Cactus grill is by far my favorite Mexican restaurant in Kansas City. Famous for their espinaca dip, Cactus grille has a menu full of delicious options. I generally get the Monterrey chicken burrito or the BBQ chicken salad. Always buzzing with business, Cactus grille has a large seating volume and a full bar with separate (first come, first serve) seating. Complimentary chips and salsa disappear by the bowlful while homemade margaritas vanish by the pitcher! read more

Cactus Grill - store front - Mexican Near Me - Leawood, Kansas

I was extremely excited for some fine Mexican cuisine. Everything was fine until I was sat and met by our server, Ilyes. He immediately referred to my husband as a "puss". We asked for two sangria swirls, Ilyes walked to our table, 27 minutes later with two shots of rum. When we requested our initial order, we were once again referred by the name "puss". We slammed the shots and demanded a refund. We each ordered Monterrey chicken burritos, only to be met with steak towers. How does this even happen? Ilyes is worst (not to mention he stinks!). read more

Decent fare and good atmosphere. I had some sizzling hot dish with lots of meat and beans that was perfectly good for your typical Americanized Mexican food. What really stood out was how our waiter was very patient with our party while we waited for our 4th member to finally show up. He was about 25 minutes late, but we didn't get hassled by our waiter to hurry even though it was a very busy Friday night. Sorry to say I can't remember his name. Bottom Line: Lots of good Faux Mexican dishes that will satisfy and reasonable prices and a wait-staff that won't disappoint. read more

Cactus Grill - Mexican Near Me - Leawood, Kansas

The food is okay, but there are a lot of better Mexican and Tex Mex options in Kansas City, including Overland Park and Leawood. A lot of restaurants in the area provide info on their food regarding food allergies. They do not on their standard menu. The service was mediocre. We stayed awhile to talk and to wait on a storm to pass and it was apparent the younger waitress was getting impatient with how long we were there despite that there were many other tables open. I usually leave extra in those situations. I also asked prior to ordering if the chicken used in their salad was like lunch meat and was told it was grilled...not the case, it was thicker shaved lunch meat. Not good. The wrong dressing was given to me as well. The waitress brought out our chips and salsa with the salsas stacked on top of each other and the top bowl was sitting in the bottom bowl. The floor was slick at the base of the stairs. Not safe. The restroom was disgusting. I likely won't return. There's too many other good options in the area to return to a place that was mediocre at best in regards to food and service. This is the first time in a long time I've been disappointed with a restaurant in the area. read more

I tend to get cravings for Mexican food fairly often, sometimes to my husband's dismay. Cactus Grill is one of my favorite spots to stop in town. First, their espinaca is the best in KC, in my opinion, and I've tried a lot of espinaca. :) I always get the Suiza Enchiladas, which are so tasty, and if you happen to be in there for lunch during the week, their lunch portion is the perfect size. I also recommend the black beans over refried as their black beans are so well seasoned. Pro-tip, call ahead for take out, and it's super swift to pick up your meal at the bar. They also have dedicated parking out front for carry out. read more

I've been coming here for years as it just keeps deteriorating: grumpy hostess, dirty utensils, indifferent wait staff, food struggles for mediocrity. The chips and fresh salsa are still terrific though. Think I'll find another place. read more

Went to planned event. I rarely send anything back but salt on a Margarita changes the flavor.. I got the drink back & tasted like same drink over a mound of ice, above the glass level, it was terrible. Then, only 3 bartenders inside, 2 drinks in 2 hours, bartender kept taking orders from the men, could not get eye contact. HORRIBLE service, complete disrespect. With so many restaurants to choose from olenty of better establishments around. read more

Great food and margaritas! Did an excellent job in addressing the COVID-19 situation we're in. Will go back for more.

