El Ranchero Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Roxboro

Lots of locals were already basically bashing this place on a local Facebook page…”like we NEED another Mexican restaurant” I’m here to say” Hell yes we did!”. As soon as we walked in the door we were greeted, sat and our waiter was there almost immediately. Took our drink order, even got mine right and didn’t try to kill me with sweet tea! Was friendly with my granddaughter and gave us time to decide what we wanted from their extensive menu. Now to the food! OMG the salsa and chips were amazing! It had flavor and not just heat. Wasn’t watered down to where it wouldn’t stay on the chip. The Queso was also amazing. Again thick enough to stay on the chip and not drip all over the place. I was going to try something different from what I normally get at our other go to Mexican restaurants, but to get a fair comparison I got the lunch Texas fajitas. So much more flavor than some other places. The beans and rice looked amazing and were also well seasoned. My granddaughter got chicken nuggets and fries. Of course I am also a chicken nugget fan so I had to try those too. They were hot and so were the fries. Again tasted amazing. The chicken nuggets reminded me of the breading from school chicken nuggets without the fake chicken insides. Not a single complaint from anyone about food or service. They also knew what I was looking for when granddaughter had to check out the bathroom before I even asked. This will definitely be my go to spot for Mexican in the future. Thanks for bringing this to Roxboro! Keep up the...

We came because everyone was raving about how good it was. I was ready for an amazing experience. The service was exemplary, and the restaurant was very clean. The food was just so-so. Salsa and chips came to the table, and the chips were crispy(unsalted), and the salsa was really strong with Cilantro (which I actually like).I ordered the fried chimichangas with beef. They came with rice and refried beans. The chimichangas were barely fried and swimming in queso(not listed on the menu. Otherwise, I would have requested it on the side). My husband got the t-bone ranchero, which came with shrimp, onions, and peppers. He switched the salad out for rice and refried beans. He said the shrimp were good, but the steak was overdone and looked burnt. We weren't asked how he wanted it cooked. Other than all that...

Now that the hubs lives here, he was on the hunt for a new favorite Mexican restaurant and so far, El Ranchero is it. It's a simple.dining layout I side and fairly open with mostly tables and both along the outside walls. The food we've had has been really good. Chimichanga, quesadillo, fajita, carnitas etc. The green sauce on the carnitas was the best we've had in a while. I love that they put cheese dip over the chimichanga. I did get a cheese quesadillo and there was just a little bit of cheese and not out to the edges. I've resorted to asking for a side of shredded cheese at any Mexican place I go just incase that happens. They have a great pick 2 items for $11.99. Big bang for your buck. They are usually busy, which is a good sign, but we've never had to wait too long...