4.5 7 of us enthused at the best formal Mexican eatery we've ever visited . My steak was perfectly cooked , juicy skirt steak w peppers and red rice Place was a little "stuffy " however and it would have helped if the standing fan was on from the start - outside humidity didn't help but we can understand not running the A/C these days Decor a little "busy " for me - remove half the things on the walls ! The lady server was eager and professional (Looks like I got charged for 2 cokes , not 1 , maybe I can get a comp ?)" Altogether , I highly recommend Avila's !!! read more

This restaurant is a comfort spot for my family and I. We've eaten in and ordered takeout several times, and every time has been great! In particular, we love Avilas soup -- my mom used to get it for me when I was sick, and it still tastes just as good. The staff are kind and friendly, and the food always hits the spot. Chips are warm, drinks are tasty, and decor is fun -- you can't go wrong here! read more

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This is a good Mexican restaurant with a lot of kitsch and fun ambiance. Food was general food and service very friendly. I had the fajita fish burrito. It definitely has a lot of fajita vegetables, which is what I wanted. There could have been more fish, but I would say it was not enough. Flavors were good but I think I wish there had been an option for blackened fish. My brother had the 2 item combo and he had a chicken burrito and a stuffed chilli relleno. The stuffed chili looked great and a great option over a plain chili renello. Prices were very reasonable and the service was very good. read more

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Yeah!! I finally made it by this location. The decor is so vibrant and cute! The service was great. They have a nice happy hour menu. The drinks are good! It was a lovely experience. We will be back, many times! read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Happy Hour tacos - Mexican Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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I decided to try this place again. Unfortunately it was not much better from my visit years ago. Not sure if it's new management or what happened. I ordered the vegan potato taquitos from the VEGAN menu and was told they aren't vegan. They are made from beef tallow. I asked why they are on the vegan menu. They said they haven't updated their menu (Don't trust the menu). I went with the vegan enchiladas which she said was fully vegan. They were awful. It was two corn tortillas raw folded with onions and zucchini inside smothered with green sauce on top. The vibe of the place was off. A lady who worked there was going around taking a video of the dining room while people were eating. The dining room was very hot. The back door was open. Flys and gnats were flying around our food.The server dropped the check and said no rush, but said we needed to pay right away. I'm giving it two stars because the server was very sweet and warned me about the vegan menu not being vegan. Food and atmosphere not so great! read more

I haven't walked into an insanely decorated restaurant since the rainforest cafe and there's just decor ALL over, really making you feel like you're not in Lake Forest for a moment. There was 7 of us total and we walked in being seated right away for lunch. Staff were very friendly, attentive and made sure to check on us. The kids portions were really generous and def fulfilled them. Our meals also were insanely huge and because I was trying to be on the healthy side, my order of the chicken with lemon salad with veggies was not a wow factor and that's on me. I wish the bathrooms were inside. You have to walk to the front of the restaurant to get to it and doors don't completely lock, we accidentally walked in on a gal Overall though this place gets busy and is a fav among the locals here. read more

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This is my favorite location because of the ambience and the decor! It's super cool and so much fun inside! The staff is very friendly and our hostess and waiter are very helpful and quick to get a seated and our food came quickly. It's just a fun environment to be at and great for a date night! We went for a Valentines dinner but the night before Valentine's Day. The chips and salsa are really good and those are complementary. Normally, I would get the tableside guacamole, which is really good, but I didn't want to fill up too much so I could eat dinner. They also had a special valentines drink. I got it as a mocktail style and it was so delicious that I want to make it at home because this was just a specialty drink that they had. So me and my husband both ordered fajitas he ordered the steak and I ordered the chicken. The rice and beans were incredible! But I have to say unfortunately my chicken was did not taste very good. It was just kind of dry and not juicy and flavorful. And way too many bell peppers. I love bell peppers, but it was overloaded. But the portions are big and the price is competitive for the area and for this type of food and the amount. Will I come back here again absolutely but maybe I'll try something else like the soup! The soup looked really yummy read more

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Year 3 of coming to Avila's for a work Christmas party and they are still treating us like royalty! You're always welcomed with a smile here and the food is still so delicious. Our entire party of 25 was going ham on the guacamole because it's just so good (and so is the salsa)! Several people in the group enjoyed margaritas - this time I went with a hibiscus tea and it was so refreshing! I really enjoyed it! As always, I got my favorite, a shredded beef hard taco and a cheese enchilada and it was a comfort meal for me. We hosted our annual white elephant gift exchange and had a great time here. Appreciate Avila's for always doing a wonderful job! read more

