The fresh guac and chips are WONDERFUL! WONDERFUL! The main dishes are also quite delicious. I ordered soft tacos with shrimp. They were perfect. read more

Not a lot of Mexican places serve chicken pozole but they do and it is fantastic! Nicely flavored broth with hominy and chunks of white chicken. It came with a side of tortilla chips. The chips dunked in the pozole tasted so good. We also got the grilled chicken quesadilla and added grilled red and green peppers to it. Large portion and well cooked. It came with a side of fresh salsa. We also got a smoothie, mango mania, which was very refreshing and fresh. Overall, excellent meal. read more

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The food here is really good ..... The portion sizes are generous. It's moderately priced . The service is good . The vibe is jolly and warm . We definitely will be back here . Parking is street and always read the signs before parking . read more

Nachos had at least 2 & 1/2 lbs of cheese on top of maybe 12 chips, it was just a big sloppy mess. Thai wrap had a boatload of shredded carrots with little of anything else. Honestly the most bland flavorless wrap I've ever had. Tasted like hospital food. read more

The food is always delicious here. Most recently had the chicken Caesar salad wrap, and the Santa Fe salad with chicken - both always good choices. But yesterday there was a special treat- they had gazpacho (one of my favorite foods) and it was incredibly delicious!! I mean, I've had gazpacho from many places and I would say this was the best I've ever had! Please make that again!! Folks are always very nice there too... read more

I would like to start off by saying I ordered online and had the food delivered to me so I don't have much to say about the ambiance or the service. What I can say is that the food itself was okay. If you're in the area and you need a quick fix for some Mexican food I think this would do the trick. It's nothing to really write home about but the price was right, and I would go again if I needed a quick bite and didn't feel like going any where crazy! read more

The Purple Cactus - Mexican Near Me - Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts

I've been buying at the Purple Cactus for about 10 years now and it never fails to satisfy my cravings. The food is AMAZING. Some of my favorites are the Santa Fe chicken salad, the quesadillas (chicken and carne asada) burritos, Caesar wrap. CANNOT forget their chips with guac and salsa OMGeeee. It's quite a drive for me but it's worth it each time. The parking kind of sucks because of the area being busy all the time. Most of the time I go for take out so I either go with someone and leave on double park or risk the car being alone. It's worth the risk :P Staff is nice! They all have been throughout the years so nice job at hiring people who care :) the ambience is welcoming, great and fun. read more

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I am a retired chef but I still cook at home and am picky about quality. I have only ordered delivery for when I want a "day off" . I am surprised that the over all rating for this restaurant isn't higher. Food is fresh, lots of healthy choices, good sized portions and fair prices. Maybe not "authentic" Mexican but so what...Anyway I don't want to cook tonight do am looking forward to my burrito bowl! read more

We been here a few times and ordered pretty much everything on the menu once or five times. to me it's a place to pick up and go, too crowded to sit and people watch. No matter when we go, it's crazy busy so we order online. The Ceasar wraps are a solid good choice, the only complaint is either it's drowning in dressing or not enough. Make sure to get extra napkins. The kids bean & cheese burrito is a go-to favorite for our little one. If hand food isn't your thing, go with any of the salads they are fresh and plentiful. This is place is worth battling the crowds. One day we will try the breakfast menu. read more

Good, inexpensive and fast -- the axiom is you usually get two of the three in life. At Purple Cactus you get all three. The food was really delicious, came to the table fast and inexpensive, by JP standards anyhow. I had the vegetarian chili and it was huge and delicious. Highly recommend. We also have the nachos with cheese -- they ran this through the broiler so the cheese was perfectly melted on top. The place is nuts -- the best. read more

I ordered the Purple Cactus Caesar Salad with grilled steak (Mixed lettuces, aged parmesan cheese, and baked tortilla croutons tossed in eggless caesar dressing), added brown rice and salsa; when I tell you it was DELICIOUS! The Caesar dressing is different than the usual Caesar's dressings I've had, it's almost like an Italian Caesar type of dressing, it's pretty good! I also had the Mango Mama smoothie which contains pineapple juice, mango, bananas and strawberries. Usually smoothies that contain bananas are overpowered by the banana (which I hate!) BUT this one I could taste of the other fruits/juice and the banana was very light so it wasn't too much. I ordered off of Uber eats. The restaurant made sure to secure the bag tight with samples, added napkins, straws and even extra plastic fork and knifes. My smoothie was also wrapped in a plastic bag for delivery. I am so impressed with this place. 10/10 highly recommended. I can't wait to try more items off of their menu! Thank you for an amazing lunch Purple Cactus! Update: ordered purple Cactus again and added more photos! This time we got the steak burrito, Thai wrap, green goddess and mango mama smoothies! My smoothie cup was broken when delivered (as if it was squeezed) and was spilling out hence why I changed it to a glass cup! But once again, everything was delicious! The that wrap could use a little more sauce (added some of my own) as it was more on the dry side. read more

