Iron Cactus

There are plenty of options. The guacamole was really nice, I liked it tableside so I could add extra things and remove things. The chips are in a dedicated fryer. I then had the blackened fish tacos. Personally I didn’t rate them, they weren’t blackened at all!

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Average

Would give zero if I could. My shrimp tacos came out on flour tortillas.

I have a dairy allergy and my beans had cheese on them.

I sent everything back and didn’t eat. Zero trust.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not at all

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Separate gluten-free menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much/None

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Poor

Had a good experience. The server checked the meal and drinks that were ordered. There is a separate gluten free menu.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Somewhat

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Separate gluten-free menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Went here for a work dinner and it was amazing! Large selection on their gluten free-ish menu. I didn’t feel deprived one single bit! The chips were gluten free also!!! (:

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Separate gluten-free menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

I may have had the best enchiladas ever! Our server wasn’t very knowledgeable concerning gluten. She kept suggesting vegan items. I must have asked enough questions so James (manager) came over to our table and clarified some things. The chips are not cross contaminated, both salsas are fine, any of the bean and rice choices were gf. It was so filling and flavorful. I highly recommend this establishment after much probing.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Great service! Fantastic for gluten free. They had a “gluten-free ish” menu meaning there is products in the facility that have gluten. The menu had so many items on it. I got the combo chicken and steak fajitas with corn tortillas. The chips are gluten free also. The staff was knowledgeable and able to accommodate. The food was great! Right on the Riverwalk with great atmosphere. Highly recommend! I have Celiac and did not get sick.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Somewhat

Safety Feature Ratings

• Staff is knowledgeable and can answer questions
• Staff will clean kitchen space or change gloves if asked

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Separate gluten-free menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Other Characteristics

• Good for dinner
• Good for lunch
• Good selection of healthy options
• Good vegetarian options
• Offers outdoor seating

The waiter was friendly and informed kitchen staff of my celiac disease so it be safer for me and to avoid cross contamination. Menu says gluten free ish menu.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Somewhat

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Separate gluten-free menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Good

Salad with grilled chicken, it was ok, but nothing else seemed safe. No reaction-hooray! Their menu says Gluten-freeish and explains the contamination possibilities, unfortunately I was on a work trip and no other options

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— No gluten-free information on the menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Below Average

I ordered the Baja tacos. Stated gluten free. Asked about beans and only black beans are gluten free. Got the meal and the tortillas looked like flour. Asked and they said they are half flour and half corn. So I said "remember when I said gluten free? Flour is gluten." So it was apparently a kitchen issue of them not reading the order correctly. I would definitely double check when it is brought out that they are corn tortillas.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not at all

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Good

Their gluten-free ish menu is not safe. Period! The paella on the gluten-free ish menu is cooked with flour. Not sure why, but it is. My waiter tried his best to get me something safe to eat. He even admitted to seeing someone have a seizure from eating contaminated food. Unfortunately, I still got glutened eating here and wouldn’t recommend it to anyone - especially celiacs!

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Separate gluten-free menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Poor

They have a gluten freeish menu that is false. I asked the waitress and a person from the kitchen if what I was ordering was gluten free. I was told absolutely. They lied so they could sell the two of us a $100 lunch. I think both the tortilla chips and the "corn" tortillas on the fish tacos were contaminated. I got very sick. Very Sick! If you have Celiac disease do not eat here. Since they lied, no one should eat here. Horrible restaurant and way over priced.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not at all

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Separate gluten-free menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much/None

Meet some old friends there for lunch. Ordered the Baja fish tacos, in corn tortilla. Order came and I knew right away they were not corn tortillas. They use a flour corn blend. Ended up scraping the filling out, which was just one little piece of fish, no bigger than a fish stick, in each taco. Very disappointed. Won't go back.

Celiac friendly?

No

Enjoyed my lunch, and everything was good. Good variety of options on the gluten-free'ish menu.

The food here is tasty, but the service is terrible.

