Cozy little hidden gem. Great food, ambiance, and fast service. Fair prices I totally recommend. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Grande taco salad (shredded beef) Azteca shredded beef burrito - Mexican Near Me - Seal Beach, California

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Incredible food, amazing service! The soup is phenomenal and the ambiance perfection!

Food and service are spectacular! The margaritas lack flavor and Alcohol! I will go back but only order a beer or shot of tequila, both times I had a margarita they were virgin and tasteless read more

Extremely Disappointed I recently got catering service and was extremely disappointed. The food lacked flavor and was far from tasty. Additionally, despite being assured that it would be enough to feed the indicated number of people, some didn't get food at all. This was embarrassing and frustrating, especially given the price we paid. When I called to inform them about the issue, they claimed the portions are only an estimated amount and that they are not accurate on how many people they feed. But there were only 6 of us, and I paid $171, only to end up going to buy more food. I will never order from here again and would not recommend this service to anyone. Look elsewhere for reliable and flavorful catering. read more

We have been long-time fans of Avila's in San Clemente, but this was our first time at this location. Unfortunately, the service was very lackluster. The indoor dining space is very tight and when we arrived, only the tables in the middle of the room were open. When a larger table opened up shortly after we sat down, we asked our server if we could move and he said yes. He cleared off the table and we moved over. After we sat down, another server came up and said in a very rude tone something about not being allowed to move tables without asking. We politely informed him that we were given the okay to move by our server. He left in a huff and continued to have an attitude throughout the meal when he was serving our food, etc. My father in law tried to explain what happened and the server was rude again and never once apologized. Needless to say, we didn't enjoy our experience as the server made us feel tense. The only thing that made me give two stars instead of one was that everyone liked the taste of their food. Even though the food was good, I wouldn't come here again due to the service. It seems like the two servers were stretched thin and might need more help in order to not take out their stress on the customers. read more

Atmosphere and staff was good Clado Albondigas was very very saltly, unedible Cameronas de diabla was not "traditional" read more

My hubby got chicken and shrimp skillet and I got green chicken enchiladas and OMG! Food is sooooooooo delicious! We def coming back for more. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Green chicken enchiladas and Chicken and shrimp - Mexican Near Me - Seal Beach, California

Love the food at Avila's. The Seal Beach location does have that family restaurant ambiance. Great service, and I love the margaritas. I don't get to have them often, but they are wonderful. I do hope they build the HB location back. That were I first found Avila's. read more

Not sure how anybody can give this place more than one or two stars. The food is average tasting and size but overpriced. So were the drinks. Our server was horrible totally messed up. My order took forever to bring drinks and even a glass of water. I won't return. I know it's not Mexican but do yourself a favor and head down to Hennessey's. It's a half a block away and is a much better bargain for food and drinks and service. read more

Had lunch here today. Food was great. Wish I took pictures. Chups and Salsa were delicious. We had Ceviche appetizer- Yummy. We had the Grilled Chicken Baja Bowls with corn tortilals- Amazing. Great flavors over all. read more

We dined here on a recent Friday evening. Busy but we were able to get seated. The service was attentive. The chicken in the baja Bowl was very tasty. The Caldo soup was very good. The drinks were good though a little expensive ($15 for a Presidente) read more

I'll try to make this short. Ordered shrimp Tacos largely because it comes with guacamole which I love. Tacos came, no guacamole. Asked my server, she said sorry that dish doesn't come with guacamole but I can order it separately. Half way thru my meal I check their website menu .. yes it comes with guacamole. Showed my server and she confessed "truth is the owner told us to stop serving it to save money until summer season begins". This was Saturday May 24 and the place was packed. Ok I get it, maybe owner needs to save money. But if you're going to withhold, then update the menu. Or at least inform the customer at ordering time. I felt deceived by my server and the owner. In fairness, my server said she'd bring some out "if I really wanted it" but by then I was nearly finished. I rarely write negative reviews but this lack of honesty and ethical behavior really bothered me. I won't be returning to any Avila's where customers are held in such low regard. read more

Tacos were served and amazing.!ice cold beer as well. Highly recommend this restaurant and will definitely be back soon

This is one of our regular grinds because the food and service is consistently good!

