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    Cactus Ya Ya

    3.6 (325 reviews)
    ModerateMexican, Bars
    Open 12:00 pm - 11:00 PM

    Cactus Ya Ya Photos

    Business Info

    CACTUS YA YA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Loud
    Outdoor seating
    Happy hour specials

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    Chicken ya ya rolls
    Jason O.

    Cactus has one of the best happy hours around! I've been going here for years and it's overall great, the staff is friendly and the place is fun. Definitely try the chicken ya ya rolls they are awesome & the peanut dip puts them over the top, the meat skewers are also great I get a chicken & a beef and then I'm full. The drinks are not expensive compared to most places. Go try their happy hour you won't be disappointed

    Chile Relleno with rice and beans
    Dee C.

    Stopped in after picking our youngest son up from the airport. He lives in Hawaii and likes to eat Mexican food when he comes to the mainland. We are from San Diego and when I usually pick him up there I have a burrito in hand when he arrives. Being in Vancouver and it was late this was what we could find open that wasn't fast food. He was quite happy.

    Rory Rodger's soda
    Ella B.

    The chips where very well seasoned i enjoyed the salsa not to spicy not to bland. I ordered the nachos it was very enjoyable. Our waiter was very attentive and friendly. The service was excellent. The ambience wasn't that good honestly i didn't like the lighting or outdated decor.

    Chili Relleno, rice with a green salsa
    Patty B.

    First time to Cactus Yaya. I'm giving this place a 3 ONLY because our waitress was so kind, attentive and friendly. The place was uniquely decorated, definitely gave you some conversation. A few good things, my Chimichanga with shredded beef was delicious, my husband enjoyed the chips and salsa. His chili replenished was also fair. We're both Hispanic and we know only homemade is best, but the food was ok. Everyone I will say has their own palettes and favorite places, and so I would say, give them a try and see what you think. A friendly atmosphere for sure.

    * Shanghai Burrito * Mango smoothie * Complimentary chips & salsa *
    Roni S.

    Decided to dine in here for the first time and it was delectable :p The ambience was dark and mysterious once we walked in; so we asked to dine in outside and it was awesome. They had a nice fireplace & every table has a little umbrella :,) It was adorable! I ordered the Shanghai burrito which is a vegetarian option but I asked to add chicken and it was soooo good! The rice and beans were awesome as well. I also ordered the mango smoothie and it was great! Such a refreshing drink. All in all, I had a great time here and will definitely come back!

    Steak Tacos
    Amanda M.

    I came back here again for their Baja fish tacos and their steak tacos. It's definitely my favorite spot for Baja fish tacos. The fish is crispy and light, good portion size of fish. Good toppings with the crema, pico de gallo and lemon. The steak taco is good too. Good amount of steak and thinly sliced. It came with guac, sour cream and pico. The Mexican rice was a bit on the dry side for me. Beans were decent. We also got some chips and salsa, it came with warm chips, a tomato salsa and a bean salsa. The tomato salsa had a slight spice to it and the bean salsa used black eyed peas which was delicious. What I love about this place is that I have only ever had to go here and the fish tacos are still crispy and not soggy by the time I eat it.

    This is a lunch special for $13 dollars! Really delish!

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    2 months ago

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    3 months ago

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    2 days ago

    Amazing service by Ashley, great food and the place is clean. We will definitely be back and highly recommend.

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    4 months ago

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    2 months ago

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    3 months ago

    One of our favorite places. Strong pours. Amazing ya ya rolls! Warms chips with refills and delish salsas.

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    8 months ago

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    4 years ago

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    1 year ago

    Excellent food, but the servers are what makes this place special. It makes for a great vibe.

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    4 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Good food, good drink, good people. One of our favorite spots for years! The skewers with peanut sauce, and get a salad there, the best.

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    7 years ago

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    Page 1 of 9

    Ask the Community - Cactus Ya Ya

    What days and times is happy hour?

    Are they open for takeout during quarantine?

    Yes they are!

