My first experience here, a carry out order. I called and ordered cheese enchiladas, beans, rice, and chips and cheese dip. Service was very friendly and my order was ready at the quoted time, which was 10 to 12 minutes. My food was very good. The enchiladas were very good, and so was the rice. Refried beans had good favor but were thin without texture. Chips, salsa, and cheese dip were all good. The cheese dip was hot and creamy. This restaurant is conveniently located just off I-65. read more

El Nopal Mexican Cuisine - Enchiladas - Mexican Near Me - Columbus, Indiana

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Really friendly place. Everyone has a smile and is happy to serve you. Everything we ate was really tasty and packed full of flavor. Highly recommend the house beer to pair with your food. Start with home made salsa and fresh hot chips. I had chilaquiles pollo with green sauce. My buddy's had flautas and steak fajitas. Definitely could accommodate a large party or even just a quick bite to eat. Definitely was a bit pricy but that would be my only complaint. read more

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Typical chain restaurant with the same menu as other Mexican chains. Food isn't that good either, staff could care less if you eat here or not. read more

El Nopal has been a family favorite for many years. I've never let dissatisfied. My go to dishes are the chimichanga dinner or chicken fajitas and of course no spicy meal is complete without an icey cold margarita! They have the best in town. read more

Chicken wasn't fully shredded, cheese wasn't melted in my cheese quesadilla, and they charged us $7 each for diet cokes. You disappoint me.

Really solid place with good food and service. The portions are huge. The choriqueso had more meat than I've ever in this dish. read more

El Nopal Mexican Cuisine - Mexican Near Me - Columbus, Indiana

I have been a decent fan of El Nopals' restaurants for quite a few years and most are very good, decent and good service. Out of 4 different El Nopal I have frequented this location in Columbus was the best ever. From the minute we walked in with our grandkids, everything was upper bar level. They acknowledged us right upon entering to assisting us to our seats and explaining everything to the kids regarding kid menu and also to us adults. They promptly asked for drink orders and the drinks were served so quickly. They asked if we were ready to order and assisted the kids with questions regarding what was what and possible order choices. We had a child's quesadilla, a Enchiladas Suprema's, Burrito Gigante and Quesadilla Roja, plus the nacho chips and dip. Food came out quick and the waiter and manager was present throughout our dining event but not overly bothersome what so ever. If your in the area, I highly recommend this location. I don't think you will be disappointed. read more

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I had so much hope for El Nopal based on the reviews. And I know I have pretty high standards when it comes to Mexican food. Vibe: It was a nice day, so I sat on the patio outside. There is not much of a view, but it beat the alternative of sitting inside. It was late in the afternoon and the inside was empty and as the inside is pretty cavernous, it's not real inviting in my opinion. Service: Service was good - friendly, efficient and attentive. Food: I had the Camarones a la Diabla - Grilled shrimp cooked in a "diabla" sauce and served with lettuce, pico de gallo, avocado, rice and 4 tortillas. The shrimp wasn't grilled, but sautéed and the sauce was just ok and seemed a bit processed. The pico de gallo was fresh, but not overly flavorful and the avocado was in the form of guacamole and a bit watery. The rice - well, let's just forget that. (For the life of me - rice like this is just useless filler). And the worst part were the tortillas. I sent my back as they were hard and stuck together. I don't always expect fresh tortillas, but I do expect higher quality tortillas. In the end I was hungry and ate most of my meal. As for a return visit, I will pas on El Nopal. Date of Visit: 23 May 2023 read more

El Nopal Mexican Cuisine - Camarones a la Diabla - Mexican Near Me - Columbus, Indiana

Every meal I've had at El Nopal has been perfect! The shrimp tostadas are refreshing with great taste and a little spice. The elote is always on point for an appetizer. And just to top it off the El Nopal lager is the perfect topper to any of there meals. Can't recommend this place enough. read more

