Review The Thirsty Cactus - Hamilton

Amazing food, beer, entertainment and service. We truly experienced a full 5 star restaurant. The portions are huge and very well priced. We dined in on a Saturday night and the place was packed. Make sure you make reservations ahead of time. We tried 4 different dishes off the menu and all of it was delicious and plenty to take home. We definitely will be back to try the other items on the menu.

Great first experience. Had the taco + Marg special and a bacon cheese burg and fries. Photos show about half the huge portions (sorry - so hungry, couldn't wait). We will be back.

First time here and confident I won’t be back. Waited far to long for our table to be greeted and have our food served. I also find it strange that they DO serve Margaritas but they are not listed on the menu. Our food was “alright” pretty standard tex-mex. There is a kitchen door that SLAMS loudly continuously as staff walk in and out of the kitchen. It’s incredibly distracting!

We went on Thursday to have dinner, we didn't know, but was tria day. It was very fun night. The menu has many options, we got a a brisket skilled and a jambalaya. Both were tasty. The service was amazing!

Food and service were great, really enjoyed the atmosphere inside! I can't wait to visit the patio for drinks this summer. I just wish the hot sauce was hotter!

Amazing food, good service and a good atmosphere. Food was ready in good timing and it’s a popular spot. I recommend trying the nachos and for desert the vegan peanut butter cup 👍

The service was incredible, our server suggested amazing food and even went above and beyond to customize it for us without us even asking. The food came incredibly fast and tasted amazing. The portions are also massive and the price is much cheaper then most places. There was also live music that sounded great. Highly recommend this place!

Husband loved the atmosphere. Great spot for a guys night ...beers and sports. Although the "chicken waffles " were disappointing and the bang bang shrimp was scarce.. the chicken pasta was fantastic!

meh. typical pub fare, always packed like a can of sardines. mediocre service. Semi clean interior. Overpriced because of its location in the heart of Downtown Dundas. I went here several times as a child and a few times as an adult and I really see no apparent reason to ever return.

The Bang Bang Shrimp had dusted shrimps tossed in Dynamite sauce, drizzled in chipotle mayo, and topped with jalapeño . At first glance, the dish was smaller than I expected but its taste made up for it in the end. I loved the dusted crunchiness of the shrimps drizzled in the chipotle mayo and Dynamite sauce. It was just spicy enough for me and a dish I can see myself craving for every so often😀.<br/><br/>At this time, the server also brought out a bowl of complimentary nachos covered with cheese. Yay! These were just regular nachos with melted processed cheese but I really liked it. It went so well with the Bang Bang Shrimp appetizer to break up the spiciness. I placed some of the jalapeños on the nachos to eat too and it was such a tasty combination!😀

Family of 4. All loved our meals. Waitress was not making suggestions or coming back for refills, checking in etc... But all of our meals were great portions, temp and delicious

My dining group wanted to eat on the patio but the weather would not cooperate with us. When our group arrived the manager asked us if we could move inside because it was going to be a thunder storm. They set a table inside to be there when we wanted to move. As soon as the first crack of thunder happened the servers snapped up everything on our outside table to transfer inside. this was so nice. <br/>Atmosphere- It is a nice space with a lot of wood. it does give the feel of tex mex. I would have preferred the patio but inside was safer.<br/>Food- My group had the following: 1) hamburger- Good and tasty.  Fries were really ( over) crispy- some people like them I am not n that group. 2) bang bang shrimp- hot and spicy with a ton of jalepino peppers. Dish was good but too many peppers in my opinion  3) beef burrito- good but too many refried beans 4) chimichanga- excellent 4) fish tacos- fish was burned on outside but the rest of the taco had great flavour. i loved it with bbq sauce. 5) pulled pork mac and cheese- wow Cheesy! There was so much of both pork and noodles that after my friend had finished it looked like a full bowl of the stuff. she loved the flavour as well. 6) Cactus dip- Everyone loved this . If i ordered this again i would ask for all fried pitas rater than the naucho chips. they were awesome.<br/>Server- Fast and efficient. I asked for another pop because the drink was watered down ( needed more syrup) It was replaced lickety split.<br/>Impression- I want to go back one summer evening in the summer to experience that great patio. Also when we left the rain had stopped and we saw a beautiful rainbow as we walked to our cars.

Ribs and mash. Worst time at a restaurant! Terrible service, awful food...Worst ribs I've had in my life, and box potatoes. It's sad when your coleslaw is the only thing you enjoyed. Oh and my date asked to box up one of his sandwiches and they just never brought it back and continued to avoid our table at the front of the restaurant.<br/><br/>Worst experience at a bar ever! Could care less to ever return.

Half price wings on Sunday, incredible service, friendly, perfect timing, lots of smiles, great overall atmosphere and of course spectacular wings

Disappointed... I've been searching for an authentic Mexican spot for a while, so was terribly let down on trying the food at this "cantina". fish tacos were served on cold cardboard tasting tortilla wrap... chimichanga was served with cold refried beans and plain sticky rice.. AND stuffed with the same rice and beans. my husband's enchilada was smothered in cheese.. no sauce, vegetables or guacamole in sight. would not go back for dinner.. looks like a good spot for drinks. decor is great,.. has a very rustic-chic vibe going on.

Gluten free dinner. Our daughter & family were there last week...July 17th...the management, staff and chef could not have been more helpful in providing a gluten free meal for our little grandson who has celiac disease. Thank you so, so much for your helpfulness, kindness and thorough preparation of his dinner. We will return many times....

