Absolutely best food in the area. What a surprise. The outside is unassuming and inside is small but the food is top notch. They serve steaks, fish, fajitas and salads. My husband had the spinach salad and he said it was delicious. I had the special pan seared salmon with risotto. It was amazing, absolutely delicious. This restaurant is a gem!!!! read more

Just happened to find this little gem while driving through Meridian tx. Great food /service. We both had pecan chicken salad. Homemade bread/butter soooo good. Going on my list of places to come back to read more

After a long bike ride we stopped in for a hamburger. But I ordered the chicken fried steak instead. My friends ordered the grilled cheese and the catfish. Everything was excellent. I highly recommend this hometown restaurant with the fresh bread. read more

BYOB. Less than $5 corkage. Family run. Clean and friendly. This place is popular with locals but it isn't a must-see for travellers. The menu does a little bit of everything in the American and Tex-Mex sphere, but nothing well. Everything we ordered was well done, without being asked. Even a hamburger bun came scorched. read more

I am eating in all 254 Texas counties and ate here for Bosque county Restaurant has been there 9 years, wife is host-husband is Chef Prior to your meal you get a basket of fresh bread with compound butter We had Pecan encrusted pork scaloppini and it was excellent! fresh and tasty Open for lunch and dinner If you are in the area try it, you wont be disappointed read more

Excellent lunch and delicious dessert chocolate mousse caketotally worth the drive over.we sill be back!

Great food, good service and atmosphere. Stopped in after kayaking and was pleasantly surprised by good food. Quesadillas and enchiladas are worth ordering again. read more

Everything we've had has been fantastic. My pecan crusted pork scallopini with lemon butter was Amazing. Chicken fried chicken with jalapeño gravy-yum!! But the Cajun fish sandwich is my fathers favorite. All homemade sauces and dressings, large portions, great iced tea, and oh the apple raisin bread pudding!! Great service but not super fast since everything is made fresh when you order. But not unreasonably slow either. And the couple that run it are super friendly. Very reasonable prices makes it easy for us to come frequently. Pretty sure this is the best meal we've had in the last year. read more

Cactus Grill - Apple cinnamon bread pudding - Mexican Near Me - Meridian, Texas

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This place has great service and great food. The owners make you feel like you have known them forever. The salad was excellent. The butter that is served with the bread is wonderful. It's has red onions, garlic, parsley and oregano. Great steak with brandy sauce. read more

Cactus Grill - Salsa dip - Mexican Near Me - Meridian, Texas

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Absolutely love this place! The potatoes are amazing. Small place, so make a reservation. Worth every second of the 30 minute drive from home. BYOB. read more

Just passing through and found this small jewel. The New Mexico Meatballs were outstanding. Spicy sauce over the meatballs mixed with zucchini and fluffy white rice was delicious topped with slices of fresh avocado. The homemade bread and spice butter wonderful. Staff very polite and establishment very clean. Wonderful little home town cafe that exceeded my expectations. read more

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Very lovely experience here! Low noise, great ambiance! Try the specials! We had the ribeye and it was prepared a perfect medium rare. Salads were fresh and crisp. Service was very attentive. Delicious desserts! Try the lemon tart! read more

Great service! Beautiful place and the food was excellent!! Wasn't sure because we were the only customers at noon on a Saturday but man our food was a great deal. Very fresh and the butter and fresh bread was hard to resist. read more

Stopped in for lunch while in town on business. Quiet, friendly joint, with EXCELLENT food. The vegetable beef soup was phenomenal. And the pork tacos were as good as I've had in a long time. Great service, great good, a can't miss if you're in town! read more

I tried the Cactus Grill because Meridian doesn't have much in the way of eateries. I've tried the other local spots and found them less than inspiring (Morgan Street Burgers is the only exception). I was looking for cafe standbys, and while the menu nailed it, the experience was gross. When I walked in, the place had the distinct smell of an old building with a roach issue. I ordered chicken fried chicken. It comes with mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables. It sounded like what I had come for. When I got the plate it looked like a lot of slop. It tasted not far from it. The chicken was fried in old grease and tasted terrible. The mashed potatoes were instant potatoes. The veggies were frozen with a little cabbage thrown in. The guy I went with ordered chicken fried steak and had the same experience. Hope this review isn't too long and helps you avoid a sad meal experience. read more

Pecan crusted pork is superb! We stopped by with our car club in April 2016 on the way to an event, and they accommodated about twn of us all at once with no problem. We asked what was the best lunch dish, and the answer was "pecan crusted pork". Indeed, it was very, very good! read more

We live in Meridian but travel frequently to Waco and around the South and Mid West. The Cactus Grill is easily our favorite Restaurant. The menu is varied enough to please any taste. The service is good, but the food,,,,, oh the food. 4 star cuisine at 2 star prices. In the 9 years that we have been eating here, I have said 1 thing a hundred times,,, the chef is a genius! This food can not be beat anywhere. read more

First time here! It was excellent! First they brought an herb bread and hurt butter that was spreadable and yummy! I had the pecan crusted pork and lemon butter sauce with rice! I think that was some of the best rice I have ever had! Highly recommended! read more

