I was a little skeptical about trying Pink Cactus after seeing the reviews, but I really wanted to try their happy hour and lovely margaritas so I gave it a shot! My friend and I arrived there right at 4 and found some seating outside. We weren't sure whether to go inside to ask for service but within about 10 minutes of talking someone came out and gave us menus. We ordered a round of the Pink Cactus, or prickly pear margaritas, and the queso. The queso was yummy but I do wish the chips had a little more flavor to them. The Pink Cactus was pretty but it tasted like a regular margarita. I've had a prickly pear margarita in Utah made from the cactus there, so maybe my standards are higher? I ordered a pineapple margarita as well and I liked that one so much more! It was really refreshing and sweet! For tacos I ordered the carnitas and the chorizo. The carnitas was super juicy and full of flavor. The chorizo was good, but a little too spicy for me. In the future I'll order the carnitas and/or ask the spice level of the meat. Parking was really easy at that time too. There's spaces in front and in the back of the building. Overall we had a great experience and you can't beat those happy hour deals! read more

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Good and unique Mexican food. Relaxed and casual. 9/10. Pink Cactus is a casual and modern Oaxacan/Mexican style restaurant. Their food is freshly made, even down to the chips. It's a relatively small restaurant. The indoor area has seating for 20-25 people and a bar that seats 6-7 people. Reservations are recommended for indoor dining, but bar and outdoor seating is available without reservations. We didn't make reservations, so we chose to sit at the bar. Service was good. We were taken care of by a server and the bartenders. For drinks, we ordered the Pink Cactus margarita which was good. For appetizers, we ordered the Appetizer/Chips Trio, which had two salsas, queso and guacamole along with freshly made homemade chips. This was really good. For dinner we ordered chicken quesadillas which had good flavor and spice. It was served with rice that had a good spicy flavor and beans which also had a really good flavor. We also ordered Mexican tacos - taco de asada (steak and salsa verde) and taco de pollo (chicken tinga) - both were very good, but I think the pollo was a little better. We had a good time and enjoyed the food. The Oaxacan style is different than most Tex-Mex restaurants (and better IMO). I recommend Pink Cactus and give it an 9/10. read more

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I visited Pink Cactus during restaurant week. They have a great value 3 course menu for $25 dollars. We made a reservation for the patio but when we got there it was pretty open and we were able to choose any table we wanted. We seated by the space heaters because it was a coldish night. For my first couse I ordered the Queso fundido which comes with four corn tortillas so that you can make your own tacos. The cheese was topped with pepitas and poblano pepper and was cooked to order and came out hot and perfectly melted. It was a really enjoyable dish. We also tried the guacamole which is served with homemade tostadas which were clearly just fried and came out warm and delicious. On that note..Not sure if the tortillas were made in the restaurant or bought, but they were some of the higher quality tortillas I've found in restaurants in the area. For my main dish I had the Tacos Dorados which are deep fried tacos filled with chicken and served over a bed of guacamole.. They were phenomenal and I could not stop eating them. For dessert you get a pick of a paleta (ice cream bar) or a cocktail , I went with the cocktail and it was a really good choice. It was some sort of coconut margarita with volcanic sea salt Definitely great value for the price and I will come back for more! read more

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We showed up for happy hour 4-6. It was a great time and food was even better. I would recommend this place for a future bachelorette spot before going out on the town. read more

Pink Cactus - Coconut Jalapeño Marg and the Trio Dip Appetizer - Tacos Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

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Tortilla was one of the best I have ever had- which made the taco 5-stars! Happy they included limes on the side for flavor and thought the taco was a great texture and perfect level of moisture in the meat! Service was very accomodating, even when my party asked to switch tables due to being directly in the sun. (An inconvenience which the serve gladly obliged) Margarita had bold flavor- very fresh and smooth. Definitely great value- I will come back next time I visit Charleston because Pink Cactus impressed me. The taco was so good that I need to come back to check out what else they have on the menu in addition to ordering tacos (if it ain't broke, don't forget it) read more

Pink Cactus - Spicy Margarita - Tacos Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

