I liked it here. It was clean and the service was good. We got chorizo queso which was amazing. So good. I got a carnita burrito with rice and beans and it was delicious. The portions were big- so it was good for two meals. Good Patron shots too. Would come back when in the area!! read more

For the second year in a row, our out of town family asked to carry out dinner from El Nopal in Cold Spring. And, for the second year in a row, it was flawless. All of the dinners were exactly what we ordered and ready when promised. We will continue to support this business. read more

I love coming here, they have wonderful food. They have really tasty salads, really tasty chicken dishes. I honestly think I've tried all of their chicken dishes, I love the spicy dishes so if you like spice. You should totally go and give them a try. The inside and outside of the restaurant is absolutely gorgeous, with wonderful art. The servers and bar tenders are really nice and very fast. read more

Absolutely the WORST Mexican food I've ever attempted to eat. Horrible service as well. Think that's the last time going there.

Went here on a weeknight and were the only people here. I'm vegetarian and gluten free, which is usually very easy to accommodate for at Mexican restaurants. I asked for the vegetarian quesadilla but with a corn tortilla. The waiter said he didn't know if they had them or not, which is the first time I've heard that at a Mexican restaurant, and that he would check. He never came back, so when the food came, I asked if it was a corn tortilla. He said yes, but I just knew it wasn't, so I asked another worker and hen also said yes while they both smiled at each other. I only ate the inside of the quesadilla but that was actually very good. They also give regular and spicy salsa with the appetizer chips. Overall, if you have any food sensitivities or preferences, this place is not safe for you. read more

El Nopal - Mexican Near Me - Cold Spring, Kentucky

Excellent 5 Stars : delicious food / large portions / great service / reasonable costs / David Wayne provides enjoyable entertainment !! Must experience this total delight !! read more

Authentic tasty Mexican food. Chile relleno and enchiladas were perfect. My husband ordered the chile verde plate. Pork was super tender but they put cinnamon in their verde sauce which was a little off putting but we will be back to try more items. Great friendly attentive service read more

Walking in for the first time, the establishment is gorgeous and comfortable. The employees here are very professional and kind. The decor is very colorful. When the server asked for the drink order and went to go retrieve it, there was absolutely no wait time. The chimichanga with the beef is absolutely delicious. It comes with beans and rice, which is my favorite side dish. I do highly recommend this restaurant for those looking for authentic Mexican cuisine. read more

Went at 1:00 3/13/2025. Waited at unattended hostess podium for 5-10 minutes. Never saw a staff member. Half a dozen tables with diners, one lady at the bar. When the phone started ringing, and was never answered (about 10 rings) we walked out. Went across AA to Rancho Grande. Food & service were awesome. El Nopal...we will avoid the chain. read more

June 3rd was our visit. We just moved to the area and after moving all day we were starving. Went to El Nopal there wasn't many people there which was nice. The place reeks of bleach. Like they're trying to cover up something. I don't understand why all the authentic mexican restaurants are doing this now. I like the smell of food when walking into a restaurant not a bathroom. We got sat right away, staff was friendly. The salsa and chips for the table had no flavor at all. it tastes like canned stewed tomatoes. the chips were hard. Everyone at my table seemed to like what they ordered. Portions were HUGE!!! I got a shrimp quesadilla, it was good. they really need to work on their salsa and chips. I won't be back - there is like 4 other authentic places in this area. read more

Bad food, found several bones in my drink. They waiter threw a chair at me. There was a man screaming the whole time and the ambiance was bad. read more

Decent little restaurant. Nice atmosphere. Food was not my favorite Mexican in Cincinnati but it hit the spot just fine. read more

See all

When it comes to Mexican restaurants in the area I base a lot of the food quality if they have good queso and fresh pico de gallo and El Nopal is up there! Their queso is addicting it will make you want to smother all their food in it it's THAT good, their pico de gallo is fresh and one of my favorite dishes to order is their loaded potato taquitos , which you don't see often in restaurants, taquitos usually have the same old boring chicken nope theirs has potato! Top those taquitos with pico de gallo and their queso and it's absolute heaven! read more

The staff was very rude!!! We came in after 8:00 on a Saturday night - guess they didn't want to have more work to do. We will NEVER come back - you DO NOT treat customers that way!!! Looks like others have had the same experience with the staff from reading the reviews. read more

