Rana Loca

I came across Rana Loca via Smitty’s ‘Best of’ list. I forget which category they won but it prompted me to check out their menu online. Upon doing so, I was amazed to see that they served Frita, which is something I have never been able to find outside of Miami and miss terribly. In true fat girl fashion, this finding even got Rana Loca a special Facebook status complete with lots of dramatic capitalization and gratuitous use of exclamation points.
I was so excited that I went out of my way the next day to head downtown and called in my order for a Frita. They told me 10 minutes and I got there in 12. I stood around for a good 5 minutes before someone acknowledged me and then waited another 10 minutes for them to bring me my incredibly overpriced food. I didn’t care! I was going to have a frita! I probably would have paid triple if I actually saw a frita when I opened the container.
I was crushed to see that what they call a frita is some guy’s version of something he heard someone talk about someone else having once. There were so many things wrong with it and it looked so unappealing I almost didn’t eat it. But I was hungry and paid like $ 13 for it and still held out hope that just maybe it would taste good regardless of appearance.
But alas, it did not. My short lived dream of my favorite food from home being available right here in lil olé Winston-​Salem was quickly put to rest.
Sad panda :(

We had time to read the menu and get excited to have a sandwich and then were told sandwiches were only for lunch. The menu stated nothing of the sort. The manager who sat us was blamed for not notifying us about this rule. There was a flier in my menu for burritos and I was told they were also for lunch. The flier did not state this fact. This shows sloppy front of the house organization and management. At the very least lunch items should be labeled as such. It is not that difficult to remove fliers from menus that do not apply to certain times of the day. Oddly enough, the appetizers were equally or more expensive than the «lunch» sandwiches we could not have. The walls and doors are dirty which does not affect the food so much but the general impression of the cleanliness of the business. We ordered the redundantly named «Queso Fondue» which should have been served with chorizo, cilantro and roasted peppers. Here is what you get for $ 7.50: Tositos chips from a bag and tasteless, bland melted cheese in a bowl made to hold a candle to keep it warm but without said candle. No chorizo, no peppers, no cilantro!!! I had to obtain Texas Pete (yes that was the only hot sauce in view, at a LATIN palce) from the bartender to make the cheese dip taste like something. I had a bowl of black bean bisque which was beyond underwhelming. It tasted as if beans were removed from a food service can, food processed and maybe had the tiniest amount of cumin added. It came with herbed sour cream but this was only about a ½ a teaspoon for an entire bowl. As a garnish there was a soggy chip in the bowl. Gross. Again, I made generous use of the Texas Pete. My husband ordered the Frita — a half beef, half chorizo burger. What a joke! There was barely chorizo in the burger. Also, the burger had obviously been cooked much earlier than we arrived, probably for lunch, and then reheated. The plantain chips were disgusting and greasy with what tasted like green Tabasco sauce on them. As the only saving grace of the meal my husband said the guacamole was good which was on his burger. The server was friendly but seemed flustered and provided fine service. I was genuinely disappointed by Rana Loca. The fault for our poor meal is that of the chef and kitchen of the establishment. With all of the bravado on the website about the skills of the chef I expected at least a decent meal — not an experience I regret. The food is nothing special and if you have ever truly enjoyed Latin food you know it is an embarassment to Latin cuisine. At least I had a Reward Buck certificate and the entire meal with tip only put me out $ 12. However, my $ 12 would have been much better spent at any one of Winston-Salem’s outstanding Mexican resturaunts instead of eating overpriced and disappointing food. Also, don’t listen to the website. They are closed on Mondays and the prices, descriptions and specials are not up to date. Avoid Rana Loca like the plague.

Went there when they first opened, vowed to never go again. Well, I broke my vow!!! The offerings now are better. Although, not much for the vegetarian, less for a vegan. But the food is fresh, the service is great when not busy. The fish tacos are good but not great, do not order the corn tortillas with them, they are way too hard. But the fish and flavoring is awesome. Outside seating (where I always sit) is fair, the sidewalk is a little rough so the tables move a little. They could clean the sidewalk a little better, looks a little «used», if ya know what I mean. All in all, I enjoy this place, will keep going back for sure.
Almost forgot, live music on weekend nights weather permitting.

