Cactus Cantina

Best Mexican in the DC area!!! I’ve been going here for over 15 years and would be hesitant to go anywhere else. They have the most amazing fajitas and hands down the best margaritas!!! We go here at least once a week and I highly recommend!

I don’t typically go for Mexican food but this place seemed friendly and inviting. The inside is huge with a great sunroof in the back. I ordered the pork tamales which were bigger than any other tamale that I have ever had. For two of these it was only about $ 5. We also tried the beef brisket tacos, very flavorful and the barbecue sauce on this side had a spicy sweet flavor. Overall good down to earth food!

This is a very solid sit down lunch place. Don’t come here if you’re expecting to spend less than $ 12. I like that the portions are huge. If you come in a group your plates are usually jammed up all against each other, get friendly with your neighbor if you aren’t! The service here is usually very good, really nothing to complain about.

Great Mexican food very family friendly Great place to bring your kids if you have kids The best things on the menu are quesadillas enchiladas fajitas really good chips salsa The staff is very friendly I have been coming since they opened years ago
Would highly recommend this place anybody who likes Mexican food

Hands down the best Mexican food in the area. Best guacamole, awesome quality of meat in their fajitas which I always order. Their tres leches, flan and churros are a great recommendation for desert. The Plato Gordo is also great if you wanna try different food and share with some people. This will give you the ability to see how their food is of great quality.

cactus feels like a part of my family. like a 2^nd home!
its the local gathering spot among my group of friends… the #1 choice location for meeting up and gossiping or catching up on life. all my out of town friends and family who have dined here always want to make it their first food stop when visiting dc.
im a sucker for their chips and salsa and their fajitas. the fajitas are excellent, and come with a basket of flour tortillas that are made in-​house (and are heavenly). their lomo saltado is excellent as well, and some of their daily specials are quite good.
there are definitely some things on the menu that ive tried and disliked (notably some disappointingly bland chicken tacos and a few of their brunch items). but im still giving five stars because its the kind of place where you can expect consistently good food, nice service, and a friendly atmosphere,
awesome hometown DC spot.

Came here for lunch during the week. Restaurant is surprisingly HUGE. I don’t know why I continue to disappoint myself with the Mexican food in the DC area — its just never going to compare to Denver or San Diego.
Service was somewhat slow for the lack of people in the restaurant. We started with chips, salsa, and quacamole — the quacamole was a little weird. I will give this restaurant props as their chips were fresh and you could tell the tortillas were made in house.
I opted for a salad, it was smehh. Others in my group went with the tacos. Food was good but definitely nothing over the top.
They have an extremely tempting happy hour. Good spot to stop in after work, too bad its far from my house. Very typical Mexican restaurant — nothing to rave about.

This place is a staple staple if you live in the area (Cleveland Park or Cathedral Heights). I’ve been here for brunch and dinner and both times I was really impressed. This place is unlike any other place in DC that I’ve been to
5-​stars on the guac at this place. It’s some of the best guac that I’ve ever had. However, the fajitas are what make this place worth visiting. They’re delicious and reasonably priced if you’re ordering for 2.
Margaritas are delicious and reasonably priced during the brunch special.
I’m not a native of the DC area, but I kind of appreciate how this place is like the Mexican restaurants back home. I also really like the tortilla maker that they have is totally cool. However, I’m not sure that I would have made the effort to come to this place from Arlington if I hadn’t been meeting a friend both times. Recommend coming here if you live in the area, but otherwise there’s not really a reason to make this place a destination.

I really hate to only give it 2 starts but the food was bland as ever! I had the Thursday food menu pick fish tacos and I had to put salt in everything the tacos and the black beans. The margarita was okay but not strong like they only used half a shot! All and all of Tex-​Mex means bland as ever then they were spot on! Even the free salsa was bland and tasteless. The only thing salty was the Churros but they were fresh! But no I will more than likely ever go there again.
The atmosphere was great we sat inside and was well taken care of the service was impeccable!

