Blue Cactus Bar and Grill in Ottawa

We recently had our Christmas party at Blue Cactus. The service was amazing and the food was delicious. Thanks for a great experience!

mid cactus

Best drinks in the city

The food and the service were mediocre at best. I was there today between 2 and 2/30 pm. Im being nice; the service was terrible, and so was the food. The table was wobbly; even gave the cactus a second chance. The fries were ok.

Great bartender! Good triples.

We went to Blue cactus for some apps and drinks, it was our go-to when we first starting visiting ottawa pre pandemic.This place used to be a classy, high end authentic Mexican restaurant. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, it was perfect for families. To the contrary, when we went tonight, the music was so loud, we couldnt hear eachother talk, we had to yell to have conversations, I knew it was bad when I saw the waiter with earplugs in. We got strawberry Margheritas which were good, but had a strange gasoline after taste. The service was decent, nothing special. The food was ok, not really authentic Mexican.

This place is a TOURIST TRAP, BEWARE! Food was positively foul, the restaurant was filthy, the floors are all sticky, as are the tables. The bathroom was so disgusting, its one of the dirtiest Ive seen in my life, and one of the worst in the entire city. (Ive lived in Ottawa my whole life) The service was great, but thats where it ends. Stay away, the prices are insane and when you receive your food, it will be inedible matter.

I recently visited Blue Cactus and had a generally positive experience with the service. Servers were attentive, friendly, and efficient. However, there was one major issue that marred our evening. Unfortunately, an older gentleman (who appeared to be the manager) exhibited appalling behavior towards both the servers and other customers. His actions were completely unacceptable, including yelling and being rude to other employees and customers. Despite this individuals disturbing behavior, the servers maintained their professionalism and courtesy. They deserve commendation for handling the situation with grace. To the management, I suggest taking steps to address this issue. Ensuring a welcoming environment for all customers should be a top priority.

Honestly very mediocre food; the taco I had was dry and bland. The service was very friendly, though.

Had such a great experience thanks to our server Sean! He walked us through their new menu items and gave us great recommendations on their new food and drink options. He was super friendly and elevated our experience - really appreciate his care and friendly demeanour.

We had finished eating at another resturant in the Market and were going to catch an Uber when a fight broke out between about 10 or 12 young men on the street. It was quite violent and shocking and my female cousin and I were frightened so we entered the Blue Cactus. James ( my cousin thinks his name was Johnathan) a server there took pity on us and walked us to where we could catch and uber and waited with us until it showed up. It was very gallant and kind of him. He should be awarded employee of the month, heck the year!!!! Thank you so much James. Next time Im in Ottawa I will be heading to the Blue Cactus.

Been coming to this place for years, every time we visit Ottawa

Went to Blue Cactus on a Tuesday. Our server Naomi was fantastic. Had some great drinks and the fajitas were amazing. I would 100% go back for the vibe and the great service!

The place was not busy, but somehow the service was so slow. Took forever for the food to come out. Food was just average. I ordered 1/2 rack of ribs, and they probably came from a most malnourished cow ever. Still hungry after my meal :(

Excellent food, amazing drinks.

What a wonderful birthday meal I had yesterday. An outstanding club sandwich (and I know my club sandwiches) plus my wife and I agree, the best French fries weve ever had. Service was bang on, attentive yet not intrusive. Thank you Blue Cactus!

Started our night here for girls night has natchos and fajitas for dinner and everything was good. Prices are fair for the quality and being downtown. The atmosphere wa a good place to start the night.

Extremely rude staff

Good restaurant with friendly waitress and servers. We had very good service. Our burgers were succulent and the fries delicious and cooked to perfection. The cocktails are perfect and the Sangria too. I highly recommend it!!!

Most Bitter sandwhich I ve ever had in my life I didn t think it was possible. felt like I was eating a leaf straight off a tree branch.

Pleasant atmosphere, flavorful food, cheerful service

Good food Great service And it was a nice night on the patio to eat and hang out Enjoyed it Food : 5/5 |

Weak drinks and horrible music, security is over aggressive and follow customers OFF of there blue cactus property (especially the middle eastern / Latino looking one) then likes to play victim . 10/10 wouldn t recommend. Senate tavern is way better cheaper AND stronger drinks ($11 triples !!)

Not much to say . Went on a sunday night and the service was great, food was really good and reasonably priced especially for the market. I had Jambalaya and it was proper , Kids had Chimichanga for 20 and large ceasar for 15 plus 8 for the breast, had a couple Stella drafts and dont remember price but wasnt bad, Definitely recommend

The music was loud and trash, i couldnt hear anyone at my table, also for a a burnt cookie and lettuce with a chicken breats is $50 before a tip, place was garbage

Excellent service and great food. Top notch.

We werent there to eat, just to end the day with a few drinks. Nice bar at ByWard Market. Friendly staff, good service.

Bad margaritas

Would never recommend the steak to my worst enemies from how bad it is.

