Outstanding! Excellent food. Solid service. Unique concepts. I recommend the Mole Negra (top three I've ever had) and Tlayuda (improved tostada, in essence). Can't sing its praises highly enough. read more

A bit conflicted as I write this as I wanted to fall in love with Copal. I loved the idea of a restaurant with mole highlighted all of the menu. Unfortunately, it fell short in a few places which made it, all in all, just okay. Dined here as a party for two on a Thursday night. The place was not too busy, and there was one waiter for indoor and outdoor seating. We chose a table for two outside under the heater. It was perfectly warm and comfortable on a mild winter evening. Both inside and outside were nice/cute/well decorated. When our food arrived, we quickly realized the tables were not quite the right side. I'm short but my friend is taller and we both struggled to move our arms and fit the food, plus drinks, plus glass water bottle, plus water cups (you catch my drift) on the table. Plus, the table was wobbly. We didn't bother asking to move because when we arrived, we were told that indoor seating was full (except for bar) and the other tables in the back were on reserve. It was also a bit challenging to figure out where to place our purses given that the chairs were round back (kinda like metal folding chair style) so the bags kept sliding down. We were attended to promptly and I can say over all service was good. I like that it's not a QR code where you never see the staff. There's actually a human experience and exchange. On to the food...the complimentary salsa left something to be desired (so I ended up ordering an $11 guacamole to scratch the itch). It looked and tasted like a Pace picante jarred salsa, and that was disappointing. Empanada en mole Amarillo: Flavor wise this was on point once we figured out the hack. The dish was on top of a light bed of mole sauce so initially was dry. We end up using our hands to eat it and rubbing it all around the mole sauce and that's when it came together. Also worth noting, don't expect an empanada. It's more like a cheese-less quesadilla. I would highly recommend that Copal serve the dish with much more mole sauce to bring the flavors together nicely. Mole Negro (pollo and puerco): they did end up making a mistake on our order and instead of giving us two meats had only given us one; they were so kind and gracious about this and brought out an entire second plate of mole. Their serving sizes are pretty decent. The pollo (chicken plate) had about three drumsticks. The puerco seemed to be a little less hearty tho and not my preferred meat choice. Overall, I enjoyed the flavor of this dish, and would choose the chicken over the pork. However, I did notice that there was a slight flavor of burnt sugar that kept coming through the dish. Also, did I mention they serve the mole with FRESH HOT HOMEMADE CORN TORTILLAS. These were excellent For dessert...again, conflicted. We tried the churros and the flan, but I really wish there was a dish that brought together the churros, flan, and plantains. Because I wasn't going to order three desserts for the two of us, we were not able to try the plantains out, and that was a bummer. The churros were served with a chocolate sauce, which seemed unnecessary. The churros themselves were incredibly delicious, but could have used a caramel or vanilla ice cream, and maybe a dulce de Leche dipping sauce instead of chocolate. The flan was just ok (I like mine wetter with the sugar juices from caramelization process). I do hope that Copal can make some minor modifications to take them from "okay" to "oh my gawsh wow". One thing I wish they offered was an ability to pick from the different mole. For example, It would be great to be able to pick my protein and my mole sauce. I would have selected an entire plate of pollo with mole rojo, for example. However the mole rojo only comes prepared as enchiladas. I love the menu, and generally enjoyed the flavors. I would go back and try the Mole Rojo Enchiladas. read more

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I came here with my family as a party of 5 on Saturday and we had a fantastic experience and great service. I have wanted to stop in and try Copal for at least a few years, and my only regret is that I waited so long to go here. Everyone in my party thought the food was very unique, artfully prepared, and most importantly delicious! The parking lot is fairly small, but the restaurant itself is a good size, was clean, and had a welcoming atmosphere. I can't drink alcohol, but there was a very nice selection of cocktails, and they had a handful of mocktails available as well which I really appreciated. I ordered the Tropicana mocktail, and it was really tasty and refreshing. For food, everyone at the table ordered something different, so I feel like we got a really good sampling of their menu. I had the Sopa de Albondigas and it tasted incredible! Everyone loved what they ordered, and we all loved the chips and salsa as well. We will absolutely be back again, and I would highly recommend giving them a try. If (like me) you have driven by a bunch of times and been curious to try it please do yourself a favor and satisfy your curiosity. I promise you won't be disappointed! read more

