bellingham’s tesoro escondido
For a long time, Mi Rancho Meat Market was just that: a Mexican butcher and deli offering high-quality cuts and select grocery items. Considered a community staple, Mi Rancho offered fresh, affordable meat to loyal customers in the Birchwood neighborhood and beyond.
Then came the restaurant. A couple booths, a couple picnic tables, no official menu. Just a sign proclaiming, “$1 Tacos!” to anyone driving by on Northwest Avenue.
Over time, word spread about the delicious one-dollar tacos, until Mi Rancho had no choice but to expand from a market with a few tables to a full restaurant. Fate intervened and the restaurant space next door became available.
In 2019, Mi Rancho opened the restaurant side of their business with gusto. From the paintings on the wall to the authentic meat market next door, Mi Rancho is a celebration of Mexican food and culture. When you arrive, you’re seated at a brightly colored table in the high-ceilinged room. In the warmer months, customers can eat outside on the festive patio.
Ingredients at Mi Rancho are made in-house or sourced from the community. The adjacent market still offers fresh vegetables, spices, and other Mexican treats and treasures. From piñatas affixed to the ceiling to a wide variety of vaquero boots and hats, you know when you walk in that this place is full to the brim with Mexican pride and culture.
The menu has everything you want, from familiar staples like burritos and tacos to weekend specials like menudo and birria. The best part? Everything comes with your choice of meat, and oh, are there choices. Asada, grilled beef, is the classic — if you’re new to this type of cuisine or just enjoy a healthy char, you can’t beat Mi Rancho’s beef. If you’re more of a pork lover, the adobada, marinated pork with pieces of pineapple, is sweet and spicy. The carnitas, shredded marinated pork, are insanely juicy and flavorful.
The chicken, though, is truly exceptional — never dry, never flavorless, always charred but juicy on the inside. It’s perfect in a burrito or quesadilla, but when it comes to tacos, I recommend a heartier meat, like beef or pork. If you’d like to try a meat that’s harder to find in Bellingham, the beef tongue is a toothsome, delicious choice for only a few cents extra.
The asada burrito is a local favorite; the rich, charred flavor of the beef pairs perfectly with the creamy beans, fluffy rice, and crunchy lettuce all stuffed into a soft flour tortilla. For only $6, it’s impossible to beat.
If you’re a cheese lover, the quesadilla is a great choice. I recommend going with chicken for this dish. The combination of juicy chicken and salty melted cheese with a side of rice and beans for only $6 feels like a steal.
Of course, we can’t leave you hanging when it comes to the tacos. For less than $2 per taco, you can enjoy any type of meat filling. I recommend owner Angel Montanez’s favorite: carnitas. Unbelievably tender and salty, the shredded pork combined with the bright tang of lime, salsa, and onions is like a symphony for your palate.
After your meal, head to the market side of the establishment to pay, and don’t forget to pick up a sweet or two from their mini bakery for dessert. At less than a dollar each, there’s always room for churros or homemade ding-dongs.
When you walk into Mi Rancho, it feels like you’re stepping into a community marketplace where everyone knows each other. In a way, that’s exactly where you are. Make no mistake, the community that shops and eats here is close-knit, and if you go often enough, they’ll remember you, too.
Originally for Bellingham Alive, 2020
