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    Nopalito's

    4.7 (163 reviews)
    Closed 8:00 am - 9:00 pm

    Nopalito's Photos

    NOPALITO'S ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Trendy
    Dogs allowed
    Happy hour specials
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Nopalito's

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    Jennifer V.

    Okay--we were surprisingly disappointed with this place. It has phenomenal reviews online. And we were under the impression that this place was economical--but wrong! It was as pricey as if we would have gone to a big restaurant with moderate prices. So the pricing was a shocker, and the food was very underwhelming. My husband couldn't even finish his nachos because they were super soggy. The chicken was meh--no real flavor. So nothing really stood out. Other than that the restaurant was very clean, including restrooms. There was plenty of parking in front of the building. The staff are super friendly and attentive. Other than that-meh.

    Food area - like chipotle or qdoba
    Jessica A.

    This place should take over chipotle. It's the same idea but like a million times better + they have Tuesday and Thursday late night happy hour with BOGO house margs + every night late night free chips and salsa with any alcohol purchase?? Such a good deal. This was the best burrito I've had in years probably. The margs were also really good - the classic was especially strong. The employees were all really nice, a decent amount of tables, and really clean inside which is always important.

    Raymond J.

    Never heard of this place but drive by all the time. Looking for something quick but didn't want five guys or Panera that was next door. I was impressed by the number of people and friendly staff. Really great tasting tacos. Had the fish taco and shrimp taco. Bigger than Torchy's. I'd say a more limited menu. Good experience and I'd be back for sure

    Happy hour prices expire!?
    Ken M.

    Great food service! Great food quality! But beware at the bar. Happy hour prices going away because you close your tab after happy hour ends (but ordered during happy hour) and your bill goes up is wild.

    Quesadilla with fajitas
    Vinny E.

    Great service, casual setting, awesome theme, wholesome and fresh food. Our visit was welcoming and delicious.

    Menu
    Donna C.

    Fast casual Mexican food that is worth checking out. Order at the counter and they bring your order to the table. A full bar for those interested in more than food.

    Lunch is served
    Matt C.

    My wife and I popped into Nopalito's for the first time just a few weekends ago while we were running errands in the area. I had come across them on Yelp previously. We both love Mexican food, so figured what the heck let's give them a go?! Walking in is comparable to walking into a Chipotle-esque, order-at-the-counter set up. The key difference is that they boast a full bar with bar seating, and well, they're truly LOCAL. Cool art murals on the walls tying into the luchador-themed restaurant. I wasn't all that hungry (for once in my life), yet as soon as my wife began her order I was like, screw it I'm here let's get something. I usually judge these types of places by their burritos, however that sounded very filling looking at other patrons dishes inside the restaurant. I opted for a quesadilla and it turned out to be an excellent choice! Grilled Asada Quesadilla // comes with your choice of white or wheat tortilla, plus the meat, cheese and veggies of your desire. I got mine with guac and pico on the side. I have to admit, it was awesome. I feel like quesadillas can be fairly basic, but the meat was tender and seasoned well. We also enjoyed the chips and queso. We like to consider ourselves queso aficionados and we both found theirs to be enjoyable. A little on the runnier side for our liking, but it thickened up the more it sat. Overall, a great meal! Nopalito's should be on your hit list for a fast casual bite when you're not looking for anything fancy. Everything hit the spot, the portions were great, and I felt like the food was priced appropriately. Definitely coming back!

    Chicken Flautas and a margarita on the patio
    Tammy S.

    I needed a quick lunch in the area and had never been here before, so I decided to give it a try. The staff is super friendly and accommodating, the seating outside is a little close together but it's nice to have the outdoor choice with a view of the mountains over the parking lot. I ordered chicken flautas, which I never get, and I liked having choices of sauces and other sides - even if there is a charge for some. They were hot and tasty. The bonus to Nopalitos besides the staff being so lovely is that I also got a margarita and it was refreshing and well balanced. The bar was a nice surprise because who doesn't want the option of a cold margarita on a hot day? I will definitely go back and try other things.

    Wall over counter, nice mural

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    4 years ago

    First time in. Food, service and the margs were some of the best we've had in Boulder

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    6 years ago

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    6 years ago

    Soooo happy we found this little gem. The food is fantastic, the margaritas wonderful and the owners and employees a delight!!!

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    5 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Best tacos I've had in a while. Highly recommend the beer battered fish! Also the salsa verde was perfection.

