I was driving through Santa Maria on my way to Big Sur and Carmel and stopped at Taco Ranchero. Honestly, this place had no business being this good. The chilaquiles were on point, the Ranchero Combo was amazing, and the home potatoes disappeared way too fast. I also appreciated that they had filtered soda water because apparently I've reached the age where good water impresses me. Definitely get the fresh orange juice too. It actually tastes like real oranges, not the mysterious orange-flavored liquid McDonald's serves. The waitress was fantastic too friendly, attentive, and clearly very hardworking. Great food, great service, and I honestly wish they were closer to home because I'd be here way too often. The place was spotless! read more

Really good. Everything came out hot and the view was great at the table I sat at. Service was cool too. The Chile Relleno Burrito I got was filling and I took home half. Place is pretty busy too. Highly recommend. read more

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First time here and I liked that it wasn't busy at all. It's a gem in this town. We were greeted with friendly staff. I liked the inside ambiance. It was nice and cozy with large windows. I got a giant burrito and the daily special which came w a crispy taco, rice /beans, cheese enchilada, and a pork tamale or chile relleno. My husband enjoyed his burrito. I enjoyed mine as well. 4 stars because we have yet to return to try another dish :) we will recommend this place to our friends and family. read more

Taco Ranchero - Giant burrito - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

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I enjoyed my lunch here. I ordered a side taco and tostado. The tostada was very good and cute! I think the restaurant could be cleaned up a bit. The server was friendly! read more

Taco Ranchero - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

Came here after seeing the great reviews on the food. This place didn't disappoint. Had a strawberry wine cocktail to start and it was good but I wish they had tequila in it. I had the daily special and it was amazing. Hard shell beef tacos are really good along with the pork tamale. I definitely will look to order from them for the holidays Tamales. The cheese enchilada is also solid as well. Rice and beans were really good as well. Customer service was really good. Seemed like a family run restaurant and I love supporting places like this. I definitely will be back and recommend checking this place out. read more

First of all, the service was excellent. The young man who waited on us was friendly, and knowledgeable. I had a combo with generous portions. Beans, rice, tamale, and a dish with chicken. Prompt drink refills, hot freshly made chips. A great experience. read more

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Nope this is not it . I was very excited 2 try based on reviews. Even when my man screamed it was too expensive 4 one burrito I said it's got 2 be worth it rightttt. So I ordered a Monday special a giant wet chili verde burrito. Does not come with sour cream or guacamole . Burrito comes with rice beans your choice of meat and covered with sauce and cheese . It cost $19.56. So I called in an order and when I got there they said they gave my burrito to someone else they will remake me a new one. So I repeated my order and waited for a new 1. When it was done I grabbed it and left I had a long drive back to the Bay Area . My husband opened the burrito box and noticed they didn't put any sauce or any cheese on it so we had to go all the way back. I let the girl know and she said I'll put extra sauce on it. The two kids that worked the counter were very very friendly. So when I finally got to try this burrito that was so hyped up it was a big disappointment. It was the worst burrito that I've ever had. For being almost $20 for one burrito there was barely any meat. The meat that was in the burrito was extremely dry had a funny flavor. You could tell that there was too much oregano and I tasted some bay leaves. There was mostly rice and beans. Beans did not have a good flavor at all. We ended up throwing it away. I really feel horrible leaving such a bad review because the family that runs this business is super nice. read more

Taco Ranchero - Monday night special chile verde wet burrito - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

Food: 4. Came by to try a place I never been to. Place has street parking and a dedicated parking lot. Seating is only inside. Most seating are booths. We were promptly greeted upon entering and told to sit anywhere. Server brought chips and salsa. Chips were nice and crispy. Salsa was mild and fine. We ordered the #10 (crispy taco, cheese enchilada and chose the chile relleno). #10 also comes with rice and beans. I ordered their Nacho Fries with steak. Food came out timely and at the right temperature. My fries were crispy as I requested. The toppings for the the nacho fries were plentiful and it tasted. Interesting to have beans. I guess that is why they call them nachos instead of asada fries. Overall, this hit the spot for me. Portion is more suited for two people but I'm not complaining. Chile relleno was tender and tasted good. Beans and rice were flavorful. The only knock would probably be the salsa. I should have asked if they had a spicier version. Service was friendly and efficient. Ambiance is comfortable. Service: 4.5 Ambiance: 3.5 Value: 4 read more

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Definitely coming back to this restaurant. Chips and perfect salsa start your experience. Ordered asada chimichanga with nice big pieces of asada no little is that meat burrito. Service was great, friendly and welcoming. Place looks like a retro Mexican restaurant which I love. read more

Taco Ranchero - Asada chimichanga - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

Food and service was fantastic! Vegan options - I had the veggie burrito. Welcomed in our group of 6.

