Avila's is my go to when I want Mexican food. Newport Beach, Lake Forest, etc. This was my first time here at the Orange location. Great re-use of an old church. The stain glass windows and vaulted ceilings. All the food is amazing. We had two of my grandchildren with us and the staff had paper and crayons, and high chairs ready. read more

Service was lack-luster, as they forgot our tortillas for the fajitas and we were missing silverware, even after we asked for it. Getting drinks took some time, and everyone seemed disorganized, except for the lady that greeted me upon arriving. Food for me was unimpressive. I ordered the shrimp al la diabla, which I imagined a spicy red sauce with more of a seasoned rawness that would blow my socks off. The sauce was better off being stewed tomatoes - not worth the hefty $20 charge for 6 shrimp. As for the "kicked up salsa" for me to mix into my refried beans that they make in the back, cause I like it spicy. To my dismay, it was the standard salsa they serve with the "welcome" chips with some red pepper flakes added to it. Very disappointed even after the waiter said it was very good; it was, for lack of a better word, ghetto. Don't put Italian red pepper flakes for pizza in Mexican salsa. What a buzz kill - get the serranos out and start making real picante salsa. The aesthetics of the restaurant are cool, being an old church, but dang! It was very loud inside with the ceiling, kids crying, and the overall clatter of people and plates. It made it hard to have a conversation with anyone at your table. I won't be going back, cause I ended spending almost $45/w drinks/tip just for myself, and I felt that I only bought myself a stomach ache and disenchantment of hard earned money wasted. read more

I absolutely love this place. I am so excited for the day that we can get out of jail and sit in a booth and enjoy a cocktail, chips and salsa. The service here is amazing and the food is just to die for. I love that size of the shrimp yummmmm so great so good. So many great memories here. Kudos to the chef. read more

Absolutely the most delicious Mexican food I've ever had. Im a vegetarian, and there was TONS of veggie options. The fastest service too. Cant wait to eat here again! read more

Best Mexican food you'll ever eat!!! I'm a mighty whitey and I just love this place. Yummy skinny margaritas. Salsa is to die for. The Avilas soup is delicious. The meat they use is top notch! No fatty chicken here. All white meat. They staff is amazing!! I've used their catering too, they do a great job and it's reasonable. Once you eat here, You'll never want to eat at another Mexican place again! read more

We have been here several times and every time has been adequate. Tonight was different. We found a burned plastic in the chips that my friend almost chocked on. Thank god he did not. The manager came to check on us and although he apologized he failed to go above and beyond to rectify what happened. Then for some reason my husband asked for a Makers Mark on the rocks and unbeknownst to us they charge for the rocks. What?!? The ice is the same exact ice they use for the water, margaritas, etc. Why are they charging for the "rocks"?! We asked the server and again he was nice but did nothing to rectify the situation. The food here is good not great but the service needs help. If a customer almost chocks on a plastic found in your chips, the manager should act more concerned! read more

Veeeeeery Nice. Had the shrimps and asada.. Boom A tiny bit loud, but great atmosphere. 2 more beers and I would have been telling then to turn it up!! Hehehehehehe read more

The fresh guacamole was delicious with the chips! I got the chicken enchiladas, very good but pretty pricey. The staff there was friendly too read more

My parents were there yesterday, this is what they had to say... My husband and I really enjoyed our Sunday evening at el Ranchito watching the last game of the freeways series! Our bartender Monica made the best jalapeño margaritas and was so sweet and the manager Luis came by our bar top and talked with us for awhile and suggested so many great items to try. It was a perfect night and to top it off Angels won! read more

Love this place, the service and the food. only challenge is that the vaulted ceilings (its an old church) create a huge echo and feedback. I wouldn't take older folks with hearing aids to this location...my dad just couldn't filter all the noise. Love the food, service and old world feel....we go once a week!! Get the soup--trust me ...delicious and healthy! read more