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    4 years ago

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    6 years ago

    Best breakfast burritos and best burritos overall. Love coming here. Staff is always outstanding and food is amazing.

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    6 years ago

    The best customer service!! Amazing HUGE burritos and it's a local chipotle! I love this place and the owner Milton is so kind

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    7 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Sooo good. Chicken quesadilla is amazing the sauce in the chicken go crazy. Queso is realll good too

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    6 years ago

    This place is ridiculous. Best Mexican food in Boulder. So much better than illegal Pete's, chipotle, etc and its not even close

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    5 years ago

    Was staying in Boulder and stumbled across Nopalitos... quesadillas are huge and the salsa has great flavor.

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    4 years ago

    Amazing food and great owner! We ordered the tacos and margaritas! Everything was awesome! Will be back!

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    7 years ago

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    7 years ago

    Excellent burritos! We were actually looking for chille Colorado, but this was great. And yes it is inside the little mall at one end.

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    6 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of Dora G.

    Dora G.

    We appreciate you guys stopping by, it was an honor to serve you.

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    Page 3 of 5

    Ask the Community - Nopalito's

    Are there gluten free options?

    Yes, There is corn tacos soft & hard shell, bowls, lot of ingredients that are gluten free. Chicken, pork, beef and barbacoa are all gluten free. Thank you for reaching out.

    Are dogs allowed on the patio?

    Yes, but must be on a leash.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    Cozobi Fonda Fina

    Cozobi Fonda Fina

    4.7
    (88 reviews)
    1.4 mi

    I've eaten at two of the other restaurants in the group, Alma Fonda Fina and Alteño, so when we…read morewere going to be in Boulder mid-afternoon I checked the schedule for Cozobi and was surprised to find that they open at 2pm with both a happy hour menu plus the full dinner menu. Even better, there were seats available at the chef's counter. I'm sure the dinner hour is a more intense experience, but we walked into a peaceful, beautiful space at 2:15pm. There were a few people in the bar, otherwise the restaurant was empty except for our two seats at the chef's counter with a great view of the kitchen. It felt like the restaurant was closed and just serving the two of us. Cozobi is the Zapotec god of maize and agriculture which is certainly appropriate for a restaurant focused on authentic masa. Outside there's a long, secluded patio. You enter to the lobby of an office building, then go left into Cozobi. There's an elegant bar in front, the dining room in the middle, then the comfortable chef's counter and kitchen in the rear. We started with two items from the happy hour menu: Taco Dorado with wild mushrooms, queso Chihuahua, and guacachile (a green sauce made from chilis and onions) and Ceviche de Huachinango with red snapper and smashed avocado served tostada-style on an authentic tortilla. The mushroom taco was amazingly savory with absolutely delicious flavors that melded perfectly. The ceviche was good, but I'm not a fan of Chef Curiel's extremely hard tortillas. There were too many small bits on the tostada to pick it up without everything falling off and it was impossible to cut. We finally scraped off the ceviche and then broke up the tortilla to eat separately. Next we went to the dinner menu with the Callo de Hacha al las Brasas, Fall River scallops, serrano ponzu, tomato butter, and chives. I've had this before and it was as beautiful and delicious as ever. The small scallops were cooked perfectly. The Taco de Pastor came with Sakura pork collar, recaudo rojo (a tomato, onion, and garlic sauce), charred pineapple, and salsa verde cruda (a tomatillo sauce). Again, beautiful to look at and very savory, tender, and delicious. Finally we went for the Huachinango a la Veracruzana, Baja red snapper in an olive tomato broth with roasted lemon rice. OMG, the broth was amazing. A perfectly cooked piece of fish with wonderful flavors and a delightful dish of rice to accompany the fish. Cozobi offers dessert and we finished with a picture-perfect tres leches cake, swimming in a luscious sauce. I just love trying lots of different tastes and this menu is well-organized to provide that. Six dishes were the perfect amount of food and we left very satisfied. The very charming Asia provided great service while also busy in the kitchen. A few of the servers assisted from time-to-time. Everything ran like clockwork. My girlfriend enjoyed herself and we were both very impressed.

