I misjudged this place. It's been open for quite awhile (replaced a Randall's that wasn't far from my house), but I avoided it thinking El Rancho probably wouldn't have the things I needed. That is, until one day I needed cow tongues and pig/chicken feet for a Halloween party. I knew just where to go. My first impression was one of slight irritation. I am not shitting you, there is a sign on the door when you walk in that says "NO PHOTOGRAPHY." My immediate reaction was, "Seriously? What is so great about this place that I would want to take pictures?!" And that's when I looked to my left and saw the bakery. Holy Christ in a cake, the bakery looks IMPRESSIVE. There are cases and cases of sweets and pastries, and giant displays with massive cakes for every occasion. They even have a wedding cake display (wedding cakes reasonably priced around $500). I'll be honest, I wanted to take pictures. But I was also on a mission for tongues and feet, and I didn't want to get kicked out. So I refrained. For someone who lives in Texas I am totally worthless with Spanish (never took it in high school), so the signage can be somewhat confusing. But the layout of the store feels pretty intuitive, so it wasn't much of a problem. I prowled the perimeter of the store and drooled over the cafeteria part of it, where they sell yummy-looking tortas and tacos and other Mexican foodstuffs. They have tables where you can sit and eat, and several families with children had gone that route. The prices looked really reasonable and everything smelled delicious. As others have noted, the meat selection is MASSIVE. I had no problem finding cow tongues and chicken feet, though the only pig feet they have are sliced. Bear that in mind if you're looking for whole pig feet. I don't know why you would be, but hey, I was. I didn't see any smoked ones either, which sometimes you can find at the east-side HEB's. All in all I'll be coming back here. The HEB at Manor/183 is a massive pile of shit and is regularly out of things like ground cloves (which I had to pick up at El Rancho) and half-and-half. El Rancho fills the gap! read more

I decided to come here since I've literally passed this place over 1000s of times, but have yet to stop in. After reading through all of the reviews, I noticed there were very few photos and realized more information was needed. It should be noted that the name has changed to Super Mercado Los Vaqueros. The store itself is approximately 30,000 ft.² inside and marvelously decorated along the perimeter. Inside only Mexican music is playing and the signs and tags are in Spanish first and English second. As soon as you walk in the door and steer towards the bakery, you will be very impressed with the selection of numerous beautifully decorated cakes and baked goods. Next to the bakery, you will find a hot food buffet where you can get it to go or sit at one of six picnic tables across the way. Next to the deli is a very well laid out produce department complete with one of the largest chili pepper selections I've ever seen. They do have a good seafood selection along with numerous fresh and marinated meats on display. Yes you can find any of the items that you would find at your local H-E-B, but this store has things you will not even find at Whole Foods. I found the employees to be very helpful and attentive. If you're looking for a very unique and rewarding shopping experience where you can see things you don't see anywhere else, then you should stop in here. Plenty of photographs below to whet your appetite. read more

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This is an awesome little place in in North East Austin. I like to call it "Little Mexico" because it has all the great things you can only find in Mexico. From Elote Corn, to chicharrones, to barbacoa, to nachos, tortillas hand made, to everything else you love from Mexico. This place has it all, and at a great price. It is a little hidden gem, just off 290 HWY. Check it out, you won't be disappointed. read more

Supermercado El Rancho - Little mexico - Grocery Near Me - Austin, Texas

I like this store even though they can be very frustrating. I think they could greatly increase their business by having more information in English. Maybe one English speaking employee to refer us to. They have a good selection of Mexican products and theirs specials are usually highly competitive. I haven't found their weekly flyers anywhere other than Facebook. Why no website? Websites are cheap and highly informative. read more

They did not receive the notice to charge you up the yingyang!!! The place is huge with even bigger saving on 2016 prices on FOOD!!! I'm saying, every place else is robbing you all, this place has great low prices for the conscience shopper!!! The place is neat and so organized, plus clean. In conclusion CHEAP PRICES EVERYONE WINS AND DONT GO HUNGRY!!! read more

I love the prices on this place not good quality on produce but the rest of the items are good the place looks clean staff is very help full and always smiling The only bad to me is the bread sweat bread area they have those thongs hanging on the doors in the outside were all people put there hams and you have to use the same utensils to get you bread out of that box to meet is not sanitary even I talk to 2 different manager on 2 different time and they a-great with my opinion that never down anything :( That's my comment read more