My second visit to El Nopal was just as successful as the first. The restaurant looked super snazzy and the service was satisfactory. The complimentary chips and salsa were good although it just tasted like salsa out of a jar. Their version of Chori-Queso was a solid effort. They focused more on tasty queso rather than putting lots of chorizo in it but it really worked well. For my main course I tried the Pollo Mole. It is a grilled chicken breast topped with their Mole sauce and comes with a cheese enchilada and Spanish rice. Mole sauce is the Mexican sauce that is made with chocolate among other things. It does have a tad of sweet to it but is more like a brown Sesame sauce. It worked really well on the perfectly cooked and juicy grilled chicken breast. The enchilada was fine and I really like their Spanish rice as it has tons of awesome flavour. This was some delicious food and I have nothing bad to say about this visit. Good stuff. read more

See all

I really wanted a Taco Salad so I decided to order to go and try out this place. I was please surprised. The taco salad was full of meat and veggies and they did not skimp on the serving. The gentlemen who brought my food to me was very friendly and dressed professional. The inside seemed clean from what I saw. They are opened later than the other Mexican restaurants which is nice. My salad also included a huge bag of Tortilla chips which were tasty as well. They packed everything neat and ordinarily. I also ordered a Chimichanga side because I wanted to try something new. It looked amazing but unfortunately I reheated to long and burnt it so I wasn't able to try. read more

El Nopal - Taco salad and chimichanga - Mexican Near Me - Cold Spring, Kentucky

I have never been a fan of Mexican cuisine, till 2 days ago. My son wanted to check it out. I had the most delicious plate of anywhere ! It was titled SMOTHERED BAKED POTATO plate. Then potato was quartered and totally smothered with the most scrumptious grilled vegetables, chicken and delicious caso sauce. I'm in love ! read more

Huge portions of excellently prepared and delicious food. Superior service by a well trained and courteous staff. Beautiful, clean dining room with lovely decor. Prices are more than fair. I would give them 5 Stars! read more

The salsa and chips were great especially the spicy salsa! The queso was yummy and not watered down!! Chimichangas could have been a little crunchier, but it was good. Husbands food was good but I can't remember the name of the meal. Wait staff was awesome! read more

El Nopal - Mexican Near Me - Cold Spring, Kentucky

Food is spectacular. Drinks are great. You will leave with left overs. The quesadillas and cheese dip are great. My husband said he has great food every time. Earlier to eat if possible, they tend to get busy around 6pm. read more

Several stores in the area. Under reported, but deliscious food. Bright, cheery, not "kitchy" authentic Mexican food. Great values, extensive menu. read more

Great food, always fast service, friendly servers, something for the entire family. The prices are very reasonable and the quantity of food you get is way more than expected. read more

My husband and I decided to try El Nopal a couple of days ago because, we had coupons, and, it's a quarter mile from our house. I'd heard mixed reviews but, decided to try it ourselves. We were promptly greeted, seated, and chips and salsa brought out. The chips were light and flaky but, I was underwhelmed by the 2 varieties of salsa. They were quite bland. A bit more seasoning would do wonders. We also got some of the queso. It was nice and creamy but, could've used some seasoning of some sort. I ordered the Fish Tacos Veracruz. I was expecting a couple tiny tacos, that was not the case. Three individually wrapped tacos came out, along with a mound of rice and salad. The tacos were jam packed with hunks of tilapia, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and cilantro. I also topped it with guacamole, sour cream, and cheese. They were so filling, that I could only eat one and a half tacos! I really loved them. The guacamole was definitely on point flavor wise too. My husband got the Quesadilla Fajita Grande...and grande it was! It was gigantic! He ate a 1/4 of it and had to call it quits. It took up the whole plate. It was stuffed with huge chunks of steak, onions, peppers, and tomatoes, along with lettuce and sour cream. I tried it, and was very impressed. Overall, we enjoyed the food and will be going back again. read more

El Nopal - Quesadilla Fajita Grande - Mexican Near Me - Cold Spring, Kentucky

See all

Rather bland fajitas. Queso rather bland as well. Maybe they're still learning -- they did just open Not enough staff -- line to get a table, line to pay, slow service bc not enough servers. The staff is friendly and seemed to be doing their best -- they were just overwhelmed with the # of tables they had. read more

If you're in a hurry and you like bland mexican food, this is the place for you. We barely got to try to "enjoy" the food we ordered, which came rather quickly(almost as if it was waiting for us) when we were asked if we wanted a go-to box. And about 5 minutes later, we were served with the check, even though we barely got through half the meal and hadn't even thought to request it. It felt as if they wanted us out of there before we even ordered. Now the food was bland, flavorless and unimpressive. I've gotten more taste out of a burrito from taco bell or a bag of chili-cheese corn chips. There are maybe 5-6 mexican restaurants(not taco bells, chipotles or hot heads) in the area and I'd rather go to one of those others before coming back here. read more

This restaurant opened up a couple of days ago (new staff & new location). They are still having the usual start up problems. We have been to several other locations and enjoy the seafood items (Grilled Tilapia Mango Salsa & Krabmeat Enchiladas). It shares a parking lot with Meijers. I am sure they will soon be just as good as the other locations. read more

See all

This is our favorite Mexican place in northern Kentucky. Especially this location. Service is usually quick and the food is wonderful. And price reasonably for family. read more

I love El Nopal. The staff is friendly and their salsa is my favorites in this area. This is my go to for Mexican food.

