El Nopal Restaurante

First time coming as soon as you walk in you feel like you are walking into a club it's dark and loud music. No one greets you, your kind of just standing trying to figure out if you should seat yourself. Once seated the the waitresses ignore you. Honestly seemed like they have their regulars or family and cater to them. You feel out of place. Once we ordered food came out fast and tastes good. We Recommend the marisco pineapple which is what we went for. They had karaoke on Sunday night that was entertaining. Service just was not good

I try to understand that people work hard to open up establishments and for that reason I try to keep negative reviews to minimum. But this place has to be one of my top worst places I have eaten at. I didn't mind paying 30.99 but when it was brought out the portion was extremely small. My son got the MacnCheese and I have got to say, that stuff smelled extremely horrible. Imagine expired hot milk. The only decent dish we had was the shrimp tacos. That was the only decent thing we had there. Will definitely NOT be going back there.

First and last time visiting this kind of "restaurant" this is like a nightclub or something like culichi town atmosphere, music super loud you can't even have a conversation besides that when we entered the security showed us the avaliable spots they have but once seated no one showed up to serve after around 5 minutes, we didn't get chips and sauce while some other table had It’s was really terrible being there. I don't recommend this noise place to have a meal.

There are a lot of seats here to dine in. I enjoyed my burrito de lengua here. The pineapple 🍍 drink was good, too. They have clean private restrooms here. I appreciate the service here 🙏.

The atmosphere was dark if you sit on the booth section. Music was good since I like reggaeton but it replayed the same 4 songs which eventually became annoying. I ordered 2 tostadas de ceviche de pescado and another plate of Carne Asada. The tostadas plate was big 1 order of a tostada can fill you up. However, the chips it came with were stale. I ended up eating it with the chips from the chips and salsa. The Asada plate was good. Definitely a big meal. The foods presentation was adequate. Furthermore, the Agua de Piña was very watered down it wasn’t sweet. Which isn’t bad but if you don’t drink it before the ice melts it’ll be flavorless. Parking was available but the plaza is small therefore parking can possibly be an issue. I wouldn’t be returning simply because it didnt impress me enough to return.

If you enjoy crispy, delicious carnitas, you will love this place. Great service, good food, and many families here on a Sunday afternoon!

The food is good but the customer service here is horrible. The girl taking care of us never came back for refills for soda or water. Her family showed up and of course all attention was on them. We waited for about 30min for the bill to be provided and another 15min for her to take my payment. This place seems awesome but with the customer service provided this will be my last time ever stepping foot in this place.

Muy buena comida el Menudo esta muy bueno tortillas hecha a mano buen ambiente i muy atenta la mesera muy bien ambiente si lo recomiendo mmmmmmmmmmmmm yummy tummy My wife and I came here for breakfast nice small place no waiting, good music, good food, and great staff. I had the Menudo mmm good not to spicy for me. My had the noples con eggs she said they where totally awesome. And our food came with fresh tortillas.. come check them out.

The food was amazing, and had a very unique spin on mexican cuisine. The service was great, and the meal was well paced

So far this is a place to recommend. Small business and very clean Server was friendly The chips were warm and good Salsa had the right amount of heat. When I ordered the cocido, she commented, ooo that's. Good choice. The soup was tasty but could have used more calabasas. The side of beans was good, a bit on dry side On negative side, the music is too loud , probably good if you are dating or married and don't want o hear the other person talking They don't have Pepsi I actually drove here because yelp stated they have handmade tortillas, but I couldn't get it today and told only on weekends Only for four stars for no handmade tortillas and music very loud. (And maybe no Pepsi)

Great food and service. Owner personally comes in and helps and greets customers and the service is fast.

Just an average Mexican restaurant. Nothing out of the ordinary, waitresses are nice but nothing I can brag about the food. The parking can be a problem. The owner goes around greeting people which I think it's a good thing.

Decided to go by and try this place for the first time. Only one table of customers. No cars in the drive thru and got there at 6:45. They had NO broiled Chicken. Wanted me to wait 10 minutes. Not a great first impression. Probably a last impression. If you only sell two products and you're out of one at dinner on a slow night... No bueno campero!