Supermercado El Rancho - Utensils hanging on doors - Grocery Near Me - Austin, Texas

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The wide variety of options available at El Rancho Supermercado were Amazing! I found my long lost favorite drink and the cashier Jorge Hernadez was a blessing to have! I accidentally left my bag and he came out to bring it to me. Best of all, Jorge was a speedy cashier and sparked with leadership. The workers are great and the availability is even better! read more

Overcharged me $40 and after I noticed it and took the receipt back in to point out the overcharge and the manager and supervisor after agreeing that I was overcharged said I'm sorry but there is nothing we can do because they didn't understand what happened. I said that we could re-ring the items up but they insisted that the mistake must have been on me. Until now El Rancho was one of my favorite stores but I'll never shop there again because I guess it was more important to rush to close than to make sure your customers are treated fairly and taken care of. read more

Bad service in kitchen 2 employees where chatting today and they saw me and didn't care 5 minutes went by another customer a friend of theirs came and he got helped before me , I walked away they give you the worse service. Muy mal servicio en la cocina dos empleadas estaban platicando y yo dure 5 minutos esperando haber si me atendían , llego un conocido de ellas y lo atendieron primero que a mi . Mejor me fui , este es el peor servicio que e tenido read more

I mostly like El Rancho. I'm glad to have a neighborhood store for light shopping to replace the Randalls that used to be in that spot. However, El Rancho is no substitute for an HEB. The good: 1. Neighborhood shopping. 2. Decent Mexican bakery inside (although their ingredients could stand to be of higher quality). 3. El Rancho has MOST of the basics for light shopping. 4. Friendly employees. The bad: 1. The butcher / meat market area along the back wall of the El Rancho grosses me out. Plus, it smells terrible in the store, with the odor emanating from that meat market area. 2. Prices are a little high, contrary to what one might expect. Of course, compared to Randalls, the prices aren't a central issue I guess. 3. For a "super" mercado, El Rancho can be hit or miss. Case in point, I stopped by this morning for blueberries (to put in some pancakes I was planning to make) and some half & half for coffee. El Rancho carried neither. No fresh blueberries, no frozen blueberries, no canned blueberries. If they had half & half, they must have been out of stock. Bottom line: I hit El Rancho regularly and will continue to do so. The 2-star "meh I've experienced better" rating mostly comes from the store's odor, which has such a key impact when shopping for food. Surely that issue can be remedied if management chose to do so. read more

Guess What? It's holiday season. Which means El Rancho has Tamales! What's really cool is that they are so good and in demand that they sell them at a piping hot cart in the front of the store. Can I eat them right here? I recommend all three types of tamales of course and there is a new one this year which is corn tamales. Seems like too much corn to me. I only got the pork, chicken and queso with peppers. All of them are a little spicy. The chicken tamales have green chilies mixed in. The pork are simply flavorful and the masa isn't too overwhelming. Decent price too $6.99 for 6 or $12.99 for 12. Pick up a mix of them. I would love it if they had a bean, cheese and bacon tamales. Lord help me! read more

The taqueria section is freaking awesome. Carnitas quesadilla and torta al pastor both yummy and flavorful and cheap - and so HUGE. Friendly, yummy, cheap. Gotta love it. I'll be exploring all kinds of stuff from that little menu. The pozole looks great. read more

super good deals and quick lines at deli. super hot food you can eat there in the market with all kinds variety. enjoyed shopping here

