Mi Rancho Alegre Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in San Antonio

The instance of a challenge or a statement construed indirectly as such set me on a course to the other side of town. I had read a post that claimed a taco full of superlatives for a strip mall Mexican restaurant including best enchiladas in SA.

I typically ignore such unsubstantiated claims and write them off to personal preference or an exaggerated projection without having tried anywhere near the estimated 500+ Mexican / tex-mex restaurants in SA from which to render such a grandiose opinion. The post had a quality about it which made it resemble more of a genuine claim rather than a boastful my-dog's-better'n-your-dog braggadocio, however. So I decided to check it out.

Attempting a cross town junket in Friday traffic is not the most intelligent of strategies, but we were ready for a fool hearty adventure. Kudos to Wurzbach Parkway for facilitating an easier cross town transit than 1604.

Most of these mom & pop places are "2 o'clock taco taverns", but Mi Rancho Alegre was open 'til 3. Getting down to business we had b&c nachos that were the stacked kind costing them a few presentation points as well as being served within minutes of our entree. I could possibly attribute the latter foible to the lateness of the hour and the penchant of most workers to beat a hasty exit at closing time.

Nice looking plates of enchiladas were served, but the accompanying beef fajita taco was pregnant with beef and mild cebolla. Commanding a first taste from the tortilla packed full to bursting with fajita meat, the taco was juicy, tender with plenty of seasoned grill flavor; love at first bite. If I ate nothing else on the plate, I would have been fully sated. But, more pleasure was to come as I sampled an enchilada with chile con carne that I had requested instead of the usual chili gravy. Oh Jacala's where art thou? Well their enchiladas are right here. At least that was my first impression. The next few bites were a redolent incarnation of the wonderful enchiladas I had in public grade school. Impressed? I would give a resounding "yes" to that.

Were these the best in SA as another post had opined? Let's just say the jury will remain out on that one until the base knowledge for my own opinion involves eating at more than the couple of hundred I sampled so far. Are these enchiladas in my top 10? Among the red tortilla, yellow cheese, chili con carne gravy topped population I would answer a most definite yes. And the beef fajitas . . . not...

Authentic doesn't come close to describing the incredible food. We were in town for the weekend and a family member suggested Mi Rancho. They have been going there for many years. It's in what you would expect from the term "hole in the wall" as it is off the beaten path in a little strip center. Growing up in Texas, I know Mexican food. First came the chips and homemade salsa. Absolute perfection. The flavor dances on your tongue and the chips were light and not over bearing. I ordered an ice tea and not only was it Texas sized, it was fresh, and it wasn't too sweet like a lot of places make. There were 5 of us at the table. When the food came, it was enough for 10. The portions were very generous. I ordered gorditas with beef, which I love. They were massive and the flavor took me back to my childhood. Remembering our live-in caretaker who was from Mexico and how she used to make gorditas for me because they were my favorite. It takes a special flavor to take you back a few decades. The flour tortillas were the absolute best, and they were even better with the refried beans and their perfect texture and flavor. It was my first time there, but it won't be my last. Oh, I can't forget the staff. They were amazing, knowledgeable, friendly, patient, and attentive. 2 👍👍 up...

I really wanted to love this place. It's down the road from my house and has good reviews. We arrived on a Friday evening and the whole back area was closed off, while the front was full. The hostess seated us in the back closed off area next to a dirty table which they never cleaned off. They seemed to be understaffed. We could tell our waitress was trying to keep up but the other staff was slow. My drink came in a can with a cup of ice that I had to pour myself. Our food was very disappointing. We had to pay $3 for the stale chips and mediocre salsa. The queso was okay. My fajitas came on a plate which was weird for me but the chicken was good. The tortillas were the best part of the meal. My "guacamole" was barely half an avocado on the plate. My husband ordered chalupas and it came as meat on top of a tostada shell. Very disappointing. The food was relatively cheap but considering the bad quality we won't...