Menu is “gluten free-ish” which is understandable but they advertise it as “gluten free”. Also the staff wasn’t knowledgeable nor did they care. I ordered from the menu and explained what I needed. Flour tortillas still came out on my plate. No dedicated fryer for the chips.

Update: I tried again. Def got super sick. Never again. 0/5 stars. Avoid at all cost. Also the waiter tried to con me into leaving him a bigger tip. Very uncool.

Celiac friendly?

No

A summary of my review: You can safely eat here, but ONLY after asking a lot of questions. Don't eat without asking questions!

Reasons why this place IS Celiac friendly:

-dedicated gluten free fryer for chips (MUST REQUEST CHIPS FROM THIS FRYER SPECIFICALLY)

-GF menu available

-Will work with you to create a meal you want to eat

-Management is attentive when asked for help

-Sweet and sour mix in margaritas is gluten free, and many of the tequilas they use are also GF.

-I did not get sick after eating here.

Reasons for the 3-star review (as opposed to a higher rating):

- I had to ask a LOT of questions - more than I normally do, and each question resulted in a long, long wait for the answer.

-They didn't know the ingredients in every product they use in their Mexican rice, so even though it's listed on the GF menu, they couldn't actually guarantee that it's GF (and Mexican rice often uses a tomato product that can contain gluten).

-The waitstaff is not knowledgeable; the waiter went to ask the kitchen if the chips were fried in common oil, and he came back to say that the chips are not GF. But the manager said he was wrong and that they DO have two fryers, one exclusively for GF fare.

-If you don't know to request chips specifically from the dedicated GF fryer, you may get chips that were fried in common oil - it's tortilla chip roulette!

Celiac friendly?

Yes

We spent all Friday afternoon sitting at the bar enjoying ice cold Omission (like literally turned into a slushy when poured in a glass) We also ordered the Queso dip with steak in it. It was heavenly!! I will post a pic of the Gluten Freeish Menu

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Gluten free-ish menu. Chips and queso are safe and we had fajitas with corn tortillas. They had a wonderful GF chocolate mousse for desert that our children enjoyed. Daughter is highly sensitive and did not have any symptoms.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

I was a little worried about this place given the last review but I ended up really liking this place. Yes, the menu is labeled “gluten-free ish” and is followed by a disclaimer that they have a shared kitchen and therefore they can’t 100% guarantee that there won’t be cross-contamination but that’s pretty much every restaurant. All in all, they were much better about knowing exactly what was in each of their recipes than most places. All I had to do was ask about cross contamination levels on things and they could tell me. I am pretty sensitive and had plenty of choices and I did not get sick at all. They DID have a separate fryer for the chips and the salsa was incredible.They even asked if we had any gluten allergies in our group when we walked up to the hostess stand. My only complaint was our waitress kept disappearing which was a little odd.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Gluten Free-ish menu. Ignore the reviews on this place. It is not a dedicated fryer. No separate food prep area in kitchen. We left immediately. It drives me nuts when there are good reviews on places Ike this.

Celiac friendly?

No

Dedicated fryer for chips, great guacamole. The Pescado Del Mar was also delicious! So many gluten free choices on their menu. Good place to enjoy the view & the company and not be in a hurry.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Food was delicious with many options! Did not get sick. Server was knowledge and had many suggestions. Can't wait to go back!

Great options on the gluten free-ish menu. I was so happy to see a long list and variety of offerings after several days of small lists at other Riverwalk restaurants. They even had a non ice cream dessert option- chocolate mousse (it was delicious!!) Everything tasted great and it felt so nice to be able to eat 'regular' food. A little bit slow on service but that may have just been our waiter. The food was worth it.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Staff knows how to say yes to "is it gluten free" and then they bring out flour tortillas and flour mixed chips.... they brought out stale corn tortillas with the fajitas after requesting corn and gf.....

Celiac friendly?

No

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Great food, and plenty of gluten free ish options. Kept coming back to try other options while here for work. They can't guarantee against contamination but based on ingredient lists the items are gluten free.

