Photograph by Katherine Bish

There are as many items on the menu at Mi Ranchito as there are people in Mexico. If you don’t find that joke very clever, rest assured that there is, in fact, nothing funny about the size of Mi Ranchito’s bill of fare. It is dauntingly, brain-blurringly big: a full-on assault of tacos, burritos, enchiladas, tostadas, fajitas and entrée dishes featuring pork, beef, chicken or shrimp, listed and then cross-listed by their main protein, or under “Combination Dinners,” or under “A La Carte.” It doesn’t help that that menu comes encased in one of those hefty, embossed pleather covers that lend it the pomp and weight (metaphorically, if not literally) of the Magna Carta. You might need to order a Negro Modelo before anything else, just to soothe the nerves.

The thing is, you gotta go to Mi Ranchito. It might be located miles away from the famed Cherokee Street stretch of Mexican restaurants; it might be housed in a less-than-appetizing strip mall; it might not have the buzz of a newly debuted spot (it opened about three years ago). Because of all this, it might just be regarded as a neighborhood spot only for those lucky enough to live near The Loop (as I once did, and I loved going there).

But never mind the mights. Instead, allow me to help. Here’s the only cheat sheet you’ll need to navigate your way through dinner. Drink beer. I hate to start things on a sour note, but the margaritas at Mi Ranchito are made from an unfortunately vile sour mix. I’d hoped that maybe the house had addressed this glaring weakness since I moved away from the neighborhood, but no. Stick to a Modelo, a Tecate, a Dos Equis or a Carta Blanca. Trust me.

Eat tacos and tamales as appetizers. Sure, you could just get nachos. But there’s already a basket of house-made corn chips (air-thin, fried to crisp perfection) and a mini carafe of salsa (medium spicy, off-the-charts yummy) awaiting you at your table, and really, how many things do you need to lump onto a corn chip at one meal? The a la carte menu offers tacos or tamales, three to a plate, for five bucks or less. And eat the soft tacos, because there’s nothing better than the way those pliant flour tortillas swaddle up some lovely chicken or beef.

Stick to the shrimp section. If you order only one thing at Mi Ranchito, make it a shrimp dish. Seriously, I feel sorry in general for people who can’t or don’t eat shellfish for allergic or religious reasons. The shrimp soup here—also a smart choice for a shareable appetizer—is chock-full of not just shrimp, but also big chunks of avocado, scallions, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and zucchini, with a healthy handful of brown rice tossed in and (why not?) some lime wedges, too. It is huge, it’s on the spicy side and it was the soup of choice I used to bring my boyfriend when he was sick. I also heartily recommend the camarones Yucatan and, for serious spice sadists, the camarones a la Diabla.

Trust in Vippy. Vippy is an old regular from the original Mi Ranchito in southern Virginia. (The outpost was opened here when the founder’s daughter moved to St. Louis after marrying.) Thanks to him, the menu contains Vippy’s Special: a pair of burritos (chicken or steak, your choice) upon which is ladled a secret-ingredient cheese dip that possesses a smoky pungency. It brings the humble burrito to a whole new level.

Eat dessert. I know as well as anyone that a meal at Mi Ranchito, though pretty much all-around awesome, can be punishing. But you’ve gotta push through, my friend, and get a flan or a sopapilla. Because they are delicious, they are obviously homemade and who knows when you’ll get back to Mi Ranchito again.

Address: 887 Kingsland
Phone: 314-863-1880
Website: mi-ranchitostl.com
Hours: Mon–Thu 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Fri–Sat 11 a.m.–11 p.m., Sun 11 a.m.–9 p.m.