I am not much of a Mexican Food lover but this place is great. The only one I go to. Only place I found Ceviche which I love. They do a great job - Ceviche Tostada - only $4.00. You have to try it. Best Ceviche I have found from Kenneth Square to Philly. Other foods are reasonable and good. Bring your own beer or wine. I usually order the beef Fajita and never been disappointed. But I am not too curious about other wraps and things. If you go off prime time, it is usually very empty so you get good service. Prices are right. At prime times you might have to wait but the restaurant is pretty big so there is a lot of seating
(5)
Stacy F.
The food here is absolutely amazing!!!! The service though... I met a friend here to catch up but dinner was two hours long with the waitress checking on us once with us having to flag get down for more water. If you want great food and don't mind waiting around for a waitress this is the place. Would have been five stars if we didn't get attitude.
(4)
Ali E.
Liked the atmosphere. The decorations were cute and the restaurant was clean. The service was ok but the food for the price just wasn't that great. I've had much better tex mex style food.
(2)
Nathan S.
Was there on sunday, the food was excellent. Steak tacos.. Amazing! The waitress recommended a molcajete plate, its a mix of meats and veggies on a hot deep dish with green salsa, with a side of rice, beans and guac.. Tortillas are hand made.. I was very impressed with the food and the service. A+ def
(5)
Kelly C.
My mother and I decided to come here one Sunday afternoon. We walked in to find only a few tables occupied. No host or hostess was there, so we sat down at a random table. The waitress walked by several times, avoiding eye contact with us at all costs. After 5 minutes, she gave us menus without saying much. We decided what we wanted and over 10 minutes went by, and the waitress still hadn't even come by to ask us what we wanted for drinks. Mind you, there were only a few tables occupied. It wasn't busy at all. We waited several more minutes, trying to look over and get her attention. She still walked very fast past us, avoiding eye contact. We finally got up and left. We were hungry and just wanted to eat. I gave it an extra star because I've heard the food is good and the decor was nice and interesting. However, waiting over 15 minutes just for a water or drink was ridiculous. There are other options in the area.
(2)
Matt M.
Mediocre food combined with slow service is no way to go through life son. Kennett Square Mexican is a pretty high bar with Morleone and others to live up to. This place just falls short in flavor, selection and service. We went for lunch as we had never been. The red ranchera sauce was bland and so was the green. The rice had been made days before. Portions are ok but they overloaded the poor waitress and she just couldn't keep up. Sorry we wont be back
(2)
Aditi M.
Cute little place. The complimentary salsa is pretty yumm. The menu and food are different from the run of the mill mex restaurants around. Nice ambience too :)
(4)
Kai Y.
Seat yourself. Chips were stale. The one salsa was uncomfortably hot and the other was too watery to use. Napkins were not restocked. They were out of lemon. We asked for lime. The tea arrived with no lime. We let the waitress know, and she never brought any. So, we asked for a whole bowl of lime, a bowl came with one tiny slice of lime that couldn't have been sliced any thinner. When we asked about it, the waitress defended the lime by saying, "I gave you a bowl with lime." When we noted the chips were stale, the waitress responded, "No they're not." Instead of something like, "I am sorry that your food doesn't taste good to you. I'll let the kitchen staff know." We noted that we had asked for sugar and got packets of splenda. The waitress flippantly said, "that is the sugar I brought you." Now even I was slowing down in trying to find something good about the experience. We asked for a box and check after only tasting our meal. We had a poor experience and the waitress persisted in asking us why, and I said we need to answer that question to the manager. The waitress continued to be flip instead of bring over the manager. Once the waitress did tell the manager, the manager never came over to talk with us. 4:45pm Thursday 9/6/14
(2)
Lauren H.
A very long wait for very mediocre food. There are much better spots for Mexican food in Kennett Square. Pass!
(2)
Noelle K.
