This place is amazing. The food was delicious. The atmosphere is cozy and the service was great. The owner came to our table and thanked us for coming in. It was a very positive experience. My husband got the pork chop and loved it. I got the chicken floritine with the bacon wrapped scallops and everything was cooked perfectly. We will definitely be coming back. read more

See all

This restaurant is amazing! They have spanish, greek, seafood, and strange menu like alligator tail or frog legs. We ordered today special kebabs and chicken steak fajitas, both menu was so excellent! Even we didn't hungry enough, this foods was very delicious! I will come here again when I revisit Salisbury. read more

Cactus Taverna - Mediterranean Near Me - Salisbury, Maryland

An excellent experience start to finish! I had the seafood enchilada and my wife had the bacon wrapped scallops and a bowl of corn chowder. The food was excellent. I really can't say enough about it. The seafood enchilada was extremely tasty, and well blended, with the sauce. I would say the dish was perfect! My wife also enjoyed her dinner very much! My wife also had a pomegranate martini which was also very good! The service was excellent and we felt well attended to with our friendly waitress. This is an excellent restaurant, and I would highly recommend this place. Don't be fooled by how this looks from the outside! It is within a strip mall, but the restaurant is a diamond in the rough! read more

Only at the cactus!!!! Best dinner in town. Delicious options, my favorite is lamb shank and calamari for appetizer . For dessert you must try the flan . Great atmosphere and service. read more

As with my fellow Yelpers, this is squarely in the "dont judge a book" category. I cannot adequately describe the concept - I have never encountered the concept. TexMex meets Spanish and eastern Mediterranean. Sort of a nostalgia destination for merchant marines. Good for all sorts of people. I guess ideal for couples who cannot decide what they are in the mood for. Short of the beefy side of a fern bar, if nothing on the menu interests you, you are not hungry. read more

We were passing through Salisbury on our way from NYC to VA and saw this restaurant on Yelp. Great choice! Highly recommend. Our server Zach could not have been more accommodating and caring and the food was amazing! My husband is still raving about the shrimp appetizer in wine butter broth. He LOVED it. The grouper special with crabmeat was also incredible. Nice portion and great value. We are so happy we found this place. The owner stopped by our table and was very warm and welcoming and so was the lovely hostess. A lovely experience all around. Highly recommend and will definitely be back. Thank you!!! read more

So happy my husband and I decided to try this place out on a whim. I had the kabob trio special over couscous. Because I'm one of those pain in the ass vegetarians, they allowed me to substitute the meat kabobs for all veggie. So delicious!!! read more

Looks are deceiving with this spot. You go in thinking its just a Mexican restaurant then you find out its way way more n better. With a list of different items on the menu every night like rack of lamb and filet w crab which we had and plenty local flare items that include shrimp, crab, scallops, etc. the filet w crab was delicious and I ate the whole thing which I normally don't do. One of the owners came around to ask if everything was going well which was super nice and staff were all very helpful and friendly. We had sangrias that were on spot but maybe could've been a little bigger than a small wine glass lol and after dinner were given a free taste of some amazingly sweet port. Definitely a unique spot to give a try. read more

The ambience did not draw us to this restaurant. But the high Yelp ratings did. Food was good, service was very good - wait staff was well synchronized. The restaurant needs an infusion in better lighting. The tables are not well lit, and that element diminishes the overall satisfaction of the dining experience. Table tops and upholstery are in desperate need of replacement. Please ditch the "Happy Birthday dear Customer" song if you're unwilling to find out the name of the "customer". Overall an OK experience. read more

The best thing about this place was the music. Last night a young lady with a great voice was playing ukulele. Very talented. I could have cooked better food at home with taco seasoning, beans, and rice. Menu is all over the board. Most of it bland and tasteless. Wait staff was good. Too noisy for conversation across the table. Would not recommend. read more

My husband and I were celebrating our 29th anniversary and this was our first visit here. We were so pleasantly surprised to find a Mediterranean restaurant of this caliber in Salisbury! Everything was fresh and hand made, superb service, extensive menu, and wine list. Great prices too and a live musician! We will definitely be making this one of our favorite restaurants in the area. It was like a night in Morocco. read more

We decided to stop in as we drove by. Wasn't sure about the front as it lacks curb appeal. But my once inside it is wonderfully decorated/ including live music (Sat night). Everyone was very polite and even the owner came around asking how our meal was. Our waitress was very friendly. Our food was delicious.... frog legs and alligator bites for appetizers where delicious!!! Amazing is more like it. The Blackened tuna was also wonderful. Definitely will be coming back! Port Wine to finish it off on the house! Truly a wonderful place! read more

