el rancho tapatio restaurant

no other mexican restaurant comes close!!. crave this place!! we've taken friends to share the fun friday night experience of the mariachi bands as well! best tacos... favorite is the tripa, but there are no bad ones! start and finish every time with a ceviche tostada of mixed octopus and shrimp --- heavenly! great variety of hot sauces too... love the super hot they'll bring out if you request it. haven't eaten at another mexican restaurant since we first tried here! friendliest staff in the world too! :)

after living in southern california for the last 30 years, i know mexican food. i was so happy to find el rancho tapatio. it is authentic and so good. no question about it...it is the best mexican food in town. also the bakery next door is exceptional.

hands down the best cantina in lexington!. lexington urbanspoon users are always raving about a certain locally-owned (we think bland)cantina chain near the mall that always stays in the top ten on this site. our theory is that these people may not be familiar with other mexican restaurants in town because of their loyalty to just one place or they haven't yet taken the chance to familiarize themselves with the culinary road less traveled. el rancho tapatio is just the place to break away from mundane tex mex. we were seated in a huge, comfortable booth by a friendly hostess and given attentive service by our server. chips were brought out and we could tell right away that they were fresh and the salsa was perfect. just as we were exclaiming that we could be happy just eating the salsa and chips, the server brought out little jars of salsa verde, habenero sauce, an avocado sauce, and two additional pepper sauces. one was better than the next. for dinner, we decided to order a wide range of dishes off their expansive menu(which does contain tex mex favorites like quesadillas, chimichangas, and crunchy-shelled tacos). we had a tostada topped with octopus ceviche. it was simple, fresh, and elegant. after that, we had an empanada filled with a pepper mixture called rajas and cheese. it was like a garden wrapped in fried, fluffy goodness. we tried a gordita filled with chicharron (fried pork belly) and a verde sauce. the taste was reminiscent of something a sweet grandmother would make for the family she loved. it was homestyle at its best. for our main dishes, we shared the tacos dorados el barbacoa and mojarra frita. if you look on their website in the picture gallery at the tacos dorados el barbacoa, then you will be able to imagine what they are like. amazing, fried shells are filled with tender shredded beef, fresh onions and cilantro, with a huge side of fragrant grilled onions. trust us, its as good as it looks and sounds. the mojarra frita is a whole tiapia, head and all, seasoned to perfection, fried and served with rice and vegetables. by the time we got finished, it was a meager pile of bones on the edge of the platter. we enjoyed it so much that we ate every scrap of meat in the thing, including the eyes. the rice was flavorful and just the right texture. on this visit, our first to el rancho tapatio, we were served what we agreed was one of the top 5 best meals that we've ever had in a restaurant in our entire lives. we aren't exaggerating either, the food was that amazing, the service was that great, and the mariachi band capped off the perfect, laid-back ambiance. our bill only came to $32 for a table covered in many plates. we will never go to the place near the mall again now knowing that el rancho tapatio exists and we will be back, probably in the next few days.

best mexican food in town!. our entire family, including toddler, loves this place! everything from the steak nacho appetizer to the veggie burrito, all the taco's, the chicken fajita's, and the chicken fajita burrito have been wonderful! we keep meaning to try new things, but these are so good...

i love that they have guacamole, give you different salsa's on your table, serve the food with fresh avocado slices, and have great pico de gallo!


the chips and salsa is so yummy we have to get an extra bowl for our 2 year old. he eats as much as we do.

try it, you won't be disappointed! there is a mariachi band on friday nights, and the staff is super friendly everyday.

looking for a good fish taco and read reviews that this was the place. this by far wasn't, tortillas were tough and fish was ok.

new grocery interfering with quality?. ever since it opened last year, my family has been a huge fan of tapatio. we go for dinner there about twice a month and for lunch almost as often, because it is the first really reliable mexican place i've found since moving back to kentucky a few years ago.

over the past six weeks or so, however, we've noticed that the service has gotten increasingly spotty--missing drinks, confusing orders, slow service, etc. but we ate there last saturday, and now the food seems to be suffering too. the chiles rellenos were overbreaded and soggy with grease; another entree that usually has a nice, full chicken breast now has little pieces of chicken instead.

why? well, it might have something to do with the fact that the restaurant is opening a companion bakery/grocery in the same strip area. i'm really looking forward to trying out the store, but if the food and service at the restaurant will not return to its former quality, it's going to be a darn shame.


