Brandon Marshall
Audio By Carbonatix
El Rancho is back! The Colorado classic got its start in 1948, then had a great thirty-year run under Donna and Paul McEncroe, who put the restaurant on the map when the El Rancho exit was added to brand-new Interstate 70.
But they sold El Rancho in 1988, and after it went through a series of owners, it closed altogether this past summer. Now, though, it has new owners, and Bonanno Concepts is running the operation. Although El Rancho isn’t open for brunch yet, it’s packing people in from happy hour on. And so far, they’re liking what they see, judging from comments left on the Westword Facebook post of our look at El Rancho. Says Linda:
Soooo glad it is open. It should be historic.
Adds Kathryn:
Love this place!! Been there several times and now will continue to go.
Remembers Darin:
We used to stop on the way back from skiing in the mid-’70s; great memories. Need to create some new ones.
Adds Bill:
What’s winter without El Rancho? No, they aren’t hiring divers like Casa Bonita, but it’s so great to have snow and El Rauncho this winter!
Responds Greg:
Hell of a history, in a building with character. Most places these days, especially the chains, of course, have the same boring design with a different label/sign, and the same design across the whole country: Black Eyed Pea on one corner, Starbucks on the other, etc, etc. You don’t know if you’re in Maryland or Louisiana.
Michael replies:
Remember when it was the El Rancho exit? It stood alone on US40, before I-70, before Evergreen and Bergen Park were commuter suburbs.
So much has been lost. I remember well when Denver was known as a “cowtown,” with little else happening. I remember when the Security Life Building was the tallest in town, capped by Top of the Rockies, our date-night paragon (when we saved sufficient funds to eat there). Now, it’s blocked from almost every direction by new(er) construction. I no longer recognize our beloved state.
Did you go to El Rancho in one of its earlier incarnations? Have you been to the revived El Rancho? What did you think? Share your memories in a comment, or email editorial@westword.com.