El Rancho Taqueria

Food is excellent and great service. The place itself is run down, but was clean and friendly. They are always packed so either call in your order or be prepared to wait in line. I have tried the Tacos and Sopes.

This place is surely the best Mexican food my husband & I have found since moving to NC!!! It’s full of flavor, authentic, & the hot sauce is screamin’! A definite must try. You won’t be disappointed!

This place has great food! It is extremely authentic and delicious. Their steak and chicken tacos are amazing, as well as their rice and beans. My favorite sauce is the green sauce that they give you, my boyfriend likes the green and the red. This place is always packed every time I come so obviously it’s delicious!

This is our favorite place for authentic Mexican food. It used to be a hole in the wall place with names of the different dishes written on the wall. Seems like they have been doing really well — the place still retains its modesty but they have expanded the seating area to the hallway, they now have proper menu, improved interior while still maintaining the quality and authenticity of their food. Kudos to this little gem!
Their steak tacos are delicious with generous portion of meat, topped with cilantro and onions. For extra level of spiciness, you can bite into the smoked jalapeño provided on the side. I’ve also tried the seafood soup (caldo 7 mares). It contains shrimps, mussels, fish, crab sticks with slices of avocado. I like my food with a little bit of kick to it, so I usually ask them to make the broth spicy. This is pretty good too, but in my opinion, nothing beats the tacos.

It’s taken a long time for me to find authentic Mexican food in Winston and I’m so glad I gave this place a try. I went twice in one week!
I had carnitas tacos to-​go the first time I went. The corn tortillas were fresh and delicious. The carnitas were authentically seasoned and the texture of the pork is something I’ve been trying to find since I moved from the West Coast to the East Coast. The tacos were topped with the traditional chopped onions and cilantro.
My next trip, I dined in with a friend. The place is so busy that it’s a little hard to comfortably eat there, which is my sole reason for giving a four star rating, but I guess that’s a good sign.
I had chicken enchiladas and they were excellent. The rice and beans that come alongside were rich and authentic. The enchilada sauce was full of flavor. I was planning to take some home, but it tasted so good while it was hot and fresh that I had to eat it all.
I can’t wait to go back and try more of the menu. Awesome food.

The best tacos I’ve ever had… Hands down. Found El Rancho on Unilocal while on my way to Charleston, SC and I can’t wait for my next trip through Winston-​Salem just so I can stop again. I live in Ohio and crave these tacos!
The restaurant was crazy busy on the Friday night that we were there, but the servers took their time talking to us, explaining the menu, and offering recommendations which ended up being spot on. My sister and I each ordered the combo with 4 tacos and a drink and split the chips & cheese dip which was a huge portion and more than enough for 2 – 3 people. We loved the carnitas and shrimp tacos, but honestly, all of our tacos were amazing! I loved how simple they were with just cilantro, onions, and a radish on top because it let the quality, delicious ingredients stand out.

Every time I come I always have a great experience. Waiting a bit long but the food makes up for it.

This is real deal Mexican food and quick service. The family who owns this spot are very helpful if your Spanish is a little rusty they can explain all the deliciousness to you. They’re tacos are great but don’t be afraid to try something unfamiliar it will become your favorite. I recommend the puerco con chili rojo. Tender chunks of pork braised in red chili sauce just the right amount of spice served with rice and beans and fresh corn tortillas. Yum

Started with chips and salsa, finally!!! A restaurant that is not afraid to actually have a spicy sauce (in one of the dispensers on the table). The chips came to us toasty warm and crispy and the salsa was tasty.
OMG!!! The Mega Burrito is the size if a football field.
Candace ordered the Caldo (seafood soup). She just mentioned that she has now found her favorite Mexican restaurant.
I recommend that if you order the mega burrito that maybe you should ask them to heat the plate it is served on. I think that would enhance the experience, the cheese sauce chilled to quickly in a cold plate.
Definitely will return.
* expect to take part of the mega burrito home, or just bring a friend to share it with hahaha

I agree that this is definitely authentic. I had a simple late lunch of three tacos with the works, one each of grilled steak, marinated pork, and grilled pork.
They had a bucket of sauces, six total I think. I wish they were labelled. I tried a few and the heavier green was my favorite in the end.
The fried, I think, jalapeño pepper was a nice touch.
It was good but I think the other reviews have it a bit overrated. However, if you want authentic, based on my tacos, the menu and atmosphere I say yes.

Best tacos! They have a great special$ 20 for 12 tacos, you can mix and match with different meats. Service is friendly and quick.

The food here is the authentic Mexican food you expect from a taqueria. I’ve eaten here twice so far, and the first time was better than the second time, but I’m sure it’ll be great the next time. I really like the bucket of 5 different salsas you get on your table when you dine in, the 2 variations of green salsa being my favorites. The servers are very friendly and the food comes out pretty quick.
The only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars is because of how uncomfortable the layout is inside the restaurant. The seating needs to be rearranged and there should be a better place to wait for a table than next to a large trash can directly in the path of servers carrying large bowls of hot soup from the kitchen to the tables.

