Avila’s El Ranchito permanently closes location on Main Street in Huntington Beach

Avila’s El Ranchito Mexican Restaurant owners announced Friday that they will not reopen the location on Main Street in Huntington Beach, which had been out of commission since last November due to a two-alarm fire.

The fire, believed to have started in the restaurant’s kitchen, was quickly extinguished on the morning of Nov. 8 by firefighters from Huntington Beach and neighboring Costa Mesa and Fountain Valley.

But El Ranchito owners said in an Instagram post Friday that the process of cleaning up and rebuilding has taken longer than anticipated. The restaurant had been open since 1999.

“We were confident we would be open by summer 2024, but we realized over time that would not be possible,” said the post, signed by the Avila family of Sergio, Marybell, Bianca, Maribel and Valerie. “We feel honored to have served the Huntington Beach community for 25 years. We are blessed to have been a part of all your birthdays, engagements, date nights and beach days. Our customers felt like family to us and our staff.”

The restaurant was located in the 300 block of Main Street, flanked by Makin’ Waves hair salon and Rockin’ Fig Surf Headquarters.

The Avila’s El Ranchito owners encouraged patrons to visit them at their other area locations, which include Corona del Mar, Costa Mesa, Laguna Beach, Newport Beach and Seal Beach.