Matt’s Famous El Rancho

Went here to have lunch with my girlfriend who drove from Marble Falls. We had TERRIBLE service (actually very little at all). Our food wasn’t very good either. We were really disappointed!!! The food wasn’t hot when served. Our waitress was the worst. Didn’t get refills on water, didn’t get our hot sauce during our meal… so many things were wrong about our experience. We felt ignored and NOT important to them. This made for a awful experience. We were getting together after many years. Too bad this happened. I felt we wasted our hard earned money. I’d really like to give our experience a 0. The worst part was our waitress Madi.

Best Mexican food in the area, only downside is there’s always a wait and they don’t accept reservations.

We’ve been to Austin several times and even lived here for two years back in the 80s, but I don’t recall ever eating here before. We have definitely missed out. I had the Matt’s Special, which was delicious. Only issue I had was minor: I asked for a beef taco but they brought a beef chalupa. The place was really crowded for a Wednesday night, but we were seated immediately.

Came here on a Saturday evening at 5:30pm. While they had patio seating immediately available, it was too hot out. So, we opted to wait for inside seating. They said 15−20mins, so I wandered around the restaurant. A couple things I quickly noted:
1.) The place is huge. They can fit a ton of people. The atmosphere is nice, and I bet the patio is great too.
2.) There are a lot of little kids running around. It’s very family-​friendly.
3.) There were a lot of empty tables, even with a 20min wait for 5 of us.
We checked on our table around 10mins, and they said it was still around 10mins. When we had been waiting about 40mins, we went back up to the receptionist, and they said our table had been ready for a while, but we just hadn’t come up to check with them. Seems like a very backwards operation to have to keep going up and checking in instead of them telling you your table is ready. We were then sat at a table I had been eyeing since we walked in, as it had been empty the entire time.
Either way, the table salsa was spicy, which I love — Bravo! The big tortilla chips were nicely-​sized, but wish they were thicker. The Mexican Martini was a good amount of tequila, and came with a shaker that equaled about 4 pours of a full martini glass. The tres leches cake was «pretty delicious» in Spanish.
Other than that, nothing really stood out. The food was good, but nothing memorable enough outside of the 20 15-​year-​olds celebrating a birthday party and snapchatting each other at the table next to us. I ordered the Chicken Mole enchiladas that were enjoyable, but only notable enough to mention as a one-​off in a sentence halfway down in a Unilocal review. The service was good, and we’ll likely be back again, but for being famous, I expected to be wowed by the restaurant. Of which I wasn’t. Even Bob Armstrong’s queso didn’t do it for me. Then again, I don’t like guacamole. Feel free to send me death threats now.

The service and food at this place are great! The swirl margaritas were delicious. My tacos al carbon were filled with delicious tender beef and probably the best I’ve had at any restaurant ever. The atmosphere is fun and lively but I will never go back on a Saturday evening. It was so loud that my family and I could hardly converse the entire time and were left to eat our tasty food in silence, when we weren’t trying to read each other’s lips.

Came in for lunch and our waiter Brad was awesome. Got the brisket tacos and the fajita plate — both were delicious. Also got a praline and sherbet at no extra charge. Have to ding them a star because of their front staff. Hostess’ looked us up and down with some major attitude, no smile, no enthusiasm. On our way out, again, all of the front staff gossiping within themselves and not a word spoken to us. Get some genuinely nice people to work those positions and it would’ve been an awesome experience.

Consistent quality food at Matt’s ElRancho. The service is genrally quality too. Last evening we had a super nice waiter. He was courteous, efficient and knew the menu items. The atmosphere is always fun and family oriented. We love stopping at Matt’s ElRancho on our way back home from the airport after picking up friends or family. We usually have the Bob appetizer and a few adult beverages while waiting for our meal. This restaurant is classic Austin.

It had been way too many years since I had eaten here, mostly because there are a lot of Mexican food choices closer to my house. But my boyfriend and I and a mine of mine stopped in a very early dinner this past weekend and now I regret not having gone back in sooner to eat!
Our waiter was great and we asked his recommendations on a few things… he was spot on with both food and drink recommendations! My strawberry margarita was divine and my chicken fajitas were super yummy. My boyfriend and my friend both really enjoyed their drinks and food selections as well.
I will make it a point to not wait so long to go back again.

