Avila's El Ranchito

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!

I was here for over 90 minutes. Not cause of food and such, cause my waiter basically ignored my table like the plague. I finished eating and was waiting for 25+ minutes for the check. I even tried to get his attention but he wizzed by with two margaritas. I get it I was a small group, but still…worst part is place wasn’t even that packed, and one point there were 4 waiters in my area helping but again no. Food is usually good but my food was really greasy and more picado than steak. Like I had maybe 3 oz of meat. Covered by all the sauce and veggies. The guac also had the avocado stem in it still. Luckily caught it but wasn’t pleasant when I bit into it. I now will avoid this place unless I have 4 people cause these guys definite focus on the bigger groups.

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.

I got the Vegan Avocado Burrito. Has a comparably better vegan selection than most restaurants. Nice decorations and cool servers. It’s a bit full on lunch hours so service is slower. Also the burrito itself will run you ~$18. A bit on the high end.

Came here yesterday, and had an overall bad experience. I have been to the Avilas in San Clemente many, many times and the Newport Beach location several times, and always had good experiences. I thought this was a family owned company, so I expected the same quality of food and service from all locations, but turns out it's very different. Waited 40 min for a table. Which was fine - it was Cinco De Mayo so I knew Mexican food places would be busy. Got sat at a dirty table. They didn't bother to clean up in between guests. My feet kept slipping around under the table because of the greasy food left all under the table. The table top was also all sticky. My friends also noticed and were grossed out. If you can't keep the dining area clean, how bad is your kitchen? Also, we were sat where there were animal heads mounted on the wall. Very unlike the vibe at their other locations. My friends and I found it pretty offensive. Strike 1. I ordered a Banana margarita. Was told that they don't make those anymore. Yet it was on their menu still. Strike 2. The chips and salsa were terrible. Chips had no flavor and the red soupy water they brought out with a few floating onions was unlike any salsa. Totally different quality than their beach locations. We pushed all the soupy red waters (sad excuse for salsa) to the outter side of table to be cleared out of the way, but our server never bothered to clear it. Strike 3. I ordered Nachos, figuring I wouldn't notice the flavorless chips with the cheese and sour cream and guac on them. Took 20 min for my food to arrive and then there was hair in it. Even if it wasn't for the hair, I would have sent it back anyway. The whole bottom of the nachos were soaked in that red soupy water so they nachos were getting all soggy. I believe the menu said they would have rancheros sauce. This red water was nothing like rancheros sauce. Strike 4. I asked them to please bring a 2 cheese enchillada plate (in the hopes of no more red soupy water, and hold the hair please.) You would think they would put a rush on this, since they had just served me nachos with hair, but no. I sat there for 30 minuted with no food while my friends finished up their food. I was just getting up to tell the server to cancel my order, since my friends were just finishing eating, when my food finally came. Strike 5. My food again lacked flavor so I asked for a small side of pico and sour cream. They did bring 2 small sides. I took most of my food to-go since my friends were done eating and about ready to leave. Finally our server asked how we were doing and if we were needing anything. This would have been appreciated earlier on. Not right before you hand us our check. We could have used more drinks, but nobody stopped by and bothered to ask. I know they were busy, but for how expensive they are, the service should have been much better. Strike 6. Got my bill and was so disappointed. They hadn't offered me any sort of discount for serving me hair, then making me wait for 30 min for new food to come out. I came here to eat with my friends and I just got to watch them eat. My food came at the end of the meal. At any decent establishment the manager would have come over to check on us after an incident like that, would have offered a discount or a free drink. But no, they did nothing. Then they charged me $5 extra for the tiny (not large) sides of pico and sour cream. Seriously?? I go to a nice mexican restaurant in San Clemente far superior to this one all the time, and they have NEVER charged me for a side of pico. When you are charging $20 for a plate of bland enchillads already, charging 2.50 for a small side of pico is just absurd. .50 cents would have been acceptable for a small side of pico, if they insist on nickle and diming customers who are already spending a lot. But after you serve someone hair, and then make the person wait another 30 min for clean food? Seriously? I hope their manager is aware how they have really dropped the ball with their service, atmosphere, and food. Strike 7.

We often come here so when I was given a gift certificate I was thrilled. When we were ready to pay we showed the certificate only to be told that they did not recognize the signature and that they are not going to validate the certificate. Why sell/offer something that you are not going to honor? You take pride in being a family owned restaurant and can’t process your operations correctly. The certificate clearly says valid at “all locations” so I don’t understand what’s the issue? Sounds like false advertising to me.

