Cactus Bar & Grill

We came into cactus on Thursday and tried out the $ 5 margaritas and sangria. Both were sub par. It tasted like it was a pre made mix — I can’t say I will order again. The food on the other hand was great! I got the bbq chicken salad and ate every bite of it. It was very filling which is hard to come by when it comes to salads. The grilled chicken was juicy and cooked perfectly and the ranch mixed with the barbecue sauce added a sweet element to the dish. I wouldn’t recommend this place for children as all of the tables are tall with bar stools. It is a nice spot for a low key casual lunch/​late lunch

Came here for lunch, not very crowded.
Chips and guac — awful. Too many tomatoes and lime, avocado was pale, seemed to be pre-​packaged kind from store. Not good.
Fish tacos were fine, came with three small pieces of fish and some slaw and chipotle cream/​mayo. Portion was small, but enough for lunch.
Definitely lackluster food. There’s better options in the Loop.

I came here yesterday for dinner with my boyfriend. We weren’t sure what to expect, but were pleasantly surprised. We had great service and good food. We thought the prices were very reasonable as well. We will definitely be back.

There’s nothing exciting about this place. The staff isn’t particularly friendly and the food leaves something to be desired. It’s a decent bar for people who work nearby, but it’s not worth going out of your way for.

I would definitely come back for another happy hour and to hang out with people. They have daily specials. On Thursdays, their house margaritas and sangria are $ 5. I’m not sure how often they switch up their daily deals. When I was there last week, they were doing Oktoberfest deals, where if you get a half liter, you keep the glass.
The food was very mediocre. The fried pickles were a bit soggy. The wings were overdone and dry. The tortilla chips taste like store bought chips. For a place called Cactus, I would think that they would have real chips.
The music is super loud but it’s fun music. I’m not a huge fan of screaming to talk to the person next to me though.

The food here is actually pretty good, the service is mediocre.
Our automatic go to are the Onion Strings and their Amazing Rum Runners.
Prices are reasonable.
Best of all this place is great for the introvert who doesn’t want to go somewhere very busy. It is usually very low key and not busy, but after dealing with people all day it works for my boyfriend and me!
Bottomline: I will keep coming back as long as those frozen rum runners are there.

I went here on a Wednesday night after work
First off, my boyfriend and I were under the impression that they served Mexican food (which they don’t)
We ordered the guacamole and chips as an appetizer. The guacamole was pretty good. I’ve had better, but I’ve also had worse
I ordered the Southwest chicken wrap which was yummy. My boyfriend so enjoyed his All American Burger
Our server was awkward and we didn’t see her much. She brought stuff at the wrong time and lingered for the check as we were paying.
We sat outside where it was quieter, but the inside seemed to be rocking
Overall ok experience. I don’t think I will be rushing back though

Everyone I work with seems to think this is the coolest place they’ve ever day-​drank at. Whenever we suggest going out for lunch, a few hands shoot up and offer Cactus as the most viable option. My experience, however, has been relatively subpar: very slow and inattentive service, which is a problem considering we only have so much time at lunch, and mediocre food selection and a little pricey for the quality. The wings and the po’boy are the safest bets, but the tacos and burgers, and other sandwiches, are not worth your time. We work in the Loop, let’s go somewhere else, please.

I understand the service is mediocre however it just took an all time low. Was at at end of bar waited to be served before heading on the Metra… like I said «waited» not one person acknowledged my presence. Could it be possible that they called last call before me coming in, sure it can, however, you walk up to the patron and inform them that last call has been called. Now, I looked up the website to see what time the establishment closed and it stated 10pm. I walked in at 9:15.
I worked in the food & beverage industry for 15yrs, now since moved on, however, I have never ignored a customer or pretend like i did not see them. If the customer was not mine I nudged my coworker to let them know that somebody just walked in. I know the pain in the butt who walks in just before closing, yes I know it SUCKED. BUT I never did not have the common courtesy not to introduce myself and represent the establishment I worked for.
I pride myself on customer service more than I do drinking that beer I so DAMN wanted. It’s too bad since I was in the industry I am a great tipper… $ 4-​$ 5 per drink, no b.s. 2 beers you would have made $ 10 in a 15 minute span.

