Nopalito, a vibrant Mexican spot from the folks behind Nopa, dazzles with its organic fare, killer carnitas, and a cozy, heated patio for sipping margaritas.
"Open spaces are just better for dining with kids—it must have something to do with the lack of bad acoustics (a.k.a. the potential for an entire dining room to hear your child ask where your hairline is going). Head to Nopalito’s patio when you need a margarita and your kid needs a quesadilla. The patio is heated and covered, making it comfortable even when it’s a cool 55 degrees out. Everything on the menu of Mexican dishes is shareable and well-executed. When in doubt, go for the carnitas, which pull apart with ease and are best folded up in a supple corn tortilla." - julia chen 1, patrick wong
"One of the city’s best-known destinations for a more upscale sit-down Mexican meal, Nopalito is a showcase for chef Gonzalo Guzman’s cooking, with an emphasis on local, sustainable ingredients and a wide range of regional dishes, including — but not limited to — seafood specialties from his native Veracruz. Mission District customers can check out Nopalito’s 18th Street takeout window, too, which has a handful of dishes that are exclusive to that location." - Paolo Bicchieri, Eater Staff
"Chef Gonzalo Guzmán serves dishes like deep-fried carnitas and fresh salsa." - Becky Duffett
"Story has it the Nopalito grew out of its sister restaurant Nopa with recipes that the cooks made for themselves there after hours. The restaurant serves traditional Mexican dishes and some of the best carnitas around. The selection of tequila will make you weak in the knees: literally. Designers will appreciate how discretionary they are with their ligatures. Come eat in or order out of their convenient "para llevar" window." - Upperquad
"This place is from the same people as Nopa, except instead of pork chops and flatbreads, Nopalito makes Mexican dishes, like carnitas and huge bowls of pozole. Most of the seating here is on a back patio, but it’s covered and there are heaters—so if the weather isn’t ideal, you can still come here for margaritas over lunch and not worry about being enveloped by fog." - julia chen 1, ricky rodriguez
