Avila’s El Ranchito Mexican Restaurant

The food is delicious! Really nice waiter. We had chiliquilles, breakfast tacos, tostada and mimosas. Everyone was happy. The salsa seems fresh. Yummy

After a wonderful day at the beach with my little one, I was able to sit down and enjoy a very special dish at Avilas El Ranchito. Pollo en mole was absolutely amazing. Slices of chicken breast, (not shredded chicken) rice and beans. this was actually big enough for two people. The place gets crowded fast, but we were able to get a table pretty quick. We sat inside & servers ’ a manager were very attentive & friendly faces, asked us if we needed more tortillas, brought refills of sodas, etc. Made us feel welcome. will definitely be back when I come to seal beach. Only thing, they didn’t have a changing table in the restroom for my baby. Luckily we had a beach towel with us — I can’t imagine how the other moms handled their tiny babies diaper changing (on the floor). I’ll just remember to bring a towel next time I guess.
*You guys should put a changing table!!! Thanks!

Hadn’t even planned on stopping here, but while walking by on Main Street, I was greeted with a smile by server Lauren, so decided to take a quick break on the patio. Lauren recommended the Cadillac Margarita (tasty!) and suggested a taco that I hear was VERY good from my roommate who stole it. Thanks, Lauren, great service — I’ll be back, but will be enjoying my taco on-​premises instead of to-​go!

Just got back from dinner, and I have to say it was one of the most pleasurable dining experiences I’ve had in Seal Beach. The food & ambiance were amazing, but what really put it over the top was the impeccable service by our server Lauren. I will definitely be back (hopefully during one of her shifts), and I’d recommend this to anyone as the best Mexican food in town. Bravo!
THANKS SNOOKIE

Rudy and Elyse till great care of us and our big party! Thank you guys for a great experience!

Rudy and Elyse were so wonderful! The food was delicious and the drinks were strong. I’ll definitely be coming back here! They also have a great vegetarian/​vegan menu.

I love Avila’s. This location does not offer a couple of my favorite Avila’s menu items and the chips and salsa is a little different then let’s say HB, CDM and Newport but it is still the best Mexican food in Seal Beach, maybe Long Beach too. The patio dinning is awesome and the service was good. I saw they have $ 5.00 margaritas on Monday, Taco Tuesday discounts and $ 2.00 classes of wine on Wednesday.

Just no flavor in the food. From the beans, both chicken and beef, even the guac all were flavorless. Just the worst Mexican food I’ve had in a long time.
Service was good though.

Service — our waitress was nice. I don’t remember her name though, but she definitely had a smile everytime she came by which was good. It was really busy (we went around 730pm on a Sat) so she couldn’t tend to us as fast as I would have liked, but that was understandable.
Food — I ordered the bowl of menudo. This is the reasoning behind my 3 stars. The menudo was mainly homony and broth. There were some very very very small pieces of meat floating around and one very large piece in the center of my soup, but it was literally all the fat of the fat. So it wasn’t very «meaty» which made me very disappointes. Flavor wise for rhe broth was on point and they gave just the right amount of the ingredients you put in the menudo: the chile, onions and the green seasoning flakes lol I don’t know what the name of it is exactly. One plus is that you have a choice between a cup or a bowl. I’d say get the cup because then it would seem like there’s more meat/​my daughters burrito! Horrible. It was extremely extremely soggy and when we opened it to rewrap the internal ingredients with my fresh tortillas from my menudo there was like barely any chicken. It was pretty bad :/​
Environment — there were tvs playing the finals for the NBA so that was good for my husband and dad. It was extremely loud though. I’m thinking because there was just so many people in such a small place. The lighting was nice. And the place was clean. I didn’t visit the bathroom so no comment there.
Overall, I may go back. I love menudo so if you are looking for that dish, I’d say to visit El Burrito Jr. Which is further near the pier. They’re menudo is 5 stars. Only downer is that they only take cash.

Walked up and was able to be seated quickly. There chips and salsa taste great. Small place and have a Friendly and responsive staff. Definitely going here again to get my Mexican food fix. Keep up the great work. Dog friendly Patio!!!

Good feel in this restaurant, waitress is warm. Food tastes good~ Good value for money.

By far my favorite Mexican restaurant. Great food, fresh and awesome service! Want authentic Mexican food then come here.

This is a MUST VISIT place… I have heard good things about this place and true enough it was worth the visit… Even a simple lunch special did not disappoint. I had the Two tacos and Caldo… and it was Bursting with flavor… this simple dish was so delicious… will definitely be back to try the other items on the menu. Family Friendly atmosphere and was greeted by the owner herself… That’s awesome! see ya soon !!!

