Some of the best Mexican food you can find. This place rocks. You see the reviews. You know the yelp overall averages and positive trends of this place. EAT HERE! Don't go here expecting new age gastropub cuisine, it's Mexican food! But, boy oh boy is it good Mexican food. Lo mejor! They make tortillas and sauces in-house and have a butcher and market if you prefer cooking at home. It's local, quaint and brings to mind some of my favorite Mexican spots in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. You should eat here. Plain and simple. Everyone loves Mexican food and this place is great, straight-forward, homemade Mexican food. read more

Get in my belly!! I had the carne asada burrito for lunch, and it was delicious. The roasted salsa was pretty good, but it was overhyped for me. The guacamole could have been chunkier but it was still good. Chips, guac, and salsa are all available for sale. There's a supermarket called El Nopalito 10 feet away. The restaurant is in a separate building, and the word "restaurant" is maybe 30x bigger than "El Nopalito." read more

..When there because I saw it had great reviews..But it was big disappointment....The food was not good at all..I got the carne Asada Burrito & Two Carne Asada Tacos..Both where bad...the tacos tortillas where dry & Stale...That also goes for the free chips...Very stale..The Burrito was a little better but got gross out after awhile cuz it was to salty..and the flour tortilla wasn't fresh either.. Don't know how this place got so many great reviews..The food is below decend... The only good thing about this place is good service..But not worth going to for the food.. I would not recommend going here.. read more

Yup this place is pretty ghetto. Its kinda scary. and a little bit off the beaten path. However, I've had salsa from this place for the last 5 years of my life at almost every family reunion (cousins also live in san diego). Roasted salsa, green salsa are amazing. Food is decent. read more

the tenderest carne asada I've had in a long long time, friendly staff, fast service hearty helpings. I'm telling you, amazing flavor in the meat with the generous helping of guacamole and tomatoes on a well roasted tortilla read more

Go to El Nopalito, pick up some chips, fire roasted salsa and freshly made tortillas and have yourself one of the greatest moments of your life! Yep its that good. Of course both the market and restaurant are amazing. If you are in San Diego and want to experience authentic Mexican food, look no further! read more

First started eating here about a year and a half ago when my wife had our 3rd kid at Scripps hospital a couple blocks away. This is the kind of Mexican food you always hope to find in SoCal. It's a 30 minutes from where we live, but well worth the drive. The tamales are excellent, especially with their house made red mole sauce. Whenever we get a chance to eat there, I always pick up a bag of tamales to take home. We usually pick up one or two of their salsas to go as well, they're always fresh and some of the best we've found. My wife finds their chips to be a little too thick and well done for her, but that is exactly how I like mine. read more

El Nopalito has the best tortilla chips in the world. My whole family and everyone I give them to agree. Their food is very good and all the workers are excellent. Wonderfull attitudes. read more

Super friendly service. Got some chicken tamales to go. Just go home and steam it, and it makes for a good, quick meal. We also had the carne asada fries and fish tacos. They double fry their chips, which I'm not a big fan of, but my boyfriend likes that it's extra crispy. The fish tacos were really terrible. It tasted like it had been sitting out all day, and since it's fried fish, it made it extra bad. Stick with what the restaurant's good at- beef or pork. Look out for the hours. It closes earlier than you would expect. read more

I discovered this place through a mutual friend a long time ago and when I was sent out for work near here; I took the opportunity to pick up some of that salsa I've been missing. Their restaurant is a hole in the wall as is their market. The restaurant has good tacos; I really think their carne asada shines over everything else, but their birria isn't bad either; gotta love game meats. I had street tacos for lunch and tried to sample many of their flavors, but the carne asada taco was still the best. I will say their lunch service could be a bit faster, but the food was good and the people were friendly. They have a market across the street and their salsa is excellent. I recommend the Roasted or Chipotle Salsa; it's very tasty. read more

California burrito here is heart stopping. The amount of cheese is insane in it. Breakfast burrito is humongous here. Fresh Salsa and FRESHHHH chips are so soo sOOOOO good here. I took 3 containers of salsa with 2 bags of chips to work and it got devoured so fast. Note to self: buy more salsa and guacamole next time. read more

The food is pretty good for a hole in the wall taco shop. The roasted salsa is AWESOME... and we love going into the store for fresh made chips and tortillas. (you have to get the ones that are hot ;) In my humble opinion, it is located in the "rough" part of Encinitas off Sante Fe... but you will be just fine going in and getting a carna asda burrito. read more

Great Salsa and chips but their food can suck it. I mean melt the freaking cheese in a burrito and mix the shiz around. Its not that hard but awesome salsa. read more