I good place to get a won’t-take-forever-but-still-sit-down lunch during the week, or grab a few beers after work. Great location if you work in the loop. It is pretty industrial looking with the loft ceiling and heavily steel décor, and kind of sportsy with all the big screens playing various games.
There’s usually not a wait for lunch, which I love. Getting a seat on a Friday afternoon at around 5PM though is a little bit of a challenge. Food here is not stellar but not bad either. I am especially a big fan of their $ 5 half-​pound burger + fries special on Tuesdays. You get an awesome hefty burger that will keep you full for rest of the day. They do charge $ 1 extra for toppings, but NO EXTRA CHARGE FOR SWEET POTATO FRIES! A work friend and I both have a bit of a sweet potato fries addiction so this place totally got us.
p. s. The sangria flavored iced tea sounds like a great idea but actually tastes nothing like sangria. It doesn’t taste like decent tea either. So don’t order it unless you want to waste $ 4.50 just out of curiosity.

Taylor was so amazing! She held our party down for like 5 hours on a gorgeous Saturday. The bar wasn’t busy at all, so I’m sure that helped, but we did have about 20 people coming and going throughout the day but she managed it well and as far as I could see there weren’t any issues with billing or splitting checks. I appreciated her for that. She was also very attentive and checked in often. I don’t remember if there were any drink specials but for food, they had $ 5 half pound burgers with fries. It could have been my state of being at the time, but I thought the burger was amazing and really… how could anyone complain about a $ 5 made to order burger?! The drinks were fine once I told her to make them more stiff… or without the chaser at all. That wasn’t on her though… frankly, I don’t think the bartender or the manager liked us being there. Even though my friend organized the entire event (MY BIRTHDAY!) well in advance and was assured that everything would be great including the music. It was all lies, lies I tell you! There were a few other patrons, sure, but we were clearly the main source of revenue for a good 5 hours that day, yet still, we couldn’t have the music changed to something more up our alley, which mind you, was a request made and approved before we reserved a spot at this venue to begin with. I kid you not, the response given was that there were CHILDREN there so they didn’t want any _​_​_​music playing. He never filled in the blank. So when I looked at him perplexed and first asked why children were in a bar anyway, and why he would choose to accommodate a parent bringing their children into a bar over the rest of his clientele. He said, we’re a restaurant. Ha ok. Nevertheless, we didn’t ask for the Marilyn Manson or NWA Pandora station. We asked for Pharrell… you know, the guy who won a Grammy for the kid-​friendly song Happy for goodness sake! But okay.
I had a great time despite all of that but it was because of my friends and Taylor, not because the of the venue, drinks or even the burger. Highly doubt I’ll be back.

On our honeymoon in Chicago we were wandering around looking for somewhere to eat before we headed off to the United Center for the Chicago Bulls game (please note this is not located near the Center, I am just stating that that was our plans for the evening).
We liked the look of the place so we headed in and ordered a couple of really standard food items. I had a Burger that was on special offer. I was also recommended a decent local beer called Flywheel as well.
Both were really standard, the Burger was good, nothing wrong with it at all and at a good price. The beer was good as well What we enjoyed the most was that the staff were really friendly. One guy behind the bar talked to us for a bit recommended some things to do in Chicago and also just generally making us feel at home.
Cactus does nothing really exceptionally but the staff are really polite and for that I would say that it is an above average place. I would definitely say it is more of a night time or sports watching place than it is for superb dining.

$ 5 half pound burgers with a side on Saturdays… definitely worth it. They have a small outdoor section, which I recommend you take advantage of if the weather is nice. Inside the bar is pretty dark, but full of tvs to watch any game you want. The drinks are a bit weak to me, so just order a double. The waitress was excellent and extremely attentive to our large group, even with people coming in and out throughout the afternoon. The music here is blegh, and the bartenders are not very open to changing it much, but for a $ 5 burger, just tolerate the music.

Location and vide was really good. Went on Friday afternoon and was packed with young crowd grabbing beer and food. Ordered hogs breath burger and tortilla soup… burger was like something I’ve never had, loaded with flavor. I had expired 2 for 1 coupon and manager still honored it. Will be coming back to this place!