Fun atmosphere. Food was fine. Shrimp fajitas were a little dry. Melon margarita had a lot of chunks that got caught in my straw. I wouldnt order that again. They need a better blender. This is a better location than Foothill Ranch.

Nice food. Cute place. Big portions.

Great food and ambience. Our male waiter was great! He was very friendly and attentive. Food was yummy. Will come back again.

The restaurant decor and vibe is always so fun!!! The food unfortunately is always too oily and expensive. The guac was delicious and the margaritas were good!

The ambience of the restaurant was superb! The food on the other hand was not so great, the guacamole was mediocre and not worth $15, the main entrees were not warm and we had to send one order back as it was done incorrectly. Overall not a pleasant experience and definitely not worth the price overall. I don't think I ever plan to return.

My fiancé has lived in the area over 30 years and said he's driven by this restaurant hundreds of times but never went in. So we tried it today, first of all love the vibe, it's decorated so vibrantly with so much color, lots to look at while you're waiting for your food. I recommend the Guacamole Ole because they make it fresh right at your table and it is addicting! I got the Tacos & Caldo which in retrospect is boring when I could have tried so much else, like their Chicken and Mole. Oh well, looks like I'll have to come back! Unfortunately 4 stars because our waiter was not attentive at all, honestly seemed like he was purposely ignoring us. It appeared the other younger waiters were used to this and went out of their way to help us.

Tried the Baja Mahi Mahi tacos on Father's Day and it was quite good. I could only eat one taco, as the plate includes salad and fresh tasting pinto beans. Today I ate the second taco after my workout and it better than yesterday! I added a dollop of bottled salsa and a slice of lemon, covered it with a slice of Gouda cheese and wrapped it in a tortilla! It was great! This place is always busy but the food is generally worth the wait.

Came here for a work holiday party and it was pretty tasty! They accommodated our group of about 25 and a gift exchange. There was so much decor in this place it was crazy! Plenty to look at while waiting on your food. We only had 1 waiter for our table and while he was hustling, he did bring a few of us the incorrect drinks after awhile because there was just so much going on. We all got the guacamole which I really enjoyed-- it was very citrusy which is my favorite. I ordered the 2 entree combo which got me beans and rice along with my shredded hard beef taco and a cheese enchilada. I thought the flavor was pretty good, very similar to the type of enchiladas I grew up eating. We had a few birthdays so they gave out large sombreros for the people celebrating another year. That was fun. The space wasn't set up perfectly for a white elephant exchange (people getting up and down often), but you can tell that they made a real effort to accommodate us well! Definitely would come back!

We came here on Friday night at 5:30 pm after church. They were busy, but still had tables available as this is a large restaurant! We were warmly greeted by the hostesses and seated right away. The chips and salsa arrived right away and our server was very nice. The chips were hot, but didn't seem to have any salt on them and the salsa was ok, but also needed some salt. We ordered: Chile relleno burrito - This is our friends "go to" items to try. She said it wasn't the best she has had, but was pretty good. Tacos & Caldo - My husband and I both ordered the combo Tacos & Caldo (soup). The Mama Avila's Soup is quite popular and has great flavor, but the chicken was over cooked. I loved the tacos, but they were way too crispy for my husband. He said he'll go with the soft tacos next time. There were was great, the food came out quickly and hot, we had timely refills on our drinks. We'll come back again. By the time we left at 6:30pm, there was about 10 people waiting outside to get in. They get busy so come early.

Mexican cuisine is not on the top of my list cuisines but I have to say the food here was pretty good. I wish I took more pictures of the food. The guacamole they make in front of you and it's pretty good. I had the steak fajitas for my entree and I thought it was seasoned well. Service was good. I think our waitress came to the table a dozen times during our meal. The decor is very festive. Not sure I'd drive out of my way to come here but I'd come back if I'm in the area.

Me and my bf ate here years ago and didn't like it. But, we decided to spin the block and give it another try. It was the same. The meat isn't seasoned at all. Like, the chicken just tasted...like chicken. No salt, pepper, onion, garlic. It just tasted like boiled chicken. I ordered the chimichangas and they were not good. Well, they were ok after adding sour cream. Like, a lot of sour cream. The salsa wasn't good either. I think we've officially put this in the 'no' pile.

This place was hopping last night- Saturday. Tableside guac was excellent, margaritas strong, and the carnitas a huge portion and tasty. Friendly service from everyone.