Worst chicken wings ever. My wife eats wings everywhere she goes, with various success. These arrived and they were the smallest, stringiest looking wings weve ever seen. Malnourished chickens. The waitress advised against reordering as they would come from the same box. She offered to replace them quickly with chicken fingers, but 30 minutes later, they still had not arrived. We cancelled the order and the waitress, who had been friendly and quick with my meal, comped us the whole thing, which was the right decision. However, my wife left hungry. The location is good on Ottawas Byward Market and Im sure there are better food options on the menu.

We were a small group. Anastasia was well prepared for us and very good at keeping us informed of when our drinks and meals would arrive. The food was nicely presented and very good. The only disappointment was a delay in drink service because the bartender had been called to a meeting and the waitress was left to explain the delay.

The food was delicious. We ordered a bunch of items, tacos, wings, Alfredo, tuna salad, Caesar salad & chicken bowl everything was delicious. I especially enjoyed the chicken bowl - really good simple Mexican style meal. Kid-friendliness: They had a very special interactive kids menu where she got to check the boxes for her meal The kid also ate free when accompanied by parents purchasing food (read menu for specifications). It was a very pleasant surprise .

The service was great but the food my wife and I received was below acceptable the burgers were dry and tried to fix the dryness of if by smothering it with toppings and bbq sauce. The fries didn t taste fresh, and didn t look like the home style cut they presume to have.. was really disappointing I will be going to Zack s diner next door to them where. Have gone before Very disappointed not worth the price for the quality of food they give

Poor service, bad customer service, rude people, i am not going to recommend this place to anyone.

Food was delicious, service was good, atmosphere was great. Drinks were also excellent. Would definitely go again.

This place was awesome! We got seated immediately, and we were a group of 7. The ambience is nice, and we didnt spend too much. The seared chicken bowl was awesome, it fills you up, and this chicken tastes homemade. This place is also great for kids, as they get ice cream after their meal for free, and it is not too bad. The nachos were a good quantity, and food came fast, staff were friendly. Would highly recommend!

Happy with both the service and food. Nice spot and would go back.

Is it just me that I never really get the theme of the restaurant. Why is it blue cactus and which dishes it associate with. I m never the one who cares about such things but Is it supposed to be casual or formal? The food and atmosphere were decent, just that it confuses me a lot in there.

I ordered two burgers with salads and they only send two salads lol I tried to message them on social media and they blocked me Food : 1/5

Its no longer like before, the formats are reduced. A chicken nachos... looking for the chicken. Before it was a mountain of garnish, now a tablespoon of guacamole... The cocktails served in a small plastic glass rather than the usual large cup, not very festive, and difficult to understand this transfer. Too bad really. The waitress not very skilled at making recommendations. In short, big disappointment. On the other hand, the atmosphere is correct, with a terrace.

Restaurant was in great location at the heart of Market Square. Friendly service and plenty of menu choices. We had the best cocktail banana daiquiri. Food

Took a loooooooong while to get service and to get our drinks. The gin and tonic was good, margarita pizza was great. The 3 stars are for the food, service was awful. If youre hungry youll get hangry from the wait. Place wasnt that full for service to be that awful.

We only stopped for a a margarita and spinach dip. They were both huge portions and we soooo good I would highly recommend. Everything else looked amazing

Service was good, we didnt have to wait long. But the food was meh. The chicken in the fried chicken sandwich was the size of a chicken finger and overdone and dry. The fries were bland and not satisfying. And the margarita tasted very watered down.

Never again

I came to Blue Cactus Bar & Grill for dinner and drinks with a friend. I ordered a cobb salad, which was very tasty, and a pina colada that was a perfect way to kick off the summer. My server was kind and attentive, ensuring that our needs were met throughout the evening. I gave the atmosphere 4 stars because it can get quite loud. While this makes it a fun place to be, it is more ideal if youre in the mood for a lively night out, rather than a nice dinner. I would definitely come back, but primarily for drinks rather than food. This isnt due to any shortcomings in the food quality, but the environment feels better suited to enjoying drinks at the bar. Blue Cactus is a great spot for a fun night out.

Overall a good place to come with friends and the servers and hostess team are wonderful. However, on Friday nights you can tell they fear their manager. He is a man who wears jeans and a button up shirt and I have witnessed him berate his employees - not cool. I also know people who work here and have said they refuse to work the same nights as this manager.

Waiters are wonderful but the manger in Fridays is constantly yelling at customers and servers. This guy brings down the entire atmosphere and makes it have an uncomfortable feel.

The vegetarian burger they had was the best burger i ve ever had in my life.

This place was kind of middle of the road for me. We popped by for a nibble in the afternoon to tide us over until dinner. I had a mocktail version of the raspberry ginger mojito and it was quite nice although the bar service seemed quite slow. The server was apologetic about that however. Tried the chips with salsa and guacamole which came with HUGE portions of both dips. For a single person about half the size would have been plenty but it s nice to see generous portions. Guacamole was clearly homemade which is great, although it desperately needed salt or acid to cut the fatty avocado. Overall decent food and service.

