Zocalito
Mexican · Denver · $$
4.3(395)
Mexican · Austin, TX · $$
El Naranjo is a love letter to the food and traditions of Mexico, headed by James Beard Award multi-nominated and winner of the Best Chef: Texas category, Iliana de la Vega, and her Chef de Cuisine daughter, Ana Torrealba. El Naranjo’s history comes all the way from Oaxaca, Mexico, where it first opened in 1997 with the simple goal of sharing the cuisine of Mexico with others. It soon gained international acclaim, with features in The New York Times and Bon Appetit. Local political turmoil led to El Naranjo’s closing and the relocation of de la Vega and her family to Texas, with the dream of bringing her country’s cuisine to Austin one day. De la Vega first worked as the Mexican and Latin Cuisines Specialist at the Culinary Institute of America, until the reincarnation of El Naranjo opened its doors in 2012. And while since then El Naranjo has been called the “only real Mexican restaurant in Texas” by the Texas Monthly and received multiple awards and recognition, its goal remains the same as in 1997: to share the beautiful, delicious, and vast world of Mexican cuisine with others. Guests can expect to find elevated traditional dishes from Oaxaca and Mexico City, de la Vega’s hometowns, but also recipes from every other region of Mexico, such as Puebla, Yucatán, and Veracruz.
“Get to El Naranjo, y’all! Absolutely outstanding food, drinks & service. Next level perfection 12 stars = Love!”
“I had the monthly specials for April 2026. Mole de mango with halibut and vegetables added. Everything was delicious and highly recommend adding vegetables. Starter we had wagu beef tacos. I could have ordered more and called it a meal. So good! Dessert: cinnamon rice pudding was on point. Flan was a cake and flan mash up. I would have prefered more flan and less cake.”
“We had a great time celebrating a birthday here! Everything was so delicious I forgot to take photos I ate things so fast. My partner loved the taco of the month so much he wanted to order several for his main dish and they were happy to accommodate. Almost everything on the menu is gluten free! I got the pork this time and WOW! The tortillas are made fresh in house and I also recommend the queso fundido with chorizo. A chic but laid back interior space. Midori our server was FANTASTIC. Funny and friendly, tons of great recommendations that we ended up loving, checking in on us at just the right time, answering all of our questions. Really made our experience! A little pricy but definitely worth it.”
“My boyfriend and I visited for the first time, and we loved it! Absolutely delicious! Every bite was full of flavor and beautifully presented. The food exceeded my expectations, and you can truly tell they care about quality. On top of that, the customer service was outstanding, friendly, attentive, and welcoming from start to finish. I will definitely be coming back and highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a great dining experience!”
“⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️👍🏼 We had an amazing Sunday brunch at El Naranjo and everything was outstanding. If you’re looking for authentic Mexican food in Austin, this place is a must-try. The dishes were beautifully presented, full of flavor, and clearly made with high-quality ingredients. The service was excellent, Adan our server was friendly, and very attentive, which made the whole experience even better. The conchas were fresh and soft, and the café de olla was rich, perfectly spiced, and one of the best I’ve had in Austin — highly recommend ordering both. Great atmosphere, great brunch spot, and perfect for a date or weekend outing. We will definitely be back and will be recommending El Naranjo to anyone looking for great Mexican brunch and coffee in Austin.”
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