A... mazing! What a great place to get together with friends and tate great variety of flavors. Have already been en there twice, tried different dishes and always leave with a smile and a full belly.
Had Tequeños (not pictured) ... Best way to describe them are like cheese sticks but waaay better. The pork rinds... I can easily have them every time I get there. Sancocho, when you are in the mood to have a broothy soup that should be your go to. To share with somebody the steak and chicken skewers full of flavor with two sides... The empanadas... The empanadas... Chicken and beef uufff I'm getting hungry as I'm writing this review.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pabellón Criollo, Pork Rinds, Mofongo, Sancocho, Fried Cheese, Mini Cachapas with Cheese, Guacamole
hayet
We tried this restaurant and the food was good, but honestly the prices were way too high. We paid $7.99 for a regular lemonade—and the same price for a smaller cup for a 4-year-old. The kids’ meal (two chicken strips with some fries) was $10.99 and didn’t even include a drink, which is a lot for a kids menu
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
Natasha Walker
The food here is SO good. Perfectly seasoned and unique menu. No other place like it that I know of. Staff is friendly & environment is clean. Will be returning soon 😊
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Maureen Hernandez
Incredible
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Yerar Marquez
Every bite is a unique experience. First-class service, exquisite food, and a harmonious atmosphere. You have to visit them and try it for yourselves! 🤤☺️🍾
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nicholas
Hidden Gem. Healthy and delicious. Perfectly cooked. Fair prices. Check it out!
Kim Smith
Amazing, food was so flavorful. We’ll be back soon!
Food: 5
Service: 5
Noah Dray
This place was fantastic. The food is very fresh and delicious. The menu has such a wide range of great choices, and the staff were very friendly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Taylor Chase
Very authentic Latin food!! My boyfriend and I went here for dinner and the food was incredible. The mango juice is so tasty and fresh. I am vegetarian and my boyfriend is not, there were options for both of us. I will say there were definitely more options for him. Most of the options for me were fried foods, so if you tend to avoid fried foods and are vegetarian, just know your options are a little more limited here. The food I had was incredible and my boyfriend also loved his too! Maybe also look at the menu before you go, I noticed there were more options looking online after than what I saw in person on the menu for me. The options for vegetarians were marked which I really appreciated. If you are sensitive to cigarette/cigar smell, just be aware that there is a cigar place next door and you can smell it a bit. Not their fault at all, but if it bothers you, maybe ask to sit on the opposite side, where you first come in the door. Highly recommend! The food was perfect and our server was great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Hari Karunakaran
This is my dinner experience at The Cactus.
The simple door opens to a well lit lightly decorated interior with simple yet comfortable tables.
You will immediately notice that the menu lists ample number of options. If you need recommendations or understanding the menu, just ask the staff. We did and they were so polite to explain the food and their recommendations given our likes and dislikes.
We skipped the drinks but there is a bar if you want one.
Food tasted and reviewed: Mini Cachapas with cheese Chicken and beef empanada Seafood rice Pabellon Criollo Patacon with grilled beef Tostones on the side
Taste profile: 5/5 Mini Chachapas and empanadas were perfect starters for the evening of flavorful Venezuelan cuisine. The Chachapas is a sweet corn pancake probably filled with mozzarella or queso (not sure). The crusty shell and chewy pancake tasted great with the accompanying dip. The beef empanada was delicious and easily won over the chicken empanada that we ordered.
The entrees started arriving one by one a little after the appetizers. The seafood rice was akin to Paella minus the grandeur. The rice seemed to have absorbed every bit of the seafood deliciousness from the shrimps, mussels and scallops. The dish was a perfect dinner on a chilly weekday evening.
The Patacon with grilled beef reminded me of open faced grilled beef sandwich with a hearty focaccia like bread as the base. The dish was simply rustic and delightful.
The Pabellon Criollo, a dish that includes serving of mildly spiced shredded beaf, fried eggs, fried plantain and white rice was perfectly portioned and well balanced combination of starch and protein. The tostones provided a great balance of texture and flavor when had with all the entrees we ordered.
Overall, a true gem of a restaurant in Powell.
Cuisine: Venezuelan / Latin American
Overall Food was fresh and cooked to order. The order arrives one after the other, hot and freshly made right out of the oven/stove, which probably is a good thing if you are by yourself or in a small group.
