If you are traveling on route 71 between Cincinnati and Louisville and are looking for a place to stop, sit down and enjoy a wonderful meal, El Nopal is your place. Delicious Mexican cuisine reasonably priced. read more

Fabulous find! Great, authentic Mexican food. Service prompt, extensive menu and iced cold beer to compliment the meal served with a chilled glass. Don't bother with Taco Bell or the other fake Mexican food when you can get the real deal. read more

El Nopal - Best find on the road! Authentic Mexican food at its finest. Service spectacular, beer served ice cold w a chilled glass! - Mexican Near Me - Carrollton, Kentucky

Absolutely, hands down, the worst, lowest quality food I have EVER eaten in my ENTIRE life. So bad in fact, I vomited in the parking lot once I left (pictured). I tried to justify it because I was hungry, but couldn't take more than a few bites. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. So angry I wasted hard-earned money on this abhorrent filth. Stray away from any of the fajitas (sizzling plates) and the green sauce (pictured). Anyone with functioning taste buds can tell that it is long expired. It will make all your food taste like sour mold. My sister was served what appeared to be a pig heart, aorta arteries and all. What wasn't an organ was nothing but fat and grizzle. Repugnant rubber. I'm praying I don't get food poisoning, otherwise this place will see a lawsuit coming their way. Never ever again. No matter how "in the middle of nowhere" I wind up or how hungry I am. I'd rather starve. (Side note: All the positive reviews have me astonished and utterly baffled. Have 800+ people really never tried good, quality, authentic Mexican cuisine??? Cause THIS AINT IT. Not even close) read more

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I come here once a week for the past year or so. Nothing but good things to say. Excellent service, excellent food, portions are so big we split an order every single time. The servers usually remember our order. I don't love how open the restaurant is. Everyone's staring at each other unless you're in a booth. But, it's a clean and friendly environment. Everyone goes to the one down the road for some reason, but I'm not complaining because service is quick! read more

Probably the worst Mexican restaurant I have ever experienced in Kentucky. Order was completely wrong. Food was cold. What I got was not tasty or pleasing. I can't recommend this place at all. I still feel sick. read more

I walked into this restaurant randomly on my way, the food was great that I felt compelled to write a review. The dishes were very fresh, and the menu offered a complete variety of options. Highly recommended! read more

Good vibes, great service, awesome food! Stopped here on a road trip, was right off the highway and very convenient. read more

El Nopal - Enchilada, Tamale, Rice and Beans, Tacos De Carne Asada - Mexican Near Me - Carrollton, Kentucky

As I was driving through town on the way home from vacation, I stopped at El Nopal with my party.The restaurant looked really nice inside. It was clearly new. Something we noticed and had confirmed by some locals. Apparently, it was a Burger King. Nice change. The service was prompt and nice. Language was an issue, as I will explain in a moment. The menus were crisp and new. The health score was 100%! All things pointed to good things and for the most part this was our experience. Queso, chorizo queso, the two hot sauces were all good. The chips were bland, in my opinion. But in dip, they were good. The meals we ordered were pretty good. From the kid's chicken and fries to the chorizo chicken ( a pile of chorizo on top of a large thin chicken breast) most everyone was happy with the food. I was not though. And this is definitely due to the odd addition of potatoes into the menu. read more

Last night I ordered a HUGE ($100) order for takeout for dinner for my family. When my fiancé picked it up I saw I didn't even receive my Plabonos (Chile peppers stuffed with Monterey Jack cheese) instead just a plate of rice, lettuce, cut up bell pepper and shredded cheese? But whatever I just chose to eat something else. So we have dinner and I ate my food and then we all went to bed. Around 7 am, I was in the bathroom sick as a dog. And STILL feel sick as ever! Just horrible. Don't go here. Not worth the price!!! read more

El Nopal - Food - Mexican Near Me - Carrollton, Kentucky

We stopped here off the highway on the way to Mammoth Cave. This is the best Mexican food I've ever had. We got five things and all were amazing: El Nopal Especial, margarita, chips and salsa, tilapia with herbs, and papas nachos with chicken. Even the black beans side was excellent. read more

El Nopal - a plate of mexican food - Mexican Near Me - Carrollton, Kentucky

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Would not go here again! My son and I stopped in for a snack. I ordered one entree and we were going to split it.They charged me $5.00 for another plate, an EMPTY plate! We will drive a little further to get better service. read more

Fast service, large portions, and good food. Worth a visit if you are passing through the area.

Food was alright, however the service wasn't good. Pretty po'd that the amount that cleared my bank account for my bill was higher than I authorized. While the server was standing there to take our order, he walked off to help another table and returned 8 minutes later to take our order. Rude! I won't visit another El Nopal. read more

El Nepal has great authentic Mexican food at affordable prices. The servers are fast and attentive, constantly weaving through tables with delicious meats and vegetables sizzling on iron skillets. Plenty of seating for large groups. Mix drinks are affordable. There is also a bar. All in all , not a bad place to go with friends and family. Enjoy read more

The worst. They should not be making Mexican food, or learn how. They got the order wrong twice. Don't go.

