A James Beard Award-winning chef is saying goodbye to the restaurant that brought traditional Mexican cuisine to Austin, Texas.
Iliana de la Vega, owner of El Naranjo, announced she will be shuttering the restaurant on July 18. She opened El Naranjo with her husband, Ernesto Torrealba, as a food trailer in 2012, moved into a brick-and-mortar space in 2012, and moved to the current location at 2717 South Lamar Blvd. in 2019.
Chef Iliana de la Vega
According to reporting from local station KVUE, de la Vega said an "oversaturated restaurant market" plus the rising costs of rent, goods and labor, contributed to her decision to close the business rather than renewing the lease that was set to end this summer.
In a social media post announcing the closure, de la Vega — a semifinalist for the Best Chef Southwest Award in 2019 and the James Beard Foundation Award winner for Best Chef in Texas in 2022 — shared this heart-felt message:
It is with deep emotion that I share with you the news that El Naranjo will be closing its doors. The restaurant has been one of the greatest journeys of our lives: a family business born out of love and a passion for cooking, built through struggle and hard work, and sustained by your loyalty and support. Our last day of service will be Saturday, July 18, 2026. We are preparing farewell specials until then to celebrate the dishes you have loved most over the years. Please stop by and say goodbye. I will be at the restaurant as much as I possibly can between now and our final day, and it would mean the world to me to see your face, share a memory, and thank you in person.Gracias, gracias to each one of you and to the city of Austin for opening your arms to us. Thank you for welcoming our whole family when we had nothing but our recipes and hope. And for returning, again and again, to enjoy our history, traditions, culture, and the food of our family, with us.With all our love and gratitudeIliana de la Vega and Ernesto Torrealba El Naranjo