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    El Nopalito

    4.1 (314 reviews)
    InexpensiveMexican, Grocery, Butcher
    Open • 7:00 am - 7:00 pm

    El Nopalito Photos

    Business Info

    EL NOPALITO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - El Nopalito

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    Juliann T.

    I've lived around the corner for 3 years and have never came by, until last week. Got some items to grill for tacos and It was such a hit and affordable. Also got some rice and beans as well. I will make a point to come back more frequently, yum!

    a refrigerator full of food
    Toby P.

    Still my favorite salsa, the roasted one. When I have a party to attend I love to brig this with their chips and the markets is quick and easy. I usually end up buying something else too because they have what I need and lots to try.

    a plate of mexican food
    Brenda D.

    Every single time I drive by the 5 to North County, stopping by El Nopalito is a must! It has some of the best, most authentic mexican food in all San Diego. The kind of food your grandmother makes best and can't have anywhere else because all taco shops have the same old standard menu, and the more "gourmet" spots are too pricey and pretentious. El Nopalito has costillas de puerco en salsa verde, machaca, chicharrones, mole, menudo, huevos any style, and delicious home made tortillas. I recommend ordering a plate with different dishewith rice and beans. But their breakfast burritos are pretty bomb too.

    Rosella F.

    Pleasantly surprised by this place! Delicious Mexican food right off the freeway at a very affordable price. Ordered huevos ranchero and a carne asada taco for breakfast. Really great flavor and they have a salsa bar!

    the inside of a mexican restaurant
    Guy M.

    We made a special trip up here from Chula Vista because I saw a write up on this place and seeing I love my Mexican food I had to check it out! This is not your average taco shop/restaurant. Growing up in San Diego I am very particular with my Mexican food. A matter of fact my Mexican friends deemed me an honorary Mexican. Anyway the best way to describe their food is it's fresh and flavorful. Their carne asada in their burritos isn't your typical cut up flank steak, but more like cut up pieces/small chunks of steak. Whenever you're up this way you have to check El Nopalito!

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    18 years ago

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    13 years ago

    Try the chicken burrito and add guac... Simply incredible!

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    13 years ago

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    16 years ago

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    15 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    16 years ago

    Some of the best tacos shop Mexican food in all san Diego. Pastor is super authentic

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    15 years ago

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    16 years ago

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    17 years ago

    Did not think it was as good as others on yelp stated. It's actually very below average for an authentic place.

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    Photo of Wing C.
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    16 years ago

    One of the best carne asada burritos I've ever had. Rich in flavor-- not too dry. I would recommend this place to all.

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    10 years ago

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    15 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    16 years ago

    Didnt see what was so good about this place. Maybe i didnt order the right thing. Had some cheese enchiladas and were average.

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    13 years ago

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    13 years ago

    Carne Asada burrito was pretty good. Tortilla chips made from scratch. Wide selection of tasty salsas.

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    12 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    17 years ago

    One of the better taco shops I've eaten at in San Diego. The carne asada burrito was great, as was the homemade salsa and guacamole. Yum!

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    16 years ago

    Tamales and salsa(s) are the best. Love this place. More often that not, we're the only gringos in the house. All I can say is, yum.

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    15 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    Page 6 of 8

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    Seaside Market - Chicken Parmesan with potatoes au gratin'! Beautiful.

    Seaside Market

    4.3(963 reviews)
    1.0 mi
    •$$$

    OK, it's Friday night and you live in Cardiff or you're visiting Cardiff what are you gonna have…read morefor dinner that everyone is gonna love? You're gonna go into Seaside and go to the counter and say I want the classic Cardiff crack sandwich, which will feed at least two people and maybe a kid beside. Then you gotta go down and lock the chip aisle and get your favorite chips. Maybe a nice bottle of wine check out go home and eat! When we first moved down here, I wasn't a huge fan of Cardiff crack, but I've become to look forward to every chance I get to have it. I know why it's a legend, so if you're in the neighborhood, stop and get it.

    I've been coming to Seaside Market for years, and I absolutely love this place. I recommend it to…read moreanyone looking for a great local market, and I'll definitely continue being a customer. That said, I've noticed a few things lately that have made it a little harder to shop here, especially as the store seems to be getting busier and busier. The biggest challenge has honestly been the crowds. It feels like the popularity of the market has really grown, which is great to see, but it can make the experience a little overwhelming. I also think it may be worth considering a larger location at some point. Parking can be incredibly difficult, especially if you have a larger vehicle, and getting in and out can sometimes be a challenge. I also recently had an unfortunate experience with a few items I purchased. The girl who helped me at the register was very kind and bagged the majority of my items, but a couple of smaller items were left outside of the bag. I was in a rush and completely forgot to grab them before I left, even though I had already paid for everything. I realized it later and called the store to explain what happened. They were kind enough to put my name on a bag and hold the items for me, which I really appreciated. Unfortunately, when I came back later that week to pick them up, the items couldn't be found. It seemed like there was some miscommunication between the staff, which was really disappointing because I had specifically called ahead and was told they would be held for me. I completely understand that things can get misplaced, especially in a busy store, but it was frustrating knowing that I had already paid for the items and had made a trip back specifically to retrieve them. I also didn't have my receipt anymore because I had assumed everything had been placed in my bag, which I realize was ultimately my mistake. It's definitely something I won't let happen again. What was disappointing was that, even though the staff remembered me coming in previously, the items ultimately weren't replaced or resolved. I understand that mistakes happen, but I think this could have been handled a little better. Even with these issues, I still genuinely love Seaside Market and want to see it continue to do well. I know that growing crowds and increased popularity can create challenges, but I do think there are opportunities to improve the overall customer experience, especially when it comes to parking, managing the crowds, and communication between team members. The prices have definitely been climbing, and with the store becoming busier, it's getting a little harder to visit than it used to be. Still, there's a reason I've been coming here for years, and I'll continue to support the market. I just hope they're able to find ways to make the experience a little easier as the business continues to grow.

