El Ranchero Taqueria — Restaurant in Jersey City

There’s something beautifully unpretentious about walking into a place that doesn’t give a damn about your Yelp review or your Instagram story angle. El Ranchero isn’t here for any of that. It’s here to feed you—soul-first, stomach second.

The tables are covered in plastic cloths so loud they’d give your grandma flashbacks. Lotería cards stare up from beneath your plate like ancestral ghosts cheering you on, and the air hums with the scent of slow-cooked meat, roasted chilies, and old jukebox dreams.

You look at the menu, and it doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel—it is the wheel. Tamales dripping in mole like edible love letters from Oaxaca. Birria with that deep, ritualistic red broth, unapologetically greasy, unapologetically good. The quesadilla? Bigger than your ambitions and served with a shrug, as if to say: “You’re gonna want two.”

I ordered. Didn’t overthink it. Let instinct drive. The result: a birria quesataco, golden and crisped to the edge of reason, with consommé that tasted like the inside of a mariachi trumpet in the best possible way. A little bit of fat, a lot of flavor, and zero pretense. Just like the abuela who probably taught someone in the back how to make it.

The decor—sombreros on the wall, papel picado overhead, Mexican flags proudly posted like it’s Independence Day every day—might feel like a caricature in the wrong hands. But here? It’s a love song. A lived-in one. Nothing curated. Just honest.

And that’s the thing. El Ranchero doesn’t care if you’re Steve Fulop, a broke college kid, or someone who wandered in because you missed your PATH train. You’ll get the same food, the same warm welcome, and the same offer of housemade hot sauces that actually bite back.

This isn’t fusion. This isn’t modern Mexican with foams and tweezers. This is your gut telling you, “Yes. This is what I’ve been waiting for.”

So you sit, sip your sorel flower agua fresca, and let it all soak in: the colors, the noise, the grease under your nails. It’s perfect. Not in a Michelin-starred way. In a real way. And if you don’t get that, maybe...

The people here became arrogant. We used to order from them when they used to be called Tropical restaurant located by Journal Square and I believe we were the ones who gave them the idea to do catering because we used to order trays of food from them. The owner Jorge used to deliver from us but I guess he’s too good to deliver $50.00 or more amount of food with $5.00 tip. They don’t pick up our calls anymore. We tried calling from a different number and indeed they picked up but when it was my number or my husband’s, they don’t pick up. Let’s just say it’s their lost. Their food is not as good as before anyways. They are overpriced and the wife who picks up the phone is guilty of overpricing. Make sure to check the price before you order because they do put an extra dollar or so. Definitely will let family and friends know about our experience. I’ll give this place a couple of months. They won’t last with the kind of arrogance they have towards...

Hands down one of my favourite eating spots in Jersey City. Rarely do I feel that a place deserves 5 stars across food, service, and atmosphere, but this is definitely one of them. 5 stars on value, and another 5 on variety too.

We never order the same thing twice as there's so much to try. Unlike many places that are a one or two hit wonder, everything here is always consistently good, so you never have to worry about a bad meal. Did I mention the generous portions too?

We got their lamb and steak tacos this round (pro tip: you can ask to mix two flavours in their plate of 4 tacos), and a pork (trotter?) platter (this was not on the menu, we spotted it on the display counter). They were delicious. I loved the oozy collagen-goodness in the pork.

I don't know what sauce they serve with their tacos, but it has shreds of meat and is so good too.

This is a place we love to bring NJ skeptics to. And so far, everyone...