Blue Cactus Bar and Grill - Ottawa, Ontario

Restaurant has been my favourite over the years but probably best suited for relaxed dining as the service is not fast. To be fair, we were seated just as the happy hour on a Friday was ending and staff were struggling to clear tables inside. Outdoor patio it is and ... probably best option as the sun goes down. Assertiveness helps if you want to get service and maybe related to servers being overloaded in our section. The meal arrived before the cocktails and that was odd. Flavours were good but temperature was off and maybe related to how thin the steaks were cut and I will find that extremely difficult to get it just right at point of service. It was great to see that vehicle traffic was blocked in the evenings for this side of the patio. Most suited for relaxed dining experiences where you wanted to chat and connect with people. Albeit we found the music progressively getting louder during the course of the evening and I had lost my voice a tad on the walk home. Best part of the meal had been the cookie dessert. Hot cookie with ice cream was very comforting. It was so delicious that I forgot to take a picture. Read more

Blue Cactus has been a staple in the market for years. We arrived soaked from the rain today and got greeted and seated promptly. Atmosphere is very casual and welcoming. Our server Alex was very friendly and smiled when she would attend to us. The beer was tasty as was our ... dishes which included the kids burger, the breaking bad burger and the southern fried chicken! Food was delicious and would recommend for sure 😀 casual dining meets not too fancy. We’ll be back again. Read more

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 you're 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 isn't 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. Read more

Overall, I have a mixed review of this place. The service was excellent - the waiter was friendly and accommodating. The chimichanga and fajitas had a nice flavour and I would recommend those dishes. However, The red pepper soup tasted weird - too much cheese that didn’t blend well with ... the red pepper flavour. The chicken tacos were pretty standard. The main negative is the really loud music in the restaurant. Don’t get me wrong, the songs itself were hits and the DJ did a good job however, it was way too loud and we sat all the way in the back. I couldn’t hold a conversation with anyone and wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. Read more

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. Read more