La música extremadamente alta, las meseras no te escuchan , no puedes tener una conversación en lo absoluto con tus acompañantes. No, no es un ambiente familiar, definitivamente los niños no deberían estar en un ambiente así , pero no por la gente, es por el alto volumen de la música . Está bien la música, eso no es discusión, lo que no está bien es que si ya la música está alta (que valga la redundancia). Este conectada a bocinas que te dejan sordo y con molestias en los oídos, pobres meseras. Y que triste porque la comida es muy buena y con precios accesibles.

The best food for the money and the same goes for the service!!! The Chile relleno is the best of the best !!!

FOOD The food is hit or miss. The dishes varies in terms of seasoning, portion sizing, and how well it is cooked even if you order the same menu item. I feel as though I can no longer rely on the great food I had grown up eating. Taking pricing into consideration, I would appreciate more consistency with their food. Some of the menu items are big portions that are meant to be shared with 2-3 people. SERVICE Also hit or miss but I have noticed that the larger my party is, the better customer service is. Perhaps the more you spend the better you are treated. AMBIANCE The painted mural of the mariachis was beautiful. Sometimes they have a band, karaoke, or mariachis. You can even request the band or mariachis to play a song of your choosing if they know it. I will likely be back because my family has been coming here for years. It has become a tradition for us to eat here when we have family visiting us. Hopefully my next visit will be better.

If you're craving some good Mexican food, I suggest coming here! I've been here a few times, always in the morning to beat the rush. We came on a Sunday around 8:30AM and were sat right away. We got a torta de carnitas (minus onions & tomato), salpicón, and a tostada de ceviche. My father in law LOVED the salpicón, even said it was the greatest thing he's ever ate! The tostada de ceviche was also amazing and the torta was very yummy. The bread for the torta was also perfectly toasted and fluffy. The severs are very kind and attentive. The music is great, sometimes we even get lucky and catch some live music.

This is such a good place to eat and I recommend it to anyone who never had Mexican food before and in general it's just something good to eat.

I ordered shrimp cocktail for pick up and they made sure I had all I needed to prepare it myself, it was delish! Service was great, the waitresses are very nice!

Not a good place to eat service 0 food maybe waitress forgot about food blame it on the cook and the oysters where still attached to the shell just a big lack of service over all

I tried this place out with someone that used to be a regular 20 years ago. We saw the 3.3 stars but tried it anyways. Well, I do believe the 3 stars is accurate now. The place was nothing fancy and looked like a Mexican restaurant. Be careful when you walk around if you are tall because there are low hanging TVs. The music was too loud and the lighting was so dim we had to use our phone flashlights to see the menu. The service was not great. It was below average. They did not check on us much. In regard to food and drinks, the drinks were overpriced and not anything out of the ordinary. We had the spicy shrimp (there are only 6) and the cost is 21.99 for the meal. The sauce is great though. The shrimp burrito was good. The fajitas were average. The best part was the chips and salsa. Overall, I would not be back, but glad we tried it. Our bill was about $115.

Guy working there is to busy watching tv the food was horrible by far the worst I've ever had never have I ever been disappointed in Mexican food. Food was bland service was slow I would give a 0 star if I could. I would rather starve then eat this food

Food and service were amazing! Definitely recommend. Our order was taken within 5 min and came out in less than 15 min

The horchata is very watered down and also the drinks aren't even on the menu there is also no parking and when I went for my first time people were getting crazy with each other in the parking lot.

This place is a hidden gem! I came here for lunch one day and I tried their quesadilla camarones and it's absolutely delicious! It's very filling, and the shrimp tasted fresh and there's plenty of yummy ooey-gooey cheese. Overall, I highly recommend it. Prices are decent, credit cards accepted, and there's plenty of parking.

100% Authentic Mexican Food. Can't compare to other Mexican restaurants in the OC area. It's a must go to spot.

Es uno de los lugares que cuando quiero comer rico voy ahí así no le hierro todo muy rico

Highly recommend this place is off the hook!!! The food is bomb. The vibe is cool. It's overall amazing! Do yourself a favor by ordering the Mole plate and the mojarra frita with Diablo sauce on the side. HOME MADE CORN TORTILLAS IS A MUST The service is great. What are you waiting for hop in your car and get going.

Had a few things from here, albondigas are good and also their camarones al mojo de ajo.