Had such a great time! We stopped in for some drinks and a little app. Loved my drink. Chris J. waited on us and he recommended drinks for all of us based on our preferences and he was spot on. He was so kind, friendly and hilarioussss. Legendary customer service skills!! Thank you Chris!

I had a terrible experience at Blue Cactus Bar. The staff showed clear discrimination, favoring certain patrons. Despite the restaurant being empty, they refused to seat me where I wanted and were consistently rude and dismissive. I wouldnt recommend this place to anyone.

You can work better on ur food

Disorganized and very rude staff/management. We left before we could even order food and went elsewhere after how we were treated. We wont be returning.

Dropped by at noon on Tuesday for lunch with a friend. This popular spot was refreshingly quiet (wed just bailed on Back to Brooklyn - empty but loud music)). We opted to sit inside, just by the large open doors, to enjoy the breeze and people watch. Kudos to the prompt and attentive service. We both had soft shell tacos, pulled pork for me, crispy chicken for my friend - $18 for three medium(?) on a plate. Which seemed pricey but I havent been to a restaurant in ages - prices are up everywhere. Very tasty tacos. We also added a beer and a club soda. Id been here a few times years ago and was impressed. Im pleased to see they still value quality, and dont just rely on a prime location.

A good experience, the cocktail bar is impeccable, the food and drink take time but it is definitely worth it

Went for lunch, my Cobb Salad was delicious, my companion s Chimichanga was terrible. The filling was scant and the bottom of the burrito was soggy. Won t be returning.

The service was okay. But the food was not. I was disappointed with my dish. I ordered 3 taco shrimps, and they were very poorly dressed. I was lucky if I got three shrimps in my tacos. It was totally tasteless, bearly filled. Maybe three strands of cabbage, the sause/dressing next to invisible. The picture of this one was probably the best of the three. I will definitely not eat there again.

The food is awesome! The staff are nice and friendly and the food comes quite quick. Whenever I go to Ottawa, I will definitely come here.

Good place from for lots of people

Service was ok. Food is horrible. Spinach dip had a huge chunk of cream cheese in the middle so half of it was wasted. Chimichangas had zero chicken. Full of rice and onions. No exageration. Horrible, dry and no flavour. We complained about both. The excuse was the chimis are pre made. So ?? Didn t adjust the bill. I would not recommend this restaurant, you will be disappointed.

Food was great one of the best jambalaya i had

A lot of waiting for everything and it wasn t that busy (it took them 50 to 60 min to get us seated, take the orders, and for orders to get cooked). On top of that, we ordered a few meals for the table, however got only a half All in all, we came here at 8pm, ordered food, waited so long just to get only a half of our food; they didn t said to us that it s the last call for kitchen and that they didn t make any other food for our table Even tho it was the birthday of one of our friends Wouldn t recommend. Food was nice. Cocktails were strong.

i hate the stupid loud country music i hope whoever put it on dies

One of the best average price restaurant in the Byward Market since many years and one of the places to eat nachos in the city. I especially like the Dirty Martinis. A perfect balance of good pub food, drinks, good service and ambience. Added to this 2 year old review: still the best nachos around in my opinion and even though not drinking alcohol now, they have very good Virgin Ceasar drinks.

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Blue cactus. From the moment I walked in, I was greeted with warm smiles and genuine hospitality. The ambiance was inviting, creating the perfect atmosphere for a memorable dining experience. Our server, Chris went above and beyond to ensure our meal was nothing short of exceptional. Chris was attentive, friendly, and made excellent recommendations. Will definitely be returning thanks to the fantastic experience. Outstanding service!

Over charged me and refuse to refund me

Too long to have someone at our table

seems like everyone in ottawa easily thinks this is the worst restaurant of all time lol the food is so bad it s almost unreal. kind of like literal compost waste on a plate. should ve taken the hint when almost everybody just left and also left there full meal on the table basically uneaten. if you see this comment and the fair majority of the other ones don t let these reviews be the ones you overlook like usual. TRUST THEM, and save your dollars

Manager is so rude.

Manager was very rude

Managers suffering from anorexia

Manager is one of the worst type of person I have ever met. Extremely rude

I love the $10 triples!! However, when we we re grabbing drinks we sat down at an empty table , the place wasn t busy . The manager with the glasses then rudely asked us to move. Very unprofessional .

I ve always have a good experience here, all the staff are doing their best even on the busiest nights during the weekend. But this night we got drinks and decided to sit at an open table that had no clear signs that it was reserved nor prohibited to do so, plus the place was not even busy considering the time. The Manager (assuming he is) with glasses rushed over, decided to literally yell at us for sitting at a table acting like we were being disrespectful, rather than politely asking us to relocate back to the bar. That type of behaviour from this man is completely unnecessary and unacceptable. I can understand the stress from working at a restaurant + bar, but there is no reason to be rude over an honest mistake. Very disappointing as a regular who would always tip the staff generously for their effort.