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    Little Conejo - Al Pastor Tacos with Spicy Salsas

    Little Conejo

    4.2(745 reviews)
    7.9 mi
    $$

    Came for the first time tonight. I was kind of thrown off because the waitress was sitting at the…read morecounter doing work on the lap top. I wasn't sure if she was a customer or worker. Wasn't too welcoming. I had never been and was hoping she could go over some of the items and what was popular etc. we were the only ones in there so I figured she had time. But no one helped us or wanted to go over the menu. We got shrimp, carnitas tacos. The portion sizes were LARGE! However, the food was amazing! 10/10 The plating of the dishes were also 10/10 Portion sizes very generous I got a carnitas quesadilla and WOW it was as huge! Clean ingredients Beer was ice cold *we order and aqua Fresca, which was delicious. It was $5 for about 6 oz and mostly ice. I know they make it in house but jeez it was very pricey. Very casual ambiance, good place to grab happy hour. You can sit, have a beer and watch a sports game at the bar. During warmer months they have a patio. Highly recommend giving them a try!

    Little Conejo is a great spot. My torta hit the spot. The bread is light and puffy and the meat…read morefalls out in a (and a mean this as a compliment) gorgeous sloppy Joe way. The flavors are spot on. I want to come back and try the tacos, specials and bevs. A note on setting: this is the standard counter PNW service, except there are some communal tables (the patron sitting with me was on FaceTime the whole meal, but that's not the restaurant's problem... it's society's). Also the music is great and the lighting is immaculate.

    Photos
    Little Conejo - The perfect location is downtown Vancouver, WA

    The perfect location is downtown Vancouver, WA

    Little Conejo - Happy Anniversary cookies! It was a nice surprise.

    Happy Anniversary cookies! It was a nice surprise.

    Little Conejo - Cocktails

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    Cocktails

    Vancouver Taqueria - Menu

    Vancouver Taqueria

    4.4(98 reviews)
    4.6 mi

    UPDATE: My review is for the new CDMX Taqueria, not the former Vancouver Taqueria. But the location…read moreis the same. The new ownership are still in the process of updating the name on all the online review sites. Best Mexican food in Vancouver and probably the Portland Metro area as well. Fair prices, fantastic food, and lots of salsa choices. Apparently new ownership as of 2 months ago (so prob Sept 2025). We had the taco plate and the steak and chorizo burrito Both were good sized. We were looking for a place to eat close to the hospital and this will be the top choice if we need to come back! The waitress was also super helpful in deciding what to get.

    Absolutely disgusting overpriced and disappointing…read more I ordered $40.00 worth of food where anywhere else this would be $25.00 The guacamole was watered down but tasted ok The chips and salsa was delicious The beans and rice were bland and lack any flavor The consommé was disgusting lacked flavor and had a bad aftertaste. The quesabirria was absolutely disgusting and looked like day old prep then tossed into the microwave making a dry and soggy pile of slop the tortilla. The correct way to make quesabirria you deep fry corn tortillas with meat and cheese the way quesabirria is supposed to be made You used a thick Gordita Tortilla prepared it yesterday shoved it into a cooler then microwave them next business day. This is completely unacceptable and shameful I am a lost for words my family also owns a Mexican restaurant we take pride in our food quality and I'll leave you the owners with this honest question where is your Mexican pride our heritage is expressed in our food and so let me ask you what happened to you? I'm ashamed that this is how you represent our people. I expect better. I won't be back until you learn how to properly show respect for our cultures food and stop making this slop it's shameful and disgusting.

    Photos
    Vancouver Taqueria - Menu

    Menu

    Vancouver Taqueria - Outside

    Outside

    Vancouver Taqueria

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    Los Alambres - Sword quesadilla with asada and pastor

    Los Alambres

    4.5(132 reviews)
    4.7 mi
    $

    I stopped by here after lunch because my partner did not want to go given their menu wasn't to his…read moretaste. But as someone who grew up in Texas, it absolutely was up my alley. I ordered the chips and salsa as well as the machete. The machete was half and half with lengua (tongue) and suadero. Given the price, I was expecting something large and they absolutely delivered on that. It was well cooked, the lengua had a nice flavor to it, and I appreciated the hot sauces available on the table. The decor inside is very nice, however, when I went in the restaurant had a scent of bathroom cleaning products. Not just a fresh or clean smell, but that scent you get from those overly scented chemical products. To be honest, that was the only downside. If it wasn't so strong and overpowering, I don't think I would have given anything less than five stars. The food is absolutely amazing, the portions are awesome, and the prices are very reasonable. I highly recommend going here and getting the food and I will absolutely be back.

    Fantastic restaurant in the corner of a shopping plaza. You order up front and they'll bring your…read morefood to where ever you sit. We ordered a few different items to split. The machete with 1/2 asada and 1/2 pastor. The quesadilla was crispy and the meats delicious. The machete went really well with the green avocado sauce. Rice and beans were flavorful as well. And to top off our meal...we got a asada gordita. The crumbs of cheese plus the super crunchy/flaky shell gave the meat an extra texture of deliciousness. I would definitely return!