The food was very good. However, eating alone i was mostly ignored by staff. Noone came to see of I liked my meal or if I needed anything else. They were not busy, so I don't know what the problem was. read more

Ordered delivery- one hour after ordering restaurant cancels - zero courtesy- delivery driver was there waiting for at least 40 minutes. Management must not have been present on the day of my order...pretty crummy way to treat a local who has ordered delivery 25+ times read more

I went to try this place because i heard about their famous chicken soup. What I heard was 100% true, the soup was delicious. I had the tacos and caldo plate and I wasn't thrilled about the tacos. The tacos were crispy but the shell tasted like it was sitting there for awhile, it didn't taste made fresh, the shell was cold but filling warm. It was just OK. The hubs had their surf and turf tacos and he said they were good but their black beans had a metallic taste to it. Let me provide Avila's chefs with a recommendation on how to prepare your black beans , add some garlic salt and a some freshly squeezed lime juice it will be a hit! Our waiter was so slow, this place is small and the guy we got was just slow. i saw the waitress work faster on her side of the restaurant and she had more people to serve. I also ordered their watermelon margarita and it was very tasty! Overall the food was just OK except for that soup. You are on to something do not change the recipe because that is the STAR of your restaurant. The place was clean. read more

So far the food I've had it on tastes like home. The test is the beans and the rice at least for me.! This is a photo of a Chile Relleno I bought to celebrate a remembrance of my Mom, who loved them more than anything The dish was very hot Relleno seemed freshly made. . It seemed a bit small for me, but wow cheese, lovers delight! The beans were superior. The rice was good enough and well. I wish the Chili Relleno was bigger, I did enjoy what I got. Did I say cheese? Yes please ! I think the prices may change between brunch and dinner menus on the Micheladas. Cheese. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Chile Relleno Plate - Mexican Near Me - Seal Beach, California

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Food is delicious! Great, friendly service, servers, bartender, and bus staff. My favorites are the tostadas, taco salad, fajita salads. My husband loves the chile relleno and tamale. We like to be able to watch a variety of sports. One drawback is its a bit noisy, especially when there are families with small children. read more

Yum! Great food. My friend had the carnitas tostada. It was large and had a generous portion of very tasty and tender carnitas. So many yummy things to choose from. I finally decided on a Fresco Burrito with grilled chicken. It was huge and delicious. Salsa was very tasty, too. No complaints here. read more

Good authentic Mexican food, been around since the 70's in Huntington Parkservice exceptional. In the quaint little town of Seal Beach

I'm laughing at some of the negative reviews having just eaten here yesterday with my Mom. One person said the salsa was too spicy (really?) Another guy said the onion chunks in salsa were too large (really?) I've had the most authentic Mexican food you can have in East L.A so I know Mexican food. The food here is great. The server Luis was awesome and very attentive to my Mom who is recovering from a broken hip. We shared some of their Nachos which were delicious. My Mom loved her enchilladas and I loved the Fajitas. Will be back. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Had to take much of these nachos to go being so large - Mexican Near Me - Seal Beach, California

It was the day after former president Trump got shot that my mom and I decided to venture out past the Long Beach city limits not knowing what we would encounter. Cue the twilight zone theme song, as we walked down the main boulevard looking for a place to eat I tried my best to mask my immigrant face with a smile & polite nod. My mom was craving something familiar so we stopped in for lunch at El Ranchito. Having frequented this chain in LA years ago we knew it was going to be great. Unfortunately we weren't the only ones pretending to be something we weren't. This Mexican food is the worst I have ever had. Granted my standards are set pretty high, having been to Mexico City, Puebla, and Colima I've definitely had the best Mexico has to offer in terms of their cuisine. The beans taste like they're freshly out of a can, unseasoned. I bet you $500 my 8 year old niece can make better Spanish rice from scratch & I was personally offended by the salsa they serve for the chips. Very watery, no flavor, might as well just serve some ketchup. The flautas I ordered were basic, the chicken was plain and nothing I couldn't do at home to be quite honest. I understand that it can be difficult to capture the complexity and depth that Mexican cuisine has to offer but at least put in some effort. We must continue to fight for legitimate Mexican restaurants in white spaces. I think that Americans would appreciate an updated menu and fresher ingredients. Great service from our waiter, he was very kind and quick to help. read more