I was looking for authentic food. Some of it did taste authentic, however, the service was bad and it was not clean. The food was, meh, at best. read more

Got a Cali burrito first bite it had a huge hard fat tendunt showed it to the employee. She offered to give me a new one. A few minutes later she gave me a new burrito. I was about to open up the paper to eat it. I saw my husbands face...he showed me half an inch bone that was in his mouth that came from his Carne Asada Burrito. We both got disgusted my husband stoped eating his burrito . We got up and we left everything on the table. She gave us the money back but NEVER NEVER coming back! This place is dirty, low quality meat and cooks dont care what they serve! read more

if you like tasty, fresh reasonably priced mexican food, this is it. I had the carnitas and it's the bomb. very good. Thier spicy salsa is the best ever, i buy it just to keep in my home. I go to the market they own there too, great carne asada that you can cook at home already marinated. read more

Such a hidden little gem! There is a restaurant and a market, side by side. So you can order food and then go to the market where they sell the salsas, tortillas, chips and guacamole for you to take home! My favorite place to get appetizers when throwing a party! Don't miss this place! read more

Every New Year's Eve my BF and I make a list of 12 must try restaurants to hit by year's end. Thank goodness El Nopalito made the list. C rating rumors had me a little sketched out so was thrilled to be welcomed by an A at the door. The employee behind the counter oozed with friendliness and helpful recomendations. We're thinking he had to be the owner's son. If not, he deserves a big fat raise. I asked him what the best meat dish they had was and he steered me to the Carne Asada plate which came with rice, beans, chips and 3 tortillas for $9.51! The meat was seasoned to sheer perfection and such a large portion that it was 3 separate meals for me - one heavy dinner and 2 light lunches. My vegetarian boyfriend opted for the cheese enchildadas and was also very pleased. Recognizing El Nopalito was known for their salsa, we quizzed the employee about his favorite choice. He stopped what he was doing, told the next guest in line he'd be right back to take their order and then proceeded to walk us to the salsa bar to direct us to the roasted salsa. AMAZING and unique! He then came back with a large basket of complimentary chips for us to enjoy while we waited for our meal. While this place has zero ambiance, it offers a great value on authentic, flavorful Mexican food and is definitely worth a place on your list! read more

I moved from LA to San Diego and was super bummed out at the lack of "good authentic" MEXICAN food. Until I was recommended to try El Nopalito restaurant from a Mexican. Now, that made me want to go and try it. I was pleased to finally find a restaurant where Mexicans eat and the food is authentic and flavorful. The place may not be much. Its a hole in the wall. Clean but not impressive. So, dont take your first date here. Unless you want em to eat good Mexican food. My favorite of their salsa is the fire roasted. The best fire roasted salsa I have ever tasted. All the employees, both market and taco shop, are extremely helpful and sweet. It's located in a strip mall but don't let that deter you. If you do you will be missing out. BIG TIME. If you go to a Mexican restaurant and look around and see it full with white people. Walk away. But if you see the majority are Mexican or hispanic...well, you know it will be good!! I usually order lengua platter. The chips and guacamole is super good...and they have a decent variety of salsa. read more

Picked up a couple containers of salsa: the Roasted Red and the Tomatillo. DELICIOUS!!! Also of note: the fresh (warm) stacks of tortillas. Gettum. read more

The food here is amazing. They make the salsa and chips in house so I definitely recommend picking those up. My favorite is a simple bean and cheese burrito with rice but everything I have had here has been amazing. The prices are very reasonable and it's relatively quiet while you eat. read more

For a hole in the wall Mexican joint El Nopalito delivers excellent tasting food. I would not choose to eat at this location, but take out it could be 5-stars. I would rank El Nopalito higher than Betsy's and Juanitas and some of the other "authentic" mexican food spots in Encinitas read more

Daughter and I were on Santa Fe headed back to the 5 when I spotted the sign. It's located in a strip mall. So we brought dinner home and it was delicious and affordable. They have a great salsa bar including a guac sauce. This was the first time we have eaten here, my previous review was on their chips and salsa that you buy at farmers markets. read more

I bought a Groupon from here, based on the yelp reviews. Food was good! The Carne Asada was a 5 the Carnitas were a 3. Our daughter had the Quesadilla - she liked it a lot, she's 10. Beans were good, rice was good. :) One note, it's a pretty rough neighborhood. I'd say go for the food, however if you are uncomfortable, make it to go! read more

Solid marinated meats, plus fresh tortillas, awesome chips and some of the best salsas around. I lean towards mixing 75% roasted red with the spicy northern mex mix for the right balance of flavor and spice. Venture in for nothing short of excellent. Even I can't hate on this place. read more

