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    Avila's El Ranchito

    3.7 (440 reviews)
    ModerateMexican
    Open 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

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    AVILA'S EL RANCHITO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Happy hour tacos
    Mai T.

    This review is based on a single experience, so your mileage may vary. I came here during happy hour hoping to try their food for the first time. We were greeted by a super friendly server, who seated my party very quickly and was very attentive to our table. Granted, it was not busy at that time so the attentiveness was appreciated. Since I was not that hungry, I opted for their traditional tacos, one with chicken and one with shredded beef, which was reasonably priced for the two. It came without rice and beans, which I didn't really need. The tacos were generously stuffed with meat, lettuce and tomatoes and came in a crispy fried shell. I did need to add my salsa that came with house chips to add additional flavor to the tacos. The tacos met my expectation for what I expected. And the house chips were on point. Our server was friendly and personable, which made the experience good overall.

    Shaun Shine, server extraordinaire after his grueling 8 hour shift
    Naveen J.

    Shaun Shine was one of the best workers I have ever seen in my 44 years of living. He was polite with exceptional service, and even put his own secret sauce on the nachos for me! Will visit again.

    Burrito
    Sam C.

    It's a small restaurant in the shopping center and we didn't know what to expect. We ordered the steak and shrimp fajitas and the Azteca burrito. It's was all very tasty. The service was very good and very attentive.

    Melon Margarita, Ranch Water, Chips & Guacamole
    Tanya M.

    I had to share a few of my favorite things to get when I eat at Avilas El Ranchito!! The new melon margarita is a must try. So refreshing and perfect for summer! The potato taquitos are a must have every time I come to visit the foothill ranch location. They're my favorite!! I switch on and off between the different soups but was craving more veggies so got the tortilla soup no chicken and it was so delicious! The guacamole is always a must have as well. I love all The vegan options as well!! Love how the restaurant is decorated and the ambiance. It's such a vibe!!! The art work is really unique and the service is always impeccable. Super friendly staff and the owner is one of the sweetest people I have ever met! Highly recommend :)) you can't go wrong with anything on the menu but these are just my favorites from my most recent experience last night!! 10/10 everytime!!

    FIESTA TIME!

    Best service and food around! This was our favorite place to go when we lived in the area and now that we came back for a visit we knew where to go. Jesus and his team are not only friendly but very personable, making our visit memorable! Highly reccomend the fajitas and Grande Cadillac Margarita!!!

    Chips and salsa right as I sat down!
    Eden M.

    The staff were so friendly! I got there right at 4:30pm before the place was packed The service was fantastic! I loved the atmosphere of the restaurant! Lots of lights and conversation pieces! The food was so good! Big portions

    We shared the Fresco burrito wet with divorced sauce . Additionally we each had a Cadillac Margarita & chips and salsa
    Ashleigh P.

    We are from La Habra , so we are not newbies to El Ranchito's yummy menu . We moved to Irvine a year ago and have been struggling to find great Mexican Food. Thankfully we stumbled across El Ranchito's Lake Forest location today . We had great service by Marisol for dinner tonight .

    Potato Tacos
    Charrise L.

    Daylight Savings Time was in our favor today. Since clocks were turned BACK, we were all hungry by 4:30PM. Avila's El Ranchito is in a strip mall with plenty of parking. It's a small location and we heard that it used to be larger but they gave back space to the strip mall. Our party of 9 strolled in at 4:45 and were seated right away. We had 2 kids, 2 teens and 5 adults. Kids' meals are free with paying adults so that was covered. They had chicken fingers and fries. The teens had burritos that were pretty big. I had the shredded chicken taquitos and a potato taco combo. It was sooooo good. Also loved their warm Chips and salsa. During the time we were there, the place filled up and there were parties seated outside as well. Our timing was perfect. 20% mandatory gratuity with large parties. I would definitely return again. Delicioso!! Ok, bye.

    Tequila Espolón!