This is a New Mexican restaurant that opened recently. I think it's great! They give you two salsas. One spicy and one mild. I LOVE this because I do not like spicy things and all other places have salsa that's too spicy. They have a very large menu and the several things I've tried so far over the last few weeks have been delicious. Especially the chirizo queso and I really like the enchiladas. My husband loves pollo varacruzano and especially the grilled vegetables. We're both so glad this place opened up. It's delicious! read more

I ordered a number 15 and a 25 from the cominations menu and a cheese quesadillia with rice from the kids menu. When I got home I had the kids meal, 2 chile relenos and a tamale, I called to tell them I didnt get my food and all they could say was oh. Updates to say, what little food I did get was delicious, so I might give them another try read more

This place just opened in the old Ruby Tuesday's building by Meijer. We decided to come out and try it, but were not impressed. Everything was just average- nothing was all that outstanding. The salsa also was a huge miss. They have room for improvement. read more

So yummy!! I am confused why there weren't more people for lunch today. Food was perfect, clean and they have WiFi. I'm in!!

They give a lot of food. But this place is not good for takeout. We ordered takeout on the phone, we were not asked name or phone number (we said who will pick up even though we were not asked, but it did not make a difference). So when I go to pick up the order, it is a mess to understand which order is whose. Order costs more than we expect. I figured something is wrong but paid and left. When I came home, we noticed that there was extra food we did not order. They misunderstood what we ordered. I went back to return the food we did not order. I understand things can get messed up, but the staff was not apologetic. I got the money back for the order but the customer service was bad in the front. They did not even say sorry. Really??!! This place needs a person with a better grasp of English to get the orders. We will not be going back there. read more

We love this place, great service, friendly staff and fast time for food to arrive. I had the maria nopal plate.I was impressed with how it looked and tasted even better.Chicken was so juicy and the nopal was amazing.My kids had the kids beef taco plate.We were all happy with our food. The staff even stopped to dance with my lil 2 year old. So sweet of them. read more

The food is here is so-so. The service is absolutely awful. Several times I've been in here because my wife likes it. Every single time has been different in terms of quality and service. None of it has been fantastic. Tonight, on Cinco De Mayo was the last straw. They had one young host working the front who was totally botching the job. He skipped my name for a table of two twice. I had been there over 45 mins. I finally asked him about it and asked to see his list, which I was at the top of on the last page. Finally we were sat. No drinks or even a word spoke to me for another 45. Finally a server asked what we would like to drink we ordered some drinks and our food, cool. Another 30 mins goes by and we flag the dude down. He had to retake our order because he couldn't find it on his paper. In the middle of giving my order I decided it was best to just leave. I realize this was a busy day but the absolute crappies that situation that could have played out for me did and nothing was ever offered to be fixed or if there was anything they could do. Some simple waters would have at least been something. read more

I think they are great with an excellent wait staff. Campbell and Pendleton Countians, you should embrace such a nice place with tasty food and excellent service in your vicinity. This is by far the friendliest and cleanest Mexican Restaurant I've ever been visited (and this is my main genre of food). The food is good too! 5 stars and I question anyone who gives it 2 or 3. I wish more folks who enjoyed it would get on here and rate them well! read more

Trust me when I say I'm giving them two Stars and that's being very gracious. Since they have just opened up I think they need a lot of time to grow. One of the worst restaurant startups I have ever experienced. We were told as we were entering the restaurant not to waste our time but we didn't listen. read more

The food, chips and draught beer were great. I would return for the fish. The place was clean and the service food read more

El Nopal - Combo #6 in the foreground and #8 in the background - Mexican Near Me - Cold Spring, Kentucky

The chips and salsa suck. The chips are bagged chips and the salsa tastes like they poured tomato juice into a bowl and added a couple chopped onion. Absolutely terrible! Terrible! Terrible! With that being said, they still manage to get 4 stars? Yes! The carnitas dinner is worth 6 stars. I highly recommend asking for the hot salsa to go with the carnitas. read more

This was our first visit and we were looking forward to some really good Mexican food. The service was great but the food left us saying, "we won't be back". The mild salsa had absolutely no flavor. I ordered the seafood burrito and when I cut into it, I could smell the tilapia long before I tasted it. It smelled old and possibly bad. My husband's chimichanga had no seasoning and was lack luster. For the amount of money we spent, I won't be returning. read more