For the first year we lived here, my wife and I gave this place at least 20 shots. We always left unimpressed. It's just kinda alright, americanized Mexican food. If this place had a theme song, it would be the sound a deflating balloon makes. read more

I love the cactus cantina!! They have amazing food and the best service. Melanie is friendly, patient and kind. I would request to sit in her section especially if you're a sports fan!! Everything is great on the menu and I would recommend the ribs! They fall off the bone. I also recommend the flautas or the sizzling fajitas. The portions are big but if you save room for dessert you will not be disappointed! My favorite dessert is the brownie sundae with extra chocolate syrup! read more

Place gets packed on Fridays so be ready for a wait. The service is hit or miss. Very family friendly and will allow dogs on patio

Food and service are decent, but way too pricey for the overall experience. We go often because they are so close, but leave feeling we overpaid each time. read more

This place SUCKS! Unless you like your food previously frozen, served lukewarm, and overpriced, you should stay away from here. Don't bother tying to tell anyone about either they'll just roll their eyes at you. Even the chips we got were so stale they were chewy. The interior reminds me of your friends weird uncle's game room dedicated to cheap beer and sports. I see why they have to have the bar smack in the middle of the dining room since you have to be hammered to choke anything down. Go anywhere else. read more

This is a very old restaurant that has a diner feel to it. Our server was prompt, friendly and attentive. The food ordered was good. I got the enchilada and taco combo. My enchilada was tasty, the fried taco could have been better. I will return here the next time I am in the Riverside area. read more

I base most of my restaurant reviews on food, and staff... I've lived within walking distance of Cactus Cantina for over a decade and never gave it a chance. Recently, my fiance decided to ride our bikes over and give it a try for breakfast on a Sunday... the food is by far, the best breakfast around... the bloody marys are good and spicy, and Evan our server was knowledgable, friendly, and efficient. We decided to try it for dinner soon after, we both ordered from the Mexican food portion of the menu... it was delicious! Now, we've made it a point to go every Sunday for breakfast, and whenever we eat out, we chose to eat there. The decor is fine, but that's not what keeps us coming, the good food, and great service however is! read more

A reliable neighborhood restaurant that we visit on a regular basis. The food is cooked perfectly, every time - just right for us! While the menu might at first glance appear common, it is full of surprises. We are having a blast trying different items with every visit. Yum! The hot ticket is the Lighter Side of the menu. It's a deal for the price and yet you leave the table satisfied. There's a decent wine list, a good bar and family-friendly. The good news is that the desert menu was recently improved - so no complaints from us! We are always running into people we know - apparently the clientelle is getting bigger and bigger. Everyone is finding out what a great place it is! And another really nice feature is that the restaurant is located by the movie theater, and on Fridays & Saturdays, its open until 11pm. After the movie's over, a little walk through the parking lot and voila! You're having a nice glass of wine and maybe a little nosh or a full dinner. Sweet! read more

The ribeye steak was very good and juicy with a generous portion. The margaritas were made well and very tasty. The fajitas are good with lots of veggies and plenty of meat as well. My wife took home leftovers. Chips and salsa were quite good with what seemed like homemade salsa. I would definitely try it again. read more

Went to the bar one time and had some drinks and bar food, it was pretty good, decent service... Took the family for Dinner, it wasn't good and the Cadillac margarita was made with a knock off Grand Marnier, another time ordered take out and the burgers were falling apart ... Not pumped on this place. read more

Waitress was awesome, pointing out items that they are well known for. One of the items she pointed out was salmon. I don't eat salmon because I never cared for it. I ordered the Cajun shrimp plate and my boyfriend order the salmon plate. Both were outstandingly delicious! Everyone always told me I've never experienced salmon cooked the right way. Well the salmon here was awesome, no smell, moist & flaky. The shrimp plate was even better. Most the time you get shrimp they look big in the picture but in real life they're small. This particular plate came with eight pieces of shrimp. I was fully satisfied and actually had a hard time getting the last two pieces down. read more

Food has really gone down hill. I have tried several things and everything has been inedible!!! This is the only place I have had to send things back. I finally got the hint that it wasn't going to get any better and stopped coming. read more

The food is average. My husband loves their Carne Asada Burrito. Everything else is usually just average. The wait staff around the restaurant are nice and give pretty good service. HOWEVER, the weekday, evening bar tenders are HORRIBLE. Unless you are an extreme regular (meaning you go in multiple times a week) they all but ignore you. You have to ask for everything. They smile and are super flirty, but only cater to those that are there multiple times a week. They do have a good selection of beers on tap. The décor is dated but clean. My husband and I continued to go here because it is so close and he loves the burrito, but we've just been too so annoyed with service, we haven't been in quiet a while. OH! Also, they advertise in the coupon flyers that you get in the mail. DON'T USE THE COUPON. Every single time that we do, our bill is more than when we just pay regular. I've asked what that is about a couple of times and the "wonderful" bartender went to ask and never reported back. read more

