I've passed by Avila's but never tried it until today. Very large menu selection for all day dining. Large portions. Great attitude by the staff = Great service. Located just off S Glassell St going into Old Towne Orange, nestled in between trees & an alleyway, this restaurant is deceptively roomy on the inside, being a former church. The floor creeks when you walk, so imagine how the parishioners felt trying to step out from the pews. Kind of quaint! You can dine inside or in the patio that faces E Almond Ave. I ordered the 2 combo of Flauta (beef) and Tamale (pork) with rice and beans. I was going to order a beef taco, but waited until I got my order & I am glad I did because Avila's FILLS this plate UP to the brim, almost overflowing (which is fine with me). The Tamale was covered with verde sauce (nice KICK in the spice, but not lingering). The tamale was moist, much better than most where the corn meal is dry. The flauta is placed next to a bed of guacamole & sour cream, so this was made for a exquisite dipping experience (I love both). The service was excellent keeping drinks filled & always checking in to make sure everything is okay, even as then are passing by. Overall, today's experience is WooHOO, as good as it gets. Coming back to try more on the menu, including the Shrimp al Mojo de Ajo. I've tried many of the restaurants and eateries in OTO, but so far, Avila's is the only one given a 5-Star. Highly recommend as it should be a very well rounded dining experience. Happy Eating and Fight On! read more

See all

Great atmosphere and good service. The food was delicious . It was a birthday celebration and it was the perfect setting.

Went to Avila's for the first time last night. Loved the fact it's housed in a former church and the food/service was very good. Waiter was great and very attentive, and the steak asado/shrimp combo had good flavor and was cooked well. Recommended if you want solid casual Mexican food in a nice atmosphere. Nothing jaw dropping food wise but that's ok, especially for the price point. Will go again. read more

Service and food was great. Definitely a place to check out. Guava Margarita is yummm. read more

I always Enjoy going to this location . Great service Great vibes Ernesto and Benny The bartenders are Fantastic. The food is excellent Great place to get drinks or a meal in Old town orange read more

The food is not great, especially for the price. The ambiance is nice though! And the service is pretty good. Would generally recommend some other restaurants before this one though unfortunately. read more

Green chili verde, !so good! My favorite! Served with tortillas! Yummy The restaurant is in a old church. Beautiful stained glass windows. Great atmosphere read more

Always a solid choice when picking somewhere to eat. The circle was super packed today, on a Saturday, during lunch time so we decided to go to Avila's since it's a little off the main area and wasn't as busy. It was still pretty packed inside but we were able to be seated right away for 2. This isn't authentic Mexican but it usually hits the spot. You get unlimited chips and salsa, which is always a plus and there's a plethora of things to choose from on the menu. Today I went with 2 item combination plate with 1 crispy shredded beef taco, 1 soft carnitas tacos, rice, and beans. It even came with some guac! The crispy taco was better of the two, I really liked the carnitas but didn't realize it was corn tortilla instead of flour (this was my bad as I didn't check and didn't ask if I could get it on flour instead). I left satisfied and full! There were a lot of families eating there and someone was celebrating a birthday, definitely seems like a good place for bigger groups and there's a bar area as well. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Crispy shredded beef taco and carnitas soft tacos (2 item combination plate) - Mexican Near Me - Orange, California

This place is beautiful. It was once a church and they kept the same aesthetic and made it into a restaurant, so unique! We got seating for 3 immediately, our drink order was taken as soon as we sat down. And then I would say we were waiting for only 10-15 minutes and our food arrived! Extremely fast and friendly service! As soon as our drinks were done, we had another round taken and served as well. I ordered the chicken mole, my bf the Chile verde, and our friend the crispy tacos. It's a more than generous plate with rice, beans and tortillas served with order. I loved this place, and will definitely recommend! read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Chicken Mole - Mexican Near Me - Orange, California

Started with a rude host who could do nothing but mumble. The food was so incredibly bad - from brown lettuce to soggy taco salads to bland salsa to fajitas that were nothing but peppers and onions. The wait staff hung out in a cluster and not only forgot parts of our meal but never came to refill our water or ask if we needed anything. I couldn't quite get past the carpets that looked like they had never been cleaned. Not a great addition to the ambiance. There are so many Mexican restaurants around Santa Ana to have this be an option in the future. And the price was over the top for such a poor experience. Oh - the 1 star? They have good chips. read more

Great food, Great service. Family owned and all of their restaurants are consistently excellent!!