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    Seaside Market - Seriously from a market? Perfect!

    Seriously from a market? Perfect!

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    Wild Fork - Look at the marble

    Wild Fork

    4.2(50 reviews)
    2.3 mi

    Wild Fork is a great niche store for specialty meat and seafood! My fiancé' and I discovered this…read morestore through a yelp event....and when my older son wanted to replicate a Brazilian steakhouse experience for his birthday, my fiancé knew Wild Fork would have delicious meat! Besides meat, their seafood is really good! My younger son and I had delicious branzino. Even though everything is frozen, you really can't tell since they only carry high quality meat and seafood. You'll find other frozen items here like desserts and even pizza (yes, I saw frozen pizza!), but why get them when the meat and seafood are the stars? The store is bright, well organized, and really clean. Employees are friendly and helpful. Plenty of parking as it's located in a huge strip mall....but you can't miss Wild Fork- it's on the end. 5 stars! We'll be back!

    I had never been inside a wild fork before, but we decided we were gonna go in there because we…read morewanted to try to find a couple unique cuts of meat at a reasonable price. we were also interested in potentially what they have in terms of seafood. I am not sure what I was expecting (maybe like a grocery store refrigerated and freezer section,) but I was surprised at how it was laid out. It was three aisles of the lower banks of freezers, with full wall freezer along two walls, and a few dry goods which makes sense because everything that they have is frozen at ideally the peak of freshness. It was very clean, looked a bit futuristic and was well coded. With different color signage to indicate where the poultry, beef, pork, seafood and prepared foods were. Easy to head to the section you were looking for. We looked around the store a lot and the folks who work there were very attentive. They asked us a number of times if we needed any help, answered any questions that we had, and even gave us some suggestions and background on certain cuts. We ended up going with some picanha, a couple other types of steaks, and a couple options of seafood. All the pricing was all very reasonable and now we have a fully stocked freezer.

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    Wild Fork - Does this cancel out going to the gym!?!

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    Trader Joe's

    Trader Joe's

    4.3(206 reviews)
    1.6 mi
    •$$

    Trader Joe's is great. I love their food and other assorted products, their service, their company…read more This location has terrible parking though. It is located in an overcrowded strip mall, with way too many businesses, not enough parking spots, and some of the worst and rudest drivers around. People fighting over spots, because they are afraid to walk a few hundred feet. The staff was very nice, friendly, helpful. The person giving out the samples was warm and friendly. Free samples add to the ambiance, and like Costco, I think it helps get people in, buying the sample items, and more food in general. I am surprised that more stores don't do this. This location seems to be not as big as some of the other locations that I have been in, but I didn't notice any products missing. It was relatively crowded on a Saturday morning, but we were able to get in and out in a timely manner.

    I really enjoyed shopping at this Trader Joe's branch. It…read morehas everything in stock including the new items and the regular products. The place is spacious and very clean. They have ample parking. Trader Joe's offers a diverse selection of products. For example; high quality olive oil, fresh meat, seafood, dairy and non- dairy products, salad, salad dressings, cheese, candies, chocolate, and bakery. In addition to their frozen section, beauty products, and fresh produce and fruits, and canned fruits. They also have wide variety of wine with affordable prices. Their flowers and roses come in myriad of colors. They have wide selection of beautiful bouquet. The service is excellent. The staff are very friendly. I love to shop at Trader Joe's wherever I go.

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    Trader Joe's
    Trader Joe's
    Trader Joe's

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    Ralphs - Neatly stocked shelves

    Ralphs

    3.4(67 reviews)
    1.5 mi
    •$$

    Keeps getting worse and worse. The store is unclean and broken down. It seems like the customers…read moreare the least important part. The refrigerated cases were mostly broken. The aisles are crammed with displays trying to entice you into buying more. It is hard to maneuver through the aisle. I feel sorry for the elderly shoppers with mobility issues as they try to navigate the store. I've seen a wheelchair user have to turn around in the aisle since they could not make it past the display. Definitely an ADA violation. As if they care! This is on top of the carts left in the aisle by employees as they are stocking the shelves. Their convenience is more important than blocking money-spending customers. The cashiers are busy on their phones, so checking you out seems to be a secondary priority. When the bagger falls behind, the cashier will not help bag the groceries after ringing you up. Instead they start ringing up the next person while you are still waiting for your groceries to be bagged. Makes it easy to mix up whose groceries are whose. Anything to get back to their phone quicker, I guess.

    I enjoy shopping at this grocery store because it is always very clean and organized. If I have…read moretrouble finding something, I can always count on a store employee to assist me. Another reason I choose to shop here is because they have self checkout which is something that is lacking at Vons Encinitas down the street. It allows me to get in and out without having to wait in the checkout lines. A plus is that the store is located in a shopping center with other businesses like Trader Joe's, CVS, Citibank, Sephora, Discount Tire and a multitude of eateries and coffee shops making it a "one-stop" destination.

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    Ralphs - Cold cuts

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    El Nopalito - mexican - Updated October 2026

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