El Nopal

It’s a decent spot for some Mexican food, especially if you’re in the Stratosphere. Not a a lot of seating, so grab a chair quick of you need to. They have a number system for your food to come out. Can’t really say it made much sense seeing as numbers came out very randomly. I got my food and all, not complaining about that.
Carne asada fries were tasty. Not the best but good. All in all, good food for a quick bite and fast food. Salsa didn’t have much flavor neither.

Went for brunch, and ordered a burrito with red sauce and rice. The rice was hard and tasteless, and the burrito was bland. My son who is 11 ordered a breakfast burrito, and the lady taking our order asked if he wanted one or two. He replied with two. When we picked up our food the breakfast burritos were each the size of his head with a serving of chips and refried beans. When I asked about why she would offer something like that to a family of two I was told it was already made and no refunds. Never expected to get scamed at a hotel resturant.

To put this short and sweet, the coronas are cold, the carnitas burrito is the best, I give the carne asada burrito four star, and they have plenty in the «extras» bar for anyone. I loved their salsa.

El Nopal
The first time we visited this Mexican eatery, we were under the influence of Jose Cuervo while visiting the observation deck at the Stratosphere hotel and casino. Often when you are under the influence, everything, and almost anything tastes delicious.
This time around, the Mrs. copied me
and had chicken enchiladas and she remarked that they were very good. The steak quesadillas are very good and I gobbled them right up. They are so cheesy and the steak is chopped very small which helps it go down easy.
You can eat as this place on a budget. Everything is priced at $ 8.99 or less, so you’re not going to break the bank to have an enjoyable meal. They have a wide variety of salsa and dipping sauces to satisfy any pallet.
The next time I have a trip to Vegas, I am going to sample this place again. The layout is nice and the tables are a good size that helps with elbow room.

Stayed at the strat from Friday thru Monday and as delicious as the other gourmet and high-​end places we visited here this place wound up being my favorite.
You can have a completely diff experience tho, if you don’t order the right things. Like ordering the veggie platter at a steakhouse… It’s never gonna be that good
If you come here get the Huevos rancheros (farmer eggs) meal it’s amazingly delicious. Fresh protein and it’s 5.99!!! Best deal ever and best breakfast ever. It does take a while to get prepared tho but it’s worth it. Other than that my gf got the chicken enchiladas and she ordered that every single time we went so I think it’s safe to say she liked it (even when I offered to take her to fancier places she ended up picking this place!!)
Get the horchata and be greedy at the salsa bar! Load up on the pico de gallo!!! And the salsa it’s gonna make your plate more healthy and filling without increasing the cost and it taste way better. Skip the coffee tho

Mexican Cokes oh God yes just what I needed. Breakfast was cheap and good. Its west coast style Mexican food. Its a cute set up not fancy but delish. As far as not being professional menus and the other dumb things I saw in reviews if you want high end go somewhere else this is home food.

The best thing about this place is their salsa/​salad bar. Everything was clean and fresh. They even had little to go containers for the salsa if you got your food to go. We ordered fajitas and ate it there. The fajitas was better than I was expecting since the photos didn’t look that good. They served us and 3 other groups after mid night even though they close at 12, which was nice. I liked this place and I will definitely come back!

Walking up to this restaurant, it looks pretty neat and authentic. That all ended when we were about to order. The menus were not very professional and alot of the items/​prices were written in pen. On top of this, the pictures for their listed menu items did not look appetizing at all and clearly should have steered us away from here.
But stay we did because were hoped it would be the «hidden gem» other Unilocal reviews described. I got the carne asada nachos and frankly they were the worst nachos Ive had in a long time. The chips were stale and straight from the bag with the rest of the toppings not being fresh and definitely tasting that way. The steak was serviceable, but just barely.
The only plus about the meal was they do provide a large portion, but in the end I would rather have a slightly smaller size with better ingredients. Will not be returning.

a hidden gem… the food is FRESH and tasty… the chicken burrito was amazing… the beans and rice were like being back in Los Angeles. the salsa bar is diverse and fantastic… I cannot recommend this place enough

It’s more like a fast food restaurant. You order and pay for your food at the cashier counter and pick up your own food at the pick up counter. I ordered the Chicken Sizzling Fajita, it was very tasty. There’s a salsa station which I like the best that you can pick whatever salsa you like. Also, we came for breakfast, it’s cheap and tasty.

Menu sucks, food blah! I’d rather eat at taco bell, and I don’t even like taco bell. Crappy overpriced food and terrible service.

Another huge disappointment. This place was recommended by a Mexican employee in the VIP office. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out this meat is leftover from the Carver station upstairs which I think is leftover from The Top Of The World. Was definitely not the Mexican food I’m used to in San Diego and even in mexico itself. The wait to get just a burrito was ridiculous long. I counted 25 minutes before my eyes started boiling. Not impressed by the handful of chips to make the $ 12 burrito look like a good deal. I’d be embarrassed if I were Mexican to recommend this place. I told the girl I was disappointed and she took it as a racial insult. Not the kind of ‘sorry it was bad’ I was expecting. Jandy is not qualified to recommend anything and I’m wondering how she has a job there.

