At El Naranjo, restaurant & bar, we are dedicated to serving delicious traditional Mexican food. We create savory salsas and moles, well-seasoned food, with great concern for finding a pleasing balance of flavors. We bake our own bread, make our own corn tortillas, and use fresh vegetables and herbs. While the food has a strong culinary resemblance to our former internationally acclaimed restaurant in Oaxaca, we draw from the many rich traditions of Mexican cooking. Join us for dinner, or come enjoy a margarita at our bar, ¡Buen apetito!
"We had brunch and I found the food near flawless but a little on the bland side. I suspect dinner might be more exciting and I'll definitely be back to find out.
Dishes Seafood cocktail with pulpo - outstanding Lamb bbq tacos -very good Quesadillas - good with bonus pts for offering juitlacoche Deserts - very good"
Dined on 5/12/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for brunch
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"This was the perfect place for Mother's Day brunch. The ambiance was upbeat and the decor aesthetically pleasing. The rancheros with masa tortillas were absolutely delicious! The flavors played off of one another so well and I couldn't have asked for a more satisfying dish. I also appreciated all of the gluten free and dairy free options available to us."
Dined on 5/12/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for brunch, neighborhood gem
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"Brunch was fabulous at this beautiful and inviting restaurant. Authentic mexican food, great service, and easy to have a conversation. Fabulous tequila selection that we'll definitely be back to try!"
Dined on 5/12/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining, great for brunch, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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Review 4 for El Naranjo
Overall rating
(Good)3/5
Mother's Day brunch
OpenTable Diner
Dined on 5/12/2013
Food
(Very Good)4/5
Service
(Very Good)4/5
Ambiance
(Fair)2/5
Noise Level
Moderate
"Walked in the place and no one was there to greet us. Felt like there was no one in charge or that they cared were were there. Finally seated outside in back and the table was directly in the sun and they made no effort to consider even moving the table, yet there was ample space. I moved the table myself as the other diners said we could. The brunch menu is different than the main menu. The food was good, the waiter named Alex was really good, but the place just feels incomplete. I don't know what it is because I had read and heard many great things about the place, but just sort of got a feeling of "meh"."
Dined on 5/12/2013
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"The care and attention given to the food and service is apparent. This restaurant is a treasure in a city rich with excellent places for dining. Make it a must!"
Dined on 5/08/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, romantic, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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"If you are an Austinite, or visiting Austin, don't miss this gem! The food is beyond fabulous. Wait till you try their mole sauces (they have 3-4 different kinds each day). Love this place!"
Dined on 5/01/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for outdoor dining, romantic, neighborhood gem, hot spot, special occasion
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"The drinks and the food were quite notably good. Some dishes proved a tad too salty - but overall the food was excellent. The SERVICE, however, was exceedingly bad. Our waiter was smug, uninformative, rude. We had to ask him to be more expansive and informative about the menu (this was all four of us diner's first foray to this restaurant) and as well, he had no manners - he stood and stared at all of us after he walked up to our table while one of us was in the last throes of a story she was telling us - and he just stood there and glared at all of us while we were needing a wee bit of time for our dinner partner to finish her story! We would all go back again but would make sure we had a different server than the one we had here."
Dined on 04/27/2013
2009
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"We really enjoyed our time at El Naranjo. Food was excellent, service was great. WE loved the ceviche. the only thing I would change would be the noise that was due to being seated next to a large group of women who were having fun, but due to the hard surfaces in the room it was very loud and hard to hear each other at our table of four."
Dined on 04/19/2013
2012
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, late-night find, neighborhood gem, hot spot
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"We have been 3 times and all but the last has been outstanding...........This past dinner was disappointing because the entries were not cooked properly.....Hard to believe because past experiences have been outstanding........Must have been a bad night in the kitchen."
Dined on 04/20/2013
2010
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for brunch, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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"The food was excellent. My husband had a ceviche that was exceptionally different and tastefully surprising. I had the poblanno mole which was not as good as my own but nonetheless better than your local average offerings. I would still recommend it. The condiments served up were dynamite, our favorite was the Salsa Macha....yummmm. We also had a starter which consisted of cheese and peppers. i believe it was called Rajas.... anyway....i highly recommend El Naranjo to anyone wanting the real taste of Mexico lindo."