We visited this restaurant a few days ago. I had the Aztec burrito and my wife had a taco salad. We enjoyed the food very much. Unfortunately the service was really slow. There was only one waiter which was ridiculous considering the restaurant was busy. The kitchen was fast and the plates came out right away. When we finished our meal, it took a long time for the waiter to bring our check. When we got the check, it was incorrect so he had to go back and correct the error. He tended to spend a lot of time talking to one table up front. They were probably locals that frequent the restaurant. It would have been nice if he would have checked his tables in a timely manner. My wife really likes the food at Avilas. We have been at several locations but I'm not sure we will be coming back to this particular one. read more

Stopped in for lunch with a couple of friends on Friday Oct. 18, we were promptly greeted and welcomed by Cindy our server. Once seated she presented menus and took our drink orders, which gave us a few minutes to look over the menu and engage in conversation among ourselves. Cindy returned and answered questions we had, then offered recommendations which we accepted. The food was delicious and good size portions. Cindy and her assistant kept our drinks full, made sure we were completely satisfied. They did not disappoint and provided us with 5 Star service, management should be very proud of these two employees who represented El Ranchito very professionally and were customer focused ! The restaurant is located in a very quaint area of Seal Beach. read more

Lunch with my friend during the week. We enjoyed lunching on the patio watching people walk by. Really enjoyed being on Main St. in Seal Beach while dining. We were greeted quite promptly by our server as there wasn't many people during our visit. Our server was attentive, kind and patient waiting for us to decide what we wanted to eat. He kept checking in with us. I'm kind of a tortilla chip-aholic and love somewhat thin and warm chips and that's what we enjoyed. The salsa was very flavorful with chunks of tomatoes and onion, wasn't to spicy or hot. I ordered Mama Avila's Soup and boy did I enjoy it. Lots of fresh veggies, excellent flavor, shredded chicken was perfect in how it was shredded and moist. Oh my gosh, just remembering it makes me want some. My a'la carte fish taco was very large and stuffed. Again excellent in every way. White fish, I can't remember what kind, but it's not Tilapia which I do not eat. My friend had a larger bowl of the soup and she doesn't do spicy hot so I can say it's packed with flavor without it being that. Her salad dressing which is a cilantro flavored wasn't the creamy based kind, but a bit runny and sour/tangy according to my friend. She didn't like it and asked for ranch. We definitely walked away very full and satisfied. Didn't have a margarita so I'll have to go back and enjoy one and give feed back on it. All I know is I will be back and bring my husband since he missed out on a delicious meal and needs to enjoy Mama's soup. Just an fyi, pretty much everywhere there is only 2 hr parking. Even saw some lots that won't let you pay for anymore than that. We parked down a residential street to the west (right) of Main Street (if you are entering Main St. opposite the pier side) which surprisingly didn't have a time limit or need a parking pass. The walk wasn't far to Main St; however this was during the week and at lunch hour. Not sure how it plays out in the evenings or weekends. FYI, only one restroom. It's a great reason to stroll to Main Street, dine at Avilas and while there, ask for Mama Avila's Soup. read more

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A great lunch with my friend accompanied by yummy Mexican food. The vibes were great. Love the interior decor. Service was friendly because of the amazing staff. Check it out if you're in Seal Beach. This is located closed to the pier. Literally walking distance. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - IG @FoodandPooch - Mexican Near Me - Seal Beach, California

