Copal Restaurant — Restaurant in Santa Cruz

The reviews on here seem to be very content with mediocrity. That's the best you'll get with $32 here which is what I paid for "quesadillas". I put that in quotes because they were basically horribly low quality soft tacos and were not grilled, the meat just fell out on my plate constantly. The meat inside was sub par under-seasoned asada chopped into small bits and irresponsibly tossed into the tortilla with some cheese and a basil leaf(?) . I think the tortilla was corn but it fell apart immediately while eating it and the flavor of the entire entree was just bland and uninspiring, no specific flavor from the meat that made me feel I was even eating meat. It wasn't bad tasting but this left nothing but black beans to lean on in regards to reviewing my order. That was $21. The other $3 was for a 2nd cup of chips, yes cup, it is small and you only get 1 free cup. Ordering more and you pay $3.....shameless cash grab. The last 2 points to make were the first things I noticed before the meal. One was they give you small glasses that are literally one gulp of water before you have to refill them. I had to ask for a full sized glass to drink out of. A really embarrassing approach to give a bourbon glass to drink water out of. The other was the "house made" salsa. It tasted like watered down tostitos salsa. When I asked for other stuff I got a red chili salsa that was tangy and watery like Hernandez brand-ish and a small thing of straight up chili oil. When I mixed all 3 together it actually tasted like restaurant quality salsa but no care goes into their salsa's with a flavor profile or spicyness. Our waitress was young, nice and peppy but the rest of the staff mostly just wandered through the restaurant repeatedly. Overall the food was digestible but so extremely uninspired and forgettable and after tip I walked away paying $32. For me it's clear that the owner/operator is selling a physical experience as oppose to quality food. Maybe other stuff tastes better but I'm judging a very easy dish sanely. If you are like me and think meat should be flavorful and yummy and have a basic pallet I would say go with any taqueria over this place. You'll pay less than $15 for a burrito which is half the bill. They want to sell you the physicality of the restaurant (they have a merch rack?) as oppose to amazing food. If you prefer to just throw your wallet down, order expensive food and drinks and have nice tables and walls then you will probably enjoy...

Went to Copal on Easter Sunday 2024. We had a 4:45 pm reservation that was made online two days prior and verified via return phone call on Saturday. My friend had a screen shot of her online verification since it was for a holiday and she intended to stop by in person to verify but since Copal called her back to confirm she didn't worry about it. I used to live in Oaxaca and I was super excited.

The wait staff were vivacious, friendly and attentive. My friend had enchiladas, I had the Quesadillas del Mercado. We also got sides of Chapulines and Nopalitos. I really wanted to try the green mole but didn't want another entire entree. They graciously accomodated with a side of green mole and a side of grilled chicken. I also got Aqua de Jamaica. Everything was delicious! I skipped the beans becsuse they were too firm but my friend loved them. The nopalitos were chopped into a salsa with onions. The Quesadillas were fantastic and more than I could finish at one meal, and the grilled chicken was beyond amazing. It brought back memories of the father/daughter butcher team that I used to buy from at the Mercado near Abrahan Castellanos- the meat is cut thin snd pounded very flat over a block of ice so that it is tender and cooks easily. The Chapulunes were big and as good as homemade, yum! I will definitely order chicken with green mole in the future but I will opt for take out.

The downsides: The interior seating area has terrible acoustics and glare from outdoors. It might be better after dark. The bathroom seemed to be flooded and in need of repair. The person at the host station seemed to be focused on driving patrons out rather than welcoming them in, which was very puzzling. The host rattled off about five different suggestions as to why we must be mistaken in the three seconds it took for my friend to bring up the screen shot of the confirmation. The reservation was not on their books. So be sure to take a screen shot of your reservation and be prepared to be treated like a door crasher.

Bottom line, the food is outstanding and I will definitely order take out from Copal...

Wow, this place is the real deal. My friend and I came here for lunch. My friend who got one of the moles was immediately in love. She has a super sensitive sense of taste and smell, because she is a chef. I'm gluten free and vegan for medical reasons, and they have a huge menu to fit both needs!! The tacos, which is what I had, with vegan carne asada were super tasty, and the beans they came with are unbeatable. I would order more of those beans as a side! The guacamole was delicious. Their salsas are outstanding. The chef there is a woman, and we were informed that she wanted to bring her recipes from Oaxaca to her new residence, in Santa Cruz. We are LUCKY to be this woman's guests. The tortillas were handmade corn, and GORGEOUS. I felt like each recipe was a home recipe, safe for me to eat but also far more delicious than I could think up or make at home. My friend saw one of the larger dishes, go by and we both gasped. It looked like a baby dinosaur! If you haven't been there, ask your server how much you want to eat. Some of the dishes are huge and some are smaller, like the tacos (perfect for lunch, I thought). The food is so good there that you might be tempted by the desserts there as well. I have said restrictions, but someone else would probably go for it! Their servers are super nice too. I can't remember our server's name unfortunately, but we had really sweet young lady on Friday 3/21/25, so thank you!! She was communicative, attentive, sweet, and never said a mean word even though I asked her a couple times about something. Super nice. I definitely will keep this place in mind, even though I don't go out much, I love food, and their place is right down the street from my place. ...