Tucson restaurants Under $30
La Rancherita's ambience, tasty food a great combination for Tucson
By Kevin W. Smith
KSMITH@AZSTARNET.COM
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 07.24.2008
If you're driving to La Rancherita, don't turn around based on its surroundings.
Nestled in a hideous brick strip of businesses, sandwiched between a nail salon and a dance studio, the Mexican restaurant is at the underwhelming corner of East Fort Lowell Road and North First Avenue.
Luckily, when you step into this place, unlike so many Tucson restaurants, you're instantly transported.
The vibe
The inside of La Rancherita feels closer to authentic Mexico or Tucson's Barrio Historico, full of bright walls of yellow, pink and blue and colorful decorations like fake parrots, sombreros and dishes.
On a recent visit, there was upbeat Latin music and a friendly waitress who turned out to be the co-owner.
Margarita Potts and her mother, Juanita, opened the place 11 months ago. The Pottses took over from a previous owner and completely changed the menu.
It was Margarita who served us, and she quickly came over with a complimentary bowl of chips and salsa as soon as we sat down.
On the cover of the Tucson restaurant's menu, a slogan reads: "Come for the Chile Rellenos and stay for the Flan!"
That was the plan.
The food
We ordered a combo plate of the chile rellenos, which also came with rice and beans and a choice of shredded beef taco or cheese enchilada ($8.25.)
La Rancherita also has its share of weekday lunch specials for $5.95, which include a chicken burrito or ground-beef taco with rice and beans.
We ordered another lunch special, the enchilada-style mini-chimis, which came with sour cream and guacamole.
La Rancherita also does breakfast plates, like huevos rancheros ($7.50), and dinner items. We were really tempted to try the dinner creation Margarita's Special, which is crab- or machaca-stuffed chile relleno topped in green chile sauce, sour cream and chives, with a side of rice and beans ($12.95) — but that would have probably landed us in a food coma during work hours.
Instead, out came a huge chile relleno bursting with cheese. The beef in the accompanying taco was juicy and packed with lots of flavor. It wasn't the best chile relleno we've had in the competitive Tucson market, but it was satisfying indeed.
The mini-chimis — both chicken and beef — were flaky, tasty and true winners, with a nice presentation.
The only problem was, both portions of the dishes were so large we couldn't stay for the flan.
Tell us how it is.
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