Quick overnight stay in Santa Cruz. Spotted exterior while driving, looked it up and decided this was our dinner spot. Excellent choice! I had the dark mole with chicken and partner had chile rellenos. Both dishes were excellent and we polished them off. I have mescal at home (pandemic homebar purchase) but have struggled with using it in cocktails as I'm not a huge fan of the smokiness. But the cocktail I had was pretty easy to replicate at home and I did enjoy it. Would definitely come again next time we're in Santa Cruz.

Great service and food. We were first timers and had lots of questions about the menu. Our server suggested a flight of mescal and also gave us a free tasting of mole sauce. This helped with our choice of enchiladas and mole' sauce options. I would love to come back but live so far away. I would recommend this to anyone for an authentic Oaxaca, Mexico experience.

this place is AMAZING I always say...you can judge a Mexican restaurant by their ability to make a chili releno. Copal knocks it outta the park. best salsa ever anywhere. GO...HURRY

Post family photos, everyone's cold and hungry, quickly found this place on yelp. I called ahead while we were driving and the hostess was really nice. She said while they don't take wait list names over the phone, she could put in a patio reservation for us for 15 min from the time I called which was perfect. We got there just in time and were seated on the patio which has heated lamps so we were nice and toasty. Our server Austin was awesome. She was so sweet to our kiddos and was so fast with taking our order for them and then brought them coloring sheets and crayons. The food came out so fast and was very delicious. I know chips and salsa are standard at most Mexican restaurants and usually good but I really loved these chips. They were thin, crispy, and had the right amount of salt on them. I had the shredded chicken taco plate with homemade corn tortillas. It was the perfect portion size for me and was simple, yet very delicious. The black beans that came on the side were also very good. My husband got the mole enchilada plate and the mole sauce was very very very good. I'm not usually a huge fan of mole sauce, but this one made me a believer. The kids got quesadillas. I took a quick bite and loved the flour tortillas (I'm a sucker for a good flour tortilla). Drink menu - I thought it was cool that there's regular cocktails, lower alcohol drinks, and then mocktails. Nice variety. I got a lower alcohol drink and it was light and refreshing; I'm blanking on the name though. Overall - great experience here and we loved this restaurant!

Everything about this place is excellent from the moment I walked in the door and was greeted by the host to being seated immediately and having a waiter take my order. The happy hour menu is offered 2:30 pm - 5 pm daily. A bowl full of tortilla chips with a light tomato and onion salsa was complementary. I ordered the pork tamal en hoja de plantano plate. It's also served as an appetizer on the happy menu ($8). The tamale is topped with a creamy dark mole sauce (yum), and a side of cactus pico de gallo salsa and refried black beans. A dollop of cream on the plate adds a nice flavor. Their tortillas and masa are handmade here, so naturally I asked for two corn tortillas. Anton couldn't have delivered better service. One can tell he has extensive experience in the hospitality business. He's not only courteous, but he anticipates additional requests. I'll be back again and again.

Food was delicious! I ordered the Empanada de Mole Amarillo. It was crisp and the meat was tender and there was plenty of mole without drowning the whole dish. The rice by itself was very flavorful and zesty. Service was great. Our server greeted us promptly and was very attentive. I do feel that the menu would be hard to understand if you didn't take Spanish in high school, but that just sucks for you - it's 2024 in California, learn some Spanish. Our server was happy to explain items. The restaurant is beautiful. Dim and modern. Full bar near the restaurant. It was a great environment for our party of four. I highly recommend Copal if you are around Santa Cruz.

What I haven't written a review for Copal?!? I go here almost every time I'm in Santa Cruz! Sheesh, sorry Copal! I know I've thrown you up on my IG story at least... Oops I did the Genx ellipse yikes. Anyway, Copal is awesome - I have been here for lunch like 10 times. I brought my wife when she was with me once, I have an employee that I brought - they loved it. I should add that my wife is a serious carnivore and my employee is vegan. They both loved it. I should also mention that they are both low-key in their diet choices also - like they are not going to bring up that they are vegan or carnivorous in the first 30 seconds of meeting them low-key. Like you aren't going to get: "Hi, I'm Henry, what do you do for work? Also you should know I'm vegan before you tell me any more. Anyway what is it you do?" Or "Oh I'm Sarah and I love meat. What did you say your name was again?" So offhand I don't recall what I've eaten here - I have definetly tried a variety of offerings and loved them all. Service has always been great as well. I would love to come back some time and explore their extensive tequila and mezcal selection, especially if my free alcohol fairy was along (It is a real thing ask my wife). Anyway eat here you won't be sorry. And back to the ellipse...have you seen the show Longmire? It's a good show but pay attention if you watch it, he uses the ellipse in conversation all the time it is hilarious once you pick up on it. He is always throwing out half sentences which the other characters and the viewers autocomplete in their head, generally ending in the word "so..."

Have been here a couple of times and I absolutely love this place! Parking is somewhat limited depending on how busy it is, but definitely worth it. We were given chips and salsa when we were first sat. I was pleasantly surprised with the salsa. It was very good! I usually get their ceviche which is delicious! I love that the tostadas are freshly made. The salsa that comes with the ceviche is also amazing! Spicy and so good! Their Tropicana non-alc elixir was also super yummy! I love this place, and definitely recommend it! The staff are very welcoming, super helpful, and the service has always been super fast!

Copal is 5 stars. There is no other acceptable rating. We spotted this one rolling into Santa Cruz and I was intrigued on the aesthetic alone. A closer look at the menu revealed a treasure trove of regional Mexican specialties specifically from Oaxaca, a food Mecca in Mexico, and my excitement hit a new high. The menu is stacked with dishes you simply don't often in the US and it's such a treat to have an opportunity to experience them here. It's even more special when you have passionate staff helping to guide you along the way, your burgeoning foodie kids who are enthusiastic about it, AND a fantastic cocktail program and curated mezcal list to go with it. Walking in I knew we'd order Chapulines (grasshoppers), Molè and Tlayuda, and that's exactly what we did. We started with the complimentary molè sampler so we could choose which of the house made versions and proteins we wanted to enjoy. Sadly we couldn't enjoy them all but there's about 3 reasons I'll be back! The molè negra was our pick and if you've ever had REAL molè then one taste and you'll know how much went into this one. It seems simple but this is an art form and they do it right here, creating a rich and complex flavor that went beautifully with the succulent pork shoulder we chose. The tlayuda was an adventure in and of itself. A huge flat, slightly crispy masa tortilla topped with warm beans and layered with a lot of flavorful toppings and finished off with grilled meat and spicy chorizo, easily sharable for four adults! If the presentation wasn't fun enough, your st it by tearing it apart and assembling your perfect bites each time, until it's all gone and you cry wishing there was more. Luckily we had enough for leftovers so no tears! Lastly the bar. Holy agave. So many options but I love that they offer flights and can guide you to one you'll enjoy. I love a good "barrel pick" because it's unique to the place I'm at so I went for their flight of Copal exclusive mezcals and it was another epic addition to this experience. One had this bizarrely tropical flavor note that I won't forget. But what made this experience truly over the top was Brittany. From the minute we walked in, she made us feel incredibly welcome. She greeted our children, wrote their names on water cups, and clearly cared if we had a good or great time. She was quick with relevant recommendations and had great rationale and explanations for everything. She was well versed in everything about the restaurant and takes great pride in everyone enjoying their visit. It was no surprise when we learned she is the GM and I am sure the rest of her team is trained just as well as her. Seriously run here. The world needs more Copal and I can only hope she comes to Reno with it next!