Authentic Mexican Food at Avila's El Ranchito

As we continue to try different restaurants in Laguna Niguel and Dana Point, I am constantly impressed by how many restaurants we have in our area that I had previously overlooked. One of these is located at 27941 La Paz Road in Laguna Niguel, tucked in the corner of a shopping center. There is a large patio area that is scattered with umbrellas and portable heaters, to make diners comfortable, regardless of the temperature.

Inside, the restaurant is bright and cheerful, with palm trees, parrots and diving pelicans painted on the walls. There is a full bar, called Marcus’ Cantina, named after the owner. Throughout the bar and the restaurant are several televisions. The night we visited, we could watch two different baseball games and the Wimbledon Championships, which was perfect for us.

The drink menu offers many fun, and tempting concoctions, and features many varieties of margaritas and other favorites, such as mojitos, and its version of strawberry lemonade and a blueberry limonada. Avila's has many “skinny” margarita options, which I appreciated, as we find ourselves in the middle of swimsuit season. The skinny coconut margarita, made with coconut tequila, pineapple juice, and the “signature skinny mix” sounded like an excellent choice.

We decided to skip the cocktails, however, and focused on the food.  The menu has a wide variety of seafood dishes and some more sophisticated choices in addition to the expected taco and burrito options. Some of the highlights include calamari tacos, asada and shrimp or lobster al mojo de ajo that is sautéed garlic, steak and shellfish served with rice and beans, chicken mole, and chingolingas, a pastry filled with chicken. It is served with rice and beans, and garnished with guacamole and sour cream.

Despite all of those wonderful options, we are apparently creatures of habit, and my husband chose a taco and chicken enchilada combo and I went with the Grande Taco salad, which is chicken, beans, lettuce and tomato topped with pico, cheese, sour cream and guacamole served in a flakey flour tortilla shell.

The waiter brought us an excellent basket of freshly made chips and spicy salsa. Our food arrived quickly. Jim’s was served on a large, warm plate. The refried beans were topped with shredded cheese. The plate was garnished with shredded lettuce and an orange wedge. The taco was in a flour tortilla and was overflowing with chicken, lettuce and salsa. My salad came in a beautiful shell. The chicken was grilled and was served in large chunks in the salad. The lettuce and veggies were crispy and fresh and the guacamole was tasty and had a little kick to it.

The waitstaff were friendly and helpful, and came over several times to make sure we were enjoying our meal. Although we did not take advantage of it, they offer fried ice cream, churros, empandillas, and flan for dessert.

In addition, Avila's serves breakfast including huevos rancheros, a Mexican omelet, an egg-celente quesadilla and more. Diners can order breakfast items any time, which is great for those who like eggs at dinner.  Another nice option is the kids’ menu, with several choices for the little ones.

El Ranchito is a nice, family-oriented restaurant and a great choice for those looking for a wide variety of authentic and tasty Mexican food.

I give Avila’s El Ranchito Mexican Restaurant 3 ½ Patches out of 5.