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Always get amazing service here and delicious food and drinks. The decor is so pretty! Would love to see the addition of more restrooms as there's only one per man / woman. Come here for legit Mexican food. read more

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Margaritas are very good! I will call them Julio's cadillac margaritas Service? Hum, my Avila's soup was not warm. Utensils and napkins where are you? read more

Came here for a work event. Everyone if a great time. We had our own area sectioned off and the staff waited on us but did not pressure or rush us to leave. It was festively decorated. The portions are huge and heavy. It was delicious, I definitely needed a nap afterwards. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Mexican Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Came in for dinner after they had been closed down .. service is awful there was 6 of us we were disappointed They are rude n they toss menus to us and walked away... they offer no waters to customers and the waitress are laughing and joking around while we are waiting to order drinks and food I will never step foot here again I get better service at another Mexican restaurant worth my money read more

Stopped here lunch, atmosphere was nice places is clean. Ordered a shrimp fajita burrito. The burrito itself was close to $23. The waiter asked if I wanted sauce and I said yes only later to find out on the bill that that is three dollars extra. So in essence I paid $26 for a burrito with no sides. The burrito itself was rather plain and not sure how you could even eat it without sauce. The burrito was par. Nothing over the top good size portion mostly vegetable and rice inside. Disappointing won't be coming back here. $26 without a tip for water and a burrito is absurd. read more

Visited this Mexican restaurant for the first time. We were in the area and the scent of their delicious cooking is what lured us into picking this place to eat. I will definitely visit again if am in the area. Staff were friendly and welcoming and the restaurant decor was beautiful and so authentic almost felt like I was visiting Mexico again. Everyone's food was delicious and authentic and amount of food serve per plate was shareable size, we had a lot of leftovers to tame home. Only complaint is that their horchata and jamaica drinks did not taste fresh and were more instant or ready box bought and the sizzling skillet had about 8oz of steak and 3 jumbo shrimp and the amount of veggies ratio was a lot larger for the amount of protein serve, however it was delicious. read more

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We've been to several Avila's. This is our first time at the Lake Forest location. The decor surrounding this place gives it a very unique vibe. Love it. The servers here are very attentive. The food came out hot and quick. There was a mix up with our drink orders and our server quickly rectified it. Overall, enjoyed our time here. The food is pretty decent, not the best but comes in a pinch when you're craving some delicious Mexican food. Thank you for having us! read more

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I came here for lunch on a Friday afternoon with some coworkers. It wasn't crowded so we were seated right away. The table was set with chips and salsa (each person gets their own small salsa bowl so you don't have to worry about double dipping). We also ordered a side of guacamole. I didn't realize that they literally make the guacamole fresh right at your table. The guy came over with a setup of fresh avocados, onion, cilantro and a few other things and mashed it all right in front of us which was pretty cool. I ordered the camarones plate ranchero style, so it came with tomato and peppers sauce, plus beans, rice and tortillas. Their corn tortillas were so fresh and delicious! They taste like they're made from scratch (although I'm not sure if they are). The shrimp was okay. They served it with the shrimp butterflied open but still attached to the tails and shells, which made more work for me to cut them out of the shells. The shrimp also tasted very shrimpy and it seemed like the flavors of the sauce didn't really soak into the shrimp. The dish was very filling though so I took some home. One other thing that could be slightly improved upon is a bit more spice in their food. It was pretty mild for Mexican food. The only thing that had a bit of a kick was the salsa but even that was very subtle. The vibe here is very unique. They have a ton of Mexican decor but with a slight surfer/beach twist. It's very in-your-face traditional Mexican decor so if understated is more your style, it may be a little much. But I personally enjoyed it. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Camarones el ranchero style - Mexican Near Me - Lake Forest, California

This used to be one of my favorite Mexican Restaurants but something has changed. Their food now is so flavorless, even their salsa was more like tomato juice, and their meat is dry and super over cooked. Such a shame! read more

Came here for taco Tuesday and wow was it fun! The place was jam packed and I love all the decorations they have on the walls. They range anywhere from surfboards to sea creature skeletons. The food was very well portioned and I left very full. My only ding is for the staff sometimes not being very prompt or forgetting things we had ordered. Overall I would return again and would order the Azteca burrito any day of the week! read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Menu - Mexican Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Always excited to discover a new location of this brand. This location has a more intimate vibe. I remain amazed that no matter which location; the quality and taste are proudly preserved and maintained. Truly a remarkable feat and it's telling that there so many successful locations. Affordable, huge plates of deliciousness. Servers like Jacqueline O are the icing on the cake and their salsa should be its own food group it's so great. Don't hesitate! read more

