Just in general a horrible place to go to. I ordered a 10$ burrito and somehow paid almost $30 for my meal.

Big Bang for the buck! Call in order before going there. Parking lot crowded- carful. Yummy salsa bar. Mexican tv shows on tv :-) read more

El Nopalito - Mexican Near Me - Encinitas, California

Hate to write this but what the heck happened to El Nap? This weekend our family ordered several things but unfortunately everything was pretty terrible. The carne asada nachos looked like they used Velveeta cheese sauce, the bean and cheese burrito was tiny and just okay, and the breakfast burrito was tasteless. There are way too many other good Mexican places in this area to settle for mediocre food. read more

I have come here plenty of times and I absolutely love their chips and salsa(s) plus guacamole. Their carne asada burrito and taco combo plate is a favorite for me as well, but I feel like you can't go wrong with whatever you order on the menu. The location is right off the five so hop off to get some good eats and then hop right back on to wherever you need to go. The shopping center has a good amount of parking and the inside of El Nopalito is very spacious. There is some seating available for the inside where you can watch what's on the television while you eat. read more

This is my favorite place they have these crispy shredded chicken tacos that are fantastic with the best price around and the grocery store part of it has the best guacamole, roasted garlic salsa and chips. read more

We just ordered carne asada burritos and they were made with hamburger meat - never again. We drove from Del Mar area because in the past their burritos were the best! read more

El Nopalito - Hamburger meat - Mexican Near Me - Encinitas, California

Great Mexican market convenient location good service Paco and Laura are vey professional And courteous the variety of inventory is awesome try it you'll like it read more

$11 dollars for mayo!! Almost nothing has price tags and they don't accept returns so ask before buying read more

El Nopalito - a receipt for work - Mexican Near Me - Encinitas, California

We love the salsa and chips. Always pick some up when down that way. I have to keep typing to post

I have an anaphylactic tomato allergy. When my son and daughter in law said they wanted a taco bar for their July wedding, I immediately said "El Nopalito. We know I can eat their food and it's delicious." They did not disappoint. Everything was perfect! Thank you guys for being an important part of the special day! read more

This is the best Mexican food! We ate like we haven't seen food in 15 days. We are so thankful for all the employees for working during these difficult COVID-Lockdown times so we can enjoy the delicious food! read more

Love eating here...one of my favs..been here during pandemic....still really good...try the plate lunch thing to the right of cash register in the glass case thing...dont be scared ...i guess its the daily specials... Yummy read more

EL NOPALITO's a cute little MEXICAN market. tasty chips and salsa, fresh produce, great meat counter and canned DULCE DE LECHE (which i needed for the batch of ice cream i'm making). another ethnic grocery in the rotation to keep my freaky pantry stocked. read more

Love the tortillas, chips and salsas! Love the produce and authentic ingredients in the little store. Brought home tamales last night and I had really high expectations, they were filled with meat seasoned well, the masa was a little tough and lacked flavor for me-but I'm blaming the microwave! The price for 12 was $19! And that's a great deal! I wish I could have mixed and matched the flavors but these are freshly made and that's what's most important! read more

A five star rating for El Nopalito Market and restaurant is darn good. But if you have had any of their chips and dips and have bought from the butcher in the store, you know it is all authentic. So we have been stopping here every time we head back from San Diego. Like clockwork, get off the I-5 go straight behind Shell station and turn into a strip mall where you'll find El Nopalito. The parking could be a challenge, but it is worth the effort. We did our shopping inside the small narrow isles of the market...it is as if you are in another country. Staples of goods you won't immediately find in supermarkets. We stocked up and were ready to pay. No problem with credit cards. Finding the way back to the freeway is easy. We hope they never change, cause we love stopping at El Nopalito. read more

We ordered food here for a small party, the food was great and a hit with our guests. Ordering the food was easy and they had more affordable a la carte options compared to their competitors. They accidentally overcharged us which is an honest mistake but it really pissed us off that they demanded we come back within a couple hours if we wanted a refund. What kind of policy is that? You screw up Tony,, and expect us to leave in the middle of our party for you to correct your mistake?? So make sure you check your receipt and I hope management reads this and addresses this crappy policy. read more

Greasy Mexican food! A lifelong San Diego resident recommended this joint when asked where is the best guac! They add sour cream to their guacamole and we didn't like. Everything was really greasy. Even our children complained that their stomaches hurt after eating the carnitas burritos. Grease literally dripping out the bottom!! Never again! read more