I am fairly happy this is what replaced Randall's in our neighborhood, though no organic food from what I can see (I've been thrice so far), and no tofu. But I don't want to have to cross I-35 if I'm just out of onions! It's like Mexican Disneyworld! They play good Mexican music (unlike my neighbors that used to blast in from their trucks on Sundays while driving bad beer), and weirdly: all the workers are SMILING! Some don't speak English, but neither do half at the other markets in this neighborhood. Someone tell me: what IS the word for, "onion"? The customers are friendlier too: if I go to HEB down the street (and not a fan as some here), I feel like they're all zombies or in such a hurry as to kill you with their shopping carts. It's just a more pleasant shopping experience. I'm vegetarian and I don't eat sweets/bakery, but the bakery and taqueria seem really nice/higher quality just looking at it compared to other Mexican markets I've been in. They have a HUGE line of Goya, which for not organic, is good (you can't tell), and cheap! Actually I think a lot of the produce, and Goya, IS organic or transitional: they just can't afford the darn certification to say so. I am Sicilian, picky about tomatoes, and will still buy Goya tomatoes if on a budget. That and the ones in my garden aren't doing so well in this drought. I'm going to agree with Mavis: I actually have to RUN past part of the meat market. It included last visit a pile of like severed 40 pig heads. And taking a point off for it. GROSS! I understand that might be traditional, but can't you keep that in a back fridge and bring one out if someone asks for it on the sandwich board? My husband and I are doing our first hardcore shopping trip there when he gets home AND HE WORKS IN AN ORGANIC GROCERY STORE; I'll update this after the trip... [UPDATED] I went into shock when she said $21.40 or something. I was expecting $40-50, before my husband's discounts. And that included at least two sauces or seasonings you know just cost more, off the bat. A WEEK for two for $20. THREE FULL BAGS (we always bring our own; like six gallons of food for just over $20.) Noted (this is our first, try and shop it): lousy greens pickings. Next to none. No romaine, no spinach; I think the choices were cabbage or leaf lettuce. But they sold purslane: LOL! I am a dumbass I didn't know this "weed" is a vegetable (and drought resistant); I stopped killing it a month ago. It tastes good: descriptions highly differ: I say like "chives", and use it anywhere you'd use chives. It's the only thing still living in this drought if you don't ignore all drought laws and watering the dead grass: it has more nutrients than spinach. Eat purslane; don't kill it. IT'S A WEED AND IF TEXAN YOU TOTALLY HAVE IT IN YOUR LAWN. It's actually a vegetable used by most of the world for, among other things, more omega-3 than any other plant-based item on the planet! It also kicks ass on spinach for A, C, B, iron: I just learned this myself. I wanna share that. QUIT KILLING IT. Eat it. In a drought, one of the only things still living. And it tastes like chives. I can't believe they were selling it, when everyone is killing it as a weed. read more

This place is Awesome! Now it is not an HEB, but since it moved into my neighborhood a month ago, I have not had to go to the other places. Fresh foods, great prices on sale Items and most produce and an awesome bakery. Now they may not have specialty "American" foods, but they do have a good selection of the types of items they carry, traditional Mexican items. I have tried many new items this past month as well... The store is a little crowded and a lot of the workers do speak primarily Spanish but the service was awesome. And if you are halfway smart, you can point and convey what you want to any of the helpful staff members. A must try! read more

Decided to mention about the hot food area and what seems to be overated opinions of the food served in that Spanish named supermarket off 35 in the vicinity. The seating at el rancho is uncomfortable, being pic nic tables. The line to be served can be annoyingly long and check out a little disorganized. But the hot food is way better, fresher and less prone to give you an upset stomach than that other place. As for shopping there I might not be able to find all the items that the bigger supermarkets have in town. But it has more than the mini mex markets. read more