    This place is FANTASTIC! Shout out to my very good friend Jesus! He made me a yummy Halloween Margarita! Omg sooooo yum! It's with Espolon and he added black salt on the rim! It was absolutely remarkable and very refreshing! I definitely recommend this place! Remember, ask for Jesus!

    Grande Taco Salad with shredded beef

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    5 days ago

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    7 months ago

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    3 months ago

    Jesus A is a GREAT server! Food is always so good and service is love coming here! The bartender makes delicious drinks too.

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    1 year ago

    The food is amazing, and the service is top notch. This little restaurant has become my family's home for delicious comfort food

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    Monica A.

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    11 months ago

    Jesus was the best server!! Very funny and great service! Delicious food!! Thank you Jesus

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    8 months ago

    Great service at this restaurant. Shoutout to my server Shaun Shine for the great service!

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    Page 1 of 11

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    La Tia Tacos and More - La Tia Bowl with carnitas

    La Tia Tacos and More

    4.4(149 reviews)
    0.4 mi
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    I had been seeing La Tia Tacos popping up here in South OC. Curiosity got the kids and I when we…read moresaw that they had birria. We have our go-to Mexican joints down here and typically stick to them, but recently had to add La Tia Tacos to our rotation. La Tia Tacos in Foothill Ranch, is in the town center's food court where Rubio's used to be. La Tia's is bright and airy, colorful and modern. The restaurant space has dining inside and outdoors in their own patio as well as the food court seating. There is an awesome salsa bar off to the side. The salsas and veggies are all home made from scratch. They're absolutely delicious. Refillable drinks are available at the soda fountain, some in bottles at the register too, but the star beverage for me is that fresh brewed tea. I have to get a large cup every time in case they start closing up and toss it out, which happened once. What we've ordered: 1) quesabirria tacos - 5/5. They have a special plate that comes with three quesabirrias and consome for $11.99. Add fresh chopped onions and cilantro, squeeze some lime, dip and enjoy. So good. 2) blackened shrimp taco - 5/5 3) carnitas taco - 5/5 4) la tia bowl with carnitas - 4/5. I liked everything about this but wasn't a really huge fan of the sauce. 5) la tia plate with carnitas - 5/5. I enjoyed this one. Comes with beans and rice. Perfect with the red onions and the marinated carrots from the salsa bar. Served with corn tortillas. The menu has a lot to offer and is bound to have something for everyone in your party. Since discovering La Tia, we've literally been there almost every week. I still have a lot of other food items to try and I'm sure we'll get to that. The service has been good and the lady at the front remembers my family. She greets us with a big smile every time we see each other which makes for a pleasant experience.

    Definitely becoming my newest fave taco spot. We get daily style tacos and it's amazing because…read moreliterally our family of 5 has plenty and sometimes left overs. Their salsa is great, which is typically my prerequisite The meat also seems to be good quality, though all we have tried is the asada so I can't speak for anything else. Overall we do love this taco spot.

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    La Tia Tacos and More - Inside

    Inside

    La Tia Tacos and More - La tia plate - with carnitas. Comes with a side of three tortillas.

    La tia plate - with carnitas. Comes with a side of three tortillas.

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    La Casita Olvera - $1 Taco Tuesday  all day 11am-9pm

    La Casita Olvera

    4.0(549 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    Happy Cinco de Mayo! This is the place where our family…read morereally wanted to be to get our delicious tacos, at an excellent price, plus it's taco Tuesday ! I still love the fish tacos here, everything is delicious especially the salsa bar when we get to do all the toppings ourselves! They mariachi singers today, Spanish songs are playing by different Mexican folk music-often rancheras (performers), setting a wonderful Cinco de Mayo vibe. They have a full service bar, or you could get a delicious Mexican coffee with a huge slice of flan like I do! - My dessert. :) Yumm

    Went in during a dead time between lunch and dinner. Evidently I was a burden because nobody felt…read morelike giving me a menu when I sat down, or ask if I wanted anything to drink. The blonde was nice but got side tracked. The male bartender (Hispanic guy with the earrings) looked at me 3-4 times but I guess he didn't realize that sitting at the bar means you might want something to drink. He was just carrying on with tedious tasks with no desire to make himself or his company money. In a time where people are going out less and less - it's an interesting choice to basically ignore patrons when they go in your establishment. Hard pass.

