Our intimate family restaurant El Cactus brings Mexico to you. Whether it is for supper or just for trying one of our delicious exotic cocktails, you will find that our terrace on the riverside is the place to be on hot summer days
Overall, El Cactus draws attention for flavorful Mexican dishes, generous portions, and a lively, friendly atmosphere, with a riverfront terrace and margaritas that many reviewers enjoy. The experience is varied, though, with some visits marked by long waits for food and some concerns about value when prices rise or tortillas are charged separately. Dishes like nachos, enchiladas, tacos and churros are frequently praised for authenticity and tastiness, while a few reviews note inconsistencies or changes in quality since changes in ownership. The staff is repeatedly described as approachable and attentive, and the setting is often highlighted as a charming, scenic spot worth returning to, despite occasional busy periods and mixed reliability.
Let's start by saying it's quite small & if you plan one eating there either come early or be prepared to wait.
The order for 2 : octopus, taco de res, quesabirria & enchiladas cactus.
Price : 125~ with tip, no drinks.
Food : it's average. It's obviously better than a fast food texmex place but it's far from very good. Octupus was the highlight. Quesabirria was without taste. Taco de res has the fatty bits of the stewed beef as filling. Enchiladas were the best main by a long shot. Everything had a bit too much mayo based sauces & lacked punch. I wish they had some green salsa or something at the table to change up flavors.
Service : they get busy, it's obviously popular. Because of this they have a bit less time for stuff like filling your glasses. Ice needs to be asked for. Although it's a lot of finger food you get a singular napkin.
Atmosphere : it's the highlight. The terrasse is fun, it's next to the water & everyone is having a good time.
I felt like it was 3 stars when I left but compared to what's available I'll go for 4 stars.
Positif:
Nourriture acceptable & bon drink.
Notre serveuse EMMA était parfaite !!
Negatif:
Prix élevé pour la quantité / qualité. Fini @ $150 pour un ti souper a deux. Alcool: 1 biere, 1 drink, 1 verre de vin.
Délai pour nourriture incroyablement long !!!! Presque 3 heures au total pour un souper aussi simple.
Ne prend pas de réservation.
Pogner a coté du bar. Ne voulait pas nous deplacer a la terasse (pas grave, la serveuse terasse avait l'air bête).
Trèèèès bruyant. Difficile de se parler…
Musique rarement mexibaine a 50% seulement.
Je n'étais pas aller depuis des années cause de mauvaise expérience…. J'ai donné une autre chance. C'est terminé !!
C'est mon opinion & mon expérience. J'espère que vous en aurez une meilleure.
Sep 2, 2025
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The food & drinks were good in general but I wish the meat in my birria was seasoned a bit more. Other than that, the sauce drizzled on top & the dip were excellent. 22$ for three tacos jumpscared me a bit, but I'll definitely come back. Beautiful restaurant & beautiful view on the rive
Loved our experience there. Food was very good so was the service. Took the nachos & guacamole app. The guac was very good! Quesadillas for meal, also very good & churros for dessert, SO good. Mojito to drink, SO good! Very polite & friendly staff. The music wasn't too loud so we could hear ourselves talk whitout yelling. The decor was very cute..it's a small restaurant, so I'm assuming maybe on weekends it gets very busy. There's a bar & also tables to sit & eat.
One of my absolute favourite places to eat in Chateauguay. During warm weather, they have a riverside terrace. Their drinks are really tasty & the food is authentic! Intimate & cozy vibes for a small friend group or a date night!
El Cactus est un véritable trésor culinaire à Châteauguay ! L'expérience y est merveilleuse du début à la fin. Le décor est vibrant & accueillant. Le personnel est incroyablement sympathique & offre un service exceptionnel, ce qui rend chaque visite agréable. Les tacos al pastor étaient incroyablement savoureux, avec des saveurs parfaitement équilibrées, & le poulet mariné était tendre & juteux. Les portions sont généreuses & qualité des ingrédients se fait sentir dans chaque bouchée. L'ambiance chaleureuse ajoute une touche spéciale à ce restaurant déjà formidable. C'est un endroit que je recommande vivement à tous les amateurs de cuisine mexicaine (& de bons drinks).
Aug 28, 2024
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Great place... only concerns are about the food. First we got the nachos with pico, which is store bought chips with a side of pico. As a main course we got the birria tacos, what a disappointment. Flavourless, tiny tiny dish of consume, mostly fat, no onions nor coriander. Would not go back for the food, maybe drinks with friends because the atmosphere is cool.
Nice décor, good margaritas, decent food. Honestly, though, I did a little warm/stuffy inside, so much so that we cut our dinner short. Tacos are OK, but there's better Mexican restaurants around. I find it very pricey for what you get. 140 bucks for some tacos, salsa & chips, & a couple drinks...Seems a little extra extra.
IDK what happened this time but the pirata cocktail that I always take at this place was not so great, the taste wasn't balanced. My wife's drink wasn't prepared well as well & when she told that to the waitress she started to convince us that this is okay, we returned it & asked to redo, food was so-so beef tacos were great but the chicken shrimp wasn't, chicken was overcooked & dry. We ended up with a 125$ bill without tips for two people. At the end this was great evening, will come back to El Cactus 😜
WoW c’était plus que délicieux le service avec Laurie impeccable, l’entrée crevette, la guac, les drinks, les tacos & les churros omg nous allons revenir & même souvent