Decor: Lightly appointed, bright simple interiors with cafeteria style tables well suited for casual dining .
Ambience: Quiet as we were there pretty late. Loved the simple and spacious interiors.
Friendliness: The staff were extremely patient answering all our questions and gave us a 5 minute walkthrough of the menu. The staff are friendly, warm and welcoming.
Overall, I highly recommend this place for a traditional Latin American cuisine. A must try place in Powell for a casual lunch and dinner with friends and family. The restaurant has a variety of food choices for every palette. Glad I found a new spot to visit again.
We wanted to try something different after we visited the columbus zoo lights. Our family likes all kinds of food and we try to find authentic places to try.
This is a very small place with big flavor and the people welcomed us like family. The food was excellent and we tried so many things on the menu (there were 10 in our party).
If you want authentic Latin American food, give it a try. You'll be glad you did!
Wow! Absolutely fantastic food - the shredded beef was perfectly marinated, juicy, and had such a complex flavor. The white rice was fluffy, and flavorful. The black beans were some of the best I've had in my life.
The mango juice was made with fresh fruit, and had the perfect amount of sweetness to it.
My partner and I will 100% be back!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
John Cardenas
Great atmosphere, super friendly staff; appetizers were ok, my main complaint was the horrible overpriced Badeja Paisa, I was served cold old rice, a cold egg, burned plantains, a dried Colombian chorizo, overcooked meat, and two spoons of old dried cooked beans, not even remotely close to what a bandeja paisa is supposed to be, very disappointing to paid that much and not getting your money's worth.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Anh Pham
Very good Venezuelan restaurant. Cactus Parrilla platter gave us a chance to try various items. The steak and sausage stood out! Definitely will return for their other offerings.
11/23/2025 Update Returned and it was quite disappointing. The platter had old dry steak and the grilled chicken center was cold. These items were definitely refrigerated and warmed up, not good.
Grant Seese
This place is amazing. Best plantains I’ve ever had by far. Jesus was fantastic and helpful in explaining the abundance of options. Great service, great food. We will be back for sure! Highly recommend!
A... mazing! What a great place to get together with friends and tate great variety of flavors. Have already been en there twice, tried different dishes and always leave with a smile and a full belly.
Had Tequeños (not pictured) ... Best way to describe them are like cheese sticks but waaay better. The pork rinds... I can easily have them every time I get there. Sancocho, when you are in the mood to have a broothy soup that should be your go to. To share with somebody the steak and chicken skewers full of flavor with two sides... The empanadas... The empanadas... Chicken and beef uufff I'm getting hungry as I'm writing this review.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Pabellón Criollo, Pork Rinds, Mofongo, Sancocho, Fried Cheese, Mini Cachapas with Cheese, Guacamole
We tried this restaurant and the food was good, but honestly the prices were way too high. We paid $7.99 for a regular lemonade—and the same price for a smaller cup for a 4-year-old. The kids’ meal (two chicken strips with some fries) was $10.99 and didn’t even include a drink, which is a lot for a kids menu
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 3
Service: 3
The food here is SO good. Perfectly seasoned and unique menu. No other place like it that I know of. Staff is friendly & environment is clean. Will be returning soon 😊
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Incredible
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Every bite is a unique experience. First-class service, exquisite food, and a harmonious atmosphere. You have to visit them and try it for yourselves! 🤤☺️🍾
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Hidden Gem. Healthy and delicious. Perfectly cooked. Fair prices. Check it out!
Amazing, food was so flavorful. We’ll be back soon!
Food: 5
Service: 5
This place was fantastic. The food is very fresh and delicious. The menu has such a wide range of great choices, and the staff were very friendly.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very authentic Latin food!! My boyfriend and I went here for dinner and the food was incredible. The mango juice is so tasty and fresh. I am vegetarian and my boyfriend is not, there were options for both of us. I will say there were definitely more options for him. Most of the options for me were fried foods, so if you tend to avoid fried foods and are vegetarian, just know your options are a little more limited here. The food I had was incredible and my boyfriend also loved his too! Maybe also look at the menu before you go, I noticed there were more options looking online after than what I saw in person on the menu for me. The options for vegetarians were marked which I really appreciated. If you are sensitive to cigarette/cigar smell, just be aware that there is a cigar place next door and you can smell it a bit. Not their fault at all, but if it bothers you, maybe ask to sit on the opposite side, where you first come in the door. Highly recommend! The food was perfect and our server was great.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is my dinner experience at The Cactus.
