Nopalitos

CASH ONLY One of our favorite breakfast spots off beaten path. Most entrees Mexican theme— but pancakes & great coffee cake too

Greg Hawkins

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5-Star Review – Nopalitos, East Sacramento I stopped into Nopalitos for the first time today, and it absolutely will not be my last. This spot is a true East Sac gem. The dining area is small and cozy, with additional outdoor seating that gives it a relaxed neighborhood feel. You order right at the register, grab your own cream and sugar, and the whole process is simple and quick—perfect for a morning bite. I had the huevos rancheros, and they were phenomenal—seriously one of the best I’ve had anywhere. The flavors were fresh, balanced, and exactly what you want from a classic dish. The coffee was excellent too, strong and smooth enough to stand on its own. Overall, Nopalitos is the kind of place that makes you feel at home on your first visit. Great food, great coffee, friendly vibe. I’ll definitely be back.

Robert Sing

First, remember it is a cash only restaurant but well worth the inconvenience. The polenta breakfast is sooooo delicious. The flavor is awesome but the soft polenta is what makes the dish with eggs. I like runny eggs so it is the best; however, it would be equally as good with scrambled hard eggs. The portions are generous and the staff is very friendly. The current owners kept the original dishes so quality has been consistent for years. If you like southwestern, this is the go to place.

Michael Sylvester

Let's cut to the chase, their breakfast burrito is the best! I've been searching for the best breakfast burrito in Sacramento for a while . I've been here about five different times and have only ever ordered the breakfast burrito. After trying multiple meats, I'd recommend getting the chorizo as the meat and adding cheese. I feel as though the bacon made the burrito a bit too salty, but the chorizo was just perfect Potatoes are not too crispy but it does not affect the flavor profile negatively. You might be able to tell this is more of a burrito review rather than a full restaurant review. If you want a burrito, you have my word that you're going to have a good time. If you're ordering literally anything else, you'll have to figure that out for yourself

Dovah Buun

[Updated Review] I went back! And it was even better this time. I convinced my favorite brunch buddy to switch up our usual haunts for Nopalitos, and I'm pretty sure this is going to quickly become one of our new favorites. We each had the Huevos Rancheros with the house's homemade chorizo (mine with red sauce and hers with green). What a truly satisfying meal on a cold morning! We also had the option to sit outside with the heaters today, which is a fun option. Remember to bring cash. [Original Review] This spot has been on my list to try for a while, and I finally had the chance to do so on a particularly cold morning. I enjoyed the Smoked Bacon Scramble with a very fine cup of coffee. Friendly, clean, and the food was perfect for a winter morning. I'll be back!

Charlie Wingo

Small on the outside, small on the inside, HUGE on flavor! With only six tables inside plus a few tables outside, this clean, southwestern restaurant is compact. Their food is attractive, delicious, and they serve ample portions reasonably priced. It's an East Sac institution now open evenings and Saturdays. Choose your times to avoid the crowds--its a hit!

bartellj

Cash only! This is a fantastic neighborhood Mexican Café. Everything on the menu is good and priced affordably. The service is great and the staff is really friendly. This is a local café where you will often see regulars, drinking coffee and catching up. A very homey experience I highly suggest getting the Chilaquiles.

Nathan Hawkes

Yes. Just yes. This is an amazing local favorite that you might not hear much about. If you’re looking for one of the hidden secrets of Sacramento and food, this is one of them for sure! I love this Mexican food. It’s easy to get to and you have loads of choices in food selection. My favorite is the chorizo breakfast burrito. You can’t go wrong with that. The staff is always so helpful, especially the owner. What a great place to check out. Also, be warned, this is a cash only establishment. Bring the money with you.

Janet Cinque

Had our last meal of an epic trip in Cali here & it was so delicious. A highlight among all the food we tried from LA to Sacramento. Ordered way too much and it was totally worth it.

Burrell DeVine

Hands down favorite breakfast spot in town! Love the "Little Cactus Special" and the pancakes are fantastic! Never had a bad meal here! Just remember, Monday - Friday 6:30 - 2:30 And CASH only!

Bonnie Cornwall

CASH ONLY One of our favorite breakfast spots off beaten path. Most entrees Mexican theme— but pancakes & great coffee cake too

The staff are incredibly warm and welcoming, it’s always such a pleasant experience dining in or taking out. Highlights: breakfast burrito (chorizo) and little cactus special. Don’t forget to grab salsas at their salsa bar! The breakfast burrito is filling, but not loaded with too many potatoes or beans. I was very happy with the protein:carb ratio and I’m excited to try their veggie one next! FYI: they DO take credit card now.

Still the same great food and service even after the handover to the new owner. Plus, they take credit/debit now...so awesome. Cornmeal with pork chili verde and fried eggs is my go to but everything I've had is just great.

Wow! This place is great. The food was excellent and the service was prompt and very good. Coffee tasted great and they refilled frequently. Love supporting small neighborhood businesses like this.

Holly Fong Korach

Love, love, love their tamale bowl. Delicious pork chili Verde over a bowl of polenta, with cheese and idk what other sauce, but it's the best.

Brittany Bartolome

The staff are incredibly warm and welcoming, it’s always such a pleasant experience dining in or taking out. Highlights: breakfast burrito (chorizo) and little cactus special. Don’t forget to grab salsas at their salsa bar! The breakfast burrito is filling, but not loaded with too many potatoes or beans. I was very happy with the protein:carb ratio and I’m excited to try their veggie one next! FYI: they DO take credit card now.