    An exceptional experience, from beginning to end. The chef, Johnny Curiel, has a Michelin star and…read moreis a James Beard nominated cook, and it shows. The restaurant itself is beautiful and the beautiful bar is the centerpiece of this gorgeous restaurant. The atmosphere is a lovely combination of elegance and dining comfort. The waitstaff is beautifully trained, and everyone who works here seems to be very proud of the food and ambiance. We started with a tuna crudo which was one of the stars of the meal. The tuna was delicious and the broth was heavenly. We ordered pork taco and a beef taco, both so tasty. For our entree, we had the snapper in tomato broth. I'm still thinking about it! As soon as you know you're going to Boulder, book a reservation. Even is all you can get is an 8:45, take it! This was without a doubt the best dining experience we enjoyed in Boulder. My only regret is that I didn't book at least 3 meals here during our stay! I won't make that mistake again! Cozobi Fonda Fina is simply that good!

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    Cozobi Fonda Fina
    Costra de NY strip - Steak taco with a layer of crispy cheese
    Costra de NY strip - Steak taco with a layer of crispy cheese
    Cozobi Fonda Fina

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    Centro Mexican Kitchen

    Centro Mexican Kitchen

    3.8
    (845 reviews)
    1.4 mi
    $$
    Locally owned & operated
    Vegetarian friendly

    Dinner here is alway fun and especially so when it is supporting a cause like this night. The…read morerestaurant was part of downtown Boulder's effort to Dine Out For Ukraine. We took the opportunity to join in. The staff was welcoming and one of our favorite tables out on the patio was available. We started with drinks and though they were out of my husband's favorite beer, the one they suggested worked just as well. We started with a collection of small plates and added some other ones too. I liked their take on gazpacho with crunchy bits of toasted sourdough and micro cilantro on top. Give me cilantro on anything and I am always happy. I know this is not universal though, so know that it is in there. My husband had the tuna crudo taco plate, 3 tacos on blue corn tortillas. He also had a dish of rice and beans to supplement the taco plate. I think I would have that taco plate myself next time though I always have enjoyed the grilled fish tacos I had again this time. The yellow corn tortillas are grilled which gives them extra stability to build your own taco with a bowl full of ingredients. I love that I can use as much or as little of the collection on each tortilla. Note, tonight the cauliflower bites were very, very spicy but not the rest of the slaw. And to top the meal off just perfectly, we had the churros yet again. Their preparation makes this dish one of our favorite desserts in Boulder. A nice time for a nice cause. I'm glad there is so much support with our dining options here, for help to a country fighting for its existence.

    Bottom line: Centro needs a replacement! The food, drinks and service are not worth the price! What…read morea ^%#*^ rip off! Went to Centro for dinner with 6 of us. Ordered apps and drinks (beer and margs). Should have left when the 3 small, barely noticeable chips strips and barely 2 tablespoons of guac arrived as appetizer!!!. Then after 20 mins two beers arrived and then after another 20 mins two margs arrived and then after 10 mins the other two maths arrived. The grilled fish tacos were OMG 3 little slivers of shitty fish that had absolutely zero flavor. On top of that the "sauce" with the tacos is I kind you not a sweeter version of hot oil chill peppers that one gets at the take-away Chinese food takeout!!!! OMG Centro management you are now officially in the same category as a used car salesman! Never again will I visit your restaurant!!!

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    Large Group Friendly
    Large Group Friendly
    Crispy Baja Fish Taco Board
    Crispy Baja Fish Taco Board
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    Bloody Mary
    Santo

    Santo

    4.0
    (300 reviews)
    1.4 mi
    $$$

    Another fun evening at Santo for Happy Hour. We were there early enough to get our favorite seats…read morein the roomy big area along the east wall. Plenty of table space to lay out all of our food and drink choices at once to browse. My husband chose a dark lager and I had my fave Jamaica Agua Fresca, house made. We chose newer items we love though our old faves are still around too. Tonight we had the media lunas, the bbq wings and the pork adovada nachos which has quite a kick. Turns out, this was a huge portion for happy hour but we know these items travel well so we brought them home to finish tomorrow. It's always so much fun here, the staff is friendly and more than competent. The other diners tend to be friendly and those wanting to avoid the children in this family friendly spot in north Boulder can get their seats at the cool bar with so many options to drink and a staff of knowledgeable bartenders.