Terrible dry burgers. Roast beef sandwich was like old dry crusty beef jerky with crusty old bread and ajue sauce was bland no flavor. Overall bad experience read more

Really? A Happy Hour doesn't include the beer??? That deserves a big sign. It's not the dollar or two. It's the principle. read more

Cactus Cantina - New American Near Me - Riverside, California

Francisco, the server, is very attentive and gives great service. That said, the food here is very mediocre and salty. I felt taken - like the quality of their mexican food is just good enough, nothing to write home about. read more

Place was simply ok. Nothing to write home about. Server was friendly, food ok, but not knock-it-outta-the-park. Ordered steak nachos and my wife ordered baby back ribs. Large portions, which was nice. Atmosphere kind of skeezy, though. Place a little unkempt. There are better restaurants in neighborhood. read more

I have to say I was very impressed, but first impressions dont do much for me, what stood out to me was the efficiancy of service. I felt like the server and waiter both paid attention to me when I asked all my questions. I went for breakfast and had the Huevos Rancheros and I was happy I did not need another serving nor did I have to wait long for it.. Badass place to go for breakfast. Excited to try dinner next read more

This place is a hidden gem. The steak and shrimp fajitas are to die for. The price is right and the staff is very friendly. Will for sure be back! read more

Heard about this place from a friend since we just moved into the area. I've actually been here once to eat in and another time to pick up an order. I came for lunch in the middle of Saturday, it wasn't packed and our food was great. Service was great as well, we had an older man waiting on us. Our pick up order was great as well. The hostess was a bit ditsy, but we got everything and it was good. I would suggest that they rip out that very brown dead palm tree next to the front door. Makes it look pretty bad. Also, the decor is dated...carpet should definitely be replaced and the seating is... "flat". read more

We came here to celebrate my friends 29th birthday with family and friends, there were a total of 8 of us.. we arrived around 6:15 pm and we're seated pretty quick. The waitress took our drink orders, came back 25 minutes later to give us our drinks then left. She didn't come back to our table for another 20 minutes or so to finally take our order. After we put in our orders, it took a good 40 minutes for our food to come out.. they messed up on 3 of our orders, and a few of our meals were cold. After we ate, they brought out a free dessert for the birthday boy... which halfway through realized there was an eyelash in the dessert... this is honestly the worst experience we have had at this restaurant. . read more

No bueno. Food was really dry, fries were soggy. I wouldn't come here. Nothing but retired white folks in this "cantina". The cajun shrimp skewers were plain, the big dipper was really dry, the bbq sandwhich was also dry and chewy. Felt like I was in a retirement cafeteria. Very dissapointed read more

We ate at this restaurant last night. The reason I gave this restaurant a two star rating is the service was pretty good. The food though is really poor. I am not sure why this place is chosen for birthday celebrations. I ordered from the Mexican half page in the menu and what got was not good. The price also is a bit high for the quality. read more

Good variety of food, nice atmosphere, and prices are reasonable. Service is always great. Good for groups, families, or a nice meal before a movie at the nearby theater. They also have a full bar for those of you interested in beer, wine, or mixed drinks. read more

I live in the area, and I like to go to Cactus about once a month, and I order the fajitas for two every time. Haha, I am so boring! Ambiance/interior: I like this place. I love that they have "local legends" in picture frames on the walls. They have people who are from Riverside, like race car drivers, ball players, etc. on the back wall, and I think it gives the restaurant a local flavor that you can't find at chains like Chili's down the street (this place is better than Chili's, but I am really NOT a fan of Chili's). I like the effort and thought that is put into the decor: kind of local, with southwest flavor, but not fancy, and it is somewhat older. There is a bar area in the middle of the restaurant, with lots of TVs, and that is one of the reasons we like to come here, to watch a game and have dinner and a drink. I usually don't bring my kids, but it is kid friendly, too. Service: Always very good and the staff seems very friendly. I come here often and have never had bad service. Food: Like I said, I am a creature of habit here, and I really like the fajitas the best. I usually prefer the steak and share it with my husband. The flavor of the steak is good, and the meat is not overcooked, and it comes with lots of peppers and onions. The beans and rice are good, and it comes with pico de gallo and sour cream and guacamole. This is not a Mexican restaurant, but I think they do a fair job with the Mexican dishes. I always order the chips and salsa to go with it. They have lots of items like steak and burgers and all kinds of diner/neighborhood steakhouse type foods. My son (age 11), when he comes, orders the fried calamari or fried shrimp, or any variety of fried stuff, and he loves them. The food is what I would call comfort food, and by that I mean that it isn't fancy or amazing, but it is consistently good, and makes me feel at home. The bar has a decent selection of beers, and that keeps the hubby happy, too. Overall, I would recommend it. But, it is not fancy, and it isn't amazing. read more

