CACTUS MEXICAN RESTAURANT

Food was bomb, but they do need to toast the torta bread. Ay dios mio!

The food is fantastic. We love their papusas!

Sometimes a massive plate of Mexican food is exactly what you need in your life. I have often found a hole in my life is best filled with homemade tortilla chips, fajita tacos, a side of refried beans and cemented a cold Modelo with lime. Cactus Mexican Restaurant in Charlottesville, Virginia, provides authentic Mexican cuisine at a reasonable price with friendly service. Now, I will say that it is hard for me to knock Mexican restaurants, so most Mexican places I will say are worth frequenting. I'm really into that category of food, and I love spicy, so when a dish is delivered with a giant, roasted jalapeno, I'm probably going to enjoy whatever else is on the plate. Some of the things I look for in a Mexican restaurant are the location and quality of chip and salsa. Is this place in a random location? Any good restaurant can survive in the busiest part of town, but if you survive off random a street then you know people are seeking out that food because it's tasty! Additionally, you can tell a lot by a Mexican restaurant based on the chips and salsa. Did these come from a bag, or are they still warm? Is this salsa unique, or run-of-the-mill? All I'm saying is, Cactus is in a random location, with excellent chips and salsa.

Great food and drink. Chips are very thick and tasty. We had beers, margaritas, quesadilla, chimichanga, tamale,steak fajitas and enchiladas. Everyone was very happy with their food. Service was decent.

Over the past year, we've become regulars at this locally owned Central American restaurant.

It's not fancy, but the food is delicious and we can actually afford to eat here once a week, unlike pretty much everywhere else in town.

They have a number of authentic dishes from Central America with perfect portion sizes for just a few bucks. We can fill both of us up for dinner for under $10, so we tip really well!

Also, check out the bakery next door, which is operated by the same folks!