This used to be a fallback for our group of friends when we couldn't decide on a place to eat in the city, mainly because of the early bird special. The food is decent, nothing special. The fajhitas are great, that's probably the best choice on the menu. Everything else I've tried (most things on the menu) is serviceable. The food typically takes quite a long time to arrive, probably because it's always so busy here. If you're in the area and are early enough for the early bird then keep this place in mind if you can handle three courses. read more

Came here around inch time when visiting Dublin with friends. The menu looked great and we were craving Mexican so we decided to check it out. Service was kinda slow even though we were the only customers in the entire restaurant. Our food came out before the drinks and we had to remind the waitress about the drinks. Secondly, the drinks tasted awful! My friends ordered margaritas and I ordered a mojito and they tasted nothing like that. The food was below average too because the huevos rancheros had a tomato base like pasta sauce instead of salsa; very strange combination of flavors. read more

Cactus Jacks - Huevos rancheros - Mexican Near Me - Dublin, D

It was okay experience. Service was so so but food was not bad and we have ordered a lot as price was not too bad at all. Quite full at the end! read more

Cactus Jacks - Mexican Near Me - Dublin, D

I just scanned through the previous Yelpers 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 decor, 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. read more

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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. read more

Cactus Jacks - Sweet potato fries, fish cake & calamari rings (€10) - Mexican Near Me - Dublin, D

Walking through a bunch of places around the area that all looked full, we popped in here hankering for a comfortable environment and some Mexican grub. While the space was nice and the staff were great, the food was beyond disappointing. I got the chimichanga, which was so tough and over cooked on the outside, it was impossible to cut or chew. It was like a cheap chicken pie, served on a bed of rice with dehydrated peas in it. It was fifteen blips - and it wasn't worth 5. The salsa was nice and the chips my partner for with his quesadilla were lovely. The tequila lime cheesecake was fine, but nothing we ordered was of restaurant quality, more like frozen stuff you'd buy yourself in a supermarket and heat up at home. read more

Cactus Jacks - Mexican Near Me - Dublin, D

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Cactus Jacks has 3 locations in Ireland, two of which are in Dublin and the third in Galway. I've visited in the one in Millennium Walkway - just off the quays - a few times, and have always really enjoyed it. For lunch and dinner, it never disappoints. I have been to the one in Galway, but wasn't hugely impressed and was surprised I liked the Dublin one so much. They do a great lunch menu and have all the Mexican favourites like chicken/beef/prawn fajitas etc but my favourite dish is like a fish combo thing (no idea of the exact name) - it was huge with mussels, salmon and prawns. It was really yum. They also serve steak, burgers and a kids menu too. It' a good size restaurant with an upstairs that has big comfy chairs. The staff have always been really pleasant. I think it'd be a great place to eat with a big bunch of friends. read more

Cactus Jacks - www.cactusjacks.ie - Mexican Near Me - Dublin, D

I love Mexican, I love spicy food, I love how much fun it is to mispronounce words like Chimichangas. So it's hardly a surprise that I love Cactus Jack's. It's one of my favourite places in the capital to eat. The food's great, the decor and the staff too. I'm a big fan of the quesadillas. Which is another brilliant word to mispronounce. read more

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... read more

Cactus Jacks - Tapas Mexican - Mexican Near Me - Dublin, D

I've been here once before and had the fajitas which were great and hence I followed up with a second visit. This time my experience was quite different and I won't be coming back. I appreciate the early bird deal is great, but that's about as good as it gets. Our starters came out about 5 mins after we sat down. Usually this would be great, but in order for food to be served so quickly only one conclusion can be made, it was microwaved. And it you can truly taste that it was microwaved. The ribs tasted awful and had a huge lump of fat on them. We also got the potato jackets on which the skin was very tough and there was not a lot if flavour. Coming to the main courses I got a chilli chimichanga and my partner got fish bites. The chimichanga is the reason I won't be coming back. The pastry was soggy on top, and solid as a rock on the bottom, everything on the inside was searing hot. This to me once again indicated that it was microwaved. I only finished half due to how hard the bottom of the pastry was. It was a huge disappointment. I know I won't be coming back but one tip I can give is this, I'm ok with waiting for my food as long as it has quality. If it comes out in 5 mins or less it almost certainly has been microwaved which is an embarrassment for a restaurant. read more