Well let me start by saying I came here with a large party 2 years ago after a funeral and the family was impressed and everything was very good. Yesterday over 2 years later I returned as a smaller party but hoping to get the same impressive food we got the first time. Well unfortunately it's not what we got. 2 in our party got the fish tacos after me taking just one bite I looked up and asked the other member of my party if he liked his he said it taste funny doesn't it. The fish wasn't fresh it tasted like it had been frozen defrosted and refrozen or it stayed out too long. It had some what of a strong pungent fish flavor and cod should be a pretty mild fish to begin with. We informed the waitress and she took both our plates back. We both ended up getting the special the ribs, shrimp and 2 sides.. the stomp were good but I brought everything else home as it was getting late and we were conversing more than eating. At the end we decided to get 2 cobblers and OMG I do not ever recommend the cobbler, cobblers are supposed to have s crumbly topping let me tell you this one was canned pie filling topped with box cake, I don't think they anticipated the amount of sugar in canned pie filling and box cake when you bite into it were disgusted it was sugar upon sugar upon sugar upon sugar and still grainy. We noticed that what we had been served was more of a small dump cake than a cobbler. Our dessert excitement went away almost instantly. We all looked at each other and said we didn't remember it being so bad the first time. When I got home I decided to try the ribs and omg they are smoothered with BBQ sauce making it look so good but when you take them apart they were so dry and burnt. It actually tasted like jerky does very dry, tough and it tasted charred the beans and rice I got were good but Yeah disappointed for sure. read more

Went on friday. We had the hard shell tacos and NY steak. Both were great. Drinks were delicious. Service was exceptional (lighting speed). Will definitely come back. read more

This is a great place. Whether your looking for Mexican food, a good steak, some cajun chicken, or some good seafood, this place has it all. I actually recommend the carne asada plate o the cajun chicken plate. The food here is always good and the service is always friendly and good. read more

Great customer service! Food was great too much for me to finish, I have had the enchiladas with red sauce the sauce tasted a little like mole. I'm not a huge mole person. But it was good, chips and salsa could use a bit of salt. I have also tried their wet burrito it was amazing I had it with a side of guacamole just perfect! read more

Riverside has very few steakhouses, and this is as good as it gets if you don't want to spend a fortune. The Margarita's were generous and chips and salsa were very good. Steaks were cooked perfectly and prepared with high quality cuts. Our server was very friendly and helpful, and accommodated several special requests without complaint. The atmosphere is very casual even though some items on the menu would be at home in more upscale surroundings. Perfect if you want a good meal without having to get dressed up. read more

So much food! Yummy margaritas! And very comfortable environment. Will definately come back for a date night.

Big portions (Tough for us on diet plans!) Lots of TV screens, central bar, nice people, decent prices. Great for OrangeCrest/CanyonCrest residents! read more

The shrimp fajitas were good. The shrimp were huge! The smoking on the patio is nasty!

The waitress was nice, but the food was horrible. My entire family agreed . Some couldn't even finish eating the food, or barely ate any of it. Also it smells like a sewer on the side where I parked. I looked and it actually was a sewer too... The place also needs a make over outside.. read more

Service was horrible. Food is not authentic. Salsa taste like ketchup. When we got our appetizers they were cold as if they had been sitting out. I'm sorry I'm not usually one to complain but the servers favor a certain type of customer. Waitress didn't even bother to check if we needed anything until it was time to pay where she commenced to give a sob story about not being able to be with her daughter because she had to work ( she wanted a tip). This was not my first time here, the second time around just as bad( I like to give second chances). Personally did not enjoy the vibe at all, very stuck up staff. I should have save my money. read more

This place is okay, but nothing great. The food is just about the same that can be found in any tex/mex restaurant chain for about the same price. I however was disappointed with the fajitas. They are kinda pricey and its mostly onions and bell peppers with a very few steak. The atmosphere is good at times, they have the games on. I would only recommend this place is you are in the area, but other than that any other place would probably be better. read more

This is one of my favorite spots! Great food, drinks and fun atmosphere. Chips and salsa are delicious along with the fajitas, steaks, mashed potatoes, garlic bread, and most everything else. Movie theatre is in the same parking lot which makes for a great date night! read more

Loved their carne asada tacos ... Beef was exceptionally lean and tender. A super family-friendly, well-priced restaurant. We will be back!!!! read more

Due to business we met here regularly. After being double booked on a regular bases and requested that we find another place to meet. The owners have to be the rudest business owners I have personally met. The food is at best mediocre at best. Salads wilted, beef very dry with no flavor Mexican food bland. I always ordered pasta and even that was served different every time. I personally would eat at McDonalds if I had a choice. read more

We don't have a lot of restaurants in the area but this one is all we need! Love the food, love the people, and love the atmosphere. The fajitas are great but we also enjoy coming for breakfast and a mimosa on the weekends. I can't remember the last time we went anywhere else when we want to go out to eat- cactus cantina is always our go to. read more