Hmmm, kind of wish I had read other Unilocal reviews prior to dining at Rana Loca after the recent Salute wine festival in downtown W-​S. I liked the variety of offerings on their menu (Can be viewed outside of the restaurant), and the patio looked awesome for people watching. I suggested to my friend, we give their Latin cuisine a try.
I ordered the fish tacos and was disappointed to put it mildly. The tacos didn’t actually have the cod or tilapia fish fillet in them, but instead had some tasteless fried «fish bits» that may have been initially frozen and micro-​waved. I ordered three, but could barely eat one. It’s not that difficult to make a tasty fish taco, and everywhere else I have had them was immeasurably better. The tacos were not cheap either at $ 12 +. The yucca fries that came as a side should be renamed «yucky fries» (bland).
I asked my friend how he liked his dish (seafood paella) and he said the portion was small, and deprived of actual seafood. He added that he had had much better elsewhere.
Our server was attentive enough in bringing us our beers, refilling our water etc, but she seemed bored and acted like she would rather be anywhere doing anything except serving us.
As I had anticipated the patio was four-​star in terms of people watching. They have a great location and space with the awesome patio. They also gave the diners a coupon for 15% off of their next visit, which was cool.
Unfortunately, good quality food does not seem to be their thing which probably explains the need to persuade diners to come back again, and a restaurant without quality food and service is a deal breaker for me.

Ate here during Salute with a Groupon. Overall I was unimpressed. I was glad we ate with a discount.
PROS– PATIO is the best on Fourth street– shaded by trees and umbrellas it is a wonderful spot to people watch– especially during the wine festival! SANGRIA– delicious! Cinnamon-​y and lots of fresh fruit like peaches/​strawberries. That was the highlight of my meal.
CONS– Small portions for what you pay– I went with 2 big guys and they weren’t happy with the filling in their sandwiches– very skimpy!!! Supposed to be a steak and cheese– had VERY small bits of what looked like Steak-​ums and there was hardly ANY of it. I try to eat low carb and the pulled pork app I ordered came plated on polenta– which wasn’t on its menu description– I would not have gotten it due to the polenta. My jerk chicken skewers (5 total) had no real flavor– just chicken. Came with a HUGE cup of fresh raspberry dipping sauce that was good, but it was excessive for 5 skewers. I wished the chicken itself would have had more taste. Our waiter was pretty bland– no real hurry to do anything– left empty glasses and empty beer bottles on our table too long. I really would expect better service due to the prime location and price. There was also an ant IN our salt shaker.
So overall disappointed– wanted to LOVE it for awesome patio and sangria and also to support local business. I MIGHT buy a Groupon for Rana Loca again to give them another chance but I wouldn’t eat there without.

I’ve been here a couple of times. The first time I went I ordered their cuban sandwich with plaintain chips, which I thought was pretty good. The second time I went, we ordered nachos for the table. These were the worst nachos I’ve ever seen served in a restauraunt. I don’t even know how they call them nachos. They were crummy Ortega corn chips straight from the bag to your plate, served with salsa from a can, sour cream, and lettuce. They were disgusting. We almost walked out, but decided to stay for the main course. I ordered a chicken sandwhich that was actually pretty decent. My firend ordered the tacos that were served on Ortega hard shells. They were not very impressive.
This place needs to stop cutting corners and get serious about serving authentic latin food.
On a more positive note, I really like their outdoor seating area. The last time I was there they had a cuban band playing BVSC covers.

It was my first time at Rana Loca and I would give it 3 stars. We had all appetizers, fondue cheese, calamari, jerk chicken and beef empanadas. The best of the two was the calamari and the fondue cheese!!! The empanadas lacked flavor and the chicken had too much clove flavoring. The entrees were a bit pricey, but we are still thinking about coming back to try one.

I should update solely about the atmosphere of the joint, which has been totally redone after expanding. Too trendy for my taste now.

I had the Tapas plate a couple of nights ago, and it was a LOT of food for the $ 9 price. 2 nice-​sized pieces of bruschetta piled high, at least a dozen sauteed and tasty shrimp plus 2 mini crabcakes that had zesty sauce on them. Service was very quick and friendly. I looked over the rest of the menu and it seemed smaller than before and perhaps a bit on the pricey side. However, you won’t find this fare anywhere else, so it’s worth the price and the drink selections are quite good.

