iron cactus mexican restaurant and margarita bar

must like onions. i will never, my entire life, understand how a place can serve a dish smothered in onions and not list them in the dish description on the menu. i spentgoodmoney at this place last week and left hungry because the stacked pork enchiladas were stuffed with a pound of onions. normally i just pick them out when this happens but it was too much. cool place with what seems likegoodfood but my dish was terrible and i wouldn't return.

so so. fajita quesadilla wasn't amazing, not much different than what you would expect from a chain restaurant. carne quisada hadgoodflavor but i would of expected it to be more tender.

not bad, about over priced and service was slow.goodview and drink were good. food.... needs some work

fish tacos were disappointing, the balcony seating andgoodtequila/ margarita selection are its only saving grace. i'd come back for drinks, not dinner!

6th avenue is pumping! sxsw has turned the street into a hot bed of music, people and food! we are happy to wait for a table and enjoy a beer or two at iron cactus, a highly recommended spot for some mexican! it's not long before we are installed at our table and salivating over the menu!! chips and salsa arrive and we are happily chowing down on salty nachos and tangy salsa! i have been told we have to have the table side guacamole the "iron cactus guacamole made by your server at the table. it doesn't get any fresher than this!!" and they aren't wrong! a huge tray appears and our server expertly combines fresh avocado, coriander, onion, tomato… yum!! the only problem is we are enjoying this soooo much we are eating a lot of chippies! there might not be room for tacos at this rate! especially when we get the cheesey dip arriving too - it is soooooooogoodit must be bad for you!! beers, chips, dips = heaven!! mains arrive and we give up the chips! my baja fish tacos are beautiful! c

they have a prettygoodarray of tequila behind the bar. he makes us a decent drink with fresh lime and agave nectar.

um, wtf?. location wise, this place is bomb. it has an epic roof top patio.

but, wtf? the service is terrible. i've been a few times and it's slightly worse each time i go. nobody wants to do their job. the place is empty and you can't sit on thegoodpart of the patio if you don't order an entree.

my recommendation? don't go. if you want the best margarita of all time, go to matt's el rancho or curra's. matt's has infinitely better food.

the one thing that iron shactus has going on is the guacamole. it slays. it is amazing. it is their saving grace. but if you go and don't order it, you're and idiot and we can't be friends.

i was there for the pecon festival. the service was a 1.5 of 5,goodtequila selection, but not well served when i asked for a flight of reposados (my favorite tequila) as a bar manager i had to ask why they don't serve jose cuervo tradicional chilled, since you suppost to keep that bottle in the fridge. all i got was ; no w/ attitude from the manager and that if i still wanted it. bad choice for customer service.

the food was great and the service was also verygood- considering how busy they were (motorcycle rally week) they did an excellent job keeping up with our table. very tasty!

good mexican. i really enjoyed the chile relleno here (which is how i judge mexican restaurants). it's agoodgo to, but not the best in austin.goodlocation though. i'd still recommend el sol y de luna if you want mexican downtown.

great margaritas,goodfood, cheap happy hour, and excellent service!

the service was horrible very rude waiters. the queso had a verygoodtaste all though it was cold!! the steak had a werid glaze. i will not return to iron cactus.


-----27 sep, 2009-----

the service was horrible very rude waiters, the queso had agoodtaste but was cold, the steak had a werid glaze overall i would not return.

nice view, decent food, perfect ritas.. this is agoodplace to bring out-of-towners. it looks nice, the food is good, and the drinks are fantastic. great view of 6th street from either up or downstairs. the margaritas absolutely cannot be beat. you will not find a better one in this city. real, fresh lime juice, not sweet and sour-- it makes all the difference in the world. they also have 50+ kinds of tequila, so don't get the house brand; ask your server for a recommendation in a price range you're comfortable with.

i will say that if you go during peak hours (7-9 friday or saturday night), the quality and timeliness of your food decreases pretty sharply. this is because the place was built with no idea of how popular it would be, so the kitchen really is way too small to handle as many people as the restaurant can seat. it's a big failing of the restaurant that needs to be addressed, but the owner is a prideful idiot that will never turn away paying customers in favor of giving others a better dining experience, so currently the best answer to this is to just avoid going during those times to avoid a bad experience.

service is about average. sometimes it's verygoodand sometimes it's barely passable, and it really does depend on your server and what time you go. servers are always polite and knowledgeable about the menu, but when they're busy, they're extremely busy (again with the restaurant capacity problem), so they're simply less present. having worked there, i know that they all know how to be and want to begoodservers; they sometimes just do not have the time.

as for the food, i think it's delicious. it's kind of a mix between southwest and tex-mex, with some standard, economical tex-mex plates and some more original (and more expensive) items. they even have a couple of steaks and burgers. chips here are nothing special, but their salsas and table sauces are awesome. for dinner, i love the pollo relleno and the chile rubbed pork tenderloin. also some verygoodsalads. desserts are yummy-- don't miss the chocolate tres leches with fresh raspberries on top, mmmm.

all in all, this place is not without its flaws, but if you go at the right time, it's sure to impress. if you're not sure, just go for the ritas, the appetizers, and the view, and you won't be disappointed.

forget the view! you'll be too busy tossing back the fabulous margaritas and unbelievablygoodguac. two people in our group weren't guac fans and devoured iron cactus' guac. from ceviches to fajitas everything was fantastic. monica, the waitress was the best and is a bona fide tequila expert.