Avila's El Ranchito

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San Clemente, CA
Avila's El Ranchito

Authentic Mexican Cuisine. Founded in 1966 by Salvador and Margarita Avila in Huntington Park, LA. Serving Southern California since 1966!

The restaurant now has 12 locations with 11 in Orange County, each owned by an Avila family member. Visit our website for a list of all of our 13 locations and find one near you to enjoy authentic Mexican food.

11/05/2026

Meet Marcus, our Orange spotlight. 🧡

For Marcus, being an Avila means carrying forward a family legacy built on love, tradition, and bringing people together. It’s about honoring everything that came before while continuing to create a place where families and communities feel at home.

The heart of Avila’s has always been family. And that legacy continues with every generation.

This is what it means to be an Avila. And this is Orange. 💛

📍182 S Orange St, Orange, CA 92866

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11/02/2026

Welcome to Orange Avila's El Ranchito - Orange ! 🧡

Last month, you got to spend some time with my sister Elyse at her Seal Beach location. Now it’s my turn to show you what makes Orange so special!

I’m Marcus, owner of Avila’s Orange, and I’m excited to take you behind the scenes of this truly one-of-a-kind location. Did you know our beautiful restaurant was once a church, built back in the 1800s? Its rich history and unique architecture make it unlike any other Avila’s.

From our historic space to the amazing team and delicious food, there’s so much to discover.

Join us as we share the stories, people, and traditions that make Avila’s El Ranchito Orange special.

We can’t wait to show you around.

📍182 S Orange St, Orange, CA 92866

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11/01/2026

What a month, Seal Beach Avila’s El Ranchito-Seal Beach! ❤️

From the familiar faces behind the scenes to the amazing food, cocktails, and wonderful customers who make this location so special, we’ve loved sharing a little more of what makes Avila’s Seal Beach part of the family.

A huge thank you to Elyse Elyse Avila Smith, the entire Seal Beach team, and our amazing community for welcoming us and sharing your stories throughout this spotlight month.

These are the moments, people, and traditions that make Avila’s more than just a restaurant. It’s family.

And now, we’re heading to our next spotlight location! ORANGE, you’re up next! 🎉 We can’t wait to share the stories, people, and flavors that make this location special.

Thank you, Seal Beach! ❤️

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orangecountyrestaurants

10/31/2026

Planning a get-together? Let Avila’s take care of the food! 🌮❤️

Our famous Party Packs are made for sharing, bringing everyone together around the flavors you love. With enough food to serve 10 people, they’re perfect for family gatherings, game days, celebrations, or simply feeding your favorite people.

Add some margaritas to the mix, invite your friends, and let the fiesta begin!

Make your next gathering a little easier and a lot more delicious with Avila’s Party Packs.

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fiestatime

10/30/2026

Halloween fun on Main Street! 🎃👻

If you’re joining the Trick-or-Treat festivities in Seal Beach today, stop by Avila’s El Ranchito! We’ll have candy for the little trick-or-treaters, and we’d love to welcome you and your family for dinner afterward.

Make Avila’s part of your Halloween tradition! 🌮🍹

📍 209 Main Street, Seal Beach

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mexicanfood

10/30/2026

A tradition rooted in love, family, and remembrance. 🌼❤️

As we approach Día de los Mu***os, we take a moment to celebrate the beautiful traditions that keep our loved ones close, even when they are no longer with us.

For the Avila family, this special tradition is about remembering the generations before us, honoring their lives, and keeping their memories alive through the stories, values, and traditions passed down through our family.

Our ofrendas are a heartfelt tribute to those we love and remember. Each photograph, flower, and meaningful detail represents a connection that will never fade.

Día de los Mu***os reminds us that family is forever and that those who came before us will always be part of who we are.

Con mucho amor, honramos nuestras raíces y recordamos a quienes siempre vivirán en nuestros corazones. ❤️

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**tos mexicanculture

10/25/2026

Celebrate Día de los Mu***os with Avila’s El Ranchito! 🌼💀

Join us Sunday, November 1st, for a day filled with family, culture, music, and delicious Mexican food as we celebrate this beautiful tradition.

🌺Newport Beach & Corona del Mar
11 AM - 3 PM
Enjoy live music, face painting, a photo booth, toys for the kids, and drink specials for adults!

📍2515 East Coast Hwy, Corona Del Mar, CA 92625

📍2800 Newport Blvd, Newport Beach, CA 92663

🌼 Lake Forest
10 AM - 3 PM
Join us for our Día de los Mu***os Brunch, featuring pan de mu**to, café de olla, free face painting from 12–3 PM, Espolòn drink specials, and giveaways all day!

📍24406 Muirlands Blvd, Lake Forest, CA 92630
Bring the family, gather your loved ones, and celebrate with us. We can’t wait to see you there!