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The ambiance was my favorite part about the restaurant. It's a small space but has lots of character. Unfortunately, the soft tacos were not our favorites nor was the margarita. The food looked good but we didn't care for the flavors of what we ordered. read more

Pink Cactus - Tacos Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

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We are a big pink cactus Stan for happy hour Monday through Saturday. Some great deals on margaritas and food items. A classic for us is the pinapple margarita or the spicy margarita (it is very spicy though- mostly the rim) but I'm also not a spicy margarita person. Happy hour is from 4-6 and we always forget until the very last minute but we get there and they are always so busy but so sweet and patient. So be prepared for a little wait even if you are seated. The patio is small and right on the road but it so nice with the sun, they do have a few umbrellas and some seating under the roof kinda. They have a cool inside aswell. Parking is rough, but if you aren't staying long then parking on the side streets can be easy to find. There are a lot of one ways around there so heads up. We love the chips and queso, they have a great consistency and their chips, and their queso is very creamy, but not too thick. The chips always taste so fresh and we love how crunchy they are. It's like kind of like two layered tortilla chips, they taste really fresh. However, they do have a little bit of oil on them still, that's how you know they're fresh. We enjoyed the green salsa, the red one isn't our favorite but it didn't stop us from eating it. Definitely check them out during happy hour or really anytime! read more

Pink Cactus - Chips and queso, margaritas - Tacos Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

If you're going here, here's what you can expect in each different aspect. Ambience: Music was way too loud inside, if you like partying than maybe you'll be okay but I think the average person would get a headache. Sitting outside wasn't much better, as small fleas swarmed us and bit us repeatedly as we sat. Maybe if you go some other time of year it'll be better but that's how it was mid March. Service: service was slow. It was really busy and it seemed just one guy was doing all the work. He'd bus the tables, take orders, bring food, etc. With 10 something tables of people it meant getting anything done took awhile, I don't blame the guy serving he was trying his best, was just a bit slow. Food: Got queso dip for the table, the queso was solid 4/5. The cheese was hot and nice and gooey. The chips are thick but nice and crispy. I ordered two steak tacos and one birria taco. If you've ever had actual Mexican tacos in Monterey, or atleast in south Texas, I'd say that this place was closer to being authentic tasting than it is to being one of those American taco restaurants. If 10 was authenic and 1 was American, I'd rate them a 7. The steak tacos were good but the green salsa inside was a weirdly sweet. The birria was really solid imo. read more

The menu is very accommodating for those who are gluten free. The service was good and not only helpful but also conversational. The only thing I would note is the music is very loud so it is difficult to hear those across the table. read more

I loved their parking lot patio situation. It was really nice to sit outside under the pink lights. We got nachos and a few dishes. We all loved the nachos, the margaritas were OK, the dishes were good but the rice and beans weren't as good as my daughter hoped. The waitstaff was great, super nice people. read more

Pink Cactus - Tacos Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Pink Cactus is a great place for a selection of margaritas and Mexican food. I'm not a fan of margaritas and the bartender is always happy to make me a custom drink. This is a plus in my opinion. I have always walked in and have been seated right away. Great environment for lunch and dinner! read more

Whether it's Taco Tuesday, Fiesta Friday, or just a day that ends in "day," Pink Cactus is one of my favorite go-to Charleston hotspots for tacos, margs and other treats like their Avocado Lime Paletas! The breakfast tacos and Agua Fresca were my favorites, and the Chilaquiles didn't disappoint. They also have a great happy hour. read more

Pink Cactus - Tacos Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Pink Cactus happy hour is the best and the only way to go. Great drink + food deals, with larger portions so it's easy to split. The service is not great, I had to flag down a server to get things but overall it's a great experience. Outdoor seating is my preferred option and theirs is so cute! read more

Pink Cactus - Queso and salsa with chips happy hour deal. So good! - Tacos Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

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Taco's were great....very nice ambiance Nice selection of beers..........for the location the food is overpriced. read more