This place was recommended by a friend who lives Kennett Square. We are from Texas and it has been hard finding authentic Mexican food. While On The Border is okay, real Mexican food is just plain to find, I can say this since I am half Mexican. What made this place for me? Homemade horchata (Rice milk). I crave this drink every time I enter a Mexican restaurant but it is never fresh. This was wonderful and flavorful. My husband asked for one to-go. My mother-in-law and I shared 2 plates. She ordered sopes with chicken tinga and I ordered gorditas with carne asada. Those were very good and fresh. They used queso fresco too! My husband orders chicken fajitaseverywhere he goes and he really liked this dish. At the end we decided we needed to go again and soon.
(4)
Evann G.
YUM. Because I grew up in Southern California, I like to think I know a thing or two about good Mexican food, and this is good Mexican food. My mom, who has spent even more time in Southern California than I have, agrees. (So does my husband, who knows very little about good Mexican food.) We had some enchiladas, some flautas, some burritos, some quesadillas... all fantastic. Especially the enchiladas. Chips and salsa were addictive too, although one of the salsa varieties is apparently VERY spicy. Took a really, really--like COMICALLY--long time to get our check and pay, but oh well. I'd still go back in a heartbeat. Atmosphere is really nice too, although the TV near us was playing some pretty strange, bordering-on-softcore-porn music videos at the time we were there.
(4)
Robert N.
We stopped in mid Saturday afternoon for a late lunch. Place was practically empty. Very slow, albeit friendly service. I think our server could benefit from some training - let drink glasses and chips basket go empty despite long wait for our order - seemed to disappear. Food was really good when it finally arrived. In-house made tortillas were excellent. I give food 4-5 stars and service 1-2 stars. If you're not in a hurry and want good Mexican food, this is a place to go.
(3)
Beverly S.
After a Sunday morning of visiting Longwood Gardens, we were thinking Mexican for some unknown reason (maybe because it's tough to find in South Jersey). We took a chance on Ranchero El and were very pleased with what we found. It has obviously moved pretty recently into fresh and spacious digs (the sign is still up over its old site a few spaces away in the little strip mall). We were the only "gringos" in the place -- always a good sign. Our meals were preceded by the usual pico de gallo and chips which were very good. We didn't want huge meals and were pleased to find the lunch menu is served on Sundays. Both of our meals were excellent -- great flavor and not at all greasy. The corn tortillas I chose to go with my chile rellenos tasted homemade. The mini burritos meal my husband chose were also quite tasty, and filled with chicken and really delicious refried beans. Service was quite pleasant and efficient -- no language problems here. All-in-all our visit to this restaurant was memorable and we look forward to returning after our next visit to Longwood.
(4)
Alyce M.
Absolutely worth driving from Wilmington for dinner here. Hole in the wall type of place, serves soda out of 20 ounce bottles, and very authentic, fresh and yummy. The food is always non-greasy and yummy and CHEAP.
(4)
Tom H.
The other review about El Ranchero being a hole in the wall is 'way out of date. They expanded and renovated beautifully. It's now a very attractive place to eat with good food, reasonably priced. It's a family-owned business, run by local folks from Mexico, and a lot of Latinos eat there, so I am guessing that the food is authentic, too. A great choice for lunch or dinner.
(4)
Scott H.
Mexican nirvana, I highly recommend the molcajete, Friendly staff and quick service. I've always been pleased with whatever I've ordered. But, as I mentioned their take on the molcajete is the best I've ever had.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Noise Level : Quiet Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes
If you enjoy Taco Tuesday, then you have officially fallen in love with the Mexican Food. The main grain of Mexican cuisine is maize. Also known as corn, maize is grown for the past 9000 years after the crop was discovered by the people in Mayan civilization. Mexican empire flourished when they started growing beans, tomatoes, chili pepper, sweet potato and cactus. Till this date these ingredients are used in cooking authentic Mexican dishes and drinks.
Great use of spices, fresh chili pepper dishes like fajitas, tortilla chips, corn chips, salsa, chimichangas, burritos, nachos and quesadillas are invented in America. But when you are looking for authentic Mexican food then you must find a restaurant in the city that serves Rajas con Queso, Garbanzo in a Guajillo Chile Sauce, Pork Filled Chiles Rellenos, Chiles en Nogada, Molcajete Salsa, Pico de Gallo and Frijoles de la Olla. An eye-opening fact – Mexican don't like their food hot. They use fresh chili and other spices to create a flavor that lingers in your mouth.
