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From Guanajuato to First Street

A family story,
served Santa Ana style.

At 2201 East First Street, the Avila family’s history is not framed behind glass. It is carried through the dining room, passed across the table and served to new generations every day.

A smiling man in a blue suit welcomes visitors from an open blue doorway
A warm welcome
1966

Where it began.

The story began in Guanajuato, Mexico, where Salvador and Margarita Avila started their family. After settling in Southern California, they borrowed $2,000 and took a chance on a struggling café in Huntington Park. In 1966, they transformed it into the first Avila’s El Ranchito.

There were five picnic tables, Margarita’s family recipes and a job for everyone. The children waited tables, cleaned and helped prepare ingredients. Even Margarita’s father joined the effort by washing dishes. What the family lacked in restaurant experience, they made up for with hard work, care and food that reminded guests of home.

Four people posing together at an Avila’s El Ranchito 35th anniversary celebration.
Celebrating 35 years
1983

Victor brings the tradition to Santa Ana.

Victor Avila grew up inside the rhythm of the family restaurant. He learned that hospitality meant more than delivering a plate—it meant remembering people, working beside your family and making every guest feel welcome.

In 1983, Victor built the Santa Ana restaurant on First Street. Here, the family tradition took on a character of its own: warm dining rooms, cozy fireplaces, a lively patio and gathering spaces designed for the moments people want to remember.

Alongside longtime general manager Karen Edwards and a team that has become an extension of the family, Victor shaped a restaurant that feels deeply connected to Santa Ana.

Generations of the Avila family together.
The Avila family, across generations

The next generation takes its place.

The family story continues through Victor’s children. Marcus, Michael and Elyse have each carried the Avila name into restaurants of their own, bringing the family’s recipes and values to other Orange County communities.

But First Street remains Victor’s Santa Ana chapter—a restaurant shaped by one family, one dedicated team and generations of guests who keep returning to the same familiar table.

The recipes brought the Avilas here. Santa Ana made this place home.

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