A great little place away from the crowds. I got a take-out on a weeknight. The food is great. We ate the food before I could take any pictures- yeah we were hungry! We had two shrimp tacos and two asada tacos. Both were delicious and I'd rank them as some of the best tacos we've ever had. The shrimp tacos were really stuffed with fresh local shrimp. Like really stuffed with at least 8 large shrimp! It can with a generous portion of chopped onions, radish, cilantro and lime packaged separately. The place itself is neat, with lots of outdoor seating. The four stars is for value for money. This is a very casual place, so it's not fine dining. I understand pricing has gone up, however $7-8 for each taco still seems steep. The other major issue is parking. You'll be lucky to find an on street spot and and Spring Street has many cars flying by so even slowing down causes an issue. I recommend this place. I would prefer to get a take-out from here. read more

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Food, service and drinks were a great first impression! The guacamole app was good and really appreciated the fresh chips! Had the recommended carnitas chile rellenos and it was very good and the sauce was on point with a little spice but had me wanting more. For drinks, started with the Paloma and although I was skeptical from the appearance it was great! We all had some Mescal which was amazing Peloton de la Muerte and then some tequila -La Gritona- both amazing!! We are only in town for the week but will definitely be back for more and highly recommend! read more

I had the most bizarre experience here. I came for happy hour for an advertised $5 taco and margarita deal. Upon entering I was rudely greeted and was told to find seating outside on my own. Once I found seating service was very slow. When I did get my carnitas and chicken tacos they were cold and very average. When it came time for the check I was not given happy hour pricing. Both myself and my friend ended up over paying despite pointing out this mistake as the waiter was unable to fix it I found this meal average and the service extremely poor. The worst part was overpaying at the end despite pointing out the mistake! I would not recommend coming here due to the service and average food read more

really great food, and our server was awesome. best burrito I've ever had ever. Love it

My partner and I found Pink Cactus on a list of happy hour deals, and we had a great time! We came initially planning to get an order of chips and queso, as well as margaritas. Everything was so good, we ended up ordering a second round of everything! My partner also got a Mexican Ashtray drink, and he said it was one of the best things he has ever had. Our waitress was super nice and attentive, even though it looked like she was balancing all of the tables and the bar by herself. We sat outside on the super cute parking lot patio area, and it was overall a fantastic experience, we will be coming back! read more

Pink Cactus - Mango Margarita - Tacos Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

THRILLED to have great walkable Mexican again in our neighborhood. PC's gone ALL IN on their chips and tortillas. And yes, both are awesome. Like Kool and the Gang said, they're "Fresh and exciting." Would love to watch how they're made in the back. LOVED both the crunchy and soft textures. As for the tacos, all 3 that I had were great, but I REALLY loved the barbacoa. Simple and flavorful. The homemade hot sauces will challenge your tolerance while also perfectly complimenting their food. I liked how thin/puréed they were. Perfect for the tacos. Enjoyed sitting on the street and having drinks. This is a rare delight in our neighborhood and we even ran into a few people we knew! Very cool. read more

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Usually don't do this but had to. Me and a group of friends sat outside on a Saturday night. It was kinda an a workout because my seat was half elevated half not on the curb. Waiter was nice and I hope this doesn't end up reflecting poorly on her she didn't do anything wrong. We ordered 4 drinks and took about 15-20 minutes. Ordered food and it was taking a while. After about 45-60 mins of waiting the waiter came out and said they were out of chicken so we can either cancel the order or get a new thing. It's 8:45 how are you guys out of chicken?!?!?!?!? We cancel the order. We've been here for so long we're so hungry we're just gonna go home. They offer to buy a round of drinks on the house. We wanna go home so we ask if we can get the drinks comped instead . We can't. We get the check a little bit later. Like 10-15 bucks of fees and taxes. I get that's it something they have to legally abide by but I mean cmonnnn now. We do that thing at the dinner table when someone hesitantly puts down their card and everyone is like omgggg I'll Venmo u rn and then that one friend is like my phones dead but you know I will. Check gets paid and then I redownloaded yelp. Here we are. Good aux though read more

Fresh, light, and tasty. Pink Cactus is one of the few Mexican restaurants that I have really enjoyed frequenting since moving here in 2019.

