Cactus Restaurants

Hands down best food and service!!! My husband and I came in as first timers and felt like we were famous! Our server, Aly, was amazing! She was incredibly knowledgable with the menu, always checking on us and even gave us a free desert! I can’t say enough good things about Aly and the rest of the staff at Cactus! This will be the only Mexican food restaurant we go to from here on out! Highly recommend the carnitas and prawn tacos! Out of this world! xoxo Rachael & John + baby on the way :)

Rolled up at Madison park, lots of parking available on a Thursday. Happy Hour at the bar section from 3 – 6 on week days.
This location is not very big. Limited seating, difficult for large parties.
Drinks are not cheap during happy hour at this location. Drink prices online are different. Food seems cheap compare to the drinks, average saving of $ 1.5 — $ 2 bucks on the food. Guacamole comes with chips and salsa, and it is the best part of the meal. Also ordered the apple wood smoked chicken flautas, the corn quesadilla, and a side of rice and beans. 2 drinks and some food, total was $ 42 with tip. For 2 people, kind of expensive. Food is tasty.
Restaurant’s interior looks cool. Noise level is high. The outdoor searing is good, nice view, heat lamps were on. I would prefer the other Catus locations.

Amazing. Bartender knew his menu, suggested great food, portion size was good. Had the seafood enchiladas. Black beans and Spanish rice were a good touch. Flavor was all over the place and delicious. Nice and calm for 3pm in Seattle. Would go there again in a heartbeat. Would have taken a picture of the food but it was gone quick :).

OMG you guys I had the Sonora Spa Chicken and it was beyond! It sounds like its healthful, but it was too effin good to be good for me. Spilt it with my friend after we tried the ceviche which was tart and good. Few rounds of margaritas from the sexy little bartender and we’re ready for Monday Funday at The Attic. Look out Madison park, were all up in ya tonite.

First time at Madison Park. It a cool, chill vibe kind if community. Cactus seemed like the obvious choice for dinner tonight. Aside from walking by and eyeballing the food that people had sitting out on the patio, this eatery was hopping.
G had ordered the, Sonora spa chicken. Lots of colours and flavours! It’s pretty much a carb free kind of dish.
I ordered the House made Chimichanga, with
our waitress Amanda’s recommendation to have it with the beef brisket. Her recommendation did not dissapoint.
It was deliciously amazing!
The entrée is quite filling so I’d recommend either sharing or pack it home for lunch the next day.
The house Tortilla chips and salsa was fresh and had a nice kick (plus you can get free refills!) (^,^)
For dessert, we ordered flan! Super creamy, no cooked eggyness and not too sweet. A perfect way to end the meal.

I’ve eaten at Cactus many times and unfortunately, yesterday I was disappointed in the food. I ordered the Chipotle-​Garlic Shrimp on their brunch specials. The sauce was too thick and the food came out barely warm. I’m particular with temperature and like my food to be piping hot, so that was the first mistake, but truly I was very underwhelmed with the taste of this dish.
I gave 3-​Stars today but the service was pretty good and I’ve eaten at Cactus before and had tasty dishes. I would recommend their enchiladas or flutas to other diners.

I went to Cactus for the first time last week and can’t wait to return. I went with a group of friend for a 21^st birthday. I’m not 21, so I was excited to see that they had a mocktail menu! I was also excited to see that they do their enchiladas «Santa Fe» style, which is how my family makes them. I ended up ordering the Santa Fe Enchilada which is made with all the same topping my family makes ours with. Although it did not live up to my standards (nobody can beat a family recipe) it put up a good fight! At the end of the night they brought out to two complementary flan desserts and they were amazing. The best flan I have ever had.

What a wonderful experience! The waiter and manager were both quite friendly, and the food was incredible. Definitely planning a return trip here from Tacoma after going to the UW Botanical gardens.

Cactus Restaurant is fantastic! We just happened to stumble in this restaurant by accident after my son got done playing across the street at the Madison beach park. We happen to check out all the restaurants along the street and this was our pick because my wife loves mexican food.
We looked at the outside menu and it looked promising. We got seated after about 5 minutes which was great! We ordered seafood enchiladas, chicken fried chicken for my son and an appetizer diablo shrimp and a side of guacamole. When the food arrived, all our food turned out amazing and tasty!
My son was craving for dessert so we ordered banana dulce. When our dessert arrived, we were surprised that the manager Chief added another dessert, the flan a long with caramel ice cream. Which was complimentary because he found out it was our first time in the restaurant, which we appreciated very much! So thank you Chief for the excellent service from your staff and complimentary desert again. We will truly be coming back when we are in the neighborhood again. Great restaurant! This deserves all five stars for the food, atmosphere, hardly any waiting time, friendly staff and awesome services!