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. read more

Cactus Jacks - Pincho de pollo, Fluatas and Spicy patatas bravas - Mexican Near Me - Dublin, D

Yuck. I am a huge fan of spicy and Mexican food, but my lunch experience here was downright disgusting. Food: Not at all impressed. Service: Friendly enough. Atmosphere: The location is nice. I was neutral to the décor. Price: Typical overpriced Dublin restaurant. My miss and I went there for lunch on a Wednesday afternoon. She had an enchilada like meal and I had a beef burrito. Neither of us enjoyed it. The tortilla was flimsy and had a rather peculiar taste to it. I personally did not think they used enough primary ingredients with the burrito, but stuffed it heavily with lettuce. I was disappointed as I had heard nice things about the Galway location. It is possible that this was a once-off experience, read more

We stopped in here on Saturday afternoon and firstly were amazed that while the surrounding restaurants were a buzz with life (it was about 1 in the afternoon) Cactus Jacks was empty save for one other diner, sitting on his own playing with his laptop (a fellow Yelper perhaps!?) They have this amazing deal, 2 courses for 9.95 for Lunch. We both went for the buffalo wings followed by the burger. The buffalo wings were great covered as they were with a hot sweet sauce I'll swear is the same as the one used by Eddie Rockets. The burgers were packed with stuff - bacon cheese salad etc but sadly they were not up to the mark quality wise, the meat was that sort of 50% sawdust patty affair you get in nastier establishments. The accompanying chips were plentiful, cut from real potato and should have been great but whether it was the oil they were cooked in or something else I don't know - they tasted less than good. I don't know what Cactus Jacks is like for dinner but overall I'd say it misses the mark for lunch. read more

I love this place. It has such a nice atmosphere. The huge red lamps and the wooden tables give this place a really special chic and yet cosiness. The menu is good, the staff very friendly and the wine list offers a good selection. I love the steaks here - I know not very mexican, but they are delicious. Not too expensive and always cooked exactly the way you want them. But I can also recommend the Fajitas for two - the portion is really big and the last time my BF and I could not finish it. Chocolate Fudge Truffle pie finished off our dinner real nicely. Who can ever say no to chocolate? Especially when it comes with ice cream ;) read more

I went for lunch to Cactus Jacks today. Hubby and I split three tapas dishes for a grand total of 13 EUR--now that's what I'm talking about. Too bad the food wasn't very impressive or else I'd be back quite a bit. We had Spanish patatas with garlic mayo sauce and it was simple, flavorful, good. That was probably the highlight of the meal. We also had chili cheese chips which was a dish with tortilla chips served with a weird sort of whipped sour cream and supposedly chocolate-infused chili. The chili was good but I didn't taste anything chocolate or mole-like in there at all. We also ordered a side of guacamole, mostly because it was only 2.50 EUR extra. The chips were deep-fried tortillas but sort of soft and not crunchy. The side salad had wilted and brown-edged lettuce. The guacamole itself was yellowish brownish in color (hello avocados are green people!) and tasted really bland. I think they must put a few chunks of avocado in a food processor with a ton of sour cream and then stick the bowls in the fridge for long periods of time. Not only is it not tasty, but it's also not guacamole. read more

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. read more

I was a little distracted by the decor here, not in a good way...the dried peppers on the wall looked dusty and freaked me out. The table was wobbly and there was a very loud hen party behind us. The food was ok...except for the chips, which were amazing. Real potato chunks covered in garlic and cheese, there was bacon too...drool. I reeked for days of garlic but they were immense. The menu confused me because I hate asking staff what is in the dishes, I like when it's printed on the menu, and it's not. I'd go back for the chips though (like...now) so I might take a leap of faith and try some hard to pronounce stuff! read more

