Cactus Restaurants

I have been here several times and have never been disappointed. One of the three of us had a brunch dish, another had a regular menu item, and I had the seafood chowder off the daily specials, with a side of fry bread. My friends ordered extra sopapillas because they thought they were yummy. I loved the chowder. Drizzled with chili oil and very spicy, but delicious with plenty of seafood. The service was excellent with our server being able to answer questions and make recommendations. Only wish it was warm weather so they could have had the open air doors up. Awesome outing. ..

3 stars. View is nice. Its comfortable. We ordered the mushroom quesadilla and it was DELICIOUS! Kudos to the chef! My fiancée was sad about his tiny whiskey on the rocks he ordered. I loved my mohito. Price was fine.

Came here for happy hour. Had the Mexican coffee, my husband had the dos equis amber. Nachos, street tacos, their spicy prawns.
Nachos were delicious! The salsa on there was so yummy, there were nice thin pickled jalapeños that were baked on rather than topped off after (like most places) a drizzle of crema, corn, beans, etc. A dollop of guacamole on there as well. Everything just went really well together on the nachos.
The street tacos were good, there are three types on there, chorizo, potato and shredded pork. I really enjoyed the chorizo, my husband liked the shredded pork a lot. I thought the potato was good, I wasn’t extremely crazy for it, but for vegetarians its a good substitute. Its also served on fresh made tortillas, so good!
Their spicy prawns were okay. I didn’t love them, they were okay to me, but I’m not a big fan of fried food and creamy sauce. My husband really liked them a lot though, it was served on a bed of shredded cabbage that also had a creamy spiced mayo as well. It was served with some sort of salsa, almost like a chutney.
For dessert I ordered the toffee cake dessert thing, (sorry I forgot the name) it was served with a salted caramel ice cream. It was really good. But a couple bites was good enough for me. It was a tad bit too sweet for me, but the texture was perfect and paired with the ice cream was even more delicious! I don’t have a huge sweet tooth, I like to try things rather than eat a whole bunch. But for someone looking for a really good salted caramel type toffee dessert, this is it! I can’t wait to try their friend banana with coconut ice cream tomorrow! Sounds so yummy!
Service was outstanding. The bartender was super informative about the menu and offered really great suggestions. He was timely and professional. I spoke to another employee and he were really nice too!
Overall I think this place is great! Not my most favorite, but this is definitely top of my list great place for happy hour, dessert or date night spot! ++++its located right off of alki beach, so its beautiful! It was nice seeing the beautiful rain hitting the water!

My girlfriend and I come to this place on a weekly basis, It is our absolute favorite place to go. We’ve gone countless times and never had a bad experience. The food is delicious every time and the servers are prompt. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for the best Mexican food in west Seattle.
Also, the tall server named Peter is phenomenal.

I love, love, love the food here! The shrimp tacos are a must here and they make they’re tortillas by hand. Would def recommend coming here.

I like to come this location of Cactus in Alkai. Serving innovative and inspired Mexican and southwestern cousin

We experienced fabulous service here on a day that had been going terribly up until we walked in here! Our kids were hungry and grouchy and the waitress immediately brought them chips, water, and asked if we wanted appetizers and drinks ASAP (we did!). The chef was accommodating when we wanted to try a variety of meats in the brunch menu. Our food was the perfect level of spicy to bring out the flavors without overwhelming the pork. The in-​house ginger beer was wonderful, and it tasted great in my Moscow mule! We left happy and will return for supper service some day.

Cactus is getting a 3 due to the fact that my husband did enjoy his food. I’ll start by saying that I wasn’t expecting AMAZING authentic Mexican food from Seattle. This was the first restaurant that we hit up in Seattle because it was one of the few choices of open restaurants at the time and within walking distance. The service was far from great and the food is overpriced for what you get.
I ordered the Christmas Tamales for $ 14.50. For that price I would think they would include beans and rice but it was just two tamales (only one of them has meat). I asked the server several questions about the dish and placed my order asking to change a couple of things. Long story short I didn’t get what I asked for but they did correct it and let us keep the extra enchilada.
My friend asked about portion size before deciding to order a chicken quesadilla. He was assured that although it was on the appetizer menu it was a healthy portion (enough to make a meal out of). However; this was not the case, his plate came out with four small triangles of quesadilla.
My husband was the only happy camper of the group. Maybe that had something to do with the patron margarita and michelada he drank? He had the chorizo and cheese appetizer along with a seafood enchilada (that came with black beans and rice).
By the end of our meal we felt like every employee was staring at us waiting for us to leave so they could close.

Came here for a work lunch one day. I’ve heard rave reviews about Cactus and was excited to try it. We had chips and salsa, and the cheese dip which was delicious. Everyone’s entrees looked delicious. The service was excellent.