Heavy meXimerican food. If you like tons of cheese and tons of sauce this place is for you. I grew up going to places like Mario's in HB and this was very similar. Not bad but not great either. I'd go back if I want a giant cheesy wet burrito. Drinks were strong and were priced ok but served in plastic wanna-b rocks glasses that have been used and washed way too many times so were cloudy and had a texture to the rim because the plastic was coming apart. read more

Best service ever every time and food is outstanding always have chips and salsa and fills your drinks without even asking read more

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

Not all Avila's are created equal. I grew up at the one in Huntington Park and by far, big difference. Not only is the flavor different, but the service and attention to detail. Was there again on Sunday; I had the menudo in a small cup and it was hot and very good! But, my enchilada lacked that original flavor, was cold and cheese wasn't melted. I was told, they are individually owned and operated. I guess I'll have to trek to HP from Orange County. Well worth the drive for those looking for that OG Avila experience. The management at HP, walk around and make sure customers are well taken care of. Everyone is treated like family. read more

Not the first time I've been to Avila's El Ranchito at the orange circle, but it will be the last. My family spent $94 on a to go order of fajita plates. We got home and realized they forgot to include all our tortillas in our to go bag. As well as sour cream and guacamole. I called and asked how they could rectify the situation and they said we could drive back to pick up our tortillas (mind you we live far) and they would generously include one free taco. I asked the manager if instead of a taco we could get a flan to all share. He said no. Most restaurants would gladly give dessert as a way to make up for messing up your order but this location has managers that lack customer service skills. I will not be coming back or recommending this restaurant to anyone moving forward. read more

Pros: Really interesting location: it's inside of very old church. Staff was friendly, food came out in a timely fashion, TVs if you want to come in and watch some sports games. Cons: It's not exactly the best or most authentic tasting Mexican food. Our dishes looked so drab. The prices are okay but not the best considering the food wasn't amazing. Overall, good experience read more

The only Mexican restaurant that my wife says taste like her moms cooking?Very good service and nice servers. Great atmosphere, Building is an old church,.Pretty loud, but everything else is great. read more

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

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I definitely would not recommend this place for Mexican food. I came in on Monday it was not that busy ordered the skinny tacos and they came out lukewarm. The food came out way too fast which means it probably was not the freshest, only thing I could say that is good about this place is the skinny cucumber margarita, the food is sub par. The service was good but they definitely need to work on their food. read more

Came here for a friends birthday dinner and Ale made the experience memorable! She was attentive, funny, kind, and patient! They took care of the cake we brought, lit up the candles, brought plates, spoons, and sang as well! The enchiladas I ordered were delicious! I was impressed! Overall great experience! The servers kept my water and pink lemonade filled up as well throughout my entire dinner! Thank you! read more

Great food, service and historical ambiance. The restaurant looks like an old church the food is delicious. I orderd the steak fajitas w vegetables and tortillas, only. I try to avoid excess carbs and the order met my needs. .y daighter had chicken tacos, she enjoyed. I did enjoy the chips and salsa, carbs lol. I would highly recommend this place because of the authentic food, friendly staff, value, easy parking and location. read more

I have been going to El Ranchitos since the mid 1970's. I have usually gone to the Orange County restaurants from Newport Beach to South County and some in North County. The old church in Orange is one of my favorites. There is nothing bad to ever say about these fine people and their host of restaurants. Everything is always cooked to perfection. And if you don't like it, they will always accommodate you. This restaurant should get 6 stars if it were available. Ron Keith Orange, CA read more

Yesterday I got the 1/2 trays of fajita, chicken and beef. To my embarrassment to my guests the chicken and beef fajitas were just vegetables, you could make two tacos out of the meat that was in there. And they were supposed to feed 20 people. Spending about 90.00 for vegetables was not my idea of fajitas. I will never use them again for my parties again, don't waste your time. read more

I ate at El Ranchito - Orange the other day and I thought the soup and salad was very poor! The same order at the 1st St location is vastly better. The chicken soup here had very little flavor, the salad uneventful and no tortillas were served. Would never order again! read more