Our go to spot … Love the food & the staff
Favorites are any of the enchiladas, the Diablo prawns.

Emily last night was delightful. Me and my best friend shared some grilled chicken fajitas and both had a drink. When I asked her the restaurant itself I could tell she generally loved working for Cactus and telling customer’s about it. Before we knew it with had dessert delived at our table brought over by management telling us that he appreciated us coming in tonight.
I’ll be back! Thanks Emily

OK! The table desperately needed a good bleachy wipe down.
Service was pretty good and the food came quickly but was nothing to write home about.
My husband did not prefer their brunch menu.
I would come back if someone wanted to meet here but I would never suggest it!

Amazing! Just moved to the area and wanted to stop by for a quick margarita. The bartender was extremely personable and they even gave me a flan for dessert to welcome me to the neighborhood!
You were awesome, can’t wait to come back!

Great food
Great drinks
Great service … like really great.
Decent value
Good fun
Cactus is one of those restaurants where the yum is greater than the parts because a bunch of 4-​star ratings and one 5-​star server added up to an unlikely five-​star experience. The food and atmosphere may not be authentic Tex-​Mex, but Cactus Restaurant was awesome fun and yum in Madison Park just a chimichanga’s throw from Lake Washington.
Starters:
* Ultima Margarita ($ 9.50)
Reposado tequila & Grand Marnier liqueur
* Guacamole ($ 7)
Smooth green Avocado freshness
* Chips & Salsa
Free & flavorful … Keep em’ comin’
Dinners:
* Brisket Burrita Lenera ($ 14)
Braised brisket burrito laced with Green Chile Sauce and Buttermilk Crema plus Guacamole, Pico de Gallo, Spanish Rice, and Black Beans
* Butternut Squash Santa Fe Style Enchiladas ($ 15)
The enchilada is «stacked» Santa Fe-​style with crispy White Corn Tortillas and great for vegetarians wanting flavor form Goat Cheese, sauteed Spinach, Roasted Butternut Squash, Caramelized Onions, Mole Rojo and Guacamole
* Salmon Tacos ($ 15)
Large fresh Salmon with fresh fish and Avocado
* Chorizo Chimichanga ($ 14)
House-​made Chorizo stuffed into a Flour Tortilla and fried served with Jack Cheese and a Green Chile Sauce
Desserts:
* Bananas Dulce ($ 7)
Eat quickly because these sweet Bananas are seared with Brown Sugar & Myers Dark Rum plus Toasted Coconut Ice Cream on the side
* Tres Leches Cake with fresh Berries
Three times the dreaminess and a must order if you like tres yum
The drinks were stiff and got stiffer with each round. The food was yummy and go yummier with each bite. Even so, the best experience at Cactus Restaurant was our wonderful and entertaining server. She earned a great tip for excellent service, delicious suggestions, and playful banter. She also helped earn Cactus Restaurant five fun stars.

My husband and I moved to Seattle 5 months ago, and have tried tons of restaurants in the area. This is by FAR the best meal we’ve had since moving here.
We shared a cup of the green chili soup, had an order of the flat bread (for any SouthWesterners: these are sopapillas under another name), I had the chicken chimichanga and my husband had the butternut squash enchiladas. The owner gave us a flan, on the house, (O.M.G. YUM!) and we each had a ginger mojito mocktail. Everything was delicious and so flavorful. Our new favorite place. We give it 4 thumbs up and 5 stars. A perfect meal.

