Garlic knots were delicious, my steak was literally inedible. I ordered steak over salad and could barley find any meat amongst the fat and gristle. I told the waitress, she said nothing other than "do you want a box"? Again, I told her it was all fat and gristle so she simply cleared the plate and brought the check. I then wrote a letter to the owners so that they were aware of this terrible dish. I explained that I have been a customer several times and actually ordered this dish when they first opened and it was delicious. Something went horribly wrong this time and I thought the owners would like to know. No response whatsoever so I guess my only solution is to never come back. It is unfortunate because I think they need all the business they can get. read more

The staff was very nice, warm and inviting. That's the only good i can say. Now onto the food: The menu is gigantic. I had the broiled cod with risotto. The meal came with a salad, which was less than stellar. The fish was cooked well. The risotto was NOT risotto and was not cooked properly. Risotto is supposed to be smooth and creamy. It was just rice which was mushy and undercooked all at once. Someone in the kitchen is doing something wrong. The star of the show: the mixed veggies that came with the dinner. That is all... What do I say? Stay away... read more

Great food Friendly service We have a great experience at CACTUS BISTRO a blend of upgrades Mexican Italian dishes read more

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We waited years for this place to open. We were excited to have a restaurant in the middle of East Haddam. Sorry, but not worth the wait. Ambience was nice as we ate outside, food was run of the mill and, frankly, uninspired. Unfortunately, I don't think we'll be returning. read more

We tried this place when it first opened and it was not good at all. The food was just awful. We decided to give it another try hoping that they made some improvements in the kitchen. Well..$40 for two sandwiches and a tiny pizza and...it was still awful. Never again. read more

Gave this place three chances. First time, they had just opened and we were so excited...good service, but the food was not fresh (ordered a salad, app, and entree). Second time we ordered pizzas; super small and not worth the price (only one size available). Tonight, I thought let's give it a try, they've been open for a while-it might have gotten better. Nope, ordered the vodka pasta with chicken (extra $), and didn't even get chicken on it. Really disappointed. Won't be ordering again. read more

Food is delicious The service is wonderful, the waitresses are friendly and attentive The outside has great atmosphere as does the inside. Everything I have had has been delicious We go there often and bring out of town family there when they visit I find the prices reasonable and there is always more than enough to take home Glad we have such a terrific restaurant in town. It is a unique and friendly place read more

Out of the ashes of a restaurant comes a new place. When you're greeted with a friendly waitress and garlic knots you know you found a new weekly place. From the cloth tablecloth to the cloth napkins this place is clean and very affordable. Service was quick and hot, the waitress checked on us throughout the meal. My wife had the linguine with wire clam sauce. The smile said it all. I had the pasta Alla vodka yum yum. The price wars very fair. Give it a shot they will not let you read more

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We went to Cactus Bistro today after lunch hour and ate at the bar. They had several options for local craft beers and a nice lunch menu. We shared the fried buffalo cauliflower and the chicken empanadas. Everything was fresh, seasoned perfectly, and serving size was perfect for lunch. Service at the bar was excellent and the restaurant was very clean. Highly recommend! read more

Hopefully it's because they just opened, but there were a few issues when my partner and I came here for dinner about a week ago. Our server was obviously new, so I'm not going to hold that against them whatsoever, as we all have to start somewhere. We ate outside and noticed the seat cushions were all full of crumbs, and there was a sticky spot on the table (it's kind of like expalnded metal, so hard to clean). I noticed after about two sips of my water that there was lipstick on the glass, right where I was drinking from; I don't wear lipstick so definitely not from me. Our server replaced my glass promptly when I pointed it out, and did apologize. I ordered the chick pesto panini. It said it came on "panini bread" so I was confused when our server came back to ask what kind of bread I wanted. I said it indicates it comes on Panini bread, but said I'd take something else if that was no longer the case. The panini itself was ok, but definitely not matched to the price: it was scant on fillings, the chicken was a little dry, and there were no "panini grill" marks on it. My partner had the burger and said it was ok. It would be great to have a good restaurant on this side of the bridge, that isn't all the way in Middletown, so hopefully they are able to improve as time goes on. We are planning on returning later to see if we have a different experience. read more

It's got a nice event room and the wait staff are good but the food is very mediocre. The chicken piccata was bland. The salad was ordinary. Nothing special about the food. There is nothing "cactus" about the food or the decor, either. It's a strange name for ordinary everyday American cuisine. It's like walking into an Italian restaurant. read more