Matt P

Wow! This place is great. The food was excellent and the service was prompt and very good. Coffee tasted great and they refilled frequently. Love supporting small neighborhood businesses like this.

Dana Sikich

Still the same great food and service even after the handover to the new owner. Plus, they take credit/debit now...so awesome. Cornmeal with pork chili verde and fried eggs is my go to but everything I've had is just great.

Josh

Great food and great customer service!! Have been to this restaurant 3 times and will continue to come back. Probably the best carnitas I’ve ever eaten!! Pancakes were fluffy and taste delicious. Red potatoes and eggs plate were savory.

We had the nopales omelette - excellent! It was my dad's order and what I'll be ordering next time. 😋 They made me an off-menu plate of scrambled eggs with Chile Colorado. The potatoes were tasty, too - as was the java city coffee. Staff was friendly. My dad said, and I agree: good food, good service, good vibe. Just good! It was our first time there - and we'll definitely be returning!

Came for a lunch during the week. Very cordial and prompt staff to serve customers. Ambiance is good, outdoor seating and clean establishment. Good variety of breakfast and lunch menus. Ordered the chicken tacos on corn tortilla with salad. Decent meal, lots of protein on the taco, good portions. No agua frescas, unfortunately. Great neighborhood staple. Free but limited parking in the plaza. This is a cash only business.

When I first went inside, I didn't see any 'cash only' sign anywhere. After ordering my food, I was told that it was cash-only. Besides that, the food was pretty decent. I ordered the Chile Verde, and it was: a little spicy, the meat was tender (though a little dry), the rice didn't taste right [to me], the beans were okay, and the portion size was okay for the price [about $15]. On a side note, I also wished there was more pico on top of the Chile Verde. The chips and guacamole, on the other hand, was pretty good! The guacamole tasted fresh, and there was plenty of lime in it. The chips were salted and weren't stale-tasting. Would I recommend this restaurant? I'm not sure. For cash only, I would say no. Then again, I'm part of the population that uses card payments a lot so🤷.

I give 4 star because the parking is too small but everything else was great!❤️❤️❤️❤️

Nate Ulsh

Came for a lunch during the week. Very cordial and prompt staff to serve customers. Ambiance is good, outdoor seating and clean establishment. Good variety of breakfast and lunch menus. Ordered the chicken tacos on corn tortilla with salad. Decent meal, lots of protein on the taco, good portions. No agua frescas, unfortunately. Great neighborhood staple. Free but limited parking in the plaza. This is a cash only business.

Tere Munoz

I give 4 star because the parking is too small but everything else was great!❤️❤️❤️❤️

Dante L.

When I first went inside, I didn't see any 'cash only' sign anywhere. After ordering my food, I was told that it was cash-only. Besides that, the food was pretty decent. I ordered the Chile Verde, and it was: a little spicy, the meat was tender (though a little dry), the rice didn't taste right [to me], the beans were okay, and the portion size was okay for the price [about $15]. On a side note, I also wished there was more pico on top of the Chile Verde. The chips and guacamole, on the other hand, was pretty good! The guacamole tasted fresh, and there was plenty of lime in it. The chips were salted and weren't stale-tasting. Would I recommend this restaurant? I'm not sure. For cash only, I would say no. Then again, I'm part of the population that uses card payments a lot so🤷.

I had high hopes for this place based on the ratings. Sadly, didn't live up to the hype. It was a cold damp morning. You order at the register, pay and go find a place to sit. They were busy, so we ended up at a table outside. It was cold. They have propane heaters by the tables, unfortunately they do not seem to think enough of their customers to light them. I ordered two napalitos omelettes and to coffee with cream after a go round about it anything came with the omelets since it's not indicated on the menu. She told me they come with bacon or ham or cactus on the omelettes and cheese. I had to simplify it by asking is there anything on the plate besides an omelette to find out that it did indeed come with potatoes. She told me the total of my order and I noticed that it wasn't enough money it was light about $16.00 which was the cost of the omelette. I told her there were two omelettes on the order so she went ahead and added the second one on. A guy came out with our coffee to our table with no cream but he did go back and get the cream for us. After a while gal came out with one omelette. I told her we had two omelettes on the order. About 5 minutes later the second one came out. We requested a refill on her $4 cups of coffee WITH CREAM three times from two different people before they came out with two more cups of coffee, minus cream. I asked for cream in the gal tells me the creams inside you can go get it. Mind you, I walk with a cane. The gentleman did bring to us. The omelettes were good, good enough to go to Rancho San Miguel and buy some nopalitos to make them ourselves at home. We won't be coming back.

Becker Fernandez

The ambient was nice and inviting, the service was excellent and place was clean. I had the beef fajitas, it came with a lot of bell peppers and onions, in my opinion, it was not enough beef for the price, it was way too much garnish. I'll come back and try something else, I'll report back.

Small restaurant that has you seat yourself, buss other peoples plates, & order at the counter. Then they have the audacity to ask for tip 😂. I ordered a latte that tasted like water and I asked to switch it for a mocha instead and they gave me a hot chocolate. they make restaurant business seem complicated. I've had better so maybe this is more of a “To Go” place. whatever, that type of business is not worth.

Samuel Gifford

Best breakfast burrito in Sacramento area! After today’s service I will hesitate coming back. I placed a to go order and stood in line for 30 minutes and right as I get to the front I watch two people who just arrived get checked out for their to go orders before anyone even asked. My burritos are cold as I drive to deliver to my brother who is at UC Davis. Majorly let down and changing my 5 star review.