Dined on 04/20/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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"The special black bean soup Friday night, along with the Jamaica salad was superb for me, a vegan, while the Chile Poblano Relleno de picadillo Oaxaqueño, a Mole with pork and another Mole with shrimp pleased my omnivore husband and friends too. Everyone liked their drinks, but I particularly loved my Mexican Martini made with a muddled jalepeno pepper, because the bartender listened to my likes and knew exactly what to create for me."
Dined on 04/05/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, special occasion, hot spot
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"Great interior Mexican in a very cool location. Nice from the very first start. Greeted at the door by one of the owners. Given a choice of tables. Very knowledgeable server. Outstanding food....from start to finish. Speaking of finish, the tres leches cake was fabulous."
Dined on 03/27/2013
2010
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, neighborhood gem, hot spot
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"We loved El Naranjo. I'd recommend the mole (I don't like traditional mole, but there mole was from a different region, tomato-based and amazing) and the margaritas."
Dined on 03/22/2013
2011
Special Features: vibrant bar scene, fit for foodies, good for groups, neighborhood gem, romantic, special occasion
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"One of the best REAL AND AUTHENTIC Mexican high end cuisine. Pricing is right on the quality and level of service and food. Go there if you want to understand what real authentic Oaxaca State food is about... congratulations !!!!"
Dined on 03/16/2013
2009
Special Features: romantic, special occasion, great for lunch, hot spot
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"Amazing food. My husband lived in San Miguel de Allende for years and he was blown away. We had the sea bass and some chiles rellenos--outstanding. Our rajas con crema was superb. Fantastic service....crowded tables but we ended up having conversations with people on both sides of us! beautiful setting. Look forward to our next visit"
Dined on 03/09/2013
2010
Special Features: fit for foodies, hot spot
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"we've eaten 3 time in 2 weeks and each time the experience has been amazing; the guacamole, pibil, and any of the moles are a must. Ritas are splendid and there's a nice selection of mescal. Iliana walks through the restaurant and is very appreciative of the customers. Found out last night that her daughter makes all the deserts. There's a deck too; just ready for the warmer weather. We're going back this coming Saturday again. been introducing all our friends and their all blown away by the quality of the food. Skip the driving around looking for parking and hit the parking lot at the end of the street; $10's but worth it. Enjoy."
Dined on 03/02/2013
2007
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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"Came in for brunch on a Sunday afternoon and had a few grapefruit mimosas (not on the menu but they still serve them). I had the Tacos Dorados with potatoes and they were delicious! I loved how the potatoes were flavored with herbs and the tacos were topped with this amazing "avocado green salsa". I even asked for a little extra on the side because I could not get enough of it. The service was great and we were overall very happy with our experience. I do think parking would be an issue but since we biked we were able to avoid that mess."
Dined on 02/24/2013
2012
Special Features: great for brunch
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"This was our second visit. The first was a family brunch. It was extremly good and really loved by all, including by foodie brother and my vegetarian grand daughter. So for Valentines Day, my wife and I tried it again. Actually exceeded our first experience. Except for very poor parking, this is our new favorite place."
Dined on 02/14/2013
2010
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, great for brunch, neighborhood gem, notable wine list, special occasion, hot spot
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"The food is very authentic Oaxacan food, delicious, and beautifully presented. The service was very attentive. At times the noise level in the restaurant made a quiet conversation difficult. Everything we ordered was very good, but the tuna ceviche may have been the highlight of the evening. The one downside is parking can be a real challenge in the Rainey street neighborhood."
Dined on 02/22/2013
2005
Special Features: fit for foodies, romantic, special occasion, hot spot
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"Everything was wonderful here as it always is. The owner, whose face I remember from her food trailer days, came out to greet us, which is always a nice touch, especially for a Sunday brunch. The chilaquiles were wonderful and tacos dorados were awesome. The prosecco drink with grapefruit and St Germaine was also quite good and our service couldn't be beat."
Dined on 02/10/2013
2006
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for brunch, great for lunch
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"Great, creative food, wonderful atmosphere and very knowledgable waitstaff. It did get a little loud as the restaurant Filled up, but that was a minor inconvenience. I'd go back to Austin just to go there!"
Dined on 02/08/2013
2012
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, romantic, special occasion
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"Don't even know where to begin. From the moment we walked into El Naranjo until the second we left, absolutely everything was excellent. Our waiter was outstanding and Iliana's menu was smart and perfectly complemented with daily specials. Love the ambiance and simplicity of the spaces and absolutely EVERY bite of each dish was a sensory experience in freshness and the perfect balance of texture and flavor. So very lucky to have El Naranja in Austin."
