Steel Cactus

I absolutely love Mexican food, so I’m always on the lookout for restaurants like the Steel Cactus. Granted, I consider Steel Cactus a little lower on the quality scale than most other Mexican restaurants, but they have a great happy hour which my roommates and I frequent.
One of the things I really like about the Steel Cactus is the rooftop bar. This is such a fun place to be in the summertime, enjoying a fruity drink and looking out over Shadyside. As I mentioned, my roommates and I usually come for the happy hour, so I can’t speak too much to the regular entrees. Concerning the happy hour — it’s one of the best we’ve found in the burgh. They have a whole list of house wines (about six of them, I believe) that are $ 3 a glass… and they are pretty healthy pours! Additionally, all of the specialty cocktails are only $ 5. I appreciate this a lot as I enjoy getting cocktails but most happy hours only put one or two cocktails on special. I usually get the mojito; it’s pretty good, and there aren’t many other restaurants in the city that offer mojitos year-​round.
On the food scene, all of the appetizers are half off which turns out to be a great deal when you come with a few friends. For example, the guacamole is usually $ 8, down to $ 4 at happy hour, and thus only a little over $ 1 per person if you come with two other friends. You can’t beat that! My roommates and I LOVE dips, so we always go straight for the guacamole and the queso dip. The quesadillas with chicken are good as well. One of my friends is gluten-​free, and she was easily accommodated by switching out the flour tortilla for a corn tortilla on the quesadillas.
Is this the best Mexican food I’ve ever had? Well, no, not by a long shot. But man, you can’t beat the prices! If you’re looking for delicious authentic Mexican food, the truth is that you probably want to look elsewhere. But the Steel Cactus is always a great choice if you’re looking for a super cheap happy hour where you can share a few tasty drinks and apps!

Steel cactus has been my place to go for Brunch and their rooftop during summer nights, that’s why I gave 3 stars. I’ve been going since they opened and I’m sad to see how the quality of this business is decreasing, service is awful, the servers are killing this restaurant, the only good experiences I’ve had has been at the bar, I’ve waited over 10 minutes to get our server just greet us, i’ve gotten a mimosa spilled, moved from a table after getting our drink order because the host forgot they were closing it for a private, waited over 40 minutes for an order of tacos, the bartender serving us because the server didn’t show up, and food is not too bad, management needs to get it together and improve, there’s always something going on with the front of the house, it’s beyond ridiculous!

Brunch: the food is so so but the mimosas are only $ 3. That’s pretty much the draw as far as I can tell. There’s always space so it’s good for large groups of people and they have a fun a Bloody Mary bar where you can fix your own with yummy toppings. I will continue to come for the $ 3 mimosas.

I’m glad I had great company to spend my rare weekly lunch outside of work because food was blah. The cheese on my burrito had to be Velveeta… it tasted so wrong! The rice accompanying the burrito had a strange flavor.
I have to give it to them, the chips and salsa were better.
Then, to make our experience more weird they opened the window; in the middle of the winter. I guess the guys in the kitchen were hot. Haven’t they heard of a fan?
It’s a trendy place. The layout reminded me of the old Cozumel. I miss that place. Now that was a mexican restaurant!
Service was ok, but I guess it’s because they only had three tables to wait.
I give them 2 stars for the chips and salsa. Way to go!

Lunch in Shadyside. Had a beef burrito with green chili salsa. Food was tasty but would prefer a choice of shredded beef rather than ground. Green chili sauce was Ok but I haven’t found anything in Pittsburgh that compares with New Mexico. Portion was large, Spanish rice blah and no guocomole or sour cream.

Been here a few times, every time it was a negative experience.
Food wasn’t great
I had 20 dollars in songs on the juke box skipped over.
Bought drinks only to have a bouncer tell us it was closing time literally 2 minutes after we were handed the drinks and that we had to leave, In this case my friend sternly dressed him down and the guy left us alone.
This is 3 separate trips, 3 negative experiences.
Don’t waste your time, goto one of the other perfectly fine bars on walnut street

I recommend coming here specifically for happy hour. They have decent offerings, half priced apps and drink specials every day of the week. I wouldn’t say the food is anything to write home about, but I’ve not had a bad experience here either. I’ve only had the apps so will comment on those. The shrimp ceviche isn’t the authentic mexican or peruvian quality, but it is passable. Can’t go wrong with the guac and chips and would recommend those for sure, the spicier version has jalapenos in it. Queso dip is pretty standard but satisfies the crave. The rooftop is pleasant when the weather’s nice. It’s in a great location, so it’s convenient for a quick or casual bite, from which you can move onto your next great adventure. It’s a great meeting place, accomodates large groups, and I always see the after work crowd there to unwind. Overall, I feel like the food is in the same range as a Chili’s or Applebee’s, but given the vibe and location of the place, it feels like a step above.