This is a very warm atmosphere of a place to go eat good Mexican food. This was our first time going here and its kinda weird but really cool at the same time. I haven't read up on the history of this place yet but it looks like it used to be a old church 100 years ago but now a Mexican restaurant. The food was a bit pricey but very good and the service was exceptional. I think anyone that likes good Mexican food should try this place out and there is a nice cocktail bar here to. read more

See all

Nothing special typical American style Mexican restaurant. food came out super fast. my mom was underwhelmed with her luke warm chili relleno and had to get it heated up. chips are really good. Building is cool. not worth going out of your way to way to eat here. read more

First time at this location and it was great! Parking can be a Little tight depending on when you come. Service was quick. We sat outside and it was a beautiful day for it. Ordered the potato tacos. They were awesome! The orange Circle Skinny margarita was perfect! Thanks Avilia's! We will be back! read more

See all

My co-workers arranged for us to meet here to celebrate a successful 2021 over lunch. In all the years I lived close to the Old Town circle, I had never been to Avila's before. If you go down the spoke where Kimmie's, Osea, and Blaze Pizza are, keep walking to the end and turn left. It is behind The Exchange Fine Arts Gallery. There are plenty of options for parking - you can find street parking, but it's easier to find a spot in a public lot. All of them are free if there is no event going on, like the International Food Fair. You can make reservations or walk-in; one of my co-workers made a reservation in advance and at least half of your party must be present in order to be seated. I came right at the reservation time and most of the team was there and seated inside. The waiters were attentive and polite - they made sure we had drinks, plenty of chips and salsa, and checked to make sure we enjoyed our food. We really didn't have to look around for someone to flag down, which was good. I ordered the Baja Bowl with chicken and no pico de gallo. They serve it in a large bowl with tortillas on the side. The bowl is flavorful with the chicken, avocado, rice, black beans, and tomatillo sauce. I had plenty leftover to take for another meal, which was perfect. Pricing ranges for each dish but you get a lot of food for what you pay. read more

From ambiance, building structure, food, drinks and service 10/10! This place is everything all in one package. We came here for a family dinner on a Saturday and it was wonderful. The place was full of people and alive. Everyone was helpful and attenuative start to finish! Our server took our drink order immediately and someone followed up with chips and salsa for the table. All our margaritas were delicious and not lacking alcohol or flavor at all. Once our food came, it was exactly the same! Amazing, no one had any complaints about anything ordered. We shared and all agreed it was so tasty! It's really a great place for a special dinner, family dinner or just to go and see the beautiful building. The inside along with outside is incredible in itself. Can't wait to return for more! Thank you, gabi read more

See all

Our favorite spot in the circle. We have been going there since it was PJ Abby's. We actually had many reunion parties and birthdays here. Our favorite Sunday is on the patio and eating fajitas! The drinks are great and servers so friendly and fast. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Shirley temple and chips and salsa - Mexican Near Me - Orange, California

Food was just average tonight... usually I LOVE El Ranchito and will go out of my way to get to any location of theirs. Honestly the best part of the meal was the margaritas. Their salsa is usually full of flavor but tonight it was just like spicy onion water. We ordered guac for the table and it just tasted like mashed avocado. No lime, onion, tomato or anything else typically added to guac. The tacos de papa was super boring and just tasted like potatoes in oil. It may have just been tonight but idk, usually other locations are so much better. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Tacos de papa - Mexican Near Me - Orange, California

See all

I got the chicken nachos last week- very affordable, and quite delicious. Interesting venue, too, as I believe they took over what had been a church building. so, the layout is abnormal for a restaurant (lol). Pretty good service, too. Clean. Would recommend! read more

Wonderful food and service every time. If you have not gone there, give it a try and you won't regret it.

