Cactus Restaurant and Bar: Nothing Prickly About It

When the days turn blistering hot, my thoughts always turn to ice cold beer, margaritas and ceviche. Though I love a good steak, cheeseburger or bowl of pasta, in my book, the warmer months call for refreshing drinks and great Mexican food.

I was delighted when my editor suggested for my next review. The restaurant has various food and drink specials every day of the week except Saturday which is nice in this economic climate. On a recent "Taco Tuesday" we went in for $2 tacos,  $5 margaritas and $3 Hoegaardens and were pretty pleased.

We began with a bowl of chips and salsa (the first bowl is on them!) and I added in a side of guacamole. The chips were a bit stale on top but improved as I delved deeper into the basket. The salsa was salty, saucy and had a slight kick to it. I enjoyed it but some may be turned off by the saltiness. The guacamole was a decent rendition, rich and creamy with appropriate amounts of seasoning. 

The cold margarita was good but made with an added splash of orange juice rather than just triple sec or Cointreau (both are orange liqueurs made using orange peels). A classic margarita is tequilla, cointreau/triple sec and lime or lemon juice. My dining companion had the 60 minute Dogfish IPA which has a cult following of its own. Go local breweries!

For our entrees we had the fish tacos and the five-alarm burrito. The fish tacos were great. Panko crusted tilapia fingers (they were too narrow and skinny to be filets) were fried golden brown and piled on top of a chipotle red cabbage slaw and cheese. Wrapped in flour tortillas, these tacos were quite filling. The slaw was savory and acidic and the cheese provided some rich dairy creaminess. Sometimes tilapia can taste "dirty" but this fish was clean tasting and delicious.

The five-alarm burrito proved to be one alarm too many for my companion. Normally a voracious eater, he tapped out about halfway through. I did hear that his younger brother managed to house his leftovers later that evening and relished the heat.

The spicy marinated chicken breast, rice, Jack cheese, tomato and lime crema filled burrito was indeed caliente. A side of sour cream provided some relief but it was just too darn hot! The gorgeous side salad was filled with numerous vegetables and also provided a nice comforting contrast to the fiery burrito.

The desserts looked killer. Had I not been extremely full, I would have been all over the Oreo mousse pie or funnel cake option.

The bar is very well stocked with tons of tequila ranging from basic Cuervo to pricey Don Julio and everything in between. There are other liquors and almost every flavor of vodka you could think of (seriously, they even had grape vodka). The beers on tap are varied and well chosen so that the Coors Light drinker will be as satisfied as the Dogfish 60 minute IPA drinker. For the non-drinkers there are plenty of sodas and juices. 

The decor is typical of a bar in a Manayunk, lots of wood, a couple of TVs and a long bar. The interior of the restaurant is very rectangular with the bar taking up the entire right side of the room. The lighting is dim and there are plenty of earth tones throughout the space. Those who want to dine under the stars can eat outside while everyone else can find plenty of seating in the dining room. 

The service is laid back and casual--everyone is quite friendly although it may take a minute or ten for them to warm up to you. When we asked for a channel change our wish was granted immediately. Everyone at the bar ended up chatting with one another by night's end. As advertised on their website, Cactus is a "fun, casual, Tex-Mex bar with good times". We had a good casual dinner and shared some fun and interesting stories and conversations with the bartender, his co-workers and some others.