El Nopal Mexican Restaurant — Restaurant in Dover

El Nopal: A Fiesta with a Few Minor Twists (4 stars)

El Nopal transported me to a fiesta of vibrant flavors and warm hospitality, but a few unexpected notes kept it from reaching cinco estrellas territory. Let's break down the delicious and the delicate:

The Good:

Flavor Fiesta: Each dish boasted bold, authentic flavors that left my taste buds tangoing. The mole was rich and complex, the carnitas sizzled with juicy perfection, and the guacamole held a delightful spark of lime. Warm Welcome: The staff embraced us with genuine smiles and attentive service. They happily answered questions, made recommendations, and ensured our glasses were never empty. Festive Atmosphere: Vibrant colors adorned the walls, lively music set the mood, and the air buzzed with happy chatter. El Nopal exudes a contagious energy that puts a smile on your face. Portion Perfection: Each plate arrived generously filled, offering excellent value for the price. We left both satisfied and with leftovers for a fiesta encore at home.

The Needs Tweaking:

Salsa Serenade: While the chips were warm and crisp, the salsa lacked a bit of punch. A touch more spice or acidity would have made it a perfect partner for the chips. Ambiance Askew: The lively music was fantastic, but at times, it competed with the conversations at our table. Perhaps adjusting the volume slightly would allow for both enjoyment without sacrificing communication. Minor Mishaps: A missing side dish and a slightly undercooked enchilada were quickly rectified by the staff, but they did slightly dim the initial spark of perfection.

Overall:

El Nopal is a vibrant and flavorful fiesta for your senses. The authentic dishes, warm service, and infectious atmosphere make it a great choice for a casual Mexican night out. With a few minor adjustments to the salsa, ambiance, and consistency, it has the potential to become a five-star favorite. I'll definitely be back for another round, salsa serenade and all!

Recommendations:

Try the mole - it's a true masterpiece! Don't be shy about asking for adjustments to spice levels. Go early on weekends to avoid the lively (but sometimes loud) atmosphere.

I hope this 4-star review helps you decide if El Nopal is the right fiesta for you!...

Just horrible! I ordered the chicken burrito, steak burrito, enchiladas ( 2 cheese, 1 chicken, 1 beef ), and the chicken, steak and shrimp fajita platter. The steak on the burrito was cold. The enchiladas were SMOTHERED in mole sauce, the chicken enchilada had no seasoning and was dry, the beef enchilada was just plain fried hamburger. The refried beans were runny, probably because they were dehydrated instant beans. The fajitas tasted good after you get past the pound of fried peppers, but you only get extra small tortillas to put it on. The server (if you can call her that ) brought out the food with no plates to put anything on and only 2 sets of plastic ware. We had 3 in our party and I had to go ask for plates and more forks. When she came to check on us she asked if we were doing ok. I told her everything was terrible, she told someone behind the counter what I said. Nobody came to follow up on that. When I cashed out they still didn't ask how anything was. We hardly ate any of the food, nor did we take it with when we left. I honestly don't know how they have the good reviews that they have. But, my son is in the Air Force here and he'll be sure to tell the rest on base they should skip this place and just go...

I ate here for the first time today and I'm honestly speechless. I've eaten alot of tacos at alot of different places, and these just took first place. I got the birria and the al pastor, both mind-blowingly delicious. I went inside to place a to-go order of 8 tacos (4 of each). The nice girl who took my order told me it would be about 12 minutes, but it felt like much less than that. The side of sauce the birria comes with is so savory and perfectly compliments the taco and I wish I had a gallon of it. The al pastor is so tender and flavorful, I wish it was bottomless. Both varieties came with the perfect amount of cilantro and onion. Another thing I was very happy to see is the lime wedges! All too often I get dried up sad little lime wedges with my tacos, but these were some phat limes and were so juicy, perfect for squeezing over tacos!

This place also has a great selection of jarritos! I don't see the guava one in stores too often anymore so I had to get one while I was here today.

Thank you for a wonderful...