Nopalito

Nopalito Catering was all around the best vendor we hired for our wedding.

I knew I wanted delicious Mexican food and cocktails for our Mendocino wedding, served family style. The cookbook initially pointed us their way, but after a few rounds of family taste testing from Sonoma to San Francisco and some communication online, Nopalito was the clear choice.

Kyra was an absolute star to work with, walking through the options of food and service to meet our desires and budget. She really helped us think through the schedule of events, food and service related rentals, incorprorated our DIY flourishes, accommodated our guests with dietary restrictions, coordinated with other vendors, and handled our COVID reschedule seamlessly. On the day, she and her team were super professional and friendly in our very rustic setting, and OMG was the food worth every penny.

We did an informal taste test of some of the menu and drinks in their SF restaurant and I think the food was even better at our wedding. Highlights for me were the paloma cocktails (we added rosemary sprigs), vibrant aguafrescas (perfect non-alcoholic fun drink), homemade paleta popsicles for our cocktail hour (the berry habanero one was SPICY), succulent chicken mole and carnitas for DIY tacos, world's most tender tamales and bright esquite salad for vegetarians, and delicious cups of spiced mexican hot chocolate for our dessert bar.

If I had any critique, it would be that the appetizers could be a bit more refined for a wedding setting (we had some quesadilla drips on fancy clothes) and the local beer and wine options expanded. But honestly, everything was excellent, I literally had a chef-guest shout at me during dinner that the food was Amazing.

Do not hesitate to hire this team!

Nopalito beautifully catered our wedding for 150 people in the Santa Cruz area. They really know what they’re doing. Every bite was delicious and served professionally. It is nice that the people who staff their catered events are the same folks who work at their restaurants. It means they know the food and have the same standard for professionalism. Guests raved about their meals. Their staff invited tables of guests up to walk through the buffet. It took exactly how much time they told us it would. In the lead up, Blanca and Alexis were incredibly communicative—responding to emails at all hours and answering any questions we had. They helped us choose items for the food and drink menu that would be hits with our guests (some of whom were kids) as well as items that satisfied our more foodie preferences. Given the quality of service and food, we felt the quote was very reasonable. This was money very well spent.

Nopalito did an incredible job at our wedding. The cocktails were delectable and unique, the wine & beer was amazing, the hors d'oeuvres were mouthwatering, and the dinner was flavorful and comforting. From growing up in San Francisco, I know people here are all about the food. So I had to have the best (organic, sustainable) food at our wedding. I worked with Alexis and Blanca throughout the whole process, and they were incredible - extremely communicative, highly accommodating, and very professional. They went above and beyond to make the whole cocktail reception, family-style dinner, and dessert wonderful and smooth. I did not worry one bit because they had everything planned perfectly, and you could see how experienced they are with big events.