Excellent service, among the best I have had. The waiter was very attentive and the order was brought out very quickly. I will probably botch the spelling but five of us ordered the "Chingalingas", a pastry wrapped chicken dish served with delicious rice and beans. There is a healthy serving of sour creme and guacamole in the center of the dish. The restaurant building formerly was a church, and an old one at that. It is open, a high vaulted ceiling (maybe vaulted is not the right term), with stain glass windows and ornate woodwork in the back near the bar area. The bar area appeared to be lively, although there were several patrons enjoying sports games and reveling, the noise they were making didn't carry beyond the bar area. We were able to enjoy pleasant conversation, the background noise simply adding a festive aire. The interior is yellow, and with the massive hanging lights providing the perfect level of illumination. My family was very happy to have discovered this place which we will be frequenting and sharing with our friends. read more

The servers here are usually sweet and very prompt. Their chicken mole is so delicious and their portions are huge. I'm too scared to order this again because of how big it was. I also love their happy hour menu and margarita options. read more

I had always said, half jokingly, that it's impossible to get bad Mexican food in SoCal. Until we had dinner at Avila's. There's absolutely nothing positive about that meal, other than the interesting venue, which was misleading. Everything in entrees was old, reheated (microwaved), and full of onion even where it didn't belong. Chips were store bought and stale, salsa watery and of course consisting of mostly onions, margaritas sickeningly sweet. People who work there are nice but they obviously follow money-saving instructions from the top. Should've known better than to go to a chain. Don't be misled by their fancy locations and venues. Bad Mexican food IS possible in SoCal afterall. read more

Food was great service was horrible despite the fact that we got seated really quick waited about 5 min u told someone noticed we were there which was the bus boy he took out order and our drinks I didn't know who my server (Jonatan)was until the end he kept going towards all other tables to check up on them except us very disappointed with the service for such good food read more

I'm going to teach you how to enjoy Abuela's homage to chicken soup: Step 1 - go out the night before and get hammered. Step 2 - wake up on the floor Step 3 - head to Avila's and order the founder's beautiful chicken soup with avocado and rice along with a michelada. Step 4 - rejoin the living read more

My beer was cold. And the service was very friendly and fast. I had the Avila soup. It is a meal in itself Chicken, rice, avocado and whole lot of yummieness That alone filled me up and I still took some home. The chips and salsa are excellent. The salsa was not too spicy. And the flavor was excellent. I can see how parking may be an issue. I found a spot easily. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Avila soup and salad. - Mexican Near Me - Orange, California

We love meeting my parents here for dinner ! Taco Tuesdays too! Best part is that they have a nice patio that's dog friendly too! read more

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

Great service! Love having brunch here. The bartenders are friendly and quick. A go to favorite

I come to Orange quite often, but had no idea there was an El Ranchito near the circle. The place is beautiful. It used to be an old church- so it has vaulted ceilings and stained glass windows. The owners of the place made a great decision because I thought it was absolutely gorgeous inside. Since it was a Tuesday, we thought they would for sure have a Taco Tuesday menu- however, they only serve that in the bar. Boo. We didn't feel like waiting, so we just took a table. Service was prompt and quick. As soon as we sat down, we were greeted with warm chips and salsa. Between the three of us, we consumed three baskets- it was pretty tasty. The pico de gallo salsa that accompanies it was good, too. It had good chunks and a good amount of spice. A huge plus- they serve breakfast all day, so I went with the machaca and eggs. I just about fell over when she asked me if I wanted beef or chicken. I didn't even know that was ever an option. I opted for chicken since I had never had it before. To help wash down the food, I paired it with the Avila's Amber which was super refreshing after gorging on chips. During happy hour it was only $3.50. A great deal. The food came out quick and piping hot, and the machaca was surrounded by beans and rice. The meat was definitely breast as it was almost perfect cubes wrapped up in the fluffy eggs. With my giant flour tortilla (you can get corn if you want), I wrapped up breakfast mixture and added a little of the pico de gallo salsa, and it was incredible. I would definitely come back for this. The food was good, but I really think the ambiance made it a lot better. For a Tuesday night, the place was packed. Because there are vaulted ceilings, it can get quite loud in there if people are talking and laughing. Just don't expect a quiet dinner, because it probably wont happen. It was good quality food for the price. We got a margarita, three beers and three entrees and it came out to $42 and we were all stuffed. Again, a great deal! read more

