Corona/Norco #1: El Rancho Taqueria in Corona

[originally posted on chowhound]

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I’m here in Corona/Norco visiting family for a few weeks… excited about trying out some food that, frankly, doesn’t get covered on this board very often. So, here’s the first report. Had a wonderful lunch today in Corona. By the way, Corona rocks. It’s the Santa Ana of the Inland Empire, in my opinion… so much in the way of great mexican. So, I just trolled along Sixth St. looking for some place. Tons and tons of great looking tacquerias. Anyhow, settled on this place, since it was next to a little market and I needed to pick up some stuff.

It’s called El Rancho Taqueria. It is a very small place – doesn’t look like anything, really, from the outside. On the inside, it looks like a typical baja kind of tacqueria. I ordered two tacos and a tamale.

The carnitas taco was wonderful – very flavorful, moist, and not at all dry. The al pastor taco was also very good. It wasn’t a spit-roasted one (still looking), but the meat was excellent. Most al pastor I get is tough pork marinated and overcooked. This was very juicy, tender pork chunks – almost carnitas-like tenderness, with a full flavored spiciness you expect from al pastor. Very good.

The tamale was ok. Good flavor, but nothing to write home about. I ordered it on a whim… but this place doesn’t come across as a tamale kind of place. I’ll keep looking for that.

Anyhow, not sure if anyone from Corona reads these boards, but, this place was a great place to satisfy a taco hankering…

El Rancho Taqueria
685 E. Grand, Ste. 103
Corona, CA 92881
951-278-8133

[as a side note, had some good donuts at a divey place on the corner of El Paseo Grande and W 6th St. Nice lady inside made a custom order for me – going back and frosting some donuts to my daughters specifications. Very nice… anyhow, she’s cambodian and just so nice… said the vietnamese and thai places in corona are just mediocre… but she did recommend a chinese/cambodian restaurant in westminster that I need to check out…]