We chose this restaurant based on its high reviews, but unfortunately left very disappointed. After being told to seat ourselves, we waited so long for menus and drinks that we nearly left. The waitress was sweet, but remained slow throughout the entire meal. Our waitress never offered drink refills, and we waited extended periods for a to-go box and our check before finally going to the cashier ourselves. The biggest issue was a strong sewage-like odor coming from the restroom area. We were seated nearby, and every time the bathroom doors opened, the smell drifted into the dining room. Even the handwashing station in the dining area had the same unpleasant odor. The food looked great when it arrived, and the chips and salsa seemed fresh. However, I was disappointed to learn they no longer serve guacamole with their fajitas. The chicken fajitas arrived sizzling hot, but became very dry as they cooled. They were spicy, but lacked much flavor. The rice and beans were good. Overall, between the slow service, unpleasant smell, and mediocre food, I would not return or recommend this restaurant. There are plenty of other Mexican restaurants in Waco that I'd try before coming back here. read more

The food is very good. The service is outstanding. The chips are not good. There's so much seasoning on them that you don't get to appreciate the salsa because the chips are overpowering.. A restaurant with this type of quality needs to have chips that are made in house without anything other than salt. read more

Everything was wonderful! The chips and salsa were great. Service was fast and friendly. Plenty of parking. The place is clean inside and lots of seating. Will definitely be back! read more

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Trying out the Mexican food restaurants in Waco. This place looked busy for good reasons. The chips r homemade and the hot sauces r really good. House margaritas were good. My husband had beef enchiladas that were really good with peppers in the cheese sauce. I had the chili relleno which had great grilled chicken in it. The pepper could have been fresher. The rice and refried beans were good. The restaurant is dated but clean. Service was just ok. read more

Been a minute since I've eaten here so I stopped in for lunch. Ordered the Carna Asada served with rice and beans. Food was perfect and the Carna asada was tender and not tuff. Waitstaff is very friendly and makes sure you have everything you need. One let down to me is the vibe here is the very loud music, but down let that stop you from stopping in read more

The Ranchito 5 Waco - Carna Asda - Mexican Near Me - Waco, Texas

First time eating here. Reviews were great on Yelp so decided to try. We went at 11 on a Sunday. Place was packed which is always a good sign. Food was delicious and hot. Chips were fresh and crunchy. Salsa tasty. My hubby and I shared a taco plate, chips, and queso. More than enough food for the two us. Waitresses were plentiful, pleasant, and very efficient. Prices were very reasonable. Highly recommend. read more

The Ranchito 5 Waco - Taco plate with 2 shredded chicken tacos and 1 fajita beef taco. - Mexican Near Me - Waco, Texas

Food was amazing! Had the 5 mini tacos and split them with my husband. No way to finish them because they were abundant. Highly recommend upgrading to the marinated steak with grilled onions. Also note when they say a large beer they mean a LARGE beer read more

We love it here!!! Service is outstanding and the food is amazing. Tipical taqueria texmex restaurant. Has a full bar with Mexican music jukebox. Festive atmosphere here can be loud and that ok. You're here for the good with a touch of Mexican hospitality. We love coming here and it's definitely a stop we consider when passing through WACO. read more

The Ranchito 5 Waco - Fresh chips and salsa - Mexican Near Me - Waco, Texas

Solid food. Solid service. Quickly waited in and served. Fair pricing. Good experience overall.

Food and service and ambiance are incredible. Best Al pastor tacos ever. Even better than some I've had in Mexico. The food is just spectacular. We're regulars and keep coming back again and again read more

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The food and ambience were good! We were passing through Waco on our way to the Austin area and stopped by for dinner and I'm glad we did, because it was delicious!!! Service was good too. I got the fajitas and nopales dish and my husband got the quesadillas. Serving size was large. We both left feeling full and satisfied. Price is very fair! read more

Food was good and so was service ! Portions were large and food was fresh. Would visit again.

