This place is such a gem. The restaurant has a really cozy, welcoming vibe that makes you feel right at home as soon as you walk in. The service was amazing--everyone was friendly, attentive, and made sure I was well taken care of. I ordered the chilaquiles, and they were incredible. Honestly, they tasted just like my mom's cooking--super comforting, full of flavor, and clearly made with care. You can tell the food here is homemade and authentic. If you're looking for a Mexican spot with great service, affordable prices and food that feels like a home-cooked meal, this place is definitely worth visiting. I'll definitely be coming back. read more

"Amazing affordable Mexican food! So glad we found this little gem on our trip to Balboa. Flautas and taquitos were my kids' favorite, but I loved the flavor in the asada tacos the most! Honestly, I can't even feed my family of 4 at McDonald's for what we paid at Nelly's!" read more

Nelly's Mexican Food - Amazing affordable Mexican food! - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

It's been years since I've given this place another try and yet again Nellys exceeded my expectations. Wet carne asada burrito was filled with delicious rice, asada and other fixings that made it the perfect balance. Chips came on the side for a nice added touch. Service was great from the moment I called to put in an order to the moment I picked it up. I devoured the delicious concoction. Will come back sooner next time read more

Nelly's Mexican Food - Carne asada Wet burrito - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

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Delicious!! We were craving homemade burritos and this place popped up! We ordered chile verde burrito and a bean and cheese burrito.. both were so tasty!! The woman behind the counter was friendly and gave us some delicious chile on the side that was still warm and fresh! She also gave us chips that were freshly made! We will definitely be back!! read more

Nelly's Mexican Food - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

Our first time here. Followed the positive reviews. The food was good. Unfortunately their "aguas frescas" are from a mix, too sweet and the preservative leaves an after taste. The service is courteous and friendly. Prices are reasonable. Is wheelchair accesible, the tables are at average height. read more

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Quick and amazing customer service. Nelly and her mother are super nice and friendly. Cozy restaurant and a lot of kindness. Thank you so much for the experience 100% reccomend read more

Nelly's Mexican Food - Asada wet burrito with green salsa - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

Great food and service! Tacquitos are the best, they make them to order. Everything we have tried had been very good.

Everything was fantastic! We decide to try this little spot out. They do not disappoint! Their menu is no frills and to the point. The service was excellent, they were very helpful and friendly. We decided to order a chile verde burrito and a bean cheese burrito. They were both delicious! We took our order to go and they packed us up chips and salsa to go with our burritos. we can't wait to go back. read more

Nelly's Mexican Food - Chile Verde Burrito - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

My coworker and I used to come here all the time, for the last couple of years we haven't because we got into a rut of going to the same places over and over closer to our work. I reminded her of this place the other day and we thought it would be nice to go again as we always enjoyed their food. So we went and it was as tidy and presentable as always, Nelly and her mother run the business together and remember all their customers. The mom in particular is very warm spirited and engages in conversations with her regulars, she makes you feel at home and like family. She recognized us right away and was very joyful that we stopped by, her smile lights up a room. We both ordered the three taco combo plate which includes your choice of meat, rice, and beans. The tortillas are lightly grilled with a bit of cooking oil which gives it that extra touch of love as they are lightly crisp which enhances any taco, no soggy tortillas falling apart here. I got one carne asada taco, one chicken, and last but defintely not least the tender carnitas which I requested chipotle sauce and guacamole on top. All the tacos had a generous amount of fresh meat, the rice was so good too! Next time I will get double rice, it is that scrumptious. I saw agua de pina and a sign that offers tacos for $1.99 on taco tuesdays. We will be coming back soon, we were pleased with the food and nurturing service. One last thing, the chips are perfectly fried and go great with their refried beans and salsas! read more

Nelly's Mexican Food - Three taco combo, hits the spot and only $9.99. - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

The restaurant is cozy and felt like I was back home. But the food needs improvement, meat was overcooked. No good food options for kids.