Never thought it would come to this, but just went to Cactus Grill for absolute last time. Place used to be our family's go-to marg, chip & queso and eats - often multiple times a week- but owners have literally driven any previous quality down into the ground. Margs are now pre-made (and in a town like KC where you can get AWESOME margs...that's a deal breaker!), dinner portions are a fraction of what they used to be (steak towers are now steak fried "pinwheel" bites). Even the decor and daylight LED lights in the bar have ruined what little welcome ambience used to exist. To owners: you had a good thing going but clearly desire to become the next mediocre mexican chain was more of a priority. PEOPLE!! If you're still expecting a good marg and food, here are some great alternatives not only for a great marg but equally great food: South of Summit, El Patron, Brookside Barrio, not to mention all the amazing places in KCK and the Boulevard. P. S. This is first yelp review I've ever posted, but speaks to how disappointed I am at decline in Cactus Grill. read more

Picked up great food from Leawood Cactus Grill last night. They really have their curbside and walk-in pickup process working smoothly!! Give you lots of salsa and a big bag of their yummy chips and even threw in some cheese queso on the house! Best salsa and chips ever!!! read more

I went to Cactus grill with my best friend and her family over the weekend. They have been there many times, so I was excited to try it. They served generous amounts of chips and salsa as soon as we got there. We ordered guacamole and it was probably the best guac I've ever had (or at least in a long time). The salsa was also excellent, a little spicy . The fish tacos were good but pretty average, but then again it was a Mexican restaurant not a seafood place so that is not surprising. Overall pretty good meal with great company! read more

Here is why I'm rating this place a 1 star and it isn't because of the food. I love the food! This is the third time I've been here for lunch with the same bartender. I always order to go and I wait at the bar. Every single time I get this bartender she is rude, not smiling, acts like she's doing me a favor by taking my order and generally makes me feel uncomfortable. If I'm coming into your establishment to spend my hard earned money on your food, you better appreciate that my business is what's keeping you employed. Today I was especially annoyed with her. I sit at the bar. She doesn't greet me or smile. Doesn't even acknowledge me for a few minutes before she comes up asks what I need. I said I'd like to place an order to go. "Ok. What do you want?" She says What do I want? A freaking menu, a water and some common courtesy. So I told her I'd like a menu and she quickly grabs a couple menus and slaps them in front of me and walks away. I was shocked. A few minutes she comes back and asks if I've decided. I had so I placed my order and then told her I would like a glass of water and some chips and salsa while I wait. I shouldn't have to freaking ask. This woman needs training in customer service and needs to be removed from customer interaction and taken down a peg. Disrespectful, entitled little brat. Even though she's probably well into her 40s. She's bringing me my food now. I am curious to see if anyone else had this experience. read more

Cactus Grill has CHANGED. I went the day after they opened after reconstruction, and they messed up. It used to be classic TexMex place that I loved, but they decided to pivot. I lived in Arizona and this reminds of every cheap Baja Fresh look-alike down Speedway Blvd. Its too bright, the decor is gaudy, the menu wants to be a taco shop on the California coast/OG KC BBQ. The only good thing I can say is the service, the staff was great. But won't go back (coming from a regular), go to their sister restaurant Jose Peppers at least they know what they are. read more

I was excited to try this place because me and my husband love Mexican food. The only two good things about this restaurant were the chips and salsa. I got the jalapeño and calamari tacos which were average, and my husband got the steak and stacked enchilada, which he did not enjoy. Although our waiter was very nice, he barely spent any time asking us if we needed anything or if we were doing okay. The other thing we didn't like was that the check was brought out literally one minute after we got our food. I would be more understanding of this if the restaurant had been busy, but on our side of the restaurant there were maybe 2 to 3 tables that were actually occupied. The prices were too high for the quality of food and service. read more

As a weekly patron, we dine early to get a nice seating area & avoid waiting for a table. Last night was a total walking disaster for them...cannot even begin to imagine what it was like for the employees. We watched as they continually seated the same wobbly broken table over & over, to have the guests move to more solid ground... after the 3rd attempt (we probably weren't the first) we were distracted from our amusement by the soft drink dilemma our server was facing...of course the server was now overloaded & could not extend proper service. The manager stopped by a couple times, actually stated he had nothing else to do it just kept getting worse... read more

Service was slow.. my girlfriends and i ordered lunch he dropped off our food and it was ALL cold. Server did not come back to the table for 20 mins. While i told him my burrito was delicious i told him that all our food came out cold. He said sorry and dropped off checks. Then we waited another ten mins.. server comes back to the table smelling like a freshly smoked cigarette. I am just bummed he didn't get a manager or offer to warm our food or anything. Like I said my burrito was delicious but would've been amazing if it was actually warm! Just very disappointed read more

One of my favorite Mexican restaurants in town. I'm glad they're surviving with everything going on. Don't forget to bring in your Espinaca coupon. You're not doing KC right if you forget this! Favorite dishes include: Monterey Chicken Burrito Avocado Chicken Enchiladas Salsa Espinaca All just yum! read more

