Matt’s Rancho Martinez

High quality food, clean restaurant and good service.
fantastic salsa – definitely not out of a jar. I had the stuffed zucchini and it was so flavorful and amazing!
This place is so underrated

Not good at all. We are Mexican food lovers and this place was a huge let down! I Ordered the Tortilla soup and it has NO FLAVOR what so ever, the chicken was dark meat, and you could see the black on the chicken, GROSS! My boyfriend got the green enchiladas and they tasted like cardboard at best! We did get a bobs, but it’s pretty hard to screw that up! they have on the border style chips (they’re huge) which is always annoying! Our service was decent, but I’ve had much better. Very disappointed, and definitely won’t be back!

Me and my wife ate at Matt’s last night and I had the chicken fried steak, it was awesome. A manager stopped by and asked how everything was. We talked for a little bit but the whole time I looked at him, he reminded me of president Obama. Good time, will be back

UGH! NEVER AGAIN! Service was about the worst I have ever had. We ordered the Bob Armstrong to start. The waiter brought it quickly, but without and chips. We sat there for several minutes waiting for chips while the dip just got cold.
Then we ordered our meals. My son got the chicken tacos carbon for $ 14. It was the saddest plate of food. It had two tiny stale dry tacos that only had a few little pieces of chicken. It had a TINY cup of queso and some rice. Seriously $ 14??? I wouldn’t pay half that for that meal. I ordered the brisket burrito. It was large, but was dry and tasteless. My other son didn’t even get his meal delivered to him until about 5 minutes after the rest of us.
Waiter was horrible. Drinks sat empty. Food was bad. We Had to go find the manager 3 times. I can’t remember the last time I complained about the service or food to the manager, but this time it was definitely warranted. Too many good Mexican restaurants to waste your time or money with this place.

One time eating here was one time too many. I hope to spare anyone else who’s looking for a new Tex Mex experience from stopping here — unless of course you’re a Cheez Whiz aficionado.
We ordered a No. 1 Dinner and an Enchilada Dinner (cheese). The waitress had to look at the menu to see what the No. 1 dinner was which we thought was rather odd. I guess it’s not No. 1 among the diners at this place We also order a cheese enchilada dinner.
Regarding the cheese enchilada dinner, the cheese enchiladas oozed Cheez Whiz type cheese goo that was wrapped in a somewhat hard, and I’m guessing, stale corn tortilla. The rice that accompanied it was dried out, also hard and cold. The beans were overcooked to a thick paste and so over-​salted that I really needed a lot of iced tea to wash it down. Unfortunately our waitress never bothered to offer a refill and wasn’t around enough to ask for one.
My companion’s meal was basically the same thing I had been served although it also came with a crispy taco and a tamale. The taco was greasy hamburger in a rubbery taco shell. The tamale might have been a pork tamale, might have been beef, the menu didn’t specify. It was the one thing out of everything we tried that was actually rather tasty. The meat was tender and the masa outside was not overly thick like at some places. But one little tamale wasn’t enough to make a meal.
Service started out friendly and wrapped up poorly. Our wait person just didn’t visit our table much because they were too busy gushing all over the larger group of folks seated next to us. Bigger group, bigger tip? Not necessarily. We tip very well for good service and even better for excellent service. We didn’t need to tip well here.
I had high hopes for this place after being told that Matt’s Ranchero in Lakewood I think it was had really good Tex Mex food. We figured this place would have the same tasty fare. Guess not. Oh well.

Over priced bad plastic non authentic excuse for good tex-​mex food. Save your money and time and go to Taco Bell. It’s definitely a step up from this sludge on a plate. Also– On the boarder is only a 15 second walk from this place and is half the price with 5 times the quality. Don’t get ripped off here, you’ll only end up ashamed of yourself for spending money on terrible food. Hope I saved your evening outing with the family.

If you’ve read many of my reviews, you know that I go on and on about the food and rarely talk about service. I’m going to take a moment to do so here, so if you want the food review only, just scan down a little. I came in for a late lunch on a Wednesday, with the intention of having some lunch before a conference call at 3:00PM, and I was going to take the call at my table (it’s 95% listening, and just a little talking, and I had a good headset). My server seated me and soon thereafter, hot crispy tortilla strips (fried to a very nice brown) arrived with a great medium heat salsa.
After taking my order, I explained about the call and that I might not be as responsive as I should, essentially apologizing up front. She smiled and said «No problem». When the food came, she delivered it and made sure I didn’t need anything else. I had eaten some of it by the time the call started, and she came back a couple of times to check on me, once refilling my water without me having to ask, and the other times basically using «sign language» to ask if there was anything else I needed. In the end, my check was a little over $ 9, but I left her a $ 5 tip, because this was excellent service. Well done.
Oh, and the food. I came here in search of their famous chicken fried steak. The lunch special consists of a smaller portion of the CFS, a small salad with ranch and french fries. The salad is pretty basic, but it was fresh and even the tomatoes tasted like actual tomatoes. A very nice side salad. The fries were surely frozen and not meant to be a superstar, but they were still quite good; crispy outside, creamy inside and seasoned just right.
But the star of the show was the chicken fried steak. It’s pan fried to a deep golden brown, nicely seasoned and well tenderized, without being turned to mush (as some are). It had a great flavor, perfect texture and was just a great example of the dish. It didn’t have mounds of breading like so many of the deep fried examples do these days; rather, it was a nice coating that balanced the meat perfectly.
I know this was an off hour, and with only a handful of patrons beside myself, good service should be expected, but this was fantastic service. This place is a keeper for me!