Dined on 02/08/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, great for outdoor dining, romantic, special occasion, great for lunch, hot spot
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"This is a very nice restaurant in a popular part of Austin and we enjoyed our dinner. It has a nice ambiance,is well appointed and our service was done well and pleasantly. It's located on a narrow snd crowded street with limited parking unless you opt to pay to park in someone's private yard or to walk a reasonable distance from a city parking garage. The latter might be the best choice and I would also suggest you plan to arrive in plenty of time to make your reservation."
Dined on 02/07/2013
2007
Special Features: romantic
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"Really loved this place! It's truly interior (very authentic) Mexican cuisine and each plate offers it's own unique taste - the homemade sauces are absolutely delicious - very intense so a little goes a long way. Great service and ambience. However, the rooms tend to get a little loud at times where we found it hard to hear each other (we were a party of four) but other than that everything was amazing! We will definitely be back soon."
Dined on 02/01/2013
2009
Special Features: fit for foodies, hot spot
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"Great dining experience and excellent service. I always love when the chef/owner takes time to visit the tables. Great presentation - We had the chuelas (lamb chops), shrimp mole (de semana) the queso fundido Oaxacan style, and chocolate torte. Queso fundido was the show stopper. Overall very positive experience in a great setting. We will be back."
Dined on 01/29/2013
2005
Special Features: neighborhood gem, notable wine list, special occasion
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"The only complaint I have is that, although the dining room was less than half full, we were seated between two other occupied two-top tables which were extremely close to one another. Therefore, we all could hear every single word of each other's conversation which would have not been the case had the room been filled."
Dined on 01/26/2013
2009
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"Even though we had reservations, once we were seated we had a long wait. The tables were so close that it felt as though the people next to us were at our table. The noise was intolerable. My husband and I could not have a conversation. After a very long wait our food came and my sea bass was not hot--as if it had been sitting in the kitchen waiting to be served for a long time. Our waiter was inattentive. We asked for more rolls and did not get them until we "caught" him again--probably 20 minutes later. In the end we had to get up to find him to get our bill. Instead of a relaxing experience that a good meal should be, it was anxiety provoking; we wondered if we'd ever get out of there."
Dined on 01/25/2013
2011
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"This was our first visit and everything was quite good, in fact excellent in most cases. We had a group of six and were seated in a corner. However, as an age group of plus 60, it was somewhat difficult to carry on a conversation except for those next to you or right across from you. Our other complaint involved the signage out front at night time. With cars parked everywhere and lighting somewhat limited, we could not see the sign as we drove by looking for the restaurant. The sign is not lighted as our nearly all the others signage on Rainey. Additionally, the signage is hidden at ground level rather than elevated above car tops. We will certainly recommend the restaurant to others, but these changes will add even more."
Dined on 01/23/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, romantic, special occasion
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"Food was very good. Server was learning and tried hard but somewhat inattentive. We had an Open Table reservation that was IGNORED by the staff. We were told all tables were filled due to computer error and we were seated outside, in the back, with the families and walk ins. Noisy and chilly even with heaters. I checked, tables inside were OPEN at our reservation time and after."
Dined on 01/19/2013
2011
Special Features: fit for foodies
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"Unfortunately, there were multiple service issues and despite the staff's knowledge of these issues, nothing was corrected. They even placed the wrong entree on our table, left it there for a few minutes (luckily we didn't eat off of it) and then took it and placed it on another table after we brought it to their attention!!!! We ended up speaking to the manager at the end because our server gave us misinformation about the TravelZoo certificate and what it could be used for - he told us, oops I was wrong so you have to pay more. The manager comped the rest if our meal (wasn't much after certificate applied) but to be honest, the food wasn't great and this was my second visit...the experience totally ruined it and I won't be back anyway."
Dined on 01/18/2013
2007
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"Truly inventive cuisine with wonderful combinations of spices and ingredients I'd never seen anywhere else. The innovation is not just to "show off" -- the chef puts things together in ways that are suprising but absolutely delicious. The server was charming, informative, and attentive but unobtrusive. Plus the decor is lovely in a simple elegant way."
Dined on 01/18/2013
2009
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem, romantic, special occasion, hot spot
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