I don't understand all these good reviews?? The food it's gross, I couldn't eat it , went straight to the trash , then they got this loud music and drunk people on the bar , so disgusting, never again. read more

We had dinner here and it wasn't the best. I had the beef fajta nachos but the fajitas were chopped pretty small and they just dumped every thing on the chips then heated it to melt the cheese. The problem with that was the cheese became a shell and it all wanted to stick together. It just made the whole meal problematic. There salsa's were good but no real spice, and there chips were also good. I should have gotten a combo plate to get a real taste for tier food, but I am a nacho junkie. I will say they tasted ok just not fun to eat. So if you stop in I would avoid the nachos. read more

The Ranchito 5 Waco - Fajita nachos - Mexican Near Me - Waco, Texas

We llove Mexican food and have eaten at all the restaurants in Waco. A couple of months ago, El Ranchito was recommended and we were blown away. We have returned several times and never had a meal than was not delicious. The restaurant is very clean, excellent service, the tortillas are made at the restaurant, chips and salsa are delicious and the margaritas are perfect. We usually split a single order of fajitas and still get a to go box. read more

Finally got to try breakfast! It's just as good as dinner! Let me tell you, this is one of my favorite places to eat! So delicious, quick service! read more

The Ranchito 5 Waco - Ranchero - Mexican Near Me - Waco, Texas

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This place is fantastic. Very traditional Mexican food. It is definitely a favorite of the locals, as we were one of only a couple of non-Hispanic people eating there (and it was crowded). Chips and salsa are excellent, and they have a full bar with some great drinks and margaritas. The menu is huge with lots of combinations and options. There were four of us and we had enchiladas, tacos, queso flameado, and nachos and all were delicious. read more

The Ranchito 5 Waco - Queso Flameado is spectacular. - Mexican Near Me - Waco, Texas

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Some of the best Mexican food I've ever had -- the molcajete Jalisco and barbacoa plates were both phenomenal. Not a fancy place, but delicious. We will be back. read more

I had the Jalisco Plate and it was delicious. Perfect portions. Super flavorful. It was busy on a Sunday night but not too crowded. Even with the bustle, the service was prompt. The Mexican music gave a fun vibe without being too loud or obnoxious. read more

The Ranchito 5 Waco - Jalisco Plate - Mexican Near Me - Waco, Texas

Cheese enchilada had good flavor and rice was fine. Flour tortillas were good. However, the chips were over cooked. The taco did not come with any cheese on it so I asked if I could have a little cheese for my taco. She brought a small bowl of cheese and I was charged $1.99 for the cheese without being told there would be a charge. Other than this, service was good. Also, I did not care for the refried beans. They had a smokey flavor. This place is average at best. read more

Update 1/25/23- So we've been here a handful of times and we usually love the service and food but tonight was different. We've been dieting since the new year but decided to go out to dinner since it was my mother in laws Birthday. She wanted Mexican and we all thought of Ranchito at the same time. This was our first cheat meal in over 3 weeks and it honestly couldn't have been more disappointing. Ratings are as below- The service 2/5: Our waitress had a large table to serve all night along with our table. Understandably she spent more time with her larger group that us with our table of food. She got our orders and drinks and then we didn't see her again until our food came out. She would just hover and wait around until someone in her larger group needed something. We wanted new chips (the majority of the ones we had left were literally soggy and flimsy due to being drenched in oil), refills, and possibly order some queso but she never showed up. We finally had to ask a different waitress about our chips, salsa, and refills. The food 1/5: If I could do 0 stars I would for this. First time eating out in 3 weeks and I really wanted some Chicken Flautas. So I ordered those and had high hopes. Then our cups and salsa came out. The chips were stale, soggy, and cooked in old oil (you can taste it when it's old). So this made me worry my flautas would taste similarly. When they arrived, not only did they taste like that old oil, they were completely over fried, oily, and dry with ZERO flavor. I could only taste the oil. My beans were dry. The rice was dry and old tasting. The best thing I ate was the avocado and sour cream. Everyone else at the table wasn't too impressed with their food but it was edible. Cleanliness: 3/5: Not bad but the tables were sticky and gross when we got there. My menu had left over dried up food on it. Overall the food and service made me had to rate this a 1 tonight. Please do better. We may try y'all again but this hurt your reputation in our eyes and could be hard to recover from. We have a lot of Mexican food places around that we can go instead of here. read more