I have always enjoyed my time here. I always get take out because the atmosphere isn’t my cup of tea but the staff is always very friendly. The prices are great, the food has always been enjoyable & the salsa bar is amazing. I’d check this place out if you’re in the mood for Mexican food!

Per usual I am not a fan of Mexican. Never the less the wife dragged me here. And per usual I didn’t leave disappointed. Kinda lower end feeling place but fantastic food. I got a quesadilla and shredded beef and it was very flavorful. The wife got a fajita salad which she said was good. We also got some nachos with shredded cheese on top and a couple drinks. Paying $ 26 for a meal in Vegas which isn’t bad. If you want a little cheaper McDonald’s is right there but I can’t suggest that.

Good food and cheap! Try the quesadillas!

This restaurant is located in the food court of the Stratosphere. Desiring Mexican food and not wanting to venture out of our hotel, my family and I decided to give El Nopal a try.
The horchata here is delicious. I ordered a carne asada wet burrito. My sister got enchiladas and my dad got a taco salad. The menu selection is wide and so there are a lot of decisions to be made. You can help narrow your choices by choosing the form of food (e.g. tacos, burritos, and enchiladas). My sister’s shredded chicken enchilada was better than my burrito and my burrito was better than her shredded beef enchilada. The shredded chicken was nice and moist.
My family and I decided to come back the next day for breakfast/​lunch. I got the shredded chicken enchilada and again it was good chicken. I was also able to consume the refried beans with the rice quite happily. Finally, I had a taste of my mom’s eggs. I liked the taste. The eggs were prepared with cheese and green bell peppers.

Don’t eat the breakfast… utter shit. Wish I had eaten the less healthy McDonald’s a few hundred feet away at half the price.
The wife and I only at the breakfast here where I’m assuming is not where they excel based on the other reviews. Either that or nobody in the area knows what Mexican food is supposed to taste like.
Will not be coming back.

$ 8 for a horrible veggie burrito. No beans and rice but it was full of frozen veggies. Weird. And then to make it even stranger they slathered it with cheese and some funky sauce making it more like an enchilada.
I left wondering if anyone working here even knew what a nopal is?

Coming from P-​Town (Placentia 714) I am accustomed to decent Mexican food at average prices.
The girls and I were staying at the Stratosphere and after a hard morning of drinking we wandered down to the restaurant level on our way up to the Observation Deck. After grimacing at over priced McDonald’s and cringing at the scent of hot dogs and pastrami we found El Nopal tucked in the corner.
I was pleased to find that the food was decently priced as this was a total budget weekend for me. The three of us opted to split shredded chicken nachos which we devoured. I’ve never encountered nachos where you have more «stuff» than chips and these were them. We also ordered a side of rice in hopes of soaking up some of the booze in our bellies and it was actually really tasty. I think the three of us were satisfied for about $ 8. Woo!
The next morning we rolled, bleary eyed, out of bed and all we could mumble was «eggs, bacon, breakfast burritos…» My two eggs and bacon and a Nerga Modelo was under $ 10. The eggs were cooked well and the bacon was gloriously greasy. Throw in some toast and hash browns and I was almost human again. Vanessa R. said the tacos were sub par and other non-​Yelper friend said the burrito was ca-​ca, but I wasn’t grading too hard I suppose.
I will gripe about how long it takes just to place your order. Both visits in a 36 hour period began with us watching the lone cook work the griddle while we waited for someone else to appear to take our order. We got no «be right with you» or «just a sec’ which goes a long way with me. It also a shame there is so little seating. Whenever we walked by the place looked packed and before I had put my napkin in my plate a woman was breathing down my neck like a vulture. Also too bad they close pretty early.
Next time I stay at the Strat I’ll stop by and see if this was the booze talking or just the prices…

I was expecting to be crushingly disappointed when I walked into El Nopal. For any lover of Mexican cuisine, *all* the red flags are there – location at the Stratosphere across from Perfumania; sign advertising «Mexican and American food» in requisite national colors; kitschy, Aztec-​derived décor; Carribean salsa masquerading as Mexican music. Nonetheless, I decided to enter and made a shocking discovery.
This place makes an amazing, authentic carnitas burrito!!! I’ve been on the quest for carnitas for over 20 years, and it’s rarely prepared correctly. You know what I mean – that grey, pulpy crap with globules of fat that often passes as pork. Ideally, it should be lightly crispy, chopped in small pieces and well-​seasoned with salt and cilantro. When it’s done right, a thin stream of grease should collect at the bottom of the tortilla. And that’s exactly what I got here!
Take in mind, I don’t believe in ordering a burrito with tomatoes or lettuce. When you’re eating fried pork, there’s no reason to dampen the flavor with off-​season greens. So here, I ordered the burrito with meat, refried beans and rice inside the tortilla. A bit of tomatillo salsa verde on the side (provided free at their salsa bar) and that’s it.
With the substitutions, the burrito came out to $ 10, with a few XX Ambers for $ 3.75. Not the cheapest bite in town, but filling and tasty. Take in mind, I’m not going to vouch for any of the other items on the menu. I also have a difficult time believing what I experienced, and plan on returning soon to see if it’s a fluke. But until then, El Nopal has my heartfelt recommendation – the first I’ve given on the Strip.