Passing through town and stopped in for an early lunch. Great food and service. Two types of complimentary salsas. They both tasted great and the red one has a nice spicy kick to it. We ordered the green chile chicken enchiladas with an egg and a green chile chimichanga enchilada style. The chimichanga had nice chunks of pork and enchiladas had nice shredded chicken breast. Both tasted great! read more

Nopalito Restaurant - Green chile chimichanga enchilada style. - Mexican Near Me - Las Cruces, New Mexico

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This is a spot I have to eat at every time we come to town and this time (like all the others) didn't disappoint. I had juevos rancheros with red. It was mouthwatering and so flavorful. My kids tried gorditas for the first time and they loved them. The carne was marinated low and slow so you got so much flavor. I am a thoroughly satisfied customer! read more

I've been eating at Nopalito's since I was a kid. Their food and atmosphere has remained unchanged. By far the BEST green chile salsa in town. Try the Christmas enchiladas or a chile relleno burrito (my two faves) along with an iced cold Mexican coke! Delicious! read more

Customer service was great, our waiter was quit and polite. The food was fair at most, the chili relleno was terrible. My boy did enjoy the tostada/nachos. The red chili pork was ok. The salsa need more chili . read more

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p5*Nopalito's Mesilla Mexican Totally delicious Mexican; in fact, the best I've had in a year The combo plates were awesome Come with red or green chile sauce (or Christmas, both red and green) Can also order an egg on top Great service by Paulette read more

Nopalito Restaurant - Everything - Mexican Near Me - Las Cruces, New Mexico

My wife and I were in Las Cruces for the day and we went to try another local Mexican restaurant we typically eat at but there was an hour wait. I made the decision to try Nopalitos from using my Yelp app and just selecting a place at random and am I glad I did! This place has it all - fresh salsa/meals, outstanding service and prices that are right on target. I'm not a fan of green chile, I know, don't shoot me, but the green chile salsa they provide you is a mix between sultry and smooth. In addition they have a smaller bowl of hotter homemade salsa that it perfect in the way of heat - not so hot it just burns and not too weak. We ordered the taco and gordita plates...see the pictures I posted with this review to get a visual. The rice was perfect and the flavor is better than the standard fare. I had the gorditas which were cooked perfectly and filled with exactly the right amount of ingredients. The outside shell wasn't too thick which can really take away from the flavor. My wife thought the tacos were delicious and considering she tries tacos at most Mexican restaurants we go to her review is a definite plus. I have to mention the sopapilla's - cooked to order and so soft/warm. Two for $1.50 so give them a try. I will be craving these for sure. Okay, food aside which by itself would get an awesome review I must mention the service. To me service is almost as important as the food. Nopalitos was top notch when it came to the way we were treated and the attention provided by our server. Two thumbs up - thanks for the great meal! read more

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Don't go here! Food takes forever, and is not worth the wait. My cheese enchilada was just a paper thin tortilla and was filled with lukewarm canned green Chile. The burrito is dry and bland. read more

This place has gone downhill. I grew up loving this place. Their service is awful, food was cold, and the prices have increased quite a bit. The food has also changed and is definitely more NEW Mexican than Mexican. Very unfortunate. read more

weve been eating at Nopalitos for decades. In fact, it was my first job as a teenager. I understand the prices have to go up, but your quality should not go down and that is certainly what has happened. There are the green chili enchiladas with sour cream no rice, extra beans, totally wrong my husband ordered hamburger meat green chili and cheese burrito. Totally wrong, ordered two chIle con queso didn't come with chips and had to go back and get that. When I called to let them know, they did apologize but going back out to get your order redone and have to wait. It's just not an option. you can do better, Nopalitos. read more

