Cactus Club Cafe — Restaurant in Coquitlam

So Disappointed, consistency Has Gone Way Downhill

I’ve been ordering the Szechuan Lettuce Wraps for years, usually once or twice a week at a minimum. They’ve always been one of my favorite things on the menu and typically last me two meals, sometimes more. I usually tear up the lettuce and eat it like a salad. For me, it’s always been worth it, even as an appetizer close to $30... until recently.

Over the past six to ten orders, the quality and consistency have completely fallen apart.

One time, the portion was tiny, taking up less than a third of the container. Another time, the lettuce was brown and rusty. (Actually more than once this has happened) Another time, there was what seemed like a whole cup of peanuts dumped in. It was about 70 percent peanuts. Then another time, it was overloaded with soggy wonton. The next order came with no peanuts at all, they were just omitted. Another time it came on shredded lettuce with tofu instead of chicken, which I definitely didnt order. And having it on shredded lettuce made it so it was only able to be eaten at that time as it couldn't be kept nor heated up. Another time, the spice level was out of hand. I couldn’t even take a single bite without it burning. One time, it was packed in the small dine-in to-go boxes, which leaked everywhere.

This last order was the worst of all. I ordered the lettuce wraps again and a side of Creole fries for my son. The food took an hour to arrive, and when it did, the fries had so much seasoning that they were inedible, with wet clumps of salty seasoning all over them. I paid for an extra side of yogurt dip for my lettuce wraps, but instead received three ramekins of garlic dip, which I absolutely cannot eat. I didn’t realize it at first and poured it over the lettuce wrap "salad" so that meant half the meal immediately went to the garbage.

On top of that, I bit into something hard and strange in the chicken mixture, which chipped a bit off my back tooth. I’m not sure if it was a small bone, shell, or something else, but it was really unpleasant and gross.

When I called the restaurant, I was told a manager would call me back, but they never did. The employee I spoke with argued that what I described was impossible because everything is “recipe-prepared” and standardized. I was also told that I must have mistaken the garlic dip for the spicy yogurt because they “look and smell the same.”

With all due respect, I’ve been ordering this dish for years, one to three times a week. I absolutely know the difference. Even a faint whiff of garlic dip makes me nauseated and the spicy yogurt doesn’t even smell remotely similar.

I’m really disappointed, especially after being such a loyal customer. This used to be one of my go-to comfort meals that I recommended to many people. But between the inconsistency, the argument when I tried to raise a concern, the manager not following up, and the fact that my last order actually chipped my tooth, I don’t think I’ll be ordering again, at least not from this location. Prior to Cactus, I was a loyal Joey's lettuce wrap girl. Ordered them for years. However, due to the location I switched to cactus. I think I will need to...

It's finally time to share my story of Stefan. It was my 26th birthday, shortly after this location opened a few years ago. We had the chaotic and insane experience of having Stefan as our server. Unbeknownst to us, his serving would create inside jokes for years to come. I ordered a drink and he asked for my ID, and I made the little joke to our table, "oh, he thinks I'm under 25, great," and without missing a beat, Stefan goes, "we ID under 30." First of all, relax. Second of all, unnecessary. I was like "great, thanks," and then he DOUBLES DOWN, and is like, "you don't look a day over 26." It's been three years and my boyfriend STILL says this to me on a weekly basis. Also, as mentioned, it was my 26th birthday. I WAS 26. He half ignored our table, didn't really check on us, and then when dessert came, we ordered it, and Stefan brought it, a simple dessert on the plate, nothing more. I asked if I could get a candle since it's my birthday (and they advertise free desserts for birthdays) and this SOCIOPATH says, "our lighter just ran out, we can't do anymore candles." Over the next twenty minutes, I watched three seperate people get lit candles on their free birthday desserts. THEN STEFAN CHARGED US FOR THE DESSERT. So, no birthday dessert, no candle for unknown reasons, why was this man bullying me on my birthday?? 😂😭 OH and then when I brought this up, and when I called him on the fact that the lighter seemed to be fine, he's like "to make up for it, I'll buy you your entire dinner next year." GUESS WHAT DIDN'T HAPPEN NEXT YEAR. I wrote to management about it and they were like "sorry you had a bad experience! Hope you come back xo" (I'm paraphrasing, but the vibe was identical). When I did come back the next year for my birthday, we had a nice waitress who, when I asked if Stefan still worked there, immediately said, "yeah. Why, do you have beef?" Yes, I DO have beef with this man. The immediate wonder of having beef solidifies that Stefan is a menace upon society, and more specifically, the Cactus Club by Coquitlam Centre. I still didn't get my free birthday meal promised by Stefan (management refuses to honour this, yet another instance of the lil guy being silenced by a big company), or a make-up birthday dessert. Why did you gotta do me like that, Cactus Club? Your burgers are SO good, truffle fries iconic, but is the food worth the risk of running into Stefan again? I fear it may not be. I hope my story helps others who have experienced Stefan come forward. You're not alone in...

From the food to the staff, I'm extremely disappointed with my experience.

to summarize-

the food: we ordered the lemongrass noodles, chicken tenders, a burger and the creme brulee. It was awful. The lemongrass noodles and chicken were frozen cold, anything that touches the grill is both under cooked and burned, it just tasted rushed. the bread was hard and stale, nothing about the burger was enjoyable, including the fries. the creme brulee was chunky and the only nice part of our meal was the chicken tenders that are bought, not made in house.

the staff: we interacted with 3 different staff members, the front desk, the waitress that walked us to our chair, and our waitress. All three treated my fiance and I with annoyance and like we were inconveniences. At several points we considered leaving from their attitudes alone. The waitress felt like she profiled people as high and low tippers, and we heard her speaking ill of some of the tables who used gift cards to pay. She took an extremely long time speaking to the other couple who arrived after us, over sharing about her credit score, life goals and financial situation to the man who did not prompt her at all- he even made the comment to his wife after that he was confused at the situation. It felt like a guilt trip to try and make them tip higher. mind you, she gave the same rushed service to them afterwards. I also have dietary restrictions and after letting her know, she did not warn me about some foods I couldnt eat and had to toss half of my meal. It took so long and was so disappointing. The front desk also let her friend group of 3 cut the wait list, which should have been our first sign to leave. be careful if you are allergic to anything coming here, some staff care, many dont.

The atmosphere: the decor is pretty. bad circulation though, my fiance and I both started feeling the stale air mid way through our meal. our faces burned and we developed a cough. the lights and walls are pretty though, if youre sensitive to loud music, this may not be the place for you, it's very difficult to have a conversation without low key yelling. Also! the front door is difficult to find, the design makes it blend into the glass wall.

Verdict: We will be going out of our way to never return. We have tried several locations, this one three times now and each time it is the...