El Nopal — Restaurant in Carrollton

An impromptu stop on our way home from Louisville brought us into El Nopal in Carrollton. Last year, we had eaten at their Eminence location and were blown away by how unexpectedly wonderful our meals were. You see an ordinary looking restaurant in a strip mall in a small town and don't expect extraordinary food, right? So, we hoped lightning would strike twice for us, and we were not disappointed.

Again, the mundane exterior belied the superb feast that awaited us. The restaurant and bathrooms were spotless. There was a small bar up front and tons of tables and booths. We were impressed how they were spaced out, so tables weren't right on top of each other. You wouldn't feel like you're involuntarily sharing a meal (and conversation) with everyone around you. Our server was incredibly friendly and attentive, without ever being intrusive.

My husband and I shared a double order of chicken fajitas. Our son ordered three beef soft tacos, and we all shared a bowl of queso. With our chips, our server also brought two salsas: one mild and one medium. Our son was most thrilled that the queso wasn't thin and runny. It coated the chips on the first dip!

When our food came out, the sweet gentleman delivering it made sure to warn us which plates were dangerously hot and which were warm but safe to touch. I was instantly excited to see such a perfect ratio of chicken to veggies. More often than not, most places pile the skillet with onions, a handful of green peppers, and a paltry amount of chicken. Oh no, not this joint. We were chicken RICH, and the veggies were fresh and plentiful! The plates with our rice, beans, and toppings were generous as well. When we were finishing up and asked for boxes, she also made us drinks to go and thoughtfully brought a bag to help carry our bounty.

This (and the first) experience was such a delight, and I can't wait to go back. I can't speak for every El Nopal in KY, but if the other locations are even a fraction as superb as the two we've visited, you are in...

Pork tacos were awful. Pork was either reheated in microwave or over cooked. Rubber. They dropped one plate of tacos, which was no problem. Things happen, and no one is perfect. I said, "No worries." They immediately came with another plate of Rubber Pork tacos. When the wait for food was about 22 minutes. My educated guess is that it is precooked and nuked. Beans tasted out of the can. Rice didn't have authentic flavor and was cold, dry, and pasty. The presentation of food was beautiful, and even the mishap with the plate of food being dropped wasn't a big deal. But It honestly did bring unwanted stares and embarrassment. I've eaten at a few different locations. They are all the same,disappointing. I have only found two great authentic mexican restaurants. One in Buffalo, New York, and the other is in Shelbyville, KY, across the street from Thornton gas station. I won't name drop because that's rude to a local business that is probably under poor management or lack of pride. El Nopal is a chain, though. Like McDonald's and the fear of quality being lost to chain stores, I think it has happened here. Shame. I love beans and rice and usually always get a side of each , added to the meal. I know a refried bean. Those are fake out the can. I'd bet my life. The microwave also. They definitely wouldn't have fooled kitchen nightmares. I'm just saying. I wanted to take my wife out to eat, just having surgery 3 days prior. Her desire for great taco diminished into a horrible night out and a terrible waste of money. The atmosphere wasn't inviting either. Does everyone hate their hob these days? I know everyone has different tastes , but this is definitely not the stop for you if you want good authentic Mexican cuisine. Just being honest, sorry El Nopal. If it's to save money or time, don't. It's worth the wait for a freshly made meal. Even the limes seemed like they were already cut, room temperature from sitting out with the rest of the beans and rice in warming food buffet in the...

Well, the place looks great, the food was excellent, it was a busy time Friday night (but not full) and although we were impressed with the food our service was subpar. A woman seated us..then walked off. She came back 5 minutes later and introduced herself as our server.. we ordered drinks and two waters. She did return with our drinks promptly but forgot our water. We selected what we wanted to eat and waited patiently at this point 15 minutes had passed by I walked up to the bar and asked for water. She walked past me and I told her we needed our water. At that time she did bring those to us.. We told her we were ready to order.

He had a burrito, I ordered quesadilla Verde, because that included guacamole. At that time I explained I did not want lettuce.

It took some time to get our order (assuming that we came in on the end of a rush), I finished my drink we still hadn't seen our server for some time. The manager was going from table to table to ask if everything was okay and I flagged him over to our table and said we really needed drinks and had not seen our server. At that moment she walked up to the table the manager turned around and walked off. She came back with my drink but failed to bring a drink for my friend, I guess she did not confirm with him what he wanted. I must say the drinks were excellent no complaints on the drinks

Where am I food arrived I had no side items other than rice. So started eating, she didn't check on our table and I did not want to eat my mail without the sides, I had to flag someone down again Ask for the rest of side items were?? Although I had ordered my meal specifically to include guacamole she assumed because I didn't want lettuce I didn't want anything else. At that time they did deliver the side items.

I would hope next time she would be more aware and pay closer attention because she got a 10% tip for her inability to keep track of our table.

Again food was excellent., drinks were excellent, ...