El Nopal Blankenbaker — Restaurant in Jeffersontown

4/26/2024

Tonight 28 of Swan Pointe’s Homeowners Association residents went to el Nopal Blankenbaker for dinner. Our servers tonight were Ana and Ricardo. We seated ourselves at the long row of tables and looked over the menu as Ana took our drink orders. She brought back the drinks and without any problems at all, they were quickly delivered to the correct person. El Nopal had a very extensive menu so it took me a while to decide what I wanted but soon Ana and Ricardo were taking each person’s orders. They were very quick taking the orders. I thought they did a great job. There were about 4 large parties there tonight but it wasn’t long until our food started coming out from the kitchen. Ana did a great job telling the food runners who the plates belonged to. The food was really good. There was quite a variety of items ordered. My husband’s Carne Asada was at least 10 inches long and was full of chicken. My Steak Quesadilla was rather large and had plenty of Steak and Queso inside. There were several Taco Salads ordered as well as Chicken Chimichangas, and quite a few Burritos. Several people had Tortilla Chicken Soup in the biggest soup bowls I’ve ever seen. Everyone seemed really happy and had a great time. Ana also did a great job passing out the checks and getting credit cards back to the correct person. We want to thank the Owner for his hospitality tonight.The staff was so friendly and the restaurant is large and there is plenty of room for everyone. It never was so loud that you couldn’t talk to your friends across the tables. If you’re in the Blankenbaker area and are hungry for Mexican food or a Margarita, el Nopal Blankenbaker is located at 1610 Ky...

We ordered on DoorDash and spent $40 on 2 meals. As a previous waitstaff employee, I understand that employees don’t make tips off of DoorDash and it’s kind of a pain in the butt. However, the way we were treated by this location was abhorrent.

My boyfriend ordered the tacos de asada which is described as being served with pico de gallo and tomatillo sauce. The order arrived and it was only chicken on a tortilla. Mistakes happen, but this is not the first time this mistake has been made from this location for us.

He called and asked to file a complaint and the phone was handed to a man who immediately had a sour attitude. he advised us that on DoorDash, the restaurant is unable to see the specific toppings on orders. That’s understandable but if that’s the case then your location does not need to be delivering through DoorDash.

Additionally, while this order has been wrong in the past, there are times that it has been perfect. What’s preventing them from uniformity?

Even if what the manager said is the case, which it very well may be, it is certainly not our fault. We spent $20 on those three tacos just for essentially an overpriced plain chicken sandwich. The man advised my boyfriend to not be rude while he was simply airing his concerns. Afterwards, when he said that remaking the tacos was pointless as we ordered delivery anyways, the manager abruptly hung up on him.

All in all, the mistakes made on the order would not be a big deal had there been some level of empathy and accountability from the establishment that made $40 from our disappointment. You may eat here and love the food but on the off chance that you don’t, I wouldn’t recommend...

El Nopal has pretty much taken over the Mexican Cuisine in and around the greater Louisville area. It is a large chain so finding an El Nopal location is relatively simple and fast with many to chose from. They have an extensive menu of most the things you will see at traditional Mexican restaurants.

Every location including this one has been clean and well kept up. Service is always friendly and fast, and the accuracy of the chain, on the whole, is outstanding.

I recently dined in this location to meet an old friend for a mid-day meal. We were seated quickly, and our drink order arrived before we had a chance to open the menu. Our server was great, he watched and did not hurry us but took our order as soon as we had made a selection.

The food was consistent with other location of this chain and tasty, not spectacular or great but it was fresh and of generous portions. I have always thought El Nopal's food was on the bland side of Mexican cuisine but I enjoy spice and what I prefer would not be palatable to most people with the level of spice I enjoy. They bring you a basket of chips with a decanter of salsa and our chips never ran out. Again, for me, the salsa was a tomato puree, but my friend thought it was hot as served while I added hot sauce to mine.

Price, El Nopal is a bargain with decent food, large portions and most entrees priced between $8 and $12. I do miss many of the mom and pop family run places that have become El Nopal but understand the resturant business is challengeing and El Nopal has found the right recipe to...