You need a part time job to eat here. How is beans rice a enchilada and taco $30.. wow that's insane

I came hear during my lunch hour, totally forgot to take a pic of the entreees. I had a vegggie enchilada with Ranchero sauce. Service was quick and attentive. Staff was well trained. Food was tasty and ambiance is eclectic.

My fav Mexican restaurant. My friend lives nearby. Everytime she asks where I want to eat, I say, "Avila's", even though it's a 2 minute drive for her and about 20-25 for me. Great margaritas! I always get the chicken and sour cream enchiladas and am never disappointed. Tonight I ate at their location in Costa Mesa. I didn't realize it was Avila's until I left. I was meeting a bunch of friends there. The food was just as good as was the service. Both locations have lots of free parking. It's family owned. I like supporting local businesses, especially when everything is done right. The service is always fast and the food is always delicious.

One of my favy fav Mexican restaurants in Orange County. My favorite was the table side guac & the Suizas enchiladas the sauce is really good. The watermelon margaritas are also good!

We love to eat and drink at Avilas. You can't go wrong with the food or drinks! The atmosphere is all superb! So come on down and have some great food and drink!

Having been to several locations should demonstrate how much we enjoy the food and all the flavors that keep us coming back to the various locations around Southern California. Lake Forest is not the biggest...it's the fancier one but it is charming and eclectic and myself love it for the journey to authentico! The food is delicious and the staff is accommodating, attentive and friendly.

Easy to find, easy to park! Great vibe ! Great food. Decent prices. Margaritas are the best in town but not cheap!!

Cute little restaurant. I loved that authentic feel to it as soon as you walk in. Felt like we were in Ensenada. Interior decor was colorful & bright. Our waitress was attentive. The food was excellent but a bit overpriced I thought, but it is what it is. Everyone in our group had leftovers to take home. Will be back if in the area.

Went to the restaurant today along with a few other's folks around 4:30 Halloween night. Sadly we all walked around the building, called the restaurant, no one answered the phone and there were notes on the door. It would save folks time by simply adding a note. Hope everything was okay but still upset

I have been told to stop into this restaurant for years. It was Taco Bell when I was growing up. My wife and I went for dinner and I was very disappointed. Service was super slow. Yes they were busy but it shouldn't take 30 mins to get our food. The chicken on my meal was definitely per cooked. Very blamed and just not good at all. My wifes dinner looked much better than mine. She enjoyed the margarita. If it wasn't for the guacamole they would be getting 1 star. I don't understand why they are so busy. NOT GOOD AT ALL.

Food is great! I like their table side prepared guacamole and it's so good! Margaritas are deliciously made. Food is delicious and they have a good menu too many to choose from. Service is good ambiance is good.

Surprisingly fun after showing homes to a client. Walking in it looked a little crazy, but once we were nicely greeted and seated, it was very enjoyable! Custom made guacamole right at the table (we requested no tomatoes!) Then they mixed my clients drink also right in front of us. Food was tasty and fresh! Great overall experience!

We normally love El Ranchito restaurants but this is far from the wonderful experiences we are used to. We frequented the Long Beach location before it closed and often go to the Seal Beach location. This was our first time at the Lake Forest location - it will most definitely be our last. Our first impression of the restaurant was the nice decor, we were excited when we arrived. However, things quickly went south. We were seated and waited over 5 minutes in a nearly empty restaurant for a server to come to our table. Our waitress took our drink order and that was the last we saw of her. We ordered a jalapeño margarita and my mom ordered a nonalcoholic cucumber water. About 10 minutes later, who we eventually figured out was the bus boy delivered the wrong drinks.i received a normal margarita and they brought my mom a dos equis beer, not even close to what she ordered. We overlook that and were fine getting those drinks. Here's where the story really picks up. It seemed there was some disagreement between staff and in the middle of the restaurant by the front entrance they were loudly discussing the incident. This disagreement involved our original waitress who was arguing about past receipts with a coworker and manager. This apparently required all of the wait staff to do and was very disruptive. I felt like I was in an episode of kitchen nightmares. Total chaos and arguments among the wait staff and manager. Our food arrived and we did receive the correct meals, however the carnitas they delivered were overcooked, dry, and burned throughout. Throughout the meal no one came to check on us once as they were all involved in whatever issue was occurring. Our original waitress had long since left without another word to us. The bus boy who turned into our server was the only redeemable member of the staff. He did offer a discount for the burned meal and offered for it to be redone. However this was too late as he did not check on us until after we were finished eating. My mom ate the non burnt portion of the carnitas. The manager was deplorable. She was loud and obnoxious and after their discussions finished she was just there distracting the staff. She went into the kitchen and hugged the cooks, kept distracting other staff and was just generally terrible at her job. TLDR: This location does not live up to the normally great experience we have had at other El Ranchito restaurants. The original owners would be greatly disappointed in these staff.

