La Nopalera Julington Creek — Restaurant in Florida

Most people who know me would agree that Mexican, Latino, Tex Mex, and Southwest cuisine is my absolute favorite, so when it comes to where I enjoy my meal...I take my reviews seriously. As I mentioned in a previous review, I am still new to the area and I have been searching for my new local "go to" mexican restaurant. I base my reviews on restaurants on 1. Quality of food 2. Atmosphere 3. Price 4. Value and 5. Service. I was disappointed with the LAST Mexican restaurant I went to so I didnt get my hopes up at this establishment but I was surprised with La Nopalera! The decor was perhaps teetering on the embellished side with a lot of decorations HOWEVER I would say it fit in nicely with the word "festive". Lots of artwork on walls although one or two of the pictures were somewhat eerie. We chose to sit on the patio which was very comfortable with soft white string lights and well manicured flowering bushes lining the fencing The salsa and chips were brought to our table immediately. The chips were a tad overcooked but still palatable but the house salsa was excellent. Rich tomato flavor but with a hint of jalapeno for a kick and a nice hint of cilantro for a nice finish. The consistency was good to, not too runny nor thick...just right! I ordered their spicier salsa. It had a good kick to it but it had a taste of what I believe was Cumin and it made it hard to fully enjoy without thinking of a bowl of chili. The prices were just about spot on for what one would expect of a Mexican Restaurant...I ordered the Carnitas and the Mrs. ordered a chicken quesadilla. WOW, the portion of meat on my plate was enormous...I couldnt finish. The pork was cooked excellent and it was very easy to shred and put on a tortilla. It came with a little fajita fresh side (little bit of guac, lettuce, pico, and a pickled jalapeno). My only recommendation would perhaps add some spanish rice in lieu of the lettuce. Drinks were reasonably priced as well with a domestic draft about $3. 2 people ate very well and had drinks for less than $35. I recommend this establishment if you are looking for a good meal on any unassuming evening or perhaps a Friday night meal with a few beers! The service was friendly and kind but we DID seem to wait a good while for our food and our check,,,we started to think they forgot about us outside. Otherwise 4 out of 5 and we WILL be...

Disappointed in my most recent experience to the point that I will not go back to this location. Not just a lack of customer service but outright rudeness by a person who seemed to be a manager. To further explain, I ordered chips & queso plus margaritas to go. The food was delivered and I paid then noticed there was no salsa. The employee had already walked off by this time. No problem at this point. Life is good and I just wanted to ask if the queso/chips also included salsa because every other location, plus Rosie’s on Old St Augustine Rd, always gives chips/salsa with our to go orders. A person, who I can only assume was an ill mannered manger approached and asked, , “What’s the problem?” With a load of attitude. I had no problem, the other two servers who had approached me were polite and seemed to understand the service industry as I do having worked for years as a waitress. I simply responded by asking if the chips/queso came with salsa too. She yanked my bag open and commenced to tell me what I ordered as if I didn’t know that already. She then walked off before I could even have a response. With Cantina Louie and Rosie’s Mexican Restaurant providing a better dining experience, it’s an easy decision to NOT give my hard earned money to this place.

The manager of this location needs serious customer service training. Ordered a to go and was waiting to ask if it came with chips and salsa but was met with “what’s the problem” after already having weird attitude. Won’t be back and don’t recommend for others. Put your hard earned money...

La Nopalera: A Culinary Catastrophe Wrapped in a Tortilla of Regret

If you've ever wondered what it’s like to eat a microwave dinner served on the surface of the sun, boy do I have the place for you. Welcome to La Noparela, where the food is cold, the plates are hot, and the disappointment is piping.

First off, the margarita I ordered came in what I can only assume was a repurposed solo cup. With its unimpressive size of 8-10oz’s. Unfortunately it was 95% ice, 4% sour mix, and 1% sadness. I’ve had stronger drinks at a toddler’s birthday party. Somewhere, a lime wedge gave its life for this, and frankly, it deserved better.

The enchiladas arrived cold, like they’d been emotionally distant their whole lives. Meanwhile, the plates were hotter than my failed Hinge dates. I now have third-degree burns on my fingertips and trust issues.

Service was prompt, I’ll give them that, like they couldn’t wait to get the food away from the kitchen. Our server delivered each dish with the kind of caution normally reserved for biohazard containers. I now understand why my tacos were colder than a mother-in-law’s stare, yet somehow fused to the plate to the table like molten steel on the hull of the Titanic.

Final verdict? Come for the comedy, stay because you're stuck to the seat. Would give zero stars if Yelp had a "please help me" button.

1/5 stars—but only because Yelp won’t let me go lower. Would I come again? Only if I’m being punished for...