El Nopalito

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I came here on a weeknight before close because they have menudo which comes with a choice of flour or corn tortilla. The boyfriend ordered a carne asada quesadilla which was a tad on the greasy side but was really tasty once the grease was soaked up with napkins. The friendly cashier lady with the striking eyes gave great service and provided us with free chips and salsa while we waited for the food. My menudo was just what I wanted: tender, hot, and flavorful with onion and cilantro. Oh yeah, I also got three beef rolled tacos. They were really crispy, but not beefy and had rice filler. I didn’t mind that too much but rolled taco enthusiasts may find that appalling. Overall, I would come to this sit-​down joint for the service, soup, and some carne asada dishes, but would be a little more discerning with other menu items.

I hate having to write this review because I did very much like this restaurant but my last visit changed my fondness for the restaurant. My order took a fairly long time for a basic burrito (carne asada) and it turned out it was sitting for a sizeable time period on the kitchen counter while the cashier just pretty much ignored it. Consequently, the burrito was cold and not to par. Perhaps it was because I didn’t give a tip when buying directly at the counter but the place needs to improve on service.

great carneceria. their carne asada preparada and al pastor is on point. they have great sausage too. my favorite is the salvadorean chirizo. they make salsa and guacamole there that is great too. I get everything from produce to fresh tortillas and my grilling meats. still want to try their restaurant next door

Ate here last night and found the carnitas to be gamey tasting. Should have stopped right there– my husband ate the dinner and is paying the price (he is sick). Be careful. Won’t go again!

Picked up a couple containers of salsa: the Roasted Red and the Tomatillo.
DELICIOUS!!!
Also of note: the fresh (warm) stacks of tortillas.
Gettum.

Some of the best Mexican food you can find. This place rocks. You see the reviews. You know the Unilocal overall averages and positive trends of this place. EAT HERE!
Don’t go here expecting new age gastropub cuisine, it’s Mexican food! But, boy oh boy is it good Mexican food. Lo mejor! They make tortillas and sauces in-​house and have a butcher and market if you prefer cooking at home. It’s local, quaint and brings to mind some of my favorite Mexican spots in Los Angeles and Orange Counties.
You should eat here. Plain and simple. Everyone loves Mexican food and this place is great, straight-​forward, homemade Mexican food.

Will go back and buy more al pastor. This place is a little hole in the wall and I prefer it that way with their own tortillas and chips. Try the chipotle salsa, good heat and great flavor.

Hit the Dodger game in SD last night, heading back to LA when we stumbled across this place. Holy shit balls it was good. Fresh sauces and tortillas makes for a great meal.

I am a regular at this small grocery. Their in house tortilla factory makes the best tortillas I’ve found in the area. Finding good tortillas was a top priority after my move from Texas and these helped me settle into my new hometown. The also make excellent salsas and guacamole. The roasted salsa is my favorite and I end up putting it on everything… I’ve also bought tamales here and they were fresh and good. Pretty much any grocery I would hope to find from south of the border I have found here.
The strip center they are located in doesn’t look like much but don’t be put off. The staff is friendly and looks can be deceiving. It’s worth a stop.

This is nice little Mexican American Mercado with a variety of nice products including butcher and meat counter and a Tortilleria where they make fresh corn tortillas, the main reason why I visited this store. In fact, the moment I walked in, that was all I could smell, that wonderful scent of freshly made corn tortillas.
When I went to the counter to pick up the tortillas, they had boxes and boxes filled with freshly made piping hot tortillas (
). I could not believe that they only cost $ 1.59 for three dozen. A great price indeed… by the way, when I got home, I ate a couple of the tortillas with some sliced avocado and sliced cheese and they were great.
The meat counter was typical for this type of store in that they carried all the basic cuts and made their on chorizo sausages (
). Also, I was impressed that they made their own chicharrón (
), and they not only make the skin variety, but also the variety with a nice piece of fat back and some meat (
).
The young man at the counter was quite friendly and helpful. Nice store, but the quarters inside are quite cramped.

It’s little and grungy and hole in the wall, so you know it’s bound to be good. And it was! The homemade chips and salsa are delicious — I could eaten many more of them. We split a carne asada burrito and a carnitas burrito. I really liked the carne asada and mom liked the carnitas, so we were good. The beans and rice were also great — actually, some of the best rice I’ve had at a Mexican place. Did I mention the portions were huge? Huge! I would totally go back for more.

BEST SALSA EVER. Perfectly roasted tomatoes, not too thin, not too thick, not too spicy or mild.
You can tell a lot by a mexican joint by their salsa. Everything lives up to their high standards of their salsa. I love this place!

The roasted salsa is legit. I’ve been coming here for years just for the good chips and salsas also get the rajas tamales. These tamales are so good and cheesy inside and not to much meza. All around good place to stop. Explore their menu but stick with the goods roasted salsa and the fresh homemade tamales.

Best chips and salsa around… Roasted salsa is amazing, chips made daily, and I can go on and on about this local spot. Our usual go tos: breakfast burrito, carne asada burrito and chicken tacos (soft shell). If you’re in the hood and need some good food, check out this place, you won’t be disappointed.
Also, employees are friendly and approachable.

Sooooo good. The salsas are out of this world. I order food here just to provide a vesicle to shovel the salsa into my mouth. The salsa bar has Roasted Salsa, salsa Verde, avo salsa, extra spicy red salsa and a mild red salsa. Everyone of them is delicious and you can tell they are all made fresh.
The sell all of there salsa in take home tubs as well. I took a tub of the Roasted Salsa (my favorite) to a friends dinner party and it was gone in less than 5 minutes. This just serves as validation that I’m not a salsa junky this stuff is just amazing.
I always order 2 chicken tacos and they are beyond delicious. Deep fried crispy shell with shredded chicken, lettuce tomato, shredded and cotija cheeses. Definitely not a fun place to be on a diet but somehow they pack tons of flavor into what seems to be ordinary taco shop food.
This place is authentic and delicious!

An essential stop before any gathering is El Napolito Market. Their chips and salsa AMAZING! I have lots of gatherings at my house and people ask what they can bring. I request the chips and salsa by brand. Once a friend was at the grocery store when she called and asked what to get. I told her don’t bring chips unless you get the real deal.
An onsite tortilleria pumps out fresh corn tortillas all morning, hot steamy bags of goodness are available until the early afternoon. Fresh masa seems to be first come-​first serve.
This Hispanic grocery store with a little bit of produce, some drinks and a lot of meats. And from what I have heard that meat is the good stuff, people rave about it.
You can also get some hard to find items like tortilla and lime presses, pinatas and those special Mexican style candies too. A couple of years ago this market burned down and times were tough for a couple of years.

I discovered El Nopalito’s roasted salsa at the Cardiff Seaside Market a couple years ago and have been obsessed with it ever since. I had no idea that it was a restaurant too until my friend told me about a month ago and we planned to grab lunch here later in the week.
Unfortunately, some personal drama hindered my ability to actually enjoy my experience but I really wouldn’t have enjoyed anything anywhere at that time. I plan to return again to give it another try on a less stressful day. That said, the few bites that I took of my carne asada were seasoned perfectly and if I had had more of an appetite, I would have scarfed it all down. The chips and salsa were just as good as I had imagined they would be.
The restaurant unfortunately doesn’t have any outdoor seating, which is bad news for my dogs who frequently dine with me. But I’d consider stopping in and grabbing some food to go.

Big Bang for the buck! Call in order before going there. Parking lot crowded– carful.
Yummy salsa bar. Mexican tv shows on tv :-)

PLEASE NOTE the correct address…
El Nopalito has TWO Businesses in same parking lot BUT different building and different address!
1) El Nopalito Restaurant 582 Santa Fe (760) 436‑9206
2) El Nopalito Market & Catering 560 Santa Fe (760) 436‑5775
I saw they had Birria on the menu unfortunately they ONLY serve Birria on Sat & Sun and I came on a Friday, OK the wife and I are here we’ll make due! you order and pay here
have a seat and food is brought to the table, they make their own tortillas and chips which were fresh and tasty along with some nice salsa from their salsa bar
Caldo de Res —
Nice chunks of beef that was pretty lean, veggies were cooked well
very good 4-​Star
Tacos — ($ 2.70)
Not your typical LA street taco these are on larger tortillas.
Carnitas —
Too much guacamole, carnitas I didn’t get any crispy pieces, what I did get was fairly moist with decent flavor, if not for the nice yellow corn tortilla this would be a sub-​par taco! 3-​Stars
Al Pastor —
I don’t know HOW they are calling this Al Pastor other than it’s Pork… #YouFail
Breakfast Burrito — Bacon —
Taste was pretty good with some of their salsa roja! but if you actually look at the burrito you can see how LAZY this cook is!
As you can see from this photo the Eggs are a complete mess
I can tell you that they just cracked the eggs on the grill then took the spatula and moved them around to cook instead of scrambling them first, you can tell from all those whites and flat looking eggs. Could have used a bit more bacon, cheese was ample and beans were nice! a good burrito that could have been much better. 3-​Stars
AVG: 2.5-Stars

I’ve been wanting to try this place for a while now because I always buy their chips and salsa at Albertsons and I’m obsessed.
I started with chips and guac and the chips are super fresh! Greasy, but fresh. The guac was pretty good, although surprisingly I preferred this amazing green salsa at their salsa bar. I ate several gallons of that…
I got the chicken burrito and it was enormous! I slathered it with the green salsa and it was so delicious. I’m coming back for that salsa.
My husband got the fish burrito and thought it was a bit bland, but fortunately he also thought the green salsa was delicious and it made a huge difference.