My wife and I were only in Ottawa for a few hours and came across Blue Cactus. We had such a great experience in a short time. Chris the manager took care of us with amazing service we find hard to get these days. The food and drinks were just as good. Would highly recommend making it a stop while in Ottawa

I stopped by today to get a red wine sangria while I was waiting for a large group of people to meet at the jigsaw escape rooms. When I walked up to the patio (it was nowhere near full) a rude waitress with a pink flower hair clip told me I couldn t come in because their kitchen was understaffed. I told her I just wanted to grab a quick drink while I kill some time and she gave me a dirty look. I would have just walked away but they really do have a great sangria. Another waiter came up behind her when he heard her tell me the kitchens understaffed and said no she can come in for a drink that s not a problem . Girl you work in the service industry work on your customer service and fix your face. You re so rude. Anyways I sat down. She walked past me multiple times and ignored me. The gentlemen who let me in finally came to my table and took my drink order. I asked him to just bring me the bill I ll just pay right away. He said don t worry our kitchen is fine everything is fine. He went and grabbed my bill right away for me and told me someone will be back with my drink soon. I waited for my drink and another waitress came over to take my drink order. I told her it s ok someone already has. She too got pissed off and said oh wow that s interesting this is my section then grabbed the bill and literally stormed off! Come on children! Grow up and act professional! These two women were awful and so immature. So childish these two waitresses. Who raised you?! Unbelievable. Also the angry waitress that stormed off her skirt was so short her butt cheeks were hanging out. Classy

The Breaking Bad burger doesnt disappoint! Friendly staff and owner and welcoming ambiance, plus a great location in the heart of the Market.

Have tried a few different dishes here and all were delicious :) chicken tacos, alfredo pasta, and tijuanna club sandwich are all good choices.

I love this place! The food was good, the drinks were amazing and we had really great service. I ve loved my servers every time I ve gone but I wanna give a special shout-out to Bryce for his attentive and kind service. Definitely going to go back!!

I went to Blue Cactus this afternoon, for the first time in 25 years, and it delivers outstanding food and service. Definitely going back for their summer menu.

I took the poke bowl. Dont be mistaken there is no rice, its a poke salad. Honestly, there was no real vinaigrette nor great ingredients because most of them were unfrozen food. Not to recommend the poke sorry.

We live in market and have given this place many trys, The food and drinks are amazing but every time we go you wait so long for service and I dont think its the servers fault. There is so few front of house staff per customer, their sections are huge and expected to cover everyone. We tip well still because we see them running non stop but I imagine their tips are extremely low because the wait is so long due to so little front of house staff. Its sad because it could be a great spot everythings great except the service.

Worst club ever. If you want the rudest staff, go here. The girls are good but the men working there have the worst manners.

Honestly the worst service I ever had for the table! The manager screamed at us and the waitress. He should really calm his nerves.. I ll probably never go again because of that dude

Honestly this is the first time I have had such bad service in my four years living in Ottawa. The hostess was weird and rude. I didn t appreciate it. I ve been there a couple of times and it has been fine but this one time has made me not want to come back here or recommend to come here.

Nice place to eat a very good burger and have a beer with friends. Good service.

I honestly want to love this place, but after having multiple poor experiences Im disappointed. My girlfriend and I went out for a couple of pre drinks, and the hostess let us know we can grab a seat at the bar, and wait until a table opened up for us to sit at. After about 10 minutes at the bar, someone directed us to a table that was now available. After sitting at the table for only 5 minutes, the hostess then came up and let us know we had to pay our bills and leave because they needed the table for another group. After explaining the situation to the server they eventually let us stay, but it was a very unorganized situation. Last night, my girlfriend and I wanted to try out Cactus again for some drinks. The hostess did seat us right away, however after sitting at our table for over 20 minutes, we still hadnt been approached by a server. Finally, a food runner I assume noticed we hadnt been served, and took our drink orders. However, it took another 15+ minutes to get our vodka sodas. It then took another 15 minutes for us to get our bills. Overall, I find the service to be very poor, and anytime I go it takes over 15 minutes for a server to even greet us.

Terrible service Food is just ok Food

10$ triples everyday. Great atmosphere.

Had a great evening here - good daquiri, good guac, and good fajitas. Thanks for a great night!

Ordered Take Out!! Complete garbage!! Order was wrong. Food was terribly cooked. Sweet potato french fries had rock mixed in. Yes you read that right....a rock. Figured nice plac, Ill give it a chance..... Next time Ill just order McDonalds. Save yourself the time and order somewhere else. Not good!!

Good food

I had the pleasure of experiencing top-notch customer service at Blue Cactus, thanks to Ton, the bartender who works exclusively on Thursdays. Despite his limited availability, Tons dedication to providing exceptional service was evident from the moment I stepped into the establishment. He greeted me warmly, ensuring that my needs were met with efficiency and a genuine smile. Tons commitment to excellence on his designated day truly sets him apart, making him a standout asset to Blue Cactus. If you have the opportunity to visit on a Thursday, I highly recommend stopping by to experience Tons unparalleled hospitality firsthand.

