Rancho Escondido Mexican Grill — Restaurant in Alabaster

My wife and I ate here last night. After reading all the stellar reviews and the menu we decided to give it a try. We arrived at approximately 7:30pm. There was one waitress serving the entire restaurant. So it took a while to get seated, get chips and salsa since there was one busboy/helper and took a while to order...40 minutes. The waitress was very nice and we did tip her. My wife ordered the pork carnitas with beans and rice, tortillas, pico. The pork came with fresh onions on top. The pork was not seasoned at all...just fried pork pieces and had no taste. Beans and rice were bland. Even the raw onions were just a crunch without any onion taste at all. Not sure how this can be done unless soaked in water for days. I ordered a special which had a "thin" slice of beef, chicken, rice, vegetable (broccoli and carrots) mixed with 6 tiny boiled shrimp. Now when the menu said "thin" they were not lying. Maybe an 1/8th of an inch for the grilled beef which was not seasoned at all. Same for the chicken breast; just grilled without seasoning. Was a tablespoon of cheese dip on it. Now boiled shrimp mixed with the veggies was an odd combo indeed for a Mexican restaurant. All in all, very bland food. There must have been one cook since we left at 8:43pm meaning it took forever to get our food even after we ordered.

We will...

This is a true hidden gem. While traveling on the back roads to avoid traffic of I65 we passed this little place and noticed it looked interesting. We decided a week later to go back and try it out. Trust me it is worth the drive from 280. To start the chips and salsa were fresh and unique. The prices were reasonable for what we got and the portions were very large. We split the fajitas for two and there was more then enough. We also split a pitcher of margaritas thinking for the small price listed it would be a smaller then average pitcher. Wrong it was a huge pitcher, delicious and really more then two people could finish, but we sure tried. I was so impressed with this place I would make the drive from 280 just to eat here again. Please give them a try and you will...

I’ve eaten in authentic Mexican restaurants all over the state from fancy ones, to gas station ones. This one is hands down my FAVORITE!! The atmosphere is so pleasant and the staff are so kind, friendly, and prompt. The food is so fresh and off the charts DELICIOUS. I decided to make a picture of my chicken fajita quesadilla after I had already started eating. Sorry. But, as you can see, they aren’t skimpy with the size. The plate is full!! It’s stuffed with chicken, cheese, bell pepper, and onion and comes with all the trimmings for only 7$. The prices are as awesome as the food!!! It’s off the beaten path in Alabaster and worth the drive from across town!!! I eat here at least twice a month!!! It’s one of the best restaurants I’ve...