La Nopalera Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Beaufort

FIRST OF ALL I WISH I COULD RATE THIS PLACE -10 STARS!!!

I don't know why I am bothering to write this review other than I am ONCE AGAIN PISSED OFF at just how CRAPPY my once favorite Mexican restaurant has become. Abraham the Owner / Manager (Someone I have always considered a Good Friend in the Food Business as that is what I do for a living also), started this place many years ago and my family and I have supported this place for more than a decade now and with each passing year the past 5 or so years the food has gotten worse and the service matches for being HORRIBLE! The prices have gone up DRAMATICALLY and the portions have gone down equally as DRAMATICALLY!

When you dine in, you have to ask REPEATEDLY OVER AND OVER AND OVER for even the slightest of things and then your server VANISHES and comes back to drop your food on your table, does an about face and then vanishes again till time to come work you for a Tip!

You MAY get a refill after you ask 500 times and when you ask for Napkins, YOU MAY get ONE at a time brought by your now PISSED OFF AND RUDE SERVER who God forbid you actually expect to do their job.

You can order you food without many things you may not want as sides or topping but of course they give you no discount even though they are profiting more by saving Food Cost on your deletion BUT if you ask for just a little more cheese or pretty much anything, you can count on being NICKLE AND DIMED to death for it at check out!

Today, my Mother and I are home sick for days with a Severe Cold and my Father is in ICU at Beaufort Memorial Hospital, so my Brother a local Pastor went and ordered for us my favorite thing from La Nopalera Bisteq and Peppers and for Mom Fajita Nachos.

I told him to MAKE 100%CERTAIN that he got TWO LARGE SALSAS in addition to the TWO THE ORDER WAS SUPPOSED TO COME WITH because MANY times I had called an order in, had it brought to me and found out that they sure as hell charged me for the TWO LARGE SALSAS like they did my Brother today and LIED saying it was in the bag, knowing full well they LIED and hadn't put it in there at all!

So when he brought it to the houseyou guessed it! Not only were the TWO SALSAS both meals were to come with, they ALSO didn't include the TWO LARGE SALSAS HE PAID FOR!!!

My Bisteq and Peppers which is Ribeye Steak with Pepper and Onion was nearly a cinder burnt and dry as an old sock and equal in taste I would guess. The Peppers and Onion didn't even cover a 1/5th of the so called Rib Eye aka Horse steak probably and the beans and rice weren't enough to feed a toddler. Moms Fajita Nachos might have fed a 5 year old IF he'd already just ate Thanksgiving at Grandmas house.

I have complained FAR TOO MANY TIMEs directly to Abraham who while a very nice guy gets INSTANTLY defensive and NEVER, NOT ONCE has offered our money back or to give us the whole meal again free as ANY GOOD FOOD VENDOR or REPUTABLE Restaurant would WHO ACTUALLY VALUED THEIR CUSTOMERS!!!

Now, they have opened a Second location on Ladys Island and it is run the EXACT same way!!!

I will NEVER again spend one cent at EITHER location nor will my ENTIRE FAMILY of LONG TIME La Nopalera supporters.

ENOUGH of these restaurants getting big off of our and your HARD EARNED dollars, then TREATING us like "S" and getting by with it.

SHAME ON YOU Abraham and La Nopalera,...

Vegetarian food had meat. 😤

The place and setting were nice enough and it looks like a lot of people liked to have their meal here based on other reviews. For a Friday evening though it was a fairly manageable crowd with many empty tables.

We we're directed to the table and a waitress quickly came by. We wanted all vegetarian food. I ordered off their vegetarian menu section, all the 4 items that they were offering. I specifically told her I wanted black beans and the cheese on the side. This was an additional requirement however she seemed to have understood that I just needed those 2 ingredients and my burrito and the chalupa just had black beans for filling and no vegetables. She did bring out the pico de Gallo with it and I let it pass as a language problem, because I knew we also had vegetarian fajitas coming that we had not specified any changes for and we could all share the veggies.

We ate the food half way when we noticed our Fajitas had pieces of meat. We we're horrified. For someone who practices vegetarianism not only for cruelty to animals sake but also for religion this was a big deal.

I still wanted to be polite and called the waitress and informed her. She looked at my plate and said, some one might have dropped it in there and shrugged that it was just a piece of steak. I told her I was very dissatisfied and wanted the check. She non chalantly walked away without a single apology or sorry. Handed us a bill. Neither the owner nor the chef came to apologise. We felt very hurt.

Many times being a vegetarian in the USA and eating out means taking chances, however we try to be careful about what to order and how. The least the restaurant could do was apologise. It seemed that they are just unscrupulous about it. For someone from a cultural background that thinks cow meat is unpardonable, having a piece in the food has left a bad taste in my mouth that will make me eat PBAnd J sandwiches on vacations...

We visited this restaurant on February 12th around 8:30 PM, drawn in by the sign advertising "Authentic Mexican Food." Unfortunately, our experience was far from that.

Upon arrival, we noticed many tables around us had not been cleaned, which suggested the restaurant was short-staffed. While I understand these challenges, it set an early red flag. Our waiter did his best, so I don’t place much blame on him.

I ordered Combo #10, which was advertised as a burrito, taco, and enchilada. As someone who has enjoyed Mexican cuisine for years, I was surprised when my taco arrived with a hard shell—something rarely found in authentic Mexican restaurants. Even more concerning, the burrito and enchilada were simply flour tortillas wrapped around unseasoned ground beef, covered in enchilada sauce. There were no additional ingredients, seasonings, or any of the expected flavors.

When we questioned the waiter, he had to bring the manager. After some time, the manager finally arrived, but rather than addressing the issue professionally, she immediately became defensive. Instead of acknowledging the concern, she responded with, “Where are you from? That’s just how we do it here.” She claimed no one had ever complained and justified the dish by saying the combos were cheap.

This was never about the price—it was about a misleading menu and disappointing experience. If the restaurant advertises itself as authentic Mexican, the food and preparation should reflect that. Dismissing a reasonable concern by implying that I was the problem was both unprofessional and frustrating.

Overall, the food was mediocre at best, and the way management handled feedback was unacceptable. Given the high reviews, I can only assume this is considered good Mexican food by local standards, but it did not meet the expectations set by the restaurant’s...