The worst chicken wings I have ever had. I would remove those from the menu; they tasted old, and were quite expensive. Also, our entire group could barely talk; is there a reason why the music is so loud? No one is dancing, so is there a reason for this?

10$ triples

The food is excellent, the service is excellent!!

Went here for my birthday recently and absolutely loved it! Food was amazing and came out quicker than expected! Service was phenomenal! The only thing was how majority of the restaurant was closed off so alot of people were seated close to together and conversation was loud but overall great experience and my bf and I will be coming back for his birthday!

Nice vibe, they just need more choices on the menu.

Stopped in for a few drinks, while it was a bit busy, you could tell the servers were working very hard to manage several tables each. The drinks were great and very reasonable prices. We did at one point wait a little while for our server to come by and get us some more drinks, but he was very apologetic and provided top notch service, making up for the slight delay earlier.

Had an enjoyable time here for Valentines Day. Service was fantastic and all the staff was very organized and friendly. The food however was not great. Though my partner and I enjoyed the Bruschetta and the desserts we were given, the soup tasted (I am sorry to say this) like vomit and the steak was poor quality and drenched in gravy to try and mask it. Dessert was the star of the show, along with the service and the $4.50 glass of wine! Altogether, enjoyed coming here but would not be coming again for a meal. Parking: Conveniently located, there is a parking garage right across the street from the restaurant.

Food is great, cocktails are sublime, but Saturday evening the music is so loud THAT HAVING A CONVERSATION IS NEAR-IMPOSSIBLE!

Busy, loud, kinda expensive, pretty much what youd expect. Wait times arent too awful on Fridays.

My partner and I had an incredibly disappointing experience Saturday evening at the Blue Cactus. I want to preface by saying that I in no way believe this negative experience had anything to do with the service staff. In fact they were quite wonderful and attentive. The food was decent too (we would have ordered more had we not felt the overwhelming urge to go elsewhere). The drinks were delicious as well, we would recommend the Tennessee Iced Tea. We wanted a casual place to watch the hockey game. Upon arrival we asked if the table with a good vantage point was reserved. When we were told it wasnt, we sat, ordered a drink and enjoyed our spot for maybe all of fifteen minutes before we were approached by a manager (I presume) and asked to relocate to another nearby table. We agreed to comply, but apparently it was so urgent that our drinks had to be transported to the next table without us taking them there ourselves. They shuffled us away from that table so quickly we didnt understand. When we asked, we were told that the table had to be cleared to make way for a dance floor for younger people who would be coming later. Throughout the rest of our stay (perhaps another 40 minutes) nothing happened in this space behind us. It bothered us so much that we had to be moved for seemingly no reason, when we now had to strain our necks to watch the hockey game -- the initial reason we came in to spend our money.... we were told by staff that the DJ was not in house for another 2 hours. When we asked our server before we left, they told us no one really comes here to dance anyway, and that management was for some reason making these nonsense decisions -- sounded like this sort of thing had happened before. Needless to say, we felt as if our experience as paying customers was overlooked in favour of a younger crowd that we never saw appear..... as a 31 year old woman I see no reason why my business should be shuffled out of the way and I forewarn other similar minded customers that you might want to go elsewhere. I can empathize with the service staff as they were just doing their job, but Ive never experienced this lack of customer oriented service, and my partner wanted me to emphasize that he had never experienced this type of service ever. We will not be returning.

Bartender for this evening was more focused on his friends that anyone else. Do not recommend anyone visiting here.

Good food, incredibly nice staff, and good drinks. Arguably the best value in the area too! They lose a star because I didn t like their old fashioned (normally my favorite) and the music is too loud to hold a conversation with more than one person. Otherwise I had a great time!

Alex was so fast and helpful! Great service!

Worst experience. TERRIBLE HOSTESS . With a terrible attitude I believe her name was Amira. Never will return.

I witnessed a male manager berate a hostess. It was disgusting and unacceptable. No one should be treated like that. They should be reported. Very shameful. I wont return.

Pire service

A really cool spot to hit in the market. The atmosphere is top notch and the food is very good. Drinks prices are unbearable.

Brought my 19 year old daughter for her birthday. Service was excellent, food portion was huge for the price and the margaritas were delicious. My daughter was given a free dessert of her choice. Definitely recommend.

Sean was an amazing server. So friendly and fun! I loved him!! Thank you Sean for making our girls lunch so memorable!!

Sean was the best server. So funny and service was super! When I go back I will sit in his section!! Vegetarian options: Poke bowl and jackfruit tacos both awesome!!

Had a delicious lunch of jackfruit tacos and tuna poke bowl. Sean was an exceptional server! Friendly and fun!