I like this place’s happy hour because it is a good deal. The happy hour food and yinzeritas are decent.
If that was all I got there then I would give them 4 stars, but the service is pretty slow and the bartenders don’t pay attention to you even when the bar is empty. Also, do not get a «top-​shelf» margarita here, I have tried 3 different bartenders and the manager and they cannot make one. All of them so sweet that they weren’t drinkable.

This place is pretty good. Kind of pricey if you ask me especially for food that taste just okay. The bar is pretty fun though. I was just there with family in shady side and the bouncer was mad cool. The bartenders were really nice as well. Sunday brunch is pretty cool. I mean the food is not terrible but I just don’t think it matches the price well.

We were heading to the Apple Store and went over the the Steel Cactus for lunch. We thought the frozen raspberry margarita was very good. I had 3 tacos with rice and beans. The only thing a I thought could have been better was the rice. Everything else was pretty tasty! We would definitely go back in the future. I had the chorizo, pulled chicken and carnitas tacos yum…

«Meh. I’ve experienced better.» is actually a pretty good description; thanks Unilocal.I have just never been impressed by Steel Cactus, and more often than not, let down. I really try not to go here, however, this place is popular amongst a group of people I spend some time with that work close by… so most of the time its me trying to persuade them into going somewhere else.
Being that it is in Shadyside, and on Walnut specifically, I’d expect it to be one of the best not only in taste, but also service. I honestly have to say Mad Mex is way better. I would expect this place to be better even if it weren’t on Walnut.
My first time there I had the blackened mahi mahi with edamame succotash, cilantro rice, and a grilled lime… sounded fantastic on paper, but in reality it was quite bland and forgettable. I thought the lime would have at least enough juice left to squeeze on the fish, but it was just a piece of dry green pulp, so its inclusion was quite pointless. Sad to say, it was probably the most boring meal I’ve ever had. Same with the house chips, salsa, and guac, they are just lacking flavor and don’t keep me wanting to eat them (and trust… I love me some chips & guac). On another occasion, I had their tacos — carne sarteneada. Containing: carne, guajillo pepper salsa, red onion confit, chipotle ranch, bleu cheese, & scallions. While a step up from the mahi mahi, it was nothing to write home about.
To their benefit, they do have a great space. I like the layout, everything looks nice. They have a great outdoor patio area, and I like their sangria. Their mixed drinks and margs I’ve found to be prettttty weak on the pour.
In all, I think Steel Cactus is out of place in this area, it belongs in the Southside or maybe some suburb where multiple good options are less prevalent.

Very nice location. Beautiful views from the balcony overlooking Walnuts St. We were only here for about 30 minutes celebrating my brothers birthday. It was after 12am so the restaurant part was no longer serving food. We only had a few beers and ten left but I was definitely enjoying the vibe of the place.
This spot makes for a good first date or just a friendly get together with co-​workers and friends.

I’m an LA native, so I am admittedly a little snobby about Mexican food. I feel like Steel cactus breaks two cardinal rules of Mexican restaurants:
1. Chips and salsa should be free
2. Vegetarian options should NOT include tofu
There are many ways to do vegetarian Mexican dishes that don’t involve meat substitutes. And if you want to do meat substitutes, seitan and tempeh are way better in the context of a taco or burrito. If you are absolutely set on doing tofu, crumble it (a la Chipotle). Cubes of tofu do not have the right texture at all for a Mexican dining experience.
Given my background, I order instead the 3 peppers burrito, which is always solid. The service is good, as is the drink selection. I also think the prices are fair. Therefore, Steel Cactus gets a solid 3.

My husband and I went to Steel Cactus yesterday for lunch. The space is really cool, and the menu is very promising, but the execution just doesn’t quite work out and we ended up disappointed.
We ordered:
–chips and gringo salsa: shouldn’t chips and salsa be free? That gripe aside, these were quite good. The salsa had a nice favor and good kick from the jalapeños, and the chips tasted fresh.
–fish tacos: «Grilled Mahi, red onion confit, pineapple, avocado, cilantro, & cayenne lime cremè» sounds amazing, and it almost was, except they burnt the fish. I’ll give them points for the idea, but it didn’t quite work out.
–chipotle brisket tacos: another dish that sounded fantastic but then just wasn’t. I tried a bite of my husband’s lunch– the barbecue sauce was fantastic and the pomegranate seeds were a nice touch, but the meat itself tasted oddly like bacon and not at all like slow-​cooked brisket.
–rice and beans: came with both tacos. Nothing extraordinary, but no complaints.
–Pacifico: I’ll give props to anywhere that carries my favorite Mexican beer, but lime and a glass would’ve been nice.
Also– do they have breakfast, or brunch on Saturdays? There was a bloody mary bar, but we didn’t get a brunch menu. Then I heard someone at the table next to us ordering a breakfast burrito, and was kind of disappointed because that probably would have been my order.
On the bright side, the prices are reasonable, the service is good and I’m a fan of the neighborhood. I haven’t been thrilled with Pennsylvania Mexican food yet, and unfortunately Steel Cactus was not the exception. I’ll have to keep looking.

