El Rancho Steak House

Great food and great service !!! Very quiet and a nice peaceful spot to eat and enjoy a good meal with company. Had a very good waiter who was friendly and an excellent waiter. Can’t wait to come back !

Me and my girlfriend were going to to the ice creamery down to street from this place to get some food but instead we decided to try something new. And this was the place. I personally love steaks and I have to say this place is one of the best that serves a juicy steak. The people who work here truly care about your meal and make sure you satisfied. I will return to try other delicious things on the menu they have a huge selection of meals

I was kind of disappointed on their steak. i think Denny’s have better steaks. The people there are okay, and the server was nice.

We go here for breakfast all the time. Breakfast is the bomb, but dinner, not so much. My tri-​tip was ordered med rare but came well done & chewy. The onion rings were fantastic. Their chicken fried steak was ok, small & the gravy was paste like! This is our go to breakfast place but for the price, we’ll pass on dinner!!!

A regular spot that had good buttered shimp and steak

Ok my rating is based off of all the breakfast places/​restaurants in Castro Valley. First off, Elaine is awesome and one of the reasons i am giving it 5 stars! She is one of the waitresses there and she is soooooo sweet and very attentive. They all are but she is super nice and always remembers my intricate order!!! I usually come 1 – 3 times a week!
My favorite stuff to get are the omelettes! I always get egg whites and always an order of the grilled veggies! They are seriously so good! Pancakes are really good and the salads are HUGE! My boy friend switches it up but will always get a side of grilled veggies with whatever he gets. They always have new specials written on the board and one of my Bfs favorites was the fajita omelette. If you go at night there are usually not a lot of people there and packed in the morning especially on Sundays! You’ll still get seated right away I’ve never had to wait. They have a lot of staff working!
The parking lot is big so you will find parking.

Today i went to this steakhouse. They had Very Bad Service .and The Food Taste So bad .I Suggest don’t go there.

A bit dated and pricey — $ 40 for 2 burgers and 2 beers. Burgers were ok, stale buns so they fell apart and skimpy on the onion rings.

I use to come here all the time … So I was in Castro Valley and thought I would have some lunch … After sitting for 20 minutes and no one came to take my order I walked out. They did give me a glass of water w/​lemon but that was it. They were NOT busy the place was almost empty so that was not the reason of no service. I bet it’s because the service is so bad. I use to enjoy coming here but that just a memory …

If you visit this don’t order the prime rib. Or at least rare prime rib. Rare to them is well done.

Their steak is amazing! Been coming here since carrow closed! A hidden gem!!! Today i tried the philly cheese steak! Delicious!

Highly not recommended, I went for dinner ordered a $ 20 steak dinner and ask for medium. The steak came back medium on the edge and raw as it gets to center and near the bone. When I ask the waitress and Supervisor, they told me that that’s how steaks are its hard to cook steaks with a bone in it. That’s the explanation I got and they said «I’m happy to microwave it to cook it more.
Restaurant has potential, but there seem to be lack of training in knowledge in front of house and back of house.

Our first time here, the food was delish, service was great and reasonable $. Can’t wait to come back.

I down here for three things. The nachos with extra Mexican salsa. The unlimited ribs they fall of the bone. The last thing the friendly people U can even here the cooks having my a good time and not being rushed that’s when u can tell they work as a group and U can tell by the quality and speed of the food. Here on my second serving of ribs and am pigging out no rush taking my time and relaxing. I Walked 3 blocks with my crutches from certified tire where my car is getting some work done and it took me almost 20 min to walk here well limp over here but so worth it. Might call a lyft to drop me off back at the shop can’t walk with a full stomach and Crutches lol.

Food was amazing! The French toast was perfect, and my Fiancé had the Yosemite Omelette! The place was packed but the wait time was less than 5 minutes. Staff appeared to be a bit short, but they were nice overall. It did take a bit to actually get our food, but it was worth the wait.

I came on a Sunday evening and the place was pretty empty. I got the rib and steak special with a salad, and my dining companion got the all you can eat rib special.
The atmosphere inside is nice, everything looked clean.(but there was gum under the tables). The bathrooms were clean and well stocked.
Our server was nice, very attentive and prompt.
My salad was fresh, but sadly it was mostly iceberg and some meh croutons.
The ribs were good, they fell right off the bone. Plus they don’t drown them in sauce, (even thought its ok sauce)
They gave me a gob of butter the size of a toddlers fist for my potato.
My steak was a tiny bit over cooked. (Med rare instead of rare) It wasn’t even enough to send back.
Over all this meal was good.

CAUTION — Beware!
We sent our 8 year old daughter to the girls restroom and after few minutes my wife gets up and goes into the restroom and a man that works at the restraint was in the woman’s bathroom with the door closed and no signage outside and our daughter was scared in the stall. He see my wife and immediately leaves saying sorry. When my wife brings this to the waitresses attention it was taken lightly. No apology or affirmation that their male employee should not be in the woman’s bathroom without sign or door prop open.
Look around and see how dirty this place is and I can’t beleave it passes health inspection. Look at the floors, carpet and bathrooms. They should implement a cleaning schedule and procedures.

Wife ordered the pesto with sun dried tomatoes and broccoli. She substituted the chicken with shrimp.
Her dish came out with pesto, noodles and shrimp — no sun dried tomatoes or broccoli. We informed the server and she had the nerve to say that’s not what my wife ordered. There is only one pesto dish!!!
She comes out with the sundries tomatoes and we asked for the broccoli. She said that the broccoli is mixed in the pesto and that’s why the sauce is green. You have got to be kidding me.
Price is good… The taste is average… Service is horrid.

Well in 2011 I thought I’d never come back. Fast forward 3 years and my grandpa, bless his heart, has been itching to try this place. Funny how time erases bad memories… So I was actually eager to try it again.
Then I had de ja vu…
We ordered a «fool-​proof» meal; breakfast. Hard to do breakfast poorly, right? Wrong!
Pop ordered huevos rancheros. According to the man whose word I take very seriously, the salsa wasn’t good, the eggs weren’t done well enough (ordered over medium), and the beans/​rice tasted like canned and/​or Uncle Bens. He didn’t feel like the textures and taste were worth ordering again.
I had the chilaquiles, one of my all time favorite dishes… From grandparents cooking to Mexican restaurants all over the state, it’s a regular for me. To my dismay, they used actual store-​bought chips in the eggs, or at least what appeared/​tasted to be. The overall temperature of the food was waaaay below what it should have been.
The staff were pleasant, and I want to give them credit… So 1.5 stars. Food was so unsatisfying tho I cannot round up.
Sorry, El Rancho :/

This is not a Mexican restaurant. At all. It’s more of a sharis with a few somewhat Mexican dishes. This place is especially not a steak house. I ate here for both breakfast and dinner. This is defiantly an older crowd diner, for early bird deals it’s not too bad.
The good:
The servers are very nice and attentive.
Free soda refills.
Cheap breakfast specials.
The bad:
I ordered a crêpe and they stuffed it with jelly! When the menu specifically says fresh fruit!
The owner glared at me the rest of my meal when I sent it back and asked for something
different.
Tried the shrimp for dinner. Portion was kinda small and the side dishes were very blah.
My mom had the chili verde burrito and said it was okay, but my other side of the family is Mexican… it was terrible.