I’m a longtime fan of Cactus. I was a fan of their first restaurant in Madison Park, and have visited each of their locations throughout Puget Sound. Over the years, Cactus has consistently done a good job, but as with any longtime relationship they’ve also had their problems. But before I get to the merits and challenges of Cactus, I’m going to go on a bit of a tirade. If you’re more interested in my review you can skip to the end. Otherwise, hang on with me while I setup my point.
I love Mexican food. It’s one of my favorite regional cuisines. So I visit a lot of Mexican restaurants, and have eaten a lot of Mexican food. Food from various part of Mexico and across The United States. From the truly authentic to that which only bears a passing resemblance to something vaguely Mexican. And in my travels I have become intimately familiar with the arguments about the differences and merits of authentic Mexican and Tex-​Mex. And honestly, I find few topics in food to be more irritating. Many people use the term Tex-​Mex as a disparaging remark. The implication is that the food is bad because it isn’t authentic. Or more commonly, people describe all bad Mexican food as Tex-​Mex. Neither characterization is true of course and both reveal the ignorance of the critic.
Tex-​Mex is nothing more than fusion cuisine. A hybrid that has existed for more than two centuries and has made a strong influence on both sides of the border. It is a legitimate and authentic style that represents much of the Mexican food most people outside Mexico (and even some inside) experience today. And while it is possible to find original Mexican food that lacks the influence of the southern U.S., this food isn’t always good or better just because it’s authentic. Furthermore, just because someone comes from Mexico doesn’t mean they know how to cook good food, or run a restaurant for that matter. I come across a lot of Mexican restaurants that serve authentic food, but it’s prepared poorly and tastes terrible. Just because Menudo or Pozole is on the menu doesn’t mean it’s any good.
I say all of this to acknowledge that Cactus is a Tex-​Mex restaurant, and it’s a good one. Cactus has good food that tastes great. They feature many flourishes of authentic cuisine that pay tribute to both sides of the border with quality ingredients, good preparation and, flavors that are typically vibrant and alive. The menu offers a wonderful variety. And of course, anyone who makes scratch margaritas has a leg up on the competition.
Cactus also provides service that is friendly and efficient, but they’ve been known to have their problems as well. Their restaurants can get crowded. I mean very crowded; with wait times up to an hour on popular evenings. And when they’re busy, and/​or the kitchen is in the weeds, their execution can fail them. To me though, none of these things matter because Cactus usually bounces back. Some of there locations are better than others, but ultimately they serves some of the best Mexican food in the area. And thats more than just my opinion. But one thats supported by thousands of people who have made Cactus a popular and growing Seattle institution. If you’ve had a bad experience, give it another chance. If you don’t like the food, well that’s a matter of opinion, but let’s not pretend it’s bad just because you don’t like it.

Yum! This Mexican restaurant has a great selection of food and drinks (except beer there is no beer on tap)
I love their nachos with beef, although the second time I got it the beef was really though they were nice to comp the beef for me.
They have outside seating which is nice, and you can tie your dog to the outside of their patio fence to keep an eye on them. So semi-​dog friendly.
My husband had the ahi poke tacos and ceaser salad with shrimp, both were delicious!
Service is fast and friendly, and their happy hour prices are good.
Their bathrooms feel dirty though.

I love this place
It’s as good as it was 15 years ago. The service was good, drinks came out a little slow. Seafood enchiladas were fantastic. Guacamole was just ok, seemed a little processed. Chips are not that special. The place it self is just great and love the area.
A reliable outing For dinner

Cactus was our pick for our Friday night, post work, unwind dinner and it was a great choice. We got seated immediately in the spacious bar seating area and were quickly brought free chips and salsa that seriously calmed my hunger. The menu is pretty extensive in both the food and drink. I decided on the Sonoran Spa Chicken and he chose the Seafood Enchiladas and the supreme margarita. The spa chicken was omg amazing. I loved every bite of the meal, felt completely satisfied and still felt like I had a pretty healthy meal from a Mexican restaurant, without any lack of flavor. He liked his seafood enchiladas and finished his plate. To note, their enchiladas are more stacks than actually rolled enchiladas and I’m not sure why they do it that way.
The margarita was strong and delicious and I think we had three bowls of chips and salsa so I guess we got our money worth in that respect. Consistently good food at a pretty good price with a nice vibe. The bar area was quite loud when we first sat down and I felt like I was having to yell but the noise level came down throughout the meal.

Tip: come here during happy hour 3 – 6 weekdays and 3 – 5 weekends. Sit on the patio in nice weather for good people watching.
Menu: fun and unique sounding items that wouldnt be on azteca’s menu. Though our ahi tuna tacos had good heat, they lacked flavor. Great guac and salsa to go with very plain tortilla chips. This is americanized mexican food.
Drinks: had a moscow mule that was in a «dope» copper cup (the menu said dope!), that was pretty tasty! Also had a mojito with fresh lime juice.
Service: nice enough guy but i think he was disappointed we didnt order more.
Ambiance: great space, great patio, but madison park has a pretentious air.
Future use: i would come back, i’d like to try brunch and more happy hr items. :)