I will be straight forward, I am not a Steel Cactus fan. I only return because friends always drag me here. I always order the Dos Equis Amber queso dip, that I absolutely love. I will also usually have a Yinzerita. Beyond that, I’m not convinced. This particular visit, I felt as if my table was an annoyance for the server. I did not have iced water until after my appetizer was served. I had to ask a different server for menu’s because mine was not response or anywhere to be found. I always give this place second chances and leave feeling truly disappointed. Great environment but mediocre, at best, entrees.

Steel Cactus gets two stars for their rooftop deck. It’s a nice place to hang out on warm days. I’ve gotten food here numerous times and have had several bad experiences with food of questionable freshness, so now I basically just go for drinks from time to time. With that being said I find their margaritas to be overpriced for what they are, even on happy hour special. Their other mixed drinks are decent and are about 7 bucks. Their happy hour deals on wine and beer are okay, but the selection marginal. All in all, I go back because of the rooftop deck, and in truth, they probably have one of the best set-​ups in Shadyside to kick back and meet up with friends. If only the food/​drinks matched the atmosphere.

I have gone to Steel Cactus a few times, but usually it’s because something else isn’t open, or my friends and I want some Mexican food. They have $ 1 tacos on Tuesday… I think. Super sweet deal, because I love tacos, but I’d rather go for the half off burger at Stackd.
Generally their meals tend to be very filling, so go there on an empty stomach. The last time I went, I ordered the three-​pepper burrito, mistakenly assuming there was meat in it. I found the lack of meat… unsatisfying. It was a little spicy, but overall bland. There was an overload of red pepper, which took away the taste of the guac, and made the crunchiness of the jalapeño unwelcoming. The jalapeño tasted weird as it was the only part of the filling not cooked. The sauce on top of the burrito did not add much to the taste despite the huge chunk that was on my burrito.
While I consider Steel Cactus maybe one of my lesser favorites of the places on Walnut Street, I’ll probably come back for their tacos, or a few drinks.

This place was not packed on Sunday morning for brunch. It was very low key with a good menu–
Lots of choices but not too overwhelming. They had $ 2 mimosas which were very generous. The huevos rancheros were yummy and my fiancé got some delicious apple cinnamon pancakes. I would definitely recommend this for someone who wants to switch up the normal breakfast on the weekends!

I’ve been here a few times for drinks, but have never been impressed with the quality of drinks or service. The drinks have been on the weaker side, and seem overpriced outside of happy hour. I’ve had the margaritas, and they aren’t as good as the ones at Mad Mex. I believe they do offer free chips and salsa, and they haven’t been remarkable. I haven’t ordered other food here, so I can’t comment on its quality.
Obviously, the main draw here is the rooftop bar, which can be a fun place to hang out on weekend nights, and offers a nice view of Walnut Street. Be forewarned, however, that it gets busy at these times. For rooftop dining and drinks, I recommend BRGR in East Liberty, which offers a more relaxed atmosphere, and better food/​drinks. The Chinese restaurant across the street also has a rooftop deck, though I’ve never been there, so I can’t offer an opinion. Overall, not a place I’d go out of my way to patronize – there are many other places in Shadyside and East Liberty offering better drinks, service, and ambiance, and many better, more genuine Mexican places.

To me, Steel Cactus is about a fun place to meet up with friends! There’s plenty of seating and a large deck, so it’s perfect for sitting around and chatting over drinks.
Catch their happy hour, which doesn’t end till 7pm. Nibble on whatever their daily special is. Enjoy the lively atmosphere, and possibly use their photobooth, tucked away by the bathrooms.
The food was just ok and the margarita very «from-​a-​mix» tasting, which is the main reason I’m giving 3 stars. Generic mexican food, nothing special. (I’m pretty biased and picky about mexican food. Usually, I’ll reserve mexican food for trips back to Texas or California.). But again, I stress that this would probably only be a place I go for casual meet ups over drinks. Don’t be expecting the most authentic best tasting mexican fare.
Service is pretty good, considering the high pace/​bar atmosphere. The bartenders are always hustling around during happy hour, so they’re very quick and no-​nonsense. But definitely not rude. The last time I was in, there were a few credit card technical difficulties and also some order mixups, but they were handled very quickly and the bartender was very apologetic.