Ettlins Ranchero Supper Club

My second trip to Ranchero was onThursday 3 – 17. The food the people and the atmosphere is great. Well worth the drive. ANYTHING on the menu is bound to be great. I’ve had the ribeye and the stroganoff I would dribble a basketball through a mine field to eat there. Get in your car drive to Webster and go to Ranchero TODAY. …DO IT!!!

If you’re into small town old-​school supper clubs, this is the place! Great steaks, good seafood, and reasonable prices. Gotta love the relish tray, too! (The pickled beets are awesome… even my kids liked them!)

Wow, what a huge disappointment this was. I am going to make my case rock solid since I will be going up against other Unilocalers who have given nothing but 4 or 5 stars. Take what you want, I will be as true and non-​biased as I can be.
We came here on a cold Friday night and we chose this place for a family get together. My mother-​in-​law had heard good things and it has a high rating on Unilocal and so we decided to give this place a shot. We walked in and the place was packed, usually a good sign and I was expecting to get some classy supper clubbin’ on!
First off, groucho old lady hostess: it isn’t polite to be pushy and rude to your customers. I don’t know what your problem is, but learn some people skills please. You are the first thing people experience about this place and that is how you greet and seat them? Terrible. I had better staff host me at local pubs and bars then at this «fancy super club.»
Looking around, it seemed like the place was full of locals with large groups scattered all around. The place was lively, my father-​in-​law met like 3 different couples he knew and made his rounds greeting him. The décor is old and a bit outdated, but then again so are almost all supper clubs. It’s kinda the supper club thing to be old and out dated, you know?
Our waitress was good at giving us menus and then took our drink orders. The menu seemed like it was full of tasty super club fare: steaks, seafood, pastas, and their specialty — Swiss (some people say German but the menu said Swiss, which one is it? I don’t know…) inspired recipes. I want to make a note that the service was extremely slow after that. We never got refills for out waters and food took a long time to come out. We didn’t mind since we were using that time to socialize, but I thought I would make a note of it.
Now on to the food, the meat of the review! It was a Friday so I decided to get the AYCE fish fry (heard it was the best ever, I would come to regret that decision) while my wife got the Beef Stroganoff (she made the better choice). My sister-​in-​law and father-​in-​law decided to get high quality steaks and I can’t remember what my mother-​in-​law got (that forgetful).
Salads came out with homemade dressings, bread basket, and a relish tray… all for six people. Neat idea, but seriously the relish tray had like 6 pieces of assorted carrots, celery, radishes, pickles, and olives. So have fun choosing one piece and that’s it. Really, a table as large as ours and spending as much $ as we are? Give us at least two trays!
Then the food came. First off, my fish. I was disappointed with the presentation; they looked like large glorified fish nuggets. And it just got worse. The first bite I took, my stomach dropped in displeasure. The fish was dry, tasteless and the batter was the same. How is this stuff the «best fish fry ever?» I read reviews from a guy who said he had been eating this stuff for over 30 years! Why? I did not get anymore more even though it was all you could eat because frankly it was crap and I had a hard enough time choking four pieces down!
Now the steaks. Another review here on Unilocal says that you can’t fool a farmer about meat quality. Well obviously Rancheros has been pulling the wool over the locals’ eyes for a long time because these steaks were pathetic. Oh, and you are probably thinking, «Well you are a citidiot, how do you know what is good local quality?» Well it so happens that my father-​in-​law is a cattle rancher (and I grew up in the country) and so I think he would know what premium beef would look and taste like. He told me that he would be ashamed if this was something that was linked back to him; the steaks were basically «glorified hamburgers» and not worth the extra $. His words, not mine!
Finally, the only shining star that we got and the only reason this place isn’t getting a one star review. My wife’s Stroganoff was delicious. It made the rest of the table jealous we didn’t opt for the Swiss-​inspired specials. If I had to come back here, I would get something off of that section and only that. Sauce was amazing and their homemade schnitzel was great.
All in all, I’m not sure how this place warrants such high reviews. I am actually angry at this place because I feel like we were totally scammed. The price we paid for food and service was not in correlation to what we actually received. Supper clubs seem to be going the way of the dinosaurs and I am not surprised. Lousy service, overhyped and priced food, and grouchy old employees. Who would want to come to those places? Rancheros fits that description nicely and I know that if this place was based in a city that is in the middle of nowhere, it might not fare as well. The locals can keep this dinosaur alive all they want, I won’t be coming back.

Food is amazing and well worth the price. Cozy german style restaurant/​bar which is almost always packed in a small little town. They usually have a few different courses such as bread basket, soup/​salad, and vegetable plate and then your main course. Many specials. From what I can tell, family owned and managed by two sisters who are very busy so bare with them as seating can take a while. Make sure take reservations and let them know your on your way. Some awesome beers german beers on tap! Fish fry friday.

Call ahead on Tuesday and ask them to make beef stroganoff from their specials list. I recommend the stroganoff, it is absolutely amazing! They make their own spaetzle and that is amazing on its own!

One of our favorite dining haunts, it’s worth going out of your way for. The best choices are any of the specials are excellent.

This is the old time supper club atmosphere. The scallops with hash browns is a culinary experience. The hash browns are cooked individually in a dish and oh so good. Love the relish tray and garlic bread that comes with all the meals.

Fish fry Friday is the best all you can eat fish fry I have ever been to. It’s the bees knees!!!