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Food was amazing, service was amazing and loved the vibe of the spot. Ordered the Oaxacan Nachos with Tinga, and taquitos with 2 cocktails. Great meal! read more

Copal - Taquitos (gf / veg option) Nachos con Mole Negro (veg option) y tinga - Mexican Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Very cute restaurant but, the food was just okay. They have a good mole sauce but my bf food did come out cold. He didn't feel like sending it back. I didn't care for the cocktails. Keep it simple if you come to this restaurant. read more

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Friendly servers, good food. I came in mid-day on a Sunday. It was not very busy, but the service was fast and I got a good recommendation regarding the portions. I ended up getting carne asada tacos. They were very flavorful and satisfying. read more

Such an incredible and unique dining experience I've never had such authentic Mexican food before and I absolutely loved it! I recommend getting the mole negro in order to have a real first time experience with the dish if you've never had it. I went with the verde because I loveeee it so much. So flavorful worth every penny! read more

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First time trying mole and I loved the variety of flavors and options they offered. We opted for the mole verde with chicken as well as a quesadilla with the tasajo. Both had decent flavor profiles but to be honest, both felt lacking in something. It was overall just okay. The drinks on the other hand were excellent and definitely did their job! No complaints on that end. I've seen other reviews say the restaurant is overly loud but I thought it was at a good socializing volume and service was quick and friendly. read more

Copal - Mexican Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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The decor inside the restaurant was beautiful with Mexican paper cutouts and wood cravings of the same. Full bar and outdoor dining area. The hostess was friendly and explain the "rabbit" like logo, which by the way it's not a rabbit but a mystical creature. We sit outside and were greeted with room temperature water, chips and salsa. We ordered the mixed platter. All the items were delicious. There were little fried grasshopper "chapulines" which I tried. It tasted like BBQ favorited chips. For dessert we had churro. It came with melted chocolate and condenses milk for dipping. I would definitely visit again. read more

One word: mole. The mole here is out of this world!! I've come to Copal twice now, typically after an early afternoon hanging out with the redwoods by Henry Cowell State Park. That somehow best translates to coming to Copal right as they are ramping up their happy hour menu :) First time I came here, we got some drinks, molotes, and tried out the mole negro; most of my table got it with puerco and I got it with pollo. I had such a great experience and came home with some leftovers since the portions are quite generous. Second time, we took full advantage of the happy hour foods: nopales, potato taquitos, nachos oaxaqueños, memelitas, and ceviche. Everything was basically a hit and we had to order a second nachos because it was so good; mole negro with tortilla chips are downright dangerously good. We also got mole coloradito and a mole amarillo to try out and both were so good, so tasty, so unique! Finished the meal off with some platanos fritos which were also delightful. We left very full and with some leftovers to munch on afterwards. A huge plus for Copal and Oaxacan food (in general), they are restrictive diet friendly. I usually come with folks who are gluten intolerant and I recently came with someone who is vegetarian and gluten intolerant. There were so many options to choose from including the mole amarillo and platanos fritos which is vegetarian and gluten free. Even the nachos are vegetarian friendly without any additional meats! It is a fairly small restaurant with a patio and it can be kinda chilly in this part of Santa Cruz, right off Hwy 1 / Mission St. Sometimes there's a wait and it makes sense to make a reservation during busier hours for that reason. I've always walked in due to my random hours post-redwoods so I've had some luck but would recommend getting a reservation if you have dinner plans! read more

I had me some really good enchiladas. The mole was dankopotamus. Twas quite a vibe indeed.