The simple door opens to a well lit lightly decorated interior with simple yet comfortable tables.
You will immediately notice that the menu lists ample number of options. If you need recommendations or understanding the menu, just ask the staff. We did and they were so polite to explain the food and their recommendations given our likes and dislikes.
We skipped the drinks but there is a bar if you want one.
Food tasted and reviewed:
Mini Cachapas with cheese
Chicken and beef empanada
Seafood rice
Pabellon Criollo
Patacon with grilled beef
Tostones on the side
Taste profile: 5/5
Mini Chachapas and empanadas were perfect starters for the evening of flavorful Venezuelan cuisine. The Chachapas is a sweet corn pancake probably filled with mozzarella or queso (not sure). The crusty shell and chewy pancake tasted great with the accompanying dip. The beef empanada was delicious and easily won over the chicken empanada that we ordered.
The entrees started arriving one by one a little after the appetizers. The seafood rice was akin to Paella minus the grandeur. The rice seemed to have absorbed every bit of the seafood deliciousness from the shrimps, mussels and scallops. The dish was a perfect dinner on a chilly weekday evening.
The Patacon with grilled beef reminded me of open faced grilled beef sandwich with a hearty focaccia like bread as the base. The dish was simply rustic and delightful.
The Pabellon Criollo, a dish that includes serving of mildly spiced shredded beaf, fried eggs, fried plantain and white rice was perfectly portioned and well balanced combination of starch and protein. The tostones provided a great balance of texture and flavor when had with all the entrees we ordered.
Overall, a true gem of a restaurant in Powell.
Cuisine: Venezuelan / Latin American
Overall
Food was fresh and cooked to order. The order arrives one after the other, hot and freshly made right out of the oven/stove, which probably is a good thing if you are by yourself or in a small group.
Decor: Lightly appointed, bright simple interiors with cafeteria style tables well suited for casual dining .
Ambience: Quiet as we were there pretty late. Loved the simple and spacious interiors.
Friendliness: The staff were extremely patient answering all our questions and gave us a 5 minute walkthrough of the menu. The staff are friendly, warm and welcoming.
Overall, I highly recommend this place for a traditional Latin American cuisine. A must try place in Powell for a casual lunch and dinner with friends and family. The restaurant has a variety of food choices for every palette. Glad I found a new spot to visit again.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cachapas, Pabellón Criollo, Black Beans, Fried Sweet Plantain, Chicken Empanada
Restaurantji Recommends
We wanted to try something different after we visited the columbus zoo lights. Our family likes all kinds of food and we try to find authentic places to try.
This is a very small place with big flavor and the people welcomed us like family. The food was excellent and we tried so many things on the menu (there were 10 in our party).
If you want authentic Latin American food, give it a try. You'll be glad you did!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Cachapas, Mofongo, Cactus Burger, Quesillo, Cactus Sampler, Chicken Empanada, Cactus Sampler Platter
Wow! Absolutely fantastic food - the shredded beef was perfectly marinated, juicy, and had such a complex flavor. The white rice was fluffy, and flavorful. The black beans were some of the best I've had in my life.
The mango juice was made with fresh fruit, and had the perfect amount of sweetness to it.
My partner and I will 100% be back!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great atmosphere, super friendly staff; appetizers were ok, my main complaint was the horrible overpriced Badeja Paisa, I was served cold old rice, a cold egg, burned plantains, a dried Colombian chorizo, overcooked meat, and two spoons of old dried cooked beans, not even remotely close to what a bandeja paisa is supposed to be, very disappointing to paid that much and not getting your money's worth.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 2
Service: 4
Very good Venezuelan restaurant. Cactus Parrilla platter gave us a chance to try various items. The steak and sausage stood out! Definitely will return for their other offerings.
11/23/2025 Update
Returned and it was quite disappointing. The platter had old dry steak and the grilled chicken center was cold. These items were definitely refrigerated and warmed up, not good.
This place is amazing. Best plantains I’ve ever had by far. Jesus was fantastic and helpful in explaining the abundance of options. Great service, great food. We will be back for sure! Highly recommend!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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