I got a Shock Top sampler pack a couple weeks ago. Just tried the strawberry wheat. It smells great but has a completely bland flavor followed by burning up and down your throat. I poured it out after 2 drinks. Don’t ever get this stuff!

All the stars! This place is definitely a hole in the wall, and with no signage on the main street, it was a challenge for me to find. But man is it good! This was my first time here, and I got the enchiladas verdes con pollo. Came with rice and beans. Enchiladas were slammin, rice was good, beans were alright, but I’m pretty particular bout my beans. Honestly I’m pretty particular with my Mexican food in general and I haven’t found a place this authentic n yummy since moving to the state from Cali… not in Winston, not in Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh, or Asheville… which are all the places I’ve tried Mexican here. This place took me home… not just to taco shops on the west coast, but to my abuelitas kitchen. can’t wait to come back and try the tacos!
Also, not sure what makes people comment negatively on the neighborhood… there are a lot of brown people and the buildings could use some cosmetic updates maybe, but I don’t think that constitutes this place as a bad area I felt perfectly safe, but what do I know. Perhaps you guys should get out more, but hey, no judgements.

Where you take your friends when they say there is no authentic mexican food around here to silence them forever.
Real deal Mexican food. Delicious and worth a visit. Carnitas are great, Diablo shrimp is amazing. Basic, delicious.
If you have not been you are missing out!
And to the neighborhood comments… its not a bad neighborhood… just seems that some people don’t leave their own side of town often enough.

Don’t be deterred by the neighborhood, this place is on point! As someone else pointed out, the main clientele seemed to be Mexican natives, which signaled to me that the food was «authentic.» The prices are excellent and the portions are large! I ordered the carnitas and my friend ordered the chicken quesadilla. The carnitas weren’t dry and they were sooo goood. My friend’s quesadilla was massive and stuffed with cheese and chicken.
The servers were awesome at making sure were were taken care of and patiently answered our questions. If I was local to WS, I would make this my mexican place of choice.

¡Provecho! The steak tacos are the best I’ve had in the states! If your looking for tasty authentic, clean, bilengual, Mexican food, then you must try this one! The ingredients are all extremely fresh and the salsa is authentic and tastes freshly made.
I ordered 4 tacos de carne Asada (steak tacos) and it comes with cilantro and onion on 2 corn tortillas each. The tomatillo (green salsa) and the medium salsa were both delicious and complimented the tacos very well!
The food they use is in a store on the other side of the restaurant and it looks like a supermarket/​almacen.
In this location you can get a myriad of different beverages that include Mexican coke bottles, Pepsi products by the can, monster, and many other Mexican brands. In addition, they sale 2 liters.
When I go to Winston, this will be a regular stop for me now! Waughtown exit 108a off HWY 52.

This is an updated review to account for my new experience of the garlic shrimp with rice, avocados, tomatoes, and lettuce pictured below ($ 11 as of May 20 115). My thoughts about the restaurant are contained in my previous review below.
Soft, juicy, savory, spicy, fragrant — better than most pretentious American chefs can offer — shrimp and plenty of them. A beautiful fresh avocado cut into nice wedges for laying out in your taco. Medical rice, beautiful in both color and texture. Three… normal flour tacos.
This place is the bomb diggity and you should come here.

This place is little Mexico. It’s an experience to dine in during lunch. I look spanish so I was confused when they talk to me in Spanish trying to get my order and when the workers tended to me in Spanish. I get it all the time so I’m learning.
The food is definitely the best quality of a little restaurant style. It’s so hectic inside I love it and the orders are constantly coming out of the kitchen. Definitely order ahead for pickup before you get there during lunch and if you’re lucky like me, a table opened up and I ate there instead. It’s one of those places where i’m sure seating with random people at a table would be acceptable when it gets busy.
Food is great and the portions are huge. I ordered the steak enchilada and the meat is cooked and flavored very well, the greens and salsa are fresh! Definitely a nice hole in the wall spot.

Oh I love you, El Rancho Taqueria! When I first moved to Winston-​Salem, I gave up on thinking I would ever be able to get authentic Mexican taco-​stand style food. Lo and behold, here pops up this place!
I love the shrimp tacos in particular, but almost everything here is great to eat, assuming it meets your fancy. Some people are not the biggest fans of beef tongue or tripe, but I encourage you to take a chance on both. As many people note, seating is tough to come by, but if you are flexible it should all work out. I recommend coming with a very small group of friends max.
The crispiness of the tripe can be quite variable, so I recommend specifying your preference if you order tripe tacos. The saddest thing for me was that last time I came here I was planning on ordering menudo, but because it is summer they were not serving it. So not everything on the menu is available year round (understandably!).
In summary, this is the real deal of awesomeness. Specify doneness on your tripe. Head on over to enjoy some great grub!