Beautiful place to enjoy eats and drinks. Love the stained glass windows and especially the service and food 10 thumbs up read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Beautiful view - Mexican Near Me - Orange, California

Excellent Mexican food. My wife and I have stopped by here a couple times and have always enjoyed our meal. The service is excellent, our waiters have always been friendly and attentive. Location is a little smell, but it's cute. read more

Delicious Mexican food here at Avila's El Ranchito! They have so much to choose from. Love the atmosphere in the restaurant. Excellent customer service here. The chili verde chimichanga is very tasty. Can't wait to go back and eat more. Try them out! read more

See all

I do not recommend this restaurant. Based on a recommendation, I decided to try this restaurant. While the service was adequate, the food quality left much to be desired. The salsa tasted like it came from a can or bottle and was not appetizing. When my order arrived, I was disappointed with the carne asada, which seemed more like poached meat, and the carnitas were very dry. I ended up eating only rice and beans. While the prices for a sit-down dinner may seem average, the food quality doesn't justify it. It has a Mexican influence, but I wouldn't classify it as authentic Mexican cuisine. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No recomiendo este restaurante. Decidí ir a este restaurante por una recommendacíon. El servicio fue bueno desafortunadamente la comida no. La salsa tenia un sabor como que era embotellada, no muy apetitoso. Cuando llego mi orden, la carne no tenia buen sabor sin sazon y mal cocida. Las carnitas resecas. Una decepción total, termine comiendo solo arroz y frijoles. Los precios son promedio para una comida de restaurante pero no lo justifica la baja calidad de la comida. Yo le llamo influencia Mexicana pero no lo clasifico como Autentica comida Mexicana. read more

Location is great, ambiance is perfect. The staff is good, food.... No. Sorry el ranchito... your food lacks sabor (flavor).

Everything was perfect, including my fresh shrimp, quesadilla and cocktail except the chili Colorado. I don't know why we didn't send it back? It lacked flavor taste, and everything else. The place is really charming, and the service was very good. Just DONT order the chili, Colorado! read more

Good food and we will be back for sure. Service was good. Not too loud inside at all.

I used to go to this restaurant when it was PJ Abbys. So sad when it closed. The restaurant is beautiful, but the food now is so-so. Just as before, the place is really noisy because of the high volumn ceiling. I ordered the Grande Taco Salad, served in a tortilla bowl. I ordered shredded chicken. Way too much sour cream and the tortilla shell was hard and inedible. So many Mexican restaurants in Orange County that are much better. Disappointed. read more

I used to work for the company and was disappointed with the lack of enthusiasm from employees. It was my first time at this location tonight and the server with the mustache was inattentive and unmotivated which made the experience far less enjoyable. I even felt bad asking for napkins. Although the young busser did check up on us with enthusiasm which I really appreciated. I hope management takes steps to improve staff training. Other than the unwelcoming experience the food was great! read more

Met friends here. Typical Mexican flair but it was very flavorful. Seems like a great local spot.

First of all, it's so beautiful inside. The historic stained glass church interior really adds to the atmosphere. The food is good/reliable and very reasonably priced. If you like soup...GET IT! So fresh and delish, my fave thing in the menu. Huge portion also. They are great with larger parties too went with 8 people total, everyone ordered something different, nobody was displeased. Service was knowledgeable, reliable and very friendly. read more

We sat down and after minutes, I had to get back up and ask the host can we get a waiter please. It went downhill after that. The chips were cold and tasted like they were made out of plastic. We ask for fresh ones and got the same ones back that were microwaved and still tasting like plastic. The rest of the dinner also sucked. How this place stays open in be on me. read more

