Marianos Hacienda Ranch

We normally like Mariano’s, but had a very disappointing experience there today. The food and service were good, as usual. However, during dinner the power went out. The restaurant immediately began to fill with smoke. They use wood fired grills and without power to ventilate the restaurant quickly becomes intolerable. I’m surprised city regulations don’t require a back-​up generator to maintain ventilation when the power fails. There was also no back-​up lighting.
There was nothing the restaurant could do regarding the power outage, but they were not prepared with how to handle the situation. The health, safety, comfort and respect for their guests should have been top priority. Instead, collecting for the checks was top priority. When someone asked a Manager about the situation he proclaimed there is nothing I can do. Making everyone sit there while they manually calculated checks and took cash was the priority. We left with burning eyes, headaches and smelling like smoke. In addition to the cost of a disappointing experience, everything we were wearing needs to be dry cleaned adding to the cost of the evening. It was also interesting that most of the staff went outside to avoid the smoke. The girls at the front desk just stared at the guests as they left, saying nothing.
It’s situations like this that say a lot about an organization, and I am surprised and disappointed by Mariano’s. They appear to be ill trained and ill prepared for the unexpected.
Rest assured Mariano’s, you got paid in full. Also rest assured, I will certainly think twice before recommending your restaurant or visiting again.

I have driven past this Mariano’s hundreds of times in the several years since it’s moved from Old Town, and went there for lunch for the first time ever this week with an old friend I’d not seen in many years.
The facility is truly built like a big heavy Mexican hacienda, with lots of big rocks, timbers, wood, saltillo, and concrete floors. I loved it, and kept thinking what a marvelous house it could make, if ever repurposed and magically beamed to a more pleasant locale.
The food was serviceable Tex Mex, moreso than I recall from the old location, which I remember as more traditional Mex. We both had the brisket tacos, which compared in the same quality/​quantity zip code as Blue Goose’s version, but at a 50% price premium here ($ 14 vs $ 9ish at Blue Goose). Was it worth the extra $ 5 per plate? Not for the food alone, but to experience the hacienda digs for the first time, maybe, if I’m feeling generous. The margarita menu looked equally expensive, with all offerings well north of $ 10, aggressive for this neighborhood, clientele, and genre.
I could ascertain no happy hour special after a little research, which I think this place could use to better fill the plentiful tables it houses. It’s been there a while, so it must be doing something right, assuming it’s not being used primarily as a money laundering operation.
I’m not in a big hurry to go back, but I would not be opposed to it either, given the right situation. So be it– your call, given all this :)

Doors open and I instantly think, this place is festive! The music, décor, and overall casual feel. The food is Tex Mex. You know the kind, where a margarita is the best match to the food.
4 stars — Chips and salsa. Two salsas, roasted and regular. I really liked how smoky the roasted tomato salsa was. I just wish they were a little more spicy. Chips were good, the thin and crispy kind.
4 stars — Vegetable fajitas. A sizzling platter of generous portions of zucchini, bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms. This one included tortillas, rice and beans, guacamole, cheese, and sour cream. Nothing special about the rice and beans. I finished off the veggies and would have been happy with just that. It was seasoned so well!
The service here is terrific. They were very accommodating to our large group and attentive the entire time. We chose to eat here because of their close proximity to Top Golf. It was the right choice.

The Mariano margarita is the best ever. Good service and great margaritas. The prices are a tad higher than other TexMex joints but you get what you pay for. Try the Mariano’s queso and the fajitas. You will not be disappointed.

Absolutely the BEST!
I love almost everything about Marianos. Top 5 things to order:
1. Top self the Mariano margarita!
2. Ques o Mariano: Little spicy, with ground beef at the bottom.
3. Tamale Plate: with chili con carne
4. Tacos al pastore: Great combo of pork & pineapples
5. Anything on the kids menu ;)

