Urban Cactus

This review is based on lunch at Urban Cactus today (first time). Mexican, with a healthier spin – definitely less salt and fat content. Their corn tortillas are made in-​house with organic masa. Out of everything that we tried, we liked their chicken pibil, barbacoa and carnitas and rajas the best. And the chipotle crema was excellent. They were unfortunately (temporarily) out of bison. We had a great chat with one of the owners – super nice and great service all around. Totally appreciate what they do and the thought they put into their food!

I finally had a chance to try this place after a friend suggested we meet there for lunch, since she had never been there either. My husband had been here shortly after it opened and thought the food was «meh,» but was open to trying again because it’s been a while since they set up shop.
I concur with my husband’s assessment, more or less, but my primary issue isn’t the food. When we got there, we looked at the menu and asked the man and woman standing behind the counter whether the chips and guacamole were enough for people to share. They said they were indeed plenty.
From the man, I ordered a burrito, chips and guac and a diet Coke (B.S. that there’s no fountain, either), paid and sat down. All of our food arrived except the chips and guac. I begin to wonder if they’re ever coming and then the guy who took my order says, «And you ordered chips and guac…» and sets them down as my husband says «we were beginning to wonder about those…»
Then the woman behind the counter comes up to the guy and protests that, no, that was not our chips and guac, and we’re looking at each other like, «yes they goddamned are our chips and guac.» There appears to be a little debate and then the guy says, «Can I see your receipt?»
LIKE I’M TRYING TO CON THEM. Are you kidding me?!
It turns out that they were NOT on my receipt, but not because I’m trying to pull some kind of con but because someone can’t damn listen when the order is being placed.
I ordered them, my husband heard me order them and the guy remembered that I ordered them and brought them to me, but then needed to see my receipt to check whether I ordered them? Seems like that’s one of those times where you just let the chips go, because it was clearly your goof.
Also, why would I ask about whether a serving of chips and guac is enough to share and then not order them? Because I just love silly questions and wasting time? YES! My favorite! That’s what I do on my lunch break every day and it’s fantastic.
The best part is that when I handed him a $ 10 to pay for the chips and guac, he took the chips and guac back, but not my money. What on earth is going on here?!
At that point, I told the guy who can’t take an order correctly and manages to pass the blame for that onto the customer, «Forget it. We don’t want them,» and decided right then and there that we would never, ever come back here. That guacamole could be made with unicorn tears and promise eternal youth. Don’t care.
For all that rigamarole, no, the food isn’t even remotely worth it.

The food here is soooo good. And delicious! The owners of this joint are very friendly and approachable. They will go out of their way to make sure everything is perfect for you. We went in and ordered the steak quesadilla, the plate with chicken, and a steak burrito. For dessert, we had flan, definitely one of the best flans I’ve ever had! They mentioned they were going to have aguas frescas and fish as an option the next day. I already took my mom to this joint too and she loved it. This is really good quality food.
Definitely worth the trip!

Ok here we go.
Greeted and asked if i had any questions on the menu. I order the chicken plate and my coworker the chicken salad.
I also ordered chips and guacamole.
No Soda Fountain Machine. Only can sodas
Spacious and a little empty with tables and chairs.
Food, my beans needed flavor (Salt)
MY shredded chicken was ⁸⁄₁₀
The Rice 6/​10, needs just a little bit more flavor (salt)
Overall the prices $$,
I did spend $ 27 for two ppl, ***Free refills***
Would i come back absolutely, very nice guy and attentive cashier.
The food got me full, wanting to call sick (going back to work) uggh
Ok lunch is over…

Got the two vegetarian tacos — they were delicious! The cactus one however is a cold taco, which you have to be in the mood for. Also really liked the tortilla!

Fresh and clean. The sauces are fresh

I love this place. Why? Organic tortillas and high quality ingredients. I get my Mexican food fix without the guilt! Food does not have a greasy or salty factor!

Love, this place! Very friendly service and delicious food. My favorite so far is the chicken pibil. Always fresh and tasty, I even love the arroz con leche. I would love if they had a larger seating area and if they were open a little later.

I was in the area and searched ‘healthy’ when this popped up. I love Mexican food. Very tasty. I selected the chicken pibil plate and they allowed me to sample all of their sauces. Everything was very tasty. I will be back for sure. The cashier was also a very helpful and friendly gentleman.

After reading about how great this place was based on their other Unilocal reviews, as well an article in the OC Weekly, I decided to drive over from Cypress and see what this place was all about. I’m always looking for healthy dining options and a healthy Mexican option seemed like a win-​win.
Prior to driving over yesterday (Saturday — ¹⁄₂₃), I checked their hours posted on here and noticed they were open until 4 p.m. Arrived around 1:30 p.m. only to find out they’re closed with absolutely nothing on their door stating otherwise. The only sign on their door was their hours of operation stating that they’re open until 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Pretty frustrating to make the trek over and be surprised about them not being open, without any notice. Communication is key for any business… a simple sign posted on their door by any of their employees would have made this annoying situation better.
I’m sure the food is great and maybe if they follow their posted hours sometime, I can give them a try and review their food…

Hopefully I get a chance to give this establishment a good review since I do like tacos

I finally get a chance to come try this great food I keep reading about and guess what …
There closed
Why would you advertise you are open till 4 pm and close at 3 pm
For that I will leave 1 star
Very disappointed drove 20 min to get here

Forget Chipotle go to Urban Cactus! The ingredients are fresh and healthy. I came with my mom and sister for lunch. The place is small but the food packs a lot of flavor.
I ordered the CHICKEN PIBIL-​Shredded chicken breast in a delicious achiote-​citrus marinade, served with pickled onions as a plate. $ 8.75 The pickled onions were awesome and the marinade on the chicken was great. I love the corn tortillas here they are softer then other corn tortillas.
My sister and mother had tacos. They said their favorite was the SKINNY PORK CARNITAS-​Natural pork loin slow-​cooked with fresh orange juice and Mexican spices. $ 2.75
They have 3 different sauces that you can bring to the table and load up on. Great for lunch totally want to go back and try the bison.
They only down side is I wish they were open for dinner.