I have been to this restaurant several times and have never been disappointed. The service is always attentive, and the menu has a variety of foods prepared in such a way as to set the food apart from all the traditional cuisine you might find at some chain restaurant.
I have to admit that I am bias to locally owned business and restaurants and will always endeavor to frequent these establishments over some large franchise (TGI Fridays, Olive Garden, Applebee’s, you know the drill).
I especially like some of the lighter fare. The Veggie Empanadas are especially tasty. During the warmer temps the patio seating is awesome. Kind of cool to sit outside, enjoy your meal as well as the atmosphere of the evening downtown scene. I highly recommend this establishment to anyone who is looking for some something different at what I feel are reasonable prices.

I visited Rana Loca for the first time with a networking group. The service was good, especially for such a large group, but the food was lacking. I had a salad that had its moments of yum, but the chicken in general didn’t have great flavor.
The room we were in, while private was very stark and had some pretty lame attempts at dressing it up with some organza type swaths of cloth across the ceiling.

Was disappointed. Portions and price didn’t match well. The flavors were so-​so.
Also weird set up with the indoor/​outdoor space.

Have eaten lunch here 2 more times, and unfortunately, food did not live up to the deliciousness of my first visit.
They have done something to their yucca fries– they are now shoestring sized, have some kind of coating on them, & taste nothing like yucca! WTF? WHY?
The only part of my last lunch there (3 weeks ago) which was good were the beef empinadas. Other than that, MEH.
DISAPPOINTED!

Meh. We used to love going to this place. The burritos, in particular, were a fun alternative to the other places in town offering this style of food. It was also nice that there were a few vegan entrees that were on the fancier end of the scale, giving us a nice option for a night out.
Then we went back with some friends the other day.
The menu had changed a lot. There was literally no entrée on the menu we could have. We could have a modified salad or (I think) one of the appetizers. We asked if there was any vegan option the chef could come up for (we’d pay whatever for it) and they couldn’t think of anything. We asked if they still let people get burritos for dinner and they said we couldn’t. So, we had salads and then went to Mooney’s just down the street, where we had a lovely dinner of falafel and hummus.
Two stars because the burrito option still exists for lunch. But overall, I’m disappointed that instead of becoming more vegan friendly with time, they became less so.

Hooray for another ethnically-​inclined menu in downtown Winston!
But don’t get too excited. The food is «pretty good», and it’s priced-​right. Many dishes are right around 10 bucks, so that’s nice. The location is great for downtown and provides a «latin option» when you don’t feel like eating the same ol’ southern-​americana fare that is offered throughout Winston…(You know the drill: burgers, shrimp n grits, fish n chips, yada yada…)
Big plus: they had Negra Modelo on tap!
Not bad… I’ll go back.

FIrst of all, let me say I am all for supporting independantly owned, downtown businesses so I was excited to try this Cuban-​Latin American restaurant right in the middle of the downtown area, on 4^th street. I went with a fewf friends on a recent weekend night. It was too cold to sit outside (the patio has potential to be excellent for people watching come spring/​summer time!) so we sat inside. The indoor space is kind of odd in that it seems to be reminiscent of a mall food court, although it is spiced up with a nice open kitchen and some sounds of nearby jazz from some other business in the shopping center were audible.
The waitress was busy but provided attentive service. The wine selection was regionally appropriate but apparently in transition to a new beverage menu. Other beers and drinks (mojito) were available as well. The empanadas which we got for an appetizer (both veggie and beef) were a highlight of the evening. They are delicious! and served with an accompanying sauce. My entrée, fried fish tacos, left something to be desired. The tacos themselves were extrememly greasy, to the extent that when I held the taco up to eat it, grease poured from the bottom of the taco onto my plate making a large pool of oil all over. I’m not sure if the oil wasn’t hot enough or what but it was just not very tasty. It came with some yucca «fries» which were also somewhat bland and again, greasy. My friends entrees, a special taquito and tamale, appeared to be better choices.
The price is fairly reasonable, about $ 8 – 15 for most of the entrees and $ 5 – 9 for the appetizers. Anyway, all in all it has potential and I could see this as a place I would come back in the summer to and sit on the patio, have a drink and some empanadas… but I think there are better choices for dinner.