Taqueria El Ranchero - Wahiawā

How sad! This place use to be good. I gave it 2 stars because our server was good. However I was very disappointed at how terrible the food was. I use to love this place but it has gotten really bad! I use to make sure to stop in before or after I went to the north shore but this is the last time. So sad! I got the carne asada burrito and it was mostly rice. The little carne asada that was in there was very hard and flavorless. There was no guacamole as it indicated there would be. It was just a tasteless rice burrito.

It's hard trying to find good Mexican restaurants on the island. My husband and I got caught in the hype from our coworkers who recommended this place to us, so here we are trying it out. We didn't realize there were two sides of the restaurant and ended up on the Cantina side. Aside from the rowdy noise coming from the bar area by the other patrons, our host was ever so friendly and led us to be seated right away. From there, chips and extra spicy salsas were delivered and we were able to decide what we wanted right away. We ordered: Cali Fries Niño Burritos Lengua, Tripas, Carne Asada Tacos a Combo Plate of Carne Asada, Shrimp, and Fish In all honestly, after tasting our food, it was just okay. In my opinion, nothing rememberable came out of it to elevate a one noted flavor. On top of that, I was really looking forward to having a concha and unfortunately, they ran out.

Very friendly staff, great atmosphere, enough seats in and out. Great music adds to the atmosphere, not sure if they share same music as the cantina next door. Seems to be a restaurant on one side and a bar on the other. I had the beef taquito plate with beans and rice. You have the option of refried beans or black beans. The taquitos were good with the toppings but I did not like the texture of beans or the blandness of the rice. The salsa bar was just awesome and they also have chips. Although the rice/beans weren't that great, I still want to go back and try their other menu options like the chili relleno and their posole. Maybe their nachos too. They also have taquito ala carte, so that's a plus.

If I could rate this dish a zero I would have. My husband picked up two plates, one for my son and I. Both plates had rotting avocados on the salad. The enchilada was overly soggy as if it was old. I just ate most of the beans and my son ate all of his rice. We threw out the rest. Definitely not worth $40+ with tip!

After exploring numerous Mexican restaurants across the island in my nine years here, I was on the verge of giving up on finding a reliable go-to spot. It seemed challenging to replicate the authentic Mexican flavors, seasonings, cuts, and salsas that I was accustomed to from Los Angeles. I learned that the scarcity and cost of certain ingredients, which are inexpensive in LA, contributed to the differences. Add the natural island spin, and my quest left me disappointed--until El Ranchero opened. While it doesn 't fully satisfy my cravings, El Ranchero is undoubtedly the best Mexican food I 've had on the island. It 's a joke in my book that they strategically chose California Ave and even named a burrito the California burrito, featuring carne asada fries inside. I 've missed the carne asada fries from places like Alberto 's or Alfredo 's, and while it 's not quite the same, El Ranchero hits the spot. I frequently make the drive from town, and now with their new location at Ka Makana Alii, I have more options!