I was invited by my girls to Urban Cactus for lunch. I was thinking okay Mexican fast food. But I was pleasantly surprised it was really good. I got the tacos Carne Asada, Skinny Pork Carnitas, and Chicken PIBIL. The Skinny Pork Carnitas was my favorite. Thank you Alex for the delicious lunch.

I do new hire training every month around here and every month our new hires are obsessed with this place! They go every day and rave about it, so I had to check it out for myself. At first glance it reminded me of chipotle: you pick your meat and the way you want it served up (burrito, taco, plate), but with more meat options than chipotle. They advertise themselves as a healthy place, but I feel like they should’ve had more healthy options like brown rice, wheat tortillas, and more salad options. They do offer fresh squeezed juice. I went two days in a row to fully check it out and here’s what my co worker and I got:
Grilled chicken burrito: I asked for easy rice because I’ve heard they are heavy on the rice. Great decision because it was still a lot! I’m not usually a rice person, but their cilantro rice is extremely flavorful and yummy! I also added cheese and gauc as it seemed too plain for me otherwise.
Chicken pibil plate: supposedly their most popular meat style. Shredded chicken in an achiote-​citrus marinade with lettuce, guac, beans, and rice. A pretty decent sized portion and the chicken is super flavorful! Really good!
Quesadilla: my coworker got this and really loved it mainly because you can get it with the different filling options inside.
Overall, good and tasty lunch choice in the area. I’m still not convinced that it’s «healthy» but better for you than your average fast style eatery.

Excellent customer service, fresh and delicious meat, assorted salsas, clean ambiance, easy parking access and even some fresh juices! Knowledgable staff, delicious sides and a need for me to come back here for the 3^rd time very soon… Yum! Thank you

Health tacos?!? Yes please!!! Chicken Pibil was a super yummy, must have again. Both Carne dishes were also good but the Pibil took the cake. Next time (yes, I’m already planning the next visit) I’ll skip the chips (seemed store bought) and mouth burning salsa (I love spicy, usually) but the guacamole was simple yet tasty. Also next visit may warrant a juice order and a chance on the barbacoa & nopales dish. Def adding this place to my go-​to healthy spots. Customer service was outstanding and food came very fast.

Now I like my greasy, hole in the wall, late night Mexican food binge as much as the other person, but if you want something a little more health conscious, this is it!
The menu is easy, pick a protein, and then pick either tacos, burrito, or make it a plate. I went for the plate, which comes with two homemade corn tortillas, refried beans, salsa, avocado and rice. I picked half bison and half carne asada. I really like that you have that option. As our food came out, the sever brought us three sauces. My favorite was the avocado one and chipotle aioli! The food was flavorful, fresh and light. Yes, I said Mexican food was light. It was delicious, and if you’re in the area, seriously stop by!

Amazing food and amazing service. Unlike other Mexican places where I feel like I regret my decision but don’t because of the grease and fat in my food. Here at urban cactus I love the green and natural feel. Food feels clean and doesn’t leave your stomach yelling at you or your body either.
Great service as well. Employees are genuinely happy working there and are super friendly. Owner cares about his product and the experience customers have. They all go above and beyond to treat you the best they can. Yes the only bummer part is their hours but still great place great food. Great everything.
Price point is great too and is comparable to that of other places. Nothing to complain about there.

If you’re looking for the oxymoron that is tasty healthy Mexican food, I highly recommend this spot. They’re pretty expensive, especially considering their food is made from fresh, all-​natural organic ingredients, the service is supercalifragilisiticexpialidocious, and the food is pretty darn good.
I ordered the bison picadillo burrito, which was pretty good, but I think I liked my dad’s beef barbacoa burrito more. It had a lot more flavor and I enjoyed the texture of the beef more. Both burritos were stuff with rice, fresh veggies, and a LOTS of meat! They did not skimp out on the meat at all! The pico de gallo is the best salsa they have, but I liked the green sauce too. Burritos were about $ 7.75 each depending on which you got, but these two were $ 7.75. Tacos will run you about $ 2.75 each and plates for $ 8.75. This place is just as good as Chipotle if not BETTER in terms of taste and value for the dollar.
If you check in on Facebook, you get free chips and salsa. I accidentally checked in on Unilocal and the owner honored the promotion anyway.
The best here was the service. The owner, Carlos, was very personable and friendly and answered any odd questions I had since it was my first time there. He informed me that they closed at 4 PM because he had personal goals to attend to in the evenings but will open until later in a couple weeks. Score! I wanted to do dinner here since the only time I can come in for lunch is on a Saturday. They may open a second location in Costa Mesa also. Double score! A lunch spot too =)
I’ll definitely be coming back to try all their other burritos, tacos, and plates. Great good and exceptional service!