The Iron Cactus

I had the chicken salad and hubby had the chicken mole with chips and guacamole for an appetizer. Service was fast; food was decent; and, dogs are welcomed on the back patio which does have heaters (yay!).

The only con is that there's nothing really memorable about our meals - everything was just ok. I'd certainly go back if I wanted Mexican food on our walk to/from the Mission Bay dog park.

I had a late evening meeting in San Francisco with some startup folks and was running late. Weaving through traffic, I managed to find a decent parking spot right near The Iron Cactus and dashed in for my meeting and some tacos. As it turns out, it was Taco Tuesday and $1 tacos sounded divine.

While the meeting went really well and opened my eyes to the many challenges that startups face, the food disappointed like mad. I ordered 3 of their Taco Tuesday specials with carne asada, pollo asada, and carnitas. Topped with only raw onions and cilantro, the tacos were extremely bland and the onions were really overpowering. Even topped with two of their salsas didn’t seem to improve them. They may only have been $1, but I’m not sure they were worth that much. The other menu items were significantly more expensive but after trying their popular tacos, I can’t really figure out why they are so.

The location is really convenient if you work in the SOMA area especially since it is right next to the Caltrain station. They’ve got cheap drinks and a super dog-friendly patio too. People bring their pets out all the time so you know it’s a popular spot for the pooches. Their big on sustainability too so maybe I’ll give this place another shot especially if I need a taco fix. I’m definitely asking for less onion though.

Food: 4/10

Service: 5/10

Price: $

Atmosphere: 6/10