Sunday after church and this is the place to be! If you want fresh menudo or a delicious chile relleno you can get it here. My aunt says this is the best menudo in town and she is pretty selective. I like that I can order whatever I want and they will make it. Today I had one pancake, a little bit of refried beans and one scrambled egg. Just like home! My husband always has chorizo and eggs with warm and yummy flour tortillas. The service is fantastic. Your coffee cup won't be empty here. read more

Taco Ranchero - a group of green plants - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

This restaurant looks like it's hidden by its surroundings, but You are transformed to another place once You walk inside. The food had big portions and tasted great! It was like the scene in the movie Ratatouille when the food critic had flashbacks to memories of his childhood eating his favorite food. The service was awesome! I wish I asked for the young lady's name--she did an excellent job on the phone as she helped me and in-person as my order was being prepared. The cook even thanked me and was very polite and professional. I will definitely be back to try the rest of the menu! read more

Had fish tacos and deep fried ice cream. Overall good! Service was great. Extremely quick and friendly. Lots of batter for the tacos. Wish there was a grilled only option but good. read more

Taco Ranchero - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

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This place is delicious!! I always try a cheese Enchilada, crispy taco and a Chile relleno when I go to mexican restaurants and this is one of the top places for me. Got the carnitas crispy taco and everything was great. One of ny favorites so far. My husband got the giant burrito and he almost finished half and said his was delicious as well. The cook/owner?? And waitress were super nice, accommodating and very personable. Even the chips and salsa were delicious. Highly recommend. read more

Taco Ranchero - Giant burrito....almost as long as my forearm. Definitely good for 2 - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

The food and service are both reasons to go here. Family owned, genuine hospitality and fantastic food. Very unassuming, casual, come as you are vibe. This was one of the first places I went to when I first moved to the area and I will forever be a frequent patron. read more

Salsa on my enchilada was acidic. Beef tacos were dry. Best item was the Sprite. Friendly service. read more

Oh My Gosh - Does this place have GREAT FOOD!!! My wife and I are life long Mexican food Fans, including eating our way all over Mexico! We Mexican food usually twice a week, and love to try new places. My wife and our friend had the GIANT Burrito and we about fell over when they arrived! The picture doesn't do its SIZE justice - as that's a huge oval platter / plate! I had the Chile Verde and both were so Fantastically DELICIOUS!! I ate 1/2 of mine, they ate 1/3 of their burritos and we took all the rest home - for at least two more meals! The prices are about the middle of the road, for these expensive days, but the serving SIZES were WELL worth the cost! The service was Excellent also with very friendly and attentive staff! Now this is a dated - older small restaurant, but SO worth going to! We HIGHLY recommend it, and I can't WAIT to go BACK, (after our leftovers are ALL gone ) read more

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Get the enchiladas banderas (combo 5) seriously so much great food I could only finish half of it. The service was fantastic, the waiter was friendly and lighting fast. A family restaurant where the son makes the salsa, also foodie perfection. Can't wait to come back and work my way through the menu read more

Taco Ranchero - Enchiladas banderos - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

Unfortunately I had a very upset stomach for 2 days after eating here. I had a shredded beef burrito on 3/18/18. The service was very friendly and welcoming, as everyone else has noted. However, due to the gastric upset I've experienced, I won't be returning. read more

Taco Ranchero - Wet burrito Xmas style - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

Mmmm!!! Soooo goood!!!! I had chicken enchiladas w/tamale. The tamale only comes with pork and im not a huge fan of pork tamales but this one was vry vry good!!! The enchiladas were also tasty!! Service is outstanding!! Salsa is good as well, only thing I was so-so about is the chips, they were so thin. I'd def pop over here again for bfast or lunch. read more

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Such good food. The food was so yummy and the portions were amazing. Family owned business who were all friendly. read more

Taco Ranchero - Giant wet burrito! So yummy! - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

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Food was delicious! Large portions! Prices are very reasonable and I would recommend you to check it out! Customer service is very good and they are family owned. Best place to come to. read more

Excellent fast service during Covid-19. Order on the phone. Prices in Yelp are outdated since it is user content. Anything in the menu is delicious! read more

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My favorite place to have Mexican food in Santa Maria hands-down! And I love that our Mexican restaurants are not these overly dressed up restaurants. Every time I walk in there they know us by name they take exquisite care of us. They treat us like family and that's how our restaurant should treat all of their customers.I am a Carnitas snob! And this is the best one in town. They try to make all of their food more healthy by offering whole beans or refried beans even though you can get both. But the refried beans taste as sinful. It's a family run business. And that means something to me. They will deliver food to you or you can pick it up. Nevertheless they are still my favorite. read more

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We were driving through town from Solvang and found the Best Mexican Food at Taco Ranchero! Excellent food and service. Starting with the most tastiest spicy salsa and crispy light, fresh chips. Our food arrived steaming hot and tasted home made. The chile relleno was delicious, with a soft pepper, cheezy with a light batter and sauce. The enchiladas were equally good and the sauce was so good not overpowering with a hint of seasonings. They offered refried or pinto beans and I ordered refried which were so fresh and out of this world. Service was excellent, attentive, and quick with our requests. Dinner was worth every dime Overall, highly recommend it! We ate it up so fast, I forgot to take pics read more

This place is exactly great Mexican! Had everything we needed, wet burrito, tacos, bomb ass salsa, super lite chips! Place kills, gonna be a go to place! read more

Taco Ranchero - Carne asada taco plate - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

Friendly staff and consistently good food. The fells is hit the spot and can't beat the breakfast burrito!