El Nopal Mexican Cuisine - El Nopal lager - Mexican Near Me - Columbus, Indiana

So I'm here at least once a week. They're the only Mexican restaurant in town that has the green sauce I love. Not to be confused with green salsa it's something different. I think it's like jalapeños or something. But oh my gosh it's amazing. I eat it with chips, on my tacos, on my rice, I put it in everything. I usually take one to go and I put it on my eggs and sandwiches at home lol it's literally amazing. The service is great of course like most Mexican restaurants. Usually you have multiple people always checking in you. And the food is freaky fast (sorry jimmy johns they're even faster than you lol) but it's fresh. I love sitting outside on the patio in the summer. Even tho it's close to 65 it's actually quieter than inside and there aren't any bugs or anything and it's clean. You also get to people watch since the people trail is right behind the restaurant. I just checked to see if I have any pictures from here and all I found was a picture of my empty to go box because I literally finished the rest of my food while driving home (but it shows the green sauce) and beer. I forgot to mention that that's the other best part I love their beers. I'll get pictures of the food the next time I go. Anyways ya 100/10 definitely recommend! read more

El Nopal Mexican Cuisine - Green sauce - Mexican Near Me - Columbus, Indiana

Every bit of four stars but El Nopal did not blow my socks off. It was everything I needed it to be with better than average medium salsa followed up by your standard combination plate. The portions were right and prices on their combination plates are very fair. We were seated right away along with the chips and salsa coming to the table. The margarita was good with no straw cloggers and the proper lime flavor that I know and love. The place was clean and very much what I've come to expect from Mexican restaurants in Indiana. read more

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Huge menu of authentic Mexican Cuisine. You can get all the way from ala carte if you just want a snack to a whole combination platter. We were both hungry so we went big. Service was excellent. Inside was very clean. The waiters worked as a team. Every one there wanted to make sure our experience was a good one. Like any self respecting Mexican restaurant, there were TV's on and all were tuned in to a Hispanic tennis match. Good place to stop if you are hungry for Mexican. read more

This is was the first Mexican restaurant I have been to in Columbus and I loved it. The fish tacos were great. I also asked for some salsa verde for the tacos which makes it very spicy. I also tasted the grilled tilapia which was very nice. Because of the seasoning, the fish is a little crispy on the outside. The staff constantly checked in on us and made sure that we're doing ok. The tables are spaced out due to Covid and hand sanitizer is available in the restaurant. The restaurant has a dedicated parking space for the customers. Will definitely go back again to try something else. read more

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Nice place we were happy they were open as late was we went but staff was really friendly and helpful. I ordered the chicken mole it was very spicy but good choice none the less read more

El Nopal Mexican Cuisine - Chicken mole - Mexican Near Me - Columbus, Indiana

We always receive great service and the food is always good too! It's nice to sit on the outside patio in the summer.

Quick take out service, convenient location, good portion sizes, but very very bland.

Food is well prepared however there is too Much activity and one feels that one needs to hurry because of all the servers going around not improving the service necessarily. Difficult to get the attention of the server. Didn't feel comfortable in the place read more

Today is a low carb day and I have no kitchen... and El Nopal was extremely close to my vicinity. I ordered the chicken, steak, chorizo and shrimp fajitas with zucchini and mushroom added and a order on guacamole. They were so good that it was not a struggle to eat them without the beans, rice or tortillas. Everything was really tasty and even with the chorizo, my food was not greasy. Tomorrow is another low carb day and I will most likely eat here again. read more

Awesome food, great service! A lot quicker than I expected for as busy as they are all the time too!