This could be such a great spot. Sadly, we sat down and a staff member sat across the aisle listening to videos on top volume on his cell phone. Then the FaceTime/speakerphone treat started. I'm disappointed that this happened, I would never dream of being so rude to patrons of my establishment. What a bummer, the food was great and it looks so nice! read more

Since I have been visiting Kansas over the past 4 years, my favorite place to go for Mexican is at Cactus Grill. I would not say it has the best Mexican I have ever tasted however it is consistently good. I always get a Margarita and depending on the night you go they have specials of 2 margaritas for $7, how much better can you get! They are not the strongest margaritas I have ever tasted but I do love the frozen strawberry ones no matter what. Their salsa is relatively good and if you are a spicy person, you can request hot salsa which sure has a very strong kick to it. I always order the fajitas, combo of chicken and steak, and I think the steak it unbelievable for a place like that. I am a big steak person so for me to think the steak is unbelievable for fajitas that must be saying a lot! You are also able to make substitutions without those pesky additional fees so many Mexican places are charging these days. I ask for extra guacamole instead of sour cream and they never have a problem with that which I love. Overall, a very consistent and great Mexican place to go and get some Margaritas and relax with good company and good food! read more

After having dinner here tonight, I decided to stalk my Yelp reviews to make sure I hadn't already reviewed this years-long favorite. WTF? Only one other review for this tasty place? Get outta town. I've loved Cactus Grill since, oh, 9th grade-ish? It's a nicer version of version of Jose Pepper's and related to Baja 600 if I'm not mistaken. Their salsa if friggin' famous in the KC area, and if you ask me, for good reason. My main dish is the grilled vegetable quesadillas, which NEVER disappoint. Other veggie items at Mexican restaurants can skimp on veggies; they usually rely heavily on onions. Here, my quesadillas always have great amounts of zucchini, black beans, mushrooms, broccoli and cauliflower. Service is usually just fine and on Monday and Tuesday nights they have $10 bottles of wine which I personally feel is a ridiculous-good deal. Look for one of the billions of coupons for a free espinaca dip serving. If you leave Cactus Grill hungry, you did it wrong. read more

Part of me hates to even write this review because cactus grill/Jose peppers is literally my favorite place to eat. However my trip to cactus grill yesterday was extremely underwhelming. The salads used to be amazing and one of my top pics. I ordered the cheese crisp salad which all of a sudden is about half the size, and the chicken is totally different (shredded) and mediocre. The other salad we ordered I can't even remember the name of, but it was essentially an 8 dollar side salad. Came in a tiny bowl with hardly any toppings. Highly disappointed with cactus grill after this. read more

Cactus Grill - Worst 8 dollar salad I've ever seen. - Mexican Near Me - Leawood, Kansas

Went in for happy hour. The bar was rather quiet for happy hour, but that left ample space for our party. Our server was polite and prompt. Our food was hot and tasty. I'd go again. read more

Cactus Grill - Carnitas Guacamole Nachos - Mexican Near Me - Leawood, Kansas

Cactus Grill is a new favorite! Good portions are just right. Chicken Avocado enchiladas are really good. Friendly service and nice atmosphere. read more

Some of the best Mexican food in KC. Their chips and salsa are superb, but their espinaca is the best by far. They're tacos are good, as are the burritos, taco salad, tortilla soup, and pretty much everything else on the menu. read more

RIP cactus grill. I hadn't been here for a number of years, and at the proposal to go earlier tonight, I was honestly excited to eat there. We were seated by a friendly hostess and were given our preference of seating. Out drink order was taken immediately and our app arrived quickly. I'm going to pause and say that the service was all around very satisfactory. The food, on the other hand, was soooooo sad. The menu has changed. The rice was odd and unfitting of a Mexican restaurant. The cheese dip was lumpy and the chips were off. It just wasn't good. I was sorry to see that my former favorite dish, the coconut chicken salad, was gone from the menu. I was sorry about my experience. I used to love this place. I don't know what happened. read more

