Cactus Club Cafe — Restaurant in Vernon

Okay Vernon, let’s talk cacti! More specifically, let’s talk about Vernon’s most recent cactoid — the Cactus Club Café! Boasting a contemporary, and harmonizing mix of glass and steel, the Cactus Club stands welcoming to any and all that pass by. By outward architecture alone, you are informed that class, elegance, and fine dining dwells within the confines of this sleek stand-alone structure.

Cactus Club may be a chain restaurant, but don’t allow that to fool you into thinking that it is not uniquely Vernon’s own. Once you’ve wandered in through the prodigious entryway, you are immediately met with a modest throng of punishingly beautiful faces and figures. The air holds within it a subtle whisper of sautéed, glazed and caramelized offerings. A sultry hint of perfectly cooked steaks with the promise of sugary delights offered at the end teases you with promise.

To the left stands the lounge/dining area, replete with large screen televisions offering the latest sports highlights, or the Cactus Club’s very own channel for the viewer to enjoy. Gifting a healthy choice of seat selections; from booths, to bar-top, to tables that seat two or more, and a seamless transition to the outdoor patio, you feel very welcome in this place.

I have had the privilege of dining here twice now, and each time I do is a gift to my olfactory and glossopharyngeal nerve center’s. The Butternut squash is a delight not easily forgotten. Perhaps my only critique among my plethora of niceties is that I wish the dish was offered in a “heaping” option alongside its appetizer and entree offerings.

The Cactus Club Café, without a doubt a fine choice for a luxurious dining experience.

Thank you to the hardworking, knowledgeable (and beautiful) staff of Vernon’s Cactus Club, located on Anderson Way just off the highway. Trust me, it’s...

Cactus Club Vernon has single-handedly ruined my night, my appetite, and possibly my faith in humanity. I don’t even know where to begin because I’m still processing the audacity of this establishment.

The energy? Off. The service? Nonexistent. The entire experience felt like a personal attack. I walked in expecting a nice evening — maybe a decent meal, a drink, some ambiance. What I got was chaos, confusion, and a deep, existential disappointment I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.

And Carter. Don’t even get me started on Carter. I don’t know if he was trying to be rude or if that’s just his natural setting, but his attitude was stunningly bad. Condescending, slow, and somehow always managing to be everywhere except where we needed him. I felt like I was being gaslit by a man with a tray. He made an already horrible experience ten times worse.

By the time I left, I wasn’t even angry — I was spiritually unwell. This place drained the joy from my soul like a vacuum from hell. I cannot believe I willingly stepped foot into this vortex of mediocrity. Honestly, I should’ve taken it as a sign when I walked in and felt a chill that went straight to my bones.

To whoever runs this place: I hope you read this. I hope it haunts you. Because I’ll never forget.

Never again....

My husband, our daughter and I went in at 730 to grab an evening treat. After being seated in the family section, I watched as four or five different servers milled about setting up tables and seating new groups at them. While we waited for any of the several young women working the floor to come take our drink orders or even deliver waters, the tables that had come in 5-10 minutes after us not only were seen to, but had drink orders delivered. Normally, we’re pretty understanding having both worked a decade or more in the restaurant industry. But after almost twenty minutes, we decided to gather our coats and leave. At which point a manager came to light our candle. When we let her know we were on our way out, she asked if we needed our bill, to which we responded we hadn’t even been served yet. She said “oh, I’m sorry to hear that”, and that was that.

If this was a one off incident, I’d be inclined to try again another time. But this is our third instance of becoming the “invisible table” when we have our daughter with us. The service was tremendous when this location first opened, and I’ve never had a bad experience on the lounge side. But after tonight, I don’t know that I’m willing to chance being outright ignored...