Let me start by saying that I love all of the Avila's restaurants around OC, except this one.... The management at this location is out of touch with customer service, the staff is friendly, but generally seem to under-trained and unable to make minor decisions that would make BIG customer service impact. Short story: Taco Tuesday several weeks back - Wife, 3 yr old daughter, and I came in for dinner, which was generally average (and generally over priced for taco tuesday on a patio bar), but whatever - they have great chips and salsa, so we purchased 4 "promo" tacos and 4 "premium" tacos, as well as 2 beers and 2 margaritas. All good, right? Wrong.... My kid is 3, she had about 2 bites of her "premium" shrimp taco, and then she was too busy with crayons to eat the rest. Asked for a box for her taco, and was told "Taco tuesday is dine in only - you can't take leftovers with you. it's a special price and if we let people take food home we'll lose money". This was a $5.00 a la carte taco, which i had already paid for - how exactly are you losing money if i take home the leftovers after I spent $40.00+tip on food and drink for 2.5 people? I understand a dine-in only policy for tacoTuesday, that makes perfect sense - but to prohibit taking leftovers that have already been paid for is just plain insulting. I'm not even annoyed about the taco - it was the condescending "manager" that needed to come out and "authorize" me to take home a buck and half worth of taco. Last word here - I LOVE the other Avila's locations, and eat there all the time. This location needs a management and food quality tune up. read more

Great food and service! The food is always served quickly and the drinks are strong. I've been to a few of the restaurants including the original in Huntington Park. The family is at that location daily and the service is on point. Anything you order is going to be delicious! read more

I love the scenery of this place. I got a lunch special burrito. I'm sad that I didn't get take down the actual name because I should of. The burrito was so good! My dad got the carne asada plate. The atmosphere was welcoming, the staff was very nice too. I'll probably end up coming back. My dad will forsure be back because he left super happy and satisfied. Thank you! read more

The bf and I came here by default. Our first choice was packed and had a nearly 2 hour wait. Uhh...no! This hungry girl ain't waiting THAT long. I had no idea this place existed. Just a smidge away from the Orange Circle lies Avila's El Ranchito. From the outside it looks nothing like a restaurant but used to be an old church with wooden interiors and stained glass windows. Not exactly the kind of Mexican restaurant you'd expect to see. We had gone on a Friday night around 8pm. Again--from the outside it didn't look that packed but as soon as we walked in it was loud, crowded and quite busy. Luckily we were able to get a table with no wait. We sat in the main dining area but our table was beside the second level so when we were eating I saw a copious amount of feet marching back and forth--inches from our table. I personally don't want to see stomping feet on the corner of my eye AND at the same level as my food. It took awhile to get our chips and salsa. The salsa was pretty good. Had a nice kick to it. Wasn't too runny nor chunky but the chips tasted a bit stale. Must have been a bad batch. Either way who wants to eat a chip without the crunch?? No bueno. After the complimentary chips and salsa were bestowed upon us it then took awhile for someone to get our drinks, but by the time our server came we pretty much knew what to order. I had the mahi mahi fish tacos with a side of black beans and rice. I was expecting two soft tacos with a substantially good amount of cabbage, white sauce and thick cuts of fish--not skinny fish stick sized pieces of mahi mahi with a few shreds of greens. Though the fish had a reasonable amount of flavor, it was nothing near breathtaking and the rice and beans were completely bland. The bf ordered the shredded beef chimichanga with a side of rice and re-fried beans. The burrito was HUGE and messy. Unlike me, he actually enjoyed his platter. He preferred the taste of this chimichanga over another Mexican restaurant that we often go to and highly praise. He didn't really care for the sides but he finished that whole burrito like it was no tomorrow. I would've given this place a 1 or 1.5 just for my experience alone but lucky the bf brought it up a bit. I still hate stale chips and the service could have been a little more attentive. Fortunately there was a Laker game on to kill the time spent waiting. read more

