- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Coffee & Tea |
- All
Blue Cactus Bar and Grill
Categories: Restaurants Tex-Mex Restaurants Canadian (New) Nightlife Bars Lounges Tex-Mex, Canadian (New), Lounges [Edit]
2 Byward Market SqOttawa, ON K1N 7A1
(613) 241-7061
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Music:
- DJ
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
24 reviews for Blue Cactus Bar and Grill
Review Highlights
-
"...I always recommend their strawberry sangria ($7 a glass." In 2 reviews -
"Service was prompt and very friendly." In 3 reviews -
"...dishes are fantastic, especially their fettuccine dishes." In 2 reviews
Loading...
24 reviews in English
-
Review from Katherine W.
Montréal, QC
2/25/2012 1 Check-in Here
I don't really know what about Blue Cactus really earns the Tex-Mex classification. As I recall, they had 5-6 dishes that were something Tex-Mexish and the rest was just standard. Maybe I'm discriminating based on having lived in Texas. The only Tex-Mex dish I can remember from the menu is the fish tacos, and since my mind is so far in the gutter that I can't even say "fish taco" without feeling slightly dirty, that wasn't really an option for me. Anyways, I wouldn't expect a broad spectrum of Tex-Mex options from Blue Cactus.
That's not to say that the food wasn't good. We went in and found a table (that was wobbly, but whatever), got some beer and some food, and all left satisfied. Because we all had beer, I can't attest to what their other drinks are like (or whether the drink menu might qualify as more Tex-Mex). The sandwich I got was tasty, and the waitstaff were pretty attentive once they'd taken orders and things had gotten moving. I do remember that the waitress had the (bad? good?) luck to keep returning to the table when we were having slightly appalling conversations. E.g. when my brother, a paramedic, was describing having to intubate some dude passed out in the middle of a restaurant. I think my uncle's half-naked hunting excursions came up at some point, too. She was good-natured about it. -
Review from Mark G.
5/22/2012
A friend and I ended up at Blue Cactus after a bizarre and disappointing experience at nearby "Kinki" restaurant (DON'T GO!) So, when we arrived, we were pretty hungry.
All in all, the food was okay (we both agreed), but it took SO LONG to arrive (40 minutes, approximately) that he had to go shortly after. We ate some of the food quickly and took the rest to go.
My friend remarked that we should go back on a future Ottawa visit when we have the time to wait in case the service is always slow.. wait.. no. If the food came out in a reasonable amount of time, we would have had more than enough time to eat properly.
Methinks I'll try something else, if I can get myself to dinner at a time when I have more available options.
2 1/2 stars for the mediocre food, plus a 1/2 star for the decor. -
Review from Coy W.
12/14/2011 11 Check-ins Here
I've come by for some appetizers and drinks a few times and honestly I don't think I'll be back.
I know a lot of my friends love this place but the food is very bland, somewhat blah and charges a premium for blah.
The drinks are popular but they ones that my friends recommend are loaded with sugar. There are some better options for drinks in the market and better options for food in the market. This place is pretty much a tourist trap in an amazing location.
If everywhere else is full this place might be ok to grab a drink or a quick appetizer....and i really stress might. If you can go elsewhere I would recommend it. -
Review from Andy B.
Ottawa, ON
4/21/2012
This place has a nice cool vibe which is great for grabbing drinks with coworkers or hanging out with friends. However the food is generally overpriced and bland - very typical of food in Ottawa's Byward Market. I've gotten the steak sandwich which was tasteless -- the meat had zero spice or flavor. The pizza is ok but that's it. If you want fajitas I'd recommend Lone Star a few blocks away.
-
Review from Nicolle H.
Waterloo, ON
4/10/2012
Found this place thanks to Yelp. Had a great assortment of dishes. Probably some of the best nachos I've had. Good beer selection. Everyone was very impressed with their meals - from their roasted chicken/risotto, to their fajitas and pasta, it was a fantastic meal. Service was wonderful.
-
Review from Chris Y.
