Ranchito Tacos Al Carbon 2995 Van Buren Boulevard, Riverside, CA 92503

"Very great food here. What I love about this place is that it's very local! Great place to have some beer, sit down and eat, have fun. You have to experience there whole menu! I won't say anything else!"

"If nothing else, let the taqueria be known for its selection of offal. Ranchito: Tacos al Carbon, meets this criterion. I can't speak for the mole, nor any other item on the menu because all I've eaten in my two visits have been four tacos, repeated: the same order two for two visits. Having said that, I did inquire to the waitress about their machaca option. Recently having learned of the Sinaloense practice of drying and then pulverizing beef later to be rehydrated in something of a vegetable sugo, ultimately eaten with the thin crisp flour tortillas of Sinaloa, my interest piqued see this on their menu. At first, she assured me that the machaca burrito was, in fact, the genuine article. I detected a nonchalance in her answer that made me dubious. Typically, when something special and exotic is offered, staff will either discuss it with hushed reverence or fall into the throes of ecstasy at its mention. I rephrased my question and learned that they simply used shredded beef. Machaca, I'll find you someday, someway. Before we get the offal truth, let's wade a minute in the salsa bar. Sidle up to the salsa bar if you will. The provisions therein are a source of elation. The salsas verde and roja, while nothing out of the ordinary, are simple, fresh, and effective. You can sit and taste them and if you are able to concentrate, the cleanliness of the flavors will allow you to list off the ingredients with precision. The escabeche, despite being solidly flavored and judiciously pickled, is done a disservice from having boiled carrots with no snap to them. Within this array of hits from the salsa bar, one item stands out. It's something I once heard called burnt oil salsa. The actual name is salsa mancha. I used to work at a gastropub and one of my brigade mates made a salsa in the same manner as Japanese rayu; however chunkier and less oily. It's achieved by frying a variety of aromatics in very hot oil before throwing the whole works into the blitz. The challenge is to only partially burn the aromatics. For if that line is crossed, the salsa becomes acrid. This one was done to a turn. With the salsa bar raising the stakes, I eagerly awaited a plate of offal tacos. I ordered three: cabeza, tripas, and buche. Two beef, one pork. Evidently, someone misread my order, for in place of the cabeza, I received a taco al pastor. No biggie of course. Not only was the mistake rectified, but I got a shot at trying a bonus taco. All the organ meat was gloriously prepared. I hope I'm not being too hyperbolic when I say that the tender well-seasoned crispness was done with heightened reverence. Funny enough, they did not administer the same care for the pastor. When you see al pastor on the menu, but there ain't a trombo in sight, you need to avoid this item at all costs. There are too many taqueros on the street serving pastor (or adobado if the cook happens to be from Tijuana) in a state of perfection to waste a meal, or even a taco on something less than."

"I officially discovered the worst Mexican food in Riverside. Food is so bland, the restaurant is just sad...salsa is bad, I will never get anything from this place. What a waste of my money, but now I know better, will definitely stay away."

"Decent food but the restaurant is in need of a facelift. Rips in the upholstery, broken, worn and stained things throughout."