We walked in at 6pm on Friday night and got a table right away. The restaurant is beautiful and big. We loved the stained glass and the rustic chairs and tables. It was lovely inside and out. We asked if Happy Hour drink specials were allowed in the dining room and we were told yes. Score! I had a house margarita and it was pretty decent for $4. I got a little buzz from it. I had the Shrimp Cocktail and although it was good it wasn't the best. The Costa Mesa location has thee best Shrimp Cocktail ever!. But also I like to have cucumber and more tomatoes and onions than what was given. Still, I enjoyed it. Dan had a combo plate with a chicken enchilada and 1 chicken flaunta. The enchilada was pretty good but the flaunta had no seasoning inside with the chicken. He won't order that here again. But, we had very good service and an enjoyable dinner here. read more

WORST MEXICAN FOOD EVER!!! I went here with my two friends for Taco Tuesday. We each ordered a variety of tacos along with some drinks and guacamole. First they put us in this tiny room in back for "Taco Tuesday" customers which was closed off from the rest of the restaurant and filled with two other families, one of which had 3 screaming/crying children. We asked to sit anywhere else, they said no. The margaritas were mediocre, salty and extremely sour. I ordered sangria thinking I'd get a deal but since our menu had no prices I got stuck paying $7.25 for one small glass of sour fruit wine. I only drank it because I paid so much for it. Their salsa was overly spicy and had the nasty ends of the green onion in it that have zero flavor. We all ordered different tacos, chicken, beef, fish, shrimp and carne asada. My friend took a bite of his beef taco and nearly spit it on the table, he said it tasted like oil and couldn't even tell what kind of meat he was eating (he ordered chicken and beef and couldn't tell which one was in his mouth). My other friend ordered fish and beef and opened them both up. The fish was clearly a frozen pre-battered fish stick with zero flavor and her beef was grey and looked microwaved. I ordered the shrimp taco and after one bite I was worried I might end up with food poisoning (the fishiest tasting/smelling shrimp I've ever eaten). My carne asada was super dry and flavorless. Aka nothing was fresh. The service was fine and they didn't charge us for the food but we ended up paying $21 for 3 drinks on their "discounted" night. Ridiculous! Never going back and never recommending this place to anyone. read more

Haters are going to hate, but this actually is an authentic Mexican food joint. Family owned restaurant that started up in my home town of Huntington Park. I've been eating at their restaurants since I was a kid, and will continue to eat at their many restaurants as an adult. I do agree that the service could use some work, more waitresses and what not because it is constantly busy. For the people who disliked the food... go back to eating at taco bell, because you obviously don't know what good food is. read more

I been a fan of Avilas since they open this location. Unfortunately not so much anymore. A recent visit revealed higher prices that were already kinda borderline high before, for what you get. Plus, they took the Veggie Burrito off the menu. Was my go to. Gone. The service has always been just OK. It's SUPER Noisy in here when it gets busy. Bottom line for me is that it's OK food and service but at these prices and not having my Burrito on the menu I'm kinda over it. There's better, quicker, less expensive options for Mexican food all over SoCal. read more

Avilas is a good mexican family owned restaurant. The food is good and the customer service is good. The only thing i am not a fan of is their pricing and their portion serving seems to be inconsistent. They really dont always give you the same portions which bugs me. A little consistency goes a long way. The atmosphere is very cool and the venue itself use to be an old church so the decorum is even cooler. Their margaritas are very good, and i am fan of their carnitas plate. They always refill are drinks and check in on us for to see how were doing. Their albondigas soup is very good as well if your a soup person. I cant remember of a time that i ordered something i didnt like. read more