8/13/2011
Wandering around ByWard Market, we ended up here because the menu looked ok and there wasn't a super-long wait. The menu has a pretty good variety of standard fare ... but I have to say, I was very impressed by the quality of the ingredients!! Everything was actually very tasty ... I mean, I expect a certain quality from my food, but this food was actually the kind of good stuff that makes your taste buds say "Wow! - That was better than I was expecting!"
Our waiter was very friendly, helpful, and attentive. The Tennessee Iced Tea I ordered was very good, but the drink menu had a lot of other drinks I might try!
Parking in ByWard Market is always hard to find, or expensive, so be prepared for that or for walking!Listed in: Food, eh?!
-
Review from Darren M.
Ottawa, ON
12/17/2010
It's not exactly Ottawa or the Byward Market's best restaurant but you'd never know that by how busy and talked about this place is among locals and tourists.
The prime location probably helps business but I've had a couple of bad experiences here that has hurt my feelings toward the Blue Cactus.
I will first say that I like the setup of the restaurant and the staff for the most part are great. However, the upstairs area can get way too tight with tables and servers bumping into each other. The main level is nice but on the weekends they sometimes crank the music and you can barely hear the person across from you. There is no dance floor. There really is no need for the blaring music. It's a sit down restaurant.
The food is pretty good but again it goes back to service and if you're waiting a long time for your waiter to bring you cheese and pepper then you're food could probably have been better -- when it was warm!
I don't really recommend Blue Cactus to friends that often but it's an easy landmark to meet at given it's central location. -
Review from Amanda B.
Ottawa, ON
11/12/2010 5 photos
Blue Cactus is great for a fancier night, celebratory dinners, and social drinks. Their menu is pretty large. The calamari seasoning is great, but we wished it was a bit crispier and came with a different sauce. Their pasta dishes are fantastic, especially their fettuccine dishes! The portions are huge and you'll probably end up taking some home. They're incredibly flavourful, and so is the rosemary-garlic focaccia bread that comes with it. The Chocolate Oblivion dessert is very rich and sweet, but it really hits the spot for all you serious chocolate lovers.
They have a pretty large selection of drinks as well. Their martinis are good, but their strawberry sangria is so good that it tastes just like juice. It also comes in a massive fishbowl glass with a generous amount of mixed berries.
At night, the ambiance is very relaxed. The restaurant is trendier but you can absolutely come dressed very casually. The service is great - fast and friendly. The prices are higher than similar restaurants, but it's very popular for a fun night catching up with friends over dinner and drinks. I was here for a friend's birthday, as well as celebrated my own, but I believe they've changed the menu recently, so I'm looking forward to trying out their new items. -
Review from Grace Joy P.
11/24/2010 4 photos
Blue Cactus left me disappointed. My experience wasn't all to amazing or unforgettable.
I decided to go for lunch with my sister and a friend around 2pm. There were virtually no people seated, I'd say only 3 or 4 tables. We were waiting to be seated, but no one came. The hostess was floating around and made eye contact with us a couple times but ignored us for the most part. I've worked in the restaurant industry before so I chose to think she was just busy.
Finally, we sat ourselves down. Boo you, lady. Boo you.
The food was pricey for what you get in terms of quality. But the quantity is there.
We ordered the blue cactus nachos deluxe. The small is HUGE! Good enough to share for 3, so don't bother with the large unless you're THAT hungry. For $12 expected "awesome!" or "can't get enough!" or at least "worth my money!". It was ordinary and it made me sad.
Next, we ordered their steak fajitas. $23 worth of fajitas which I think I would have much rather enjoyed at Texas Lone Star Grill.
Lastly, we ordered one of their wraps (which I can't seem to find on their menu online) but even that was unforgettable.
I think the main problem I had was that the food just wasn't outstanding or special in any way. Especially with the price I paid, I expected higher quality food.
I'd still go back to try out their dinner menu as well as their cocktails, which I heard good things about.
At least their water is served aesthetically pleasing? -
Review from Christine W.
Markham, ON
7/11/2010
This place is your typical tex-mex style bar/restaurant. Giant cocktails, blonde scantily clad waitresses and mediocre food.