I was initially going to order the lamb, however after hearing the daily specials and taking my servers recommendations, I ordered the surf and turf special, however I wasn't happy with my order, not because it was cooked improperly but because I didn't understand what "imperial crab" meant and was expecting more of a crab cake. Nevertheless I was not going to complain as I have worked in service industry as a server before and I did order it but after my server Mary, who was awesome by the way, noticed I had not eaten much insisted I speak to the owner as he was very nice and understanding. The owner, Imad came over to the table and I am pleased to say that I had previously met him when I arrived at the restaurant because he went to each table and shook everyone's hand and thank them for dining with them. He was very nice and explained the difference between the imperial vs crab cake and immediately asked what else he could get me. This time I went with my first instinct, the lamb chops. And I was not disappointed! They were flavorful and cooked to perfection. There was also another server, Adrian, who worked in the same section as Mary that would check on me every time he checked on his tables! I had a great experience here and will definitely be back. read more

Great food, great service, weird experience Cactus Taverna offers a very odd assortment of dishes - for lack of a better description I'll call it Turkish Tex-Mex by way of Argentina. Most of what we ordered was outstanding with the Chorizo stuffed pepper and Grilled beef w/chimichurri sauce appetizers perhaps being the most notable. I would suggest that the fajitas be avoided as they were overcooked and more or less flavorless. However, as much as I would gladly eat here again if I lived in Salisbury or was staying the night, I find it difficult to recommend for someone travelling through. We arrived around 12:30 on a Sunday and ordered apps and entrees. It was more than 45 minutes before our salad and guacamole arrived and then another 10-15 minutes before everything else arrived more or less all at once. Throughout it all, the waiter was excellent, repeatedly apologetic, and kept us plied with drinks, chips, and salsa. Without prompting he offered to remove two of the dishes from our check and when it was time to leave the manager(?) removed all of the apps from our bill (again without prompting) after apologizing and noting that it was completely unreasonable for our meal to take that long to come out of the kitchen. Great food and service hobbled by kitchen difficulties and then redeemed - 4 stars. read more

Upon arrival last night at about 8pm the front door had a sign on the front that said "people on yelp love us". I gave myself a hearty chuckle because we were there specifically because of Yelp, and because I know the girlfriend thinks the whole Yelp thing is a little silly. After being introduced to our waiter and given menu's I had an opportunity to peruse the dining the fine taverna had to offer. After studying the menu and specials section for 4-5 minutes(and taking in the other 6-8 specials the waiter rattled off to us) I put it all down, looked at my girlfriend, and said "W.T.F.?" I'm a simple guy, when I want a steak, I go to a steak place, for seafood, a seafood place, and the same for middle eastern, italian, french, mexican, and so on. We came here thinking it would be the run of the mill mexican restaurant(just better by the review rating). All looks from the inside and outside would indicate this is a run of the mill mexican restaurant except of course there was a woman with a guitar playing live music till 9.(top 40 covers) But I swear, the entire WORLD was stuffed into this run of the mill mexican restaurant in a run of the mill stripmall in Salisbury, Md, then EXPLODED onto their menu! Off the top of my head, on their menu and specials, and i'm SO seriously NOT kidding, they had, steak(filet with crab imperial topping), french ((escargot and frog legs(seriously?)), middle eastern (kabobs), seafood (cooked and topped any number of ways). And this is just off the top of my head the next day! Oh, and crap, would you believe they had mexican food? In utter disbelief, I asked our waiter why a mexican restaurant would be serving escargot, frog legs, and kabobs, with traditional mexican fare. He said it was "fusion" inspired. Ah, that fusion word. That trendy hipster nonsense I have grown to really despise. I remember ten years ago when chipotle was a fancy word for spicy. Then suddenly EVERYONE and their baby mamas' aunts' little sister thought they were highfalutin using such big fancy words. Give me a break! Fusion essentially means, well, they want to give you one thing but make it a bit different. In the case of Cactus Taverna, they want to give you everything, even if none of it goes together. This menu was a lot less about fusion and a lot more about fission! We ordered our mexican and it was average. Just average. Exactly what I was hoping against based on the ratings here, but exactly what I expected when I saw the menu. I'm pretty sure my chimichanga wasn't even grilled, it had no crunch at all. But to be honest, it was slathered with melted cheese, etc, which may have taken the crunch right out of it. The service seemed to have a fine dining "feel" to it, but wasn't executed well. And please, for the love of all things holy, DON'T go to the restroom! Not only did it NOT go with the rest of the "fusion inspired" mexican restaurant, the linoleum and stains on the walls and around the sink may have been as old as I am. It needs a thorough going over, to say the least. To paraphrase the great Mr. Miyagi, "Do mexican yes, good. Do mexican no, good. Do mexican so so, get squished like grape." And therein lies the review in a nutshell. So So! read more

