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Nelly's Mexican Food

4.5 (220 reviews)
InexpensiveMexican, Fast Food

Order Nelly's Mexican Food Takeout or Delivery

Nelly's Mexican Food Photos

NELLY'S MEXICAN FOOD ATMOSPHERE

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

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Recommended Reviews - Nelly's Mexican Food

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Amazing affordable Mexican food!
K K.

"Amazing affordable Mexican food! So glad we found this little gem on our trip to Balboa. Flautas and taquitos were my kids' favorite, but I loved the flavor in the asada tacos the most! Honestly, I can't even feed my family of 4 at McDonald's for what we paid at Nelly's!"

Asada wet burrito with green salsa
Heidi R.

Quick and amazing customer service. Nelly and her mother are super nice and friendly. Cozy restaurant and a lot of kindness. Thank you so much for the experience 100% reccomend

Chile Verde Burrito
TinaMarie K.

Everything was fantastic! We decide to try this little spot out. They do not disappoint! Their menu is no frills and to the point. The service was excellent, they were very helpful and friendly. We decided to order a chile verde burrito and a bean cheese burrito. They were both delicious! We took our order to go and they packed us up chips and salsa to go with our burritos. we can't wait to go back.

Pork in Chile verde
Jacqueline H.

Our first time here. Followed the positive reviews. The food was good. Unfortunately their "aguas frescas" are from a mix, too sweet and the preservative leaves an after taste. The service is courteous and friendly. Prices are reasonable. Is wheelchair accesible, the tables are at average height.

Three taco combo, hits the spot and only $9.99.
Krissy R.

My coworker and I used to come here all the time, for the last couple of years we haven't because we got into a rut of going to the same places over and over closer to our work. I reminded her of this place the other day and we thought it would be nice to go again as we always enjoyed their food. So we went and it was as tidy and presentable as always, Nelly and her mother run the business together and remember all their customers. The mom in particular is very warm spirited and engages in conversations with her regulars, she makes you feel at home and like family. She recognized us right away and was very joyful that we stopped by, her smile lights up a room. We both ordered the three taco combo plate which includes your choice of meat, rice, and beans. The tortillas are lightly grilled with a bit of cooking oil which gives it that extra touch of love as they are lightly crisp which enhances any taco, no soggy tortillas falling apart here. I got one carne asada taco, one chicken, and last but defintely not least the tender carnitas which I requested chipotle sauce and guacamole on top. All the tacos had a generous amount of fresh meat, the rice was so good too! Next time I will get double rice, it is that scrumptious. I saw agua de pina and a sign that offers tacos for $1.99 on taco tuesdays. We will be coming back soon, we were pleased with the food and nurturing service. One last thing, the chips are perfectly fried and go great with their refried beans and salsas!

Outside view
Valerie V.

Stopped at a near market to this little restaurant, we were hungry decided to grab a bite cute cozy, nice service food was ok, the tacos didn't really have flavor though and my bf liquado tasted spicy I'm pretty sure cause of the blender but he said the chilaquiles were good

Insect in my drink.
Sean A.

Was passing by thought I would try this place based on the reviews definitely would not come back to this place. Nothing was clean, and as I was finishing up my drink, I noticed some type of insect inside the container. I had the three chicken enchilada plate. I would only give it about a 5 out of 10 rating.

Green chile plate
Ignacio Israel M.

Little mom and pop Mexican restaurant with a delicious green chile plate pair that with a Mexican coke and you are in for a treat, definitely would come back

2 shredded beef hard shell tacos
Evangelina R.

My wife and I stumbled upon this small business one day , I'm so glad we did . Wife asked for bean and cheese burritos so we , of course RUN to Yelp . Nellys comes up it's not a far drive so we go . The bean and cheese burritos are so good then we discover the hard shell tacos . You can do chicken or shredded beef , They come with lettuce,tomatoes, I think it's cojita cheese not sure, and crema. SO GOOD ! My daughter tried the cheese enchiladas she loved them my mother n law has tried the chilaquiles, those are good . So far everything we've tried was delicious give . Side note the woman who works there she's sweet ,

Pozole

My cousin and I are here this morning. We got birria, pozole, a pastor taco and a carnitas taco. Unfortunately, I didn't get the name of the lady that was working there, but the service was incredible. We dined in and she checked on us multiple times. Food was absolutely incredible and felt like home. We can't wait to try more things on the menu and will definitely be coming back!

Art inside the little restaurant 12/11/21

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7 months ago

Great food and service! Tacquitos are the best, they make them to order. Everything we have tried had been very good.

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5 months ago

The restaurant is cozy and felt like I was back home. But the food needs improvement, meat was overcooked. No good food options for kids.

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Great food as always! Very friendly. I'm happy this place is so close to me. I always get the menudo here.

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1 year ago

Amazing and responsive service! Good food with little wait time! Wet burrito was amazing definitely coming back!

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I usually order the burrito since the asada has great flavor. Kind people and quick service. Support your local spot!

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Business owner information

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Nelly C.

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3 years ago

Hole in the wall. Made to order food. Asada was a little chunky and a tad bit bland, but overall it was good.

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Ask the Community - Nelly's Mexican Food

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This review is specific to this location and based on the overall understanding that you have had…read moreDel Taco before and you are a fan of their offerings, thus it is an evaluation of the other factors and independent variables that are unique to each respective location. Let's get started! Access - Easy access right off Telegraph, 5 and 605 freeways. Cleanliness - The few times that I have been inside (I typically drive thru) it has been fairly clean, what you would expect and mostly average in that regard. Food - Good news folks, it's Del Taco. No frills, no tricks, nothing special about this location in this regard, good or bad. I guess that in itself is a good thing though. Bad for the environment, bad for your and animal's health, but perhaps slightly good for the soul, occasionally. Service - I have been at least 20 times in the last 3 years and have yet to have an exceptionally poor experience, or anything that sticks out in my mind, again, good or bad. Parking - It's there, I've never seen the lot full. Other - They are getting docked 1 star because they do not have the 30 oz. iced tea for $1, very upsetting. I believe it is $2.49 at this particular location. Overall - It's a good Del Taco folks, go satisfy your cravings. Be mindful and try not to indulge in it too often!

Restaurant was clean and music wasn't too loud. Staff were very helpful. Food came up fast and was…read morefresh and hot. Great Del Taco right off the freeway.

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Dirt Dog Downey - Veggie Dog. Ok

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There aren't many places that specialize in crafting a wide variety of hot dogs near me so when I…read morecrave a glizzy, I like to order from Dirt Dog. Not only do they have many unique glizzies, but they also offer burgers. I've tried the following: - House Dog, which is their classic glizzy that comes with grilled veggies, house spread, mayo, mustard ketchup, and bacon bits. - Dirty Chili Dog, which comes with 100% premium all beef Nathan's 5/1 dog wrapped in center-cut bacon, chorizo chili, cheddar sauce, onion, cilantro, chipotle aioli, and bacon bits. - Elote Dog, which also comes with Nathan's 5/1 dog wrapped in center-cut bacon, corn, lime mayo, cotija cheese, chili powder, cilantro, and bacon bits. -Dirty Fries, which comes with chili-lime seasoning served with spicy ketchup. - Dirty Esquite, which is their version of the traditional Mexican street corn (elote). This side dish has lime mayo, cotija cheese, chili powder, cilantro, and bacon bits. - Single (burger), which has a single patty, American cheese, and caramelized onions on a brioche bun. I really like all of their street corn items: the Dirty Esquite and the Elote Dog. The House Dog and Dirty Chili Dog are your classic flavors, and you can't go wrong with either. Next time I want to try the LA Cheesesteak Dog and the DUI Dog, which in addition to the usual Nathan's 5/1 dog, center-cut bacon, bacon bits, it also comes with pastrami, carne asada, cheddar cheese, chipotle aioli, and cilantro.

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Shake Shack Downey

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I wouldn't recommend Shake Shack…read more I paid about $11 for just the burger, and it was much smaller than I expected. The bottom bun was already soggy by the time I parked to eat it, even though I only drove a very short distance from the restaurant. The burger was juicy, but it was also incredibly sloppy, and the bun was too small to hold everything together. On top of that, it was way too salty. I like seasoning, but this had more salt than I could enjoy. For the price, I expected a much better burger. Between the small size, soggy bun, and overly salty taste, I don't think it was worth the money. I won't be ordering it again.

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Nelly's Mexican Food - mexican - Updated October 2026

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