El Ranchito Taco Shop

I think this is one of the best taco shops in North County. Everything from the perfectly smooth spicy garlicy salsa to the sour-​cream-​topped flautas are all consistently on point. Every time. Imagine my surprise when I enter to find a pasty little hipster in his Coachella uniform tiredly lecturing a female server on how ‘real tacos should be made’, and ‘I just moved from LA, they get it right’ and ‘you’d think it’d actually be better in San Diego…’
Just let that sink in for a second… a white guy under 25 telling a Mexican restaurant of 20+ years how they should be making Mexican food…
The server chuckled as she ordered up another taco for him. His fatigue-​like arrogance prevented him from noticing that she was not laughing ‘with him’.
If you’re reading this, I’m green-​lighting you, LA guy. I’ll take the Pepsi-​challenge with any of your spots any time and put them up against Mi Ranchito.

This was a pleasant surprise after the long hike to that thing called potato chip rock. They had the softest but crunchiest carnitas ever. Got those in tacos and they give you a lot of meat. It was so amazing. The prices are good for the portions they give you. They have very nice employees who were willing to explain their extensive menu patiently. Will be back in this area again for sure and I won’t be surprised if it’s just for those carnitas tacos!

Food was not what I expected, but customer service was good though. The sauce they use on the enchiladas was not the best. Guacamole looked and taste like whip Crème with green food coloring

no lie friends. the flavor is alright. but they dont give you chips unless u ask for them plus i ask for a carna asada fries normally is a lot of food for two people in a different restaurants but in this one that was not the case. the amount was ridiculous small and i paid 10 dlls for it. i told the lady why and they told me straight up. thats how it is. i ask for my money back and they didn’t give me nothing.. my friends quesadilla small portion too no cream no nothing everything extra

People in Poway go crazy over this place, which makes no sense given the number of Taco Shops Within a 3 mile radius. Doesn’t seem very authentic. Do they use hamburger in rolled tacos in Mexico?

Small cali burrito with AMERICAN GUAC! thats like watering down juice, the bathroom was closed and everything is overpriced. Ive definitely had way better Mexican than this smh

Very disappointed, as a matter of principle. I ordered a burrito, which wasn’t bad, but neither was it so good that I would ignore the beef I have with this place (or should I say «Carne Asada»?) and put up with it because I love the food that much.
Here’s the Carne:
1) $ 10 minimum on card purchases: Fine. FINE. I work at a financial institution myself, so I know how hefty these costs can be for merchants. Although, as an SD native, can’t say that I’ve come across a taco shop yet that has a minimum this high. But whatever, here’s cash. To go.
2) Price: Wow, ok, ~$ 7.50 for a carne Asada burrito? Kinda steep. It must be made with free-​range unicorn meat. Yes, of course.
3) The Burrito: Not only is it NOT made with free-​range unicorn meat, the amount of carne that it is in the burrito is meager, at best. It seems like the burrito is filled mostly with… more flour tortilla. Did my left eyebrow just twitch?
4) Salsa Teasing: Here you have some beautiful salsas. This chunky one looks nice. Let me snag a few little Dixie cups to grab some to take with me and — oh wait, they only have paper cups for in-​house diners? But they have these pre-​packaged salsas to take… but I want to take the chunky salsa. Shit. Why not just set out plastic cups for people to CHOOSE which salsa they can take home, instead of this salsa fascism? Alright, my left eyebrow is definitely twitching.
So, not only are you overcharging me for a tiny, shitty burrito, but you’re also tacking on the card transaction fee? All while denying me the proper tools to take home my salsa of choice?
Vaya con Dios, El Ranchito; you and I are through.
I’ll think il just go with one of the other fifty taco shops on Poway road next time.

5 stars might seem like a bit much for a taco shop but el ranchero is the bomb.
There are two El Ranchitos in Poway. One is Poway Road and one is on Espola. They’re owned by the same family but they have different specialties. The Poway place rocks the pork… Phenomenal street tacos.
The one on Espola has amazing chicken. Chicken quesadillas, chicken street tacos, burritos. Anything with chicken is fantastic.

I love their carnitas any way, either the plate or the tacos or burritos. Not a fan of the nachos or Carne Asada fries, the cheese they use solidifies almost instantly. Great salsa bar though. All in all a great place for authentic Mexican food!

I always order the Flautas Plate, which comes with 2 large flautas and a side of rice and beans. It is so delicious!
The California Burrito and Carne Asada Fries are items that everyone needs to try as well! You can only get these in San Diego and they are always a favorite when I have friends visiting!

I was in the shopping center and stopped by to pick up a carne asada taco just to try out El Ranchito. It was pretty yummy! Looking forward to going back soon to try a few other items. And the lady working at the counter was SUPER friendly. Nice vibe inside too.