I love me some Avila's This is one of my favorite locations, this place was once a church and it has an awesome vibe. If you like Avila's but you haven't been to this location trust me this place is RAD. The Avila's soup is awesome, the fajitas are fantastic and the chips and salsa are always really salty and super yummy. When you visit this particular restaurant tell them Costa Mesa Dave sent you make sure you try that salad, it's really good!! Oh and by the way, parking is a little bit tough for this particular restaurant so don't be afraid to grab a spot a couplea couple blocks away. And remember this is the only Avilas to my acknowledge that has a banquet room. We had our company Christmas party here a couple years ago and it was absolutely awesome. read more

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

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Have been to Avila's in Orange a few times now, usually during a weekday lunch as it is close to work, and it has been a pretty good and consistent experience each time. First off, the location is beautiful, inside an old church. The service is quick and kind as well. I enjoy the food that they have here, it is honestly pretty good mexican food, nothing too crazy. The Avila's soup is very good and comes with a large portion. I personally enjoy the enchiladas the best. Their green salsa is amazing and I always ask for extra on the side. Overall, this place is pretty good for a quick lunch. read more

Great Service, Amazing food, the Burrito bowl was huge comes with your choice of tortillas. The atmosphere is spacious and very accommodating the open concept and valted celings keep noise levels down. Around back there is a handicap entrance with read more

I grew up going to Avila's El Ranchito in Long Beach and Newport Beach but my favorite El Ranchito location is in Orange. The building was previously a church and it's really beautiful inside. I love the Orange Circle area and it's close to many shops and dessert spots. My favorite is the Chile Relleno and their chips and salsa. Several dishes are really good there. Very consistent. Attentive staff. Highly recommend this restaurant. read more

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Always a good time! Random stop in for the evening and the food, drinks, and bday ice cream never disappoints. Attentive service as always and we all left stuffed read more

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Parking is always abysmal here in Orange so let that be an unfortunate heads up for any out if town visitors! The restaurant used to be a chapel (to my understanding) so the decor feels very light and peaceful. There are lots of stained glass pieces and beautiful woodwork within this establishment. There are both indoor and outdoor seating with both being absolutely stunning. We chose to sit inside and can I say the service here never disappoints! Everyone here is incredibly attentive, friendly, and welcoming. Usually one server sticks to a table but here, everyone helped everyone. Not once did I have to ask for something. All needs were more than met here. The food itself was delicious! Both my boyfriend and I ordered the carnitas which came with beans, rice, pico de gallo, guacamole, and some jalapeños. We ordered corn and flour tortillas and neither disappointed. Everything, including the chips, were fresh. Overall, we had a great experience. My boyfriend (from Los Angeles of all places) is a huge Mexican food lover/critic yet absolutely loved the place. Take that as your stamp of approval. Will definitely be returning here read more

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

You know it's a fantastic brand that's managed well when you return years later and it's just as great, if not better! Outstanding presentation and contents of their Grande (!) Taco Salad; so delicious with grilled chicken!! Without a doubt; this brand has the best salsa too. Great service (Jesus S.,) beautiful decor of an old church preserved and a menu that's diverse but more importantly consistently prepared. Delicious, large portions; you'll get your money's worth and have a great time! Note: front entrance has stairs but there is an elevator at other end of building to support ADA customers! :) read more

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Authentic, amazing and delicious Mexican food and so affordable. The only place we go to when we are in the mood for Mexican food. Just delicious, from the chips and salsa to the main course to the flan. 10/10! read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Amazing food and amazing staff! - Mexican Near Me - Orange, California