Finally got back to Cactus Taverna recently aiming to try the paella and the alligator. Both were very good! The paella is enough for two people; it's a special dish, served in a pan. The service here is always very good. The owner often comes out to check on his customers. Sometimes he gives out sangria, although that didn't happen at my latest visit. In the past, I've also received some free port wine for "dessert", but not this time. Oh well.. Cactus Taverna is one of the better restaurants in Salisbury. Unfortunately, it's easy to forget about it when it's tucked up in a strip mall in the midst of the fast food chain- and suburbia-land which is northern Salisbury. read more

I would like to know how the American mono-culture has permeated small town America so thoroughly. How is it that in the very places where you'd expect to find authentic traditionalism, culture, and care for people that a slew of tacky-stuff-on-the-wall restaurants have moved in and driven the local institutions out of business? The places left tend to be dated and struggling. Cactus Taverna is a stark exception to the rule and a very pleasant surprise. Granted, the outside is an unassuming strip mall, but the inside is a well decorated, warm space. Our Salisbury friends who took us described it as Mediterranean, but with Cactus in the name I knew their had to be Tex-Mex. As it turns out, it defies categorization with Mediterranean, Tex-Mex, steak, and seafood offerings. The crab dip is a wonderful representation of Maryland's favorite seafood. They put something similar on their fish and steaks and the result is beautiful. The only thing that could make fillet mignon better is crab and a cream sauce. We also had the pleasure of meeting the delightful owner, who is a real presence in his restaurant, and he offered us a complementary glass of port for dessert. read more

Lovely atmosphere! Great service! Friendly staff! The food is pretty good and prices are reasonable. Limited children's menu.

This is not a Mexican restaurant, and don't be thrown by the location (strip mall)! Cactus Taverna is my favorite place to eat out in Salisbury unless I am craving sushi. Unlike some other reviewers I enjoy the eclectic menu offerings. I don't believe I have ever ordered my entree off the menu though.....it's all about the specials. Besides the food, the service makes CT stand out in this town. The servers are all attentive, knowledgeable, and friendly without feeling oppressive. The owner is gracious and warm and is seemingly always present in the dining room to greet patrons and chat. I like the Maza platter for an app, Mediterranean inspired with pita, hummus, dolmas, etc. The specials are all consistently wonderful and are mostly seafood or steak based, and the portions are hearty. If you are looking for a nice dining experience where you won't feel rushed through a meal and welcomed as a valued patron, you found it! read more

Wasn't what I expected. I thought it was a taco joint. Higher end quality food with decent prices. Unique selections on the menu like duck and lamb. The waitress was awesome. After hearing the desserts , I told her to surprise me. She came back with strawberries with almond whipped cream and a chocolate mousse. They paired nicely. I will definitely be back. read more

I really enjoy this local spot. It is a little hard to find if you don't know your way around Salisbury, but if you are lucky enough to find it you have to try it! I have been here several different times but have enjoyed it every time. They have so many different items on the menu I guarantee there is something for everyone! If you enjoy seafood, I liked the mahi mahi, stuffed rockfish, and the salmon and scallops in the cream sauce! They are fresh, and look beautiful on the plate! If you are more of a turf person their filets are tender and come with a variety of different things you can add to it! They also have an option to get a wine margarita, which I really enjoyed! The most recent night I went on was a Friday and they had a live musician who was wonderful! It made the experience even better! Can't wait to come back again! read more

Stopped in here the other night on a road trip. I had the steak special and husband had the stuffed pork on the menu. Both were wonderful right down to the mixed vegetables which were fresh. Owner stopped by the table twice which was a nice touch .....even the servers were very friendly and polite. Cute decor and a definite stop on our trip past next time. read more

Ugh. Gross, gross, just gross. I ordered the Greek spanokita (sp) my Mom and Step dad ordered some Greek thing that claimed potatoes were in it...but it was literally French fries. Hubs ordered the chicken fajitas...which were actually the best out of all the dishes. They only give you 3 tortillas so you will have to ask for more and they don't have corn. My stuff was obviously frozen then cooked. The French fry meals just looked pathetic. My stomach actually hurt days after...! It's a dark restaurant and their live music is way too loud, though the guy wasn't bad. The bathrooms, oh the bathrooms...so filthy. Will definitely be avoiding this place in the future!!! read more

