feel as you've stepped into a cantina in the zona rosa - or the best taco place in your local area!!! The moment we walked in we were greeted and immediately attended. We ordered horchata - A BIG ONE!! Lol!! And it was very big- but very delicious!!! They also served chips with salsa verde and spicy red one too - which are made in the restaurant.- and ALL snacks are as well! We ordered the sopa de camarones ranchera , sopes, guarachas; ALL made to perfection and very generous portions !! The soup must have had 20 super big and fresh shrimp well seasoned and flavored- with diced onions, lemon and tortilla to season at your desire!! Sopes and guaraches delicious- with plenty of beans. Cheese, cream and chicken!!! Enough to take home!!! The menu is a bit overwhelming but I can tell with The dishes we ordered and the dishes that we saw other tables order - everything. I mean EVERYTHING is good!! :) Price - all for 36.00!! Can't beat that goodness for that price!!! Will be returning!! And you should try too!! Buen provecho!!!

Food, service, ambiance - all fantastic when looking for an authentic Mexican experience.read more

One of the absolute best Mexican restaurants I've ever been to. They have the best tacos and Birria…read moretacos around. I don't live close enough to go all the time but I have a student I teach in Red Bank that after his lesson, I will go and eat here. When my student graduates, I will still come back every now and then.