Mi Ranchito

This place is now closed as of 12/​31/​2012

I’ve had better.

There’s nothing out-​and-​out wrong with Mi Ranchito, but there isn’t much right about it, either.
The service at lunch today (one waitress on duty serving the bar/​lounge room) was excellent, friendly, and helpful. The chips were crispy and not too salty. Two kinds of salsa were provided: hot (which was mild) and mild (which was ketchup). Still, it was nice to have a choice.
The guacamole wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t worth finishing. That’s saying something, because I’m a total pig, and it was guacamole.
The Mi Ranchito Combination platter (beef mini burrito, chicken enchilada, chicken tamale) had only one component I’d call «good,» and that was the refried beans. Everything else was between mediocre and average.
On the plus side, the bar was pretty lively for so early in the day. It seemed like a somewhat popular place for locals to grab a few cocktails during their lunch break. If you’re a drunk and haven’t come to terms with it yet, this might be a good option. You can go there for «lunch» (since it’s a restaurant), have some company at the bar (less depressing than drinking alone), and support the local economy.
Judging Mi Ranchito as a Tex-​Mex restaurant far from both Tex and Mex, it’s just … not good. The prices (my platter at lunch today was $ 14.95, and that was near the average) are high, and the food is middling at best. I can’t think of a non-​chain Tex-​Mex place in town that’s more expensive or has worse food. Los Amigos, La Piñata, Big Burrito, Taco Bob’s, Mi Pueblo … all better, all cheaper.
Unless what you really need is a cocktail within walking distance of that intersection, I’d suggest you look elsewhere.

This place has really gone down. It used to be great. The last time I went for lunch, the only seating was in the bar. There were several loud, obnoxious people in there which made it very unpleasant — they were only interested in the liquor. Cheese enchiladas are ok, but there are better atmospheres.

Mexican food from the «Taco Bell» school of Mexican cuisine. That is, this is Mexican food by and for non-​Mexicans. I ordered the steak burrito, which is the standard dish that I use to compare Mexican restaurants. What I got was some chopped steak in a flour tortilla. The rest of the ingredients (cheese, salsa, lettuce and tomato) were inexplicably next to or on top of the burrito. Salt was the only seasoning that could readily be detected. That, plus a quesadilla (cheese, tortilla, salt) cost me 15 bucks. I walked away feeling like I was had. Some of the speciality dishes may be better, but I’m not going back to find out.

This place feels like it’s dying. It seems like they’re trying to keep it together but can’t anymore.
The hours have been steadily shortening. Earlier this week they had crossed out the hours saying they were going from closing at 10pm to 9pm. Today, there was a new sign stating their hours as 3pm to 8pm. (Yes, I went there twice in a week. Thank you, expiring groupons.)
They were woefully, woefully understaffed. There were two hopeless kids working the whole dining room (from hosting to waiting to busing). They were nice enough but slow and forgetful and unapologetic. The abandoned tables around us went uncleared the whole time we sat.
The food is mediocre at best. I guess it’s what you’d come up with if you didn’t know Mexican food could be fresh and, you know, yummy. (This might not be fair because I’m used to Californian Mexican food.) I tried their Mi Ranchito Sunset (tequila, triple sec, grenadine), and it was far too syrupy. I got through about half.
The whole place needs a facelift, but with what appear to be some pretty terrible financial problems, I can’t imagine that happening. It’s kitschy and dated.
It has a pretty nice patio if you want to sit outside in the summer.

Adequate! Nothing remarkable! Not a ton of flavor but HOT salsa was tasty — not terribly hot! Margarita was just OK.

Oh, how I wish I still lived in Kalamazoo, only to frequent Mi Ranchito again!
This is the best Mexican restaurant I have been to. The food is authentic and it has local owners who really care about the service and food that they provide.
My family and I have eaten here multiple times and every time the food has been great. The food is still reasonably priced which is another bonus. The best thing here is the flauta seaprema, OMG I crave the flauta seaprema! I have never had something else like it at any other Mexican restaurant other than Mi Ranchito. If you like seafood you have to order it.
Every Mexican restaurant I go to is compared to my memories of Mi Ranchito. It is a must for any Mexican fanatic.

Everyone in my family is a foodie but we have a strange tradition of coming here at least once on any weekend when we all get together. It’s become a sort of comfort food for us.
The food here is pretty bland and unimaginative. I doubt that «authentic» would describe it at all. I believe microwaves are used extensively in the cooking. Still, it’s hard to have an unenjoyable meal with chips and hot sauce and cheese and beans combined in various ways.

About as bland as Mexican food can get… I’m sure it suits the tastes of most midwesterners… You’d do better to hit one of the family owned hole in the walls downtown.

My wife and I love Mi Ranchito. The enchiladas are my favorite. My wife loves their black beans.
Excellent atmosphere, very good food, and a huge variety of margaritas.

Good–
Wonderful atmosphere (authentic Mexican, dim lighting)
Great food– try the Nachitos appetizer with their hot salsa
Great frozen margaritas
Reasonable prices
Bad–
Service can either be really good or really bad, but usually pretty good
Portion sizes not very big
I would definitely recommend this Mi Ranchito. It is one of my favorite restaurants and have been going for many years.