Living in Nacogdoches going on three years now I'd always seen the sign on North St. telling me about El Ranchero, but I'd never taken the time to actually go down King St. to find it. Figuring other college students had probably thought the same way, I packed up my friends and took them out for a night of authentic Mexican food.
The only thing I'd heard about El Ranchero was that you got two free margaritas with your meal. Since I'm not of legal age yet, I wasn't able to partake in this, but I hear they are the best part of the restaurant.
The tables were small and crowded together, but where this would usually be a problem, here it added to the authentic feel and atmosphere of the dining area. Also, there was a reasonably large crowd for a week night.
Like most Mexican restaurants, chips and salsa were served before the meal. The salsa is always my selling point, it sets me up for how the rest of the meal will taste. The salsa was room temperature, watery and had nearly no taste to it. We ordered a small queso hoping to be impressed, but instead were disappointed again by the lack of flavor in the dip.
I ordered the cheese enchilada dinner, and my friends opted for the tacos. The food came quickly and was hot when it got to the table. My meal looked appetizing, but as I started to eat I realized that, like the salsa and queso, it was lacking flavor. On the other hand, the beef in the tacos was tender ,and the guacamole was exceptional.
Given the good service and timelines, I would give El Ranchero two out of five axes. I will not be returning soon, I'd rather go to one of the other Mexican restaurants scattered about town.
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