An essential stop before any gathering is El Napolito Market. Their chips and salsa AMAZING! I have lots of gatherings at my house and people ask what they can bring. I request the chips and salsa by brand. Once a friend was at the grocery store when she called and asked what to get. I told her don't bring chips unless you get the real deal. An onsite tortilleria pumps out fresh corn tortillas all morning, hot steamy bags of goodness are available until the early afternoon. Fresh masa seems to be first come-first serve. This Hispanic grocery store with a little bit of produce, some drinks and a lot of meats. And from what I have heard that meat is the good stuff, people rave about it. You can also get some hard to find items like tortilla and lime presses, pinatas and those special Mexican style candies too. A couple of years ago this market burned down and times were tough for a couple of years. read more

Ain't nobody marinate carne asado like El Nopalito. NOBODY. This place is the bomb!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is a market over by Papa Tony's or the taco shop by 7-11. Same parking lot a few feet apart. Both places have their chips, guac, cheese and variety of salsa's for purchase. My favorite of their salsa is the fire roasted. The best fire roasted salsa I have ever tasted. The market offers a variey of meat marinated to perfection. The aforementioned carne asado. pollo adobo, pollo asado, carnitas, al pastor/ adobada, etc all at a very reasonable price. They offer catering and I did a pick up of carnitas and chicken asado, carne asado and beans and rice for 50 people and it was about $150.00 bucks. They cook it and pack it in a aluminum serving dish that fits right into the disposable wire frame chafer racks that you can get for cheap at Smart and Final. All very handy with barely any clean up. 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. read more

This review is for the market only. This is the real deal, amigos y amigas. Super fresh corn tortillas (I've never seen flour), excellent thick corn chips, fresh fresh guacamole and salsas, carne asada, pollo adobado, candies, pinatas, and all sorts of Mexican goodness here. My one (minor) complaint is that they cut the guacamole with sour cream. But I double dog dare you to buy the chips here and a tub of guacamole and not make a serious dent in it all in one day. And make sure you get the roasted salsa. It is great. Stay fat and hungry, my friends. read more

PLEASE NOTE the correct address.... El Nopalito has TWO Businesses in same parking lot BUT different building and different address! 1) El Nopalito Restaurant 582 Santa Fe (760) 436-9206 2) El Nopalito Market & Catering 560 Santa Fe (760) 436-5775 I saw they had Birria on the menu unfortunately they ONLY serve Birria on Sat & Sun and I came on a Friday, OK the wife and I are here we'll make due! you order and pay here http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/el-nopalito-encinitas?select=99NcsApGTVHpDClWSW8_iQ#6FOC5XOoj8ChoO0rNJsYYw have a seat and food is brought to the table, they make their own tortillas and chips which were fresh and tasty along with some nice salsa from their salsa bar http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/el-nopalito-encinitas?select=99NcsApGTVHpDClWSW8_iQ#CRMP258RcLV5miv79HB0sg Caldo de Res - http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/el-nopalito-encinitas?select=99NcsApGTVHpDClWSW8_iQ#irZgwPdPTQOE6PwIdXai8g Nice chunks of beef that was pretty lean, veggies were cooked well http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/el-nopalito-encinitas?select=99NcsApGTVHpDClWSW8_iQ#N8KEj8IoC4j_KxH8ImGtLQ very good 4-Star Tacos - ($2.70) http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/el-nopalito-encinitas?select=99NcsApGTVHpDClWSW8_iQ#m77XLWZnsedVcxryGty4kg Not your typical LA street taco these are on larger tortillas. Carnitas - http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/el-nopalito-encinitas?select=99NcsApGTVHpDClWSW8_iQ#AZTtttKUEiPoEAwc9yJM6g Too much guacamole, carnitas I didn't get any crispy pieces, what I did get was fairly moist with decent flavor, if not for the nice yellow corn tortilla this would be a sub-par taco! 3-Stars Al Pastor - http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/el-nopalito-encinitas?select=99NcsApGTVHpDClWSW8_iQ#W3SXDAsMawt_5VH2hbdaNQ I don't know HOW they are calling this Al Pastor other than it's Pork... #YouFail Breakfast Burrito - Bacon - http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/el-nopalito-encinitas?select=99NcsApGTVHpDClWSW8_iQ#UDE3DHhA5YjM64LW7thonw Taste was pretty good with some of their salsa roja! but if you actually look at the burrito you can see how LAZY this cook is! As you can see from this photo the Eggs are a complete mess http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/el-nopalito-encinitas?select=99NcsApGTVHpDClWSW8_iQ#DaFzPYzFPRfPUbEOe3o5dg I can tell you that they just cracked the eggs on the grill then took the spatula and moved them around to cook instead of scrambling them first, you can tell from all those whites and flat looking eggs. Could have used a bit more bacon, cheese was ample and beans were nice! a good burrito that could have been much better. 3-Stars AVG: 2.5-Stars read more