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First and foremost, the vibes of the restaurant DO NOT match the food quality. It was dirty, no ac, VERY compacted space, and uncomfortable environment. Was only checked on once because I called him over. The taco salad was atrocious. The chicken was boiled and rubbery and had black spots I asked for grilled chicken instead. The lettuce was wilted and like a bagged Caesar mix. Had cabbage and carrots??? the rice was SO bland and way too tomatoey. Nothing was seasoned or cooked properly. The salad was supposed to come with beans... WHERE WERE THEY?! 10 hours later we got them. All in all, will never return. Worst mexican food in the history of mexican foods. Take this as your sign and just go to Del Taco. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Mexican Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Excellent restaurant and the staff is incredible. A must go to spot in Lake Forest. The food was excellent and the Cadillac Margaritas are so incredible. read more

We like it here. We've only been here twice - on a late Saturday afternoon (it was empty) and on a Saturday evening (it was packed). Def recommend making reservations if you're coming on a weekday. Authentic Mexican food for sure. I love Mama's soup and the crispy tacos. The large margaritas is a killer - proceed with caution and maybe think about sharing that bad boy. Love the ambiance - lots of decoration and character. read more

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Came here on Tuesday night and it was surprisingly crowded. We had about a 15 minute wait before being seated. The indoor seating area wasn't too small but there were a ton of people there. The restaurant was decorate very festively which was lovely. I got the Baja bowl with chicken and it was a sizeable portion with some to take home as well. The chips and salsa were also yummy! read more

Been eating at this family owned business for 22 years+ in Santa Ana. I've been to numerous of their restaurants along the coast. Always excellent! The location in Lake Forest failed in every aspect. Sad because I just moved here & I was very excited. read more

Food is great! Service is excellent every time! We are regularly coming back. My husband Loves the Margaritas ! He always has two. He loves the fajitas, shrimp, vegetables, steak or carnitas. read more

Our favorite Mexican restaurant. The Muirlands restaurant is more spacious than the Foothills Ranch restaurant, which is unfortunately cramped. read more

Good food good price good service. The company had lunch and all were satisfactory. For others, not the first time and recommended read more

We visited this location on 16 November 2025, and we had a really great family meal. On this occasion, we had 8 family members, all of whom really enjoyed their time. The restaurant is absolutely chalked full of all kinds of statues, decorations, murals, etc., and it is a really fun atmosphere. My 9 year old son was very entertained - which was an excellent bonus. I had the strawberry margarita (small), which was great; sweet but a little light on booze. My wife had a large margarita, which was ridiculous in size. My brother had to help her, and the two of them didn't even finish it. My father-in-law had a little too much Bravado and wanted it "mucho caliente" - and he could barely drink it... lol We had the tableside guacamole, which was delicious. Plenty of chips and salsa - the staff brought us various types of salsa, all of them good and different (some of the HOT). The staff were very helpful - really a nice group of people and a nice atmosphere. They even changed the near TV to play my father in laws favorite football game. I had the steak and shrimp fajitas platter. The beef was tender, and the shrimp had a good flavor, but a few of the shrimp still had their entire shells- which was messy. I would try the chicken tortilla soup or the carnitas next time - both of those looked good. Sister was very happy with her Carnitas burrito, and the wife was happy with her Chimichanga, the burritos are a ton of food! They were both really happy with them but left a lot behind. Kids were happy with kids' and regular size taco combos - they were hungry! They both really liked the beef tacos better than the chicken. The Jacob Street Tacos were a lot of food - almost too much beef for the tortillas on the plate (in fact my F.I.L. left the tortillas). My S.I.L. had the Mama Avila Soup, and she loved it. There was a lot left over to take home. I would absolutely come back - great atmosphere, great food with large portions, reasonable price. read more

Very disappointing that my daughter spent $16.50 for Albondigas soup that had only 2 meatballs and the shredded beef taquitos for $17.00 came w a small guacamole, not lettuce or anything. The small container of sour cream was $2.50. I have NO problem paying for meal out but the quality and presentation was 1 star. At least for that price throw a little lettuce in there. Help to make it look presentable. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - $17.00 Beef taquitos - Mexican Near Me - Lake Forest, California