This place was disgusting along with the service not to mention everything is over priced! Our waitress had poor customer service. I would honestly go to Taco Bell instead of this disgusting dirty place.

If you are craving mariscos this place is great! They have karaoke with Chiquis on some days, and live band other days and comedy shows. The service is always on point. The ladies are super nice. The food is always fresh and great. You get quantity and quality! 100% recommend and hand made tortillas. I always get piña de mariscos. Arroz marinero. Botana de camarones dinamita. Always fire.

Recomiendo este lugar 100% la comida está muy rica , muy buena calidad y buen servicio. El mejor menudo sin duda de Orange county. Si visitan este restaurante recomiendo el mole poblano mi madre quedó encantada con este platillo. Buen ambiente ....

Este restaurante es frecuentado por muchos por que ofrecen show de karaoke. Hacen concursos de canto y es puro fraude. Hacen que los concursantes traigan porra para apoyarlos. Los jueces llegan más de dos horas tarde para aprovecharse de la gente y sacarles el mayor consumó possible. Al último, el dueño les dice a los jueces a quien escoger como ganador y defraudan a toda la gente. No apoyen a este lugar. Cobran todo muy caro y sirven del alcohol más chafa. Hagan BOYCOTT el nopal!

I ordered some menudo for delivery from this place, just to satisfy a menudo crave I randomly had. What a pleasant surprise to taste a finely made authentic menudo just like mom's. Gracias!

Very nice food, big plates. The food is tasty and gime like kind of homemade style. My mom love it.

Be careful because they have hidden fees that they don't inform you about before hand. When you complain, the manager will tell you that business is business. :/ Bad customer service!

Food was delicious, but we ordered a burger for my kids and ended up with a chicken burger(was expecting a beef burger). Kids ate it so no complaints there. Overall Good food, beer & service. NOTE: After a certain hour it turns into a BAR/CANTINA playing Kareoke music. We arrived there after Universal Studios expecting a restaurant and ready for a good meal... but we got a CANTINA/BAR atmosphere and almost literally the karaoke music stopped when we walked in. We had an oh $##$ moment of "where are we?" Hungry as hell we decided to sit down anyway. No complaints other than I wish I would have known.. The sign should read Restaurant & Cantina.

Food is very expensive and the quality of the food is inferior. I order a Torta de Milanesa and it gave me bad ingestion. It seems that there meet is not treated with good quality.

Perfecto its always right on. I have been coming ers since it was located on the original Lincoln Blvd. next to House of humour

The service was poor. We had to call the waitress over to get refill on our drinks. Other employees walked by and not checked on us. My husband got a headache cuz the music was too loud. It's the first and last time we come here.

Place has the best tostada caliente on the west Coast treat u like your family recommend it 100% and try the tostada caliente

They are trash with the food quality and literally charge you 2x+ the price of what you can get at another restaurant. The quality of the food sucks and the pricing sucks. I got 4 beers and a dish that was like savichi and the total was like $120....bruh they barely gave anything on the dish and the beers were modelos. Anyone telling you the dishes are big are fake reviews. I rather spend $40 on 15 tacos at Tacos locos. They are amazing food, or even yard house and spend $120 there for high quality food!

The menudo is soo good here and the molcajete thee best But the costumer service sucks big time the girls don't check up on your table why because you ain't drinking alcohol they bring your food take for ever to bring the bill but never once do they ask if you need anything so we take out now food is great!

Amazing menu Full bar. , beer and wine Great margaritas Fast service, and the inside is gorgeous. Many many booths and tons of nice tables with matching new chairs. Murals ll over the wall. Great paintings and decor /lighting pictures. I got chicken flautist platter. It didn't disappoint!!! The creamy chipotle, guacamole, and sour cream drizzle was amazing. The person with me got a steak plate. Food was fantastic!

the service was horrible. They don't attend to you if you don't catch their attention. No water no introduction to who's serving us. Don't get the menudo (pictures lie).

This place is just so ghetto. The prices on menu do not reflect what they charge you. The waitresses are inattentive and the atmosphere is just to run down for that they try to charge.

Took my mom for Mother's Day and I loved the live music the food needs a but of help the service is on top of it. I don't need to be so harsh on my review only because May 10th was a busy day the demand is high and kitchen can lack on flavors. Would definitely go back to savor other dishes and rate accordingly.