I have been to Cactus several times and each time is, at best, mediocre. The service is not great by any means. I stood at the bar and watched the bartender argue with another coworker for 10 min before she helped me. I signed the bill for $ 9.95 for a couple of miller lights and I was charged a total of $ 20 on my bank statement. Really? I’ll be calling them to have this straightened out but they have completely lost my business.
Stay away from Cactus if you can.

Getting to the Bears game just got easier folks!
You read correctly. It was my search for a pre-​game drink and a free ride to the Bears game that led me to Cactus Bar & Grill. I read the mediocre reviews, but decided I needed to try it out for myself. Plus, the majority of the complaints I read were due to bad service and crowds after work, so I assumed maybe I’d be good to go at 10 am on a Sunday.
And I was correct! Me, my husband, BIL & MIL got a table no problem and our waitress was just dandy. They have a great bloody mary deal on Sundays — $ 7 for a build your own bloody mary bar! They literally serve you half a glass of vodka and then there’s a bar set up with all different kinds of mixes, toppings, sauces, spices and add ins for you to dress your cocktail up — the works!
My husband and I split a cheeseburger and tater tots (also on special for $ 7). It wasn’t anything to write home about, but a good burger that filled our bellies nonetheless!
Back to the biggest draw to this bar — the Bears game transportation. This was ideal especially coming from the ‘burbs. $ 5 parking in the garage next to Cactus Bar if you spend at least $ 25 at their bar! PLUS they have a free shuttle that drops you off and picks you up just a couple blocks from the stadium. The bus runs 90 minutes before the game and 60 minutes afterwards — but if for some reason you want to skip out early you can give the bar a call and they’ll send the shuttle! Sweet!
The fun part? Feeling like your back in college on the «drunk bus». Patrons who partake in this opportunity are more than saucy which provides for quite the entertainment. Plus you’re allowed to bring your booze on the bus!

I was definitely not impressed with this place. I went there with a group of colleagues after work. Location is quite convenient if you work in the area. The lights were dimmed and from what I remember, there were a decent amount of tv’s all around showing sports games. It was just really noisy. We all had to practically shout at each other to be heard.
I ordered the nacho appetizer with beans and cheese and it was awful. The cheese was hard (like, how can you mess up cheese?!) and my friends even had a hard time grabbing the nachos from the plate because the cheese was so hardened on top. I ordered a margarita after that and was not impressed with the size or taste of it. We didn’t really go there for food, mainly drinks. But even those weren’t good. The servers were so-​so. It looked like one of them was training a girl and experimenting with our table. We had numerous servers too, which I thought was a bit unnecessary, given the fact that it was just 6 people getting drinks and an appetizer. I’m only giving it 3 stars because I had a good time with my friends there and it’s a convenient location.
On the plus side, the bathrooms were nice.

When I want to venture a little further away for the lunch hour, I always like to walk down to Cactus. This is the place you can get moderately priced GOOD burgers, good food, and all around great service during the lunch hour. It’s «different» and not your typical lunch hour restaurant.
After work is a different story — lots of people working in the west loop and south loop, limited after work and happy hour options = a crowd all the time. I have hit up this place after work to indulge in a lush cup (margarita special) or three in the past and I can see a few of my co-​workers have posted reviews here as well.
So once again… great atmosphere, drink specials, good eats and drinks = a good time

Went here with a few co-​workers for happy hour on a Wednesday evening. We arrived around 4:30 and there were plenty of places to sit. Took a few minutes before our server came by, and when she did, she oozed indifference. We ordered a pitcher of the house strawberry margarita on the rocks. At $ 27, I felt it was reasonable. The margarita was nothing to write home about, but it was fine. We ordered a few apps, taking advantage of the $ 5 after 5pm special. The apps were typical bar food: guacamole and chips, loaded tots, and pretzels with cheese. I thought the tots were quite tasty.
It’s not my first choice for happy hour, but I’d probably go here again. It would be great if the service was better.

This is an after work happy hour spot, and it does that well. They have drink specials, good service, nice servers and bartenders. The food is average bar food.
Good things to take note of. They are on
, which you can buy a $ 100 off of $ 200 and use on liquor and food — good deal.
They do a great fantasy-​football draft special. $ 30 for a ton of food and open top-​shelf bar for 2-​hours, while you draft.
The place is big — you will always get a table. Overall — nice afterwork spot to meet friends.