Ok is the right way to put it. What if you went to a place called Sicily Grill just to find it was 85% Mexican and 15% Italian. Cactus made us think Mexican and it's an Italian place and bistro is French. No biggie, we regrouped. Sauce is clearly canned with no attempt to enhance. Meals were fine. Marble bar. Expensive meals. Honestly we thought we going in for an enchilada and a taco bowl and maybe some nachos. We won't be back but only because it's Italian and we don't pay huge prices for Italian food because it's cheap and easy and fun to make at home. Nice people. Good service. Confused about who they are read more

The food is not anywhere near as good as the price point would suggest. The atmosphere is nice it looks a lot better than it used to but what's the point of having a pretty restaurant if you're going to serve sub average food read more

Mother's Day 2025 - wanted to eat at Wrasslin' Cats but they were closed. I took my mother across the street to Cactus Bistro. App special was lobster with street corn and lime aioli; the lobster was very fishy-tasting. The hostess asked how it was, and when we replied that the lobster was fishy, she gave us a blank look and didn't care. My Mother ordered the expensive double-lobster dish, but the lobster meat was mushy and strange-tasting. I had to seek out the waitress (who didn't check on us) to return the entree and replace it with prime rib. The prime rib, although ordered medium rare, came bloody red and inedible. At this point we gave up and had the prime rib boxed to-go to reheat at home. Again, the waitress didn't check back on us, not even to refill our beverages. Three times I had to seek out the waitress to finally bring us the check and then to settle the bill. I left her only $5.00 on a $100 check and wrote that the tip was based upon non-attentiveness. What a poor experience! We will NEVER go back to this place. read more

I just don't understand this place. Cactus? Very little Mexican food on menu, and it's fair at best. Service is horrible at best. prices ok for what you get. One and done...hoping new owners would be better. read more

Great service. I was a little worried about the time element but the wait staff was prompt and helpful. The interior is a marked upgrade from before. Delicious menu with items for everyone. read more

We've been waiting a while for this new place to open, gave it some time to work out new kinks & opening vibes to settle in before we tried it. We went last Saturday night, sat at the bar. It was certain that the bartender was one of the owners or related to the owners, she was nice & pleasant, didn't know what "Red Blend" wine was kept showing me Cab Sauv bottles but that's ok., language barrier perhaps? When we go to an establishment for the first time and there are Nachos on the menu, we immediately order them because how hard is it to make nachos? Nachos for us are a "make or break" for us. If a restaurant especially has Mexican options on the menu, you'd figure it's a no brainer for them to know how to make and prepare them. We ordered 1 glass of wine and 1 Tequila on the rocks with 2 apps - Nachos and Empanadas. When the nachos came out, we were immediately disappointed in just looking at them that it was like having a bag of Tortilla chips on a dish with just a few items melted on top! The few items spread on top were also very skimped on! No chop meat as a "meat" option either. No beans on them either. They were like a young child prepared them. The sour cream and guacamole were served in little plastic containers that you had to peel off the top, that you would pick up at a grocery store and the salsa was cold and frozen still. When the bartender came over to clean the area after we were done, she noticed the dish of tortilla chips that all still remained and said, "you didn't like them" and we were like "nope, they were like a bag of chips served on a dish" and she said, "they do look dry". Thinking perhaps, she'd remove them off the bill as I would have done. My family and I have been in the restaurant business since I was 10 years old. If I had a disappointed customer and want a customer to return and try again, that item would have been removed off the bill. Instead, we weren't asked if we wanted another round of drinks, and she stayed far away from us, ignoring us, not asking us for anything else, we got the bill. We paid and left, disappointed to say the least. NACHOS SHOULD BE LAYERED LIKE A LASAGNA! End of story, good luck to them. read more

Food is great but serving size is small, especially for the prices. Service was slow, witnessed several people waiting a while for their food and when some of them finally got it their food wasn't entirely made to order. Ambiance feels fake, like someone with enough money to put on a facade, but not actually fancy. Saw owner sitting with colleagues on their phone in the middle of the dining room occupying space a customer very well could have used. Heard through the grapevine owner criticized employees in front of one another for doing their job, without any real direction. Staff seem to be the reason the restaurant is functioning. Anyways, enjoy! read more