We came here with a large party of 14 for my Aunt's birthday. They were amazing to set us up in a great spot and gave us excellent service. The food was tasty and we enjoyed our drinks. I docked 1 star because the chips were disappointing, they tasted stale and bland. Also, one of the servers spilled salad dressing down the side of my aunt's sweater when he was clearing her plate, and then later dropped a bunch of the chips on her pants! Some additional feedback for the restaurant - This restaurant is in a beautiful historic building that used to be a church, with the original stained glass and has such amazing potential for a nice special dining experience. Yet, there are big TVs mounted in the main dining area. I could understand having a TV or two in the bar area, but this is not a sports bar and the TV takes away from the ambiance and romantic characteristic of Avila's El Ranchito restaurant. To make matters worse, the news was playing in the middle of dinner on a Saturday night. The staff member was kind enough to change the channel to something else when I requested, but I think the restaurant could pay attention to what's playing and maybe just have a yule log on or something holiday-esq rather than a large distracting TV broadcasting disturbing news (since that's all the news is full of), taking away from the ambiance. read more

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Our organization decided to do our holiday party here at Avila's. It was such a hit. The back room is perfect for privacy and we were able to shut the door and be as loud as we needed to be. The food is do tasty, especially the flautas. The chips and salsa are also always a hit. The servers that were helping our room were so professional and kind. We are a group of about 45 employees and everything went so smoothly. The location is a bit to the side of the Orange circle, so during busy times parking may get a little tough. I was able to find a spot close by though on a Thursday afternoon. It is well worth it, and we would happily do our events here again! read more

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This restaurant serves authentic and flavorful Mexico City-style Mexican cuisine. While I would have loved the tortillas to be freshly made or properly warmed, the meal was still thoroughly enjoyable. read more

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Ordered a carne asada, but the steak was full fat. People want good food not gross meat. Server was great and helpful. The ambiance was really nice and pleasant. The 3 star is only because the steak was horrible. read more

Service was excellent. Friendly and courteous. Ambiance is kid friendly. Food was delicious. I would come here again. read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Churro vanilla ice cream - Mexican Near Me - Orange, California

Absolutely insane we ordered takeout, the fajita plate and a burrito. The burrito was fine, until we opened the fajita plate. It wasn't even a full chicken piece and looked like some trashed pepper and onions from someone elses plate. Weve ordered inside before and ordered the same items and we got full portions and a FRESH fajita dish. Well tonight wasn't that.. Dont waste your money here read more

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We came on a weekend before noon, and we were easily able to find a nice booth spot by a window. We noticed that as we were in the restaurant, more people started to slowly pile in. By the time we finished eating, there were quite a lot of people. The staff here were very kind. I love their complimentary chips and salsa, which you can get free refills of! I got the Mayan Burrito, which I've tried before at their Laguna Beach location. It was delicious like the last time I had it. I love the salsa verde on top and all the filling (shredded chicken and rice). The portions were all great, and I took my burrito home. We all enjoyed our burritos, and we will definitely be back to try more dishes! read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Mayan Burrito, Avocado Burrito, Fresco Burrito, & Autumn Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Orange, California

Chips and salsa were great sometimes that's the tell tell if a great Mexican restaurant. The tortilla chips are made in house and served warm and unlimited from what I got! My order was the wet burrito with carnitas! Delicious! My girlfriend order the camarones à la diabla and they were again very delicious! The customer service was on point they were so attentive and overall a great mood. My girlfriend asked to sit outside for the "vibes" but was still cold haha so they offered to turn in the heater just for her! Overall great! read more

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I love coming here for dinner. This building is a masterpiece. We love to bring our dogs so we end up sitting on the patio, but the building is a true marvel. Our server was super friendly and checked back on this multiple times even though we were so busy chatting with friends we delayed ordering, but he was very patient, kind and we needed nothing. I ordered a two item combo with a crispy chicken taco and chicken tamale. You can't go wrong. Everything was spot on as usual, and my mouth is still watering. read more

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Should out to Avila's El Ranchito! We came by with a group of ~20 hungry girls after a walk in the neighborhood to look at the Halloween decorations and they got the big back room ready for us within 5 minutes and served us all quickly and efficiently. They even let us split the check (even though they typically don't let the check be split that many ways). Very extensive menu. read more

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

The location is in the middle of neighborhood right on the corner streets of old town Orange. So when walking in it's welcoming, casual and comfortable feeling. You can tell it's well liked and visited by the locals. The location is a refurbished old cathedral Church with beautiful stain glass. This is our 2nd time here and even though pretty packed, we got seated right away. One thing that is a major plus for us is their yummy fresh chips & salsa! The food is very tasty! The waiters and waitresses are very attentive and friendly. If you never been we recommend to come try for your self. read more