I’ve always liked this place but since my last experience I will not be returning. The food is good sometimes a little salty. And the drinks I cant complain about.
But this last time I went I was so disgusted. Our waiter was a kid named Luis and he accidentally served me a roach in my sweet tea!!! An actual medium sized roach I was livid! When I approached him with the proof in my hand he laughed, took the cup out of my hand before I snapped a picture and said I’ll get you a refill as if this type of thing happened all the time.
I told him I didn’t want anything else out of his dirty kitchen and began to look for the manager. But I couldn’t find the manager. I found a different waiter an older man who also thought it was hilarious, although the elderly man did apologize unlike the server Luis.
Bottom line is 2 careless waiters and a manager that can’t be found.
I was so embarrassed! It was the first time I took my parents there and I was excited to show them a place I liked and we get served roaches.
Mariano’s was my go to place for a close to home celebration but now I’ll remember it as the place I get fed roaches, laughed at, and then charged $ 136.77. Thanks Mariano’s staff!
05-​13-​2016

I’ve been to this place about five times now and the food is good, they have a bowl of queso that’s really delicious and my favorite, Sopaipilla. Usually the staff is either decent or below average. This time around, our waiter, Luis, was below average. He really seem like he didn’t want to be there. Which is fine since we showed up an hour before closing. There were a few times where the drinks were empty for a while and a couple more times where we were looking for our waiter. But the thing that really sucked was his response when my boyfriend found a cockroach in his already drunken drink, Luis laughed and asked «do you want another drink». So that just irritated us (group of 5), we decide to tell an older gentleman that also decided to laugh. We’re never coming back here again. How they chose to handle the situation was unsettling.

The tortilla soup is very good and large, so big that I couldn’t eat the main course, the guacamole is fresh as well.

Bert, our waiter, made the experience delightful. He was always ready to please by being present but not overbearing. He did not try to clear our table while we were still talking at the table. (Thats a pet peeve of mine.) The restaurant décor is a little weird as its a Mexican restaurant but the help wears cowboy attire and stuffed animals and animal heads are the focal point. My husband and I ordered the VIP app platter. It was pricey at $ 25 but it was a nice platter of food. There were four big poppers, which were too spicy for me but the rest (nachos, quesadillas, steak pieces,) was tasty. Our son had the two enchilada platter which looked standard. As I said at the beginning of the review, Bert made the meal so Im giving it 4 stars – without him it might have been three. Very good but just not fantastic.

Service 2 – 3 stars She was trying her best, she just wasn’t organized/​experienced
Food A-​OK 3stars we had fish tacos and a Fajita salad
Salsa was terrible
Ambiance 4 stars very nice resteraunt
Overpriced for the quality of services and food

UPDATE: the manager had give us a $ 20 complimentary meal voucher when we left. I found the voucher when I was going through my purse today and realized that she had written on it that it expired 3−3−16. THE DAY WE VISITED THE RESTAURANT. And she gave it to us after we paid the check. It was purposeful. What a terrible way to conduct business.
Heartbreaking. Best food. GREAT margaritas. Pretty pricy for Tex-​Mex.
The service was HORRIBLE. And the manager kept making excuses for the «big party in the back.» It was so rehearsed.
I wish I could come back because the patio is great, but it’s not worth the service.

Best mexican food I’ve had in a long time– and Dallas is extremely competitive when it comes to this kind of cuisine! We started off with the queso and frozen margarita. I’m addicted to queso and it really was one of the tastiest quesos I’ve ever experienced. The margarita was the perfect texture and blend of sweet/​sour and tequila!
We got the fajitas as our entrée and it was delicious! Huge portion with the shrimp/​beef/​chicken combo for two. Service was excellent too. This place is great for special occasions and true mexican food fans! Yes, it’s pricy but the quality, ambiance, and service justifies it. Definitely coming back.

Ahhh! It pains me to leave this place with three lonely stars!
I’ve eaten here twice now, and all of the families in our neighborhood eat many, many times here a month.
The first time here was absolutely impeccable. Margaritas tangy and strong, chips hot, food fresh.
This time, however, was completely different.
It was my birthday dinner, and we called several times to remind them (my mom likes to see me in a sombrero).
When we arrived, the restaurant was very busy, and we had to wait about five minutes before we could be seated.
This was not a problem, and we happily waited in the waiting area before our table was ready.
When we were sat at our table, the waitresses were very accommodating and immediately asked us for our drinks. After that however, we were almost completely forgotten about. We had to ask for our drinks several times, and we had to ask about our food.
I ordered the fajitas and shared them with my date (mom).My daughter ordered the kids cheese with cheese enchiladas us, and my younger child shared with us. The margaritas are enough reason alone to come to this restaurant! Pricey ($ 14 & $ 11), but effing delicious.
The food was some of the best Mexican food I’ve ever had. The fajitas were very fresh and tender ($ 45 for two!), and the beans and cheese enchiladas were very fresh and creamy ($ 5 kids). What really got me, and why I’m leaving only three stars, was the service. It seemed as if our waiter forgot about us on several occasions. While he was very kind and attentive when we called him to our table, it only seems like he remembered us when we actually did call him to our table. For this reason combined with their prices, they get three stars.
I’m hoping for a redo soon.