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Came here to update my review. This place continues to be the bomb. Food is made with respect, by respectful employees, who HUSTLE in that kitchen. Have you seen them? It's like New York City in here. I love their soups too. They're usually vegan too, check-em out! The soups come with a lot of tortilla chips too! Love it here! read more

Love this place, have been coming here for years as a local- the huge menu offers a large variety , with fresh ingredients! I've tried a bunch of Mexican places in boston, this is one of my faves! However, I give 4 stars because the boy teen working the cash register is an absolute disgrace to the service industry (which I used to be in, so my saying this speaks even more volumes!). He is disrespectful to customers, leaves the bathroom is gross condition (to say the least), and forgets pieces of orders without apologizing. The few times I've been there and interacted with him, I've been so disappointed by the service I've seriously reconsidered returning... but I've always been a fan of the place, so I return hoping he's not there next time. Please consider retraining him on service expectations so you don't lose more customers! read more

Surprisingly good. We told the team that we have wheat and dairy allergies. Immediately the team took great care of us, gave us recommendations and labeled everything. The quesadilla, chips and guacamole were all delicious. I would go again. read more

We ventured into the Purple Cactus for the first time in years last evening. We ordered 2 burritos, a chicken quesadilla and a Santa Fe Chicken Salad. The burritos and quesadilla were gobbled up within 5 minutes of the first bite. The salad was fresh but overpacked. I had to empty it into another bowl to toss it. I wish that there was more chicken. I honestly don't get how this salad made the "Best of Boston", there was nothing special to it. read more

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I'm sitting here in The Purple Cactus enjoying a chicken burrito with extra guac and sour cream. It's a good sized burrito and nice and flavorful. Tip: Ask for a fork and knife. You're gonna need it! read more

They make the best burritos. Been a fave of ours for years. It hit the spot. Three of us ordered 3 different burritos. All were delicious, ample portioned, and fully consumed! Goor mix of rice, vegetables, and protein. We love it! read more

Staff is SO friendly. A real shame that they cannot be tipped via credit card.. in todays world! I would've tipped 25%. They are all working very hard on a busy Friday night, they deserve tips! Who carry's cash these days? I'll know for when I come back. Food ROCKED! read more

The Purple Cactus - chicken burrito, chips and salsa (small), steak quesadilla - Mexican Near Me - Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts

Very clean place with a very attentive and efficient staff. I came here not sure of what I would want so I asked for what would she recommend, she said the Steak Burrito so I went for it, with hot sauce. Very good indeed, steak was juicy and ingredients fresh. I sat at the table on the corner and went downtown. Not too big, not too small, just ideal for me, way better than Chipotle... The lady came back to check on me and ask if it was good... This is one of the reasons I like supporting local business, they care. read more

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I am really sad tonight. I went in at 9:08pm and I was told that it was closed. I called back to speak to the manager about it and he apologized. Then he thought we hung up. Well we did not. He and a girl laughed at me for whining about their improper store hour listing. I have been going here since they had 3 locations. I love the Sante Fe Chicken salad. I will never go back again. JP seafood was glad to have my business! 10 pm everyday? Really! read more

The Purple Cactus - Mexican Near Me - Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts

Ordered the tuna melt quesadilla but got a tuna wrap. Quesadillas and wraps are totally different things. What I got was cold, no cheese, WAY TOO much mayo, tasteless with no seasoning...very disappointing. I should have checked it before I left, but I was in a huge hurry. read more

Simply the best! Great flavor, love their salads. My child loves their chicken quesadillas!!

Solid three stars for a solid local place. While the burrito didn't blow me away (every layer could've used more salt), the staff there was friendly and the place was immaculately clean. I'd recommend it if you were in the neighborhood and wanted some chips and guac, but you don't need to go out of your way! read more

For 21 years, since my very 1st day in JP , I have LOVED purple cactus !!! When I have lunch out, which is 2-3 days /week my ABSOLUTE favorite is purple cactus! You could literally throw a dart at the menu and be THRILLED!! The staff feel like friends , always cheerful and eager, REALLY, truly eager to please. .. and there's a really cool vibe! I wish I could offer the advice of my favorite item, but I can't, really, Ive always loved everything. 1 word sums up the total experience- AAAAAA.... *****MAYYYYYZING!!!**** read more

Good burrito place that has some unique and interesting flavors you normally wouldn't get in a burrito. It is a bit pricey but I think it's worth it for the amount of food you get read more

This place is awesome, the food is very fresh and the staff is well trained and friendly. I pretty regularly get the pork burrito with all of the fixings on a red chile tortilla with their house hot sauce. It's really good and they always make it in just a few minutes. I've actually never waited for more than 5 minutes in this place before. It's more of a California style Mexican joint than Chilacates (the place just down the road) but I find it to be a much better restaurant in general than Chilacates. read more

