Came here for Father's Day for the first time. Sat inside-- service was good. Interior is okay, old and outdated. Food was great. Salsa and chips came right away. Tasty and fresh. Ceviche with shrimp for appetizer. $24 Carne asada plate-- husband enjoyed it. $25 I had the Avilas soup with two crispy tacos beef/chicken $21 --The tacos were super crunchy and delicious. Priced pretty high for mediocre environment. Although, the portions were generous. read more

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Such a great dinner, fresh hot chips and delicious salsa, it was a touch spicy tonight, just the way I like it. Service was great, I forget the gentleman's name that was the server but he is always great! Tonight got the surf and turf tacos. They were really good, tender beef and well cooked shrimp finished off with pico and cheese. I asked for a side of cotija but it was not the greatest. Despite that, really good meal! read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Mexican Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

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Stopped in at Avila's El Ranchito in Laguna Nigel. The good was delicious, I ordered the shrimp enchiladas and my friend ordered the big combo which had beef Asada, chicken, pork Carnitas and shrimp! It was a huge plate which probably would've fed two people. The ambience is fabuloso, and the service was good for as busy as they were. Stop in and enjoy a nice ice cold Modelo bottled beer! read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Shrimp enchiladas in a green sauce - Mexican Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

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It's a great day when you find another location to this epic Mexican food brand! It's a smaller footprint than other locations but that only adds to its ambience. The team works so in sync, like a family restaurant that the local community cherishes. Many regulars came and went and were greeted warmly. With everyone sharing the same enthusiasm to deliver a stellar experience; you'll want for nothing and leave stuffed from delicious food. Look forward to bringing my family to this location! read more

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We love Avila's and are looking forward to celebrating their 20 years of excellent food and service. @avilas.laguna.niguel

I've been coming to Avila's El Ranchito in Laguna Niguel for years, and it never disappoints. The food is always fresh and full of flavor, the portions are great, and the service is consistently friendly and attentive. It's a reliable go-to spot with a welcoming atmosphere. definitely one of my favorites read more

Staff: We experienced the best customer service we've had in all of 2024 outside of our trips to Japan. The staff here is next level incredible. Our server was Ivanna who was out of this world amazing. She was incredibly friendly, sincere, attentive, and overall the epitome of top notch service. Edwin also helped her with service and he was awesome. Overall the staff here made us feel so welcome and truly showed their appreciation for our business. Service was 10 stars if that was possible. Quality/Quantity: The food here is really good. Been customers of the location in Orange for 20 years or so. Tonight we had a group of 8 so not going to list everything we ate but here is a small list. 1) Avila soup which was delicious 2) Beef/Potato tacos huge and very flavorful 3) Taquitos were really good 4) Abondegas 5) Blood Orange Margaritas was pretty good, and more. Lastly for the birthday celebration they provided deep fried ice cream which was heavenly. All food quantities were generous. The only food item I would modify is make the salsa thicker so not pico de gallo but blended. Value: The pricing is a little high in my opinion at $21 for 2 tacos, beans, and rice. However, the quality of food, great service, and ambiance makes it worth it. Overall: We were truly amazed at the service and food. Most definitely we will be returning soon. read more

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Haven't been to this location in years. Decided we wanted tacos. This is what we got. Awful! The picture speaks for itself self and the crispy tacos were stale tasting. Really gross and will never go back. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Awful. The restaurant is obviously ok with serving this to customers and charging over $5.00 for pico on a stale corn tortilla. - Mexican Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

On our first time to this restaurant, we had high hopes. The food was good but the server was rude and insulting! He didn't understand what a vegan is and therefore messed up our order. No big deal, it happens. However, his comments (not about being vegan, per se), after this happened were way out of line. We agreed that neither of us have Ever been spoken to by a server in this way! read more

Love the service but manager Paige is a bit high strung and should listen better to customers. I remember why now I do not come here on a regular basis when I don't want to cook. Closing early and rude manager. read more

Great food and super friendly staff. Amazing ambiance and super cozy. The fried ice cream was amazing and so was the food. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - One beef one chicken enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

Every Avila's I've visited serves outstanding meals, and huge servings! Every meal I've ordered has been delicious, and with enough to share, or to take home if I am alone. One Avocado Burrito is good for both dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow. :^) I've been visiting this location since they opened... maybe that's why they treat me like family. Or maybe that is just the way they are... I cannot recommend this cafe too highly. read more