I have been a patron here since I was young so I have to give this 5 stars. I have been here a hundred times and have never had one item that is bad. I ordered something different last night and it lived up to my rigorous standards as usual. This time I had the chicken enchilada special with rice and beans. They have enormous portions and I couldn't finish it all. And I know that no matter what, cheese dip will save my mind from any kind of mood swing and make me a happy girl. The margaritas are tasty and they have the two for $7 special all the time or you can upgrade to Patron tequila if you like for a couple dollars more. The wait staff are always fast and friendly and just seem to have a way of knowing when my drink will run out at precisely the right moment. This is a big deal to me because without a drink, I get crabby and then I don't tip as well. All around, this is one of my favorite stand by restaurants where I know I can try new items and know they will be good. Oh, and two of my favorites are the coconut chicken salad and the chicken and mushroom burrito. read more

Every time I eat here, I get the chicken enchilada. I haven't tried anything else, which is really abnormal for me, but it is just so good. The shredded chicken is just so good. I crave this often. The chips and salsa are nothing to rave about, but I wouldn't poo poo them either. They're what I would expect. The service is much like the salsa. People are friendly, but nothing to wow me, or to disappoint me either. What to take away from this? I like their food. *A word of warning, do not eat this for lunch if you plan to work out in the evening. Just saying... read more

Gave it try again after not visiting for a while. No reason other than there are just do many places to eat in the area. Anyway, Good food and good friendly service. I had a pork carnitas burrito and it was very filling. The meat was savory and tender. My wife had the chicken and avocado enchilada and was very pleased with it. Glad we came back and will try to remember to come back soon. read more

Ended up here last night on the eve of Thanksgiving! So yes, timing was bad because it was a crazy busy night but we still waited less than 15 minutes for a table. Very surprised! This was a bonus considering the place was packed. Our waiter was really top notch and even though he had several other tables he was juggling, he arrived periodically with fresh sodas and chips and salsa refills without us asking. Unfortunately, our meals took forever to arrive. At one point our waiter (upon bringing back our THIRD soda refills) said, "You haven't been served yet?? I'll go check on your order right now!" Within a few more minutes our meals finally arrived. It was pre-Thanksgiving after all so I understood the 45-50 minute wait...I think. Our daughters meal didn't come out and after a few minutes we flagged down our waiter who promptly went to find it. The kitchen made the wrong meal...ordered a BLT sandwich and they brought a kids hamburger with BLT toppings. Well, okay! The good: Salsa is delicious and I presume house made. The perfect consistency with a nice amount of cilantro and a great spiciness. Waiter was super efficient, kept drinks refilled and checked on us just enough. **UPDATED!!** OUR WAITER WAS PAT. NOT ONLY DID HE FIND MY REVIEW, BUT HE TOOK THE TIME TO WRITE ME AN AWESOME NOTE THANKING ME FOR THE GREAT REVIEW AND INVITING MY FAMILY BACK TO VISIT ON A LESS HECTIC NIGHT. :) THANK YOU PAT!!! I SURE HOPE MANAGEMENT AT CACTUS GRILL APPRECIATES YOUR *OVER THE TOP* CUSTOMER SERVICE!! IT IS PEOPLE LIKE YOU WHO MAKE A GOOD EXPERIENCE AND TURN IT INTO A GREAT ONE!! WE WILL DEFINITELY BE BACK!! :) Food was pretty flavorful and better than I expected. My lime cilantro rice was actually more accurately described as "butter" drenched rice but that is my only complaint. Not good or served as advertised. I'll try out the Cactus Grill for lunch sometime and stay away from dinner time...or holiday weekends! read more

I've been here many times over the past 10+ years, for both lunch and dinner. There are many other options now for Americanized Mexican food (is that an oxymoron?) in the area, but I still come here for lunch on occasion. They have a similar (or maybe the same) menu as Jose Peppers. They are owned by the same group. My favorite is the lunch combination - enchilada and taco plus beans and rice for $7.99. By the way, they will let you order off the lunch menu in the evening also. They have black beans which I like much better than refried beans. Their chips are thin and lightly salted. The regular salsa is a bit mild for me - I get the spicy salsa and mix it in. They charge $1.99 for queso dip, but at least you don't have to remember the coupons! It's been a few years sense I've had margaritas here, but I remember them being pretty good. Service is good, but when we come for lunch we usually look for a seat at the bar if there are only two of us. You can sit down immediately and get served right away. Don't forget to grab a mint or two on the way out! read more

