El Ranchero Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Bloomington

We have gone to this El Ranchero many times and had good service and good food. But I must agree with some of the very recent reviews of poor service and they weren't even busy. First we were seated by the side door which was bad since the cold air kept coming in everytime they opened the door to clean their carts??? Then we had to wait for a server longer than usual, took drink order, then waited awhile before receiving them. Finally ordered We weren't given napkins or silverware. My husband got up and went and found some. All the while our server never came back to the table to check on us. Someone from the kitchen brought our food out, which is normal but I didn't receive what I ordered. I waited a bit to see if our server would come back but he didn't so I decided to go ahead and eat it since who knows how long I would've waited. We sat with empty glasses, then my husband finally went and told someone else we needed refills. When our server came back and asked if everything was ok, we said no I didn't get what I ordered but went ahead and ate it since no one came around. What they brought me was 3.00 higher than what I ordered and he had the nerve to charge me the higher price!! Needless to say his tip was a big fat zero!!!!This is not how you do business if you want repeat customers. And to think in times past we could walk in on Wednesday night which is fajita night, and this same server would know what we were drinking, have it to the table and already have our order in!!!! Its going to be a long time before we go...

I am hispanic AND from Texas, so i pride myself in Mexican food. Let me put it to you this way...I have had worse. From first stepping foot in the restaurant, the hostess was less than friendly. Why they put this sour puss as the greeter is beyond me! The waiter was friendly however. The restaurant was colorful, but the atmosphere was lacking. It seemed very separated. Salsa was good and tasty, but the margaritas were like lemonade. I couldn't taste the tequila. My guess is they didn't put any in it. The food was hot. I will give them that, but the refried beans tasted like they were out of a can. I wasn't even given the option of charro beans so I don't know if they had any. Again, the food was hot but it was like it was missing something. Overall, I don't know how a restaurant to advertise "authentic" when it isn't! There are some self evident truths. You don't have good French food in Texas, just like this restaurant doesn't have good mexican food in Indiana. I guess the distance from the area it advertises comes into play. This may be harsh, but it is from my experience...

Right, so it's Bloomington, Indiana, and that means standards for mexican food are generally low. Sorry, but compared to the west coast or anywhere in Mexico itself, this stuff just doesn't come close. Still, for being in a town where truly great mexican food appears to be unattainable, this is one of the better alternatives. The key is knowing what to ask for. This gringo white velveta stuff is nasty wherever you get it, just avoid. But at El Ranchero, you can get better-than average salsa (key: ask for the "homemade hot sauce" as well. Mix some in for heat with good flavor), the carne asada is generally pretty good, as are some of the "mixed grill" type platters--some big enough to share. Chips are plentiful, but I don't understand why they have only limited booze? Why can't I get a shot and a beer? Overall, if I had more authentic options I would go there, but as it stands, this is my B-town go-to for mexican cravings. At least the chips are hot and plentiful, and the refried beans are...