This appears to be our third stop at this El Nopal during travels to the Outer Banks. It just depends on where we are when we are ready for lunch. We have also stopped at Simpsonville. On this day, I was lured by the prospect of some Tacos al Pastor. I was not disappointed. They provide three large tacos with generous fillings. They also gave me a very good tomatillo salsa to top them with. With good rice and frijoles this was way, way more than I needed for lunch. I consider it a bargain when I get two very nice meals out of one platter. I asked for and received well flavored corn tortillas. Ms T broke form and ordered a taco salad. She also liked it very much and since it was also very generous, she had two more meals later. I have to say, looking forward to stopping at some of these places on a "regular" basis when we drive through the area, makes the 1,000-mile trip a little easier. El Nopan in Shelbyville remains on our regular list. read more

It hurts to hit the three star review but our most recent visit was very sub par. We came hungry and ready to unwind with a margarita, it was the cinco de mayo holiday and we wondered if there were any specials. We were told no, but there was a sign on the door showing free queso for the day of May 5. So we ordered two margaritas at $10 a piece, asked about the free queso and was then told oh yes it is free, and then ordered tacos to share. The margarita was served in a hot (fresh out of the dishwasher) glass, the rim was not salted and with five melting ice cubes. The mix concentrated at the bottom and the tequila added on top. It was not a good margarita, and my husband's was the same. The queso came out and it was like warm and still cold around the edges but hot in the core. The tacos were delicious. So it was a conflicting visit, as we were given the check I noted it charged for the queso. As I went to pay I noted the queso price and inquired about it being free for the day. He said oh yes if you mentioned it, then it gets taken off. That didn't sit with me well, because not everyone may question it. All in all we have come here a lot over the years and had some great times but maybe this is not the best place for the cinco de mayo holiday. It may be awhile before we are back again. read more

El Nopal Mexican Restaurant - Queso Dip - Mexican Near Me - Shelbyville, Kentucky

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We started with the chips, salsa, and queso dip. My wife went with the Pollo con arose. My son decided on the super size burrito. While I went with combo 3 taco, enchilada, and tostada. This is not a Military friendly restaurant. But one of our favorites in Shelbyville. read more

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We started with free chips and salsa. Then we shared a large caso. My wife went with Combo 13 burrito enchilada, beens and rice. While I went with the Keto friendly steak fajitas. This is not Military friendly location. read more

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Fast service!!!! Excellent background music and the volume was perfect for conversation. Food was awesome and tasted great!!!

They overcharged us by $10.00 and their service was not the best. When we brought it to their attention they responded as if the charge was correct. I had to grab a menu and point out that the charge was $10 more than priced on the menu. The waiter kept saying the charge was correct. It took way too long to resolve this and "I", the customer, had to go above and beyond to prove they were charging incorrectly. We will not be returning. read more

Their chorizo dip doesn't come close to what they advertise. The don't bother to drain the oil, so you get an unappetizing, oily mess. It's disgusting and a waste of the money you spend to buy it. I've called to ask that they fix it and they didn't seem to care. Don't bother to order from them when they don't seem to give a shit about their customers. read more

El Nopal Mexican Restaurant - All of the orange is nothing but oil. They refused to drain that off and make it look like their menu. - Mexican Near Me - Shelbyville, Kentucky

Food is great and the staff are even better. We eat here weekly and the staff know our drink order and have or queso and pico waiting for us! read more

Very good food for reasonable price. Will return often unless prices rise too high! Like to support local Mexican restaurants.

One of the many Mexican restaurants here in Shelbyville. I wanna be honest about my reviews because I hope people do really read them and base their decision to go or not. This place is mediocre period. There are multiple places to visit in Shelbyville that are far better when it comes to quality & flavor. This place is conveniently located by Walmart & the Dollar Tree and as you know is a chain restaurant. IMO, it's the McDonald's of Mexican. Before you get all butthurt I love me some McD's fries & coke BUT everytime I walk out after eating here I always tell myself I won't go back. A positive note though, it is clean and the staff is friendly & prompt which bumped this review to a 3 star. read more

El Nopal Mexican Restaurant - It's 5 o'clock somewhere - Mexican Near Me - Shelbyville, Kentucky