Yummmmmmm. My boyfriend and I actually tried going to another restaurant down the road, but they had kitchen issues and referred us here. Great tip! I ordered tacos and my boyfriend got a chimichanga. My tacos had a beef-stew-like filling, while his chimi had more traditional shredded beef- super tender. He got his with green chile over top, which was a very good call. Both were really good (his was better, dammit!) and the green chile salsa was also amazing. The rice was fine and the refried beans were excellent. Food came out super fast and our waitress was a nice lady. We are from Arizona and each of our meals was $4 cheaper than at our favorite local place, and they were tastier!!! We then discussed moving to Las Cruces for cheaper Mexican food, but decided we would gain way too much weight. Would definitely come back. read more

Las Cruces - Back after 30 years, so happy to see Napalito still exists: it's one of the 'old time' Mexican restaurants in Cruces. We ordered tacos, flautas, rellenos and green chile enchiladas, all of which were flavorful although too mild for my taste. Since this is the mecca of Hatch Green Chile, disappointing that a mild-to-hot option isn't available when ordering. They don't have a liquor license, which is a bummer because enchiladas and Cerveza go hand-in-hand! Overall, highly recommend Napalito's to get your Chile fix. read more

Quick service, food was out quickly and was hot. Great flavor! The pork chili con carne was flavorful and had a good kick. The combo plate number 3 was not super spicy, but very tasty which is what I wanted. We will definitely be coming back! read more

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Recovering from Turkey Day, we went on a road trip to Las Cruces. We decided on Nopalito since we hadn't yet gone to any Mexican restaurants on this trip. I don't know how "authentic" the food is, but the consensus at our table was delicious. I had the chicken enchiladas with the works, that means it comes with egg; I had mine soft, over easy. I requested a side of the green chile salsa. That salsa was so delicious. At the end of the meal, little brother surprised us with an order of warm puffy sopapillas, served with honey. read more

I don't get why the rating isn't higher. I think it's in the top 3 restaurants for Mexican food in Las Cruces. I eat there along with El Sombrero and Nellies every time I visit Las Cruces. The combination plate is very consistent with every food item being amazing. Their salsa is the best in town easily. read more

My first meal in New Mexico, and......it was Ugh. We shared a combo plate with a bunch of different stuff and everything was smothered in sauce and cheese and there was even one part that we didn't discover until the end because it was so covered in wet stuff. Everything was sort of mushy and wet and not great. Is this normal NM food? I guess I'm not a big fan. The only parts we liked were the green salsa and the gordita. The server was good. read more

Yelp reviewers FAIL big time on this one. ISH! If you love bland, this is your place. For anyone who has taste buds do not stop here. How can anyone say it was good unless you think Taco Bell is Mexican food. The food was a solid 2 star In a half empty restaurant off peak time, it should not take 20 minutes to get the attention of a server hanging out at the register. It never got any better (-1 star) ... and when you have a sit down restaurant, turn on your AC. Really!? the patrons were cooked faster than the food. Other customers were no happier. read more

Recovery lunch in New Mexico. After driving across state lines at night and dancing til 4am or so in Texas, the next day, the recovery lunch took place here. The place itself is low-key, it unapologetically Southwestern decorated. Some say it might be an old church, I say I stepped into a senior citizen's house. But then again, I shall remind myself that I was in Las Cruces. Jokes aside, the place had charm. THE BAD... Service left a lot to be desired, our server was noticeably vacant a lot of the time. What she lacked for in skill, she made up for in being completely nice and pleasant. So I guess you can't win all of it. But in the same regard, it is a recovery lunch. So your hangover dictates your patience (mine is still big for servers, because I do it for a living), it was okay - we were ready to move on. She still managed an apology for some things, so you can't help that. No hot sauce in the place, and the eggs were noticeably over easy rather than medium. THE GOOD... The Huevos Rancheros I had were cheap! Total bill for 2 came out to less than $20. So all in all it was okay. Recover I did not, but full I did get... read more

Nopalito's has been a staple in Las Cruces for many years. They are a local place with quaint old mexico atmosphere and some of the most tasty green chile/nopalito sauce around. They serve chips with salsa and the green chile sauce when you arrive. The menu has traditional mexican selections. My favorite are the enchiladas (stacked, not rolled) with green chile and sour cream. If you really want to eat like the locals, add an egg to the top. The gorditas are also a favorite. The rice is light and fluffy and especially good when the green chile sauce runs over on to it. Lastly, save room for the sopapillas. They too are light and fluffy and the perfect ending to dining at this local 'hole in the wall'. read more

