Excellent food and quick service. Just all around great
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Hector leon
I didn't like the quesadillas, they are not Mexican style... they are not like in my town
Claudia Martinez
Casual restaurant that we enjoy having on standby for good Mexican food in the neighborhood and reasonable prices. Love going for taco Tuesday! Recommend the beef and chorizo tacos. From the main plates, their chile rellenos are solid.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steak, Empanada, Tacos
Carrie L.
Accidentally stumbled into this authentic Mexican restaurant on a Saturday night and it was the best surprise find ever! Ordered both margs on the rocks and frozen margs and they were strong! Service was outstanding, our water was constantly refilled and they even had to go cups for your margs if you do not finish it. Loaded nachos are out of this world and the best one you'll ever find in all of NYC. All toppings were super fresh and chips were super crunchy and freshly fried. Worth the train ride to park slope.
Joe Nisanov
I’d give this place more stars but tonight we took our son here. He has celiac so he has to eat gluten free. We saw that they have corn tortillas and were promised that their quesadilla was gluten free. It most certainly is not gluten free as my son came home and vomited more than I’ve ever seen. Steer clear if you are allergic to gluten.Dietary restrictions: NOT gluten free.
Recommended dishes: Quesadillas, Tacos, Guacamole
Marie S.
El Nopal restaurant has very good food. The winter weather is cold here in New York right now. In the past, I often traveled to Mexico during this time of year & I've had lots of Mexican food. So I cannot help comparing the food here to what I've had in Mexico. El Nopal offers a great selection with decent prices and portion sizes. If you get the tacos, suggest the Deluxe option. The standard taco was light on fillings. I tried the taco platter with rice and beans. To be honest, the black beans aren't something I had a lot of in Mexico - but still delicious! And very filling. Same thing with the Al Pastor Taco - good but the spices were mild. The House Green Sauce was extremely spicy - the complete opposite of the tacos. I mixed it with some mayonnaise to reduce the heat. The food was not overly salty which I appreciated. High quality food, professionally packaged, and love the green sauce !
Nuria Borja
I had the ceviche, really sour, but good, not the best I’ve had. My friend had the shrimp entrée and I tried it. It was amazing. I had the guava spicy margarita which I loved and I also had the frozen mango margarita which I also loved point is it’s a great spot. Will be going
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Guacamole
Sherri M.
I should have updated my review ages ago. I now live in the desert in southern California but I spent the better (worse?) part of the first two years of Covid stuck in my small Brooklyn apartment, where suddenly my kitchen taunted me for not just one but THREE meals every day. Cooking that often got old real quick. So my husband and I let go of our stubborn grudge against El Nopal* and thank the delivery food gods we did because I don't know if we'd have survived without our weekly (or more -- literally. I'm really not exaggerating) empanadas. I say this with no shame: We probably ate hundreds of El Nopal empanadas during our Covid hibernation. These were dark times and El Nopal was our light. Oh, how I miss them. A typical empanada order for the two of us would consist of six, usually some combination of carne, queso, and huitlacoche (oh how I crave that spicy corn filling!). Sometimes we'd mix it up with espinaca, Tabasco, and shrimp. We poured their green sauce liberally on everything. We sometimes ordered other things too, like nachos and chicken quesadillas, both excellent. The occasional salad (much better than an average takeout salad) if I insisted on some vegetables. There were days -- not often, but definitely plural -- we'd order empanadas for lunch and then nachos & quesadillas for dinner (I loved their quesadillas, served with lots of guac, pico, and shredded lettuce). Chicken soup or tacos could hit the spot. Can't go wrong with grilled chicken anything; they use their rotisserie chicken which is so flavorful and never dry. But the empanadas are what I miss most. Are they the best ever? Are they authentic? Who knows? Who cares? They're f'ing GREAT, plenty of filling in a perfectly fried dough pocket, delicious in all varieties. Cheap, fast, satisfying. I've yet to encounter anything comparable. *The restaurant also got over getting our order wrong. Not once did it happen again. We once dined there next to a Jewish family and when one of them asked what an enchilada was, another answered "It's a Mexican blintz." (She's not wrong.) We will cherish this memory forever.
Last time ordering from El Nopal. I have deadly food allergies (no raw fruit, veggies, grains, or nuts what-so-ever) and El Nopal for the 4th and last time delivered my order with no raw veggies or guacamole ON TOP of my burrito, but INSIDE! In fact, 90% of the burrito was filled with raw jalapeños, raw onions, raw tomatoes, tons of raw lettuce and raw cilantro, and soooooooo much guacamole. After the deadly parts were thrown away I was left with maybe 1/4 of food that I could eat. Yes, I DID order asking very nicely for no raw veggies of any kind, no guacamole, no cilantro, etc. And said I have deadly food allergies. I wanted to give them one last try and well, this was it. Now off to take some benedryl.
Maria Francesca Emiliani
We visited El Nopal on our last night in NY, on our way to JFK Airport.We took two beef burritos, two chicken fajitas. With the fajitas you have the chance to choose the type of tortilla.All very good and tasty, nice ambience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Zoe Bergin
I really liked this place - authentic vibe, yummy food!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Eduardo Quintero
It's been a few times I bring my family over and all the time it's very goodMy daughter's first time trying they're fried calamari and they're love itThe pernil is delicious they're picky to eat and they clean the plate is soooo good and my daughter tried pork skin with rice and quesadillas and she can't wait to come back againThanks for everything
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Carly R.
El nopal is an absolute staple. Every dish is huge, flavorful, and leaves you wanting more! We come here almost every week and have never had a meal we didn't like. Can't beat $4 chips with three types of salsa. It's usually nice and lively inside and food comes out pretty quick especially considering the size and quality. If you want Mexican, this is our favorite on 5th Ave by far.