Stopped at a near market to this little restaurant, we were hungry decided to grab a bite cute cozy, nice service food was ok, the tacos didn't really have flavor though and my bf liquado tasted spicy I'm pretty sure cause of the blender but he said the chilaquiles were good read more

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This is the best little hole in the wall Mexican restaurant! The family that runs it is so nice. Nelly works the front and her sweet mother does most of the cooking, so you know the food is good and made with love! Try the Pollo Guisado dish, it's like a red mole sauce and it's amazing! Everything I've had here has been amazing and I can't wait to try more of their dishes. So nice to support a local business that's been around for over 30 years. read more

The tacos and sopes here are absolutely amazing! The tacos were packed with flavor -- perfectly seasoned meat, fresh toppings, and warm tortillas that tasted homemade. Every bite was juicy and balanced, not greasy at all. The sopes were the real standout for me. The masa was thick but soft on the inside with a slight crisp on the outside, and they loaded them generously with beans, meat, lettuce, crema, and cheese. You can tell everything is made fresh. The portions are great for the price, and the flavors taste authentic and comforting. Definitely a spot I'll keep coming back to whenever I'm craving real, delicious Mexican food. Highly recommend! read more

Little mom and pop Mexican restaurant with a delicious green chile plate pair that with a Mexican coke and you are in for a treat, definitely would come back read more

Nelly's Mexican Food - Green chile plate - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

Was passing by thought I would try this place based on the reviews definitely would not come back to this place. Nothing was clean, and as I was finishing up my drink, I noticed some type of insect inside the container. I had the three chicken enchilada plate. I would only give it about a 5 out of 10 rating. read more

Nelly's Mexican Food - Insect in my drink. - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

Great food! Fair price! I would love to recommend this nice hidden gem . I a mommy owed business, which I truly loved. They are nice, hard working, but most of all hospitable. I will definitely go there for my Mexican food fix. I visit many places that offer Mexican food, but the quality of this food keeps me coming back. More to come! Buen provecho read more

My cousin and I are here this morning. We got birria, pozole, a pastor taco and a carnitas taco. Unfortunately, I didn't get the name of the lady that was working there, but the service was incredible. We dined in and she checked on us multiple times. Food was absolutely incredible and felt like home. We can't wait to try more things on the menu and will definitely be coming back! read more

Nelly's Mexican Food - Pozole - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

Great food as always! Very friendly. I'm happy this place is so close to me. I always get the menudo here.

Amazing and responsive service! Good food with little wait time! Wet burrito was amazing definitely coming back!

My wife and I stumbled upon this small business one day , I'm so glad we did . Wife asked for bean and cheese burritos so we , of course RUN to Yelp . Nellys comes up it's not a far drive so we go . The bean and cheese burritos are so good then we discover the hard shell tacos . You can do chicken or shredded beef , They come with lettuce,tomatoes, I think it's cojita cheese not sure, and crema. SO GOOD ! My daughter tried the cheese enchiladas she loved them my mother n law has tried the chilaquiles, those are good . So far everything we've tried was delicious give . Side note the woman who works there she's sweet , read more

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I came to this place because it is pretty close to my house, and I had always seen it while passing by. I ordered a carne asada burrito with everything to go. As soon as I got home, I started eating. The meat did not have any flavor, and the rice was dry and starchy. The cashier did not say much beyond telling me the total. The restaurant was completely empty when I arrived at 5:30 p.m. I doubt that I will be coming back to this place. I give it two stars because the inside of the restaurant was clean. read more

OVERALL If you're in or around the City of Downey, Nelly's is a decent place to get pozole on the weekends. I will definitely be back for it this winter. Just a side note... This small business was built by graceful, strong-willed people. We all need to remember that life is precious and be grateful for what we have no matter how bad things may seem. ¡La vida es preciosa! Please take a brief moment to read the "About" section of this place at their website: https://www.nellysmexicanfood.com ENVIRONMENT Nelly's Mexican Food is located in a small strip mall in Downey near the western border of Norwalk. Very small indoor dining room. No outdoor seating. SERVICE The lady who took my order was also a hustler in the kitchen. While it took a good while for my takeout to be ready, she was kind and helpful... she told me to take it easy with the sauce because it was very spicy. But I like it like that! Lol. MY FAVORITE PART... The takeout version is packed neatly with all of your pozole needs. NOT SO FAVORITE PART... Without the sauce, the pozole was a bit flavorless. I tried pre-sauce. THE GRUB A bowl of pozole and an iced medium horchata costed $15.11 as of 12/11/21. The horchata was good. The pozole is a good portion for the price. It comes with a zip-locked bag of shredded cabbage, diced white onions, sliced radishes, and some limes that had surely seen better days, but they tasted fine. It also comes with 2 tostadas and a small side of hot sauce. PARKING The lot was a bit packed early in the evening when I went. TIPS + Pozole and menudo offered on the weekends only. - Call ahead to see if they will be open if you plan to go there soon. According to Yelp, they will be closed now (12/23/21) through early January 2022. | Food: 4 | Service: 5 | Environment: 3 | Price: 3 | read more

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I usually order the burrito since the asada has great flavor. Kind people and quick service. Support your local spot!