Been coming here for years, and love their butternut squash enchilada and guacamole above everything else. The price is a little steep but in this case, you get what you pay for.
Their salsa is super fresh with all the right ingredients and alive with flavor. It’s not thickened with corn syrup or any other awful additions that you find at so many other places. Cactus’ is one of the best I’ve tasted, other than my own that I make from scratch.
It’s one of my favorite happy hour restaurants here in West Seattle, although really wish they had Mac ‘n Jack’s Porter.
The service is always excellent and food arrives quickly. My absolute favorite Mexican restaurant in West Seattle.
One warning — The noise level in the bar is very loud, especially on a weekend night or in the summer, so if you’re hard of hearing at all, or if you want to be able to have a conversation, be sure to ask for a seat in the main restaurant.

I’m a longtime fan of Cactus. I frequented their first restaurant in Madison Park often, 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.

Usual Cactus awesomeness — but throw in some cracking views to boot. Drinks ace, food excellent, service brilliant. All up to the regular good Cactus experience. Can’t quite give it the 5*, as doesn’t have quite the wow factor of 5 — but let’s say the highest possible 4. 4++. Recommended.

Average. Nothing special. Salsa is terrible and taste like they poured a jar of pace picante into a bowl, but the chips were nice and fresh. The guac wasn’t even satisfying to me. I didn’t feel like any love or thought was out into the food and don’t understand where the tex mex comes in.
We had 7 different dishes, all mediocre, but one out of 7 of us loved the bread bites with the cinnamon butter. The jalapeños need to be cut with cream cheese rather than goat cheese, but I appreciate their attempt to be different.
Even our server lacked umphf.
The smoked quesadilla’s were good but not the best I’ve had.
Ceviche wasn’t in point. Bad choice on the use of red snapper! Two thumbs down for that.
The butternut squash and ice cream received thumbs up at our table.
I would never pay to eat her again. Not terrible, but not worth my hard earned money.
The seating is spacious and open to the outdoors which is nice during warm months. I wouldn’t recommend this place, but you may like it. Other Unilocalers seem to, but Unilocalers aren’t reliable resources based on my many busts.

Got the seafood enchilada and steak fajitas — both were super delicious!
Enchilada had fresh ingredients tucked into a blue corn tortilla. Smother in a rather heavy, but OH SO YUMMY cheese sauce.
The steak was tender and cooked well. Came sizzling on an iron platter with a generous helping of caramelized onions and Spanish rice.
Everything felt fresh, service was great. Oh but you have to be 21 to sit near the bar area (not even at the bar), which is where the nice indoor views of the waterfront are. Otherwise to see the water, you must sit outside.

Cactus is a pretty nice restraunt, I’ve came here for brunch and dinner a couple of times I usually get the chicken fried chicken for both times. I would recommend it for a dinner portion it is probably my favorite dish there. Service was good, they were courteous, always filled up my water without needing to ask. ⁵⁄₅

As a Southern Californian, I wouldn’t call this Mexican, but I would call it delicious. I came for brunch on a gorgeous Seattle day.
Solid cocktail menu: I had the festive hibiscus chi chi.
We started with the Navajo fry-​bread with this warm honey butter. All three of us got the chicken fried chicken with egg. WOW. There’s nothing healthy about this, but it is 100% delicious. Don’t miss this dish!
Enjoyed the wide open windows on this nice spring day!

Great location, good food, lively ambience and great service. Loved our server who entertained us while
Taking our order! Salsa dip was amazing to start off with. Good large portion sizes of the tacos, enchiladas. The frozen fruit margarita was not disappointing either. Recommend this if you are around Alki Beach in Seattle.

Amazing view from the restaurant! I went on shift to get food, and as an Emt I need to be able to get food quickly. Inwanted something not heavy, but delicious and manger went out of way to grill my fish and not deep fry. Also, he put a rush order on it! Phenomenal place, great view and friendly staff. Will be back again.

One of my favorite happy hour spots on Alki! There’s a reason that several Cactus restaurants have sprung up in the Seattle area. The food and atmosphere are great at each location, but this one in particular maximizes on the view with lots of windows, and on nice days they open big doors to the patio, which lets a nice breeze in, as well as the sunshine. The bartenders always seem to be making mojitos in spite of margaritas being a focus of the drink menu.
They have a nice selection of lighter beers on tap, and a solid food menu with a fresh spin on traditional dishes. Overall, Cactus is a great choice, regardless of which location you find yourself close to.

The brunch at Cactus is easily worth the quick drive over from downtown Seattle. Good service, plenty of space, and brunch is served til 3pm on weekends in case you’re just really, really tired or suffering massive dehydration, or both.
I had the chicken-​fried chicken and egg, and my friend had the Santa Fe enchilada and both dishes were delicious. The chicken-​fried chicken was unlike any other I had: not really greasy, very lightly breaded, and the chicken itself had a ton of flavor and was not dried out at all. The chorizo gravy was also a great topper, as was the poblano hash under the chicken. If you’re like me, you can ask for extra chorizo in the poblano hash… One of the best house-​made chorizos I’ve had in the NW. And knowing you can walk it off with a great jaunt down the beach: hard to beat.

Quelle petite phrase bouleversante au coeur d’un être?