Super slow service - there are better options to be sure

Went to Blue Cactus Friday around 5pm , our server Georgia #12 took a while to come to our table and the restaurant was empty. Finally got our drinks , I asked her for a glass of ice for my white wine never in my life has a server brought me ice in a white DIRTY COFFEE CUP!!!!! I was furious !!! Went to the bar and showed the bartender and his answer was hey !I didn t give you the dirty cup!!! wow what a wonderful answer !!!!!!!!!! our server Georgia finally brought me a glass of ice not even an apology and she didn t return to ask us of we wanted another drink all you hear on the CTV news is restaurants are hurting, with service like this no wonder people are not going to restaurants especially the Blue Cactus Guess what we won t be going back there again

This was the second and last time that I ll go to this place. First time I didn t even try any food or drinks because I was sitting for an hour without any server attention. Yesterday I went once again, we had to wait 45 minutes between drinks, we didn t got what we asked for and then to make it worse we requested for a 4 person fajita platter and for our surprise when the food arrived we found ten small shrimps, a few meet slices and a spoon of rice. We just looked to each other not being able to believe it. This scam is just laughable! I ll NEVER COME BACK!

I recently visited blue cactus and the service was AMAZING. Our server Gillian was friendly, funny, and genuinely seemed happy to be there. She catered to our groups different allergies and recommended different food and drink options we could try. Overall nothing but positive things to say about the drinks, food and service. Next time we re at Blue Cactus Gillian will be our go to server!

The drinks were great, but the food was disgusting. I had the nachos and there was seasoning on the meat at all and it was extremely bland and soggy. Two of my friends sent their food back because it was inedible. They had chicken wings and steak. I would go there for drinks but don t waste your money on the food.

The food was disappointing . We ordered the streak and potatoes, with Cajun shrimp . We asked for medium rare steak , it was over cooked , was barely even pink in the center , the Cajun shrimp wasnt even Cajun basically they just put a pinch of paprika and they called it a day . The potatoes were disappointing , not even creamy or anything really basic . Anyways the service was good the server was super nice and she was always smiling , if it wasnt for her good service , they would of got a 1 star .

You must come here for the drinks! My go-to is the Strawberry Daiquiri, 3 oz - the serving is huge and it tastes very fresh (its just blended frozen strawberries + alcohol), and the price is decent for what you get ($15). Their 10$ famous triples are a must as well. As for the food, there were no clearly labeled vegan options on the menu, but the waitress was kind and helpful in pointing out which dishes could be adapted to be made vegan. I had the Super Bowl which was organic quinoa, lentils, roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, corn, avocado, and pepita seeds. All I had to do was replace the honey-lime vinaigrette with olive oil & vinegar. The serving size was generous, and it was quite healthy, filling, and tasty.

I chose Blue cactus on the June 13th 2023, because it was a very very special occasion for me. The food was horrible, the service snail speed, and the atmosphere boring. When we got there we had a reservation, and we were served 20 minutes after we got there with tepid water on a day that was 30° Celsius. It took another 25 minutes and many meaningful looks at the waiter, to receive even more tepid almost boiling cranberry juice and a flat ginger ale. My partner wanted to leave at that point, but it was a special day for me and the restaurant holds sentimental value for me, so I persisted. We ordered the shrimp calamari appetizer, and it was over fried and the calamari was burnt. At that point my partner wanted to leave, but I wanted to stay. We then proceeded to get something to share because at that point we were hopeful about the quality of the food. We ordered the burger which was overdone, cold, and not dressed properly the fries were refried, plasticy and cold. We waited a further 15 minutes for ketchup. The restaurant was not even busy and they were only 2 waitresses , a young man on the outside, a young woman on the inside inside. No refills of drinks or water was offered. The service was poor, the food horrible. I was extremely disappointed on a very special day.

Stopped by for a quick snack and some beers on a Beautiful Saturday near lunch time. Sat outside to people watch as we quenched our thirst and a bite to eat to plan our day. Good food, good drinks, good service and good atmosphere.

Our server Bryce was absolutely fantastic, management was fantastic! Food was good, drinks were good, and everything was on the ball! Could not have asked for a better server, and wait staff is good! Fun time, would reccomend! Georgia the manager was also fantastic!

Chicken tacos were rough, chicken was pulverized and super dry with no flavour, I was given half a lime wedge for 3 tacos and the tortillas were stale. Service was good, drinks were flowing and atmosphere was good but those tacos missed.

The chicken Alfredo was horrendous when we were on our grad trip. It tasted burnt and smelled burnt too. The other food was decent but horrible job with the sauce on the pasta. Never recommend getting it.

I ordered a steak sandwich. The steak in the sandwich was fridge cold. I asked the server to at least heat up the steak on the grill but they heat up the whole sandwich in the microwave. The steak was still cold. Pretty disappointing for a $22 small sandwich.