Probably the worst service I have ever had. Sat for over an hour, felt lucky to get drinks, before they came by to tell us that a large party was done being cooked for, no problem there except they did not bother to inform us of what was going on, then the order got messed up in the kitchen. When it did start coming out half of it was still wrong. Never dining here again. Update: when the recooked foot came out, for the second time my wife's food was made wrong. Neither of us ate. Maybe you should try a little harder to serve your customers in a timely and accurate manner. read more

Let's say they were having a bad day. But I came in early so almost no one there besides me and staff, who didn't seem to be into serving customers. I don't care if you're "different" whatever. But if you work in a restaurant, at least be ready to say hello, what can I get you or in this case - I'm not your server hold on I'll get them. The plate of chicken came out Luke warm and totally covered with a soupy sauce that was very spicy, normally that's great, but just seemed like it was there to cover up the food, which was not great. Then I had to get up to ask for a check, for a meal I didn't eat in an empty restaurant ? No - is everything OK or would you like another drink ? read more

OUTSTANDING: $2.25 Ice Tea--good flavor, tall glass. Altho in plastic glass with too short straws. Lightning speed in being given menus and serving the food. EXCELLENT: Friendliness. GOOD: Cleanliness. Quesadilla Tortilla--recommend it and bring your own contents! TOLERABLE: Chips, Salsa (ditto, no flavor, no cilantro), Boring flavorless Beef and Chicken in the Quesadillas. Both TV's in our sight were on Spanish channels--apropos for a Mexican venue, but we didn't notice any diners who appeared to be Mexican or were speaking Spanish, so the TVs were either for the employees who did appear to be Mexican, or mgt was hoping non-Mexican diners would speed-learn the Spanish language. As a non-Mexican, I prefer American English-speaking channels with good Mexican food and Mexican music over the intercom. REASON WON'T GO BACK: Food price vs value. read more

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Don't do it. We ordered the fajitas and enchiladas. Barley ate one or two bites. The fajitas were burned and tasted burnt. My son took one bite of the enchiladas and was off to the restroom. When they asked how dinner was we expressed our feelings of the food. The cashier just shrugged his shoulders. Before my son could pay he had to run outside and was Sick. After all that they still charged us the entire price. Never make that mistake again. read more

Living out of state, we have now been to El Nopal in Carrollton twice over he past few years, most recently in November of 2018, en route while traveling to visit with family in western Kentucky. Good Mexican fare! Authentically prepared and presented. A wide choice of selections, standard and otherwise. Daily specials are worth exploring. Burritos, fajitas, and refried beans are as good as it gets. Service is professional, friendly, prompt, and attentive. Easy access off I-71 makes it a perfect place for a meal while traveling. It will be visited again on future drives in the area! read more

We love El nopal. We have tried several locations and they are all always great. The food is cheap and you get a ton, they are fast, and the chips and salsa are good. read more

El Nopal is a Mexican restaurant chain (although I'm not sure how far their tethers stretch), however don't let the word "chain" scare you off. Their food is not bad! They may not be the best, 4-star Michelin restaurant, but on the other side of the scale, they aren't Taco Bell either. It's a good, middle-of-the-road place to eat. They do make their salsa, guacamole, beans, and cheese fresh in-house. While their salsa and guac isn't the best I've eaten, they're pretty tasty. Two choices of salsa on-table, mild or hot. Perhaps they blend the salsa a bit much for me. It's more of a puree than any chunkiness, and a little generic... but hey, it's freshly made and tastes okay. Arguably better than most store-bought, but I wouldn't make a special trip just for the salsa. If you read my review of "The Real Enchilada", Nopal's beans do not hold a candle to Real's. Although they aren't bad. Tolerable would be my best description... granted I'm biased. I'll eat a few bites of them, but make no attempt to finish them. Don't let my frequent check-ins trick you. El Nopal is not my favorite Mexican restaurant, I happen to work right across the street. Having said that though... They may not be the best, but the food is fresh, tasty and filling. Pretty big dinner portions too. If El Nopal's food weren't any good, I wouldn't be eating here. In an area surrounded by fast food, they're a decent alternative. I may like other places better, but I still like El Nopal. read more

This is a chain restaurant from a group located in Kentucky & Indiana. The staff is Mexican, the menu has more seafood items than the typical Mexican restaurant . A good stop if you heading down I-71 South. read more

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I asked the receptionist at my hotel if there are any non-chain restaurants nearby. She told me about El Nopal and a pizza place. I'm from Jersey and way to fussy about pizza so I went to El Nopal. As soon as I ate the first (of many) chips, I was pretty sure I'd have a good dinner. I asked the waitress if I should get the Pollo Poblano or the Pollo Norteño. She described the Norteño sauce but I wasn't sure until she pointed out that it was on special for $9.25. The chips and salsa (2 choices) were way better than average and that Norteño had plenty of jalapeños and some secret ingredients that it made it delicious. And $2.00 drafts put the icing on the cake. read more