First time coming here. Food was delicious we ordered fajitas and asada nachos . Big portions good prices, GREAT coustomer service. Thank you so much Jocelyn for your amazing coustomer service and being so attentive:) read more

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Nice. Good food. Great promptly service at reasonable price. You can have good time here enjoying delicious meals

Yeah, I went to a Mexican restaurant and got a salad...but I wasn't that hungry! So, it was supposedly a tostada salad, but there was no tortilla under the layers of shredded lettuce, so it just gave me an excuse to eat more chips! The salad was decent actually though. The shrimp were small, but nicely marinated and grilled, along with red & green bell peppers. it also had beans, tomatoes, guacamole, and sour cream. Total was $7 and I licked my plate clean. read more

Taco Ranchero - Shrimp tostada salad, no fried tortilla included - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

Decided to give this place a try today, and I'm glad I did. It says that it's a healthy Mexican restaurant which made me question its authenticity but it was amazing. We ordered a giant burrito with Chile verde, and a pork tamale. The burrito was great, sauce was tasty and the pork was cooked perfectly. The tamale came with some red sauce and cheese on top, never had a tamale this way but I'm a huge fan now. It made it taste moist and savory for the perfect combination. Only reason that i am knocking one star, the chips were stale and salsa needed little extra spice for my liking but I'm a huge spice fan in their defense. Service was great, two younger girls who probably are working for their family. Happy to support this small family business and hope to come back soon. read more

Taco Ranchero - Giant burrito (wet) - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California

Francisco and his family have a wonderful story to tell here. Aside from the fact that all the food that is served here is made from scratch, it's tasty, but hole some and plenty of it. My wife and I are strict vegetarians and have never been disappointed in finding something suitable for us to enjoy. The whole family contributes to their success and Taco Ranchero is a must to visit any time of the week. read more

This is a little hide-away Mexican restaurant that I've been coming for years but never commented on it till today. For me it's always relaxing when we come in and customer service is always great. When you sit down your automatically served warm chips and salsa, I could eat chips and salsa and be done with it because you can't stop, but I did and was served Sizzling Steak Fajitas with beans and rice. It is so cool to see your bell peppers, onions, and steak still Sizzling and steaming, along with flour tortillas. What can I say, it was great, I really can't describe it because I don't know how describe Mexican food but that it taste like Mexican food like my mama used to make. My wife ordered Spinach Carnitas Enchiladas and just by looking, I knew it was good. All I can say is that I'm a happy man when I leave. read more

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Wonderful family atmosphere with food cooked with kindness and passion. My family seeks out the smaller establishments because the food and service is usually excellent. Taco Ranchero is no exception! We were confused upon first glance on entering that it might be really small, but the inside is actually quite spacious. If has a home feel when you come in. You are greeted by the family that owns it (A Father and his daughters and a young boy). We enjoyed the Daily Special as recommended by the hostess and as described was all made by her dad and my wife and I had to nearly be rolled out from being so stuffed. My wife loved the Chile Relleno and the Tamale was awesome on my special. None of the food was spicy but the flavor was right on point. The Chips and Salsa were amazing, she even let me try their hot green salsa and it was amazing! If you want food that feels like a friend makes at a price anyone can afford, try them out! read more

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If you love(!) crispy tacos---mmmmmm yum! Wonderful enchilada sauce, enough red chili spice that is flavorful without being in your face hot but better than an Americanized enchilada sauce. Refried beans; smooth but with a bit of chew and the flavor has just a bit of bacon to it. Love their soft & spicy Spanish rice with just a touch of vegetables added. NOW FOR THE SALSA; believe it or not no onions in it. Tomatoes, cilantro ( I imagine) and spices. Since chemo I can't tolerate onions in Any form (even onion powder) and I can eat this all day!! It might look like a little taco "dive" on the out side but your meal will be flavorful, fresh and hot from the kitchen. read more

I have been here multiple times and I haven't been disappointed. I would highly recommend this place to anyone craving some good Mexican food! read more

They make their own salsa, and it's fantastic! Wish they would sell some by the jar. A little pricey, and I think the kitchen is a little small so it took a while for the food, but the portions are very large, and tastes great. I ordered the Mexican Lasagna which was really good, but my wife's chimichanga was incredible. Almost all meat, and very little beans. Every table was taken when we were there, so it does get busy. read more

This place is great and there salsa is the best aswell as the sauce for the chili relleno . The waitress which I forgot her name was very nice and professional. I highly recommend this place to anyone body that has legit taste buds read more

With the reviews so solid I had higher hopes. The chili Verdi was sooo lime flavored. Didn't care for it at all. High priced as well.

Delicious! And phenomenal service! They very nicely stayed open a little later for us to eat. The waitress was so polite and sociable. read more

Taco Ranchero - Monday's special: The GIANT Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Santa Maria, California