We ordered a breakfast chorizo burrito and a bean egg and cheese burrito for the kids. Both were very good. Big portions. The restaurant was clean and cozy, made me feel like I was in a little restaurant in Mexico. The ladies working were both friendly. We got green and red salsa, both very tasty. read more

Nelly's Mexican Food - Bean cheese and egg burrito - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

Fast and friendly service Great burritos for about $10 Small amount of seating, but I have never seen it crowded Freeway adjacent read more

This place needs to improve in every single possible way. They need to post a menu online, the ability to order online and having the ability to get food delivered would be nice as well. In their sub-standard website, when you click on the delivery link, it takes you to some weird advertisement for a porn website. I don't know what they're trying to sell here but ew, gross read more

Food was fresh and cooked as I waited. Service was prompt and the cashier/cook was friendly and professional. Fries were just okay. Didn't have any seasoning or salt‍‍‍ I ordered a Carne Asada Quesadilla and when I opened my box, I had a Carnitas Quesadilla‍‍‍I also ordered Two Carnitas Enchiladas, those weren't ENCHILADAS‼‼‼‼ Two corn tortillas dipped in red enchilada sauce with carnitas and rolled WITHOUT ANY CHEESE, isn't an ENCHILADAS‼‼ My Daughter really enjoyed the Chicken Tacos with rice and beans. My Daughter said her food was delicious read more

The pozole was perfect! It was a last minute craving this evening. I called in for pick up, they said they had just enough for 1! I said "Perfect!" It was ready in 10mins. Their service was amazing. Both ladies that were there were very sweet and personable. The pozole was delicious with enough carne, caldo and granos. The tostadas were fried there so those taste so much better than the packaged store kind. I was glad to be the lucky one to get the last serving. I highly recommend this place for their pozole. I'll try other items in the near future! read more

Nelly's Mexican Food - Pozole and freshly fried tostada - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

Finally decided to try Nelly's, and I'm glad I did! I tried several types of tacos including asada, carnitas, and chicharrón. They were all delicious! I'm going back to try their pozole and menudo during the weekend; I've heard it's excellent. This is a nice, clean (A score), family owned and operated restaurant. Unpretentious, but delicious home-cooking type of restaurant. Nice people too! read more

Amazing service, amazing fresh food ! Don't forget to support your local family restaurant read more

Nelly's Mexican Food - Torta combo - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

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Amazing food that taste homemade. I've been looking for such a place for numerous months. I love how they blend the flavors and the salsa is delicious. read more

Hole in the wall. Made to order food. Asada was a little chunky and a tad bit bland, but overall it was good.

I tried their asada burrito and it was decent. Lacked a bit of flavor and the meat had an odd texture. I'll probably try something else next time. The staff was very welcoming and the location had a few tables if you choose to dine in. I liked their Jamaica. Super sweet. I'll be back! read more

We ordered the carnitas taquitos and the chicken quesadillas, it was a very good and quick lunch for us to pick up after school. It's a place that's always been down the street but we never came around eating here till now. Service was quick and friendly, there's plenty seating inside as well but the heatwave has this place feeling warm read more

1st time to Nelly's. Read reviews and decided to pay them a visit on a cold rainy morning. I ordered a wet Al Pastor burrito. DELISH!!! The order was a to go, while waiting I checked out the restaurant, lots of Marilyn Monroe portraits The service was great, I asked some food questions and the woman was very helpful and very friendly. I will definitely go back for more. read more

Went in after a long day walking the local swap meet and I am so glad we stopped. The al pastor tacos were incredible. $5 for 2 tacos, chips and salsa, and a soda. Best $5 I've ever spent. Super filling, full of flavor, and the chips were nice and crispy. Sprinkled some lime over the chips and it was just incredible. Highly recommend this place for a quick meal read more

Nelly's Mexican Food - Al pastor tacos - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

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Delicious and worth the drive from Hollywood Highly recommend the Chile relleno and aguas read more

the food and service was amazing i recommend coming here for anyone looking for good Mexican food

Burrito & Taco plate is bomb and super filling. Will easily feed 2. Love this place!! read more

Nelly's Mexican Food - Burrito Taco plate - Mexican Near Me - Downey, California

Excellent food, possibly the best steak burrito I've ever had. Service was great, very friendly.