With a name like Cactus Taverna, I had my doubts about this place and assumed that it was a redneck dive bar, driving right by it for three years. I finally decided to give it a shot and was very pleasantly surprised. The waitress that I had was very nice and the owner walks around shooting wine into your mouth which is so funny. The owner looks like he is having a great time and makes everyone else feel the same way. The atmosphere is nice but laid back so it has a really great vibe going throughout the whole restaurant (but maybe that was the wine?). It is a nice sized place and mostly all in one room so it would work great for a large group of people. The Mediterranean style food is pretty good... their salsa in particular. This is one of the better establishments in Salisbury especially because it is locally owned, something that really seems to be lacking in this area. read more

Husband and I tried Cactus Taverna for the first time today. Stopped in around 4:30pm on a Saturday and the place was quiet before the dinner rush. The decor has Spanish flair with a touch of the orient... Adobe colored walls and clay tiles on a facade that gives the impression of dining in an open courtyard, while the walls are hung with Persian rugs and the rather dim room is lit with star shaped light fixtures under a starry blue ceiling. It was a bit too dimly lit for my taste, but (being a belly-dancer) thoroughly enjoyed the Middle Eastern music being piped in. I don't get why people describe Cactus Taverna as simply a "Tex Mex" place. Yes, the decor looks a bit Mexican and they start you out with tortilla chips and a very mild salsa, but I've never seen Lamb Shanks or Crab Imperial topped Rockfish on the menu at any Tex Mex joint. Or Alligator appetizers, for that matter. Husband ordered the Lamb Shank and I got the Rockfish special. Both came with a hearty serving of very well cooked and seasoned vegetables as well as a small dish of rice and black beans. The Lamb Shank was fall-off-the-bone tender and just melted in your mouth. The rockfish was flaky perfect and smothered in a buttery (but not too buttery) cream sauce and lots of lump crab meat. The portion sizes were generous and each of us left with a to-go box containing enough for another meal. Husband had a glass of wine and also received a free glass of port to cap his meal. Our waiter was very friendly and helpful, helping me decide between two entrees and offering wine suggestions to my husband. When my husband particularly enjoyed the port, the waiter let him know where he could find a bottle locally. He also informed us that they've started serving lunch on Sundays, and he gave us a coupon. We'll definitely be going back to Cactus Taverna. I've heard very good things about the Paella and want to try that out. As an aside, I do know that they occasionally have belly dance performers, and while there was no show there this evening, I know the dancer who performs there and she is a very talented dancer. read more

This is my first time going to the cactus taverna so I was a bit unsure what I was going to get. I walked into the restaurant and was surprised by the beautiful decorations inside. I sat down to order and my server was very nice. I ordered I ordered the salmon with shrimp and scallops and it was amazing emphasis on amazing for an appetizer I ordered the seared ahi tuna and it was delectable. 12/10 would eat here again. read more

Great food and awesome staff! I would suggest the filet topped with crab imperial or the rack of lamb. Many of the reviews are calling cactus a Mexican restaurant, but it is far from it! Menu has a variety of seafood items (my favorite is the fish of the day topped with crab imperial). My husband likes the option of ordering a few "tapas", small plates, in order to try a variety of items. I highly recommend Cactus Taverna to friends and family. read more

A delicious, reasonably priced Mexican restaurant with some mediteranean food tossed on the menu for good measure. My grilled chicken was extremely delicious and well cooked, although my girlfriend said that the shrimp for her shrimp fajita was a bit overdone. The service was very prompt and friendly. The decor was cheerful. read more

Good food friendly wait staff. Atmosphere is quiet but welcoming. Great place for a couple or a group of people. Delicious port wine!

I really enjoy this place! The specials are great, especially the Sun Fish, Surf and Turf and the Mezze platter is a nice way to start the evening....AND the corn and crab soup is WONDERFUL!!! It's nice when a restaurant gives you some chips and salsa to snack on while waiting too! Some nights, if you're lucky you'll get some great entertainment too! Desserts have gotten better over the years.....as well as a FULL bar now! The Sangria is nice and refreshing as well! OH, and if you're lucky you'll get your Port at the end of dinner! read more

Working in Salisbury for a few days and decided to stop in based on the reviews here. We had sangria, the alligator appetizer, and two specials: chicken Florentine and kebabs. The waiter was knowledgeable and the service was prompt and courteous without being overbearing and the owner came out to check on us. My kebab special came with 1 beef, 1 shrimp, and 1 vegetable (green peppers, tomatoes, and onions) with a side of couscous. Very, very tasty and the couscous was properly prepared. My friend's chicken Florentine was also rated awesome although the side of vegetables she said was slightly overcooked. The alligator appetizer was ordered as an experiment and as I've never eaten alligator, I'm not really set to judge it! As a bonus, we were served port wine with our checks--great ending to a meal! read more