Had the quesadilla stuffed with fajita steak. It was a generous size with a large browned tortilla holding plenty of contents including grilled onions and bell peppers. They chose to use Monterrey Jack for the cheese inside this quesadilla, and I know some people are good with this combination of cheese/meat, but i personally would've preferred a Mexican blend or even mozzarella for this type of quesadilla. The issue for me was that it resembled the flavors of a cheese steak more than a caramello, particularly because of mixing Monterrey jack with grilled steak. The tortilla chips are a poor starter here compared to other Mexican places in Carrolton, but other than that the meal was fine and I plan to return to try the enchiladas. read more

El Nopal - Steak Fajita Quesadilla - Mexican Near Me - Carrollton, Kentucky

I visit Carrollton often, and this is a good stand-by for dinner. On a nice night, we asked if we could sit out in the patio area, even though no one was sitting out there at the time. They said yes with no hesitation, and our table was ready 30 seconds after we sat down - great service, great (very fresh) guacamole! read more

I decided to give this place a second chance and tried the Steak Fajitas. I'm very glad I did. Some of the best I have ever had. Certainly the very best in the area! read more

My wife and I were headed down south for vacation and we looked on our GPS for a Mexican restaurant. The GPS found this great Mexican restaurant for us! The restaurant is very bright at night which was very appealing. We were greeted warmly when we walked in, and had our drinks served right away. The food: The chips and salsa was very good. They give you hot and mild salsas to dip. I ordered the Chicken Nachos and they were delicious! It was a huge plate, and several times I wanted to stop eating, but I couldn't since it was so good! My wife had some enchiladas and loved them! The waiters were very quick and friendly! I would definitely recommend this restaurant! read more

Unfortunately This is only good Mexican food if you've never had good Mexican food. The beans and rice are the same you'll get at any restaurant. That serves Mexican food. However, I ordered a burrito and an enchilada and they were exactly the same only different sizes. There was nothing else in the burrito or the enchilada other than greasy hamburger meat. Spicy salsa, which I would still contend is either purely tomato paste or ketchup was barely spicy. The staff is very friendly. read more

Great food, but the worst service I ever had. The waitress looked annoyed that I was there, grunted for me to follow her to the table and disappeared. She came to take my order a few minutes later. I ordered an appetizer, expecting to get it before the meal (like you should). The waitress came back a long time later, with the food and the appetizer, threw them both on the table without a word, and that was the last I saw of her until she brought the check. I had to ask a busboy for another drink and to get a desert. She overcharged me on top of everything. The food was great, but the superbly lousy service ruined the meal. read more

This was the worst Mexican food I've ever had. The salsa was very bland - all I tasted was tomato. No spice at all. I ordered a burrito stuffed with mashed potatoes. I've had this at other Mexican restaurants and always loved it. Again, no taste at all. The potatoes tasted like they were barely cooked. Some were actually mashed and some were still whole chunks. I requested a red sauce instead of queso. It was the only thing that had some taste to it - but it was sweet! Obviously not expected from a traditional red sauce. The staff were all very nice. The restaurant was clean and bright. I just wish the food would have been even somewhat good. read more

Food was good plenty of tv's and seating. Also a small bar area if needed. They have habenaro sauce and jarritos.

I prefer the Mexican dishes vegetarian They have the best .margaritas i have ever tasted. The employees are super

We were on a camping trip at nearby General Butler State Park (which I will also have to review) when the inevitable happened in July...heavy rain and storms! So what do you do when you are in a pop-up camper and it's pouring down rain? You go find a Mexican joint to gorge yourself on of course! El Nopal is a chain like many regional Mexican restaurants. We had 4 adults and 3 kids in our group and were accommodated without any problems. I ordered the carnitas dinner which was very tasty, but entirely too big, although I guess that's a good value. The kids meals were insanely large. Unless your kids are over the age of 10 or has a tapeworm, I'd recommend they split one of these meals. read more

I've always been a big fan of El Nopal (for the ones in Louisville). When this one opened in La Grange it was fantastic. We were get it nearly every other week. However this year the restaurant went under new management and I have lost a lot of respect for it. When new management took over our typical weekly order was over charged, completely wrong (made two additional trips to get the full order) and the food was tremendously overcooked with little to no seasoning. I understand changes, especially after spending many years in restaurant management. So when that occurred I called to speak to the new manager and tell him about the experience. He offered a credit, we never used it cause that wasn't my intention of speaking to him. It was more to make him aware of what had happened especially as loyal customers. That was pre-covid. We decided to give them some time to change. Tonight we decided after 8-9 months, to finally retry them... we were wrong and should have gone to the Crestwood location. The tacos we ordered were the wrong ones, ordered carne asada, got the carnitas ones. Luckily I don't mind pork so I ate them anyways but they lacked any flavor compared to other El Nopal's in Louisville. My partner got the chicken fajitas, the chicken was overcooked and had very little seasoning. I understand trying to save money on food cost, but they might want to try what they are putting out. As one Hispanic to another, I would be ashamed of the flavor they are presenting. From here on out I plan to just drive the additional 10 more mins and go to the crestwood location. read more

Absolutely horrible experience. The wait for food was far too long, the food was prepared incorrectly (more than once!), and communication/service from restaurant staff was abysmal. We left very unsatisfied, upset, and still hungry. read more