El Nopal Mexican Cuisine Gardiner Ln — Restaurant in Louisville

I used to never go to El Nopal because nothing interested me; My boyfriend finally introduced me to Carnitas, and I love it; I always get the Carnitas with double rice, no refried beans.

The rice is always on point, and very delicious. Sometimes, their portion sizes are very generous, other times it's very meh.

Today's visit in particular, we had two different orders of chips and salsa brought to the table, and they were pretty burnt; As someone who's worked in restaurants and managed them, I'd be willing to bet they hadn't changed their grease by around 3PM when we came. The second basket actually had even darker chips, so I'd be willing to bet more than anything it was the oil.

Sometimes the Carnitas can be huge, sometimes they can be small; Sometimes they can be chewy, and other times, you can't even cut into them with your knife, or even bite into it, it's so hard. This can be small pieces, or a decent chunk of the Carnitas.

The staff are usually very attentive, though after frequent visits, there are a few who don't check on their tables, even after getting someone else to get something for you, like a refill, cause your waitress has been gone for 10+ minutes and you're out of drinks.

Today as we were handed our check, our waitress spilled my tea on me and into my booth by accident. She was very apologetic, and I helped her clean it up. I felt so bad because she just kept saying "I'm so sorry" as we worked together to clean it up, meanwhile two other staff just stood there and watched; Didn't offer to get a broom for the ice, didn't offer to get her a mop, or a rag to help clean the booth properly, nothing to help. They just stood there. Watching. Kinda irked me that they just didn't do anything and stood a few feet away gawking at it.

All in all, consistency could be better across the board, and especially making sure that sugar is added to sweet tea (today it was not, and I was told by my waitress that somebody forgot to add it, and she made sure I got sweet tea; She really was the bomb today, even with the accident at the end), and that grease is...

This is THE WORST RESTAURANT IN ALL OF LOUISVILLE KY!! HORRIBLE SERVICE. I AM 55 YEARS OLD, I WAS HARASSED, HUMILIATED, AND EMBARRASSED BY THE ENTIRE STAFF. HORRIFYING EXPERIENCE OUT OF THE 1940'S. NO LIE. I SAT DOWN IN THE RESTAURANT ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RESTAURANT. I AM ACTUALLY A MYSTERY SHOPPER. ( GO FIGURE RIGHT?)... SO, EVIDENTLY,.... EVEN THOUGH I WAS DRESSED UP, AND ALONE?? BLACK PEOPLE AREN'T WELCOME HERE. AS, THEY APPARENTLY THOUGHT I WAS TRYING TO STEAL, ( GET THIS)... CHIPS AND SALSA!!!!!??????? LORD JESUS!!!!... I SERIOUSLY COULD NOT BELIEVE IT!!!!!!!! ACTUALLY I JUST STOPPED IN FOR A QUICK APPETIZER AS I WAS FINISHING A MYSTERY SHOP I HAD JUST COMPLETED, AND I WAS DOING MY DOCUMENTATION NOTES VIA MY PHONE DETAIL PROGRAM. MIND YOU I HAVE BEEN AN EXECUTIVE UPPER MANAGEMENT EMPLOYEE FOR OVER 32 YEARS!!!!!! SO , AS I AM NOW TRAUMATIZED BY THEIR LACK OF PROFESSIONALISM , THEIR OUTRIGHT CRUDE, RUDE, OBNOXIOUS BEHAVIOR THINKING I WAS TRYING TO STEAL THEIR GOLD RIDDEN FREE ,...MIND YOU...CHIPS AND SALSA. OH MY GOD I'M RETRIGGERED. ANYWHO, I MOST CERTAINLY PAID THEIR $2.65 " SUDDEN" TICKET, ??!!!. I CALLED THE POLICE AS I LEFT THIS PLACE IN TEARS THINKING ...WOW... BROWN ON BROWN RACISM JUST OCCURRED!!???????? THE WAITRESSES DON'T

EVEN REMEMBER ME FROM PREVIOUS VISITS AS I AM ALSO AN ASSISTANT OPTOMETRIST!!!!!!!!!! THAT EATS THERE FREQUENTLY ON MY LUNCH BREAK????( PREJUDICE BLINDS YOU I GUESS). SO..........I HAVE ONE THING TO SAY: " DEAR EL NAPOL...I HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN YOU... I'LL SEE YOU IN COURT, PLEASE LAWYER UP!!! BECAUSE I SURE HAVE".... END IF THE " VERY TRUE" STORY "!! NOT SO FUNNY NOW IS IT???? I TRIED TO TELL YOU, BUT YOU GUYS WOULDN'T LISTEN. DECENCY, AND KINDNESS IS FREE. AND REMEMBER THIS, GOD SEES ALL!! NOT...

I have always enjoyed the food at the several El Nopal restaurants I have visited throughout Louisville. They've all been clean, and have a pleasant ambience but this one seems not have an adequate sense of what good customer service should look like. It was 1:30 and except for me and the staff, the place was empty until 2 more customers came in. If I'm done with my meal, in need of a take-home box or bill and see that a restaurant is busy, I accept the fact I might have to wait a while to get a server's attention. This day, in a nearly empty restaurant I could see my server doing nothing. She never came by to ask if I needed anything during the meal. When I was ready to take home my uneaten food, I sat for several minutes giving clear signals I was done. I finally stood, grabbed a nearby Styrofoam box, scraped my food into it, still standing, giving clear indication I was ready to go. But my server, whom I could still see seated, didn't look my way. People in this country have a reasonable expectation of a pleasant EXPERIENCE at a restaurant. It doesn't take extraordinary effort for a server to provide that, in addition to the basic effort of taking an order and delivering it. Ignoring or being oblivious to a customer's needs is ultimately a management failure. When a server is put on the floor it is the job of MANAGEMENT to ensure that each server understands the various expectations of the customer. Will I return to the Gardiner Lane or any other El Nopal restaurant? Very likely, yes. Will I give a better review, if...