Iron Cactus Mexican Restaurant and Margarita Bar — Restaurant in San Antonio

I have to say that this establishment was the worst experience of our entire vacation. I do not write many bad reviews as is apparent by my history but this place was supposed to be really good and we choose this spot for our Grandson's second year birthday dinner. (First things first, the food itself was delicious, well proportioned for thier price to quality and the recipes were delicious and offered in inspiring combinations, 👏 bravo to the kitchen staff!) Unfortunately this is the only positive thing I have to say about this restaurant and we will never darken their door again with our business especially not for a holiday or celebration occasion... Failure item #1 Beth our Hostess was very rude and argumentative to a point in enforcing seemingly baseless rules for our party. We had 2 young children with us that they knew we were having a birthday dinner for and would not provide a high chair or booster seating for outside tables that we originally requested. Beth also said very rudely to my wife that we could not add any chairs to existing 4 top tables outside. They had several large 8 person booths avaliable, that could have been offered to us if they had though of it before they tried, unsuccessfully to cram our party of 6 into a 4 top corner table ment obviously to seat only 4 a second hostess had to come up and suggest we use the larger table and Beth's attitude only went down hill with us from there. #2) it took almost 20 minutes for the bar to produce our first drink order after we were seated. When our drinks/cocktails arrived they were some of the smallest I've personally ever see. I would be very surprised if they were over 10oz. Total probably more like 6 oz. Without the ice. You could not taste any alcohol in them and no one at our table of 4 got even the slightest of buzz. . They were expensive to, $12 per drink. This was a sad way to start off. 3) Abby was our server and obviously new to her job which I understand that everyone has to be new at something sometime, she did however try to do her job correctly with very little apparent help from the rest of the team or the management staff. 4) It was clearly apparent that something was amiss in this restaurant between management and the wait staff as the tension of the staff in this restaurant was so palpable that you could nearly reach out and cut it with a knife. 5) Almost none of the wait staff appeared happy or enthusiastic about thier jobs. Joe one of the floor Managers passed by our table several times with a scowl apparent on his face and failed to ever even acknowledge any of us or inquire if there was any problem. 6) My step daughter had a direct interaction with Joe, This same floor Manager concerning a request for the birthday dinners desert and she procieved his attitude to be both rude, uninviting And very unaccomodating for what seemed to us to be a very reasonable request. For a table total of $250.00 for 4 adults and 2 children under 5 years old I expect way better then this. As a further side note the men's bath room was filthy and unkempt with 2 overflowing trash receptacles. Toilet paper and other wet fluids on the floor in several places It appeared to be in need of a thorough cleaning for some time, the paper towel dispenser was also empty. Don't waste your money or time here thier are many better establishments only walking distance away. I'm reasonably sure that this place had to be good at some point to have such a prestigious spot on the River walk, this time however ...

Recently had dinner at the Iron Cactus with an out-of-town friend.

I'd like to start with the positives:

The hostess was fantastic. She did a great job of managing customers waiting for tables while at the same time keeping the flow steady for servers. (Some customers were being super rude and she handled it with patience and grace.)

The margaritas were really good.

The chips and salsas were very good. (We both enjoyed the warm, roasted salsa.)

The mediums:

Our server was initially really good and attentive, but then became more sparse as our meal progressed. (Even though the number of tables she was handling was the same. The restaurant wasn't that busy during our visit. We were having a kind of late dinner.)

The margaritas were really good, but our drinks came out slowly (but that wasn't on her - the bar was probably backed up.)

The patio was nice, but there were a LOT of birds. (I've been to many other Riverwalk restaurants, at all times of the year and this was by far the most birds I've experienced. Though in colder weather, there are less birds.)

The not-so-greats:

Minus the chips & salsas and the table side guacamole, the rest of the food was really disappointing:

The chicken enchiladas were barely warm and must have sat under the salamander for a bit because the cheese had coagulated and was one massive, cold blanket of cheese I had to saw through. The fish tacos came out cold, too. The tortillas were straight up cold and broke apart when my guest picked them up because they didn't have any "give". There was only a single, small piece of warm-ish fried fish under a mountain of cabbage. And it lacked in flavor.. The rice was really wet and also lacked in flavor, as did the refried beans. (The borracho beans were just ok.) The Blue Moon (canned) beer was served without a glass and the orange was slimy. We had to ask several servers for a glass. The creme brulee was, ironically, served over-heated (like it sat under the salamander for too long.) It wasn't a solid, smooth custard, but more of a tepid soup. NGL, it was disappointing.

I was sad my friend and I had such a disappointing dining experience. I am aware the Iron Cactus is a chain, but with so many other great RW restaurants, I sadly would not...

I'm unsure why patrons rated this place exceptionally high. Maybe for the atmosphere or perhaps the service. It is right on the famous riverwalk itself. Read and you'll rate it yourself

Eric is exceptionally knowledgeable and customer friendly. He welcomed us and educated us on their menu. Highly recommend their on the rock margarita....with a hint of jalapeno. All flavors are wonderful. Now let's talk about the food flavors and quality. This is where I've nothing to rave about.

Chips and salsa complimentary. Thin chips lightly salted. Salsa, warm and cold, is tangy and quite different from the authentic Mexican salsa. This is their version of salsa. There are others that are much better tasting.

Mexican meatloaf tasted more like meat pate, finely grounded beef with chorizo topped with red sauce possibly ketchup. More on the dry side. Lack flavor especially when the meat is so finely grounded. The dish came with a bowl of corn with crema sauce and mashed potato. Corn has strange tangy flavor, not my favorite. The mashed potato is nicely flavored with chorizo. Great taste on the mashed potatoes, however, not the corn!

Shrimp enchilada is delish except the cilantro rice. The dish comes with 2 large grilled shrimp. The shrimp is delish and so is the enchilada with crema sauce. However, the cilantro rice is oddly flavored and the texture tasted more like Uncle Ben, fluffy and not dense or flavorful like Mexican rice. Will not eat the rice! Picadillo Purses made with phyllo dough stuffed with ground beef. Filling is delish but the strange phyllo dough is still gooey almost improperly cooked when baked/fried.

When a restaurant that consider themself as a high end joint, you expect them to perform. We were the 2nd table for lunch walked in at 11 a.m, yet the restroom is littered with paper. One of the hand towel machine is empty requiring refill! Did not expect this.

Overall, love the atmosphere and the service. Absolutely not coming here for the food since the flavor is less than desirable. Price is on the high end. So, save your money and try other places unless you have no where to go at...