I want to give it a 2 but my sidekick says three...so consider this a 2.5. We were seated immediately and a lady brought chips and salsa right away. Then we waited about ten minutes before our waiter came over. I don't know if he could tell we weren't locals but he was pretty rude. He also didn't get our order right. We asked for beef in my son's quesadilla but it was plain cheese. He didn't ask me what meat I wanted in my food so before he left I said I would like ground beef in the burrito and chicken in the enchilada. He said "cheese?" And I said "no, chicken". He said something about it being complicated and walked away. I thought he was joking but when it arrived, it had cheese so I guess he wasn't. My husband's fajitas were great with lots of meat. The cheese dip was good but something tasted like soap...I'm guessing it was the salsa because I'm the only one who ate that and no one else tasted soap. read more

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Had visited a few days before, food was ok, nothing special. Service is abysmal, one in our party had a dog and they had a no dog policy, that makes sense so a few of us went and put the dog away, came back and then they had stopped putting tables together. We were given glares by the manager at this time, and it just felt unsafe at this point so we left. Would not recommend read more

I should've just turned around and left when I walked in and saw that none of the staff was wearing masks. There was a possibly 10-year-old boy running the register who was also unmasked. I ordered one of the combos and asked for my enchiladas to be cheese and onion. That resulted in cheese enchiladas with very sharp raw onions sprinkled on top of them. The food was your basic Americanized Mexican food but with less flavor than normal. Even my companion's chicken was really bland. The chorizo queso had a little kick to it and that was nice. There was a layer of grime and most of the restaurant including the rather slick, greasy floor. The prices were too high for the quality of the food and service. I won't be back. read more

I was hungry and my bff told me the food was ahhh i should have a listened that food tore me a new one. They didn't cook the shrimp long and if they did I wouldn't be having these stomach issues. I am already pescatarian and I can't come back here. read more

Solid good Mexican food. They, thankfully, have changed the amount of salsa and chips handed out as appetizers when you arrive to a smaller portion. The Fajita Quesadilla is my favorite, but hold the green peppers. I love the rice and beans on the side with every dish. read more

The food is just fine especially if you enjoy steel wool in your bean burrito!!!!!!!!

The El Nopal chain that has locations throughout Louisville and Southern Indiana has expanded and opened a restaurant in Shelbyville. The location originally was a KFC restaurant, followed by a Fresh-Mex restaurant, and is now El Nopal. The interior has seen many updates and changes to become this restaurant. It is clean and comfortable with a variety of seating choices. The employees came across as cordial and efficient. They work continually to clean, take orders, and serve the ongoing influx of customers. Service was attentive but not over powering. My visit to this restaurant was during the late lunch hour. I chose lunch special #1 which consisted of Guacamole Salad, a Taco (Beef or Chicken), refried Beans, and a stuffed Chile. The salad was a bed of shredded head lettuce with a generous scoop of Guacamole. The Chicken Taco was served on this same plate. On a separate (and very hot) plate the beans and stuffed Chile were served. I ordered unsweetened ice tea to accompany my meal. The food was o.k. but not outstanding. The Chicken in the Taco was large chunks that were a little on the dry and stringy side. The stuffed Chile was oilier than I would have liked and when I cut into it oil flowed from inside. The ice tea could have been replaced with ice water as it was really weak.The Guacamole on the other hand was one of the best restaurant Guacamoles that I have ever had. The choices of salsas with pre-meal chips was also excellent. Location = 4 stars Cleanliness = 5 stars Service = 5 stars Food = 3 stars Price = 5 stars Hopefully with future visits I can update my opinion on the food itself. It was definitely A-OK but I would like to be able to change it to Woohoo, As Good As It Gets. read more

Service was terrible, the server only acknowledge us to take our order and didn't say anything for the rest of the evening , our food had hair in it, and was soggy. My friend and I who went to dinner woke up the next morning with food poisoning. read more

The food here was the worst by far. Let me say it another way this was not just the worst Mexican food, but the worst food I have eaten anywhere ever in over 50 years. If it was possible I would give them a minus 5 stars. read more

The salsas were good but together was better. I had the lunch steak fajitas and they were outstanding! Husband had the "Monica platter" and he enjoyed it a lot as well. The price was great for what we ate defiantly would go back. Our waitress forgot our queso however and it came out cold. Also she didn't refill our drinks. But as for the food it was great! read more

Hola my husband and I picked this restaurant since it was so close to our hotel.I selected a shrimp and tilapia dinner my husband selected a polo dinner. Both our selections were delicious. The portions were large and as I say delicious . Our server was very pleasant and punctual with drinks and our order. She also recommended the shrimp and tilapia. The restaurant was very comfortable and spacious, dotted with TVs with sports playing but not blaring at an alarming volume. Background music was heard also that was very pleasant.Very reasonable prices and overall a most pleasant experience.We will return to this restaurant for sure! read more

