Arrachera
500 g, from$34
Skirt steak marinated in lime, garlic and cumin, grilled hard and sliced across the grain.
- Twelve tortillas and spring onions
- Heat: none until you add salsa
Tortillas off the press, meat off the coals
Casa Nopal grinds its own corn, presses every tortilla during service and grills over lump charcoal. Tacos come three to a plate, moles take two days, and the salsas sit on the side so each guest sets the heat.
Corn onlytortillas, pressed each service
6 salsasheat marked on every one
Charcoalat the grill, never gas
Tacos from the comal
Every plate holds three tacos on corn tortillas that left the press a minute earlier. Heat is marked for each taco as it arrives, and the Contains column names its allergens.
| Taco | Heat | Contains | Three |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carne asada: skirt steak, onion, coriander, salsa verde | Medium | None listed | $15 |
| Pollo al carbón: achiote chicken, pickled red onion | Mild | None listed | $13 |
| Carnitas: pork cooked slowly in its own fat, salsa roja | Hot | None listed | $14 |
| Pescado: battered white fish, cabbage, chipotle crema | Medium | Fish, gluten, egg, milk | $15 |
| Hongos: mushrooms with epazote and queso fresco | Mild | Milk | $12 |
| Coliflor: roasted cauliflower in guajillo, pineapple | Medium | Sesame | $12 |
Our tortillas are corn and nothing else, so they contain no wheat, but the fish batter shares a fryer with the tortilla chips. Ask for the hongos without cheese and the coliflor is already plant based.
Off the charcoal, sold by weight
For a table that wants to build its own tacos. Meat is weighed raw, grilled to order and carved onto a board with tortillas, grilled spring onions and two salsas of your choice.
Pollo al carbón
a whole bird$29
A whole chicken in achiote and bitter orange, opened flat and turned over the coals for about forty minutes.
- Rice, black beans and tortillas
- Heat: mild
Costillas en adobo
1 kg, from$38
Pork ribs braised in an adobo of ancho and guajillo chiles, then finished over the charcoal until the glaze catches.
- Pickled onions and tortillas
- Heat: medium, cooked into the glaze
Boards are carved for the whole table and are not split between bills. Weights shown are before cooking; meat loses some of that weight over the fire.
Six salsas, mildest first
Salsas come to the table in stone bowls, never stirred into the tacos, so one guest can stay mild while another goes for the habanero.
Guacamole taqueroAvocado and tomatillo. No heat.
Pico de galloTomato, white onion, a little serrano. Mild.
Salsa verde crudaRaw tomatillo and serrano. Medium.
Salsa roja de árbolToasted chile de árbol and tomato. Hot.
Salsa machaDried chiles fried in oil. Hot. Contains peanut and sesame.
Habanero and burnt onionVery hot. Ask the server for a taste first.
Corn cooked with lime, ground, then pressed at the pass
Dried white and blue corn is simmered with food grade lime and left to soak overnight. The lime loosens the skins and changes the corn, which is what lets the dough hold together and gives a tortilla its smell.
In the morning the kernels are rinsed and ground into masa on a stone mill. During service one cook does nothing but press and griddle, so a tortilla reaches the table within a minute or two of leaving the comal.
- Masa ground twice a day, never bought in
- Blue corn tortillas on weekends while the batch lasts
- Nothing but corn, water and lime in the dough
Three moles, two days each on the stove
A mole is a sauce built from chiles, seeds, spices and patience. Ours are toasted, ground and stirred across two days, so a sold out pot cannot be hurried back.
Mole negro with charcoal chicken
Six dried chiles toasted until nearly black, with plantain, charred tortilla and a little chocolate. Heat: medium. Contains sesame, almond, peanut and gluten from bread.
Plate$24
Mole verde with roasted squash
Pumpkin seeds, tomatillo, green chile and herbs, poured over squash from the grill. Plant based. Heat: mild. Contains sesame.
Plate$19
Coloradito with braised beef cheek
A brick red mole of ancho and guajillo, sweetened with raisins and thickened with toasted bread. Heat: medium. Contains almond, sesame and gluten.
Plate$26
The moles carry their chile in the sauce itself, so they cannot be made milder to order. If nuts or sesame are a problem, the mole verde is the one to ask about first.
Mezcal by the 30 ml pour
A short list that changes as bottles run out. Wild agave can take many years to mature, so when a bottle is gone the next one may come from a different maker.
| Agave | Grown | In the glass | 30 ml |
|---|---|---|---|
| Espadín | Cultivated | Ripe fruit, gentle smoke | $9 |
| Ensamble of three agaves | Cultivated and wild | Round, more smoke | $13 |
| Cuishe | Wild | Green, mineral | $15 |
| Tobalá | Wild | Floral and light | $16 |
| Tepeztate | Wild, slow growing | Peppery, long finish | $18 |
Each pour comes with orange slices and chile salt. Mezcal is poured for adults who meet the drinking age set by local law, and staff may ask to see identification. Agua fresca and Mexican soft drinks are always on.
An evening between the comal and the coals
From the long table (example reviews)
Booked the grill table for four and the arrachera arrived still spitting from the coals. When the first half kilo vanished, a second came out weighed and carved just as fast.
Mentioned a peanut allergy when booking and again at the table. The server pointed straight to the salsa macha and the mole negro and suggested the verde instead, without any fuss.
First time trying a wild agave. The bartender poured a little espadín beside the tobalá so the difference was obvious, and explained both in a sentence each.
Asked at the door most nights
Are the tortillas safe for a gluten allergy?
The tortillas are corn, water and lime only, so they contain no wheat. Three dishes do contain gluten, and the fish batter shares a fryer with the chips, so tell us about coeliac disease when you book and we will steer the order.
Can the heat be turned down?
Almost always. The tacos carry little heat of their own and the salsas come on the side. The moles and the adobo ribs are the exceptions, because their chile is cooked into the sauce.
Do you cook the beans with lard?
No. Black beans are cooked with onion, epazote and vegetable oil, so they suit vegetarians and plant based guests.
Can we book a taquiza for a group?
Yes, for 10 to 24 guests on any evening except Saturday. We set out tacos, two moles and all six salsas for the table at $32 a person, and agree a deposit with you by phone once the date is confirmed.
Do you keep space for walk ins?
The six seats at the mezcal bar and two tables by the window are never booked ahead. On Friday and Saturday they usually fill by eight.
Are children welcome?
Yes, at the tables until 20:30. The bar seats are for adults only, and the kitchen will make plain tacos with no salsa for younger guests.
Ask for a table
Choose the kind of evening, a day and a time. The request comes to the floor manager, who confirms it, offers a nearby time or tells you the night is full, usually within a day.
For a group of more than twelve or a taquiza, pick it from the first list and we will call to talk through the menu.
- Grill tables seat four to eight
- Bar seats are kept for walk ins
- Tell us about any allergy here
Finding Casa Nopal
Call or write
Next to the east gate of the market hall, five minutes on foot from the river bridge
When the grill is lit
| Tuesday to Thursday | 17:30 to 22:30 |
| Friday | 17:30 to 23:00 |
| Saturday | 12:00 to 23:00 |
| Sunday | 12:00 to 21:00 |
| Monday | Closed |
Before you come
Look for the green door facing the market hall. The dining room is on one level, with no steps at the entrance and an accessible toilet.
Allergen rules and labelling differ from country to country; the marks on this page are our own record of what goes into each dish.
Book a table