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Iron Cactus

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oogabooga
First Reviewer
4 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
5
Reviews
4
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1-5 of 5

Fun Ladies Night

  • October 26, 2009
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Dillion Ryan from Austin, Texas
I have been looking for a good girls night during the week in North Austin. Found it! Thursday nights at the Iron Cactus in North Austin has live music that is amazing. The singer/guitar player is Rod Williams and there was an extremely talented chello player as well. They have three dollar cosmos tfor the ladies that are huge! Not like most drink specials that come in a dixie sized cup. We munched on some appetizers and I must reccomend the crab cakes (although there are only two and kind of small) and the civiche. We did not eat dinner but the atmosphere/service/music/ and three dollar cosmos are fantastic.

Great Margaritas!

  • October 14, 2009
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Sophie79 from Austin, Texas
I have been to all three Iron Cactus locations. They are each unique and completely different yet great experiences. The Galleria location is perfect for stopping by and having happy hour on the patio. They have half price appetizers, three dollar house margaritas, five dollar mexican martinis, and many other specials. The queso and lobster tacos were a perfect treat to accompany my margaritas. The service was quick and friendly. The manager even came to check up on us to see how we were doing. Great happy hour!!!
Editor Pick

Iron Cactus: Great Casual Tex-Mex

  • November 3, 2008
  • Rated 4 of 5 by notso62 from Boston, Massachusetts
After previous visits to other areas in Texas (Amarillo, Houston, and Dallas), I had become acutely aware of the lack of options for vegetarians while dining out in this state. Surprisingly my visit to Austin yielded many places with not just one or two vegetarian entrée options, but entire menu sections devoted to this cuisine preference. The Iron Cactus Mexican Grille was no exception.

The Iron Cactus specializes in Southwestern fare with an emphasis on casual dining atmosphere. We ended up choosing to dine here after looking for a good place for an after-work happy hour. They have a very nice open-air roof deck complete with a bar and live music acts on several nights during the week on their upper floors. They did not charge a cover the night that I happened to go here, but they might on nights where they host live musical acts. There are probably twenty other bars within earshot of the Iron Cactus whose music acts could be overheard at this bar.

After several drinks at the bar upstairs, we journeyed downstairs upon the news that they had a table opening for our party of four. The downstairs dining room reminded me of a large Mexican cantina- brick interior with Southwestern-themed decorations. The large picture windows in the front of the restaurant look out upon the scene on the boisterous Sixth Street. Whenever dinner conversation lagged, we were able to find new topics to discuss just by looking outside.

The menu at the Iron Cactus was pretty standard to what one would expect in a typical Tex-Mex or Southwestern restaurant; burritos, fajitas, tacos, steaks, and quesadillas. Our waitress brought us tortilla chips with three dipping salsas (spicy, mild, and green) as soon as we sat down and replenished them several times during our dinner. I almost didn’t leave room for my entrée.

The waitress was very helpful at the Iron Cactus in making sure that every side-dish I ordered was prepared in compliance with my vegetarian lifestyle. She made certain that I did not want food prepared in chicken stock as soon as I requested the vegetable fajitas. It was nice to know that the staff here knows to watch out for their vegetarian customers. Much better than how they treat vegetarianism in other Texas towns!

Dishes at the Iron Cactus were reasonably priced (around $15-$20 for dinner) and drinks followed suit (no beers over $5). The atmosphere was a little noisy at times, but it was a perfect restaurant for grabbing a casual bite to eat.

From journal A Girl from Boston Goes to Austin

Iron Cactus

  • May 18, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by beckilena from Fort Collins, Colorado
Iron Cactus

The Iron Cactus was rated 6th tequila bar in the country, and they deserve it. A basic small Margarita runs you $4 and then all the rest is up from that point on. It is a three level restaurant with a roof top patio that offers excellent views of the downtown strip, a main dining area and an upstairs dining area. The food averages between $8 and $13 and it's really worth it. I recommend the queso as an appetizer for $6.95. It's overall a great place to rest your feet, kick back a Margarita and eat some chips and salsa. The waiters are laid back and fun which makes for an enjoyable atmosphere. During festival time it can get pretty packed so it is a good idea to be prepared for a wait, but while you are waiting enjoy a Margarita or an excellent Bloody Mary...cheers!

From journal SXSW in Austin Texas

Iron Cactus

  • April 29, 2003
  • Rated 3 of 5 by oogabooga from Austin, Texas
The Iron Cactus is the quintessential southwestern cuisine spot. They have many strong dishes, a good atmosphere, and arguably the best tequila menu in the entire country.

They have two locations, one located on 6th street and the other located in northwest Austin near the arboretum -- both are excellent, but different experiences. The rooftop patio at the downtown location is cooled off by jets of cold mist and provides an excellent opportunity to view the sights and sounds below, especially on a busy Saturday night.

From journal Yeehaw Austin

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