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    La Casita Olvera - $1 taco Tuesday  11am-9pm w/drink purchase  9 different meats to choose from

    $1 taco Tuesday 11am-9pm w/drink purchase 9 different meats to choose from

    La Casita Olvera - Free pancakes every Saturday and Sunday 9am-1pm fallow @La_casitaolvera

    Free pancakes every Saturday and Sunday 9am-1pm fallow @La_casitaolvera

    La Casita Olvera - $2 Coronas every Thursday all day come watch Thursday night football

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    Cuca's Mexican Food - Tostada salad

    Cuca's Mexican Food

    4.0(693 reviews)
    0.3 mi
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    Cuca's falls squarely in the middle of the pack. It's not bad by any means, but it doesn't quite…read morestand out either. I ordered the two-item combo with rice and beans and went with the shredded beef hard shell tacos. The tacos actually had good flavor, and they were generous with both the meat and cheese. The rice and beans came in solid portions and tasted good as well, so that part of the meal was satisfying. My wife ordered the chile verde burrito chimichanga style, and that's where the experience dropped off a bit. The pork had very little flavor and, considering it's supposed to be simmered in chile verde sauce, it was surprisingly dry. Service was good. We went on a Friday night and the place was fairly busy with a mix of dine-in and takeout orders, but everything moved along smoothly. They also have a solid salsa selection, and the green jalapeño sauce in particular stood out. Overall, it's a decent neighborhood Mexican spot if you're looking for a quick meal, but nothing that really sets it apart from the many other options in the area.

    Food here is pretty good. Not amazing but good. They have a lot of specials that make the food a…read moregood deal. The restaurant is clean. Okay portions. The sauce bar is great, they have red and green sauce. The tamale was soft and tasted good. The carnitas nachos could have used more protein, but it was crispy with a lot of cheese. The burritos are always good. Place is good enough would definitely come back. HAPPY MEXICAN FOODING!!

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    Cuca's Mexican Food
    Cuca's Mexican Food - Crispy potato taco

    Crispy potato taco

    Cuca's Mexican Food - Menu

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    Mr. G's Tacos

    Mr. G's Tacos

    4.7(251 reviews)
    2.5 mi

    We came here for the THHS Boys Volleyball fundraiser. What a great little place! Service was…read moreEXCELLENT! Food was good - we ended ordering more since the guys were still hungry. We started with a carne asada burrito, Adam's 50/50 burrito, chopped salad with carne asada, and Sonoran style hot dog but no bun and on a bed of lettuce. Food was great, along with the super spicy salsa and salsa verde. Second round for the guys included 3 tacos (carnitas, barbacoa, al pastor) and loaded fries with barbacoa. I would continue to support this great business. As we dined in, we observed their great customer service as well. They treat everyone cordially like family. They remember their regulars' names and orders. A couple kids came in to show their good report cards so they could get free treats (they were so polite and respectful kids - looked like they were in junior high). Oh, they mentioned to a customer that today is their 2-year anniversary. We'll be back to support them!

    I've been craving tacos and wanted something locally. Mr. G's is super close. It's located in a…read moresmall street mall with parking right up front. The restaurant is counter service and there's a few tables inside to eat your meal. Ordering with the customer service rep was super easy as she was patient and accommodating. Being my first time here, I wanted to order everything on the order but as soon as I saw potato tacos I knew that it was a must. Love that my tacos didn't take too long to make. Absolutely love the crunch of my tacos and the potatoes had a good amount of flavor. It was a little overwhelming so I had to take out some of the filling. I would like to come back and try other items on the menu.

    Photos
    Mr. G's Tacos - Very clean.  And look, you can watch the games while you eat great food!

    Very clean. And look, you can watch the games while you eat great food!

    Mr. G's Tacos - 3 taco plates with rice and beans

    3 taco plates with rice and beans

    Mr. G's Tacos - Carne Asada taco

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    Carne Asada taco

    Anna's Kitchen

    Anna's Kitchen

    4.6(22 reviews)
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    I never knew this existed, but it's so awesome that the old classic restaurant New Shanghai in Lake…read moreForest is trying out some pretty interesting new things. Asian burritos are a trendy dish that honestly not enough places do, where you basically have to go all the way to Pasadena for the Panda Innovation Kitchen or Disney California Adventures offers one variety that rotates seasonally. What you get here is the classic Chinese lunch options like pepper beef or chicken and fried rice, wrapped in the convenient form of a burrito to make a very filling meal. Their sauces are also delicious, one that's a green sauce and one that's like a sweet and sour for a delicious flavor combination. Online order makes it convenient, but I will say I wish I could customize ingredients. They didn't list that there's avocado in it, which I'm not a fan of in general but also don't find it fits the flavor profile though I'm sure most people like it. It's only a few pieces and easy to navigate around. If you're looking for a new spin on the Chinese lunch special, head into New Shanghai to try their new menu with Anna's Kitchen! TIP: You can online order and they make it pretty fast.

    My husband found this restaurant on Yelp and I got so excited because I LOVE Asian fusion!…read more Evidently Anna's Kitchen is like a ghost kitchen inside the New Shanghai restaurant that's been there forever. I thought it was kinda cool that they added a few fusion options. I ordered the Shanghai beef tacos and my husband ordered the burrito. My husband and I both specified that he does not like any kind of sauce. She assured us the sauce is only on the side. We waited a very long time for our food. A couple came in after us and got their food at least 15 min before we got ours. The waitress kept refilling my husband's sprite even when it was only half empty. She kept asking if everything is ok but we didn't even have our food yet. Finally she brought out my tacos I was almost done eating by the time she brought his burrito. My tacos were phenomenal!!! Sadly there was a mayonnaise based sauce inside his burrito. She asked if he wanted another but we waited so long for the first one so he decided no. So 3 stars because my tacos were so good but the weird customer service was not something I'd endure again nonetheless recommend to someone else.

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    Anna's Kitchen - Shanghai Burrito

    Shanghai Burrito

    Anna's Kitchen - Shanghai Tacos

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    Chuponcito - BANANA LATTE

    Chuponcito

    4.8(791 reviews)
    7.2 mi
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    We've always seen this spot but had never tried it, so we decided to check it out on Mother's Day…read more They were BUSY, but still moved quickly to get the line down. The restaurant itself is pretty small inside, you order first, then they bring the food to your table. Even with how packed it was, the wait honestly wasn't bad at all. My wife, who's pregnant, saved us a table while I waited in line to order, and Fidel, who I'm assuming is the manager, was very nice and welcoming. He checked up on us a few times even though he wasn't our server, and was very personable asking about our baby. The food was AMAZING. I'm so glad we decided to stay. I had the carnitas Benedict, which was delicious and packed with flavor. My wife had the El Chupon burrito, which was also amazing. But the star of the show for us was their hot salsa, incredibly flavorful with the perfect amount of spice We'll definitely be back!

    They need a way better seating policy. absolutely unacceptable. We were waiting in line, ordered…read moreour food, and someone had put their stuff down to "reserve" the table, when it is completely packed. And they hadn't ordered yet. It should not be like that. There should be proper seating, where ONCE you order, you go find your table. If you don't get a table then you wait your turn. We ask the staff if we can put personal items to reserve a table and she said yes??? What sort of service is that ?!? They should have a host. Or someone guiding it. The food is rather great but what an unpleasant experience. The manager needs to fix this, cause this isn't a cafe. It's a restaurant.

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    Chuponcito - Interior dining

    Interior dining

    Chuponcito - Papas cargadas

    Papas cargadas

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    Ordering counter

    Sunny Up Cafe - Monte Montecristo French Toast

    Sunny Up Cafe

    4.8(35 reviews)
    0.4 mi

    This is one of the few times I've been hesitant to leave a review because I don't want a secret…read morespot to become busy, but sunny up cafe definitely deserves more attention. There's some real talent and creativity going on in the kitchen. Gas station food has no right being this delicious and the fancy presentation and plating was a pleasant surprise. There are parking spaces around the edge of the gas station or a few somewhat cramped parking spots right in front of the entrance. You can enter through either door and the cafe is 4 small tables at the back of a gas station. You order at the counter and after we were seated we got some freshly fried chips along with a delicious bean dip. The breakfast burrito is definitely a contender for the best in Orange County. I went with bacon and sausage and the combination of meats, sauces, and potatoes was perfect. It had a great balance of flavors and textures and managed to be decadent without being overly fatty or saucy. The grilled exterior and presentation added to the experience. Salt levels and seasoning were great for all the ingredients and the sausage was particularly good in the breakfast burrito. Their eggs Benedict was also well executed with the poached eggs perfectly cooked and an excellent hollandaise sauce. This place is a bit out of the way so I also got a couple of tacos to go because I was too full to eat anymore. They have both larger tacos as well as street tacos. I got the larger asada tacos and they had too much meat for my preference. The meat was delicious as was the salsa from the self serve salsa bar. While this cafe doesn't have the ambience(or the high price tag)of a trendy brunch spot, the food can definitely compete.

    A café inside a gas station?! Don't let that throw you off…read more The food was amazing, and the presentation was surprisingly beautiful. The service at Sunny Up Cafe was just as impressive I can honestly say I was blown away. The staff were incredibly helpful with recommendations, and we ended up trusting them completely. I ordered the chilaquiles with red sauce, while my partner had the green sauce version both had an authentic Mexican flavor and were excellent. We also shared sides of black beans and potatoes. The other couple with us ordered the breakfast burritos, which were a very generous size (check out the photos!). Overall, I'd definitely come back for breakfast when I'm in the area. Parking is a bit limited since the café is located inside a gas station, but don't let that stop you from enjoying a delicious meal.

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    Inside

    Sunny Up Cafe - Cobb salad

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    Xclusive Mexican Kitchen - Taco Sampler

    Xclusive Mexican Kitchen

    4.6(574 reviews)
    4.1 mi
    $$

    Service here was amazing! For the amount of breakfast we ate for only $30, too good to be true…read more Susana was the sweetest and our waiter Alfonso was attentive at all times with the most genuine help. (sadly forgot to take pictures of all of our plates). Ambiance was very uplifting and great vibes! Would definitely come back!

    This place is a gem…read more.. I decided to order something different today since we have been here a few times now. CALAMARI FRITO (always a must): -- super tender and lightly coated w/batter -- chipotle type sauce and green cilantro sauce both delectable for this RATING = A+ ALBONDIGAS SOUP: -- white broth -- veggies and the best meatballs by appearance and taste maybe ever -- wife big fan, I only got tiny taste -- a bit spicier than norm for sure RATING = A+ TACO SAMPLER: -- wife big fan, especially the carnitas -- she wanted street tacos since our local pop-up got shut down a while back -- asada very solid too RATING = A PRIME SKIRT STEAK SKILLET: -- corn tortillas -- white cheese and sauteed onions in the bottom -- delicious medium cooked skirt steak above that -- guacamole on top -- rice and refried beans on the side -- yum city from A to Z -- delicious steak -- I made mini tacos with some and forked in on the rest RATING = A+ Friendly efficient staff. Leaving the door open on a cool night only worked because I blocked the wind from the wife with my body and marginal cool night at our early bird dinner hour.

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    Xclusive Mexican Kitchen - Dining Room / Kitchen

    Dining Room / Kitchen

    Xclusive Mexican Kitchen - Xclusive asada tacos, grilled onions and mushrooms

    Xclusive asada tacos, grilled onions and mushrooms

    Xclusive Mexican Kitchen - Mimosas and Cafe de la olla (cute)

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    Avila's El Ranchito - mexican - Updated May 2026

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