Mexican standout El Naranjo opening South Austin location

By Matthew Odam

Published in the Austin American Statesman

The Mexican food scene in South Austin is about to get an infusion of Oaxacan flavor and a touch of sophistication. After serving as one of the culinary anchors in the Rainey Street district for the past seven years and making repeated appearances in the Austin360 Dining Guide’s Top 25, chef Iliana de la Vega and her husband, Ernesto Torrealba, are opening a version of their El Naranjo on South Lamar Boulevard. The restaurant, which will softly open on Sept. 17, will be lat 2717 S. Lamar Blvd. in the space recently occupied by Spanish restaurant El Chipirón. A Mexico City native, de la Vega operated a restaurant of the same name in Oaxaca for more than a dozen years before moving to Austin. They initially operated a trailer on their Rainey Street lot before opening the avocado colored bungalow that celebrates traditional Mexican flavors and the richness and diversity of the Oaxacan staple mole.