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**tos orangecounty

10/24/2026

Happy spooky season from Seal Beach! We had to bring out our dance moves to thriller. Come by and enjoy a spicy mango marg with us or any of our classics such as chile relleno, or albóndiga soup, or shrimp cocktail, or all! 😋

📍209 Main St, Seal Beach, CA 90740

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10/22/2026

we can’t legally provide real therapy but we can provide huge and delicious margaritas. close enough right? 😉

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10/20/2026

The reason why you were born with two hands is for more tacos Avila's El Ranchito 😋

Avila’s locations

📍6703 Santa Fe Ave, Huntington Park, CA 90255

📍2800 Newport Blvd, Newport Beach, CA 92663

📍2101 Placentia Ave, Costa Mesa, CA 92627

📍27941 La Paz Rd, Laguna Niguel, CA 92677

📍182 S Orange St, Orange, CA 92866

📍1305 S Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, CA 92651

📍2201 E 1st St, Santa Ana, CA 92705

📍24406 Muirlands Blvd, Lake Forest, CA 92630

📍2515 East Coast Hwy, Corona Del Mar, CA 92625

📍209 Main St, Seal Beach, CA 90740

📍26771 Portola Pkwy, Foothill Ranch, CA 92610

📍204 Avenida Del Mar A, San Clemente, CA 92672

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10/15/2026

Today is the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month and we are closing it out with a bang!

As Hispanic Heritage Month comes to a close, we’re sharing one that’s especially close to us. Thank you to Spectrum News for sitting down with Maribel Avila Ley and Bianca Avila Smalls, owners of our Corona del Mar and Newport Beach locations, to tell the story of where we come from.

Our grandparents, Salvador and Margarita Avila, left Guanajuato for California in search of the American dream. Better opportunities. A better place to raise their family. In 1966, they opened El Ranchito, and the rest is still being written, four generations later.

Mama Avila’s cooking was like no other. Her soup is still on the menu. Her recipes still guide every plate. And what’s gotten us through every hard season of running a family business is the same thing that started it all: leaning on each other. Every generation at the table, even the littlest ones, pitching in where they can.

That’s what being an Avila means. And that’s what Hispanic Heritage Month means to us, honoring the people who built this, and the ones who keep it going. 💛

Gracias to our familia, to our community, and to everyone who has pulled up a chair at Avila’s.

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10/12/2026

Straight from Elyse Elyse Avila Smith: her four favorite cocktails at Avila’s El Ranchito-Seal Beach

The chile mango margarita, a sweet, spicy, and refreshing twist for those who like a little kick.

The mole old fashioned, a unique cocktail with rich, complex flavors inspired by the bold taste of mole.

The margarita flight, because sometimes choosing just one margarita is too hard.

And the coconut margarita, a tropical, creamy twist that’s like a little vacation in a glass.

Come sip on Elyse’s favorites for yourself at Avila’s Seal Beach.

📍 209 Main St, Seal Beach, CA 90740

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10/09/2026

Meet Luis, one of our team members who has been with us for nearly 10 years. He and our staff are what make our Seal Beach restaurant feel like home. 💕

Here at Avila’s El Ranchito - we’re about more than just great food. It’s about the people, the memories, and the feeling of being part of the family, and our staff is our family.

📍209 Main St, Seal Beach, CA 90740

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10/05/2026

Straight from Elyse Elyse Avila Smith: her four favorite dishes at Seal Beach.

The albóndigas soup, a hearty vegetable stew with housemade beef meatballs, perfect for a cold day or when you just need a little love.

The chile relleno, one of her grandmother’s specialties, made by the case every single day.

The shrimp cocktail, traditional Mexican-style with jumbo wild-caught shrimp from Mazatlán.

And the potato tacos, vegetarian, but ask the server about the off-menu ground beef add-on. A lot of people secretly do it. 🤫

Come try them for yourself at Avila’s Seal Beach. 💛

📍209 Main St, Seal Beach, CA 90740

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10/02/2026

Live on ABC7 this morning. 💛

If you’ve never been to Avila’s, consider this your sign. Made fresh, made the way Mama Avila taught us, and made with the same love that’s kept this familia going for four generations.

Marcus and Katie Avila shared our story on air this morning, the recipes passed down from Mama Avila, the family history, 60 years of doing this together, and the giving back that’s just as much a part of who we are as the food. Next week, the familia is heading into our 8th Homes of Hope build, one more home for a family that needs it in Mexico.

That’s what being an Avila means to us. The food, the family, the giving back.

So come pull up a chair today. Bring the familia. We’re saving your seat. 😊

Huge thank you to Tony and the entire ABC7 Eyewitness News news team for having us this morning. We had the best time telling our story with you.

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10/02/2026

This is Elyse Avila Smith Elyse Avila Smith. Third generation.

Elyse Avila Smith grew up one street over from her grandma’s house. After school, she’d walk over, step into the kitchen, and cook. That’s where it started.

Now she owns Avila’s El Ranchito Seal Beach, and she’s carrying her grandma’s open table forward. “I just want it to be a place that brings humanity and connection back together,” she says. “Feel the love through our food, our familia, and be part of ours too.”

The night before Seal Beach opened, her grandma walked in to tell her how proud she was. And Elyse says she’s still there all the time. 🤍

This is what it means to be an Avila. This is Seal Beach.

If you’re in Seal Beach or near by make sure to come on in and enjoy one of the best authentic Mexican food in town and say hello! 😊

📍209 Main St, Seal Beach, CA 90740

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Address

San Clemente, CA

Website

http://www.avilaselranchito.com/

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