One of the best restaurants in Santa Cruz. I highly recommend the antojito platter, it lets you try a variety of different oaxacan small bites. The moles are delicious and complex, if it's your first time to the restaurant they provide a sampler to help to you choose with kind you want. There are more than five you can choose from. They also have a wide variety of mezcals that you can try with their mezcal flights. read more

Excellent restaurant with high-quality food and great service. The mole dish I ordered was very good and so were our appetizers. Unfortunately, the tlayuda was not great, served with two flaps of tough meat that would've benefited from more seasoning and being shredded. If going, I would stick with mole and other complex dishes. Also a great place for Mezcal if that's your thing. read more

Everything about this place is excellent from the moment I walked in the door and was greeted by the host to being seated immediately and having a waiter take my order. The happy hour menu is offered 2:30 pm - 5 pm daily. A bowl full of tortilla chips with a light tomato and onion salsa was complementary. I ordered the pork tamal en hoja de plantano plate. It's also served as an appetizer on the happy menu ($8). The tamale is topped with a creamy dark mole sauce (yum), and a side of cactus pico de gallo salsa and refried black beans. A dollop of cream on the plate adds a nice flavor. Their tortillas and masa are handmade here, so naturally I asked for two corn tortillas. Anton couldn't have delivered better service. One can tell he has extensive experience in the hospitality business. He's not only courteous, but he anticipates additional requests. I'll be back again and again. read more

Copal - Nopales with cactus, radish, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro. - Mexican Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Food was delicious! I ordered the Empanada de Mole Amarillo. It was crisp and the meat was tender and there was plenty of mole without drowning the whole dish. The rice by itself was very flavorful and zesty. Service was great. Our server greeted us promptly and was very attentive. I do feel that the menu would be hard to understand if you didn't take Spanish in high school, but that just sucks for you - it's 2024 in California, learn some Spanish. Our server was happy to explain items. The restaurant is beautiful. Dim and modern. Full bar near the restaurant. It was a great environment for our party of four. I highly recommend Copal if you are around Santa Cruz. read more

Copal - Empanada de Mole Amarillo - Mexican Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

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Copal is 5 stars. There is no other acceptable rating. We spotted this one rolling into Santa Cruz and I was intrigued on the aesthetic alone. A closer look at the menu revealed a treasure trove of regional Mexican specialties specifically from Oaxaca, a food Mecca in Mexico, and my excitement hit a new high. The menu is stacked with dishes you simply don't often in the US and it's such a treat to have an opportunity to experience them here. It's even more special when you have passionate staff helping to guide you along the way, your burgeoning foodie kids who are enthusiastic about it, AND a fantastic cocktail program and curated mezcal list to go with it. Walking in I knew we'd order Chapulines (grasshoppers), Molè and Tlayuda, and that's exactly what we did. We started with the complimentary molè sampler so we could choose which of the house made versions and proteins we wanted to enjoy. Sadly we couldn't enjoy them all but there's about 3 reasons I'll be back! The molè negra was our pick and if you've ever had REAL molè then one taste and you'll know how much went into this one. It seems simple but this is an art form and they do it right here, creating a rich and complex flavor that went beautifully with the succulent pork shoulder we chose. The tlayuda was an adventure in and of itself. A huge flat, slightly crispy masa tortilla topped with warm beans and layered with a lot of flavorful toppings and finished off with grilled meat and spicy chorizo, easily sharable for four adults! If the presentation wasn't fun enough, your st it by tearing it apart and assembling your perfect bites each time, until it's all gone and you cry wishing there was more. Luckily we had enough for leftovers so no tears! Lastly the bar. Holy agave. So many options but I love that they offer flights and can guide you to one you'll enjoy. I love a good "barrel pick" because it's unique to the place I'm at so I went for their flight of Copal exclusive mezcals and it was another epic addition to this experience. One had this bizarrely tropical flavor note that I won't forget. But what made this experience truly over the top was Brittany. From the minute we walked in, she made us feel incredibly welcome. She greeted our children, wrote their names on water cups, and clearly cared if we had a good or great time. She was quick with relevant recommendations and had great rationale and explanations for everything. She was well versed in everything about the restaurant and takes great pride in everyone enjoying their visit. It was no surprise when we learned she is the GM and I am sure the rest of her team is trained just as well as her. Seriously run here. The world needs more Copal and I can only hope she comes to Reno with it next! read more