With so many other options, skip this location. Service staff very helpful, so a shame the food was awful. Manager claimed, "Well, we were busy." Avila's locations are not all equal. Never had a bad meal at other locations. read more

If you're looking for great Mexican food that has an upscale feel but isn't super expensive, this is the place! It's family owned and of their locations this is probably the prettiest one. Oh it used to be a Church so it feels very rustic and old style and got inspired. The service is usually pretty good, although tonight it was strangely busy so we rarely saw our waiter at our table...also it's really noisy in here so it makes it difficult to hear each other. Giving it 4 stars though because the food really is good and the building is so cute! read more

See all

Definitely the place to be to enjoy the best, authentic Mexican food there is on the planet. The interior of the restaurant is very lively and bright as it is a previous converted church building. The staff was very friendly provided the food in a very reasonable amount of time starting off with chips and salsa and some refreshing glass of water. I will definitely be back here. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Mexican Near Me - Orange, California

See all

6 of us went for nice evening dinner on Saturday July 5th. The server assigned didn't listen, didn't order right items. 1 guest's order given proper instructions not to include any cheese. 2 nd guests order was served cold 3 times. 2nd attempt they brought wrong order. Manager was involved by the staff but she didn't apologize or explained what happened. Rice order was served as fries which we didn't order & returned. Finally rice came 10 minutes late. No rectification nor apologies. No compensation for server acting either in rush, not listening or didn't comprehend english. We paid full & 18% tip which they didn't deserve a penny of it. Finally b4 leaving I talk to the self claimed mgr about the wrong orders more than once, tableware missing etc, she had nothing to say, no apologies. I told her i will be posting this on yelp. We have been here few times but this was the epitome of worst service by the staff. As i was the one to make a reservations though they don't take one, felt embarrassed & bad for rest of my group for bad service. I will not recommend this place to anyone or will ever step a foot in this restaurant. I would give minus 5 to the establishment. No one is training staff, quality check on orders or being courteous when they make mistakes. Go @ your own risk. At the end of the evening paid $320 for 5 drinks & 1 sofa & 5 dinner entries out of which 1 was shared between the couple. Waste of time & money read more

We went there for a family celebration (3 generations) so there were eight in our party. One of the family members was in a wheelchair so the hostess was kind enough to seat us in the back room. This was ideal because another family member has hearing issues and it was quieter in that room. The food was excellent. Can't wait to go back again! read more

Sat right away... great food and atmosphere. The food came out within minutes... couldn't be happier with the experience. Parking can be a little dicey depending on time of day but there's plenty around and a short walk doesn't hurt read more

Awesome ambience, but food is not flavorful. Salty doesn't equal savory Mexican food. I will keep trying as it's the cutest corner ever with those sweet heat lamps lighting up PCH. read more

I had dinner here on Saturday with my gf, sister, and her friends. I had no idea this place even existed because it just looks like an old church. Pretty cool. I had studied the menu throughout the week because I needed to figure out a game plan that would be within my diet regimen. Fortunately because their menu is so extensive, I was able to order something more exciting than some lame side salad that you might find elsewhere. My girlfriend and I ordered their Fiesta Botana (shrimp sauteed in garlic butter, shredded pork, and grilled chicken) and a Grande Taco Salad with shredded beef. The shrimp was cooked perfectly and their garlic butter sauce was sooo rich and full of that pungent garlic deliciousness. The pork was good, but I'm not really big on shredded pork, and the chicken was just grilled chicken. The garlic sauce definitely saved the day with the pork and chicken. The Grande Taco Salad was a solid choice, both in terms of taste and portions. The only thing that I somewhat disliked was how watery the bottom of the plate got. I just have this weird pet peeve thing about vegetables still being wet when they're in my salad I guess. Aside from food, the service was good and the seating arrangements outside made me feel safe. Because I'm on a diet, I wasn't able to try the other appetizers or order what I would truly get if I wasn't dieting, but what I did have was already enough to get me to come back. Their soup looks incredibly hearty and filling, as well as their burritos. read more