It's little and grungy and hole in the wall, so you know it's bound to be good. And it was!The homemade chips and salsa are delicious - I could eaten many more of them. We split a carne asada burrito and a carnitas burrito. I really liked the carne asada and mom liked the carnitas, so we were good. The beans and rice were also great - actually, some of the best rice I've had at a Mexican place. Did I mention the portions were huge? Huge! I would totally go back for more. read more

IT doesn't get much more traditional than this. All kinds of meats, lingua, cabeza, carnitas and the rest. Great salsa bar. Great prices. Love the enchiladas and birria on the weekends. As a tip, they have a market AND a restaurant in the same parking lot, but not next to each other. read more

Simply Put - Stop at exit 43 and eat @ this place. Best Carne Asada Burrito on the Left Coast. Why? Cus of the marinade - and the portion. Great fresh salsa bar. You will like this food. Its REALLY good. Tater LoneStar read more

Bad me, went here on a full stomach. Chicken mole, chicken simmered in the mole goodness. Sooooo tender. The tortillas that accompany the beans and rice and chicken, I could make a meal of the tortillas dipped in the mole sauce. And very inexpensive, what more can you ask for? read more

Tasty: Carne Asada tacos! Carne Asada tacos! Just be ready for sodium overload. read more

We often stop by El Nopalito, the store and have eaten once at the eatery. We usually stop to get carne asada, tortillas and tortilla chips. It is a ways away for us since we are in San Diego. We usually stop by when we are in the general area. Great quality and price for the products! read more

I used to love Mexican Food. Prior to being in the San Diego area I have had to put up with the bay areas (Northern California) version of some of my favorites. I had given up on my quest to find a little place that's always good with fresh and flavorful food. I looked around here a bit and it's better but I was settling. No mas. I can tell you this place is fabulous. They know how to get it just right. I actually saw a guy from my now second Favorite Mexican food places eating there. Yeah, it's that good. Its not much to look at or will it impress you with the decor, but it really is worth trying. The flavors linger and the prices are really unbeatable. I always take it to go as it serves as both lunch and dinner plus it's a little embarrassing to have others watch a grown man enjoy his carne asada burrito as much as I do. I bring it back to my office, shut the door, and indulge myself with no one watching me eat ! Go there. read more

I'm sold on this place. I had an El Pastor burrito on Thursday and then came back the following Monday to try the Carne Asada burrito. The burritos are less than $5 and they have a really good salsa bar including spicy carrots and roasted peppers. I'm looking forward to surfing in North County just so that I can share this new found burrito joint with my friends aftewards. read more

the 5 stars is for the chips and salsa. I still dream about them and try to come up with reasons to drive to Encinitas for more. I thought the carnitas taco was good, not great. Same with the Carne Asada burrito. Bonus points to the nice accommodating employee that was extremely patient with the lame guy asking a million questions about a catering order. Bonus bonus points to the girl working the counter who had to work extra hard for the 30+ minutes the other employee was tied up with lame customer. I tried to go back for more the next night, but that pesky power outage blocked my salsa nirvana read more

I love El Nopalito. I'm not going to mince words. I've picked up food from here for years and it rocks. The carne asada is the best i've had in san diego. I always pick up a bunch of it at least once every 2 weeks to grill at home. I've tried a lot other places, they always pale in comparison. The fresh tortillas(when the market was in existence), the salsa, etc. A one stop shop for great Mexican food. El Nopalito you have spoiled me!! Darn you!! read more

I don't know about the market part as a whole but they have awesome chips to-go and salsa (2 kinds) and guac to take home and enjoy!

Very good "fast-food" Mexican food. Carnitas, carne asada, menudo, and chicharones were all good. The "best"? Probably not....comes close but not as good as some places in East LA but one of the best in SD so far. A little pricey relative to other shops but overall a great place. I would recommend them. read more

Where to start! Talk about bargain for your buck! The food here is fantastic and you get a very large portion of it! I work right down the street and always stop by to get chips & salsa for the office! You really can't go wrong here, but there carne asada burrio is out of this world! read more

I ordered the beef rolled tacos and they were excellent! It was lunchtime on Saturday and the place was packed. While standing in line waiting to order, I observed and commented to my friend how quiet everyone was even though it was busy, and how that must be testament to the quality of food. The salsa bar was on point too. Yum yum! read more

When cruising up the 5 to San Clemente I usually have to stop by and pick up some of their salsa and Pollo Adobado. Small shop but their salsa and marinated meats are some of the best around. read more