The Ranchito 5 Waco - Chipotle chicken - Mexican Near Me - Waco, Texas

My family and I were passing through Waco headed back home to East TX and craving some authentic Mexican food. This is pretty amazing but more on the Tex-Mex side of things. Probably one of the best tasting food I've eaten in many years. Tortillas are homemade, beans ohhh so good, green hot sauce on 100% on point! We all ordered different dishes and if you're skirt steak or asada steak person! Cooked to perfection!!! Creamy, yummy and delicious enchiladas....so flavorful. The 3 different hot sauces are hot, extra hot and mild. Even had a margarita and it wasn't too strong like a lot of places and definitely didn't give me heart burn because of the lemon-lime flavor. Just something different to try when you're having a craving for a new place to try! Oh and Mexican music jute-box playing, my son was even dancing on his way out the door, lol. The server disappeared for a hot minute but it was super busy, so give them grace. That's how tasty this place , busy business means it's a hot spot to eat. Fresh products because there is a Mexican grocery store right next door. Give it a try, promise won't be disappointed at all. Bon appétit... read more

Their salsa is to DIE FOR. They make amazing breakfast. Servers are also great! Food is amazing

The salsa is amazing, the chips so so but the salsas were sooooo good. I ordered the three enchilada plate with shredded chicken and had one with green sauce and two with sour cream sauce. Maybe the best chicken enchiladas I've ever eaten!!! So incredibly delicious! read more

The food here is incredible. Salsa and queso with steak was perfect. Had the bowl thing with chicken, beef, shrimp, cheese, cactus, red and green sauces. Couldn't eat it all had to get a Togo box. Cat believe the amount of food we got for the price. read more

The Ranchito 5 Waco - Mocalente. Get this! - Mexican Near Me - Waco, Texas

This restaurant is in a building along Highway 84/Waco Drive that has served as various restaurants over the years so it's old style and not a "fancy" place. Many years ago was a mainly breakfast place called Ira's Restaurant and in the early 2000's was a local Mexican restaurant called El Colorado. They serve a full Mexican menu. The food we had was very good. I was surprised to learn there are 6 others in the State of Texas with several around Houston. We will definitely visit again. read more

The Ranchito 5 Waco - Melted cheese entree! - Mexican Near Me - Waco, Texas

It's not on their menu but they make a good California burrito. So good I came on Sunday for brunch and then again on Monday for dinner. I wished they served Jamaica tho read more

The Ranchito 5 Waco - Carne asada, French fries, cheese, sour cream. (California burrito) - Mexican Near Me - Waco, Texas

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Holy smokes! This place was amazing! My husband stopped in here on our way home from vacation. After reading the reviews, we decided to give it a try, and so glad we did. The food was sooooo good!! The salsas were to die for. The queso was good, and the main dishes were just freaking delicious! The service was incredible, as well. Our waitress, Adriana, was super sweet and attentive! We'll definitely dine here again when passing through Waco. read more

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Kitchen is super fast. Wait time for entrees was like 5 minutes. Overall good meal. Service from waitstaff is lacking and music is super loud. If I return it would be take out only. read more

Great food. So reasonably priced. One of our fave spots for breakfast. Service is ok, we had a bit of a struggle with language barrier. Maybe not too many white customers? lol. But the food is worth a it ! read more

The food and service was awesome!!! $2.99 Dos Equis is a great deal too!! Shrimp tacos were great!!

Food was good service was good was crowded music was good and service was good food was great.

My favorite is the Pancho plate, second favorite is the Guadalajara plate. Definitely my go to spot in Waco for Mexican food.

Good food. Very reasonable pricing. Service was very slow but friendly and nice. Would definitely go back!!!!

AMAZING FOOD NOT BAD PRICES, $10 large margs, carne asada fajitas $14 it was sooooooo good and I loved all of the salsa and chips weren't too salty just right!!!!! read more

The Ranchito 5 Waco - Besties. Mexican food. Authenticity. - Mexican Near Me - Waco, Texas

The food was amazing and not overpriced. The michilada was the best and the servers were all excellent, polite and beautiful.

Abel is the best!! He is super prompt and friendly. Oh and fajita tacos are great too!

This isn't your standard tourist place. This is for the locals and if you want some you can enjoy it too! They start w 3 sauces. Queso, a wolf brand chili type sauce and a nice red salsa with live onions. The chips are sturdy. I got the guisado plate. It's a red guisdado. Good. (I like it green). But it is good. If you get a chance and are on 84 in Waco. Stop in. You can't possibly be disappointed. read more

The food was amazing and the service was excellent! Don't be fooled when you pull up, it's small but plenty of seating!

We had recommendations on this place so we tried it out. We are in town visiting for family weekend at Baylor. The service was a little slow at first for lunch but once we got our food, our waitress was really attentive. I got one of the breakfast plates and my son got the fajitas. Everything had a great taste, and was probably one of the best meals we've had in Waco. I would highly recommend eating here. read more