I ate here last night for the first time in probably over ten years. The food lacks seasoning beyond salt, it’s greasy, and the margaritas are way over-​sweetened. Our waiter was very friendly, but our not-​that-​large party of five was delegated to back room with all the families with small children (we had nobody under the age of 30 in our party). I’m all for this being a family friendly place, and that’s part of why I’m giving this 2 stars, but given that the place wasn’t packed they could have seated us in a more appropriate place.
CC is an antiquated example of Mexican. While salty food wrapped in flour tortillas and drowned in cheese was once as good as you can expect from a tex-​mex joint, I think there are far better options and frankly feel like the ‘mexican’ that I make at home is better than this.
I’m giving it two stars because I believe this place serves as a staple in the area for:
–Large work parties where people can get hopped up on sugar and cheap tequila on the company dime
–Families or groups with small children
–Private school high-​schoolers residing in upper northwest (I was one of them and know how popular this and other Mexican joints on Wisconsin are with this demographic)
–People who think that cheese and steak smashed between a flour tortilla and heaped with sour-​cream is desirable
Obviously I’m not a fan, but I know that people do like it and that’s great. It means more space at places that are more suited to my taste.

Five stars for having gone here for well over ten years.
First off, the reviews about this place being ‘authentic’ or not are just silly. You don’t go to most places in the DC area for authentic anything and you’re not going to a Mexican restaurant on Wisconsin and Macomb Aves, NW, in DC for cheap food. You’re going for good food, good service and a great experience. You get all of that here.
Unlike other places that I’ve recently reviewed, they give you absolutely delicious and as many as you want tortillas. They make them there in the middle of the restaurant and they are worth your first-​born son. Or daughter. Their fajitas alone are worth the trip.
Their spinach and cheese enchiladas are amazing. Their salsa and chips are amazing. Seriously, stop complaining, buy their food and give them your money.
As for their margaritas, yes, they are expensive but oh-​muh-​lord they are delicious. Beautiful. Amazing. You will want to go back. Again. And again. I live in California now and yearn for the day I can return.
Anyway, five stars. I would give six. Seven. More. Thanks!

Some of the worst Tex-​Mex I have ever experienced. The food looked very appealing, but it was flavorless. I think the only thing this place has going for it is the location, and lack of other restaurants nearby.
If you want better Tex-​Mex, try anywhere else (even Taco Bell).

About a 2.5: My friend and I decided to grab some lunch from Cactus Cantina. A place that’s well-​known for HH and work functions, this restaurant offers Tex-​Mex fare. I tried their ‘Del Mar’ parrilla combination entrees, which came with 3 jumbo shrimp brochette (wrapped with bacon), and a choice of either chicken or beef fajitas (I opted for the latter). This also came with flour tortillas, rice, guacamole, pico de gallo, and charro beans. The shrimp was a little overcooked, but I appreciated the jumbo size. The fajitas were actually quite tasty, as it had great seasoning — I just wished there were more! The vegetables, such as the onions, weren’t sauteed long enough, so they were pretty much raw rings of onions. The flour tortillas were warm and plentiful, and the beans/​rice were forgettable (as they were bland and unflavorful). A big bag of tortilla chips and smokey salsa (was not a fan) came with. Service was friendly, and there was definitely a lunch rush.
+free chips
+forget the salsa
+beef fajitas
+friendly service

One of the main reasons I’ve always liked Cactus Cantina is because it is away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Sometimes it’s nice to make that long trek up Wisconsin Ave to sit on one of the many wonderful porches Cactus Cantina offers. Although, just because it is away from the downtown city area, don’t be mistaken, this place gets PACKED.
However, as soon as you have that frozen swirl margarita in hand, the packed atmosphere tends to melt away and things just seem right in the world. Just keep in mind that the pitcher will cost you a good bit. Just short of 40 bucks to be precise… I hate how much they cost and yet I can’t stop ordering them. They know my weakness. Well played Cactus Cantina!
The food is pretty tasty too. I always get fajitas because fajitas are the bomb, obviously! Cactus Cantina doesn’t disappoint. The sizzling meal comes served with guac (I’m allergic, but whatever I know people go crazy over that stuff), Mexican rice, beans, pico, and tortillas. The weird thing is that cheese and sour cream cost almost 2 bucks extra and even if you order it they usually forget to bring it… weird right? Oh, and don’t try trading the guac for sour cream, apparently that is a no-​no???
I think that is the main reason for my two star deduction is that the service there kind of blows. It seemed like we were bothering our waitress all night. Our water glasses were never filled up and when I finished my first margarita I was never offered another one, our waitress simply snatched the glass. It did not feel welcoming and it made us think she wanted us out of there. It just left a bad taste in my mouth when we left the restaurant. Our bill would have been much higher (*think more margs*) if she had been more attentive and willing to wait on us. Benefit of the doubt: it was a crazy busy Saturday night… I’m sure servings two people was at the bottom of her list of important tables?
I like Cactus Cantina, but I’m in no rush to get back.