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I was intrigued to try this place out cause of how grand and historic the exterior looked. The reviews posted on the lobby walls guaranteed authentic Mexican food but I was disappointed to find how heavily they relied on cheese to make the dishes come alive. Most everything on our plates aside from the chips were a consistent mush texture. While the interior felt like a welcoming foyer where families could gather, it didn't distract us enough from the lack of cleanliness. I really wanted to like this place. At least the staff was friendly. read more

Been coming here for years- since they first opened and took over the building. Food was always fairly good but this last time, the food was just off. The carne asada on the Asada combo usually is sliced thin and very tasty- this time it was like they substituted it with sirloin and sliced thicker and tastes was bland. Not sure if they changed who they get their steaks from now but not worth the $26 for bad steak and rice n beans. Not sure why they don't use flank steak like real carne asada. The service was also a bit unresponsive- considering it was kinda slow night, not very busy. Oh well. Looks like it's time to consider other options read more

My first time dining at Avila's El Ranchito. I met my buddy here as it's one of his favorite restaurants. Situated in old downtown Orange, this little gem exudes an historic and authentic cultural vibe. The staff are super friendly and extremely attentive. We visited during lunch time on a Wednesday and chose to sit at a table in the bar area. We never had to wait for anything. Chips n' salsa never ran low and our drinks never dipped below half a glass before they were re-filled without having to ask. Impressive! Although, it was my first experience at the restaurant, there was a strong "cheers" style feel. Upon being seated, we were immediately presented with chips and salsa. I must say that the salsa was excellent! Definitely not from a jar here! It was super tangly, cool and refreshing with the perfect amount of spice to rally your tastebuds for what would be coming next.. I ordered the two chicken tacos and tortilla soup combo. I really liked that I had some options with regard to the style of chicken. Specifically, chicken grilled breast or shredded. I asked and was able to order one of each. While both were excellent, the shredded chicken was a bit more flavorful as it's marinated. The soup was absolutely perfect! Lots of chicken and vegetables in a broth that makes you feel like you are at grandmas! All in all, the food was EXCELLENT! Not a drop of grease, just high quality "homemade style" and authentic Mexican food that is delivered by a staff that aims to please. Fantastic experience and can't wait to comeback and try another amazing dish!!! Avila's El Ranchito is a MUST try!! read more

Avila's El Ranchito - Two chicken tacos (shredded & grilled) with tortilla soup. - Mexican Near Me - Orange, California

Very disappointing experience. We stopped by for a casual lunch and ended up paying about $70 for two fajitas, an extra side of beans and rice, and waters. The shrimp fajitas came with only five shrimp, and the chicken fajitas maybe had 7-8 small pieces of chicken. On top of that, everything was swimming in grease. For the prices they're charging, the portions were shockingly small. It really feels like they've raised prices while cutting back on the actual food, especially the protein. Definitely not the value it used to be, and sadly we won't be returning. There are much better Mexican restaurants around. read more

Came in for lunch. Was seated right away, they had all the decorations up for Christmas which was so fun to see! Enjoyed the Mamas Avila Soup and it was absolutely to die for. With the rainy season here it was perfect. read more

I ordered a shrimp plate and could taste freezer burn, but I forced them down. I later came to regret that decision and I don't want to eat here ever again. The service here though was amazing! read more

Beautiful place. I liked the location. I've been to many Avila's restaurants and the food was very similar taste wise. 5 starts for that. However, this location doesn't include tortillas with meat dishes and doesn't have any other non- alcoholic drinks other than soft drinks. No horchata, Jamaica, etc. I was surprised. They're also known for their friendly service. You can expect the owner walking around greeting guests at their original location. I even get Christina's cards. This was a lot less friendly and cozy. The waitress grilled each child for their age when they ordered from the children's menu. Just a different vibe. read more

