People used to visit the weird little triangular building at 1005 E. Fort Union Blvd. People used to line up in droves, in fact, because the building was a Snelgrove ice-cream parlor (let's all take a moment to fondly remember those!).

I guess it's not surprising that Utahns' love of frozen treats was strong enough to overcome the site's drawbacks: skimpy parking, fast-moving street traffic and access only to cars traveling west on Fort Union.

Since Snelgrove closed, the place has gone through a succession of Mexican-themed eateries, one of which was the likable and unique Trompos.

I remember hoping last year that Trompos would overcome its building's tendency to be a restaurant graveyard. But within months of my "official" visit, it was closed, to be replaced recently by Rancho Burrito, owned by the latest optimistic souls to take a gamble on the site.

Rancho Burrito makes good food, and it's got a drive-thru, and it's open 24 hours, and it's reasonably priced, and the staff is friendly and helpful despite what, for me, was a language barrier (if you speak Spanish, you're golden).

That should be enough to give it a good run at success, but we'll have to see.

Rancho Burrito hasn't changed much of the look of the place, though the menu now emphasizes big, hearty "rancho burritos" of various traditional meats with rice, beans and other standard fixings.

There also is a decent menu of breakfast burritos with eggs, potatoes, cheese, beans and various meats, and I like the fact that they're available 24 hours a day.

When we visited Rancho Burrito, my kids and I ordered a whole mess of stuff and passed it around, reserving a carne asada burrito for my husband, who was unfortunately elsewhere that evening.

I took a couple of bites of it, though, enjoying the scads of tender, strongly flavored beef with which it was filled and, even more, the fresh and chewy tortilla in which it was wrapped.

I had most of a "mixed" breakfast burrito packed with potatoes, cheese, eggs, bacon and ham. It was salty and chewy and tender and juicy, though some of the thick-cut bacon was a little less well-done than I like it.

My two middle daughters also shared a mixed breakfast burrito, while my oldest had a couple of crispy, beef-filled rolled tacos and a bean and cheese burrito, simple but tasty and generously sized.

My son had a few nibbles of his own bean and cheese burrito and then concentrated on the big side dish of rice we ordered, which could easily feed several people for the bargain price of $2.

For dessert, the kids munched on churros while I enjoyed a sweet and creamy dish of Mexican rice pudding.

Burritos $2.99-$6.99, value meals $6.30-$6.99, tacos $2.49-$4.99, specialties $6.50-$7.99, plates $6.75-$7.99, sides and extras 99 cents-$6.50, kids' meals $3.99, desserts $1.25-$2.70.

Rancho Burrito

Rating: ★★1/2

Where: 1005 Fort Union Blvd., Midvale

Hours: Open 24 hours daily

Payment: Major credit cards accepted; no checks

Phone: 801-566-3450

Wheelchair access: Easy

Also: Drive-up service available

Stacey Kratz is a freelance writer who reviews restaurants for the Deseret News. E-mail: skratz@desnews.com