Sangrita was a success; vegetable fajita was really big with lots of sides like guac, beans and rice and sour cream, can be easily shared between two people. Our server was kind, the staff was helpful. The food overall was pretty good, a cool experience.

Me encanto la atención la comida la bebida el ambiente es excelente regresare eso si es seguro que rico la pasamos

As other Unilocalers have stated, Cactus Cantina is Lauriol Plaza’s sister restaurant. Upon entry, our party of 4 was immediately seated. I didn’t realize the size of the establishment until I took a trip to the bathroom. I was surprised by the magnitude of Cactus Cantina. There were a couple of bars and seating options available.
We were there during brunch hours. The restaurant offered several brunch dishes to include chicken and veggie fajitas and the traditional huevos rancheros. I ordered the chicken fajitas with extra veggies (potatoes, zucchini, cauliflower, etc), it was delicious! My table mates were satisfied with their food choices as well. We went during the day so it wasn’t that busy. I’d like to see what the restaurant looks like at night.
Lauriol Plaza is still my favorite Tex-​Mex spot in DC with Cactus Cantina running a close second :).

Cactus Cantina has been around as long as I can remember and we used to go when I was really young. I had never really been a fan of it until I recently tried their steak taco, called steak taco al carbon. It’s sort of hidden on the menu and just a single steak taco but it is huge and is plenty of food I think. There must also be a steak taco set which has rice and beans for those who need more food. The steak is wonderful and it comes with guac and pico de gallo. I also ask them to bring some cheese. I think maybe not everything on the menu is good but this steak taco is really wonderful.
Another interesting item on the menu is the spinach quesadilla. It’s simple with just cheese and spinach but it’s really good and healthy (right?).
My favorite restaurant is (was?) Rio Grande (now called Uncle Julio) with several locations in the DC area. The Bethesda location of Rio Grande is so crowded and loud to the point where it’s just not nice to go anymore. I’ve been to Cactus Cantina a few times and we’ve gotten a table immediately and it hasn’t been crowded at all.
Cactus Cantina is my new spot for Tex-​Mex in DC.

I just can’t understand why this place is so busy. Perhaps it’s because there aren’t many restaurant options in Cathedral Heights, because it certainly isn’t due to the drinks, food, or service.
Last night’s experience was unremarkable at best. The margaritas are way too sweet and pale in comparison to some of the local competition (like Rosa Mexicano, Guapos, or Cyclone Anaya’s). The people behind the host stand are stand-​offish at best, with the only words spoken to me (more like barked at me) were «30 minutes» as I was handed the pager.
When we were finally seated last night (after the 30 minute wait for a table), we waited, and waited, and waited for a server — until we decided we had waited too long, got up, and headed to another restaurant for dinner, one that didn’t take our business for granted.
Put simply, people shouldn’t confuse «popular» with «good». They’re surely not the same when it comes to Cactus Cantina.

Sorry but I think this place is overrated. I’ve been here a few times… Most recently last night for a dinner with a few friends…
We had a large party… I know that can be challenging… Perhaps big groups are too overwhelming for this popular place. The wait was pretty long even though we had a reservation. This was because one girl was stuck in traffic and they don’t seat large parties until everyone arrives…
When we got appetizers we had to ask for silverware, napkins extra waters, etc. The server also forgot to bring my friend a drink and he forgot the hot sauce I requested until prompted again. The guacamole and queso were flavorless and underwhelming.
Dinner… My friend’s cheese enchilada looked like a melted cheese disaster on her plate. Yikes! The fajitas didn’t come out sizzling, and my rice was dry :-(
But there were a few highlights… The shredded beef chimichanga had tender flavorful beef inside and my margarita was yummy! I got the swirl which was frozen strawberry and lime margarita combined.
Overall, my experience was just not impressive. I might return one day… but only for drinks with 1 or 2 people… and perhaps I’ll get a bowl of shredded beef! Lol

Second visit was just as good if not better than the first.
I would highly recommend the guac and 2 cheese appetizer. The guac has great flavor and the cheese is mouth watering, light and fluffy. Goes great with the chips. The cheese is really fresh
Also rats runnin all up in the streets, be careful