Cactus Taverna was recommended to me by a co-worker years ago, and I've been there 3 or 4 times in the last few years. It's a great atmosphere, with great food to match. The staff is nice and attentive, and the owner, Ahmed, usually makes his rounds and makes it a point to greet his customers and see how things are going. I liked Cactus Taverna so much, that a few years ago, we had our company Christmas dinner there. They have a general seating area, and a large room for big parties. The restaurant is in a small strip mall, next to a mattress store and a vaccuum cleaner store, but it's easy to miss while driving down RT 13. During Valentines' Day, Christmas, New Years, and other special days, they're a "reservations only" kind of place. I've seen a line 30 people long waiting to get a seat at Cactus Taverna on a Friday or Saturday night in the summer. Prices are average to high, with dinner entrees ranging from $12 - $22. I have had their seafood paella (amazing), their crab imperial and rockfish (very good), and something else that was equally good... but I can't remember what it was. Very good stuff. read more

I have eaten at Cactus Taverna a couple of times and I really want to like it but it falls short of expectations. The food is over priced. I expect the food to have more flavor and better quality for the price I paid. The service is excellent and I liked the ambiance. read more

Cactus Taverna - Chicken topped with crab imperial. - Mediterranean Near Me - Salisbury, Maryland

Ok so this is officially my new favorite restaurant.. The food here is amazing and full of flavor... The service is fantastic.. I had the rockfish topped with crab Imperial and the cream of corn crab-soup.. Bonus plus: The owner comes out and greets every customer read more

Can't believe I have not tried this place sooner!!!! Finally some unique food awesome staff and great atmosphere.... Alligator bites were awesome ....shrimp was cooked perfect in a yummy broth and oh wait....... Perfectly seasoned steak topped with crab imperial and a side of bacon wrapped scallops!!!! Delicious read more

Food was decent. I think overall the food lacked anything special. It was appealing to try some gator bites while I was there. Overall I think the food and atmosphere is just a little stale read more

This place is great! It was recommended by the hotel I was staying in and what treat! One of the specials was grouper with a mediteranian take on crab imperial. It was outstanding!! Fish was cooked perfect! They have house made sangria, also excellent. Smith island cake was a tad dry, but tasty. Very nice atmosphere and excellent service. The owner greats all his guests and it was clear there were a lot of regulars. When I travel back here I will definitely come back. I want to try the lamb. Highly recommend!! read more

We usually order off the menu, but for Father's Day I chose the Grouper stuffed w crab. Excellent! Of course, for Father's Day, I received a free Fried Ice Cream (big enough to share!). Our server, Megan, was great! Best restaurant in the area! read more

I was in town for business and decided on Cactus Tavernas for dinner based on the Yelp reviews. I'm soooo glad that I did because everything was excellent! I had the Sangria and Rockfish topped with crab imperial!!!! The service was friendly and top notch!! Highly recommend!!!! read more

Cactus Taverna - rockfish topped with crab imperial - Mediterranean Near Me - Salisbury, Maryland

See all

Cactus Taverna is a great upscale Mexican restaurant offering much more than your typical Mexican fare. The decor is decidely South of the Border (and bordering on cheesy with the sombreros on the wall), but it does have it's charm. The center "courtyard" is actually rather pretty. Despite the decorating scheme, there is more to the menu than tacos and margaritas. That's not to say they don't have the usual suspects, too. You can order tacos, enchiladas, and fajitas, but your choices don't end there. The appetizers are great, everything from alligator to escargot. The escargot is delicious, by the way. They also offer a wide variety of fresh seafood and steaks. They have a full bar and the drinks are affordable and quite good. Back to the Mexican selections. I have to say their fajitas are some of the best I've ever had, and definitely the best in Salisbury. While the prices for some of the fancier entrees can be a little high (though well worth it), the Mexican fare is extremely well priced for the size of the portions. It's a great place to go with a group of friends, although, if you're planning to go on Cinco de Mayo, I recommend making reservations. The last time we went, the place was packed to the rafters and as a result, service (which is usually excellent) was a little slow. None of us minded at all since we were a large party and, as I said, the place was packed. At the end of our meal, the waitress brought us a complimentary round of port as an apology, though. It's that kind of place. Oh, and there's often live music, too. Not the greatest talents, perhaps, but it does add to the ambiance. read more