Unhinged owner. Never eat here. I went here for lunch today. Their menu (pictured) listed only the proteins in their tacos, so I asked the host what else was on the ancho asado and tinga de pollo tacos. "Only cilantro, radish slices, and onion." Me: "Oh, perfect. If they had anything else, I would have requested it with just those." When the tacos came, the ancho asado one was covered in cheese and crema. I asked if they could refire it without those. The host: "I'm not sure. We have a 'no modifications' policy." She said she'd have to speak with the owner. I said that if they couldn't refire it, I'd like a refund, please, and would eat lunch elsewhere. The host went to the back to speak with the owner, and returned saying that the owner insisted on her "no modifications" policy, would not be issuing a refund, and that the host wasn't responsible for these rules, but if I wished to speak with the owner, I would have to wait for her to finish an important phone call. I agreed to and acknowledged that the restaurant's policies weren't the host's fault. I also made a snarky comment, my only one in this exchange, that it must be hard for the owner to run a restaurant when the customer comes second or third to phone calls. Anyway, the host went to the back to check on the owner ten minutes or so later and returned with the news that the owner's stance was that nothing was wrong with the tacos, so no refund would be offered, and that if I were to remain in the restaurant (in which I had been told to wait for the owner) and "keep harassing" the owner (whom I had not yet seen or spoken to), she would be forced to call the police. So once again, unhinged owner. Also, side note, overpriced food; two tacos and a side of salsa picante totaled $14.43. Never eat here. read more

Pink Cactus - Menu - Tacos Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

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I held off eating here because of the reviews. I'm a Texas gal living here in Charleston and I'm particular about my Tacos! Had some friends stay at an Airbnb across the street and it was convenient so I finally went. I've now been twice in less than a week. Everything is so fresh. Well flavored. Delicious. Cocktails are lovely. Staff was helpful and attentive both times. I also learned that some of the bad reviews here are dishonest. I'm here to say- ignore them and go. Casual, fun, and yummy for my tummy! read more

Went here with my family for an early dinner and had a wonderful experience. For starters, our waitress was super helpful and kind. The food came out steaming hot and it was delicious. It's a great place to go to get Mexican! Recommendation: When ordering chips I would recommend order two servings of them four a table of four especially if you are hungry. read more

Hannah slay the house boots down! Get the prickly pear margarita and get the nachos! Ask for Hannah!

First visit out downtown since the birth of my son and post covid! This place did not disappoint! Came here with my friend for a moms night out dinner on national tequila day! We started with the pink cactus margaritas and they were just as beautiful and yummy as I imagined! So perfect for moms night out. We also started with appetizer trio which actually had FOUR different dips! Our favorite was the queso!!! Honey and tajin in the cheese was a complete surprise and who knew it would be as tasty as it was! I never want queso another way! Green salsa was our second favorite, the quac was great and fresh but the red salsa really just tasted like Campbell's tomato soup. Was good but not the fresh salsa I wanted. The chips were amazing!!!!!! The four stars comes from the service. My friend ordered three tacos and they only brought her two. Turns out the waitress forgot to ring up the third. And our waitress disappeared for about 30 minutes when we were finished and couldn't get a one else's attention to bring us our check when we needed to leave. Otherwise it was a great experience with yummy food and drinks! looking forward to going back! read more

Pink Cactus - Pink cactus house margarita - Tacos Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

Went during restaurant week, the queso is too good. Don't love Mexican food, but would definitely eat there again. read more

I think this place is basically influencer bait. Parking is terrible. The atmosphere is underwhelming. Apps were fine. Drinks were okay. I expected the pink cactus margarita to be something amazing. It definitely was not. Tasted like sour tequila. Nothing interesting. Worst though were the birria tacos. The beautiful thing about birria is how deliciously tender and flavorful it is. The meat in these tacos was not good. It was some sort of weird chopped meat. It was tough and stringy and wayyy under seasoned. The tacos themselves should've been crispy as I expected they'd be grilled until the cheesy bits were browned and yummy. Nope. Soggy corn tacos. Disappointing. Our waitress was pleasant though and provided great service. read more

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I love it here. It's my favorite place to go for queso. They have really good margaritas. Their signature is good on the rocks and good frozen. It's a real laid-back casual vibe. Perfect for just hanging out with friends! read more

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Small neat place. Limited menu but done right! Excellent service. NOTE: no special orders, substitutions or changes. What's on the menu is what you get! read more