We wanted to like this place. The space itself has a great vibe – open and inviting off Main Street in Seal Beach. However, the waitress was either really new to waiting tables or management didn’t staff correctly. Our food came out cold (soup included… how long did it sit?). Maybe the tempature made the food taste mediocre but we were not impressed with the flavors either. We typically are not the type of people to return food but we returned two items (who eats cold soup?). We were very disappointed as we expected more. Would have rather gone to Chronic Tacos or Chipotle and saved money and eaten tastier food.

Came here yesterday (Mother’s Day) with my daughter after a long bike ride. We both ordered «Mamas chicken soup» and we were so disappointed. Because we go to the same restaurant on Main Street in Huntington Beach we thought the soup would taste the same, not the case here. Just totally bland, no spice or flavor even after adding salt pepper salsa Tabasco sauce nothing helped. To top it off they were only giving out roses to mothers who happen to order their Rose margarita that day, kind of cheesy if you ask me. Will I stop in here again no sticking to the one in Huntington beach only.

Service: They provide great customer service.
Food: The chips and salsa are complimentary and on point. The shrimp cocktail is delicious. The shrimps are huge! The fresco burrito with tomatillo salsa and beef is amazing!

The wife had a chicken taco and potato taco, and the bowl of chicken soup. I had the fresco burrito with steak, and made it wet with tomatillo sauce. We also ordered the guacamole and it was some of the best I’ve had. The food was so fresh and good! Service fantastic. We will return often :-)

Really great! A friend had clued me into this restaurant saying he used to eat at the original when he was a kid. Said the chips and salsa were «on point,» so we had to check it out. Love the location and the interior décor. Chips and Salsa were really good. Chips thick, warm and not too salty. Salsa flavor really good — could use it a tad bit chunkier.
What a great menu! Lots of vegetarian options! My husband had the avocado tacos. He scarfed them down really quickly. I had the combo with a cheese enchilada and potato taco — the potato taco was my absolute fav — with green chiles. I ate quickly but not as quickly as him!
The only strange thing was we had to wait a little long for someone to initially take our drink orders. I had to go find another server and ask for water. Then our server checked on us 100 times — as if to make up for the initial lateness. Not sure what the deal was there but the food was so good this didn’t matter all that much.
We’ll definitely go back!

El servicio es excelente, la salsa que ponen con los chips, es la peor salsa que he probado, los tacos de carne asada, tienen demadiada sal, el guacamole que probè estaba insipido, tuve muy mala suerte y èse día habia demasiadas moscas.

Thank goodness they made this space into a great Mexican Restaurant.
First off the total remodel is a big difference. The exterior and interior was given thoughtfulness and planning.
When I go to a restaurant or any business I look around. I look at the colors, the lighting, art work, comfort the seating arrangements. Many things catch my attention before even looking at a menu or whatever they are offering.
Who ever put this space together thank you! It’s a wonderful addition to Main Street Seal Beach.
The food and offerings is excellent. Well presented with a hint of upscale yet welcoming for a beach atmosphere.
My salad was fresh and the dressing was delicious. The chips and guacamole mouth watering.
The menu looked diverse yet traditional. Service was prompt friendly and not over bearing.
They have a full bar menu too and wines and beer.
Good luck on Main Street.

My wife and I love Mexican food and we are glad that El Ranchito came to Seal Beach!
The service: Very good! We were warmly greeted by the host and attended quite well by our server. Very friendly and helpful!
The atmosphere: Casual, yet nice. Rustic, with a touch of elegance. The front of the restaurant has a covered patio with a number of tables for those who like more of the outdoor dining atmosphere. The indoor dining room has a great rustic, yet elegant, feel. There are booths and tables. Definitely a place for either a date, family time, or business. Overall great atmosphere.
The food: Love it! It’s an elevated version of traditional Mexican food.
The appetizers/​starters: We enjoyed the chips and salsa with fresh guacamole. So good!
The entrees: The first time I visited, I ordered the Fresco Burrito with steak, salsa fresca, rice, guacamole, cheese, lettuce, and incredible tomatillo sauce.
The second time I visited, I ordered the Asada and Shrimp al Mojo de Ajo. The steak was good, the shrimp may have been slightly over cooked, but good, and the garlic butter sauce was a great touch. I definitely liked the steak Fresco Burrito better.
Both visits my wife ordered the Chingolingas and she loved it! She let me have a bite and I added some green tomatillo salsa we had on the table, and oh man! It was so good! I was happy when she couldn’t finish her meal, because I finished it for her :)
The dessert: I wish I could remember the name, but it was a warm churro dessert with strawberry filling and whipped cream, and a scoop of ice cream. Seriously loved it!
Will we be back? Looking forward to it!
These two locals — who can walk to the restaurant from home — are excited to have El Ranchito in our neighborhood!