Owners and operators of El Rancho Supermercado grocery store franchises have paid $84,076 in back wages to 1,114 employees working as sackers, cashiers, cooks, bakers, stockers and tortilla makers at 12 store locations throughout Texas. An investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division disclosed violations of the minimum wage, overtime, record keeping and child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act. The employers have committed similar FLSA violations in the past and have now been assessed an additional $50,410 in civil money penalties for repeat wage-related offenses and child labor violations. "These El Rancho grocery stores benefited by depriving low-wage workers of their overtime compensation and by paying many below the federal minimum wage. In two cases, the employer put the health and well-being of minors at risk by requiring them to perform prohibited, hazardous jobs," said Cynthia Watson, regional administrator for the Wage and Hour Division in the Southwest. "The penalties imposed against the employers are indicative of the Wage and Hour Division's effort to hold violators accountable for breaking the law. We are determined to use all enforcement tools available to ensure workers are fairly compensated and our young workers are kept safe." Investigations by the division's Dallas District Office found that many employees were paid on a piece-rate basis rather than an hourly rate. Their total wages amounted to less than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, and they were not paid an overtime premium for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. Additional minimum wage violations resulted when the employers made illegal deductions from the workers' paychecks for uniforms and cash register shortages. The employers also failed to combine all hours worked by employees at multiple franchise locations in a workweek, and failed to include nondiscretionary bonuses when computing overtime premiums, thus denying employees proper overtime compensation. Additionally, the employers failed to maintain the required record keeping. Investigators also found that the El Rancho Supermercado grocery stores in Arlington and Dallas allowed three minors to operate trash compactors, in violation of the FLSA's Hazardous Occupations Order No. 12, which generally prohibits workers under 18 from operating, loading or unloading all balers and compactors. El Rancho Supermercado is a full-service supermarket franchise that is headquartered in Garland. FLSA violations were disclosed at the following El Rancho locations: one store in Arlington, owned and operated by Abkhalil Brothers Enterprises Inc.; two stores in Austin, owned and operated by Aldita Foods and Austin Ranch Market LLC; six stores in Dallas, owned and operated by Nafal Enterprises Inc., Supremo Foods LP, Sonora Foods LLC, Monterrey Foods LLC, Mexico Foods LLC, and Garland Ranch Market LLC; one store in Fort Worth, owned and operated by Fort Worth LLC; one store in Lewisville, owned and operated by Tamaulipas Food LLC; and one store in Odessa, owned and operated by Odessa Market LLC. read more

I love this fucking place. By far the cleanest, well stocked and organized market I have ever been to. Friendly staf and great prices. My go to place. I like it this place. read more

I love the immersion in all things Latino, and the produce and panderia sections are downright photogenic! Also, this place is the hands-down cheapest local source for Topo Chico. That having been said, the salsa selections and the household items are not as varied nor as interesting as Fiesta's. read more

Cheap cheeeeap! A great selection of produce but pick through carefully - that's what makes it fun! This place has a hot bar style food service to take out, huge shredded cheese bins instead of granola bins at HEB, all of the Mexican style dinner fixings you can imagine and more. Small frozens selection (i.e. no lean cuisines or small stouffers selection) but adequate dairy and meats (not the best but yeah pretty good!!). Again watch the dairy dates. Pretty good cheap selection of household cleaning products and personal hygiene stuff. You can get by getting most stuff here and just supplementing a bit at an HEB nearby. read more

OH. MY. GOD. I have no idea how I've not known of this amazing place! I just moved into the barrio, excuse me for being gringo and saying that word but, yeah. I got the weekly's and they included all of the Mexican markets and well, the weekly had some AMAZING sales going on, so I hit it up. First thing's first, the bakery here is INSANITY. Seriously. I got a dulce de leche empanada and a slice of tres leches and it was probably $3 for both. FOR BOTH! They had tres different kinds of tres leches, see what I did there? Anyway, their meat market was kind of cool too! I know at Fiesta, which is what I'm used to, has specials and sometimes I can never find said products. Here, they had pork chops on sale for $1.39# and I looked in the packaged area and nothing. I pass the meat counter and they package them to order! Who woulda thunk it!? OK, back to the main story. I got a whole BAG, you know, Whole Foods reusable ones, FULL of food and it cost me $14!!! I could go down my receipt but I'll spare you the boring details. This place is a gem. I'm SO glad I moved and got their weekly because now I'll be looking forward to it every Tuesday. Who needs Fiesta?? OK...I do. their international section is still pretty amazing. read more

i love this store. i just relocated to austin from pennsylvania and conveniently it is the closest grocery store to my house. and thats awesome. the weekly meat specials are great and so is the produce. everything is always fresh from what ive experienced and dont have a bad word to say about the place. all of the workers are bilingual and very friendly and a few have even remembered me from my trips there and say hello when they see me in the store. the service is always good and i get to speak in spanish when ordering and dealing with the employees which doesnt happen in pennsylvania. it might not have the same selection as say and HEB but id still rather shop at el rancho. they have everything i need and if they dont its never an issue. read more

There's a Super Target, Wal-Mart and HEB located within a mile radius from my home and I gladly travel 10 miles further to get my fruits and vegetables from this place. It's awesome! read more