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 creme 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! read more

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. read more

I remember a time when cactus jacks was a place I could go to and get a pretty solid and consistent experience. Seems any time I've been there in the last few years has been disappointing. At worst they've brought out cold food, and the staff seem almost disinterested, at best the service is passable, and the food is a little better. I go back hoping it'll be back to its old self, but it never is. Decent people watching spot, at least... read more

This is a great place if you wanted decent food at decent price , Calamari for starters generally good , I tend to go for fajitas for mains again good and cheesecake for desert , again good I can't fault this place for quality bs price , service generally good Would recommend ! read more

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 read more

Being a Galway native I've been hooked on Cactus Jacks Mexican food since my first visit 3 years ago. They've expanded and now have two more restaurants in Dublin. So it was time I had my fix in the fair city. I can't say anything bad about this place, excellent food, fair prices, good service and an great spot in the city centre. The menu is broad and features your typical Mexican affair with burritos, tacos, quesadillas, fajitas and chimichangas as well as steaks, burgers and chicken supremes. They also have a wide variety of sides, sauces and salads and a collection of starters and desserts that will make you wish you could have two of each. My personal recommendations off the menu, items of food i could eat anytime day or night, are the calamari, chicken strips with garlic and BBQ dips, chicken fajitas, beef burritos and the king of all burgers, The Big Jack! To wash it all down they serve good beer and an excellent selection of "real" tequilas as well as cocktails galore. If after that you still have room, the cheesecake and fudge cake are always delicious. Perfect for a group feast, family meal or a romantic soiree, the restaurant has a kids menu, two floors and generous sized tables. Cactus Jacks is my one stop shop for Mexican cuisine. read more

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. read more

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. read more

This is a good Mexican restaurant in a central location with some nice fashionable interior, and part of a restaurant "chain" with two more outlets in Dublin and Galway. They do great tacos and enchilladas, and their wine list is not too long but well chosen. And the service is really good - even though there may be some waiting time on the weekend when you've not booked a table, you'll feel looked after all the time. read more

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

Cactus Jacks - salmon - Mexican Near Me - Dublin, D

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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. read more

We went to Cactus jack for lunch whilst in dublin for the weekend it s a short walk acrss the penny bridge from temple bar area. A nicer area than temple bar ie a lot cleaner and more modern. The resturant was really nice and a good atmosphere the lunch menu had a good choice of food and the quality was really good the food tasted nice and fresh and was presented well. Sitting upstairs in the evening maybe preferable to downstairs for lunch but it was still nice. The only down side was the service was a bit cold. The price wasnt cheap, it may be a little too much to spend on lunch usually but if you are hungry and fancy a bottle of wine and time to relax with your food its a nice place to do it. There a couple of branches around dublin and if there were any nearer home i would certainly go again. read more

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 read more

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. read more

Had the early bird menu on a trip to Dublin yesterday and it was an overall good experience. Door greeter really nice and friendly but a pity this didnt continue with service at table. Efficient but oh my goodness no warmth whatsoever. Food was really good although desserts were a tad bland and tasted like they had been defrosted. Double expresso costs 4.60 euros.....ridiculous as most places its just slightly above a single price. Would advise friends to give it a try but dont know I would return for a 2nd time. read more

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! read more

A really good Mexican place. Might be slightly overpriced, but is totally worth it.

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. read more

Terrible service. Staff mocked us after not understanding their horribly designed menu.

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. read more

Can't speak more highly of the experience. Had the early bird menu at 7pm and we explained to the waitress that we were running late for a gig so the meals were received incredibly quickly. For where it was and the type of food it was it was incredibly cheap and tasty. Will happily go again and plan on soon read more

Very disappointed! Love Mexican food but this was terrible. Looked forward to the ribs for starters and they were half fat with an unexciting sauce. Mains were just okay but not worth the cost. My boyfriend just got chips in mcdonalds as he wasn't full! read more

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. read more