10 out of 10 would recommend to everybody in Columbus IN. Food comes out fast and hot. Amazing service, workers are nice and always checking on you. That's why they're the GOATS. THE GOATSSS. read more

Worst Mexican restaurant in town. Dirty, bland, bad margaritas Go to some other place if you're in the mood for Mexican food! read more

We LOVE El Nopal. The best tacos, margaritas and queso! Love the free chips and salsa. Always super fast and friendly service. Our go to for Mexican night! read more

We are from out of town and stopped in for dinner. My husband and I both had Don Julio Cadillac Margaritas, quesadillas and the Pollo Norteno and ALL were absolutely amazing! Excellent service and great food. Aurelio was a great waiter!! I would definitely stop by again! read more

El Nopal is my favorite Mexican restaurant on the Indiana side of the river. Portions are large, prices are reasonable and service is very prompt. It's just what I want out of a Mexican joint. read more

This is always a great Mexican food experience. I really love the atmosphere and the service is fast. They offer big 36 ounce beers for cheap price as well. I usually get the combination number 11, which is one burrito, one taco, and one enchilada. It is so good for $8.99. With all that food and free chips and salsa this is an excellent deal. My whole family loves it here and we will be back soon. OLE! read more

All the food is really good. The staff does a wonderful job & the atmosphere is exactly what you would expect from a Mexican Restaurant.

Huge portions and very large beers = a fun night. Staff was great and kept the food and drinks flowing. read more

El Nopal Mexican Cuisine - Massive beers - Mexican Near Me - Columbus, Indiana

Hungry after a long day the NASCAR race I thought I'd give this place a try. I had low expectations of mediocre Mexican food. Wow, I was pleasantly surprised when my dish arrived. I had ordered the Nopal Special with beef along with a glass of decent Pinot Noir. Very authentic and delicious. The wait staff and owners were very nice and attentive. I'll make it a point of stopping by when I return again. read more

Best Mexican in town. Restaurants are always clean and there's a lot of food options. The Paloma drink is to die for. FYI don't order the pollo mole if you don't like heat read more

Watch your bill, third time they over charged us. Tamales have chicken that tastes like it's 2 weeks old.

We had lunch and it was hard to choose among the many lunch options. My husband had a chili relleno with rice and beans. I had arroz con pollo. Perfect portion sizes. Flavor outstanding. If only we didn't live 5 hours away! read more

This place is great! I started out with the chips and salsa, the hot is wonderful and not too chunky. Pro tip: get the habanero salsa. If you like spicy you will not regret. Had the chicken fajitas which were easily enough for two. This place is a nice gem in Columbus and when I'm back I will return. Also to note was the fast service. read more

I have not been disappointed here. I am new to Indiana and I have eaten at two other Mexican restaurants so far, and El Nopal is still my favorite. I always get steak Chimichangas. If I had to say, the thing that I really like the most is the beans. Their beans are really good! read more

Beto was a lovely server and both food and ambiance was delightful and people are so helpful. Music is great for setting a dining mood

Fun Mexican place with excellent service. The patio is a welcome respite on nice days. I like the Chile verde and tacos carnitas here. Positive family vibe. Highly recommended for satisfying a Mexican craving. read more

The absolute best frozen margaritas I've ever had! They are priced right and don't taste like just sour mix. So. Good. Their chile rellenos are very good here as well as the camarones a la diabla. The staff and waiters are super friendly and the food comes out fast and hot! I have zero complaints about El Nopal! read more

I gave them another chance ordering takeout after the last 2 or 3 times they got the order wrong or omitted items. Today was the worst, they gave use the wrong order entirely. They don't take your name when you call even if it is offered. They can't rely on their memory since that is obvious. You are taking a big chance if you order to go from them. This is my last time! read more

Solid and tasty Mexican food, quick service, recommend for weekday lunches. Cold drinks too.

Just another average Mexican restaurant. I went with a friend. I ordered the taco salad. It was average. Not anything spectacular.

Very fast, very good, and inexpensive -- and very tasty hot sauce with their chips. The only thing I didnt like was that on my to go bill when they wrote it up was the cost for a yummy burrito and then an unusual $0.50 charge. As the clerk read the bill back to me, she said "ok, you've got a burrito and chips/salsa" and when I said "oh, its 50 cents for the chips" her response was "chips & salsa are included with the burrito". As I was in a hurry and it was only 50 cents, I didnt bother with it but since I plan to go back in this week, I'm going to be more passionate about my 50 cents! But yes, the food was very good, packaged well for to go food, and the spicy salsa was well worth 50 cents! read more