    Photos
    Los Alambres - Dining area

    Dining area

    Los Alambres - Chips and salsa

    Chips and salsa

    Los Alambres

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    Lindo Mexico Restaurant and Cantina - Taco Salad

    Lindo Mexico Restaurant and Cantina

    3.8(222 reviews)
    1.8 mi
    $$

    We have been eating here since they had one open at Garrison Square. Best food ever. Eric, who…read moreworks afternoons is amazing and will treat you like family.

    Tried this place for the first time…read more Hotel receptionist said she'd never eaten here. I should have taken that as a subtle recommendation. The good: plenty of parking, plenty of seating. Spanish speaking staff. Warm chips and good salsa. Decent rice and beans. The not so good: taco shells were not made on site, seem to be from a package. The margarita was not tasty, the mix was off and the house tequila was not so good. I could only finish half of it. Being my first time, I asked for her recommendation from the hostess on what to order? Instead of rising to the occasion, she immediately said I don't eat meat then proceeded to tell me about all the high dollar meat items. lol I could not take her recommendation to heart. I went with a somewhat safe bet of two crunchy tacos. The rice and beans were decent. The shells were crispy but flavorless. The salsa and chips were decent. The chips were warm. I finished the two tacos half the margarita and left. Would I go back here again? Probably not, with so many places to eat in this area, but I had to give it a shot. I overheard the table next to me complaining about their fajitas. The gentleman said "this is just Chuck steak" and I had to laugh out loud before I left. Disclaimer. I live in San Diego and judge Mexican food for its face value. I was not impressed. But maybe be i was there on an off night?

    Photos
    Lindo Mexico Restaurant and Cantina - Menu cover

    Menu cover

    Lindo Mexico Restaurant and Cantina - Interior detail

    Interior detail

    Lindo Mexico Restaurant and Cantina - Don't remember what this was

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    Don't remember what this was

    Who Song & Larry's - GRANDE FIESTA PLATTER

    Who Song & Larry's

    3.6(842 reviews)
    7.8 mi
    $$

    Sorry, I have to take a star off because my salad never arrived. I always look forward to having…read moretheir salad. The dressing is great and they put these seeds (sunflower kernals, but huge), and it makes it taste so yummy! Unfortunately, I did not get my salad and as silly as it sounds, it throws my whole experience off. Honestly, I come for THAT salad. Yes, I could have had them make me one but then the food would get cold and it was just not worth it. I ordered the carne asada and it was great. The server was apologetic and after that he was on point with everything else. I will always return to this place. I appreciate the parking lot and not having to park on the street somewhere. That's always a bonus. I will be back to have that salad! x ....... .. ...

    This place is so wildly disappointing to me. They have the world at their fingertips and they just…read morewaste the entire opportunity. They need to give up the gig and sell to a local company / restaurant that will do something with the place. They're becoming a community shame. Who Song and Larry's is apparently a "staple" of Vancouver. They have it all, truly. Location - OMG AMAZING! They are literally feet off the I-5 bridge ON THE COLUMBIA RIVER! How could it get any better than that? Well, they certainly know how to waste the advantage. Time for them to move on... First, the place is filthy. That's just simply it. It's gross dirty. Tables are sticky and filmy. Food on the floor. It smells badly inside. They always have a significant wait but 1/2 their tables are empty. The staff is just terrible. Honestly, they turn staff over constantly. Once in a while you get a newbie that is friendly for a tip but it's just sad. The food isn't even mediocre. It's gross. HORRIBLY OVERPRICED. HORRIBLY. The portions are poor. Chips & salsa is disappointing. Drinks are all ice and filler. Just junk. The place is run down, gross, HORRIBLE lighting. One fan could have a LED light and a 100wt spot light all in one. It's jarring and uncomfortable killing any hope of ambiance. The roof is unsanitary, leaking and being caught by towls on the floor and buckets. Someone should honestly call the health department. There is no way this place passes code. It isn't safe to eat here, we won't be back.

    Photos
    Who Song & Larry's - Cantina

    Cantina

    Who Song & Larry's - Surf n turf: beef brisket with shrimp

    Surf n turf: beef brisket with shrimp

    Who Song & Larry's - View of patio and river

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    View of patio and river

    Cactus Ya Ya - mexican - Updated May 2026

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