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I was very impressed with this place! Tried the appetizer platter, mole sampler, and a few drinks. Everything was super fresh and delicious... a few favorites: the Tokyo Grift drink, the masa fritters, and the the mole amarillo was an expected hit! The mole sampler isn't specified on the menu but I definitely recommend it to try and decide what entree you want, they're all very different! Highly recommend the negro or amarillo mole. Service was prompt and ambient, I never waited very long for anything. I sat on the patio, which honestly I would not recommend because of road noise. The inside dining room is better, or the bar. read more

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service was amazing! our waiter was so kind and checked up on us a decent amount of times. the food was mouth salivating good and i highly encourage anyone in Santa Cruz to go!! the atmosphere was very comfortable and welcoming, and i want to definitely come here again. read more

Copal is amazing. I love the delightful, colorful, fresh, and tasty food from Copal. The service is amazing as the server is friendly and polite. The restaurant offers traditional and delicious meals. Oxaca moles are amazingly tasty and perfectly cooked. Highly recommended it. The decor and seatings are great. The ambience is fun with great vibes. Highly recommended it to everyone. read more

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One of my favorite spots! I've been here a handful of times and love the mole, chapulines and lots more Would recommend!! read more

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Mole. I come here specifically for their mole. There are four different kinds and all of them are soooooo good. My favorite is the black one that can impart sophisticated complex beautiful flavor onto anything. My favorite dish is mole nacho with an upgrade to steak topping. read more

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What I haven't written a review for Copal?!? I go here almost every time I'm in Santa Cruz! Sheesh, sorry Copal! I know I've thrown you up on my IG story at least... Oops I did the Genx ellipse yikes. Anyway, Copal is awesome - I have been here for lunch like 10 times. I brought my wife when she was with me once, I have an employee that I brought - they loved it. I should add that my wife is a serious carnivore and my employee is vegan. They both loved it. I should also mention that they are both low-key in their diet choices also - like they are not going to bring up that they are vegan or carnivorous in the first 30 seconds of meeting them low-key. Like you aren't going to get: "Hi, I'm Henry, what do you do for work? Also you should know I'm vegan before you tell me any more. Anyway what is it you do?" Or "Oh I'm Sarah and I love meat. What did you say your name was again?" So offhand I don't recall what I've eaten here - I have definetly tried a variety of offerings and loved them all. Service has always been great as well. I would love to come back some time and explore their extensive tequila and mezcal selection, especially if my free alcohol fairy was along (It is a real thing ask my wife). Anyway eat here you won't be sorry. And back to the ellipse...have you seen the show Longmire? It's a good show but pay attention if you watch it, he uses the ellipse in conversation all the time it is hilarious once you pick up on it. He is always throwing out half sentences which the other characters and the viewers autocomplete in their head, generally ending in the word "so..." read more

First time to Copal! Love the building. We ate some n the patio. It was loud due to being right in the road, but mostly shady. The menu had lots of vegetarian and gf options. We chose small plates ~15 instead of meals for 25+. Our server was amazing! Helped us choose between a few items and when one of our meals was delayed she comped us some guacamole. The food was gorgeous and very tasty! Great experience and bought a couple of the beer glasses with their cute bunny logo!! read more

Have been here a couple of times and I absolutely love this place! Parking is somewhat limited depending on how busy it is, but definitely worth it. We were given chips and salsa when we were first sat. I was pleasantly surprised with the salsa. It was very good! I usually get their ceviche which is delicious! I love that the tostadas are freshly made. The salsa that comes with the ceviche is also amazing! Spicy and so good! Their Tropicana non-alc elixir was also super yummy! I love this place, and definitely recommend it! The staff are very welcoming, super helpful, and the service has always been super fast! read more

