Cactus Club (Richmond Centre): Nothing New Here

Late last year, Cactus Club opened up in Richmond Centre. This popular chain restaurant (similar to Earls, Milestones, and Joeys) reinvented themselves years ago from the kitschy cow-themed decor to a more stylish offering with waitresses that are garbed in tight black dresses. We recently found a need to head over to Richmond Centre and noticed that they blocked off a section of prime parking spaces so Cactus Club could offer special VIP parking ($6 for Cactus Club patrons or $12 for Richmond Centre shoppers). Something about that just didn’t sit right with me given the already busy parking situation here.

In any case, when we entered the restaurant (the entrance is on the outside of the mall), we thought that the layout was rather poor. You immediately come to a small waiting area (I use that term liberally because it’s basically just a hallway) – to your left is the bar area and to your right is the main dining area. Both are divided by floor-to-ceiling glass which makes you feel closed in while you’re squished in the tiny waiting area. We opted for the dining room because we don’t like the highboy seating that they have in the bar area.

As with most Cactus locations, natural lighting is a bit lacking here. We were happy to see that the Dry Ribs ($11.75) were still available at this location (they stopped offering at their Broadway and Ash location). We also ordered some Hot Chicken Wings ($14) which weren’t seriously spicy but we’re okay with that.

Just a couple of things… really wish Cactus would have a bit more seasonal variety in their menu. I’ve been through most of their menu over the years and they don’t change it very often. Even when they do change their menu, they seem to always get rid of the items that I really like and keep things that are just meh.

Also, you’d think that when customers order finger food like dry ribs and chicken wings, they’d provide a finger bowl, wet wipes, or extra napkins. Overall, nothing really bad or outstanding at this location… just another vapid iteration. If you like Cactus, you’ll probably like this place too.

6551 No 3 Rd, Richmond, BC

www.cactusclubcafe.com

Advertisement