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My awesome Yelp Elite friend introduced me to this place. She was right, El Nopalito has good marinated carne asada and tortilla. Thanks for the recommendation! They have a corn tortilla mini factory inside the grocery store! I picked up a pack of 3-dozen medium size tortilla ($1.XX) and I was so surprised that it was still LUKE WARM. I wanted to eat it fresh so I quickly picked up a pound of marinated carne asada ($6.99/lb), drove home, and made a couple of carne asada tacos loaded with guac and salsa. Delicious! They have really good chips as well. A pretty big pack for $2.XX only. Great location, it's right off I5 with plenty of parking in that strip mall. read more

Sooooo good. The salsas are out of this world. I order food here just to provide a vesicle to shovel the salsa into my mouth. The salsa bar has Roasted Salsa, salsa Verde, avo salsa, extra spicy red salsa and a mild red salsa. Everyone of them is delicious and you can tell they are all made fresh. The sell all of there salsa in take home tubs as well. I took a tub of the Roasted Salsa (my favorite) to a friends dinner party and it was gone in less than 5 minutes. This just serves as validation that I'm not a salsa junky this stuff is just amazing. I always order 2 chicken tacos and they are beyond delicious. Deep fried crispy shell with shredded chicken, lettuce tomato, shredded and cotija cheeses. Definitely not a fun place to be on a diet but somehow they pack tons of flavor into what seems to be ordinary taco shop food. This place is authentic and delicious! read more

I discovered El Nopalito's roasted salsa at the Cardiff Seaside Market a couple years ago and have been obsessed with it ever since. I had no idea that it was a restaurant too until my friend told me about a month ago and we planned to grab lunch here later in the week. Unfortunately, some personal drama hindered my ability to actually enjoy my experience but I really wouldn't have enjoyed anything anywhere at that time. I plan to return again to give it another try on a less stressful day.That said, the few bites that I took of my carne asada were seasoned perfectly and if I had had more of an appetite, I would have scarfed it all down. The chips and salsa were just as good as I had imagined they would be. The restaurant unfortunately doesn't have any outdoor seating, which is bad news for my dogs who frequently dine with me. But I'd consider stopping in and grabbing some food to go. read more

Definitely the best Mexican food in Encinitas. LOVED me the carnitas taco, enchilada, and refried beans. Four stars to the carne asada plate. Pass on the tamale. It's slightly nicer on the inside than Juanitas or Filibertos, but not quite date-night worthy... an order at the front, eat in plastic chairs type of place. It seemed to be slightly more expensive than Encinitas comparables, but the increase in quality far outweighs the increase in price. The Nopalito market looks like a great place to get meats and other Mexican food necessities, and bonus points for being (or at least looking) cleaner than El Torito Market on the 101. This shopping center could really round itself out by adding a down-to-earth, blue-collar Mexican bar. Yes please. read more

Home made mole, ....costillas de puerco en salsa verde con nopales, carne asada plates, carnitas!!!!!! i could eat there everyday! hmmm.. wait .. I DO! They have opened their long awaited market which looks amazing and you can buy your own carne asada etc to take home and cook yourself for dinner or Charger games! Great article in the NC TIMES for 1/5/09 http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2009/01/04/news/coastal/encinitas/z23f1e9fc24fd88b58825753500175635.txt Lets not forget its a Tortilla Factory! Buy LOCAL FOLKS.... Support our local businesses! read more

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I'm writing about the market. Their tortilla chips are one of the best that I've tried, better than many local taco shops, Rubio's, chips that you get from grocery stores. Their salsas are delicious as well. And the carne asada in their meat section was very tasty! This is a good place to stop by if you want to make some tacos at home. read more

El Nopalito - Best tortilla chips ever - Mexican Near Me - Encinitas, California

Delicious and authentic . best in North county. Reasonably priced. Family run and friendly. The market is great too!