We've been here a good 8-10 times, The older gentlemen that work here are great, the younger guys are awful, zero respect and unresponsive! One person comes to get your drinks then never comes back, another gets your food order, none give you their names or tell you they will be your server. If they mess up your order you won't hear an "I'm sorry, let me fix that for you" they will reach over your food to grab something from your table and not say excuse me, they don't bring napkins or get refills unless you ask them, but when it's time to pay they're FAST ready to charge you. Safe to say the service was HORRIBLE. Tonight was the last time we come here. read more

Let me start by saying my wife and I are long-time customers of several of the El Ranchitos in Orange County. The food is always delicious. This location in Orange usually provides great service along with great food. The restaurant is a converted church, so the interior is unique and beautiful. The perfect atmosphere- open space and multiple levels to add visual depth. However, there are giant TV screens throughout the dining area which completely distracts from the dining experience. It makes no sense, since the bar area has plenty of TVs for sports viewing. Adding more to the dining room just kills the vibe. On this particular visit, our server was distracted and barely checked on us. The place was not at capacity, so it wasn't a crowd issue. He was just focused on other customers, I guess, since our order was not a big ticket bill (we shared the crispy ground beef and potato tacos). The food was still good, and we will be back. Just disappointed in the obnoxious TVs and lackluster service (on this visit). Hoping to update this review with 5-stars in the future. read more

The villa's Mexican restaurant looks beautiful, but the experience didn't match. Service was overly pushy, and the cocktails tasted like water. We asked to speak to the manager, who refused to help and just said, "Well, you drank them." Yes, we did -- but they were clearly watered down. Not worth the hype. read more

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

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I don't get the 3.8 for this restaurant, it deserves a higher rating. Since moving to Huntington Beach from LA last year, my husband and I have hit all of the Mexican restaurants in search of our new spot. We didn't find it in HB, but we did find it in Costa Mesa here, at Avila's. From the very first time, we just fell in love with Salvador, the lovely manager who also serves as host. He's very warm and welcoming, which is always appreciated. The vibe is always lively when we go on the weekends, the staff members are super nice and professional, and at the bar there are TVs if you want to watch a game. The food is fresh and delicious, and the prices are on par with most Mexican places these days. Their chicken soup is delicious and we've enjoyed everything else we've tried, including the fajitas. Their tortillas, both corn and flour, omg . Tonight was extra special, though. I wear an Apollo Neuro device on my ankle (I get all the jokes about being on house arrest, etc.) and I've worn it for so long it's a part of me, so I don't really know it's there anymore. Until, of course, it's not there. Hours after our meal, and after the restaurant was closed, I realized it must've fallen off. Hoping it fell off at the restaurant, I called and thankfully they were still there closing up. Salvador answered the phone and not only did he remember me, but with a good joke he let me know he had my device. Salvador stayed until my husband drove the 20 minutes back to the restaurant to meet him. Who does that these days? Salvador does. Go see him and the rest of the team at Avila's, they're all lovely and the food and drinks are great! read more

Came here on Saturday night around 8pm, after a mini golf date, my wife was craving the avocado burrito. we had no reservations, were seated immediately. This time, i tried mama avila's soup -- absolutely mind-blowing (especially if you add lemon) Service was again super good , met Jesus who just crushed it from the moment i met him -- served chips and salsa immediately upon sitting -- got our mains within 5-10 minutes Constant reminders of why this place exists and thrives Also -- the Diet Coke here is 10/10 Worth the stop -- will be coming here frequently for the soup! read more

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

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I sat at the bar, I had Mamas chicken soup with the house margarita, came with chip and salsa. Yummy, go try it. read more

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I can't wait to go back! The service was amazing and food was delicious. I loved the restaurant and environment. read more

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

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Service here was excellent! All the staff were polite and friendly. Super fast service . We were seated quickly and give chips and salsa and drinks quickly. The ambience was great. Old school ranch decor. Food was great. Prices were decent. Over all excellent place to dine and I cannot rave enough about the staff to be honest! Excellent customer service! Thank you Avila's! read more

