El Rinconcito Restaurant

First time eating here. I had a steak and shrimp dinner cooked to perfection. My son had garlic shrimp and my husband enjoyed his steak ranchero! The owner was super kind and helpful! This is the real deal! You must stop in!

Southbound on the 101, got hungry, craving menudo to cure the hangover. typed in best menudo near me, this little gem popped up. Little mom n pop restaurant with plenty of locals hanging out for breakfast. The place is quaint and very clean. The staff is very friendly and on the ball. The menudo I was craving was very good, classic taste without smelling like a barnyard. If I lived in the area this would be my hangout…

When looking for some Mexican food here in Gonzales, we found this place El Rinconsito Restaurant. The place is clean and the service is a average, not the best. It seems that they lack organization when distributing the dishes. We were delivered food that we had not ordered and when our food came out. The server seemed to have forgotten who had ordered it. .the Food is okay. But the drama. Lol. Exceptional. There was some kind of family feud while we were there.

I miss the food from before Rinconcito had the fire. Very much. They used to have the best enchiladas and salsa around. They’ve never recovered completely. The food is still good, however they have recently begun to nickel and dime their customers. Giving one napkin and one salsa with a to-​go order is ridiculous. Plus, the price of certain items varies depending on which employee you deal with.

Great food, fantastic service, and that is just the beginning! We have eaten here for about 30 years.

We were on our way to the Windmill Restaurant down the street, but when that was closed, we ended up here. I feel like this place serves a bit more Tex-​Mex than California Mexican cuisine and I like it! We had their flautas, menudo, Chile relleno, and chicken enchiladas.
To start, they bring you fresh hot chips and a delicious homemade salsa that is thick and full of good stuff. The salsa isn’t spicy but has just enough kick to make it flavorful.
The enchilada sauce tastes homemade and definitely not from a can. This is the kind of Mexican food my family made as a kid growing up. I am pretty sure I inhaled the chicken enchilada.
The sauce on the chile relleno was a bit much for my taste but it was still good. I just could have used a little less of it. The chile relleno was also a bit spicy for me, but again, not too bad.
The flautas were probably my favorite of the meal. They were small and super crunchy and had all the fixins’ you would expect to have (i.e. sour cream, guac). The meat was still juicy inside and the texture combo with the succulent chicken and crunchy tortillas was fantastic!
The menudo was the highlight of the visit, though. Normally reserved to cure a nice hangover, this was an unexpected and surprising treat for a Saturday lunch out. They only serve it on weekends though, so don’t expect it for lunch during the week. I didn’t want a huge bowl and just wanted to taste a bit and they were very accommodating. They gave me a child’s bowl. I was surprised because it had ten times the meat versus hominy, which is not what you normally see. I hate to admit it, but I was hoping for less meat, just because I didn’t just want menudo for my meal. The point is they are not stingy and it is a great value! The thing I liked the best about the menudo is that it was not greasy and oily like so many places. They clearly spend a lot of time skimming off grease as it cooks and this is how I like to make it as well. There really isn’t a «healthy,» menudo, but this is probably as close as you may get. It didn’t quite have the strength of flavors and spices I am used to, but then again, I am used to Tex-​Mex menudo.
The place is simple and has lots of beer posters and TVs around. If you want to catch a game, this would be a great place to have a cold beer, a glass SLH Pinot and a delicious rib-​sticking Mexican combo plate.
If we are passing through Gonzales again, we will definitely be back.

This is a weekly lunch spot on my work place and we love it. Their food is delicious and the staff is very nice. The only thing is they can be slow when they’re busy. But the food is well worth it.

This place is great. its a family own restaurant where the food is great. Gotta have the macho burrito if your feeling hungry.

Where the locals ate for many, many years… then the building in an adjacent building had a fire and they left town for what seemed like 10 years. I tell you this because I cursed loosing our favorite place for all of those years. So glad they’re back. It’s not quite the same as when Mamma did all of the cooking but still a great place that you’ll never hear about unless someone points the way.
Best breakfast item: Huevos Rancheros (and surprisingly, all the old timers go there for pancakes).
Lunch: Try the Chicken Sinaloa (my new favorite favorite recommended by a friend that’s kinda’ healthy too. Where have you been all my life?)
Dinner: Set your mouth on fiah with flava and try one of their spicy shrimp dishes.
Beans, red sauce and salsa are all muy bueno (and I’m super picky). Take it from a local!