Cactus Jacks

This place can feel a little like a franchise when you walk in, which is no bad thing really but it sets up the tone of what’s to come. I opted for the 3 tapas for € 10 which was a decent amount of food for the price.
Alas the food itself was a little uninspired, with the sweet potato fries in particular being very soggy from the bravas sauce on them. Overall I don’t think you’ll be disappointed with the food here but don’t expected to be wowed either. Special mention to the staff who were super friendly and do a great job of looking after you.

Restaurant a l’ambiance sympa avec une carte assez fourni.
On peut tout à fait y allez entre amis et passer le repas à partager leurs tapas.
J’y ai choisi leurs fajitas combo (poulet et bœuf) le poulet été plutôt sec et le bœuf avait un très mauvais goût (vraiment très mauvais).
Certain on beaucoup aimés, voila la raison des 2 étoiles sur 5 mais pour ma part, le repas fut assez mauvais après les tapas pris à l’entrée, j’ai sûrement eu pas de chance cette fois ci, donc peut être à réessayer.

Cactus Jack was right next to our hotel, as we passed it we decided to eat our dinner here.
Great atmosphere, and the smell was a good indicator on what was to come.
I ordered the itallion stallion, burger with parma and pesto, We might have been tricked by our hungry stomach. But what a delicious combination.

Well, couldn’t fault the food (well really I could, but that’s another story!)
We were here last night for a Christmas Staff party as part of the Laughter Lounge package.
Everything here is geared for you to eat and get out as soon as possible. The drinks have to be pre-​ordered «as it saves time»… No it doesn’t… it just makes thing handier for you… nothing else… so a table of 15 has to divvy up the drinks bill at the end of the night?
That really does make it handy for you alright!
The meal order was taken and it was fine really. The feedback was decent enough from the staff. However I was a handed a steak which I didn’t order to be told «the gentleman down the end took yours» I was genuinely shocked that they would try and palm off their mistake on a colleague no 1, and then no 2, to suggest «would you take this one (a well done) as it will take another 10 minutes to cook another»
I said I’d wait…
I was then given another steak a couple of minutes later which was medium well… now don’t get me wrong-​the steak was a lovely piece of meat, just overdone… (Again)
Now this is the reason I am writing the review…
I’m sure under normal circumstances this just restaurant is reasonably fine, but their customer service (if last night is anything to go by) isn’t good enough.
The whole idea is to turn over tables and to fleece groups-​When I went to pay the bar bill, they had actually added a service charge of 10% on top of the bar bill which is not advertised — and I refused to pay.
The fact they didn’t question it suggests to me that they have been fleecing customers like this as standard practice.
This is not good enough when my company spent nearly € 2000 on a staff party.
There was no apology for the steak… Or deduction from the bill– and she actually said this again.“blame the chap at the end… It’s his fault“
Will never go back because of the attitude of this restaurant– in this day and age (actually any day and age) it’s just not good enough.
Get your shit together Cactus Jack

Cheap and cheerful is what I’d use to describe Cactus Jacks… Value for money at lunch time is great with any 3 tapas for € 10 and portion sizes very adequate.
Some tapas are authentic Spanish but others are more Tex-​Mex but that’s fine and kind of what I expected. The spicy tomatoe sauce they use is very tasty and was the highlight of my meal.
Service was fine and food came out quickly.

J’ai beaucoup aimé cette adresse, l’ambiance y est très décontractée, nous avions pris quelques tapas et pinchos pour l’entrée et c’était un régal.
Ensuite des salades, elles sont garnies et délicieuses.
Un ami avait pris un de leurs hamburgers et il donnait beaucoup envie mais je n’ai pas pu le goûter tellement il l’a mangé vite ;)
Une bonne adresse pas trop chère pour partager un bon repas entre amis !

Average food but good price value! Went here on a Saturday and for the location it was quite empty.
Staff was ok, they were very nice at the very beginning but then seemed to have forgotten about us.
We waited 15min to pay the bill.
Well, it’s good if you pass buy and need some tasty snack but I won’t rush back…

We stumbled upon this place because our other options were closed for dinner and ended up having a good meal. The options are reasonable and everyone should be able to find something they want with the mix of Mexican/​tapas/​salads/​burgers. I got two tapas as my meal and that was enough for me. The margarita was underwhelming and was definitely water downed but other than that we had a good experience!