Great dinner tonight. Nice size gluten free menu. The steak fajitas were super yummy.

We had table side guacamole and wonderful, tasty, and huge gluten free entrees. We were too full for the GF dessert (chocolate mousse) but I'm sure it's divine. Staff was extremely knowledgeable and well aware of cross contamination. Our server was Lydia and she was SUPERB!!

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Inadvertently glutened!! I ordered off the gluten free menu and they brought me taco shells that were part flour and part corn. Be careful and make sure you reiterate that you need the gluten free meal. Yikes!

Tableside guacamole was wonderful. Vanessa makes it the best! The manager came by and checked on us. The gluten free menu was extensive and food was great.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Very nice GF selection. Out door seating was enjoyable. Table side guacamole is a must!

Celiac friendly?

Yes

The food was amazing and the manager cooked the food himself to avoid cross contamination. Everything he made was gluten free. Table made guacamole was the best we've ever had.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

kinda pricey but very good tasting food.

I attended a company sponsored event at this restaurant. The buffet they had chosen only allowed me to eat chips and guacamole. The server was very knowledgeable and pointed out things to avoid. He also recommended I try the veggie fajitas from the menu. They were delicious. I have celiac and dairy intolerance and felt well-cared for at this restaurant. I would definitely go back!

Celiac friendly?

Yes

As soon as we walked up, the hostess asked if we needed a gluten-free menu. The staff was friendly and understanding. The food was delicious!

Best guacamole ever!

knowledgable and helpful staff, and separate menu. Food really good, especially considering right on the Riverwalk!

Yes, this place is packed with tourists since it's right at the rivertour stop, but I LOVE the Pollo Flameado here. The guac is to die for. We always take huge parties of our out of town guests (wild, crazy kids and all) and out of the bazillion times I've been there, they have only messed up once on gluten free (they brought a chocolate dessert in a pastry shell, which I immediately noticed and sent back and the server apologized). Recently, their gluten free menu has become the "gluten free-ISH" menu, which kind of scared me, but I think they are just doing that to emphasize that you shouldn't sue them if you think you got sick there or something.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Very slow, service. 45 minute wait for our food after ordering it and it wasn't very good. The only good thing, it didn't make me sick.

Not impressed. Menu guidelines not followed. Stay away if you are celiac. Staff do not follow GF menu directions. Want to give no stars.

Extensive GF menu, however: Ordered shrimp fajitas - Very bland, corn tortillas pretty raw / wet. Overpriced margaritas. Low overall price / quality ratio. MUCH better authentic Mexican at other restaurants. Slow service. Would not recommend.

Great menu, beautiful surroundings on the river...service was a bit slow but the food was good.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Not impressed. Very friendly staff and nice place however not gluten free and not good really. The meat was severely undercooked and fatty, very small portions, and I'm swollen up this morning. Could barely get my rings off. Will not return!

Celiac friendly?

No

Great Gluten Free fajitas

Had the fish tacos and the chocolate mousse , both were awesome

Redbridge beer (woo!), but food has shared equipment. so close!

Celiac friendly?

No

Had the fish tacos and they were amazing!

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Huge gf menu! The chicken enchiladas are awesome. Great chips and salsa. A place to enjoy the river walk and not feel like you are eating gf.

Gluten-free menu and GF chips. Great spice on the chips. Shrimp enchiladas were great. On the river seating was really relaxing.

Dedicated GF menu. GF chips!!! It’s an awesome experience. Here for the eclipse, eaten here twice because the food is so good.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Separate gluten-free menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

although the menu was ‘gluten free ish’, i had no reaction and a very nice meal

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Somewhat

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Good

Permanently closed!

Sad to say they are permanently closed!!

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Waitress was very nice and knowledgeable about GF items. The fajitas were amazing! The chips and salsa were also safe :)

If you call they will tell you they have gluten free options. When you arrive you are told that they are “glutenfreeish” and if you are sensitive to cross contamination they are not safe! They do not belong here as a GF options!

Celiac friendly?

No