Mexican food is great for those who are Gluten Intolerant as they use Corn instead of wheat in most of their dishes. Also, you can easily find many beans based Mexican dishes. Another dish which didn't get similar glory as tacos or nachos is the Mexican hot chocolate. If you love something hot on a chilly day, then go for Mexican Hot Chocolate. On merry days, you can enjoy the authentic Mexican Drinks like Tequila, Mezcal, Tecuí, Sotol, Bacanora, Charanda, Posh O Pox, Puebla and Pulque. Mexican Cuisine is for people who enjoy strong drinks and hearty meals.
Charles L.
I am not much of a Mexican Food lover but this place is great. The only one I go to. Only place I found Ceviche which I love. They do a great job - Ceviche Tostada - only $4.00. You have to try it. Best Ceviche I have found from Kenneth Square to Philly. Other foods are reasonable and good. Bring your own beer or wine. I usually order the beef Fajita and never been disappointed. But I am not too curious about other wraps and things. If you go off prime time, it is usually very empty so you get good service. Prices are right. At prime times you might have to wait but the restaurant is pretty big so there is a lot of seating
(5)Stacy F.
The food here is absolutely amazing!!!! The service though... I met a friend here to catch up but dinner was two hours long with the waitress checking on us once with us having to flag get down for more water. If you want great food and don't mind waiting around for a waitress this is the place. Would have been five stars if we didn't get attitude.
(4)Ali E.
Liked the atmosphere. The decorations were cute and the restaurant was clean. The service was ok but the food for the price just wasn't that great. I've had much better tex mex style food.
(2)Nathan S.
Was there on sunday, the food was excellent. Steak tacos.. Amazing! The waitress recommended a molcajete plate, its a mix of meats and veggies on a hot deep dish with green salsa, with a side of rice, beans and guac.. Tortillas are hand made.. I was very impressed with the food and the service. A+ def
(5)Kelly C.
My mother and I decided to come here one Sunday afternoon. We walked in to find only a few tables occupied. No host or hostess was there, so we sat down at a random table. The waitress walked by several times, avoiding eye contact with us at all costs. After 5 minutes, she gave us menus without saying much. We decided what we wanted and over 10 minutes went by, and the waitress still hadn't even come by to ask us what we wanted for drinks. Mind you, there were only a few tables occupied. It wasn't busy at all. We waited several more minutes, trying to look over and get her attention. She still walked very fast past us, avoiding eye contact. We finally got up and left. We were hungry and just wanted to eat. I gave it an extra star because I've heard the food is good and the decor was nice and interesting. However, waiting over 15 minutes just for a water or drink was ridiculous. There are other options in the area.
(2)Matt M.
Mediocre food combined with slow service is no way to go through life son. Kennett Square Mexican is a pretty high bar with Morleone and others to live up to. This place just falls short in flavor, selection and service. We went for lunch as we had never been. The red ranchera sauce was bland and so was the green. The rice had been made days before. Portions are ok but they overloaded the poor waitress and she just couldn't keep up. Sorry we wont be back
(2)Aditi M.
Cute little place. The complimentary salsa is pretty yumm. The menu and food are different from the run of the mill mex restaurants around. Nice ambience too :)
(4)Kai Y.
Seat yourself. Chips were stale. The one salsa was uncomfortably hot and the other was too watery to use. Napkins were not restocked. They were out of lemon. We asked for lime. The tea arrived with no lime. We let the waitress know, and she never brought any. So, we asked for a whole bowl of lime, a bowl came with one tiny slice of lime that couldn't have been sliced any thinner. When we asked about it, the waitress defended the lime by saying, "I gave you a bowl with lime." When we noted the chips were stale, the waitress responded, "No they're not." Instead of something like, "I am sorry that your food doesn't taste good to you. I'll let the kitchen staff know." We noted that we had asked for sugar and got packets of splenda. The waitress flippantly said, "that is the sugar I brought you." Now even I was slowing down in trying to find something good about the experience. We asked for a box and check after only tasting our meal. We had a poor experience and the waitress persisted in asking us why, and I said we need to answer that question to the manager. The waitress continued to be flip instead of bring over the manager. Once the waitress did tell the manager, the manager never came over to talk with us. 4:45pm Thursday 9/6/14
(2)Lauren H.