3 courses for € 20 and a bottle of wine for € 12! Happy days and extremely good value for money.
Very generous portions and the wings are very good!
Went for fajitas for mains and they were lovely but i missed some grated cheese, next visit I would ask for that to be included along with the guacamole, salsa and sour cream sides.
Desserts were not great — my pie was supposed to be served with crème anglaise and came out absolutely drowned with custard — yuck!
Will definitely return here though as we found it friendly — a water bowl provided for my friends dog as we sat outside was a nice gesture, il just skip dessert next time!

Décor — modern, comfy, spacious
Service — extremely poor … waiting staff were very inattentive … Not rude. Just not friendly.. Forgot to bring our Wine. He had to be reminded. still no sign of it halfway through our starter. reminded him again … and we weren’t checked in once during our meal to be asked if everything was Ok. .
Also when we first arrived and asked for a table for two … The host said she will give us table for an hour (oh how kind) … so we said no your grand… so then she went ok you can just have the table … then as we sit she goes «I’ll need this table back in two and a half hours) which fair enough but it was a bit sneaky to do it as we were sitting down.. we were going hardly going to turn back then. .
Food — starters –delicious … 10 out of 10… nachos ! they provide the toppings to the side so you can dip.. as oppose to just dumping toppings over it.. My boyfriend was happy with his wings … fajitas for main … sizling and tasty enough … I’ve has better though.. But I’ve had worse … then just ice cream for desert — can’t do much wrong with that.
Price — reasonable early bird 20 quid for three course .
Menu– nice enough selection … including cocktails and beer … would I come back … mmm wouldn’t be totally against it.. Definitely not for the service though. .food alone

I was only here once, but once was enough. I had chicken enchiladas, they were lovely at the time but I spent the next day running to the bathroom every 15 mins or so. I don’t know maybe they just didn’t agree with me or I can’t eat spicy food anymore, but it put me off ever going back there as I’ve had chicken enchiladas in other restaurants without any bother.

So I did not intend to eat dinner here, however every single restaurant me and my friends went too were full. Finally after looking around for an hour we get a table at this place, staff was super nice and friendly.
They had a set Christmas menu for 26 euro. The menu had gluten free options and I have to say for once the taste did not suffer because of it.
I had nachos as starter, the crisps were like a side to this cheese, with a beef chili sauce and it was delicious only made better by the sour cream it came with also on the side. My main course was a dish I have been wanting to try forever, Jambalaya and I was not disappointing, huge shrimp, succulent pieces of chicken and some sorta chorizo it was really good and if I see it on another menu I would order it again. Dessert was 3 scoops of the classic vanilla, chocolate and strawberry flavors.
Had a mojito which was really good.
I am highly likely to come back to this place. I really enjoyed it.

Average food but good prices and nice portions. Staff are friendly and atmosphere is nice. I like the décor. Went for the early bird with my family (8 of us) everything was on time and arrived hot and delicious. Nothing out of this world though. Its not proper mexican but its tasty :) I liked the chilli chocolate nachos & the tequila and lime cheesecake. I return all the time but because of the 20euro deal for 3 courses.

Cactus Jacks is grand. Average food but very reasonably priced. Last visit I had the Paella. Should have known better than to order a sea food dish. Fish was fine really but I’m a little fussy with fish & it wasn’t super-​fresh the way I’d have liked it. But worth a look in if you’re looking for something quick & cheap.

I’ve been here 3 times but don’t think I’ll be going again. The first two occasions there were no real problems, but today we decided to go in for dinner and the second we were seated the waiter told us he needed the table for a big group and we have to be out by 8 — we had two hours and this was fine, but the impression he gave us was that we were an inconvenience for being there in the first place.
The buffalo wings to start were nice enough, but for my main I had a chimichanga and it was nothing like the chimichangas I’ve had in other restaurants. It was plain and dry, was very bland and had no real taste and the chicken was very chewy. I didn’t eat most of it because I really didn’t like it at all.
I had hardly put my fork down (and it wasn’t very obvious I was finished considering how much food was left on the plate) when the server was back to ask if we were finished and he was ready to take the plates before we even said yes. He clearly wanted to get rid of us even though there was still an hour and a half until they needed the table for the larger group. I ended up going somewhere afterwards to get food because I was still hungry and wasn’t satisfied with what I’d gotten here.
I would much rather stick to the other Mexican restaurants in Dublin and I won’t be returning here again.