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This was the first time I had experienced authentic Oaxaca food. It was absolutely delicious. We ordered a ceviche appetizer ($18). It was fresh and tasty with just the right amount of heat. If you like molé order the molé sampler. You get five different molés to try. Two of which are gluten and chocolate free. They are each different and each delicious. Until now I only thought molé was just one thing; turns out I was wrong. For our main we shared Tlayuda which is a 14 inch Oaxacan corn shell topped with ground chicharron, black bean paste, cecina (grilled pork adobo), tasajo (thinly cut salt-cured wagyu steak), house-made Oaxacan chorizo, quesillo, avocado, cabbage, tomato, and salsa. $24. It was more than enough for both of us. For dessert we had Copal's spin on flan. It looked like a cheesecake and had a consistency somewhere between that flan I've had elsewhere. Also delicious. I can't say enough about our waiter Carlos. He was super friendly, knowledgeable, and very attentive. He gave us recommendations on things we should try since we were first timers. All of his choices were excellent. And my water glass was never empty. I drink a lot of water with my meals and I like lots of ice. I never saw the bottom of my water glass. The ambiance is cool. Lots of talk and laughter but it wasn't NOISY. It was easy to talk with our party. This is one of my top five restaurants I've been to since I've been reviewing on yelp. And Carlos is in the top five category as well. When we go back, we will request him. read more

Copal - Ceviche and Tlayuda. - Mexican Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

I'm a Yelper. Before I go anywhere new, I read reviews, both favorable and one star. I have to say my experience at Copal was more in line with the shining reviews here. We were seated right on time (we had reservations) and our server (Aliya) was attentive, knowledgeable, and friendly right from the start. Started with the la piñata and sante iguana cocktails. We don't usually do cocktails (we're beer people), but this was my partner's birthday so we decided to go classy. Aliya helped us find drinks that were suited to our palates. The drinks didn't blow me away- as other reviewers have said, they they were mostly ice. For an appetizer, we had the Molotes- with house-made chorizo. Lots of audible "mmmmmms" from our table over these. Aliya suggested a sample size ($1) of grasshoppers just for us to try them. I guess you can cover pretty much anything with flavoring and deep fry it and it'll be edible. We tried them and we see no need to ever try them again. For entrées, I had the enchiladas de mole rojo and my partner had the tamal en hoja platano. They were both the kind of foods you eat slowly and with your eyes closed just to savor each bite. We were celebrating my partners birthday, and the table next to us was also celebrating a same-day birthday. We had a good time together and shared some cake. The other table also helped me sing Happy Birthday, which, like any other tune, I cannot carry alone. We had a great time and the food was wonderful. If there's any downside here, it's the parking, which is limited. I definitely recommend the place. I know we'll be back. read more

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SOOO GOOOD!! The atmosphere is very cute, so a great date spot! Drinks were fantastic, and the Tluyada entree was insanely good. Our waiter was also super sweet and personable! 10/10 would recommend! read more

Very modern and quaint little Oaxacan restaurant. Staff was attentive and the food was authentic. The Mole Negro was complex and earthy, too many flavors to even describe. It was served with I presume a boiled chicken quarter, it was well cooked and the flavor of the chicken didn't detract from the richness of the mole. The tyluda was also a great dish. Larger than life with perfectly crisped tortilla. The bean paste was perfectly portioned for the monster dish. The toppings were fresh and beef and pork were tender and grilled to perfection. Highly recommended. read more

Great food, great drinks, good service, and nice atmosphere. Definitely worth checking out. read more

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Amazing Oaxacan food with incredible moles! The flavors are rich, layered, and super authentic. Definitely a hidden gem in Santa Cruz and a must-visit spot if you love Oaxacan food. I'll absolutely be coming back! read more