The music is loud - conversation on the patio was difficult, the chicken was dry, fries from frozen, coleslaw was excellent! The steak salad was okay. Service was adequate

I went there for a grad trip with my school, and I ordered the alfredo pasta and it was disgusting. the smell was terrible (it smelt burnt) and it was very bland

Great yummy food and fast, awesome service

Awesome place

The service was great! I went for a school trip and they dealt with our group so well. The food was delicious and it was an amazing experience

drinks are great

Really bad service

Every time I go somewhere I always try to discover a new restaurant. Several times I drove past and this time I stopped. Scan the menu...hamburger, easy choice. Juicy and tasty, excellent fries. Accompanied by a good cold beer, that s it. Good service, warm atmosphere.

Very good drinks! Several choices. I ate a poke bowl. It was excellent

Fajitas that s supposed to feed 3-4 people barely feed my son! On the menue it said fresh tortillas but we got ones that obviously came out of a bag! Only saving grace was our server was very nice and attentive and my strawberry daiquiri and nachos was excellent!

They are very understaffed. We waited 10 minutes for someone to greet us at the door. It was a Monday at 6pm and it took 45 minutes for us to get our drinks after we ordered them and then ANOTHER 30min for the food, yet we ordered them at the same time. I asked them if they were hiring and the worker said they had too many workers and not enough shifts for them. Meaning the manager is cheap with the hours he gives out to his servers. The margarita needed to be reblended and the food was bland and over cooked. Their utensils were not cleaned well and they were all out of takeout boxes. He brought a ketchup bottle that was severely dirty so we asked for a new one. It took him 20 minutes to come out with THE SAME BOTTLE still dirty. Overall very very disappointing experience and probably the slowest service I ve ever witnessed.

This place is nice and the food was very tasty too. The food didnt really take to long to be served either.

Came in with group of people and the first person we see asks us food or drinks ? We answered both and they denied us because we hesitated on if we wanted food, drinks, or both. They thought we were too drunk to decide. The person we talked to was the manager. It was close to closing time and they decide that we were too drunk to enter.

Stopped to dine in, server asked how many we told her 5, she sat us down with food menus also. Sat there for 15 almost 20 minutes then a server asked if we were served yet, told her no, said she will be right, came right back and said she will serve us and thats when she told us the kitchen is closed and no, we were NOT told that when the other server sat us down and ignored us, until the other server noticed us.

Drinks are super dope food is really good and service is extra wow

The water served to us had small, live bugs in it. The server replaced it after we noticed. We would likely have left if we hadn t already ordered. The food was just ok.

Very good I enjoyed the patio and food .

The food was kind of bland for a mexican dish. I wish there was more seasoning and sauce inside my meal (chimichanga). Overall good prices for drinks and specials.

Great server and delicious food. My son had the Breaking Bad burger and said it was the best burger he ever had (and he s eaten a LOT of !) We all enjoyed our food and although it was Wine Wednesday we had a great local lager.

The absolute coolest bar tender around Ton, he made our fist trip here amazing. What a great personality and just a cool dude.

Been here a few times. I love the drinks. The chips and salsa are really good. Food is not really authentic but its good. A bit on the pricey side. Gets pretty busy on weekends.

Had very good time having a drink and a little snack. The staff was so sweet and the atmosphere was so nice. Great experience

What a great evening. Fantastic food. Everybody was chuckling over the definition of spicy. My corn shrimp taco was a novel experience - twist on a fish taco I guess but quite wonderful. And though we werent the biggest spenders we were treated respectfully and helped with a picture to commemorate the occasion. Just the right amount of attention.

Ok food

Both the server and food were wonderful. The wait times were not bad and the patio was nice.

Nice place. Food was pretty good. We ordered nachos, wings and calamari to start. Burgers and tacos for main course. The service was really good. A little on the expensive side, but overall was good.

The restaurant has a privileged location. The sangria I order was very tasty. The food was ok. Fries were cold . Definitely They have to improve the quality of the food. Food : 3/5

Service very bad wait for the drinks like 15 minutes then waiting for appetizer like 30 minutes it s crazy ok that s it we leave.

I m waiting 30 minutes for my beer, I decided to cancel my meal because after 1 hours I m not received my order very bad place and the services super bad

Came in for a walk in of 7, was quoted 30 minutes, which is totally fine! But then 45 minutes went past, so we went to the host and she said sorry we forgot about you and then offered to give us a table of 3 and 4. Which isn t a terrible solution, but then our server took our drink order and did not check on us for 45 minutes. Just seemed disorganized and understaffed.

I went to this location with some friends on Wednesday, September 28th. We waited to be seated for 15 minutes (we were the only ones here) and then a hostess finally came and didn t even acknowledge us. Our server was a short white male with tattoos, he was rude and spilled water all over my jeans and didn t even apologize. The food was ok but nothing special but the service ruined the whole experience. I decided to not give a tip and the server said a passive aggressive thank YOU for the tip out loud. After we paid we aggressively grabbed the machine and didn t say anything to our table.

