El Naranjo South Lamar

Came here for dinner on a Friday evening and had no wait time. They were less than half full for my entire time there, so I wouldn't expect to run into substantial wait times even at their busierI'd had my eye on here for a while after reading about their duck mole, and it did not disappoint! The duck was amazingly rich, cooked in a way that reminded me of a rare-medium rare steak with a nice sear to give the outer portion the lightest crunch. The mole was yummy, possible my palette isn't adept enough to distinguish, but it didn't taste super unique by any meansThe staff and servers were all friendly and attentive. I liked the setup of the restaurant as well. It's definitely on the pricier side and with the relatively short menu I don't see it become a frequent repeat spot for me, but very glad I tried it and would recommend

So we walked in and couldnt check in without our full party being there. The hostess was very nice. We striked up a conversation as he was from Ecuador and spoke to us in spanish. We met my friend for a birthday dinner. We started off with guacamole with chips and the queso fundido. The queso was so good but probably not the healthiest thing. We all ordered prickly pear margs. Our husbands tried the chicken mole and the wives tried the chicken enchiladas. Everyone enjoyed our green enchiladas and had some to take home for later. They also brought us some bread with this yummy butter that is made in house and this spicy jam like to eat with the rolls. They were so good. I will return for special occasions here because everything seemed to be made in house and nothing already premade.

Great service as they checked up on us without annoying us to flip a table/ refilled drinks and chips quickly too and very friendly and knew the authentic spices being used.Decent decor Food get the guac as it's different and the tostadas for sure, they are small so order more.Empanadas were good but would've rather had extra tostadas.Steak was so good as it was buttered on a plate with mashed potatoes and hit the spotChicken mole was a special but would've rather recommend the specials

We drive by here all the time and decided we'd try it out for a Birthday dinner. Made reservations well in advance, which seems necessary. The interior is nice and modern but not over the top. The service and staff are all very friendly and knowledgeable about the menu.We each loved our drinks, regular and tamarind margaritas. They were strong but also tasted great.I liked the queso fundido (esp the salsa), as well as my mole, though the chicken itself was fairly bland. I was not a huge fan of the halibut. Maybe it was the portion size but it just lacked something for me. I really liked the flan at the end though. I could go just for that and maybe the queso fundido happily.Overall it was a good experience with some tasty dishes/drinks, but some misses, too.

This isn't my first time and yet every time I am reminded that the flavors at this restaurant are truly special. We started our brunch with their delicious cafe de olla and pan dulce. We followed that with their amazing, creamy, lemony guac. I then had my usual eggs Benedict and my wife had mole dish with chicken. Both delicious. Waiter was super knowledgeable about the food and service is generally great. The rope design they have in the room is very unique. See picture.

My family ate here for dinner last night. It's been on my list and my mom's for a while, and it's always awesome to support a local JBF award winner ('22). We have been to Mexico 3 times and can appreciate the cuisine there. We got the tostadas and ceviche to share. The kitchen surprised us with a bread course with a macha sauce and butter spread that was heavenly (citrusy with some spice, as our server described). All the starters were 10/10. The flavors blended perfectly and the fish was fresh.My mom got one of the moles, I got the enchiladas, and my dad ordered the pork ribs as his main. I got to try some of the mole (including the masa plantain cake) and pork, and both were good. My enchiladas were also very refreshing and not too greasy. Everything filled us up, but I wish we could have had room for dessert because I know it would have been amazing as well. They accidentally gave us the brunch menu first, but the food on there sounded delicious too. I especially am interested in trying the conchas next time!Atmosphere: Sounds like they renovated recently, and it is a cute space. There are photographs on the walls representing Oaxacan people/culture. The bar adjacent to the dining room has ample seating. My mom said the bathroom was clean as well.Service: We were the only customer when we arrived at the start of dinner service at 5pm, so our server took care of us very well. Chef Iliana de la Vega even stopped by our table and asked for our comments, and we delivered that by finishing every single plate. Compliments to the chef, literally!

I came here for brunch and got the chilaquiles and peach bubbles. While I did enjoy my drink, my entree felt like it was lacking. It might have been an off day so I'd be willing to go back at a different time for dinner since they usually have good reviews. The decor of the restaurant was great as well the service.

Food was soo good. Drink strong and so good I got tipsy fast. We had group together, the guy was friendly, explained about menu. Brought us appetizers. Nacho and guamcole and chesse melt good!!

Nice restaurant for dishes from many regions of Mexico, definitely NOT Tex-Mex. We had a reservation for 6 people on a Wednesday at 7pm. The restaurant was busy but we probably could have just walked in and been seated quickly.Our waiter, Midori, was excellent. Very friendly and patiently explained pretty much every dish on the menu. She seemed to really enjoy taking about the food!We ordered a number of dishes, some of which were outstanding and others that were good but not special.- Queso Oaxaca Fundido - nice and gooey but pretty bland. The homemade tortillas were amazing. We got huitlacoche on the side (some weren't sure they'd like it), which improved the flavor.- Ceviche - our most disappointing dish. It's served in large pieces, like sashimi, not diced up as you'd expect. The large pieces weren't as well 'cooked' as we'd have liked, kind of chewy.- Costillas de res - this was highly recommended by our waiter and it was the star of the show. Amazingly tender beef short ribs with deep, rich flavors. It's a huge serving, plenty for two people to share.- Molé Colorado - this was also excellent. It's somewhat similar to molé poblano, what most people think of as molé, but less complex. It was excellent on chicken.-Molé negro with duck breast - this is the dish I wanted to like the most but was a little let down. It was a beautiful sauce, very smooth, but lacked richness to my taste. Maybe this is how it's supposed to be but seemed less complex to me compared to other molé negro I've had. It was very delicate and overwhelmed by the duck breast. I liked it better when I just dipped a tortilla into the molé or ate it with some rice.- Flan - don't remember what flavor it was that night but it was excellent. Fairly firm but rich and creamy.Overall, El Naranjo is a great restaurant for authentic Mexican dishes. The service and presentation are outstanding. Prices are not cheap but appropriate to the quality of the food. We'll definitely return to sample more of the menu.

Food was amazing I can't wait to try their entire menu. Which is just a couple of dishes but they all good so amazing. Service was top notch. I have no complaints about it. As far as the atmosphere there well. It's high end cuisine! Love what they are doing.