Bravo! Everything was very
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious food and the attention is great!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Quesadillas, Steak, Tacos
Excellent food and quick service. Just all around great
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I didn't like the quesadillas, they are not Mexican style... they are not like in my town
Casual restaurant that we enjoy having on standby for good Mexican food in the neighborhood and reasonable prices. Love going for taco Tuesday! Recommend the beef and chorizo tacos. From the main plates, their chile rellenos are solid.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Steak, Empanada, Tacos
Accidentally stumbled into this authentic Mexican restaurant on a Saturday night and it was the best surprise find ever! Ordered both margs on the rocks and frozen margs and they were strong! Service was outstanding, our water was constantly refilled and they even had to go cups for your margs if you do not finish it. Loaded nachos are out of this world and the best one you'll ever find in all of NYC. All toppings were super fresh and chips were super crunchy and freshly fried. Worth the train ride to park slope.
I’d give this place more stars but tonight we took our son here. He has celiac so he has to eat gluten free. We saw that they have corn tortillas and were promised that their quesadilla was gluten free. It most certainly is not gluten free as my son came home and vomited more than I’ve ever seen. Steer clear if you are allergic to gluten.Dietary restrictions: NOT gluten free.
Recommended dishes: Quesadillas, Tacos, Guacamole
El Nopal restaurant has very good food. The winter weather is cold here in New York right now. In the past, I often traveled to Mexico during this time of year & I've had lots of Mexican food. So I cannot help comparing the food here to what I've had in Mexico. El Nopal offers a great selection with decent prices and portion sizes. If you get the tacos, suggest the Deluxe option. The standard taco was light on fillings. I tried the taco platter with rice and beans. To be honest, the black beans aren't something I had a lot of in Mexico - but still delicious! And very filling. Same thing with the Al Pastor Taco - good but the spices were mild. The House Green Sauce was extremely spicy - the complete opposite of the tacos. I mixed it with some mayonnaise to reduce the heat. The food was not overly salty which I appreciated. High quality food, professionally packaged, and love the green sauce !
I had the ceviche, really sour, but good, not the best I’ve had. My friend had the shrimp entrée and I tried it. It was amazing. I had the guava spicy margarita which I loved and I also had the frozen mango margarita which I also loved point is it’s a great spot. Will be going
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Guacamole
I should have updated my review ages ago. I now live in the desert in southern California but I spent the better (worse?) part of the first two years of Covid stuck in my small Brooklyn apartment, where suddenly my kitchen taunted me for not just one but THREE meals every day. Cooking that often got old real quick. So my husband and I let go of our stubborn grudge against El Nopal* and thank the delivery food gods we did because I don't know if we'd have survived without our weekly (or more -- literally. I'm really not exaggerating) empanadas. I say this with no shame: We probably ate hundreds of El Nopal empanadas during our Covid hibernation. These were dark times and El Nopal was our light. Oh, how I miss them. A typical empanada order for the two of us would consist of six, usually some combination of carne, queso, and huitlacoche (oh how I crave that spicy corn filling!). Sometimes we'd mix it up with espinaca, Tabasco, and shrimp. We poured their green sauce liberally on everything. We sometimes ordered other things too, like nachos and chicken quesadillas, both excellent. The occasional salad (much better than an average takeout salad) if I insisted on some vegetables. There were days -- not often, but definitely plural -- we'd order empanadas for lunch and then nachos & quesadillas for dinner (I loved their quesadillas, served with lots of guac, pico, and shredded lettuce). Chicken soup or tacos could hit the spot. Can't go wrong with grilled chicken anything; they use their rotisserie chicken which is so flavorful and never dry. But the empanadas are what I miss most. Are they the best ever? Are they authentic? Who knows? Who cares? They're f'ing GREAT, plenty of filling in a perfectly fried dough pocket, delicious in all varieties. Cheap, fast, satisfying. I've yet to encounter anything comparable. *The restaurant also got over getting our order wrong. Not once did it happen again. We once dined there next to a Jewish family and when one of them asked what an enchilada was, another answered "It's a Mexican blintz." (She's not wrong.) We will cherish this memory forever.
Restaurantji Recommends
Last time ordering from El Nopal. I have deadly food allergies (no raw fruit, veggies, grains, or nuts what-so-ever) and El Nopal for the 4th and last time delivered my order with no raw veggies or guacamole ON TOP of my burrito, but INSIDE! In fact, 90% of the burrito was filled with raw jalapeños, raw onions, raw tomatoes, tons of raw lettuce and raw cilantro, and soooooooo much guacamole. After the deadly parts were thrown away I was left with maybe 1/4 of food that I could eat. Yes, I DID order asking very nicely for no raw veggies of any kind, no guacamole, no cilantro, etc. And said I have deadly food allergies. I wanted to give them one last try and well, this was it. Now off to take some benedryl.
We visited El Nopal on our last night in NY, on our way to JFK Airport.We took two beef burritos, two chicken fajitas. With the fajitas you have the chance to choose the type of tortilla.All very good and tasty, nice ambience.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I really liked this place - authentic vibe, yummy food!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It's been a few times I bring my family over and all the time it's very goodMy daughter's first time trying they're fried calamari and they're love itThe pernil is delicious they're picky to eat and they clean the plate is soooo good and my daughter tried pork skin with rice and quesadillas and she can't wait to come back againThanks for everything
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
El nopal is an absolute staple. Every dish is huge, flavorful, and leaves you wanting more! We come here almost every week and have never had a meal we didn't like. Can't beat $4 chips with three types of salsa. It's usually nice and lively inside and food comes out pretty quick especially considering the size and quality. If you want Mexican, this is our favorite on 5th Ave by far.