El Ranchito Mexican Grill — Restaurant in Crystal River

It's a an awesome place authentic Mexican food and they give you so much of it that a couple can share a plate and still have some to take home the man that owned it or from Mexico and so are the the staff and they have big screen TVs and great service and their a small restaurant but never crowded they work as a team and give the whole dining room even if it's full holiday seasons the whole dining room all joints in the house pause the holiday together specials every night and they stay open till 9:00 you can call in and order and your food will be ready for you hot coming out the kitchen when you come pick it up if you want to take it home they even have outside seating for those people that like to smoke at the table 8802 everybody's needs and keep everybody happy as well it's a wonderful place and the prices are just as good as everything else it's a must stop down our transient highway while everyone's migrating South for the holidays and North after the holidays Plus there's a Post Office right next to the strip small that is in it's got to drive through Chinese restaurant and you can go inside the Chinese restaurant you can walk AC bar and restaurant a laundromat the Dollar general store and a car wash too and they have a self-serve part at the car wash too anything that gets her shopping done after you eat because Big lots stays open to 9:00 and 10:00 and so does the Dollar general and if you have a cooler or in between bag and if your washer don't work when your week's worth of clothes and and wash and dry and fold in between doing your eating bring your cooler and cold bags to keep your cold things stop at the car wash and give your car a gas on the way home audio stores are done your grocery shopping is done you had a nice meal a good time and now the weekend is yours for free if you're local that's what we do so all you know you can start Friday mid-afternoon and be done by 9:00 everything put away in the motel and the car nice and clean to go out and have a good time while the older kids watch the younger ones all in their jammies nice warm blankets and go out to the historic part of Crystal River and enjoy The nightlife...

While visiting my family just up the road, I had a craving for something spicy! A quick google search and up popped El Ranchito! So we gave it a try! And we will definitely be back! The atmosphere was cozy and festive. The seats were comfortable. The waiter was nice. We started with chips and salsa. The chips were crispy and the perfect amount salty, and the salsa was fresh, spicy, and flavorful. I got a margarita. It was fruity, refreshing and actually strong! The Guacamole was super fresh and had big chunks of fresh tomatoes. The chicken enchiladas were fantastic. Lots of fresh lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, the chicken was great, and the food was delivered nice and hot! Now for the best part. We ordered the fried ice cream. I was already full at this point from the huge serving of enchiladas. I still managed to clear the plate of ice cream. The shell was hot and chewy and crispy. The ice cream was true sweet vanilla. The whole thing was drizzled with chocolate syrup, a touch of honey, whipped cream, and what we finally realized was carmelized sugar and cinnamon!? I have never had such an amazing dessert and it was so unexpected that my mom and I were just totally impressed. This place is the best. I live in NJ and im already excited to come all the way back down for...

I would have a hard time finding something bad to say about the food or the one guy who was serving the entire restaurant. I went on Thursday night which coincidentally turned out to be enchilada night, exactly what I was planning to order. I tried to order two enchiladas, one with chicken and cheese and the other with cheese and beans. Somehow it came back as just a cheese enchilada and a chicken enchilada. No big deal. They were both very good. They don't have draft beer at the restaurant. I was really hoping I could get one of the standard Mexican beers on tap. When I got there, the place only had a handful of tables being used. About the time I left, a huge group of mostly young men came in and the restaurant turned into more of a frat party than a restaurant. The prices at this restaurant are very good. Not at all expensive. I believe they give you a discount if you pay cash too. I will definitely go there again. I'm not sure if I would eat there, but it certainly is a good place for takeout. The guy who was waiting all the tables deserves credit too, for handling all those people by himself pretty much. Every now and then the cook would come out but mostly the main guy was on his own. Nice guy. Good place. Just be prepared...