The Prickly Cactus

Amazing experience.
We went here with no expectations and were extremely surprised.

Great food, great atmosphere, friendly staff.

Added bonus of fishbowl margaritas

My family and I had walked into the restaurant after the kitchen had closed and were greeted by the very friendly staff and the owners. They had gone back to the kitchen to fire up the grills and were more than happy to accommodate us. Highly recommend Prickly Cactus, awesome food and amazing staff and owners.

Mexico meets Italy with this Salsa style Parmy. A quick and tasty lunch special. The salad was great

Amazing meals and service, so much to choose from, really good Mexican food in the heart of Launceston

Had takeaway ordered through uber eats - sadly they got the order wrong to begin with, and the beans on the nachos were salty to the point of being inedible. Really disappointing

Staff were lovely however meal was bland and uninspired. We had nachos and vegetarian burrito. Could make better at home.

Sensational evening, food was amazing, staff were superb, hosts were extremely generous.
Will be a regular venue for us from now on!

This was a great Mexican restaurant. From the moment we arrived we were made welcome, the service was great and the staff were friendly, attentive and accommodating. The garlic bread was excellent served on a thin pita style bread. Our food was excellent and the meals were generously sized. It's unusual for me but I had leftovers which heated up well the next day. I highly recommend this restaurant.

When you have a huge party to feed, Mexican is the best way to go. We booked for the Prickly Cactus at 7pm and let's just say we had one unforgettable night here.

We were assigned to a room upstairs alongside another group which wan't an issue at all if we weren't in a warmer Launceston. Few minutes in, the upper loft was boiling with no air-conditioning and the only reprieve being the open windows. The numerous hot bodies in the room didn't help with the suffocating atmosphere and displeasure hovering around. Merely two servers were allocated to cater two tables of 20+ people which is unbelievable considering the tough demand. As a result, we were light-headed and restless trying to remember our orders by the time the waitresses came to our table. The wait was so excruciating, I began to imagine that the calacas artwork on the walls were telling of my doom!

Eventually, our orders were rapidly placed and came out by 8pm to our groans of excitement.

Firstly, I have to applaud the servers for managing both tables with patience, zeal and a smile throughout the night. It's no easy task to keep a crowd happy while running up and down the stairs delivering food and communicating with the kitchen. Such a momentous effort deserves endless praise and earns my respect.

We finally dug into our food and the chimichanga immediately stood out with its gorgeous deep-fried sheen and a robe of salsa draped upon it. You'll be living like a king once you get a mouthful of the delicate pulled beef intertwined with stringy cheese. The rich flavour is off the charts and even better with the crunch of the deep-fried tortilla. Although the salsa and sour cream helps with reducing the heaviness, the magnificent chimichanga speaks for itself. Each dish comes with nondescript side salad and a bed of rice with corn and carrots mixed in. The rice has an uncanny orange tinge that resembles with Uncle Ben's microwave rice, lacking in pungent seasoning to elevate it as supplementary rather than secondary.

Despite being somewhat underwhelming, the rice feels more integral to the Avocado Mariscos, a massive baked plate of fish, prawns and cheese over a whole avocado. The avocado was perfectly ripe to serve as a creamy paste spread on the succulent prawns or flaky fish. From the nuttiness of the avocado to the fatty cheese, all the layers and textures demonstrate the cohesion of the scrumptious dish.

We had a side of frijoles that startlingly came in a tiny dipping bowl, a portion not enough to feed a baby. The frijoles were pinto beans wallowing in the tepid salsa with a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese on top. I guess for $4 that may be most you get but the presentation needs to be drastically improved.

Although you won't get an authentic and culturally resonant experience, Prickly Cactus competently opens a small window into Mexican cuisine for the Tasmanian locale. Too bad upstairs dining is hotter than their menu!

Not too good. Not too authentic. Boiled chicken wrapped in a tortilla does not make it a burrito. They need to add rice, beans, salsa and lettuce to make it more authentic. Tasted quite bland.

The most bastardized "Mexican" food I've ever had. It's like an American who had a friend named Carlos's day dream of what Mexican food should be. Overly sized portions without any flavour or authenticity. Ribs were tasteless and overly fatty. Completely relying on the bbq sauce to give them any semblance of flavour. Capsicum and red onion does not make a "Mexican" salad, not to mention the overly sour and unpleasant dressing. Chippies were good tho

Had my 70th at prickly cactus last night 13th November, tables beautifully set up for me and there were 29 of us all up, everyone enjoyed their meals and drinks and service was excellent. Def recommend it.

The food here is it's standout. Always cooked well in my experience. Has had many birthdays here and the service for large tables has always been great

The waitress was doing her best while two other waitresses were standing around the bar chatting, despite it being rather busy.

The food was bland. The salsa was mostly just tomato sauce.
The rice was flavourless with frozen veges through it.

Food was abit average, husbands food was warmed up before being served, but still cold in the middle. Staff were friendly, pricing wasn't too bad

We ordered an expresso martini which was way too expensive to what we got! They severed it in glass smaller than a wine glass and was disgusting to the taste and was not enjoyable to drink.

The food was dreadful and had no flavour and was more like something you get from a bad drive through than a restaurant, didn’t taste fresh at all.

Sadly I wouldn’t not return as the quality of the overall experience was poor and we didn’t want to spend much time there.

Ok right off the top … we heard this place was ace … drove up from Hobart and yes we weren’t disappointed. The food is worthy of more than five stars … and the service exceptional. The risk of a review like this of course runs the risk of not ever getting a reservation again.because you come here too and discover it for yourself. And on top of all of that … it’s really great value for money… The Prickly Cactus is a winner… find out for yourself! You won’t be disappointed

Had Burrito Bowl with grilled veg. Good quantity for the price

Staff were super nice.

We booked last minute, arrived late. BUT the staff were amazing and the food was delicious! We had a great time and good meal:)

Always hard to find "authentic" TexMex down under. Was surprised to come across the Prickly Cactus in downtown Launceston. The ambience was nice, friendly service, 7 dollar Margaritas were unbeatable.
The Nachos were warm and smothered in sour cream and guac and the steak fajitas were great.
Chocolate cheese cake finished off a nice meal. Would visit again if I lived here.