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Cactus (Madison Park)

4220 E Madison St
Seattle, WA 98112
324-4140
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Hours: Sun-Thurs 11:30 am-10 pm, Fri-Sat 4-11 pm
Categories: Bar, Restaurant

Restaurant Details

Bar Details

Other Locations

Cactus

West Seattle 2820 Alki Ave SW    phone (206) 933-6000
Sun-Mon 11:30 am-9 pm, Tues-Thurs 11:30 am-10 pm, Fri-Sat 11:30 am-11 pm

Cactus

South Lake Union 426 Terry Ave N    phone (206) 913-2250
Sun–Thurs 11:30 am–10 pm, Fri–Sat 11:30 am-11 pm

Cactus: COMING SOON

Eastside 535 Bellevue Sq   
 
 

Average Rating:
  • 3.83000/5 Stars.
Reviews/Comments (6) RSS

Newest First Unregistered On Registered On Add a review of Cactus
Tracy 6

This place has been consistently delicious for YEARS!! Just had a great birthday dinner here. The decor is quirky/interesting. The outside signage is understated, so it can be hard to find if you don't know where to look, but after dining here for a decade, we know the drill. If I lived closer to Madison Park, I'd eat here monthly, for sure!

Service has always been attentive. NAVAJO FRY BREAD is delicious, of course. And their GUACAMOLE is truly lovely...it's very creamy and just bursts with fresh avacado-y goodness. Yummers. Really, these two items could be my meal. *laughs* Their entrees are quite tasty and large portions. Their version of enchiladas is fun, as they're layers of tortillas and cheese, rather than rolled. The flavors in all the dishes are vibrant and sometimes different than expected, in a good way. The smoky flautas are a fun treat.

Mojitos are fantastic and I'm told they have a great happy hour, although i don't live close enough to ever participate in this. Truly, this is a great place for dinner. It's not super cheap, but it's not unreachable, either.
Posted by Tracy on November 17, 2011 at 1:38 PM · Report
5

Go West...

The new Cactus in West Seattle is great. It's a bigger space, so generally the wait is not as bad as Madison Park. The space is very cool and the crowd is usually happening.
Posted by MAS on July 31, 2007 at 9:35 PM · Report
4

Love those nachos

They are great and the portion is huge. If you like having a meal at the bar, it can be an easy place to do that and be on your own. It is a bit spendy for dinner (considering it's Mexican food), but everything else I have had was excellent. But, like others, I believe the wait is outrageous and speaks somewhat to the lack of anything else trendy and comparable in the area.
Posted by newgirlintown on July 25, 2007 at 9:27 PM · Report
3

Location, location, location

Why the frustratingly long wait lists (on a recent visit we waited 90 minutes in the bar, drinking and eating the excellent nachos)? Simple - it's the location and the ambiance. The food (upscale Mexican and Southwest) and drinks are consistently very good, but I agree not good enough to alone justify the wait. It is, however, one of very few casual yet upscale dining options down in Madison Park. So if you live nearby, you want something more interesting than a burger and beer, and don't want to drive all the way up to Capitol Hill you wait at Cactus instead. They do take reservations for larger groups if you call at least a day in advance. You can also call when you're en route to get on the list, then check in when you arrive. It helps a little. But if you go on a warm summer evening, especially on the weekend, plan on a long wait indeed. Don't be in a hurry. Get one of the very tasty margaritas or mojitos, order some appetizers, and wait it out. Or stroll down to the lake and they'll call when your table is ready. If you don't live in or very near Madison Park it's hard to justify the wait. But at least you usually won't be disappointed if you do.
Posted by A regular on July 2, 2007 at 7:38 PM · Report
2

Ten dollar nachos and margis

There are two must tries on this menu: Carnitas Yucatecas tacos and the ten dollar nachos. The former features roll -your-own soft pulled pork tacos with a nice fruit salsa. The nachos are a steal at ten bucks. Try them with grilled chicken. The wait is a pain in the ass. Of course, you can give your name and cel number and walk around Madison Park until they call you to let you know that your table is ready. At least it's not Glo's.
Posted by Tom on June 17, 2007 at 8:33 AM · Report
1

Good standby but overhyped

What's the big deal? It's higher quality Mexican food. The drinks are good, the food is generally good and the prices generally high. The Fajitas are probably their best "dish" served in the pan they were made in. It's a little hard to understand the wait. It's not THAT good.
Posted by Charles on May 23, 2007 at 9:08 AM · Report

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Cactus
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