Come have the blackened shrimp salad. Do not collect $200 or stop at go. I'm not kidding. SO YUMMY!!! I've had my share of fresh good shrimp but this was amazing! Shared with a friend. I got the lunch combo of mama avila's soup and two crispy tacos. Tried a couple mocktails too! Affordable and good service! Highly recommend! read more

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Unfortunately, if I could leave zero stars, I would. The only reason this review includes one is because the system requires it to post. My husband and I just left this establishment extremely disappointed. The mole, rice, beans, taco were stale, flavorless, and clearly not fresh, which made the entire experience unpleasant. When we addressed our concerns, Payton, the manager, showed little to no willingness to make things right or offer any form of reasonable customer resolution. Customer service is a direct reflection of management, and this experience unfortunately explains the consistently low ratings this restaurant has received. We left feeling unheard and undervalued as paying customers. I strongly encourage management to re-evaluate both food quality and customer service standards. As you can see, I would not recommend this place read more

Avila's in Laguna Niguel feels like a restaurant running on fumes. Part of a network of Mexican joints that scatter across Southern California, some of them like the San Clemente location still have a pulse. But this one? It's like walking into a party that's been over for hours, but no one bothered to leave. Sure, it fills up now and then. But even when it's packed, there's a sadness that hangs in the air. A going-through-the-motions vibe. You won't find anything daring here, just the usual suspects: enchiladas, tacos, burritos. All priced to move, all delivered by people who look like they're halfway out the door already. They're not rude. They're not friendly. They're just there. Like background noise. I ordered my usual litmus test, enchiladas suizas, and what showed up might as well have been made by a distracted toddler. No love. No heat. No soul. Just something that checked a box on the menu. The drinks? Shaken and stirred by what I can only describe as zombies, joyless, mechanical, dead behind the eyes. Look, I get it. You've served that plate of food a million times. But I haven't had it yet. Make me feel like it matters, even just for the three minutes you're at my table. Instead, you take the order like you're collecting homework, obligatory, perfunctory, transactional. This place is two blocks from my house. Two blocks. I've lived here ten years. I've been here three times. That tells you everything you need to know. read more

I've never heard of this chain and was surprised how many OC locations they have. I was hankering for Mexican food and wanted a carne asada steak with beans and rice. I ordered this plate and the small soup since I wanted to see why it was so well-regharded. I got takeout online and it was ready some minutes after I came to pick it up. I've had better Mexican food. The carne was a bit fatty and could have used more flavor. The rice and beans were passable. I also got chips and salsa; the salsa was too tomato concentratey and oregano-y but had the right spice. The chicken and rice soup was okay but too loaded with things to eat. I desired more broth. There are certainly better spots for Mexican food that's even cheaper. I just have to drive farther for it. read more

Went here recently on a time crunch with my girlfriend and literally within minutes of ordering our food it came out beautifully prepared. I ordered the combo with beef taco and chili relleno and it was sooo yummy!! Pro tip for my spicy lovers: ask for their habanero sauce to mix in with the salsa for extra heat. My friend got the salad and I didn't get a chance to try anything because she devoured it within minutes, so I'm assuming it was good haha. I also really like the presentation for the salad, super pretty and instagram worthy. The service was on point. Servers checked on us frequently and never let our water cups go empty. I recommend giving this spot a try if you're ever craving authentic Mexican food. You can even smell all the delicious food before stepping in the restaurant! read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Beef taco and chili relleno - Mexican Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

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I come here with family and friends. Service is great they are all so friendly. Lots of positive energy . The food always comes out so fast and is perfect every time . Worth it . Always get the Chile relleno read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Mexican Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

Oscar, my server was amazing! Very hospitable and offered some great entrees! I enjoyed the shrimp enchiladas and classic margarita! The guacamole was also great! Great neighborhood spot!! read more

You can tell a lot by the chips and salsa... they were gross. Based off that I kept it simple and ordered a steak quesadilla, when I tell You the steak was dry with no taste, though full of steak.. but not enjoyable. The crispy taco meal was better but not enough to have us run out. Save your money and time, go elsewhere. read more

It was our first time here. Everything was fresh and delicious and everyone was so nice. Big portions! And they celebrated our first visit with dessert. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Fried ice cream - Mexican Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

First time at this location. Inside location is small with limited seating. Much of their seating is outdoors. We would normally choose to sit outside but it was chilly out this evening. Service was good, friendly and very attentive. Food was just so so. My husband ordered the shredded chicken Azteca burrito. It looked tasty when it arrived but the inside of the burrito was not hot, lukewarm at best. It seemed like the burrito was pre-made and possibly zapped in the microwave to melt the cheese it was topped with or placed under a warmer to melt the cheese. My husband likes his food hot so he ended up bringing most of it home. While I wanted to say something to our server he did not want to make a big deal over it. I ordered the 2 tacos and caldo. The soup could have been better as well but it was also not hot, again luke warm at best. I ordered one chicken and one beef taco. The chicken taco was tasty but the beef taco was very dry with little flavor. Overall our experience here was not great and definitely not the best Mexican food we've ever had. The food came to our table surprisingly very fast but I believe they sacrificed quality over trying to turn the tables quickly because I would have preferred to wait another 5-10 minutes to receive better quality food. Well at least hot food. We will probably stick with our other usual "go to" Mexican restaurants in the area. I would have probably rated this a 2 but the service brought it up to a 3. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Azteca burrito with shredded chicken - Mexican Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

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We get food catered from them for work events food is always great their mini flautas and mini bean and cheese burritos are always a hit in the office! Service is always good too. read more

I have been to this location several times over the past few years and have always left mostly satisfied. Today, however, I was unimpressed -- and to be honest, disgusted -- by some of the food I was served. My combo plate included beans, rice, a chicken flauta, and a beef enchilada. The rice was fine, and the beans had some dried out bits. But the flauta, which was supposed to be crunchy, was limp and unpleasant. I ate it before I could snap a photo, as posting a Yelp review was far from my mind. I just wanted to eat my meal in peace after a long day. The beef enchilada was OK -- until I reached the middle. There I found what I think must be tripe or some other unpleasant stretchy material, and quite a lot of it. I immediately lost my appetite, dropped my fork and knife on the plate, and left the rest of the food uneaten. The whole plate seemed hastily assembled. It came to my table within three or four minutes of my placing an order with the server, much to my surprise. What I thought was impressive efficiency was actually slapdash preparation. The bad taste it left in my mouth means I won't be back to this location, sorry to say. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Dried-out refried beans - Mexican Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

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My boyfriend and I went to Avila's last night, everything seemed good so far. The waitress was funny and kind and the food was good. Until I started eating my tortillas, it was kind of hard as if it was microwaved. My boyfriend was going to give me his and that was when we found a hair between the tortillas. We told waitress and she took it away quickly but when my boyfriend asked who prepared it she said "we don't make our tortillas. I don't know who the supplier is". As if it was the supplier's fault. then my boyfriend asked if they wear hairnets, her response was "well even the guys have hair" ???? it was as if she thought we were dumb. Some guy gave us half off of my boyfriend's plate which was nice but the waitress' response was so weird. I think I was mostly disappointed with her than the hair. read more

Ordered the family pack- super easy to order and pick up. The food was perfect, everyone was raving about the quality. Such a great deal- quality and price combo! read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Family pack spread - Mexican Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

I tried this restaurant for the first time yesterday. I ordered a simple Carne Asada burrito. The worst I have ever had. The meet they used was spoiled. It stunk bad and tasted bad. I will not go there again. read more

Ok so food was good but waiter kept coming over and cleaning our table while still enjoying our conversation. Then another female waiter came over to ask if she could bring the check and told her we already paid. Then the original waiter came over and asked if he could take our drink glasses. We asked if it was a problem to just sit and talk. He said no but the the booth would soon be needed. There were plenty of tables available so we didn't understand. I had brought a friend there for the first time, I'm sure she won't be going back...... Sorry read more

If you've been in Orange county for any amount of time, let alone lived here for most of your life, you've been to one of the Avila's El ranchito that are dotted through OC. This one in Laguna Niguel is a little bit farther from the freeway than you would probably like, however, it is fantastic as always. The servers are all very nice and once they get to know to you you are always greeted like a champ! For those looking for a lighter fare, go for the caldo y tacos which is always a hit. Their nachos are reasonably priced and include the meat. A lot of these places. Now you have to pay 20 bucks for nachos and if you want meat it's another five or six bucks. Not here. The 50/50 enchiladas are amazing. They're refried beans are killing it. Don't forget their crunchy tacos. If you're in this neck of the woods, please try this place out or any of the others dotted throughout the landscape. Support your local. read more

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Last visit I was again disappointed. I have ordered chili relleno in many restaurants before. It was so tasteless and lukewarm. So were the chips and the service. I'm done with this place. read more

