Kind of a weird building. Must have been a casino or nightclub prior to this. Was seated by a host who was quick to get away. Put the menus on the table and walked away with no words spoken. Our waiter was nice. Quick to get us drink orders and fast to refill chips and salsa. I had the combo fajitas. Very good flavor on the meat. My brother had the carne asada and he said it was good. That coming from a butcher is a good sign. My sister in-law had the El Napal burrito which was huge and smothered in a special sauce. Looked very tasty and good price at $10.99. I would recommend this restaurant.
Review Source:The restaurant can only be described as excellent. We have eaten here numerous times over the last 15 years. Although the decor has not changed, the service and mouth-watering food remain consistently superb. It is a family-run business.
We normally order the Enchilada Swizas and Chicken Mole, but have also tried the Burrito. We always receive lots of meat seasoned to perfection with a healthy serving of rice and beans. The pre-meal chips are warm with two choices for in-house salsa (one spicy and one less). The meals are a healthy size and you will not leave hungry especially with the warm, addictive tortilla chips.
If you really want to kick it up a notch, ask for you meal spicy...you will not be disappointed. After travelling many parts of the US and Canada, it is tough to beat the quality of mexican food at this restaurant. Stop by next time you are driving through Sumas...just on the other side of Abbotsford, BC.
Relatively new to El Nopal - still working through menu...a really great place for flavourful Mexican fair
Great service, quick and friendly
If your looking at the return line up into  Canada pull in you'll be glad you did...
Heck I drive over just for the monster shredded beef burrito !!
You won't find authentic Mexican in Abbotsford like this - mind you Mexico Sambroso ain't all that bad either
Enjoy !!
This was my first and defiantly my last visit to El Nopal! I really don't think they deserve even 1 star.
Oh where do I start??? First off the decor is the typical cheesy Mexican which is fine with me but the cleanliness is what I'm looking at. The booths are beyond their time to be cleaned and reupholstered. Maybe they could take a moment from the wait staff hiding in the back and wipe down whatever was splashed on the walls in the booth and re leftover food that was on our seats.
The waitress was polite but that was as far as it went. Heaven forbid you should ask her if they had a beer special . She just mumbled and shrugged. The only time we saw her was when she dropped off the food and the check.
If you read this and still choose to eat here STAY AWAY from the fish tacos! They are nasty. For $13 you get "captain highliner" that is deep fried at a temp that allows it to withhold as much grease as humanly possible. That is served on a tortilla that is soaked in grease and can't be picked up as it falls apart. I get a way better fish taco at a local pub style local place.
To top it all off nobody came as said as much as boo to us the entire time we were there and what I assume was the manager was walking past us a dozen times and there was 1 other table of a mother and kid in the entire place!
Side note : bring cash or credit card unless you want to use their ATM or go across to the BOA.
You have been warned: RUN in the opposite direction!!!!
I have a problem when it comes to Mexican food, the problem being I want to eat it all the time. Â El Nopal is not helping.
A friend has a cabin in Washington so we drive down through Sumas quite often. Â And its become our tradition to stop on the way down and the way up. Â
Free chips and two kinds of salsa to munch on while you wait. Â The world's largest cups of soda and a huge menu to choose from. Â I've had the burrittos and chimichangas and the portions are massive, like un-button your pants massive.
The bar side of this restaurant is great too. Â They have karaoke friday nights. Pull tabs and cheap booze prices. Â
If you're heading through Sumas stop here to eat, your stomach will be happy.
Considering the Mexican delights we have available in the Lower Mainland, this place is fabulous. One side is family friendly, and the other is full of pull tabs, beer banners, and mis-matched tables.
Came here on a Saturday night around 5:30pm. There were two of us and while there wasn't seating available in the main dining room, there were still plenty of seats in the bar. Over we headed and had our choice of tables. The menu, while not the cleanest, is full of your traditional eats and everything is at a very reasonable price. Drinks are so cheap they made me do a double take.
My friend and I each ordered the el nopal burrito (mine with beef, hers with chicken) and I had a pint of beer and she had a margarita. The small margarita is full of tequila and half the size of your head. A large margarita is fish-bowl sized. Chips and salsas arrived and were both very fresh. The salsa had a nice kick and the pico was good to cool your mouth down. Our meals arrived promptly and were huge. Everything was well seasoned and I enjoyed the red sauce and giant side of guac.
I know this isn't the fanciest of places but it's cute and clean and the food is delicious. After crossing the boarder for 20+ years, I'm sad this was my first visit!
Mexican is my favorite. Even though I live just a couple blocks away, I am hesitant to eat at El Nopal. The restaurant is filthy, service is mediocre or sometimes nonexistent, and food is most often a greasy mess.
I've actually been seated where leftovers were on the verge of becoming encrusted on the table the way oatmeal pastes itself to a bowl when it hasn't been rinsed. Imagine trying to enjoy your meal with bright green cilantro or dark red salsa cemented on the table and a waitress who seems oblivious to either. Ironically, the owner seems to be the friendliest person in El Nopal but his hospitality is not contagious to the rest of the staff. Asking the waitress to clean the table results in exasperation as if she's been asked to go a vast distance beyond normal waitressing duties to ensure a clean dining area.
Don't be fooled by a crowded parking lot. Canadians unaware of better Mexican restaurants just 10 minutes away in Lynden go to El Nopal. On a Friday or Saturday night though, it's not the food drawing people in, it's the alcohol.
The best thing El Nopal has to offer is a decent pico del gallo. If all you're looking for is a quick snack and a margarita, El Nopal might hit the spot. If you're looking for a clean dining experience and friendly service, drive 10 minutes further for either La Herradura Family Mexican or Cancun Restaurant in Lynden. If you're really wanting to treat yourself, a trip to Chihuahua's Mexican Family Restaurant a little further away in Ferndale is worth the extra drive.
El Nopal used to be great. The best Whatcom had to offer in the arena of Mexican food. When I was growing up in the Bustling Metropolis Cow Town of Sumas, the parking lot was always packed, the staff was always friendly, and the canadian dollars were always flowing.
Nowadays.....well.....unless you're waiting for an especially long border crossing, wait until you get across and grab something cheaper. And faster. And better prepared. And possibly fully heated.
I am not sure if it's the economic hardships, or a terrible new cook, or what, but El Nopal has taken a real nose dive in the last year. When I've visited (about four times a month in years past), everything was unbelievably tasty and well-prepared and plated, plus the staff was competent enough to remember your order. In the last five times I've been there (masochist, I know), I've had to send things back, flag down the quite-possibly methed-out waitress to get the other halves of orders, and wait for a good 45 minutes in an empty restaurant for my drink. Not my food. My drink order. A soda. Not a bar item.
Get it together El Nopal! Restore to your former, delicious glory!
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