I lived in Los Angeles, USA, for 20 years, where good Mexican food is a part of daily life. During the last 8 months, I have been living in Europe, and I have been unable to find good Mexican food anywhere -- until now! :-)
El Nopal serves authentic and delicious Mexican food at reasonable prices. My wife and I had been visiting Granada and wanted some dinner before heading home. El Nopal came up on Google Maps as being within walking distance and had good reviews, so we headed over. The owner/waiter greeted us warmly, and served us a complimentary appetiser consisting of 5 different salsas with a pile of corn chips. My favorite was a smoky mole which had ground nuts in it. We also ordered two margaritas which were just perfect -- the right amount of lime juice to balance the tequila, and not too sweet.
We ordered a bowl of refried beans to start and were rewarded with a deep bowl that was flavored with cumin and what seemed to be a touch of tamarind, or perhaps lime juice. In any case, it was delicious. It was accompanied by an almost overwhelming supply of corn chips which lasted throughout the whole meal.
My wife ordered pork tacos and I ordered the nopalito tacos. Since my wife does not like having onion or salsa on her food, we wanted to make some alterations to the order. The waiter was very accommodating, repeating our requests to be sure there were no misunderstandings. Given that we don't speak Spanish and he doesn't speak English, we mostly conducted our conversation via Google Translate. He was very patient and helpful throughout.
The pork tacos were very generous -- four of them packed full of meat. The kitchen thoughtfully provided the accompanying salsa and fillings on separate dishes so that my wife could choose what to include. Yes, she's a fussy eater and this made her very happy.
My nopalito tacos were likewise four generous items, each stuffed with pickled nopales, mushrooms, and grilled zucchini in a spicy white sauce. They were delicious!
The entire meal cost €34 which represents good value for money.
The ambience of the restaurant was excellent -- comfortable chairs, tables that are well-spaced, soft female vocal music in the background, and one of the most genial, accommodating waiters we have ever encountered. We will certainly eat there again next time we are in Granada -- it was a wonderful experience. read more