After all the talk I've heard about New Mexico style Mexican food, Hatch chiles, and red and green sauces, I had to try the cuisine on a recent stop in Las Cruces. Yelp led me to Nopalito as the top choice for Mexican in the area. I crossed the city from my middling motel and found Nopalito nestled on the edge of a residential area. The restaurant appeared to be a church in a former life and had soaring ceilings and cozy booths with a smattering of tables in the middle of the space. Wanting to try as much as possible, I had a combo featuring an enchilada, tamale, taco, chile verde pork, beans and rice. All were good, but nothing blew me away. The chile verde, what should have been the standout, was lukewarm and lacking in flavor. The tamale tasted like it had been made that morning and had sat under a heat lamp all day. It was an OK meal, but I've had many, many better meals. One note, the food here is quite affordable, so at least I didn't blow a bunch of money on it. Maybe this is the best Las Cruces has to offer. It wouldn't surprise me. But you can find better Mexican in a lot of other cities. read more

I actually drank the green chile salsa, so good. I love visiting NM and getting good green chile anything. The food was good, but the salsa is what gives this place the 4 star edge. We had large group, so I imagine a small party visit would warrant slightly better food. read more

I worked for 2 looooong years at Tio Tito's traditional Mexican grill in Albuquerque. I did it mostly for the food, which was great. I've eaten a LOT of New Mexican food. The rellenos here are the best I've ever had. So light, creamy inside, tender and just a tiny bit crisp outside... like a perfect donut filled with spice and fat. Great service. Great ambiance. And fills with locals fast even on a Monday, so if you're making the I-10 run across the South, do yourself a huge favor and add 4 miles to your trip to get here. Oh, and the red was amazing. read more

Looked for something to eat and found this amazing restaurant was empty so I was a little Skeptical. Service was great and food was amazing my husband had green enchiladas (mind you he's very picky) he was a satisfied, I had the chili con carne (pork) it was delicious. Highly recommend this place!!!! Oh ya the green chili was delicious with chips. read more

The location near downtown had a lot more room that the place on Missouri. The food is good and a lot of choices. I like the tostadas compuestas. Service is always good and food has the right amount of spice to be tasty. read more

First time diners in las cruces, very high expectations from our experiences in deming and silver city. Good chips, solidly spicey and tasty red salsa, the green salsa was a hit. Obviously a favorite but the green chile stands on its own merit. She had a combo the green chile was by far the tops. Equivalent of a delicious home made pork green chile. The enchilada just had the green salsa and cheese. The flauta was tasty and benefited from the delicious guacamole. The ground beef taco was a hit. Simple and satisfying My relleno just came up short... not an overly flavorful chile semi cold with good cheese and barely smothered in the green sauce. The beans were good.. would make a great burrito. The rice had a bit too much chicken bullion that overpowered it and made it a little salty.. they ran out of tea... as a desert rat.. never run out of tea.. especially when serving spicy food. Can't go wrong with the sopaipillas... I would return for the good parts.. but for such an iconic place I would have hoped for just a little more. read more

Just okay. We stopped here on our drive from Tucson to Roswell after seeing some pretty good reviews. Maybe we came on an off night... It was near closing time and there were only two other occupied tables in the restaurant. My husband and I each got a combination plate. It was good to be able to try a little of everything but it all just seemed kind of lacking in freshness. We tried it Christmas style and I think I liked the red chile the best. The cheese enchilada was good, too, as well as the yummy (and actually SPICY!) salsa- but the chips were kinda stale and the taco and flauta were crappy. I don't think I would go back, but our waitress was friendly and it was at least a change of pace from the chains and fast food you sometimes get stuck eating while on a long drive. read more

My wife and I have visited both of the Nopalito Restaurants. The food and service was good on both occasions.