Wrong prices in the menu - Watch your bill!. My wife and I stopped by the Thirsty Cactus for a few cold drinks and noticed that the prices listed in the menu are different from the prices on the bill. In particular, the price of draft beer on the menu is: (Domestic: $4.50/ Premium: $4.75, Import: $5.00). The price of draft on the bill however is significantly different from the menu price (Domestic $6.25/Premium $6.50/Import $7.00).<br/><br/>While waiting at the bar to pay I mentioned that the prices in the menu did not match the prices on the bill. The server explained the beer prices in the menu were wrong. He followed up his explanation by saying the menu has been "wrong for more than a year" and "people just pay more once they know why there's a difference". I didn't fight him about the prices and paid the full amount. The server wasn't at all concerned about the 40% price difference.<br/><br/>While the Thirsty Cactus may be a nice place to grab a drink, to knowingly use outdated menus with pricing errors which are not explained by staff before ordering raises a lot of questions about this place.

First time here, very delicious!. We went on a Saturday evening around 6:30pm. The place was very busy! The patio was full but inside the restaurant they have large windows open to the street that let in a lot of light and fresh air so its a great atmosphere in the summer. They even have a couple pool tables inside. The cactus lager is great! We ordered wings and the Mexi fries for dinner. Probably some of the best wings we've had! Very large and the sauce was great and they were made to order- extra crispy and extra saucy. The Mexi fries are loaded with sour cream, salsa, onions, beef, cheese, etc, and hit the spot! We were very pleased and will definitely be back soon! The only thing they should change is the free appetizer they put on your table after you order which is nacho chips with cheese sauce....its a little lack luster, but free.

Really great staff and really good food their own cactus lager is great. Really kid friendly before 7.

Great Food and Staff!. We were there for the Cactus Festival today. It was very busy but that didn't effect the quality of food or the service. <br/>Really great food, and they make their own beer (which is worth trying). <br/>We've been there before and had an equally satisfying visit.

Not great. Ordered the enchiladas and they were quite strange. There was no enchilada sauce and they were covered in too much cheese. They were not rolled, were crunchy, and had lots of raw onion. Maybe other stuff on the menu is better, but I am in no hurry to go back.

Wake up management and staff! For YEARS we have frequented this restaurant and use to love it without ever having complaints. Either in the last 1-2 years it has changed management or it has just become very bored and complacent. We keep telling ours selves to "try again" maybe it will be better than the last visit but we are continually disappointed. The food has gone downhill and there are menu items I would not feed to my dog. You are in desperate need of a visit from chef Ramsey. Clean up your restaurant and start preparing food the way you use to. We won't be back until we see a sign saying "under new management"

Awesome summer patio experience. We enjoy sitting on the patio during the summer months at Thirstys. The staff is always friendly. The wings are always hot, saucy and awesome. I have never had a bad experience there. The patio on saturdays features a musician who is pretty good Mike V. So its a real enjoying time, on a hot summers day, to have a few cold ones and wings and listen to some great cover tunes. I have also tried the New Brunswick stew with 3 differnet meats in it and it too was really good. It was surprisingly filling I wasn't hungry after eating a bowl of it.

Great poutine when it's available, very good half price wings on Sundays. Lots of variety at the beer taps.

Over priced. Rice portion may have stuffed my hamster but that's about it. The fake cheese on the nachos highly resembled the orange smotherings on Wendy's baked potato. Chicken was real and tasty at least. During the meal we realized Burrito Brothers would have been a far better option for our fajita needs.

Locals rave about this place but I've been disappointed by the food several times now. Bland and over-cooked. You get a big portion but I never want to finish or take it home. Not a bad place for a drink and nachos. Staff is friendly.

Still a fav! Amazing service Everytime, Only issue we have is the food can be hit or miss. The same order of nachos can differ from week to week. And chicken wings can sometimes come out with little to no sause... One week I'd give the food a 10. The next it can fall as low as a 5 or 6. I guess it all depends who's working the kitchen that night. Over all, Still love it

Aweful !!!. This used to be a decent, casual restaurant with Mexican and Tex-Mex classics. I can only assume it is under new management, and it is clear that no one affiliated with that management as every been further south than Ohio. The service was poor, but the food was much worse. It would appear that every meal is created with ingredients from Kraft. The "burrito" I ordered was cold throughout, and came with a kilogram of sour cream on top. I mentioned this to the waitress and she whisked it away with apologies, returning all too quickly with the same burrito that had clearly just been microwaved. The three people I ate with were similarly unimpressed by the low quality of the food and service. A shame -- it used to be a nice place. We'll stick with Papagayo in Hamilton next time -- legit, excellent Mexican food that has never seen the inside of a microwave oven.

Great pub. I love their cactus lager !!!!!<br/><br/> wish they would bring back gator bites but the wings are still very good. A friendly place for a family dinner before 7pm then its party time !

Disgusting food ! WORST tex mex ive ever had. If u want a can of beans wrapped in a tortilla and call it a burrito or chimichanga enjoy. Minimal to no meat in anything, crappy quesadilla also. How is this place rated well, it cant be for the food. Worst burrito, chimi and quesadilla ever , beans, beans , beans honestly. Nice atmosphere, friendly staff, cheap beer, sub par margarita.

I wonder if the management has changed....the food wasn't as good as when we came here last summer.... My meal was cold and I asked them to heat it up, it came back slightly less cold than when I sent it back :( the cheese had already congealed...it wasn't yummy and stringy like it should be when it's HOT.

Great PUB !. Really great staff. They are friendly to you if you are by yourself or in a large group/Family.<br/>I had a pulled pork sandwich. It was very good.<br/>I like there own Cactus Lager !

This place is really in Dundas, not Hamilton.

This is one of my boyfriend and my favourite restaurants. It always has a great atmosphere, food comes out quickly, waitresses are friendly. Their fajitas abs burritos are great. Love the nachos on the table.

The Thirsty Cactus essentially does TexMex but pub style. For me that means spice and I’m about to get my cheese on.