Cactus Charly — Restaurant in Maplewood

I'm a local Maplewoodian--my entire life--and I have never been disappointed with Cactus Charly. Their food is excellent, as well as the presentation of it; the atmosphere is colorful, and the service has been great. Last night was one of the best meals that I have had, as well as everyone in my party. Our waiter was charming and handled our table with style and smiles. We always have orders that have substitutions and he just excelled. As you can see from the photos that I have below, the food looked amazing. I have read some reviews where people do not give the dinners as much praise as I am doing here. This can happen anywhere. But I have had many family meals here and huge celebrations. And every single time we are happy. When out of towners come to visit, we always take them here. Perhaps if I were to change one thing, it would possibly be the chips. I've never flipped over their taste, but I love the salsa I would like it to be even a bit thicker but it has excellent flavor! I also wish they had a liquor license because I love a Margarita with Mexican. But it is a BYOB establishment. The main strip of town has many restaurants and each of these has been supplied with fun outdoor seating by the township. On a summer's night this strip is hopping with diners sitting outside and enjoying their meals. Unfortunately Cactus Charly is "off the beaten track" so it is a quieter spot. It only has a few tables on the sidewalk. This is a shame because if it were on the main street it would packed. I love the vibe of Cactus Charly and if you like Mexican, you should...

It's decent Mexican food. Nothing memorable but not bad either. Three place seems understaffed considering the place is somewhat small. It took a long time for anyone to actually come over to my table. I'm not typically impatient when it comes to these things but the wait was quite long and that was only to get water and chips brought to the table. The place was also very loud which must have something to do with the acoustics because it wasn't overly crowded nor was the music particular loud. The portion size was good. The salsa was very good. I got a combination platter and it was forgettable. All in all it was a decent meal but nothing to write home about. If you want Mexican food this will suffice but you won't be...

Food is tasty and some of the dishes are priced pretty well. Typical menu items for a Mexican place but also a lot of variety so most people will find something they like. Highly recommend the enchiladas de camarón. The green sauce is great and they are generous with the protein.

Despite that, there are a ton of over priced menu items that I wouldn't recommend. Depending on what you get, the portion size can be small.

Outside seating is available. Staff is friendly but there seemed to be only 1 waitress so things can move slow on a busy...