Have been coming to this place for a long time... we order food to go often. But today, I just can't. Extremely grossed out. Found a hair in my food after already consuming some of the food. I thought maybe it was my own hair, possibly sitting on top of the food but it's just not possible.. this hair was wedged in there. Disgusting!

The worst service ever!!!! I am a single woman. Totally ignored by waiters and waitresses. They just serve putos narcos!! It's a shame!

We wanted Mariscos and came up on this location close to home. Our first time here, food was very good! Had their tacos alcalde and a tostada mixta. Their live entertainment is great too, they had a live band called "La Guera Chakaloza y sus 4 animales" I enjoyed this place and will definitely return. Don't be turned off by the live music, it's at a good level where you can still hold a conversation.

Just left & had a blast! Was worried about some of the negative reviews but food was good & the show was fabulous! If you want to celebrate a special occasion like a birthday like we did, this is the place on a Friday night. Will definitely be back!

The tortillas are hand made, delicious but their food is horrible. My sister ordered breaded shrimp that tasted like if the bread crumbs were already bad. My friend ordered rancheros shrimp she also mentioned no flavor. The bill end up 220.00 for four people but definitely I won't go back, it's not worth it.

This place could be ok because the food is alright. But I must say people watch your bill.and what they are charging you!!! I was in the erea doing business near by ,so I went in here three times in 2 weeks. I had a michelada and a shrimp ceviche tostada first time. The second time I had two micheladas and a tostada and the third time I had a tostada and a michelada. All with Corona beers! When I was done I paid with my ATM. And gave the waitress a tip on the table and my bill was 22.00-25.00. Well a few day's later I looked at my statement! I was charged 42,50 for each time I went in here! The waitress were not only charging me 3.00 more for the drink and 4.00 more fir the tostada they were adding over 15.00 on my tab for a tip!! All three times!!! I was not happy. Getting ripped off is something I hate!! Well I went back over to EL NOPAL ,talked to Carlos Rubalcava the owner. and told him what happened. He wanted to argue with me telling me that it all depends on how I ordered this and that. I ordered nothing special and I let him know.Well he ended up asking me how much I wanted back. Horrible business manors. He gave me 30.00 back after trying to tell me how prices can change,and this and that balony! I bet this place has done this crap to so many people and gotten away with it! Would never recommend this place! They rip people off. Be careful look at your bill and statement if you pay by debit it credit card. I must add the shrimp on the tostadas was very raw!! I had to wait for it to cook on my plate!! Not good at all!! Thieves!!!!

My wife told me "if you want a good michelada, you have to go to a restaurant owned by a paisa..." she might as well have added if you want authentic Mexican as well. If you don't know what a paisa is, check it out on urban dictionary. Seriously, this had to be one of the best michelada's I have ever had. The mix of lemon and lime on the garnishment just added to the freshness of the drink. I literally drank it like an iced tea. As for the camarrones a la diabla, it's my second favorite compared to La Barca in La Habra. The sauce isn't so spicy that it's unbearably hot. There's a smokiness and spice that compliment each other and is tempered with fresh lime juice you squeeze on to the shrimp. My wife claims the chicken mole is the best she's ever had. Just like abuela's. It's not overly sweet and chocolatey but semi sweet and smokey. However, we both noticed that the portions are smaller than before, but the taste is still delicious. It's close proximity to Disneyland make this a must stop for the tourist wanting some authentic Mexican food. Don't let the strip mall or tight parking fool you. This is the bonafide real deal. ¡Excellente!

The food is amazing service is too. Great people all around. The menudo is great and I don't usually eat it.

My first time there the place smell bad like restroom food wasn't great didn't even finish it, tables badly cleaned high chair was really greasy also the place needs some upgrade walls are terrible ceilings as well. I will not recommend this place at all never to go back to el nopal

I've been coming to El nopal with my husband and our daughter since she was a baby. It's our second home. The food is amazingly delicious. My husband and I always get the same tailored dish every time made just for us. The cooks are amazing and the servers are always friendly and on top of everything. Our daughter loves the gum ball machine. We love El Nopal. Thank you Don Carlos for making us feel welcome every time we visit.