Great place to go to sit on the patio with friends for food and a drink. All our meals were delicious and the server was really friendly. I highly recommend the barbacoa tacos with hot sauce. I would have taken a pic but they didnt last long. :)

Very rude bartender. Around 510/6ft, skinny male. Thought he was the coolest kid on the block because he decided who to serve (not going to mention racism here). Honestly his actions are the reason for this review.

Upon a recent stay in downtown Ottawa and while walking in the Byward Market area, my partner suggested we stop into the establishment for a few drinks. Having observed many other patios visibly busier on a crowded night, I was hesitant. I presumed there must have been an issue with the place and I was proven right. We came into the host stand and waited to be seated and nobody came or looked at us. I was initially patient, presuming that staff was busy, although the place was almost empty. We ended up seating ourselves. 5-10min goes by, still no one, although staff is walking around. Another 5 mins goes by when the server comes and asks us what wed like to drink to which I politely asked for a drink menu to decide. We eventually order our drinks and my drink wasnt correct, so I wait for the server to return to check on us - no return visit. I then proceed to the bar, where the male bartender is with not a single person sat at the bar (another flag). I ask him that my drink needs to be altered, and he states that I needed to do that through my server. Having already waited 15 min+ for a drink, I asked him if he could change it as he obviously just made it. He declines unless through the server. I replied that I would leave the drink on the bar and I was leaving the restaurant. He didnt seem to mind and neither did I. Considering there was not very many customers in the restaurant I believed it was better not to spend my money where it wasnt appreciated. This place would be absolutely scary to test the service levels if it was busy as Im sure it gets exposed every time it is. If you like poor service, long wait times (when its empty) and indifferent staff...this could be your sanctuary!

Wildly overpriced for a small portion of completely average food.

Blue Catus, more like Blue Balls because i aint got no service from their poorly trained sorry excuse of servers.

Been here a few times. The drinks are a great deal, and the food is alright. The service however is almost always poor. The servers run from inattentive to downright rude, and the security guards on the busy nights love their macho posturing.

There was a very racist server when we visited (July 25, 2022 @ 4:55) the tall, chubby lady that was assigned to serve in the patio told us that the restaurant was reserved. There was a party of 20(my family) we waited in the front to be seated and it was obviously dead with 2 - 3 tables only seated and guess what only white people were seated. Please do not waste your time and money here.

Horrible service and food for the price. I wouldn t step back into this restaurant ever again.

An inlocal.

Free birthday entree or free birth month dessert. Food portion is average, fried chicken lots of dou but meat tender, rib not much meat. Salad average. Steak is average.

a restaurant cosplaying as a club with the way they crank the music

Waited several minutes and no one came to attend. Speaking with an attendant, it seemed deliberate. Left to somewhere else with better service.

We were there this past weekend on a beautiful Sunday afternoon . The food was delicious , as was the ambiance however, Sean , our amazing waiter made the whole experience so memorable.... Sean was professional, offered great suggestions and looks just like a well-known movie star...I had to get a selfie with this Hollywood doppelganger ! Next time you are in the area please stop by this great little gem and grab a bite ! Thanks again Sean for a fun afternoon !

Wings were awful!

Student central. Younger crowd, music hits all genres, super loud, seems like a pre spot. Extensive drink menu, and deals. 10$ triples. Service lacked, slow, but delivered with warm smiles. Spinach dip was so so good and huge with mini naan and tortilla chips. Burger was dry but still great. Side salad generously dressed. Fries were very salty and not hot. Seems like the perfect student pre-night out spot. Lots of big groups.

Ordered on uber eats. Burgers were perfect. Caesar salad was perfect. 2 for one deal is amazing. Please keep it. Fresh and tasty. I will order again!

Great music, great food, great drinks. Service was quick and our server was great!!

The best strawberry margarita in the world! I drank it 30 years ago, 12 years ago and just this past week. Always the same, always THE best! Food, atmosphere, service everything is great. A must to visit place in Ottawa

No soap in the washroom, unbelievable. Very long wait. Food was decent. Food : 2/5

Slow service. Food was luke warm. Cocktail was not impressive. I wont return. 40$ for a drink and tacos i rather spend my money elsewhere.

Below average experience when attending my work party here. We were told we aren t allowed to order at the bar and were refused service cause our party had its own servers. Our servers took 15-20 mins to bring our drinks each time so we were waiting. The music was so loud in the restaurant to the point where we had to yell to talk to each other however some of our guests got yelled at by the manger for singing too loud . They had auto grad on every bill, even for individual drinks. Ended up leaving early and going to heart and crown so we could actually have a good time. Wouldn t recommend

Yesterday our server handed the credit card machine with the 18% or 20% tip screen showing to each person in our group of 30+ without showing us our bills. He failed to mention that a 20% group service charge had already been added to each bill. We all dutifully tipped an additional 20%. These people are crooks! Take your business elsewhere!!

You know how nice it is when your server smiles at you and is nice and kind ? my food was great and my family liked it to server 10/10