I was in town visiting my sister and we wanted something casual. I made a reservation online to guarantee a window seat and to avoid the hideous wait times at this place. The market was super busy that night for the blues fest .
We got there a bit early so we headed to the bar to order a drink while we waited for our table. The drinks were ok. They have a fairly good drink menu.
Our table was ready within a few minutes and they seated us right in the front where the restaurant was open to the street. This would have been a great spot if it wasn't for the fact that they had jammed the table in the corner due to lack of space and our server could barely get through.
We started with the calamari which were greasy and over cooked. I shared my sister and brother both ordered pasta. The portions were big and they both seemed to like it. My mom and I shared the Ultimate Fajitas which consisted of Chicken, Shrimp, Beef and Ribs? Why anyone would include ribs in their fajitas I don't know. The chicken and the shrimp were good but the beef was hard and dry. The ribs were okay they just didn't go in the fajita.
If you're young and and looking for a loud place with big drinks then you'll be happy here. Oh and don't forget the scantily clad waitresses that would be best not to drop anything on the floor for fear of revealing themselves to the public. -
Review from Naurry K.
1/8/2009
Memories of the Blue Cactus contain martinis, appetizers and fantastic conversations with strangers at the bar. The story goes something like this:
American in the Canadian capital on business.
Aimlessly wandering around the market out of sheer boredom.
Stumbles into a Can-Tex-Mex restaurant for drinks.
Finds himself ording several drinks while talking with an incredible woman from Vancouver working for the Ministry of Health.
It made my night.. my trip! Classy place and worth a look in a beautiful story. -
Review from Devon B.
9/23/2008
Blue Cactus does pretty well for a restaurant and bar, but it's no wonder, it is located in the middle of the Byward Market. If it didn't do well in the centre of Ottawa's tourism sector, there would be a serious problem.
With that being said, it's not a bad spot. Even though Tex Mex has been done a million times, they have made a nice sized restaurant (two floors) with a style that suits but isn't too campy a la the old Chi Chi restaurants.
The food is good quality Tex Mex food that come in large portions. The prices are a bit high, but one has to remember the area they are in. Tourists will pay almost anything so it is natural for each dish to be a couple of dollars more. You'll make it up in the good service and nice decor. This is a great place to start a date.
The drinks are what you think you would find in an upscale Tex Mex place, and they even offer to Cactus size drinks which will certainly leave you feeling good.
If you want a good meal and a place to start the night, it's a worthy option. -
Review from Tyler D.
8/11/2011
Great location, great food, and even better selection of beers. Great place to start the night! I have been here twice on different biz trips
-
Review from Azim A.
Ottawa, ON
10/30/2008 1 photo
Specializing in Tex-Mex, Blue Cactus is a more elegant version of the popular chain Texas Lonestar. What you will get is similar food, though higher prices, smaller portions, better decor and ambience, and more refined staff. It all depends on what you're looking for.
The food is quite good, though portions are a bit less than satisfying. The chicken and cheese chimichanga is really solid, and the Santa Fe Pizza is underrated. The chicken and steak fajita's, however, were a bit too salty for my taste. They also have a pretty good beer and wine selection to peruse.
I haven't tried their steak selection, but it's also quite extensive. For the most part, the service is friendly, though not exceptionally quick. -
Review from Mark C.
10/18/2009
The gumbo was the worst I've ever had. Didn't taste like gumbo at all and contained perhaps:
one shrimp,
one 2mm slice of sausage,
a can of tomato soup and a
a can of corn kernels.
The pizza was slightly better but very bland.
After ordering our food, a bottle of olive oil appeared on our table without explanation. We thought we might be served bread but after a 20-25 min wait, we asked a waiter and were told that it's for the pizza. Finally after chasing them up the food came after another 5 minutes. So it took them half an hour to prepare a pizza that needs at most 2-3 minutes in the oven and to scoop some premade soup onto a bowl. -
Review from Jeff T.
Kingston, ON
9/18/2010 1 Check-in Here
This is a very nice restaurant. The ambiance is very nice and conducive to holding a conversation. At 1730, it was relatively busy, yet not overly loud. One could easily enjoy the music in the background over the din of happy diners.