Nopalitos has great green chili queso--no dish is complete without ordering some queso on the side. Their salsa verde is pretty good, and their chips are fried to crispy perfection. This is a great family restaurant and there's always plenty of seating. I've had the chile colorado and some other entrees (which were okay--they didn't rock my world, but were good enough to eat), but find that I love the queso and sopapillas so much, I can only order a few little chicken tacos for a meal! All-in-all, this is one of those restaurants that's easy to miss, but is really a great, friendly place to eat. read more

OMG I went to this because I saw the reviews where good. WRONG food was horrible service was bad I don't know how they say this is Mexican food really I've had a lot of good Mexican food in cruces unfortunately this place was very bad stay away read more

Great customer service! Good enchiladas! I had green hatchet chicken enchiladas with an egg on top. Very very good!

I'm from AZ and adore Si Senors, so what do I know. But of the 3 places I tried in LC: One of the first customers of the day (I assume) and got the combo plate. The green chile con carne meat had the dried-out-exposed-to-oxygen look, looked like leftovers from yesterday. At least stir the pot please before dishing it up. The remaining platter was ok. The highlight is the comp red salsa, I normally bypass it over for green chile sauce. This is the first restaurant where I choose red over green. The green sauce is watery, would taste and look exactly like if you took chopped green chiles and boiled in water for a bit (I know, I've bought 90 lbs roasted last year and cooking them since). Boyfriend like his red chile burro here best. read more

Always good. I'd eat the tacos (ground beef), the flautas, or the red chile con carne. One of the very few places outside of Mexico that consistently serves nopalito salsa (warm) and it's good. Nice sopaipillas too. read more

Nopalito Restaurant - Red chile con carne - Mexican Near Me - Las Cruces, New Mexico

Sad that the food had absolutely no kick at our last visit. Offering two stars because the restaurant is beautiful.

we were referred to this place so decided to drive a few miles off the freeway coming from El Paso to Phoenix. The waitress was great and funny at first but took our order completely wrong and expected us (party of 8 ) to pay for the wrong order food. She refused to correct the order in her system even though she had it right on her notes she said her boss was not in and wanted us to wait 20 minutes for him to come back if not she would get in trouble read more

Just had a terrific take out meal from here!! Just serving take out at this time due to lock down. The lady I called to order from was very nice and our order was right. The drive up window was clearly marked and very friendly service. We are passing through and this was a great meal!! Thanks for being open!! read more

Really really good, and the green chile was on point. Everything was well cooked. I thought the service could have been a little more prompt, but it was fairly crowded, so I understand. Most of the food is variations on a few ingredients, similar to most mexican restaurants, leading to a somewhat limited menu. Overall a really good restaurant, just nothing that wowed me to get that 5-star read more

Tucked away in Las Cruces, we found this on yelp and checked them out. Wife and I shared a huge nacho and then ordered a plate as well. The green sauce was freshly made and served to is warm and the food was very authentic. read more

Nopalito Restaurant - Nachos for appetizers - Mexican Near Me - Las Cruces, New Mexico

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Service was bad. Gave us plates we didnt order and charged not willing to remove. Cheese crisps barely had any cheese. Green chili was weak for being made in New Mexico also charged for extra. This place makes McDonald's sound more appetizing. read more

The best beef green chille enchilada I ever had! I even had to get a few containers of green chille to take home! Rice was perfect and moist and beans had just enough cheese. And my waitress was great and was very honest which is unusual at restaurants. Hope that you have Jessica for a waitress! read more

Nopalito Restaurant - Mexican Near Me - Las Cruces, New Mexico

This is as good as it gets, every time I am back in LC I go here! you will not regret it! Yum read more

It was expensive for average Mexican food and the service was all over the place. They forgot to bring us our card back and we left thinking we had already had it returned. When we realized we didn't have our card we went up to the restaurant and they had about 15 cards in their cash drawer waiting to be claimed which was super sketchy. read more