Just returned here for lunch and I have to say, things have gotten even better here than they were before! The food was fantastic and it seems they've jazzed up their menu quite a bit. The spinada enchilada was good, as always. My lunch mates had the shrimp taco and the steak enchilada and everyone's plate was empty by the time we left. Service was punctual, drinks refilled, and even to-go cups offered! Frequent check-ins to see how we were doing were nice. I wish I were down in this part of town more often so I could eat here more. read more

The food is outstanding 5/5. The only reason I lower the score to 4/5 * is that the service was notable. Specifically, it was notably poor. Our host was terribly rude. When I asked if it were okay to be seated subtly outside of her parameters, she remarked, "fine, whatever." Then, our server ate his dinner simultaneously along side us, never once checking on our needs. Finally, dropping off the bill stating, "no rush." Again, great food though. read more

Went last night with a group of folks, kind of late. They seated us right away, but it turned out that the happy hour food items they were advertising on the tables were only available in the bar, so we ended up having to move there because they wouldn't offer those prices in the main seating area. Kind of dumb. Otherwise, service was friendly and efficient. Several people ordered the happy hour tacos, which were large and generous (two per serving) for only $1.99. I ordered the chicken enchiladas especial, which were generous but not very exciting. They have another chicken enchilada dish with avocado that I like better. So I'll know for the next time we end up here. This is definitely Americanized Mexican food, but it's tasty and reasonably priced and they've obviously got a satisfied clientele that keeps returning. read more

This is a good place. I wouldn't put it on my "oh I gotta go there every day" list, but if you want to meet me there for lunch I'm in. It's easy to find something that tastes good and the prices are in alignment with a good value. Seating is comfortable and the service appears to be in good hands. I will go back. read more

Let me first start my review by clarifying that my former life was the food safety manager for a large grocery store chain... So to say I notice things in a restaurant is an understatement. While our food looked and smelled wonderful, here is perhaps the most disturbing thing about or visit. We were sat directly across from the kitchen, usually my wife request we move, but they were busy so we took it. There is a sign above the hand wash sink that reads: top 5 priorities: -first round drinks -serve hot food -guest request -prebus -wash hands IRONIC, IT WAS RIGHT ABOVE THE HAND WASH SINK, 38 MINUTES ON A SATURDAY NIGHT AND NOT ONCE DID I SEE AN ASSOCIATE STOP AND WASH THIER HANDS. I see TONS of activity that would dictate washing hands... Such as switching from taking dirty plates back to bringing clean ones out... Supposed to wash your hands every single time. I lost track of servers touching thier face at 11 times. I also watched our server refill our chip cup from the cup bin and touch the scoop to the bowl we had been eating out of. Catcus Grill- FOOD SAFETY...: THEY DON'T HAVE A CULTURE OR A FREAKING CLUE. read more

My husband, myself and granddaughter were there late October. The food was very good! I wanted to point out that Rob, Juan and Cade were very good at their job! They came by on several occasions to check in on us and were very friendly. Usually when we go somewhere, they bring you water and come back about 10/15 minutes later. We will be back and hopefully the same gentlemen will be there. I believe Rob was maybe the manager, Juan was the buss boy and Cade was our server. Bravo gentlemen! read more

My husband and I recently visited Cactus Grill for lunch. The menu is large enough to guarantee finding something you like. I tend to be a bit picky when it comes to Mexican fare, but the steak tacos here were awesome. The beans and rice are a little lacking in the flavor department. Biggest downer was when a different server brought our entrees over, he just kinda stood there for a second saying the plates where hot, then proceeded to knock my husband's Sprite into his lap. We had to change tables and nothing else was really done to make it better, so I don't think we will be returning any time soon. read more

$2 margaritas on Tuesdays! Service is very much a hit or a miss, we come typically every week for this special and have yet to experience a truly amazing service experience. Food has been consistent, and the margs are strong! read more

Baiscally this is just a south JOCO version of Jose Peppers but that doesn't bother me because I love JP. They do have a few more/different menu options. The service was great when we went for lunch. The food was good as always (best chips and salsa in town!) I had the chicken suiza and it was yummy. That is something that is not on the JP menu so I wanted to give it a try. read more

The beef enchiladas plate satisfying, priced right and big enough to fill me up without needing a doggy bag. The chips and salsa were by far my favorite. The chips were thin and hot with just the right amount of salt. Cactus Grill fell shy if a perfect score, however, due to the small salsa dish (think sample size) and franchise feel, which makes sense. Although it is the only Cactus Grill, it is part of a small chain of restaurants. read more