-----02 aug, 2010-----

finally, great mex in lex. for the past 4 years i've lived in despair of finding a restaurant that would compete with my old favorite from champaign-urbana, illinois, dos reales. but el rancho tapatio has finally replaced what i was becoming convinced was a psychological fixation!

their chiles rellenos are easily the best i've had in years. my partner had enfrijoladas and loved them. good vegetarian options. neither of us had meat, but the veg. menu would keep us happy for ages!

the wait staff is friendly, and the service was impeccable. zandale isn't the most exotic or romantic of locales for a lovely meal, but you won't hear us complaining!

finally. i thought that i liked mexican food until i lived in tucson for a short time. i found out that i loved mexican then. this place has the best in town so far. the tacos are amazing!!! my favorites are the beef tongue, pastor, and chorizo though i like them all. they are served with 4 delicious sauces and plenty of lime wedges. they also serve a mexican hotdog which is amazing but not quite a sonoran hotdog but as close as i've gotten outside of tucson. this is our favorite mexican eatery in town. if i could change one thing, i would have them open at 8 a.m. so that we could get breakfast when we get off work. in tucson, we went to nico's and had a giant burritto every morning.

a diffrent taste of mexico. i often have been asked "where do you go for authentic mexican food?", and i would give my opinion to some mexican restrurant in lexington. when el rancho opened it's doors i came to try it. and to my suprise, this was home away from home. (i'm from texas) the most awesome food, fresh, hot, with a variety of authentic mexican drinks, food and music. the staff is the friendliest, and the value for your food is spectacular!! hands down this is as close to the boarder as you will get!

best mexican restaurant i've been to in lexington. you can get the same dishes here that they serve at all the other mexican restaurants in lexington, but skip all that and go the the page on the menu labeled, "especialidades ranchito." the mexican tacos in particular are great. if you aren't sure which to get, try the pastor. and they are only $1.50 each!

edit: since my review i've tried their bakery next door. big selection, lots of variety, and very good prices.

best tacos in lexington. with fillings like lengua, carnitas, barbacoa - cilantro, onions, lime, and salsas are all you need. my husband and i have been going at least once a week since we found it and have no desireto go back to the standard mex fare in lex.


-----09 dec, 2010-----

best tacos in lexington. with fillings like lengua, carnitas, barbacoa - cilantro, onions, and salsas are all you need. my husband and i have been going at least once a week since we found it and have no desireto go back to the standard mex fare in lex.

as a visitor to lexington & not having eaten at other mexican restaurants, i don't know if e.r.t. is the in town but my rancho burrito was certainly very good. there were a number of mexican patrons which was a good sign. ask for the spicy sauces. they were great. service was prompt & soliciitous. 4/5 for this meal

best mex in lex.. after becoming so tired of the usual suspects in the lexington mex scene, that taste just like every other mexican restaurant in every other town, we were thrilled to discover el rancho. first things first: you can get your fix with a huge coke complete with crushed ice. they have the best coke in town. my husband loves their "puffy tacos" (tacos de barbacoa), their mexican hot dog, and their fajitas, which he says are the spiciest things he's ever eaten. i'm a vegetarian and love their enchiladas, which you can get topped with with grilled/sauteed potatoes and carrots. highly recommend green sauce for enchiladas. as for dessert, don't miss their churros, which come from a lady in versailles.

a must try if you are looking for more than cheese smothered mexican!. i have eaten at el rancho numerous times... my husband and i have walked through the menu and have never been disappointed. their sauces are excellent... it's not one sauce fits all here! different dishes with different sauces and seasonings. so many mexican (american/mexican) restaurants take the same ingredients and just serve them in different configurations... not a el rancho.
the quesadilla with chipotle sauce is smoky goodness. food is great and very affordable

more authentic than most lexington mexican joints. we enjoyed our first dinner at el rancho tapatio yesterday. very wide selection of authentically prepared and presented tex mex fare. not as good as back in texas, but much better than any other lexington area tex mex restaurant. among the tacos, i liked the asada, lengua, and poblanos the best. barbacoa was a little bland - basically stewed, soggy brisket. you could definitely taste the pineapple in the pastor. chile rellenos were tasty. nice selection of hot sauces (salsa verde and habanero were best). yummy guac - heavy on the onions. friendly, english-speaking waitstaff. good top-shelf margarita for $6.25. unfortunately, the flour tortillas are not made in-house. a nice find. we'll be back.

if you enjoy authentic mexican food then this is the place for you!!! i highly recommend the mexican style tacos with onions and cilantro. i had the tripe, beef tongue, and barbacoa (shredded beef) and it was all delicious. the tongue is a must! it's so tender and delicious! they bring out three sauces (all good) and have a habanero sauce upon request that will light you up....mmmmm : )