Best Mexican food in the county! Both the service and food are amazing. The enchiladas aren’t the kind you’re used to-they’re way better. I went here for my birthday and it was a very good experience.

Food was bad. Our waiter was nice and tried hard, but was new and still in training. Took forever to get seated, wasn’t crowded, service from the kitchen was slow and arrived cold. Save yourself the hassle and go next door to On the Border.

We went here for lunch today and it was my first time. They have a very attentive serving staff. Our server was Jeramy and he was the best. The chips and salsa are the best, period. Eat until you are happy.
I had a really unusual Chile Rellano. It has raisins and pecans on top. Sounds crazy but I figured, what the hell. Wow, a real tasty lunch! I would order that one again in a heartbeat.
We are new to the area and will keep this place on the top of our list. Check it out, I think you will like ti!

Wow… $ 9.00 for a HOUSE Cabernet? Ridiculous. Food was just ok. That explains why it was so empty. Very disappointed.

Wonderful food. They have the best Tacos Al Carbon I have ever tasted. Their chicken fried steak is so tender you can cut it with a fork! The service is hit and miss, but seems to be on an up swing based on the last several visits. The new managers that are currently there are doing a great job. I hope they stay!

So I’m giving it 2 stars based on the food OTHER than their amazing chile relleno. The chile relleno is unique and delicious, mmmmm… Everything else? Weird. My mom and husband both ordered enchiladas and they were made with what I’m pretty sure was sliced american cheese, not quality cheese. My husband asked for queso on top of his, and literally just got sliced american melted on top. What mexican restaurant doesn’t have decent queso? On top of that it was thick and almost inedible, at first I didn’t believe it could be that bad because the location in Cedar Hill is phenomenal, but unfortunately they were right, it was just bad.
Add to that they didn’t even make the chile relleno plate correctly and piled a bunch of terrible shredded lettuce on the side, and I’m just bummed about the quality of this location. I guess the next time I want some Matt’s I’ll have to make the trek alllll the way south to Cedar Hill.

Matt’s is great. 2 «musts»…
You must order the Bob Armstrong Dip for the table and you must try some of their chicken-​fried steak.
I know, it’s a Tex-​Mex place, why would you order chicken-​friend steak, right? I had the same thought for my first 4 visits. That is some serious regret I have to live with now!
I learned that «D Magazine» voted Matt’s chicken-​fried steak the best in Dallas so that prompted me to try it. So I tried it.
MIND. BLOWN.
They serve it 4 ways:
1. Country Style ~ covered in cream gravy (never had it, wait for the others)
2. Cowboy Style ~ covered in chili, cheese, & onions (wait for it…)
3. Bob Style ~ covered in the Bob Armstrong Dip (oh yeah, but it gets better)
4. Tampiqueno Style ~ topped with a spicy tomatillo sauce & monterrey jack cheese. BINGO!!! Since enjoying this creation, I cannot go back to any other chicken-​fried steak.
Before trying the above, I enjoyed the enchilladas (spinach/​mushroom are great, but add some chicken if you want a more filling meal), chile relleno (awesome), and the fajitas. So many fajita options…
They have chicken & smoked sausage, chicken, jumbo shrimp, pork tenderloin, veggie, and beef tenderloin!
OK, I think I’m going to Matt’s tonight!

Top 10 meals, EVER. I can be honest that I have gotten some items that weren’t my favorite, but the brisket and the chicken fajitas were absolutely amazing. Fajitas for two turned into lunch for two the next day, and the office was super jealous.

Holy cow was I blown away by this joint! I am a devoted Mexican food fan, naturally since I am a Texan, but this ranked up there in some of the best places I’ve gotten Mexican food at. I got an amazing Chile rellano for my main course that was served with the ever so hard to find pecans and raisins toppings. They really brought the dish together. We got an order of stuffed zucchini and an order of the Bob Armstrong’s for appetizers and they were great. The top shelf margaritas are great as well. Being a little adventurous in my liquor choice this time around I tried the Jalapeño Margarita, it was good and nice and spicy. A bit to much to be served in a schooner but would probably be great in a highball glass or a Mexican martini. Service was excellent and the staff was very knowledgeable and available (but not hovering). I will definitely be back to one of the multiple locations.
As a side note I was informed that the original Matt’s in Lake Highlands is moving locations. Sounds like a bummer because I’ve been told the location and atmosphere were great.