Delicious! I heard about this restaurant from a colleague and decided to treat my dad to a drive and good dinner. I’m glad I made reservations the place was hopping at 5:30 on a Saturday. We were promptly seated and served our drinks. My dad ordered the prime rib and I had the filet mignon. Salads, relish tray and bread basket all excellent and OMG the pickled beets are to die for! The prime rib and filet both were excellent truly amazing cuts of beef. For desert we had a Grasshopper ice cream drink… YUM!
Service was great too! Can’t wait to go back

Get ready to conquer the time-​space continuum! It’s a supper club, complete with relish tray. Food is fantastic, servers are pros and you just can’t beat the ambiance. Don’t forget to make reservations. Some reviews mention slow service — maybe, but what’s the rush? Enjoy yourself. PS they make a perfect Manhattan.

The food has been constantly delightful, full of rich flavors and always served fresh and hot off the grill/​oven. I usually frequent Porterhouse in Lakeville and will tell you that this place can hold its own. My only complaint is that they have been understaffed with only 2 waitresses each time I’ve been here so the service is extremely slow despite their fast and efficient wait staff. All in all I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a new place to dine.

We were in Northfield for a graduation and were sent to Ranchero based on a Chowhound tip. It was great, just perfect, just what we wanted. The penultimate local steak experience in Minnesota.
We drove there from Minneapolis going south rather than Northfield going north, and got amazingly lost. However, the wonderful diminutive hostess (is this Heidi?) vectored us in over the phone.
Once we were there, it was like a warm, comfy trip back into the restaurants of my childhood. Great steaks, great service, right down to the foil wrapped baked potatoes (which were perfectly done by the way).
We started with the curds and crabcakes. The curds were the best we’ve had in Minnesota. A very, very delicate batter rather than the thick bready stuff you get in most restaurants these days. The crabcakes were huge, fresh, and tasty.
We also had an order of froglegs. I did not partake, but those who did advised that they were great. Also perfectly battered.
We all ordered steak for dinner. The New York was amazing. Very large, perfectly cooked, and delicately seasoned.
The beer selection was excellent and the beer on tap (mostly German) were perfectly seved cold a frothy.
For dinner we head cheesecake and a great bread pudding. Both appeared to be homemade. The portions were very large and satisfying. The bread pudding was perfectly warm, not overly sweet and served with a great maple, sugar type sauce. and most important, there were very few raisins in it.
The service was delightful. Cordial and friendly but not too much so. And the petite red-​headed hostess was just fabulous.
Can’t recommend it highly enough. DOn’t be intimiated by the location.

How they get steaks this good out in the sticks is beyond me. How they get Walleye this good, it’s no mystery. Fresh caught. Kind service, warm atmosphere, and rich frothy root beer on tap with free refills. ⁶⁄₅ stars

Great food!!! The service is friendly but slow, probably to be expected in a small town. We will definitely keep coming back.

Our favorite! Best fish on Friday!

Had the New York Steak and it was the best steak I have had in along time. My girlfriend had the Filet Mignon she said it was one of the best steaks she’s had ever and she is from Amarillo, TX. Everything from the décor, hugh portions of food to the service was great. We will be back!!!

This is BY FAR the best restaurant I’ve ever found anywhere. Ranchero serves up an all-​you-​can-​eat fish fry on Friday evenings that is OUTSTANDING! I have never been disappointed. They also have delish au gratin potatoes, and a smooth and lovely grasshopper to top off the meal. My sweetheart and I would always go there to eat on Fridays when I’d go up to Minnesota to visit him. It’s always busy so be certain to make the reservation. Mmm mmm mmm mmm mmm…

This Place is as hidden a gem, as you could hide a decent restaurant of a gem. Does that even make sense?
This is a rare treat of a rather hidden supper club in the middle of absolutely nowhere, MN.
South of the Cities there is a town called Webster. It is west of 35W by roughly 3 – 4 miles along Hwy 19w., you’ll see a sign steering you North to Webster. If you find the town, you’ll find the Ranchero. Yes, it’s THAT small !
The place serves German-​American food along with some of the best steaks you’ll EVER partake in. Great Prime on weekends, and excellent seafood, scallops, and schnitzel along with traditional hamburgers, great salads, and great family owned service.
The interior is a kind of German motif with traditional country fare.
You better make reservations as this little gem fills up regularly on weekends. (for good reason)
You’ll not find them advertised, you may not find them at all.
If you do, you’ll be back! Guaranteed!
They have a steak fillet you almost don’t want to cut it looks (and tastes) that good.
They have a small, but able bar if you so partake! That is not the focus of their draw though. It’s the fabulous meal you’ll have!!!
I’d give ‘em five stars if they didn’t have the head with antlers on a wall !!!
You’ll also enjoy the home-​made garlic bread basket they serve, as well as be amazed at the quality of the food. It actually arrives hot and, exactly as you requested it be done. (Don’t quote me but, more times than not it’s dead nuts right on the mark!) They have very good consistency of quality. It’s a good family place as well as a nice dinner club. Kinda like a big dining room.
This is a mind your manners kind of place. Not one of those loud sports bars. (You won’t find any TV’s blastin’) It’s a family run business that takes rightful pride in their operation.
Get on down during any month buy July when they close for the month.
This is a great place to have a small celebration or family event.
The staff is very friendly and without pretense such as franchises are full of unfortunately.
Yes, you can arrive on horseback if you prefer. I prefer a car myself.
If you think the town looks like Dodge City, you probably have the right place. I think part of the sidewalk is still wood. They’ve been around a while! Have a good meal!
dp