It’s a little overpriced for Mexican food, but I guess you are paying for the atmosphere?
The food was good, not great, but good. I think most little taqueria’s around have food just as good and at a better price.
The service was fast & friendly.

Frozen margaritas were a hit, definitely potent!
Tortilla soup was Very good, the fresh handmade tortillas were out of this world delicious!

Mariano’s has been voted the best margarita in Dallas for good reason. Their original frozen is exceptionally good. Mariano Martinez invented the frozen margarita machine (I’ve seen the original machine in the Smithsonian) and they’re still getting it right after 40+ years.
Some places serve good drinks and lousy food because after all, you’ve been drinking. Not the case here. The food is delicious and generously portioned. Try the cowboy queso with ground beef or a spinach and mushroom quesadilla (an off-​menu item)
I’ve been to Mariano’s five times at different times of the day and on different days of the week. Everything is very consistent and the servers are always friendly.

This was a great meal! The Final 1 is a fabulous margarita with fresh lime juice and an adorable lime flower garnish. I tasted why it’s been voted best margarita! Unfortunately, it’s a $ 14 margarita… ouch!
The two salsas are both delicious but I especially loved the smoky one! I had the steak fajita lites. The steak was tender with great flavor. The lite part is that there is less meat and it comes with veggies… zucchini, squash, broccoli, onions and bell peppers. So good, I loved the slightly healthier option.
Our waiter was very friendly and our food came out quickly. He was a little unattentive but that was okay, we never ran out of drinks.

I give three stars for the food. However when I walked in as a lone diner there was a small time of confusion where to sit me.
It’s difficult when you eat alone while traveling because the waiter realizes the tip is not going be enough to make a car payment.
I ordered two fajitas tacos and they came with nothing. I was so surprised so I asked for some pico to go with it. Of course there was a upcharge. So this place is expensive to say the least. It would have been much more affordable to get a full order and not eat the beans .
I just wish I could eat out alone a a nice restaurant and not feel gouged or that I’m a step child where they don’t know where that want to seat me.
So I will say come here to eat but you are better off to not come alone.

More expensive than I would have thought but the food portions were quite large.
Margs were about $ 11-​$ 15 and entrees were about the same.
We got the queso, which was huge and definitely enough for the table. Too bad they don’t have half portion sizes. We also got the chicken enchilada plate and the brisket quesadillas. Both were great, but the brisket quesadillas were pretty greasy and I had to eat with a fork and knife to finish.
Great quick service though which was nice. Definitely worth a try.

We came here in a Sunday night around 7pm. There was very little wait so we were sat pretty quickly. The restaurant was busy but surprisingly not too crazy loud.
The three of us couldn’t decide what to order so we decided to pick three things and share. We chose the beef nachos, beef fajitas and chicken flautitas. The flautitas came with a side of sour cream/​avocado sauce and queso. They had a great flavor. A bit per peppers and spice. Surprisingly they didn’t skimp on the amount of chicken in them. The nachos were great! The beef was so tender and the nachos themselves were huge. The beef fajitas as well were amazing. Again the beef was cooked perfectly! So tender and so much flavor! The portions are huge so we managed to go home with leftovers!
The service was ok. Our server never really looked at us when he took our order and he rushed us a bit like he had somewhere else to be.
Overall this is a great place. The food and drinks are awesome. I would definitely recommend coming here for lunch or dinner. There’s plenty of room for small or large groups. They keep their patio area enclosed and heated in the winter. It looks like a great place to sit in the summer time!