Matt’s Rancho Martinez is a chain restaurant with some history. When I first saw them renovating the building in Allen, I was stunned at the choice for the name. For weeks while going to work, I thought, «who would name a Mexican restaurant Matt’s?» «Why not Mateo’s or something else more ethnic.» My sister suggested we check it out, so I dived into the Unilocal reviews. GO Unilocal!!!
Matt’s atmosphere was good, a little dimly lite where we sat for my preferences. Service was good. Refilled drinks, chips, and dips regularly. The appetizer chips are very good, and NOT greasy. The sauce is very nice with a good bite to it.
I ordered the «Regular Dinner» at $ 9.95, trying to save some money. I wanted to order the Chile Relleno, but it was $ 12.95. Regular Dinner is 1 Beef taco, 1 Enchilada (choice), enchilada sauce of choice, 1 Tbsp. Queso over 1 chip (½ taco shell), rice and beans. Couldn’t eat it all, was a nice size meal.
The Beef taco was very nicely made, and the well seasoned meat was not dry. The plate came out very hot. My cheese from my taco fell out and melted to the plate, That sucked a little. I had to scrape it off and stuff it into my taco. Not to real big deal! The Taco shell was great, and perfectly toasted. The «Regular Dinner» comes with your choice of 1 beef, chicken, or cheese enchilada, with a choice of sauces.
The enchilada was large, well stuffed, and tasty (well seasoned). Onions were scattered over the top instead of being inside. I make mine different, but they worked well. The Ranchero sauce, that I ordered over it, was very good, and seasoned well with Ancho Chilis. The rice was very good, well seasoned, and well proportioned, a level above the normal Mexican rice sides at other places. The re-​fried beans were good, and had good flavor.
My bro, a culinary expert, ordered the «Enchilada Dinner» and said the enchilada cheese was Velveeta, which bummed me out. I was not sure, and I think that for the price, it should have been a good sharp cheddar. The prices are a little higher than what the menu on the web showed.
I’ll still be searching for the best Mexican food in North Texas, but will come back to try their famous CHILE RELLENO, and maybe even their world famous Bob Armstrong dip.

As a big fan of Matt’s El Rancho in Austin, I was excited about this location… that excitement faded, and faded fast. The first visit was good, and would have given Matt’s a 4 – 5 star performance, unfortunately since that first chance, they have had three strikes and I likely won’t be back.
Strike 1: Our waiter was non-​existent on one visit. When measuring Tex-​Mex, salsa and drink refills are my bell weather.
Strike 2 (visit 3): When asked if I could sub out vegetables for rice/​beans, they said no problem… didn’t mention a $ 2.95 upcharge for EACH substitution. Nothing like a $ 6 upcharge for double veggies.
Strike 3 (visit 4): Although I remembered to just cut rice/​beans instead of subbing, they charged several dollars for grated cheese for my 1 year old son, even though there were 6 people all buying adult meals at the table. The table salsa also was not nearly as good as it was on previous visits, so I decided to retreat to other local places.
I highly doubt I will return.

My family is not a creative bunch. When my parents come to Austin, we generally head to Matt’s because feeding a large family can get expensive and we LOVE our margaritas; so when I heard Matt’s moved to Allen I was pretty excited! I shouldn’t have been.
The Bob’s queso had a HUGE clump of sour cream in it. Yep. Not a good start. When a dining companion asked to switch out the tilapia in his fish tacos for red fish (something they do all the time at the Austin location) the waitress came back from the kitchen with a question from the chef — by red fish did he mean salmon? Nope.
My lunch was bland. My boyfriend’s tacos had nothing other than meat and lettuce on them, we had to borrow pico from my sister’s plate. It was NOT a good visit.

I’ve been a fan of Matt’s in Lakewood, but I moved up to the Allen area years ago and found few choices as good as the plethora of Mexican restaurants that ol’ East Dallas serves up. t’s about time that Allen got a decent Tex-​Mex joint with some history of doing things right. Matt’s is a hit with my family!
Top-​notch chips and salsa here, folks. None of that mundane ketchupy junk, no. Minced freshness of all the right ingredients and full of zip for those big, crunchy, corny chips.
Bob’s queso should be illegal. Imagine the best queso possible, mixed with a generous dollop of guacamole, sour cream, and secret-​seasoned taco meat. Adiós mio, amigos!
Another appetizer that was well above par was the cocktail de cameron. This shrimp cocktail was served up in a huge cocktail stemmed-​goblet and full of grade A LARGE shrimp. The sauce was perfect and spicy, topped with fresh avocado chunks.
Entrees were outstanding. I had the best chile relleno in the world. Matt’s can’t be beat with their chile relleno. Hands-​down the best on the planet. Next were cheese and beef enchiladas. Standard fare, I know, but still a notch above most. Even the rice is outstanding, and it’s easy to tell they put a lot of love with an emphasis on fresh ingredients in everything they serve.
I washed all this down with a couple of goblets full of Victoria Lager on the tap, no less. Try to find that elsewhere!
To top-​off the Matt’s in Allen experience, the service was friendly, quick, attentive, and accommodating. I’m looking forward to returning soon to get my fix of their one-​of-​a-​kind stuffed zucchini! Imagine their chile relleno without the chile; just substitute it for a grilled zucchini instead! Outstanding!