So we decided to come here for cinco de mayo. I mean....it fell on a Wednesday so we had to do some low key..be a grown up cause we work the next day...type people. The hosts were great. Very friendly. We asked to sit at the bar and we totally felt comfortable. Not to mention one ALWAYS feels like a VIP when you're sitting a bar top. Lol Israel was our bartender and he made me a delicious cocktail. I asked for some type of rum margarita (if possible) or something of that nature. He made one for me...mixed 2 flavors and and it came out delicious. My hubby wanted some type of rum punch and he called lauren over and she killed it! He downed it and asked for another lol. We ordered food to go...again...we wanted to be cute for drinks...and casually comfy for dinner. The food came out delicious. Though we live down the street...everything looked and tasted delicious. read more

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Decided to stop by randomly because I've seen this place busy and Mexican food sounded good. The host and server were extremely nice and friendly. We got sat in their "patio" area. I do HIGHLY recommend bringing a jacket or blanket because it was very cold and you get the ocean breeze still and they don't have heaters :( A lot of people were complaining. The inside isn't any different since it's all just one big dining area. The food was good yet kinda bland. I got a chicken burrito and there wasn't much flavor so I had to add salsa. My partner got their chicken mole, it was good yet the chicken has a very weird texture. He's a big fan of chicken mole yet he didn't really touch his plate. They were very busy so I blame it on the "rush". We didn't wanna complain because our server was super busy and there was a group of people that were being "Karen's" next to us so we didn't wanna add to the fire. read more

Friendly restaurant on main street but not the best Mexican cuisine food. Good luck with parking on a weekends. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Mexican Near Me - Seal Beach, California

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A regular go to Mexican restaurant in Seal Beach. The food is always tasty and the service is excellent.

We tried this place based on the "good" reviews, however I realize now the patrons in the area may not exactly know what good Mexican food is. I hate to be harsh because I can appreciate all that goes into the operation of a restaurant, however the food was just bad for our taste. From the watery salsa with huge onion chunks? The classic margarita which was just bad, the hard tortillas, the watery sauces (shrimp ranchero and pork verde plates) and lastly SALTY SALTY SALTY, even the guac. I needed a boat load of water after that meal. Salt does not make food better. I know this place has a following, and I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel but I do need to share my experience as a foodie who enjoys many styles of Mexican. 2 stars for good and friendly service and location by the beach. Otherwise we will not be back. read more

Service is horrible. I guess that what you get when 30 something men wait on you ....Food is so-so. Prices not commensurate with poor service and so-so food. Can I PLEASE get my check and leave already???? You can keep my food for leftovers thank for asking if I need a box. I feel like walking out without paying. How long do I wait? read more

The staff here are always so helpful and friendly. They are so accommodating to families and nice to littles ones, especially babies! Makes dining out with our daughter a really enjoyable experience. The food is a special treat! read more

We've been coming here for years. The food is average Mexican style dishes, the autumn burrito is what I normally order. Drink are good. Today, I went back for lunch...I asked a male host for a patio seat being I had my baby and a stroller. The short heavy set Latino man, was very rude and short with me, while holding my crying son, trying to maneuver my stroller and off-load my belongings. He told me to put my stroller on the sidewalk before I could even try and settle in. It's disappointing because people are normally courteous and helpful at this establishment. I got a bad feeling and I feel we shouldn't go back. read more

I feel terrible it took so long for me to update my review for Avila's!!! After my post, Avila's emailed me and offered my husband and me a complimentary meal of our choice on them!! I truly love this place! The restaurant is very cozy and inviting. I hope they stick around in Seal Beach for years to come!! read more

I've been Dinning here for that last 15-20 years and I maybe at least once or Twice a month order just the salsa and Chips. So this past weekend I ordered the same chips and salsa, and the salsa was extremely hot, until you can't even enjoy Or taste the actual salsa, so I called and the young lady told me that the peppers have been a Little hot, and that's what you get, Ok but warn the customers before they purchase, because now I just wasted my money, I can't eat anything this hot. read more

Service sucked and food needed more flavor. Felt like a whiskey bar rather than a Mexican restaurant. I want to give negative 5 stars.

I haven't eaten here yet, but can attest this is a chill place for drinks! Friendly staff, reasonable prices. Dog friendly too! read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Guacamole and margaritas @ Avila's El Ranchito. - Mexican Near Me - Seal Beach, California

Great food and great service! This is a beautiful little town with the best Mexican restaurant around.