Definitely worth a visit and we will go back. Authentic chips and trio. Very fresh ingredients. There are vegetarian options available which is a plus to me. The Margarita are spot on. Love the fresh jalapeños in the spicy margarita. We were a party of four. 2 had the chicken quesadilla. One had the vegetarian taco platter and I had the enchiladas verde (green sauce) 3 enchiladas. All plates come with true red beans and amazing rice. Servings are ample, we had one to go box. read more

We are from out of town and went to Pink Cactus on our Airbnb recommendation. I was a little worried due to the reviews and also getting Mexican food coming from Texas, but decided to give it a try. I ordered Carne Asada tacos and my husband order the Chicken Enchilada w/ Mole. Both plates were so good and delicious w/a completely authentic flavor. We were 100% satisfied with the quality, presentation, and flavor of the food. It was pretty great. The service was great, the waiter was prompt and helpful, as well as very friendly. I would go back to try other plates. A lot of the reviews here are due to slow service... We were the only ones at the restaurant when we first got there, that may have helped to getting efficient service... I definitely see how if there's only one bartender/waiter and there are a few tables the service could be slow. read more

The food was outrageously priced for what you get. The quesadilla was good (corn tortilla) but the rest was so-so. I didn't like rice that much. The coconut margarita was pretty bitter. I ordered the pineapple margarita and it just tasted like a lime one. It also had tajin on the rim, which is not listed on the menu. I don't like tajin at all. They also do no substitutions whatsoever. You can't take anything off as a topping to a taco at all. They will quickly refuse that suggestion. I don't know why this place had a lot of videos on TikTok about it, because I would definitely not come again. read more

The service here is super slow. We waited 45 minutes for our drinks and food which came out at the same time. Their birria tacos were okay. The meat was ground meat. The stew was alright. Overall nothing here makes me want to return mainly because the service was not worth it. Only saving Grace is their alcohol list is extensive. read more

Recently traveled to Charleston and stayed nearby Pink Cactus. We were drawn by their pink lights and atmosphere. After a day of walking around we were pleased to split the trio of dips and a quesadilla. The dips were a perfect shareable. I am always in for a tray of dips! Service was quick but it wasn't very crowded when we were there. We were able to walk in without a reservation and get seated right away. read more

Taco bell is better than this place. Service was alright ambiance meh...not meant for a huge crowd drinks are subpa fam, high bar restaurants around Charleston but food is not great. Needs more flavor read more

You should probably avoid. As a local who has gone and tried to go here many times I would sum it up as: "place makes me sad, there is so much potential going to waste ". The food is good but not worth the hassle. Wait staff and or hostess is always unfriendly. It's like you're inconveniencing them for wanting to eat at their restaurant. Their kitchen is frequently "closed" during peak hours. Extremely inconsistent with order taking for takeout. Not sure what the deal is here but this place is being run into the ground but what from the outside looks like horrible management. Hoping they can turn it around. other Mexican options (in order of preference): Santi's Taco Boy Rancho Lewis Bar taco Azul read more

Great Tacos! I love how tiny and intimate this restaurant is. I first went for a little birthday get together with friends. I personally recommend the chorizo and carne asada tacos. both were very flavorful. Food presentation is nice and the servers are extremely kind! Some even gave us suggestions for the rest of our evening in downtown. I recommend the Pink Cactus Margarita or the House Margarita for cocktails. Bonus part is this is one of the few restaurants in the downtown-ish area that has parking (not much but a small lot behind the restaurant and 2-3 spaces in the front, the rest is street parking per usual). The stylish lights at night outdoors spruce up the area and create a very warm and inviting dining experience. read more

BEST CHIPS you'll ever eat. The chips & queso are the best in town. The sauce on the carne asada tacos is deliciously perfect. The service is amazing and yes, everyone (including the chefs) is wearing a mask. It's like a local San Miguel spot & 5 star restaurant had a baby. Don't miss it if you're local or visiting. Plenty of space to eat outside & there is parking, so you have no excuse. Your tastebuds will thank you after they touch the flavored chips. read more

Pink Cactus - Chips & Queso - Tacos Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina