Cactus Taqueria

Food is pretty decent, but the atmosphere and screaming kids are kind of a bummer. Rockridge Rugrat takeover most nights, so I tend to avoid the chaos.

Cactus is conveniently located in Rockridge. The food is very basic and bland. I am a big fan of Mexican food and it is an affordable option. After eating 3 chicken tacos I was still hungry. The salsas help flavor the food but they are not the best as well. The taco’s are greasy and I got tired of going to Cactus after the second time going there. On the upside, the food did remain fairly consistent.

My husband and I got take out from here last night and never again. Food was ehhhh. Worst part was today. I woke up with the worst gas and stomachache I’ve had in a very long time. I had to work today and two hours in I got the worst stomach cramps and my whole body started getting hot and sweating. The worst. My husband went to the bathroom three times this morning back to back. No more visits to this restaurant. Sorry.

Not worth it. At all. I definitely won’t return.
The food was Tex-​mex, the salsas flavorless and far overpriced. One taco a la carte with a side of sour cream came out to be $ 9. Ridiculous. The carnitas were decent. Mole sauce just tasted of tomatoes, no complexity. The tortillas were only ok. Chips weren’t good (I’d take Tostitos over those).
Not to mention, I felt very ill after eating the food, an occurrence after eating at the Solano location too. I am very accustomed to eating spicy food and was definitely not that.
The service was brusque at best. More like borderline rude, even on a slow Monday night. The woman seemed reluctant to answer any questions and didn’t seem to even know the menu that well.
Save your money and go less often to Comal for better food for not that much more. At least worth it to not get sick and for a quality dining experience. I’d rather not feel like I’m back in my elementary school cafeteria.
Wish I could say I liked it since it’s a good location in central Rockridge. But really nothing about it to recommend.

Parking is a pain but it is really accessible with public transportation (bus stop + rockridge bart station is right next to it).
They have a wide selection of foods that are all decent prices; my favorites are the grilled chicken crispy tacos and the sauteed shrimp crispy tacos!
It’s open seating inside and food comes out really quickly.

I was annoyed because I was ready to order and my boyfriend and I stood there for about three minutes waiting while the three ladies behind the counter chit chat. We finally ordered our food. I ordered nachos and when the food came out I was satisfied because the nachos had all the same ingredients I would request at Chipotle. Now I’m like Chipotle who? Besides the customer service the only thing I didn’t like was the can mushrooms. Everything else was fresh so why use can mushrooms on the nachos.

They forgot the extra salsa we ordered but otherwise food was rly good n fresh. The chicken was grilled perfectly the cheese was so good on the nachitos – definitely fresh. Fast service too I just wish they didn’t forget the salsa we paid for

If you like a super loud place with screaming f*cking kids everywhere, this is the place for you!
Started with 4 stars for the cheap, good food. Minus 1 for the bright lights (where your sunglasses) and loud (bring earplugs). I’m actually not kidding about the earplugs, had parked my motorcycle outside and happened to have my earplugs for riding and popped them in. Made the experience much better. Minus another for no chips. No free chips in a Mexi joint is like no free tea at a Chinese place; a sin. Minus one last point for my grilled chicken plate was tepid.

Granted the reviews weren’t overwhelmingly positive, but I was hopeful to find a solid taqueria and was disappointed. The chips had a stale aftertaste, lacked flavor, and although though served to act as a conduit for the good tasting guacamole I think if you can’t serve decent chips then there’s a problem.
The fish taco is the priciest item on the menu, and was overly fishy and the tortilla was soggy from the ingredients.
My husband did like his steak and chicken burrito, but overall a disappointing lunch.

Solid taqueria next to Rockridge Bart Station. There is always a line out the door but it moves quickly. Cheap prices and clean atmosphere. I got the quesadilla once that was overloaded with cheese. Way too much! I’ve also had the nachos that were again, just okay. Hard to compare when I usually eat at taquerias in the Mission but this place will work in a heartbeat.

In the end, this place is fit for purpose — solidly A-​OK. From the street, I thought that it had the potential to be a real star. As it turns out, I think most of the people there were out for the same thing as me… a no fuss, quick, relatively affordable (for the location) taco, burrito, or quesadilla.
For some, they were probably getting off BART after a long day in the city. For me, I was killing time while Caldecott tunnel traffic settled down. For about $ 7, I had a decent chicken quesadilla, served quickly and efficiently despite a pretty robust crowd. The salsa bar is respectable and they have a few beer choices on tap.
Not a destination kind of place, but perfectly acceptable quick and sorta cheap eats whether it is after work or after the bars, or in my case both!

A reliably good place for fairly quick, yummy Mexican fast food. I wouldn’t really call it authentic, but it’s fresh and they have a lot of good options — I’ve never been disappointed.
The best thing on the menu is definitely the crispy tacos. They’re truly delicious, though a bit messy. The burritos and chile rellenos are also good, but I’ve found the quesadillas to be a bit too greasy.
There’s a lot of seating, but it’s usually pretty full, because this place is always busy. The prices are also reasonable for the area (College Ave. is pretty upscale for the most part). Biggest downside is that it can sometimes take quite a while for the food, though that’s also a sign of their popularity and that everything is made fresh.

I frequent Rockridge a lot but never thought of stopping at this place until a coworker mentioned the fish tacos were delicious. I figured this place would be less than authentic, expensive ‘cali-​mex’ food at higher prices compared to what i’m used to in Hayward which is almost a mecca of mexican food options.
Ordered one fish taco which was plenty for a light, fresh lunch without staggering out the door and back to work. Pan-​seared fish (talapia) accompanied with slaw, black beans, avocado on a soft corn tortilla with chips… nice selection of salsa from the salsa bar from hot, sweet (pineapple), mild with grilled peppers. Delicious flavors and nice change from deep-​fried fish but in all honesty, smothered with hot sauce for flavor… prices on the higher side but nevertheless, i’d come back as I’m on a fish taco kick and quest!
Next time ill have to try their specials and desserts… they look so yummy!

Best Mexican food spot in the East Bay. Their crispy tacos are legendary and their burritos are always stuffed and loaded with the goods. I think I could eat here everyday for every meal, but that wouldn’t be the best for my health…
They also have daily specials, which are worth looking into.

I live around the corner, so cactus is convenient. I’ve eaten here many times because of that. but the sad truth is that this place is just not good. the food is very sub par for a location that is prime real estate in the heart of rockridge. I love mexican food but this place has no authenticity. nothing here is delicious. super «meh»
last time I ordered a chicken taco. the meat was scooped out of a container where it had clearly been sitting for a while. diced overdone white meat that was extremely tough, dry, and terrible tasting. good mexican uses moist pulled chicken (dark and white). cmon!
the only thing positive i can say about the place is that the beef appears to be decent quality. but other than that the items and options are crappy. the sauces aren’t good. the chips suck. the only thing that’s decent is the green mole, which they only offer twice a month on special. the daily available verde sauce, on the other hand, is tart and unpleasant.
I just can’t eat here anymore. they need to reboot and start making real mexican food.
please! if not, I encourage a competing mexican place to open shop in lower rockridge, so there’s another option other than crappy cactus.

J’adore cette endroit, les burritos sont très bon et quand on prend avec steak se sont des vraiment de viande !!

Okay so this is a taqueria no doubt. The food is tasty and the portions are moderate. However the cost is a lot more than what I would expect for a mid grade taqueria. I believe it is what you are paying for is the location and the potential clientele. The food is tasty however the hot flavors are tempered somewhat for the audience that they are serving.
the fact that I had to order rice and beans along with many of the other normally complimentary sides seems a bit like overkill. 3 tacos cost almost 5 dollars for chicken. that seems like a lot to me for a relatively cheap protein.
On the plus side the location is well placed across the street from the Rockridge BART. There is also ample seating. it is well lit and very clean. They also have a salsa bar that is well stocked with tasty options. They do have a drink set up which is self serve.

You can always count on a line out the door here around dinner time. It’s popular with families, students and those who are wanting a «quick» bite to eat, especially on nights when you just don’t want to cook.
I normally get their steak taco here, but I opted for something different this time. I had the fish taco ($ 7) which is a nice portion, so one should be enough. I liked it. It’s tasty and light. The fish is grilled, not breaded and fried, and mixed with black beans and salsa. It also came with chips which is nicely seasoned and crunchy. My husband had the steak quesadilla which is also a good size for dinner. He enjoyed his quesadilla. We also ordered the Nachos without meat. It was nice and cheesy with refried beans and jalapeño rings, with guacamole and salsa on the side. We had way too much food. Next time we’ll skip the nachos or order that alone as an entrée. I’m somewhat of a nachos freak. It’s not the best I’ve had but it’ll do if I’m craving it.
We didn’t have dessert this time, but they do serve Tres Leches which we’ve had in the past. It’s quite good! Their Alfajores cookies are also good.
We just had water, but they do have bottled beers, sodas, juices, Horchata and Agua Fresca.

We used to go come to Cactus regularly but haven’t been here in a few years. After eating here 2 weeks ago, I know remember why.
The food is just okay. I had the Casa Salad and it was not good. I would have been happier with a prepacked salad from Trader Joe’s. The carnitas burrito mejor was just okay. There were grisly and fatty chucks that I spitted out. The kids were okay because they had bean and cheese burritos. I don’t know how anyone can mess up a bean and cheese burrito.
I had some bites of the tamales (Corn & Poblano Chiles, Chicken & Green Anaheim Chiles). These were not good either. I hope it was more moist 2 days before when they first steamed it. It was dried out and lacking in any flavor. I was hungry so I tried to dip them in the salsa but it crumbled so I had to pour the salsa onto the tamales.
Oh yes, salsa bar saved the night. It was the only way to add flavor to the food. My salad was a lost cause, with very little romaine, lots of radish slices and vinaigrette likely from a bottle.
To add insult to injury, when we walked out the back door, we saw a flyer posted on the window. They raised the prices for the first time in 5 years THAT NIGHT!
I’ll stick to Chipotle or mexican grocery stores for amazing tamales!

Cactus occupies a prime cornerfront spot, directly facing the exit from the Rockridge BART station, and the interior is quite inviting, with lots of space to spread out. There’s a lot to choose from on the menu, and you can customize things further at the salsa bar. Everything I tried was tasty enough, but also just bland enough not to warrant a 4-​star review. Still, this is an affordable option for a quick bite in what’s otherwise becoming quite the posh neighborhood.

My husband loved this place. He thought it nearly on par with the Mission and better than the Mexican places in Concord.
I’ll give it a four out of five. Prices were amazing for the amount of food and they have a great salsa bar. Also, they include guacamole with their plates and burritos. Many places will charge extra for that. However, my fish burrito (although large and tasty), did not have a lot of fish. I did enjoy the flavor of the cilantro rice in there though (but it was too much rice). My son’s bean, rice, and bean was also mostly rice. Not much in the way of beans or cheese. It was the first time I can remember him not liking a bean and cheese burrito, although that was mainly because they included pico de gallo as well (which personally I thought was a nice touch).
My husband loved his shrimp plate though. Shrimp were delicious!
This place is fast, casual, and cheap. Lots of seating. Great place to bring kids.