Very nice time here. Started off snacking on some delicious bread. My wife got a blackened shrimp sandwich with tons of shrimp and tasty French fries. I had a nice house salad and a chicken enchilada verde plate - just about the right chicken to cheese ratio, and the saucy was flavorful without a burn. Finished with homemade bread pudding - yum! read more

Absolutely loved this restaurant! Excellent staff, nice ambiance, delicious food. Will definitely return next time we are near & highly recommend. They even let us bring in a bottle of wine and I don't recall there being a cork fee. Also, the owner went out of her way to mail something important we had inadvertently left behind. We were very thankful for this incredibly kind and thoughtful action. The staff clearly cares about their customers. They are a hard-working, honest and respectful restaurant business. If I could add an extra star, I would happily do so. read more

Amazing food..great service..came all the way from Austin Tx and will come back again!!

I live next door to this place if u want to wait an hour for your food I guess this might be the place for you but waiting that long for over priced food and bad service is not for me.and let me tell u you the owners are very rude people read more

Absolutely blown away. Never expected such dynamite food from a hole in the wall place. Very upscale food and environment. The service was slow but they were apologetic. The food was well worth the wait. Highly recommend if your looking for a nice sit down meal. Just passing through, but if we find ourselves in the area again, we will definitely stop. read more

Excellent! Classically trained Chef in this beautiful litte town. I had the tomato salad with goat cheese and roasted walnuts, then a wonderful Rib-eye steak on garlic mashed potatoes and grilled veggies!! Take your own wine and they'll open and pour for you. The herb butter and fresh bread is a must!! read more

Nice little place right off the square in Meridian in a restored historic building. Nice western decor, very clean and neat. Service good and attentive. I had to take an early lunch but there was a steady stream of customers. Only had time for the chicken Caesar salad but it was very good, with plenty of chicken. The Caesar was a little bland. Will definitely come back. read more

This was a great little find. The steak was a little on the high side but was delicious as was the chicken piccata! Very clean and service was great. Great job! read more

We were passing through the town and searched Yelp for suggestions for dinner. We found the Cactus Grill with good reviews so stop. We walked in to a empty room but were soon greeted by our host/waiter. We ordered the pecan crusted pork, the fillet and chicken picatta. They were all wonderful. The favors in each dish were bold and complemented the meat. The pork was my favorite. The cheese and bacon mash potatoes will knock your socks off. Even the bread and garlic herb butter that started the meal were great. It is a bit pricey but very much worth it. It took a bit of time to get our food but that was our only problem with the Cactus Grill. Great place. read more

Love this place! The homemade focaccia is lovely, and the service has also been wonderful every time. A real gem in Meridian!

The food was excellent. Unfortunately it took 75 minutes for our dinner to arrive, and all we ordered was pasta, salad, and a grilled cheese sandwich. They also charged us for an extra drink that we didn't order or receive. We had small children with us, and keeping them entertained was a chore. Too bad they were so understaffed. We ate in about three minutes and tried to get out before the kids had a meltdown. We will not be going back. read more

A great find in Meridian, Texas. Wonderful menu with a flavor of the southwest. We stop here every week on our way to the Hill Country. Very clean with a Texas decor. Don't miss this gem off the beaten path read more

We live in Hico and have been regularly coming here since ..... well not sure what year. We moved to Hico permanently in July of 2012, but it was before then. We moved from the Dallas area and we had come to think the only type of food you would get in small town USA was burgers, chicken fried steak or BBQ.....well not at Cactus Grill. Our favorite thing is the blackened tilapia with the most awesome sauce over it with fresh grilled vegetables and we substitute mashed potatoes instead of rice. We have on rare occasions got something different but we find it hard to stray from our normal. Everything is wonderful there, especially Veronica. We love her. She and her husband "the cook" and other family members make this place even more special. Go here! Also, it is BYOB so bring your wine! read more

Can't agree with previous post about store bought sauces. Raul makes all his sauces and dressings and they are delish!

Excelent food and fast friendly service with fresh ingredients and made to order. I would highly recommend this restaurant. One of the best burgers I have ever eaten. The Mexican Burger, simply outstanding. read more

What a wonderful discovery for us! Raul, the chef is brilliant! Very creative and surprisingly excellent food in such a small town setting. Wonderful sauces, fresh salads, vegatables cooked to perfection. The fresh bread is delicious and the herbed butter is brought to the table at room temperature - as it should be. Veronica gives everyone a warm greeting. We bring our wine and try to eat here at least once a week. Large servings that will satisfy the most robust diner. Can't wait to visit again this weekend! read more

Stopped in based on Yelp reviews and wow - amazing food! Pork medallions, southwest penne pasta and baked Cornish hen. All cooked to perfection. We will be back! read more

Went for a graduation dinner with family. It took 15 min just to get the drinks - 35 min to get appetizers and entrees took almost an hour and a half. The place was not busy at all, so I don't understand the delay. Food quality was poor - beef had a lot of fat and gristle and little flavor on anything. Avoid like the plague. read more