It's been awhile (since Covid) that I have dined here. Parking is easy and the staff was friendly. We were seated immediately inside in a nice booth. We were brought chips and salsa immediately. The chips were lightly salted, crisp and warm and tasty. The salsa was chunky, delicious, and had just a bit of heat. I ordered a combo of a shredded crispy beef taco and a shredded chicken enchilada with green tomatillo sauce. They were both a bit bland and thought they could use more spice/heat flavor. My plate was hot, but, unfortunately, my food was only a little warm. I asked to have it reheated, and it still was not hot enough. The beans and rice were good. My fiancé ordered the shrimp fajitas. They were piping hot and more flavorful than my dish. The service was good, and our waitress was nice and friendly. Although I was a bit disappointed in my meal, I may be willing to give this place another try. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Combination plate: crispy shredded beef taco and shredded chicken enchilada with green tomatillo sauce and sour cream - Mexican Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

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Went for a drive, quick walk and to grab some tacos. Still searching for the best taco. Started with some chicken tortilla soup and then moved on to a la carte tacos. Pretty decent. Service was ok. We had to continuously ask for items to be brought to us because the server kept forgetting. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Chicken tortilla soup - Mexican Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

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After going to this beloved location for more than 2 decades, we purposely come to this location in Laguna Niguel for the calamari steak and called ahead specifically to ask if it was still being served which we were told it was Upon being seated and asking, it was not on the menu nor have they been serving it for many years we opted instead for tortilla soup and a burrito, which probably was some of the worst food we've ever had really disappointing to see this location go downhill read more

We ate here last night. While the staff was friendly the service was lacking. Our waitress took our order, my wife asked for her Carnitas to be done crispy and both flour and corn tortillas. Our dinners were delivered in good time but her carnitas were medium, and she only got flour tortillas. No one came to ask if things were good for at least 15-20 minutes. By the time they did her dinner was getting cold. They offered to redo the carnitas and she asked for the mixed tortillas again. The carnitas were brought back and they were as she asked but no tortillas. She asked again for her tortillas. Almost 20 minutes later someone came and asked how her dinner was and she said never got her tortillas. By then we had been there over an hour without her being able to have dinner. So we asked them to take her dinner off our bill which they did. Then we paid and left. Every time someone brought anything to the table it was a different person and it was as if none of them had a clue about what was happening with our order. It felt like they didn't know anything about the requests for the food order. During this whole time there were staff standing around the service area that could have put their time to better use by checking on the tables. I think there's a communication problem with the staff that needs to be addressed. Coordination between staff is key and it seemed to be lacking last night. read more

Gave this place another shot, and it failed miserably. The $10 taco tuesday margs (which $10 isn't even a great deal) came out of a gun and tasted like crap. I couldn't even finish it. The manager was watching some video on an iPad extremely loud and it was super annoying. I wish this place was at least subpar since it's right by my house...but nope. I'll wait another couple years to give it another try. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Yuck skinny marg - Mexican Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

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The most delicious carnitas last night, and enough for 2 meals! Everyone is so friendly at this location. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Carnitas platter and a margarita - Mexican Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

Came her with a few coworkers for and early lunch. It is not very authentic. I ordered shrimp enchiladas and they shrimp was not fresh and was either reheated or just over cooked and it was hard to chew. The rice was also not very good. Their salsa for chips seems to be canned and it's very acidic and not good at all. I would probably stick to plain tacos next time. Prices were reasonable for the portion size but the quality of the food is lacking. The server was polite and did check on us a few times. It got a little more packed as we were leaving. We got a dessert of fried ice cream for my coworker as it was her bday. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Mexican Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

This place has some of the best Mexican food, one of my favorite dishes is avocado bowl it's so yummy, my husband loves their tacos! Always wonderful service, love the location as well, in beautiful Laguna Niguel! read more

Payton needs to remember that all customers should be treated with courtesy and no attitude. I do not serve her. She serves me. If she wants the front door open, with the AC flowing out, she may politely say so. She does not get to contemptuously announce to my face that the door "needs" to be always open because of "seating people". (What people?) Complete with a roll of her eyes and both arms and her head sweeping to the left while informing me that if it bothers me I should move further in. Huh. I was just trying to be helpful and Payton was way out of line. Customers often push open the front door and leave it open. I was just being courteous and I expect that in return. read more

Looking for a signature margarita, sizzling fajita, spicy salsa, or any savory Mexican favorite? Then Avila's El Ranchito is for you. Perfect and cozy place with amazing staff, decor, and entreés to keep you returning again and again. Drop by on your next visit to Laguna. read more