    Wanted a new experience, so we checked out the menu for this new restaurant and it looked tasty…read moreenough to give it a shot on a Sunday afternoon. We walked in and at first it seemed like it had a decent vibe. I had actually been to this location before when it was a different restaurant. Seems like this spot changes ownership pretty frequently, which in hindsight probably says something. Right away we noticed a bunch of tables, especially the booths, still hadn't been bussed. We were told to "sit anywhere," but the only clean tables available were high tops and we wanted a booth, so we waited for the busser, who moved at a pace that honestly felt unbelievable. He seemed to be clearing tables one cup and one plate at a time, walking each item individually back to the kitchen. It was painfully inefficient. It was obvious both he and the girl at the bar saw us standing there waiting for a booth to be cleared, but nobody seemed concerned about it. Eventually the table was finally cleared, but then it sat there dirty for a long time without being wiped down. At that point we just sat anyway, assuming someone would quickly come over and clean it once they saw guests sitting there. In most restaurants, that's standard. Not here. After waiting even longer, I finally asked for a rag so I could wipe the table down myself. The response I got back was rude: "Why don't you just sit at one of the tables that's already clear?" That pretty much sealed it for us. The vibe was off from the second we walked in, and you could feel the lack of care throughout the whole place. At that point we didn't even want to order food because it already felt like the experience was headed downhill. We got up and left. Honestly, I'm glad we did. Service and atmosphere usually reflect what's happening behind the scenes, and I had zero confidence the food experience would've been any different. After leaving, we went to El Centro instead and had a much better experience. I'd recommend choosing that over this place any day of the week. Giving people a good dining experience really isn't that complicated. Sometimes it honestly feels like restaurant staff have never gone out to eat themselves and experienced what good hospitality actually feels like. Unfortunately this place completely missed the mark. We won't be back, and I wouldn't recommend it.

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    Efrain's of Boulder Mexican Restaurant & Cantina

    Efrain's of Boulder Mexican Restaurant & Cantina

    3.9
    (517 reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    Amazing burrito at Efrain's and I had a great beer with it, I love this place and I usually get it…read moreonce a month.

    I had been to the Lafayette location more than a decade ago and never returned. It simply did not…read moresuit me at all. I recently saw that a different family group operated this one in a very convenient part of Boulder so I decided to give it a try. A favorite classic family run restaurant with a similar menu had closed in 2014 after being in operation for 20 years. We missed that sort of menu. This is it, all the way to type of sopapillas and the classic plates with rice and beans , sauce and melted cheese. The family appeal carries through from hosts to servers to clearing staff. The menu is large though it appears that most only vary by central item. The entrees all come with the same sides and a sauce. Next time I will ask for light sauce as it pretty much buried my tamales. They need to stand out and shine and I love the taste of masa. The server was right on the spot with our drinks and we had a comfortable and clean booth. Chips and salsa were at the table as we were seated. They are plainer than some in town but still fresh and classic and free, just like Casa Alvarez, our old classic. The place was buzzing with customers young and old a perfect place for a comfortable and swiftly served meal. The space filled up quickly and though they have an enclosed patio and an open patio, not a soul for takers including us, on a 30° degree evening with a "breeze" so there was a line for tables as we left. We'll be back in a warmer weather and customize our plates a bit. It's friendly and filling and for anyone. And easy on the wallet too. Nice to have a family friendly spot like this in an easy to park shopping center with McGuckins in the lead.

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    Bar at Efrain's
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    Enclosed patio was pleasant.

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    Enclosed patio was pleasant.
    Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant

    Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant

    3.3
    (689 reviews)
    1.3 mi
    $$

    We've been coming here about 14 years. There's been a lot of changes, a remodel , an update to the…read moremenu. I think they finally got it right. The food is really good. One of my favorite things is the chicken kale rice bowl. The chicken is pretty good, but to be honest it needs a little bit more seasoning. The star of the show is the kale. I'm not a huge kale fan, but the stuff is fantastic. I know what you're thinking- it's kale, calm down. But this stuff is magic. The Carnitas burrito is really good too. Great margaritas. Wouldn't change anything.

    Haven't been to Rio Grande in many years. Used to go all the time back in the day. It was nice to…read moresee they remodeled and gave it a fresh makeover, because it used to be pretty run down. The strawberry margarita was always my favorite. They cut you off after three, but honestly, since they've changed the recipe from what it used to be, I didn't even order more than one this time. It really lacked the strawberry flavor it used to have. The queso tasted more like 7-Eleven nacho cheese than anything good. The guacamole was still solid, but I guess it's hard to screw up avocados and spices. I had the shrimp and crab enchiladas, which were fair. Nothing special. Everybody else felt their food was just okay too. Really disappointing for what Rio used to be. Service was good though. That's about the only reason I'm giving this 3 stars.

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    Nopalito's - mexican - Updated August 2026

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