A very long wait for very mediocre food. There are much better spots for Mexican food in Kennett Square. Pass!
(2)Noelle K.
This place was recommended by a friend who lives Kennett Square. We are from Texas and it has been hard finding authentic Mexican food. While On The Border is okay, real Mexican food is just plain to find, I can say this since I am half Mexican. What made this place for me? Homemade horchata (Rice milk). I crave this drink every time I enter a Mexican restaurant but it is never fresh. This was wonderful and flavorful. My husband asked for one to-go. My mother-in-law and I shared 2 plates. She ordered sopes with chicken tinga and I ordered gorditas with carne asada. Those were very good and fresh. They used queso fresco too! My husband orders chicken fajitaseverywhere he goes and he really liked this dish. At the end we decided we needed to go again and soon.
(4)Evann G.
YUM. Because I grew up in Southern California, I like to think I know a thing or two about good Mexican food, and this is good Mexican food. My mom, who has spent even more time in Southern California than I have, agrees. (So does my husband, who knows very little about good Mexican food.) We had some enchiladas, some flautas, some burritos, some quesadillas... all fantastic. Especially the enchiladas. Chips and salsa were addictive too, although one of the salsa varieties is apparently VERY spicy. Took a really, really--like COMICALLY--long time to get our check and pay, but oh well. I'd still go back in a heartbeat. Atmosphere is really nice too, although the TV near us was playing some pretty strange, bordering-on-softcore-porn music videos at the time we were there.
(4)Robert N.
We stopped in mid Saturday afternoon for a late lunch. Place was practically empty. Very slow, albeit friendly service. I think our server could benefit from some training - let drink glasses and chips basket go empty despite long wait for our order - seemed to disappear. Food was really good when it finally arrived. In-house made tortillas were excellent. I give food 4-5 stars and service 1-2 stars. If you're not in a hurry and want good Mexican food, this is a place to go.
(3)Beverly S.
After a Sunday morning of visiting Longwood Gardens, we were thinking Mexican for some unknown reason (maybe because it's tough to find in South Jersey). We took a chance on Ranchero El and were very pleased with what we found. It has obviously moved pretty recently into fresh and spacious digs (the sign is still up over its old site a few spaces away in the little strip mall). We were the only "gringos" in the place -- always a good sign. Our meals were preceded by the usual pico de gallo and chips which were very good. We didn't want huge meals and were pleased to find the lunch menu is served on Sundays. Both of our meals were excellent -- great flavor and not at all greasy. The corn tortillas I chose to go with my chile rellenos tasted homemade. The mini burritos meal my husband chose were also quite tasty, and filled with chicken and really delicious refried beans. Service was quite pleasant and efficient -- no language problems here. All-in-all our visit to this restaurant was memorable and we look forward to returning after our next visit to Longwood.
(4)Alyce M.
Absolutely worth driving from Wilmington for dinner here. Hole in the wall type of place, serves soda out of 20 ounce bottles, and very authentic, fresh and yummy. The food is always non-greasy and yummy and CHEAP.
(4)Tom H.
The other review about El Ranchero being a hole in the wall is 'way out of date. They expanded and renovated beautifully. It's now a very attractive place to eat with good food, reasonably priced. It's a family-owned business, run by local folks from Mexico, and a lot of Latinos eat there, so I am guessing that the food is authentic, too. A great choice for lunch or dinner.
(4)Scott H.
Mexican nirvana, I highly recommend the molcajete, Friendly staff and quick service. I've always been pleased with whatever I've ordered. But, as I mentioned their take on the molcajete is the best I've ever had.
(4)