Ranchito

I was really hungry and wanted something to eat that would taste homey. I saw the review on this place and decided to order since the reviews were good. First of all if these people food taste like your mom and grandmother food then I’m sorry to say that they can not cook!!! I really only eat Dominican food from the Papi store on 11^th and Rockland in Logan, because their food taste homey, authentic, and the food is actually cooked with love. The reason I didn’t order from them today is because they stop serving food @1pm (They cook fresh food every morning). This place that I ordered from today food was so nasty and filled with salt! The oxtail was dingy the pork chop was tiny and very thin… the food overall was not tasty or worth my money. If you love Authentic homey meals then please avoid this place.

This is real authentic Dominican cuisine, believe me, this is just how my mom and my grandma would cook it. El Ranchito has all the staples you can expect from Dominican cooking: rice and beans, juicy sauteed chicken, beef, roasted pork, pork rinds. The oxtail was a surprise to me, I know I lot of people in my country like it, but it wasn’t a common sight in my household growing up. Their oxtail is my favorite, so tender, juicy, and flavorful. Make sure to ask for extra beans: Dominicans have the tendency to eat very large servings of rice and go lighter on the beans, but in my opinion the beans is what makes the rice truly shine.
This is a typical Dominican «fonda», where the food is prepared in bulk and sold in portions. They have a good turn-​around, so the food doesn’t sit out too long. Every time I’ve gone there I see them switching trays. The only disappointment were the fried ripe plantains, which while still good, where not properly ripe and a bit over-​fried.
If you want to finish up in good Dominican fashion, grab one of the packaged deserts from the counter. These are also very authentic. I recommend the «sweet curdled milk», or a guava-​filled cake from Silvia’s bakery.
Do expect to have limited communication if you don’t speak Spanish. Even if you do speak the language, Dominican’s style of costumer service is not nearly as welcoming as what you usually expect in the US. It will come off as rude, but they are not mad at you, it’s just the way they are used to do business (I know, they should learn the American way, but they haven’t, so there you go.) This cost them a star.
This area of the city is not that great, this is North Philadelphia after all. But that has nothing to do with food or restaurant service, so I’m not factoring that into the review.

It’s so delicious! I couldn’t stop eating the rice and beans with oxtail. Yummy! However, my parents say its for take– out only and the people don’t speak English and its in a seedy area and the place doesn’t look entirely clean… With all those factors, I still give it 4 stars because the food was that good! Plus, my parents told me how friendly the workers and customers were… A patron even said «thanks for coming!» And he didnt even work there!