Seal Beach – Avila's El Ranchito

*Margarita Avila is remembered for her strength, spirit and skill.

The Orange County restaurant world lost one of its pioneering finest this week with the death of Margarita Avila, matriarch of the Avila’s El Ranchito family-owned chain whose beloved Mexican food recipes helped make the restaurant group a regional success…

*Margarita Avila, the 93-year-old matriarch behind the empire

Margarita and Salvador Avila opened their first restaurant in Huntington Park in 1966. For more than 50 years, Margarita and Salvador Avila’s El Ranchito restaurants have been a go-to in Orange County for combo plates and margaritas. Regulars will definitely…

At 50, Avila’s El Ranchito is still all about family

When patrons of Avila’s El Ranchito sit down to eat, they’re handed a menu bearing a picture of Margarita “Mamá” Avila. The matriarch of the Mexican food restaurant group is standing by stacks of plates. Her face beams. The photograph suggests…

Avila’s to take over Seal Beach diner later this summer

Avila’s El Ranchito operates a restaurant in nearly every major coastal town in Orange County. Its coastal expansion continues with the opening of its 12th restaurant in the downtown Seal Beach. Elyse Avila Smith, the 28-year-old granddaughter of the founders,…

Category: Seal Beach