I'm updating the stars from 2 to 4 cause the service has really improved over the last few years. Service makes the experience so great job on improving this area! Now we're regulars.

Worst service I have ever experienced. The server changed his demeanor when we declined on ordering alcoholic drinks with our lunch. The food was good but the service that my wife and I experienced was horrible. When we were near the end of our meal a different server came by and dropped off to go containers for our meals without saying anything and returned to remove our plates without asking or talking to us. I asked if we could have a bag to carry our food in and she quickly responded "ya, gotcha". She returned and threw it over my shoulder and turned her back towards us. We had to ask for our bill several times but were ignored. We literally had to walk to the door to get our bill. We will never return to the restaurant. My wife and I have been to 3 other Avila's restaurants and always enjoyed the experience and food but not at this location. Which is sad considering we just found out about this location. It is the closest restaurant near where we live! Never again!!!

Great food, margaritas and staff! Our fav maexican spot! Our family comes here at least once a week.

Worst service ever not only was our food cold , had to ask for water almost four times. The waiter was so rude. The salsa was awful, the chips stale. Been here a few times and it gets worse every time. Won't be going back

First time coming to this restaurant. We found the service to be good, food was good. Very popular place, had to wait for a table. The wait was just what the said 10-15 min, not bad at all. We will be back in the future. Never enough Mexican food restaurants, right?

I was surprised to see so many negative reviews; been coming here for years and never had a bad experience. Good food, fun atmosphere, and service is always great. My one complaint is - they don't give you the little plastic animals anymore on your drink! Lol. Pics are from dinner with a friend this past week. Delish!! Beef taco/cheese enchilada combo.

I've been to the Newport, Laguna, Orange, Foothill Ranch locations and this review is for the Lake Forest spot. A of all- the food at each location is exactly the same. Fresh, authentic and flavorful. It's awesome they're able to replicate it at each restaurant. 2. The salsa here is the best around in my opinion. Could take spicier but it's so freaking good and has both white and green onions in it (I love onions) Lastly- we ordered a couple grande skinny margaritas and didn't realize they were $27. Also had the great idea to order one 'to-go' to enjoy once we got home. My fault completely for not looking- but the bill was a bit shocking when it came around. Don't get me wrong. We were full with awesome food and tequila and love this place. Highly recommend to anyone looking for some proper Mexican food.

The food here is fantastic. The service is top notch. Jesus is the man! We come here every week and the consistency and quality never disappoint! We absolutely love that they have a dedicated Vegan menu!!!

Fun little local place with okay food and a lot of ambiance. I read a previous review that if you don't order drinks and guacamole you pretty much get ignored and I found that to be true. That said we were a table of six on a Sunday night. I'd expected to get less than stellar service on a Friday or Saturday night not ordering drinks or an appetizer but Sundays shouldn't be that way. In any case, I ordered the chili verde, Spanish rice, beans and corn tortillas. The pork was tender and spicy. The portion was large and the price was moderate to low considering inflation and rising costs. I never got the corn tortillas, I would've asked my server but he really didn't stop to check on us. Overall, the food was good, the service was less than passable. They get a lot of local regulars which will likely keep them going and they won't miss my business. We made the best of it and had a good time anyway. We'll not likely return but I wouldn't discourage anyone else from trying this place out. I hope you have a better experience. Happy eating!

Avila's was a great lunch spot for my work group visiting Cali last week. Plenty of seating and a welcoming atmosphere. Clean and courteous service. The food was pretty good for Tex-Mex. Prices were affordable. The wait was a little extended but since we had a group of 14 I can't really complain. I would definitely try it again. Pics below. Guac was PHENOMENAL!!!

The food was delicious and the service was busy but kind and with a smile!! Thank you so much for delivering tasty tacos, burritos, and nachos in a cute and quaint little restaurant on Muirlands in Lake Forest.