I loveee this place, everything on the menu is delicious. I always get the Santa Fe salad with chicken or steak read more

The Purple Cactus - Mexican Near Me - Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts

I used to absolutely LOVE Purple Cactus when I was pregnant years ago. Their Caesar salads were to die for! Today, during my lunch I decided to get the Santa Fe salad. I asked for no black beans and to substitute with extra brown rice, chicken and guacamole. If I'm paying you $12.57 I expect to get what I asked for. I only received 5 pieces of chicken and very little brown rice(when I asked for extra brown rice). This isn't the first this has happened either. I should've stuck with the chicken Pozole soup instead. Side note: Chicken Pozole soup is the bomb!! read more

Always good, always fresh.love the Santa Fe salad, my son gets the quesadilla and never complains. great guacamole too. read more

Finally tried the Purple Cactus and it was pretty good! I had their Thai tofu bowl (which is located in their 'wraps' section) and it was very filling. My order was ready in less than two minutes! The service here is speedy and efficient. The bowl consisted of bean sprouts, carrots, marinated tofu cubes, broccoli, and a peanut sauce- all on a bed of rice. I really enjoyed the medley of fresh vegetables! I especially loved the marinated tofu, which was brimming with flavor. I was fond of the creamy peanut sauce they used during the first few bites, but I found it to be overpowering by the end of the meal. read more

The Purple Cactus - Thai tofu bowl - Mexican Near Me - Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts

The burritos and service were both top notch. The tortilla chips were also wonderful and they were great about cleaning up to get more folks seated. Great atmosphere. read more

The location is great. The prices are fair. They do have a lot of vegetarian options. However, I just can't get behind the food. It isn't bad...it just seems a little bland. Granted I have only had the chicken burrito -- maybe their other options are tastier. Or maybe I just came on a bad day? I know a lot of people who swear by this place. read more

Quick and easy food. Not able to make adjustments to my order but the food was good and the service was attentive

Do not use Yelp menu. The prices are about half the amount on the restaurant's menu. Yelp should refund please the difference between the prices. I called in the order based on Yelp, only to find the bill to be double what I expected when I went to pick it up. read more

When I used to live here in JP, one night a week I would order a Santa Fe Chicken salad, which is my favorite. The thing is, the container it comes in is way too small to eat it. I had to go home and dump it in a big bowl and toss it up. SO GOOD! When ever I get back to JP I always pick one up to go. I agree with the others on the burritos. They are bland. I always used hot sauce to liven in up. read more

Ahh, The Purple Cactus...There was a time when I ate here enough to pay their electricity bill. Jeez, I used to go to this place when it was in Cambridge on Mass Ave in between Porter and Harvard Squares. Me? Oh nothing, just a small matter of chicken or beef nachos to go thank you very much. The stuff is sooo good. Forget about stupid Anna's. This place is fantastic. The food comes in hearty portions, all of which is freshly prepared. The chicken nachos, one of my favs, is comprised of big chunks of tender marinated chicken, served on a bed of tortilla chips, layered in cheese. Yum. Sound good? It is that good. And, the service is quick and friendly, too. So, do yourself a favor, and the next time you are in JP, head over to Purple Cactus and have yourself a ball. read more

I have a friend who hates this place, I think because he likes a spicier burrito, Purple Cactus is more like a fusion type place with Thai wraps, etc, not "authentic" Mexican burritos (my sister from Maine loved this place when I took her.) For years I would always get the same thing-- rice & bean burrito, cheap and filling, it delivers. If you want it spicy they have hot sauce gratis. read more

This place is so great! In this Coronavirus haze, my mom and I walked in, stood where the dots on the floor told us to, ordered two quesadillas (the black bean, corn, zucchini), and two of the limeade drinks. They were so tasty! The salsa with the Quesadilla was fresh, cilantro-y, and perfect on top! And survived the 15 min walk home. The staff was friendly, even with masks on, the directions were great, the food was made quickly--and though we walked there I noticed parking spots on the block! Recommended. read more

My husband and I recently grabbed lunch here and were impressed with the extensive menu for a casual place. There were lots of vegetarian options (thought they are not labeled) and they were pretty quick. I enjoyed the Thai wrap (which was huge with tofu, carrots, broccoli, rice, and peanut sauce that has a little kick), and my husband liked the pork quesadilla. read more

Refreshing and nutritious unadulterated real food is what you get here! Beans and rice roll ups- Santa Fe chicken salad is sublime and tasty with its simple combination of complimentary flavors of a tomato salsa, black beans, cheese, rice diced chicken and a savory simple dressing! I am fulfilled! Yummiosity is acheived! read more