My husband raved about this place and tried to convince me it would be our replacement local Mexican spot. Unfortunately, this last order was completely screwed up. Our daughter's requested plain carne asada burrito (no guac/salsa) had guac and salsa fresca inside. My husband's chile relleno & carne asada burrito was missing the carne asada and my 2 taco combo had minimal beef in the tacos and rice that could have cracked my teeth. I would love to love this place as it's close and seems to have great reviews but we've never had all of our menu items come up with issues before. read more

Once again, thank you to all the fellow Yelpers for this find! Excellent beef and carne asada tacos and chips (they gave us an extra side for free!). No major complaints except the taco shells are a bit thick and there was a hefty amount of lechuga in there but this did not detract from how incredible the quality of meat the carne asada was. Top notch indeed, highly recommend read more

El Nopalito - 2 beef taco combo - Mexican Near Me - Encinitas, California

There should be a warning label on their chips and roasted salsa. When we host a party or just for a treat, we make sure we pick up a bag of chips and at LEAST one tub of their salsas. The good thing is that you can find this stuff in most Vons but the roasted salsa is very rarely in stock, due to its popularity. The cool thing about going to the brick-and-mortar is that they always have it in stock! As far as I know, every San Diegan knows about this devilish combination, but if you aren't aware then it's time to get your butt out and find a grocery store that carries El Napolito items. But seriously though, be forewarned- you're going to have trouble only eating a small amount. It's just so tasty... read more

El Nopalito is my go-to market for fresh, homemade corn tortillas, chips, and incredible salsas.

best mexican food ever! very easy to get and best tortilla chips and salsa highly recommend

I am basing my review off of one menu item...the regular breakfast burrito. I had originally gotten one in the morning before work a few weeks ago. My original thought was to never go back because if you can't get something as simple as an egg, potato, and bacon burrito right, why would I trust anything else? Well, on my way to work again today and I was starving, so I stopped on the way. "There's no way they consistently serve them THAT bad" I told myself. Boy was I wrong. Every bite is a mouthful of hard, half cooked potatoes, with bland wet eggs. They must only put like half a strip of bacon, because both times I only tasted bacon in one bite. Next time I am hungry, I will just go to the donut shop next door. read more

bought two $50 gift cards, December 2023 both people who have given the gift cards to have been unable to use them saying that they change computers and they cannot run the gift cards. There's a phone number on the back of the gift card to Carl and they show they have $50 on them, no one has called. We are now told that once the matter gets cleared up, they cannot use that in the restaurant only the market still waiting for a call from someone and it's going on almost a year and a half spend lotta money there and I feel this is very unacceptable. And the people there no worse because we're there all the time gave an attitude say out of his hands, I would not recommend buying a gift card there. and it's a shame that I can't support them anymore. Meanwhile, I have two gift cards they will not honor. all because of the computer all they need to do is call the back of the card while we're standing there and it says $50 very disappointing very disappointed with them read more

The grocery is great! The chips, salsa, meat, etc. is always high quality and tastes amazing. They are well-known in the area for being a one-stop shop for all of your Mexican food needs. The staff is very helpful and knowledgeable as well. I feel like when I shop here I'm getting authentic food that isn't found at a regular grocery store. Their restaurant is good too. I usually get a burrito or tacos. I will always come back to the grocery store when the need arises! read more

My cousin was craving a California Burrito so we decided to stop here because it was on the way back to LA. Honestly it wasn't that great. There was chunks of sour cream in the burrito that it was in the way of what I wanted to taste. They didn't have fries like usual CA burritos, but they had chunks of potatoes. The fish taco looked really authentic.... Idk this place was kind of bland and tatseless to me! read more

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Coach and I were down south for a soccer game and since we love their chips - we'd give the food a try. Staff very helpful and accommodating ....food y salsas were good however food is not on point. Small rest and few tables but still way better than franchised mex restaurants. Authentic not no Taco Bell...just saying read more

This review is for the CHIPS AND SALSA ONLY: When I lived in North County the place I worked @ in Carlsbad was constantly buying chips and salsa from this place. i think at least 1x/wk there was a bag of chips and a tub or 2 ff salsa from this place. I always wanted to go eat here but I Never made the time to drive to Encinitas. I tended to avoid that city if i could. If you havent tried the chips and salsa you must! read more

The way I can tell if a taqueria is good or just mediocre is by the clientele - if there is a mix of day laborers, families, surfers and "others", chances are the place is a good one. I used to come to El Nopalito all the time, but I stopped going to a gym nearby so it has been a couple years. I was recently reminded to revisit El Nopalito and my meal was excellent. I had the carne asada dinner, which I ordered with flour tortillas. Unfortunately, when I arrived home I realized the takeout bag didn't contain the flour tortillas. The salsa bar was also almost completely depleted - must've been a busy day at El Nopalito! My meat of choice at El Nopalito has historically been the carintas, so I'll order those next time. Good place. Very busy at peak times. Worth the wait. read more