If you can't travel to Mexico right now, try a visit to El Rancho Mexico Restaurant in DeLand. You may think you're South of the border.

The family-run eatery in the North end of Gateway Shopping Center features homestyle Mexican cuisine. The ardila family - Alvaro, his wife Rosa, sons and daughter, Alex, Edgar, and Luisa and daughter in-law Julissa say they strive to maintain an authentic atmosphere. Menu items have Spanish names (with English descriptions); servers speak Spanish as well as English.

Not to mention the food, the Ardilas point out, is the real thing. The Ardilas are from Mexico City. Alvaro says they relocated their restaurant from Orlando to DeLand in 1994.

Among the many freshly made dishes prepared by Chef Rosa, the most popular are fajitas.

The restaurant also features daily luncheon specials starting at $3.99, all served with rice and beans, and weekend seafood specials including shrimp soup and red snapper.

"This is a family-oriented restaurant," Edgar says. "We treat customers like family".

To make diners feel as though they're at home in Mexico, the restaurant is decorated with sombreros, serapes, and posters of Toreros. A map of Mexico hangs on one wall. Mexican beer imports, domestic, wine and margaritas are all available.

After dinner, guests can finish up their meal with desserts such as Flan, sopapilla, rollito de frutas, or deep fried icecream, and sip some Mexican coffee.