Post family photos, everyone's cold and hungry, quickly found this place on yelp. I called ahead while we were driving and the hostess was really nice. She said while they don't take wait list names over the phone, she could put in a patio reservation for us for 15 min from the time I called which was perfect. We got there just in time and were seated on the patio which has heated lamps so we were nice and toasty. Our server Austin was awesome. She was so sweet to our kiddos and was so fast with taking our order for them and then brought them coloring sheets and crayons. The food came out so fast and was very delicious. I know chips and salsa are standard at most Mexican restaurants and usually good but I really loved these chips. They were thin, crispy, and had the right amount of salt on them. I had the shredded chicken taco plate with homemade corn tortillas. It was the perfect portion size for me and was simple, yet very delicious. The black beans that came on the side were also very good. My husband got the mole enchilada plate and the mole sauce was very very very good. I'm not usually a huge fan of mole sauce, but this one made me a believer. The kids got quesadillas. I took a quick bite and loved the flour tortillas (I'm a sucker for a good flour tortilla). Drink menu - I thought it was cool that there's regular cocktails, lower alcohol drinks, and then mocktails. Nice variety. I got a lower alcohol drink and it was light and refreshing; I'm blanking on the name though. Overall - great experience here and we loved this restaurant! read more

Vegetarians & vegans: get the vegan molé. It comes with rice and a white corn tortilla giving it the added illusion of being healthy. Oh, and since this is Copal, do ask them to throw some of their home made hot sauces into the mix. They'll do that for you real good. ranking: 1. One star because the ambiance at TLC is quite nice. 2. Another star because the staffer was helpful, accommodating and a darling. 3. A third star because there was at least some thoughtful vegan/vegetarian offering on the menu 4. A fourth star cause the mezcal is shmoookey. 5 F it. five stars cause theres a bomb digity happy hour. Now for the food: on paper this places looks like a score for the vegan/vegetarian types. They have a large number of items on their menu marked as "veg". Wha-pa-pa-pa-POW read more

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Delicious mole and beautiful, delightful mocktails. The ambiance and service were both wonderful. The food was all honestly superb - I've been raving about this place since we got back from our trip - telling everyone I know to eat there next time they're in Santa Cruz. read more

Great bar and atmosphere. The food was good and so attractive but nothing really made us hanker to come back soon. It could just be us. Service was great and love the decor. read more

Every time I visit Santa Cruz, my husband and I stop here. We love the Mezcal flights and the mole

The food was good and had a unique taste to it I give it a 4 out of 5 but what brought it down another star was the price and smaller food portion. It came out on a medium sized plate which I found odd, as they stuffed the plate. It wasn't a big portion size, wasn't a lot of guacamole, and I paid $5 extra for steak but as I was eating and picking through it it wasn't a lot of steak , it was like a light sprinkle of meat which upset me. Staff were nice and the decor was cool. The price was $22 , good taste but I won't be back due to price and lack of portions. read more

Copal - Nachos - Mexican Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

Good Oaxacan good good prices But service is very slow Food is slow Try the chicken taquitos read more

Everything about Copal restaurant was excellent! From the hostess desk to the bartenders and the outside seating, the servers greeted us and treated us well. Service was on point. Servers were attentive and recommended food items when we asked about different sauces and entrees. The best part was that we enjoyed all the dishes and drinks and left feeling special and appreciated. We will definitely go back for different dishes we haven't tried yet. Drinks were amazing and creative also! read more

This is a great restaurant with really good food. The service was amazing. Went twice during my weekend visit. I love the restaurant's vibe great ambiance. read more

Copal - Tlayuda - Mexican Near Me - Santa Cruz, California

The food is fine, but good luck getting everything you pay for. Out of an order for 2 kids and adult, they forgot 4 items. A trip back got 2 of the items, but they had ran out of one, and still didn't provide the fourth. In the first place, the website order didn't work, and I had to do it over with a phone order. I was asked for tips for a pickup order in both occasions. Also the online ordering website is a mess. You have to scroll past all the cocktails to find the second set of entree listings, that have a description. With so much good Latin American food in Santa Cruz, I don't see the point of this place unless they can hire someone to organize them, and ditch the website for DoorDash and eat the fees, or redo it. read more