Open concept (if you will), not overly congested (again this could change later, as business was picking up as I left). The menu appeared very pleasant and not overly crowded.
Service was prompt and very friendly. My server "D" proved to be very polite and gracious. She was not overly nosey, but was there at exactly the right time when my Guinness was running low.
The food I had was the Blue Cactus Fettuccine Alfredo. This was nearly perfectly portioned. The noodles were exactly the way I like them, the sauce, not overly rich and the rest of the ingredients (including italian bacon which I dearly love) were not over powering). The one weakness to this dish, is it could have used even a penny garlic loaf, or other such bread as a throw in (I wasted some of the sauce, as I looked silly licking my plate clean).
Thank you "D", it was a wonderful meal. I look forward to my next visit to Ottawa. -
Review from E C.
7/6/2010
This is a classic "over hype" bar, that usually is visited by people "who want to see and want to be seen".
I can not denied that the atmosphere is very nice and the beautiful waitresses are a plus; but it doesn't compensate the overprice food and the very weak list of wines (as I agree with one of the other reviews in this page).
If you want to have fun with your friends and don't care about expensive drinks is a good place, but if you want a place for a date or some serious food... you better go to Mamma Grazzi's, The Keg or Wassabi that are near by. -
Review from Gizzie D.
5/9/2011
Not sure as to why there are so many mediocre reviews for this place. The menu had very decent selection. I narrowed it down to 4. Then, I had to blurt 1 out on the spot when the waiter showed up. My final answer was linguini with sundried tomatoes and pesto sauce. It was very good. The setting is modern with wood floors. The prices were decent. There was no wait. What more can one ask for?
-
Review from Syl P.
Ottawa, ON
2/10/2010
Food portions are quite small, chicken was over cooked and very dry. Wine list was very limited, servers are dressed a little to casual for the atmosphere of the restaurant.
Would not be my first choice of recommendation for a dinner venue. -
Review from Mikey X.
Ottawa, ON
2/17/2010
The atmosphere is nice and relaxed, the staff is very friendly and engaging and if you like Mojito's you should definitely check this place out. The Cactus size cocktail is massive and well worth the $12 that it costs (I think I ended up having 3 or 4). It took about 15 minutes to get a table but in the meantime I was quite happy to sit at the bar and chat with other people.
The food was good as well. I would recommend the fillet steak which was delicious and perfectly cooked and they served it with a great Australian Red Wine at my own request. -
Review from Chloe P.
Ottawa, ON
12/17/2010
i've been to blue cactus on two occasions. but i doubt i'll try it for the third time.
the menu is long, but it doesn't help that the food lacks any flavour. the crabcakes were awful, and the ceasar salad i ordered tasted like it came from a frozen dinner. it was quite busy that night so i figured maybe it wasn't the best night to critique.
i came back for lunch and ordered the asian salad. i expected it to be warm with noodles but everything was cold. it wasn't the staffs fault i know, but i thought it would make more sense slightly warm. again there was no flavour.
the staff however are super friendly and knoweldgeable. -
Review from Jonathan W.
Calgary, AB
6/15/2009
One of the busiest and popular byward market hang outs. A tex mex flair on the food is not dissappointing but you're here for the atmosphere and location. Grab a table and a few drinks but skip the dinner.
-
Review from Amanda D.
Ottawa, ON
10/16/2008
This restaurant has fine food, a chilled atmosphere and an okay staff. However, I prefer to use the Blue Cactus as a spot to relax with a drink at the beginning of an evening with friends or after a day of shopping in the Byward Market. The prices are a bit high, but that's expected given the location. The southwestern food is good, but the cocktails are probably the best feature. They have a huge selection of cocktails and hard liquor, although only a small list of beer. If I'm ever with friends, I always recommend their strawberry sangria ($7 a glass).
-
Review from Tim C.
Ottawa, ON
3/12/2011
Nice decor, friendly staff. Food's not great. Drinks are OK. Go to drink and chat, but it's hardly the place for a "nice dinner."