This is what you get for a side order of guacamole at Matt’s. It’s a joke!!! A dollop! Hahaha!

Really really good. So close to home always saw so many cars there then we tried it … Hot diggity dang it was so good and we have been going every week, DO we get full for hours? Of course we do. We have never tried the drinks they look really good .
Will I go back You ask of course the best servers and all the staff is great. It is so clean and price like any good place to eat. Now I do not mind eating real Tex Mex like Mama used to make it. If you have not been by all means go.

Heaven forbid it has taken me this long to write a review. I have eaten here numerous times, both during their lunch specials, dinners and had it catered at work and the food is to die for. I will make this short and sweet:
1.) The daily lunch specials are one of the best things you have to try and make sure you come on a day you are craving their special. Definitely recommend Wednesday lunch because the al pastor tacos are to die for.
2.) No matter what you have to have the Bob Armstrong Dip when you are here. Queso, ground beef, guacamole! So amazing.
3.) Brisket tacos-​either lunch or dinner… you will never regret that!!!
4.) Any option from their dinner menu is also delicious-​you get a lot of bang for your buck and the food is very tasty and super filling.

I came for lunch right when they opened (11am) on a Wednesday. I stayed with the famous queso dip and then had the daily special — pork tenderloin plate. The pork was cooked with onions and pineapple, which I’ve never seen at a Mexican restaurant before. It was very tasty but the pork was a little tough. Overall, the back patio is beautiful, the house specialty queso dip is amazing, and the staff is wonderful. Whenever I visit Austin again, I would definitely come back and continue exploring the menu.

This place is a big hustle. I went back against my better judgment after having written Matt’s off years ago. Nothing has changed. The food is still bland. And that’s being kind. And the waiters care more about drinks than they do about food. They’ll slow roll your dinner order so you stay longer and order more drinks. Everything’s set up there to get you to pay more for drinks which is where they make their money.
This is a drinking establishment. Not a restaurant. Steer clear unless you’re just going there for drinks.

Matt’s Famous El Rancho might have the worst parking lot in Austin, especially for trucks or SUVs. Valuable property aside, this historic Tex-​Mex resturaunt serves up large portions of tacos, enchiladas, beans and rice, and delicious margaritas. It gets extremely popular at dinnertime, so don’t be surprised if you have to wait to be seated. There’s a large bar area to wait in if you feel so inclined.
I love their tortilla chips. The guacamole is kinda expensive and they totally trick you into thinking you’re getting more by serving it on a bed of lettuce in the bowl.

I have gone to Matt’s now and then since the 60s. I have watched a lot of changes, and also how the food would change based upon clientele and the dropping of trans fats, lard, etc. At one time this was spectacular. Now it is good to very good, hard-​core Tex-​Mex. I do like it. It has a fantastic patio that is ½ covered. The rooms are huge and the service was fast. The place was nice and clean and the restrooms good. I was a bit concerned as to how it was now since all of the immigration from other states and catering to their tastes, but it seems to have held up well. The food is not as spicy and the selection has a lot of opportunities for those who have restrictive diets, or choose to eat items that do not include ingredients that bring out the «back in the day» flavor, but still good. I did not have any alcohol, but I would imagine that the pours are more in line with flavor rather than seeing just how fast you could get drunk as if you were on 6^th street. There is a lot of parking that is available, but you can see the apartments and condos creeping closer and closer.
We had an original Bob Armstrong to start and also have during our meal. I like it spicier, so we used the salsa in the container for that and then asked for more salsa. Worked out well, except I dripped cheese all over my beard.
The lady of the house ordered a solo chicken mole’ enchilada, which can be obtained for a slight additional cost over a regular side enchilada. It was all white meat and she really enjoyed her selection. I tasted it and also liked it, but I am more of a dark meat person. The mole’ was quite acceptable.
I had the Carne Guisada plate, which was very good and plentiful. Again, it was not as spicy as I prefer, but of course that is to appease those that have arrived from other places (welcome, and enjoy Austin), but are not used to the fiery, greasy, taste of long ago.
The service as fast, friendly and seemed to be a good compromise of different desires of customers.
The cost of real estate in that area is going though the roof and I noticed it reflected in the increase in some of the prices, but I did not go there trying to find a $ 1.50 taco from a worker’s type of food truck (which I do also love).
Will I be back? Absolutely. I will even be drinking alcohol as I noticed that many of the better brands of tequela are available (quality tequila is exploding in cost in the marketplace now… so buy a case at your favorite liquor store before it gets even higher) as opposed to just cheap, shooter, well level.
Is this a place to go to get drunk fast? No. For a pleasant evening, yes.

