When you hear the phrases "authentic Mexican food," "hard-to-beat prices" and "shrimp cocktail with chunks of octopus strewn throughout the sauce," does Taqueria el Ranchito on Clark Street come to mind? If not, maybe it should.

The restaurant, formerly known as Caminos de Michoacan, has all the Mexican staples you've come to yearn for way past your bedtime—tacos, burritos, fajitas and more—plus breakfast and seafood, whenever you want! (Literally, as it's open 24 hours a day.) Besides the aforementioned campechana pulpo camaron, Taqueria also has ostione en su concha—six shelled oysters—and, for the breakfast-inclined, a chorizo omelette. But if you're not feeling particularly adventurous when you visit—maybe you want to save octopus chunks for a special occasion, like your wedding—you can always try the $2.99 chicken wings, a plate drenched and overflowing in BBQ sauce. Tasty though they are, the name should be changed to BBQ sauce soup, guest starring chicken wings, to avoid creating false hope or expectations.

Though it's not the fanciest place in Uptown, Taqueria el Ranchito more than makes up for it with its down-to-Earth attitude and friendly-as-your-grandma service. Want to watch Spanish television while you consume the Mexican- (or American-) style omelette? There's a TV in the top-left corner of the diner-esque, one-room restaurant that allows for doing just that. And, if you're lucky, you might even catch your least favorite movies in Spanish, like "Batman Forever," which fortunately is way better than the original English version. "¡El Batman por siempre!"—indeed.

Average cost: <$10

Centerstage Reviewer: Benjamin Andrew Moore