Great food, great service and the drinks have very reasonable prices so happy I live 3 miles from here and will be coming all the time also the spicy salsa for the chips has a very good flavor I loved it. read more

This is my favorite place to go. Not only is their food always yummy, but if you have a problem it's fixed. The servers have great customer service! We always have a pleasant experience here! read more

I've been here twice. The first time was on a Sunday afternoon, and there were probably only 5 other guests. The second time was on a Friday evening, and the place was packed. The service was actually MUCH better when it was packed. Maybe the workers were more alert? As for the food, I had the enchiladas de mole, and it was not that great. The mole is not as flavorful as I would have wanted it to be, and the beef didn't seem like it was very good quality. I prefer the enmoladas at La Cocina de Mama. My partner had a combo that included a chile relleno, beef enchilada, and chalupa. According to him, the meal itself was okay but the ingredients didn't seem to be of very high quality. He did appreciate that there were several TV screens with different sports games on display throughout the restaurant. read more

Food was great! My brother is a picky eater, wanted chicken tenders. 20$?!?? for 4 chicken tenders? crazy ....

We moved to Shelby county about a year ago from the Chicagoland area and most places we have eaten was terrible. But El Nopal was extremely good. Our waitress was so very nice. Food had a great taste. Almost as good as Chicago. . She brought refills of pop very often. I thought prices were fair for as much food as you get. We will definitely be back read more

We were visiting family after Christmas. I was truly impressed by the service we received here. We had a large take out order because my family was sick and needed to stay in. We ordered Pollo la campasina (chicken in white cream sauce with spinach and mushrooms). It was delicious. My BIL ordered a burrito gigantica and he said it was really good. So we have this huge order including a taco salad chips and queso 2 of the spinach chicken plates and beef fajitas. When we picked it up the guy took out each plate and showed us that the order was correct and showed us which packages went with which entree. Very nice customer service being that the hot and cold items were in separated packages. You should try this place. It was so yummy!!!! read more

The food was not great. The service was horrendous. I don't see us going back. We came on a Sunday afternoon. They were busy, but not packed. The server didn't take our drink orders until we waved him down and asked for a drink. He brought out my husbands and my daughters drinks but not mine. He took our food orders along with my father in law and brother in laws orders. I asked about my drink and he said he would get it to me. He brought out the food orders and they were not correct. He had to take them back and redo them. And he never once got in a hustle to get anything done. Walked around the restaurant like he was lost. He finally brought my drink and I never got a refill. Even though my glass was empty and he refilled everyone else. When he brought us the check it was all together. We told him we needed two separate tickets and he said they would do it at the counter. When they did it they overcharged us. The order was $59 and some change together and we ended up paying $65 and some change separately. I don't see us going back ever again. read more

The service here was great and our food arrived very quickly. Our server was very helpful and knowledgable of the menu. He suggested the house special margarita which was 2-die-4 FABULOUS! The grilled onions were not exactly what I expected but still very good, (I thought they would be whole, not chopped) my wife ordered the Burrito Gigante. The beef-bean ratio was just right, the lettuce was crisp and fresh and it came with a generous helping of queso. I had the burrito Pablano. It was huge! My order could have fed the two of us easily. We will definitely dine here again. read more

So we come here all the time. The last three times service has gone down. Tonight no waitress or waiter. Had to just go grab a random waiter who doesnt cover this area. He took our drink and food order. Our food came and our waitress who had been ignoring us followed the food out and asked us if we needed anything. Nope. I will be tipping the guy who took our drink orders. Moving on to fiesta or Marimbas read more

Food is ok., but nobody spoke English we talked to and we walked to about 6 people here. Unless you speak great Spanish, I don't recommend. I got the same server as I did a month ago when I ate here. I asked her for more mild salsa and she stood there and stared at me like I was nuts! read more

If you have ever had authentic mexican, hell, if you have even had decent americanized mexican, than please DO NOT waste your time. Salsa is bland, zero heat and I'm not sure if the chili rellenos were bad or it was the grease but I had to spit it out and didn't want to tell the hubby and ruin it if he liked it but half way in I couldn't resist and he said he thought it tasted weird. He had diarrhea the whole next day and a half. No bueno!!! Try La Plobanita or El Molcajete ky for some decent food. read more

Always enjoy eating here. Pollo Pablano is extraordinary! Great service just adds to the pleasure. The restaurant is always clean and orderly. read more

We've had take out a few times decent portions and timely service. The last time (this week) seems like things weren't the same-different cook? Hope it was a fluke otherwise it will not be a place we will frequent. read more