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WARNING: SERIOUS HEALTH HAZARD -- DO NOT EAT HERE I've never felt more compelled to write a review like this before, but this incident was far too dangerous to ignore. My girlfriend ordered menudo from this restaurant and was absolutely horrified to find a large piece of metal wire in her bowl (the kind that appears to come from a steel wool cleaning sponge). Yes, a sharp metal wire in her food. This isn't just poor kitchen practice, this is an unforgivable life-threatening safety hazard. Had she swallowed it or it gone unnoticed by someone else, it could have caused serious internal injury, or worse. The fact that something this hazardous made it into a customer's meal is beyond unacceptable. It's negligent and reckless. When we brought it to their attention, there was no real concern, no sense of urgency or accountability. Server response was: "would you like another one?" Which left us in shock. That alone speaks volumes about how little this place cares about your health or safety. If you value your well-being, do not eat here. I'm posting this review not out of spite, but out of a sincere warning to others. This place is dangerous, and the kitchen and management practices here are clearly careless and hazardous. Restaurants like this should not be operating until they take food safety seriously. I can't help but think what could have happened if a child or elderly person had been served that dish. AVOID THIS PLACE AT ALL COSTS. read more

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

I'm really surprised to see the lower ratings. We have been coming here for years. Honestly, one of our top five go to spots. The patio is beautiful, the inside is beautiful. My wife actually grew up going to church here as a little kid. I highly recommend the spot. Service is great. I'm a fan of the enchilada, the fajitas, and kind of everything. read more

Avila's never disappoints. The food is really good and the staff is super nice. The only place I can fault this restaurant is the noise level. The main dining room is a large wood room and it can get very loud. Eating on the patio is much more relaxing and a better place to visit with friends. read more

**I am writing this review in hopes that management will see this and course correct.** I've been coming here FOREVER. Since day one. I am friendly with the staff and appreciate so very much about this place. It's been a good three or more months since we'd dined here, so last night we decided to come back to the tried and true comfort of Avila's. Starting with the drinks: $13 for a house margarita which didn't taste like the house margarita I knew and loved. Chalked it up to a new mix. But when the Paloma showed up green, I knew there was a problem. Traditional Palomas are made with ruby red grapefruit juice. When we asked the server about it, it became a whole uncomfortable conversation when he insisted on involving the manager, who we also know and love. She kindly explained to us that they use regular grapefruit juice. Ok, fine....looks like we are paying $15 for a green "Paloma" that we didn't enjoy. Now to the food....We were thoroughly disappointed. The prices have gone up---I get it, sign of the times...but the portions...the portions have gone down---that I don't get. We ordered the Grilled Fiesta Platter (a regular favorite) which we previously would always have enough to take home for leftovers. Not this time. My husband left still hungry. My nephew, he's three, got the child's taco plate, upgraded to shrimp. There were only two pieces of shrimp. We cut the shrimp to balance it out. It didn't work. Had to order another shrimp taco for him. Subtotal for the night, which included two house Margaritas, a green Paloma, two adult meals and one child's meal with an extra shrimp taco....$146! Between the off-tasting margaritas, the weird Paloma, and the small portions, I am sincerely hopeful that this was a one-off and that this isn't the way it will be if we visit again. read more

Always love coming to Avila's! Both this location and the San Clemente location are great. Food is always consistently delicious, hardly ever a wait to get a table, and service is prompt and friendly. Prices are reasonable as well. The Orange location is cool because it's inside of an old church building, so has a lot of stained glass and vibes that match the rest of Old Town. Been coming here for the past 4 years and will continue to! read more

This happens to me every time I eat in or get it delivered. I love their Avila Chicken soup. It comes with avocado. But if you pay $4 more for their Condiment Plate - which includes cheese, crunchy tortilla chips, avocado, & jalapeños - they don't put in the avocado that is supposed to come with the soup, probably because it's also on the Condiment plate. If it happened once or even twice, I guess it happens. But this is obviously deliberate. If I'm paying $23 plus tax for a bowl of soup, at least give me what I'm paying for. read more