I finally made it to Matt’s Famous El Rancho! For the record I’ve driven there 3 other occasions but it’s always been a Tuesday, the day they’re closed. NO MATTER! I finally made it there on Not A Tuesday and it was a freaking mad house. I think at one point there were 15 blonde high school girls that walked past me in dresses. Prom? Maybe? No it was December. Whatever I’m getting distracted.
If you want to observe a bunch of Westlake families this is the place to do it. I think I counted about 8 people I recognized from high school here. Weird. ANYWAY, the food was really great. It’s tex-​mex which means a lot of cheese and gooey delicious goodness, but they made it taste really great.
We tried the «vegetarian» bob armstrong dip– which is nothing special. But I’ve heard the original is amaaaaazing.
The shrimp chile relleno and shrimp enchiladas were delicious. They had fantastic flavor, and massive portions. I mean, it was really really good, but those kinds of dishes ARE really really good. So yes. Not a bad time. Not sure if I’d go again just for fear of seeing more people I know from high school (yes I’m that person), but the place is amazing and always hoppin.

This food was super heavy. But I thought it tasted pretty good.
My wife got the smoked brisket flautas, they were covered in queso. They tasted awesome, but it’s definitely not the healthy/​clean texmex. More like like the: order something crazy fatty and awesome.
Their salsa was pretty spicy, but I really enjoyed it.

Overall we had a good time and enjoyed our visit.
Came in on a Sunday about 7pm and had a 35 – 40 min wait. We were able to grab drinks at the bar (looks like you can get food there as well if you don’t want to wait)
Very large spaces, good for groups with lots of tables that can be pushed together. There were at least 3 – 4, 12+ people groups in the room we were in.
Salsa was delicious but SPICY. I love spicy salsa, but this was almost at the top of my limit.
Food and service were decent. Nothing over the top but I would say it was solid Tex-​mex. I got enchiladas, others ordered tacos and combo plates.

Good food at this fam run rest. We tried the Armstrong dip, fish taco and steak asado tacos. For dessert tried the sopapilla. All good as authentic tasting.
Sat out by the pond watching some bad kids ripping apart the poor plant there while parents didn’t take notice sadly. There were some smokers unfortunately but food was good.
It’s a rest so pls make sure kids behave appropriately around guests and respect the rest itself.

The first thing I liked about Matt’s was no wait on a Saturday at lunchtime. The server took a while to bring our drinks, but the chips and salsa came out immediately.
The chips seem a lot crunchier than other places and are cut in halves instead of quarters so they are bigger too. But let’s talk about the margaritas for a second. We both ordered the Cactus Pryor margarita which is their take on the prickly pear. They are on the smaller side and $ 7 a pop so my heart sank a little when he brought them out. That is until I took a sip and almost tipped my chair backwards from the punch of tequila. They are not messing around here!!! I didn’t even finish my drink which says a lot! Nicely done.
My meal came with a ‘guacamole salad’ which was nothing more than a side plate of shredded lettuce and tomatoes with a small scoop of guacamole. They put a spicy liquid over the top of the guacamole which was okay, but I prefer it plain.
I had the cheese enchiladas in a green sauce which I enjoyed. The only thing I didn’t care for was the scoop of regular queso over the top of them as well. They had melted white cheese already so the queso was overkill to me. Sometimes less is more.
All the flavors were good though and while they aren’t the best Tex-​Mex I’ve had in Austin, I would come back again. Read more as 3.5 stars. Would be 4 if the prices were a bit lower.