I usually order «enchilada» for the main course and fried calamari for the side and I can say that they are pretty good.

Unfortunately more effort went into the décor at this place than into the food. You can get a two course lunch for € 10.95, so for that it is O.K., but nothing special.

Words to sum up… Slow… Small portions… Overpriced… Had paella. It was one spoonful on a plate. 15 euro. Didnt bother with dessert. Defo wouldn’t eat here again. Plenty of other good Mexicans in town. Only positive was staff.

We stopped in here last weekend for a bite before heading to see RED 2 in Cineworld.
I haven’t been in a couple of years (was not impressed the last time I was here), but having heard that it had improved we decided to give it another go.
The «tapas» are not particularly creative and the absence of starters on the menu suggests that rather than offering genuine tapas, they are just calling their starters tapas to cash in on a trend.
We were shown to a table upstairs, and a waiter came fairly promptly to take a drinks order. S_​ordered a Strawberry Bellini which I believe was acceptable, and I opted for a Cuba Libre, which was not great and completely overpowered by lime.
We decided to just go for «tapas» and in our usual manner (S_​not being a seafood eater) we ordered separately.
I got Gambas, Breaded Mussels and Buffalo Wings, while S_​ordered Guacamole, Chilli Cheese Nachos and Pollo Mordido (Chicken Goujons). We also split a Patatas with Crispy bacon and cheese.
I’m afraid nothing we received was going to call me back again.
The Gambas were 4 (admittedly good sized) prawns in some sort of flavourless thin sauce. Meh.
The breaded mussels did have flavour coming from the topping and the sauce however these were the type of runtish molluscs that must have spent all of their days getting sand kicked in their faces before they were plucked from the beach.
I had to double check to make sure there actually was meat in the tiny shells.
The wings were ok, nothing special and pretty bland.
S_’s plates were on a par, not necessarily bad but again nothing to write home about.
I understand they do 3 tapas plates for a tenner for lunch, at that price, what we received would be fine, but with our total bill coming to 55 Euro, I expected better.
Our server was the one bright spot in the experience, he was efficient and pleasant, but no amount of service can make up for passable and mediocre food.
We won’t be back for another couple of years at least.

I had a really great dinner here with some friends the other night. We got the early bird-​3 courses and a glass of wine for 20 euro, great value altogether!
The food was extremely tasty and the staff were very attentive.
If i was to say anything negative at all it would simply be that the food came a bit too fast. I was so full, i almost rolled out of the place! :-D

We were here for a party the other night. If it wasn’t for the fact that the birthday boy had chosen it, this wouldn’t have been my venue of choice.
No complaints on the service. Everyone was very friendly and quick, especially considering that there were 20 or so of us and we all wanted the Early Bird for € 19.95+€ 2 service charge. But the food was mediocre at best. The guacamole, if done right is one of my favourite dishes, was too smooth and bland. The side salad was the tastiest part of the starter. Then I had the fish bites, which was just fish and chips. The fish was cooked well and the chips were tasty and fresh. And the bit of salad was fine as well. I won’t even talk about the cake. Blah. It’s a good thing our host brought cake from a bakery…
It wouldn’t be my first or even second choice for a meal. But I wouldn’t turn my nose up at it if part of a big group.

I just scanned through the previous Unilocalers reviews — it appears that this is not a very popular spot with them at all. I have a feeling things may have changed since some of the reviews were written — prices and menu etc.
I actually enjoyed my time as did my company and the only reason why I am hesitating at four stars is because they did not have the salad I wanted, shrimp & avocado and I intend to go again to try that salad as it sounds amazing.
The server, who was terrific, apologised profusely about the salad not being available. I got the smoked chicken salad with pine nuts instead. It was good but the sauce did not work too well for me, I assume it was lime mixed with something thicker — for me lime should be in a light dressing and fresh, so the mix with a thicker dressing was too oppressive.
She had the tapas, three for € 10. Calamari, patatas bravas and the chorizo which was fantastic, cooked perfectly. He had an enchilada and it was,
«Oh yeah baby.» He said that not me, hence the quotation marks.
All came to € 35 plus two espressos — that’s very good in my book… I just wish they had my salad though!
I enjoyed the décor, very clean and bright. Plus the tables are very cool, my carpentry eyes were drooling.
Point of note:
I have a feeling because I dined there off peak my have contributed to my good experience, maybe they don’t do well when it’s packed.