To start with - I just love the bright, cheerful atmosphere of this place. I've never had a bad server - everyone seems to be at least enjoying working there and taking care of the guests. 1st Get a house Margarita - I like frozen but you won't be disappointed either way - oh yeah and table side guacamole - Delicious- Frankly I could do that with some chips and salsa and call that a meal. Shredded beef tacos are my fave - but all I can say is I've never had a bad meal here. I can recommend Carne Asada, sizzling fajitas - take your pick. read more

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I have visited their other locations and this one is definitely a favorite. First off, the staff is awesome! That's important. And of course, food taste is just as important. Outside is very cute and decorative as soon as you walk up to their entrance. Indoors is a good ambiance if you're looking for a nice Mexican restaurant. It definitely passes as such since their food is authentic tasting. They even have their famous fajitas special on Wednesdays! Their margaritas are a must if you like to enjoy a drink with your meal. You should definitely try out their chingolingas. Sooo good. I personally preferred the chicken ones over the beef. Good tasting refried beans and their Spanish rice is good too. Check them out! You won't be disappointed. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Chingolingas - Mexican Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Great food, great atmosphere, great portions. Service was amazing, my server was Edward he deserves a raise he was great. will be coming back read more

Avila's El Ranchito - red chilaquiles - Mexican Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Likes: + Delicious meals. The Camarones Al Mojo de Ajo-Style, particularly the shrimps, was absolutely scrumptious. You can ask for no rice so they'll give more beans (more protein in lieu of carbs). + Lavish interior decor. + Bustling ambience. + Plenty of parking. + Polite, helpful staff. + I also enjoyed the chips 'n dip. Always a nice touch to Mexican cuisine. . Leaving the shell on is an aesthetic touch, but would've been nice if they were more edible. The shell was hard, so discard. Non-likes: - Very loud interior. read more

How can anyone give this place lest than five stars? This is our Go-To place for Mexican food. They are generous with their chips and salsa, their food is consistent, and price is reasonable. Though this is a chain, we love the Muirlands location the best because it is a large space and has great energy and vibes. We always get their table side guacamole which is always perfectly seasoned and fresh! I always ask for a side of minced jalapeños which they give me (free of charge). Other places I've tried CHARGED ME EXTRA for this. This restaurant does NOT nickel and dime their patrons and that is a huge plus in my book. Husband always gets their crunchy tacos a la carte and I always get the steak fajitas which come literally sizzling on a cast iron pan. The fajitas come with a side of guacamole, along with rice and beans which I give to the husband. Overall, we love the food, the energetic vibe and spirit of generosity that this place embodies. read more

I've been to multiple Avila's location. This is become a must stop when I visiting from Washington! My goal is to visit all the locations. The way the staff welcomes. It's not just about the food, which clearly is a highlight with the famous caldo and the must-have crispy taco, but also about the feeling of connection and warmth. The streak and garlic shrimp is also another favorite of mine. read more

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No, not the best Mexican food I've ever eaten but adequate in taste and in serving quantity. Service is very good. Overall I'd say that the food taste level is about average. Prices are up since last visit. Mama's soup had a peculiar odor to it and was served cool. Soup should always be served piping hot. Guacamole dip seemed watery and overly salty. Chicken tacos were so-so in flavor and crunchiness. Margaritas had a fairly high level of potency and flavor. Service was excellent as always. As I reiterate, you can do better. read more

I paid $23.00 for a plate of beans , rice and scant cheese, two spoonfuls of vegetables - divided for two people. This was the Monday night special. You choose two items for $15.90 + are required to buy a drink ($4.50).The plate was flat barely any rice and beans. Ordered two of the same item: vegetable enchiladas. Pathetic. Like being feed on a food line for the homeless. I know bc I've volunteered at several. Plus my gf very clearly asked to get hot chocolate. She even repeated it. The Hispanic waiter assumed she met a popular drink that sounds like hot chocolate. We paid bc it was required to get a drink. I tipped generously. read more

Luis is amazing and the Margarita diamond is by far the best! The g Food is so good from burrito to taco salad by far the best Mexican food. We come from HB to eat here in Lake forest read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Amazing steak - Mexican Near Me - Lake Forest, California

I heard from a Mexican friend that the atmosphere and food tasted very similar to the locals. The food was also good. However, I felt the servers were too lazy and slow. They weren't very friendly either. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Mexican Near Me - Lake Forest, California

I'd say this place is good for the vibes and social aspect. I have tried a few different things here and they were all just ok. the drinks were good and the company was great which made it all worth it. oh i think when you are famished a free basket of chips and salsa also makes this place worth coming back to. If I were to revisit this establishment, I'd probably do chips and beer. That sounds like a good time. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Grande Taco Salad w shredded beef - Mexican Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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