Taco Tuesday happy hour. We had tableside guacamole. The gal who made it made it custom. We asked for extra hot salsa. We got it the second time we asked. It can take the enamel off your teeth. Yum. We had two drinks and got an argument about ordering three tacos. I don't drink and drive so.. The tacos were large with lots of lettuce and tomato. I swear that we didn't kill Enrique's dog, but nothing we did improved his attitude. Everyone else was very hospitable. The drinks were strong.

Excellent drinks excellent food like I said just posting a few flicks for the people‍‍

Every time we go there they have some of the most fresh tacos, meats & horchata around. Super kind & polite service plus it has a very authentic Mexican vibe in the restaurant. We eat there almost weekly

I love the ambiance of this restaurant, it's tucked away in a place where it's very difficult to find if you're not going there specifically with once you enter it just feels like you left the typical Orange County corporate restaurant scene. The menu is filled with so many options, make sure you look over everything because they really do have many many options and I always suggest trying something new. The service was great, we took our time with them and you in the later and let us enjoy

My husband and I stopped by for lunch today, and our server David was THE BEST! He was so nice and top of everything! We started with the shrimp botana and it was a great choice for appetizer! I ordered a cucumber margarita, fiesta size of course! We also order a tampiqueña which you can never go wrong with! It was delicious! The atmosphere was very welcoming! Thank you David! We will be back soon!

Crave worthy food! The chips & salsa are very tasty. I always get red sauce shredded beef enchiladas and rice. If I lived closer I'd eat there every week.

I hope you plan on ordering margaritas, otherwise you will be ignored. My friend and I came here on a Friday night to catch up, we immediately get asked if we'd be getting margaritas. My friend, who is breastfeeding, declined, and then I, who recently found out is pregnant, also declined. I could tell it was going to go downhill from here. The waiter asked if chips and guacamole was fine, the up charge of course, which we responded no, just salsa. We can see he was irritated. He took our order and brought us our drinks. When he brought us our food, the side of rice and sour cream my friend ordered was missing, so we asked him if it was still coming. He brought the rice but forgot the sour cream. My friend did not want to bother him anymore since he already seemed annoyed that we weren't a good payout for him. After this we were ignored the entire time, no water or soda refills or anything. He only came back to ask us if we would like the check, which we said yes since we could tell he wanted us out. He brought us our check and there was the sour cream on the receipt, the one that never arrived. At this point we told him she never received it, and he did take it off, but overall the service was not good, this is the first location I've been to where I've been disappointed.

Don't go to this restaurant because it's a "clip joint"! This was the first time we visited this restaurant and it will be our last! We went early to take advantage of the web-site posted 3PM to 6PM Happy Hour, only to find out half way through our meal that this location does not honor happy hour (even though the web-site states they do)! As we were served our chips and salsa, the waitress asked if we would like some fresh guacamole (this was before we were given a menu & we assumed it was something small) so we said yes only to find out that they charged us $15.00 for it! We chose to go to this restaurant on Monday night because their web-site menu states that the two item combination meal is supposed to be $14 on Monday's, which we both ordered. Well that was the last straw, because when our bill came they had charged us full price for our two dinners. We complained and the waitress had to ask the manager for permission to correct our bill to the lower special price that should have been automatic. It's really too bad that they run such a clip joint because the food was actually pretty good!

Great atmosphere, great food. My favorite is their Avila's soup! Customer service was also very friendly.

Best Mexican food, festive atmosphere, our server Henry was great . Highly recommend the Tacos and Caldo. Mamasita's chicken and rice soup is delicious

Late lunch today , food and service 4/5 Mgr refused a coupon that is posted on AARP. Will not return!

Disgusting! Probably the worst Mexican food I've ever had. Enchiladas were super salty and chicken was watery. The shredded beef taco had no flavor and the meat was very tough!

Great place for company lunch! I have been here many times, with the office and have also ordered their to go trays, which I would definitely recommend. This one is the family pack, which includes the tray of tacos, flautas and chingolingas, as well as 2 sides of beans, 2 sides of rice, salsa, guacamole and chips! Can't beat the price for the quantity and quantities of food.

Went there twice and each time found chicken bones in my enchiladas they don't do a good job shredding the chicken and they are overpriced

This place is really good. Staff is welcoming and courteous. My husband and I dont eat meat, so I got the veggie Fajitas, and he got the veggie enchiladas with beyond meat. Let's say he cleared his plate, and I had to get a take-home box because they gave me a nice size plate. This was our first time here, I would say we would come again soon, but we are not from this area. If we were to come to town again we would definitely visit again.

Food and drinks are amazing, service is great. Did feel a little rush after we were done eating,