Rancho Rustico Restaurant — Restaurant in Tucson

I'd like to give Rancho Rustico 5 stars, but I can't do it. I visited for breakfast, as it appears to be one of few restaurants open for breakfast Sunday morning. The restaurant was only about 10% full, there appeared to be plenty of wait staff, and they weren't rushing around. It was a nice, slow Sunday morning, and the wait staff were nice and slow. It took about 10 minutes before anyone took notice where I was seated and brought me some water. Another 5 or 10 minutes for the server to greet me and take my order. Deduct one star for lackadaisical pace.

25 minutes later, I received my food (waffle, two eggs over medium, and four sausage links). The eggs were hot, but the sausage and waffle were warm to cool. You lost a star here.

While I was waiting for the food, you lost two stars for cleanliness- the table was so hastily wiped down, that crumbs and syrup was spattered about the table. Looking at the floor, there were bits of white paper and even straws still in their paper wrapping on the floor. There was paper and bits of crumbs on the booth seat next to me. Is anyone, anywhere paying attention to the aspect of quality and the customer experience?

I had asked for hot syrup, just in case the waffle was cold. I got syrup that was slightly warmer than the table it was placed upon.

Now for why I awarded a single star- the waffle, despite being nearly room temperature, was crisp on the outside, and fluffy in the inside, to perfection. Too bad it wasn't hot, and too bad the sausage wasn't hot. One out of three is not good. Too bad the service is slow, too. Part of showing a customer he/she is valued is to be timely with service and attentive. While the waitstaff was certainly friendly, it seemed that the customer wasn't first in their mind.

It is purely my observation, but that is all I have to go on- that the staff would really rather not have to deal with customers, at all. I have lived in the Vail area for three years just this month, and I have been to Ranch Rustico exactly three times. The first two times were unremarkable. This time tears it for me.

I do not recommend this restaurant to any traveller. I am ASTONISHED that this restaurant receives nearly 5 stars. There are at least two other restaurants in the area that deserve your business more, as they are more service oriented. Too bad they don't...

So! I've been meaning to write this review for a considerable length of time - I last ate there in January 12th of this year. I love their food, or at least what I've tried which is basically a cheese enchilada and a shredded beef taco. Every single time I go there, always get the same thing. Absolutely love their enchiladas. The establishment is clean right down to their menus, and the servers are always friendly.

But that isn't why I'm writing this. See last time I went there to eat it was on my birthday which was up to that point a rather stressful affair. See when I was little my mom used to make me homemade pizza for my birthday (she passed on a few years back) so now I make pizza with my kids on my birthday, sort of keep the tradition alive. Well this year my oven literally broke on my birthday. Had a few pizzas made and no way to cook them.

On top of breaking this tradition for the first time in years, I've now got a dead appliance and a hungry family and no back up plan. Well ended up going here for dinner because, hey, at least the enchiladas are good. Well! When it was mentioned by my future mother-in-law that it was my birthday... well just the enthusiasm of the people who worked their did a lot to salvage my day. It was nice to be able to forget about the stress, because job or not the staff really did make it seem like they both genuinely cared and were as eager as my kids were for it to be someones birthday.

We did have one hiccup with a dessert item, but that was solved in a manner I personally believe to be both fair and professional so while I cannot say it was all perfect, I can happily say that everything was taken care of. And honestly, the way they handled it and fixed it so quickly that it didn't even diminish from the good spirits of the table.

And the giant birthday sombrero. I haven't laughed so hard, or been so red faced, in a long time. Seriously, there isn't a Mexican restaurant I like better, and frankly this place is easily in my top three favorite places. 5/5 all the way around.

Go there, eat food and enjoy things - celebrate and get to wear a giant sombrero. You know, when this whole pandemic is over obviously. I know I plan to be...

Let me begin by saying that this is my first ever review that I have posted, for any business, and that this is not easy for me to post.

My family and I have been going to Rancho Rustico for several years now. It has been our go-to ever since we moved to the area. We have been going to Rancho in Vail, long before they moved to their "new" location.

The service, food and drinks have almost always been outstanding. We became "regulars". We were met with BIG smiles and even called by our name.

However, there have been a few times where the food or drink has not been good. A couple of times, it's been so bad that myself or a family member have had to return it. The staff take a HUGE offense to this and they don't soon forget it. If you and your family should return to the restaurant after returning something, you will be met with poor, slow, unfriendly service, and even worse food and / or drink, than what you sent back on your previous visit to the restaurant.

This has happened twice to my family and I. The first time, it was SO obvious what was happening, that it took quite some time for my family and I to return, but we gave it another chance and did return, several months later. This second time that this happened, will be the last time.

Rancho Rustico runs business in a very small, tight-knit community. I am well aware that other patrons have experienced this aswell.

My family and I have literally given this restaurant THOUSANDS (!) of dollars of business over the years, while patronizing this establishment. I have brought many friends and family to this restaurant. I have recommended this restaurant far and wide. Unfortunately and sadly, my family and I are done. The restaurant staff has to do better and not treat their patrons this way when it is the staff who have been the ones to have messed up an order.

You are not perfect. You are going to mess up an order or a drink, from time to time. It happens. You correct it (without attitude) and move forward. It's not that serious. Treating your patrons like this is not okay and you should be ashamed of yourselves.

Good bye, Rancho. I wish you well and I hope that you learn and...