Golden Cactus Brewing — Restaurant in Roanoke

This has to be one of the coolest breweries that I've ever been to. At like 11:00am on a Sunday morning this place was jamming. There looked to be some sort of wood lacquerin class going on. There was a DJ spinning the tunes and selling yard sale type items off to the side. There was also a book publishing company that was selling their Wares inside as well. They had a couple of pinball games but also looked be like an old Nintendo 64 where a group of guys were playing old school Madden. There's even a little sand playpit outside for the young kids to play in. The inside is fairly large and open with quite a few tables. The backside has an outdoor area with a number of tables. Right next door to them is Plant store, where they might have gotten all of theirs. They do have a number of cactus and flowers littered throughout. The service was great you could go right up to the bar and get a couple of flights to try. Our group pretty much enjoyed everything they had. There was a large line for the food which looked to be like a different provider cooking up the goodies, we didn't get anything but it smelled really good and there was a good size line. Lots of fun the beer is good definitely worth your time to stop by and enjoy this...

😁Solid spot but needs more inclusive staff interactions😁

I’ve come back to Golden Cactus a bunch of times—great beer, chill atmosphere, low-key music—and honestly, that vibe keeps me coming back. I can walk 🚶🏾‍♂️ here in 5 minutes-I bike in three 🚲

However, I’ve noticed a consistent issue: one of the bartenders seems dismissive toward me and other customers of color, but always seems friendly with white customers. It’s subtle but noticeable—and it really takes the edge off what is otherwise a favorite spot.

I appreciate that Golden Cactus hasn’t recently hired a diverse staff (at least as far as I can tell), which makes the dynamic even more glaring. I’d love to see them hire more inclusively and train all staff to treat everyone with equal warmth. Until then, my experience will always feel a lil’ half-baked.

What I love: laid-back vibe, good beers, cool games-PINBALL!!

What could be better: more inclusive hiring and staff training to ensure everyone feels genuinely welcome

Hope they take this in stride and make improvements—I’d love to recommend this place wholeheartedly.

😎sending good...

I absolutely love this place. I love Roanoke's evergrowing little scene of breweries and Golden Cactus makes an excellent addition. Let's start with the beer. I've been very impressed with their beer since day one. I think I've had the opportunity to try everything they have released so far and it's been great! I'm a big fan of sours and their unique Pickle Rickles and Morty sours are amongst my favorites available in all of Roanoke right now. I appreciate that they took the time to brew some quality beers before opening and though they only run a few on tap, it's certainly quality over quantity. I look forward to seeing what they have in the future! As for the space itself, I love this place. The atmosphere is relaxed, fun, and inviting. Their outdoor space is just as cozy as the inside. The artwork throughout the place is great. The logo painted outside is one of my favorites, it brightens up that area so much. Also, the illustration done on the bar is so fun and interesting. Definitely worth going to check out the bar! 10/10, would absolutely...