Rancho Restaurant
Located at 163 New Brunswick Ave, Perth Amboy, NJ, Rancho Restaurant offers a unique and authentic Dominican dining experience that stands out in the local food scene. Despite its humble and unassuming appearance, this spot is well-known for serving up delicious, late-night Dominican comfort food.
The menu at Rancho Restaurant is straightforward yet flavorful, specializing in fried dishes and quick meals that satisfy both the hungry and the curious. Popular options include carne frita de res (fried thin beef strips), salami y mulo de pollo (Dominican-style smoked fried sausage), and mulo de pollo, a fried chicken hamburger with a tangy pink sauce. Accompanying these hearty dishes are green plantains, which perfectly complement the bold flavors of the meats. For those in search of a refreshing beverage, the freshly made limeades are a must-try, offering a zesty and invigorating taste.
While the food here is undoubtedly the star of the show, the atmosphere is equally memorable. Rancho Restaurant is essentially a hole-in-the-wall establishment, offering limited seating-just a couple of bar stools. Despite the lack of seating, the bustling, vibrant ambiance, paired with the genuine Dominican culinary experience, gives patrons a true taste of the island's flavors. The staff communicates mostly in Spanish, but modern technology helps bridge the language gap, ensuring smooth and efficient service for all guests.
Although some menu items may seem unconventional, such as pig ears, tripe, or pork stomach (buche), these offerings reflect the authentic, no-frills nature of the food served here. It’s an ideal spot for those who are looking to dive into the heart of Dominican cuisine with adventurous flavors and textures.
Whether you're in the mood for a quick meal or a late-night bite, Rancho Restaurant offers a welcoming and deliciously authentic Dominican dining experience, full of flavors that transport you straight to the streets of the Dominican Republic.
Rancho Restaurant Reviews
Good Dominican eats nothing extraordinary but 5 stars for what it's trying to be which is simply a good Dominican restaurant.
Beautiful! Lovely food! Great service! Makes me feel like I'm overseas without a doubt.
Best fritura place in town awesome staff. This is my second time here and can't wait to come again really good. Shootout to my boy Alvin that told me bout this place
Much needed late-night fritanga/chuchifritos spot, very popular among locals in Perth Amboy. It's a very small restaurant, with a walk-up counter, where you'll see the chef fiercely chopping away with a meat cleaver. There's a menu board on the right, but the basic gist is: First, you pick what size of platter (picadera) you want, then which cuts of meat you want, and they fry it all up on the spot with tostones, everything tossed with garlic and lime. The current choices are typically a variation of: orejita (ear with cartilage) corazon (heart) lengua (tongue) riñón (kidney) patita (foot) tripita (tripe) buche (cheek) asadura (offal / internal organs/entrails) hosico (snout) longaniza (sausage) chicharron (fried pork rind) morcilla (blood sausage) pollo frito (fried chicken) cerdo frito (fried pork) carne de res frita (fried beef) chuleta humada (smoked pork chop) In addition, for a faster snack, they sell chimichurris or chimis, a famous type of Dominican burger, sometimes called the Dominican Big Mac.
Thank you for having consistently good late night food Rancho. The menu/location looks intimating but pick 2-4 protein options and give it a go. There's a few things to note when you visit this food truck quality hole in the wall: 1. It's a fried food joint that serves up a quick meal 2. The staff speaks mostly Spanish but communicating/translating is easy with todays technology 3. Options may be eccentric for some with pig ears, tripe or pork stomach (buche) on the menu 4: fresh juices are pricey $5-6 but necessary 5. No seating, just one or two bar stools while you wait If you don't know what to get, I suggest my favorite meal enough for 2: carne frita de res, salami y mulo de pollo, un chimi y una limonada. This translates to fried thin beef strips, Dominican style smoked fried sausage with a side of green plantains; beef style hamburger (cabbage and pink sauce and a limeade (made with green limes instead of meters lemons)