Coal Harbour Cactus Club

Cactus Club Cafe is a chain of popular premium-casual dining restaurants with multiple locations in the City of Vancouver and across the Lower Mainland.

The restaurants are popular for their stylish atmosphere and a varied, high-quality menu. Originating in Vancouver, the chain has become a go-to spot for everything from casual lunches and happy hours to business dinners and date nights.

In this article you’ll find the following information about Cactus Club Cafe:

Lower Mainland Locations | Menu | History of Cactus Club | How Does the Restaurant Compare? | Other Information

Cactus Club Cafe Restaurants

One of several Canadian-owned casual-dining chains originating on Vancouver’s North Shore, Cactus Club Cafe is a popular restaurant known for its delicious food. The company is headquartered in downtown Vancouver, and its restaurants are known for their lively atmospheres. Many Cactus Club restaurants are slightly more upscale, featuring modern, classy interiors in prime locations.

Cactus Club restaurants are also child-friendly. They aren’t “family restaurants,” and they don’t have special kids’ menus. Many young families prefer them, and most locations offer booster seats and high chairs, as well as crayons and colouring paper. Their patrons are usually young to middle-aged adults. Children are welcome, except in the bar sections.

Lower Mainland Locations

Cactus Club operates around two dozen restaurants throughout the Lower Mainland. Abbotsford, Coquitlam, Delta, Langley, North Vancouver, Richmond, Surrey and West Vancouver are each home to one Cactus Club restaurant. Burnaby, meanwhile, is home to three locations.

The City of Vancouver has four Cactus Club locations, including one on the beachfront. Cactus Club at English Bay is set in a beautiful location next to the sand. The Cactus Club in Jack Poole Plaza, meanwhile, has equally spectacular views of Coal Harbour. If you want to impress your friends, family, or date, try hard to get a window seat. Prime tables at these restaurants make for memorable dining experiences (especially during sunsets)! Other locations within the City of Vancouver are in Yaletown, on Davie Street, and near the Bentall Building on Burrard Street.

A little further out, there are two Cactus Club locations on West Broadway. One at Cambie Street, one at West Broadway, and Burrard Street.

Coal Harbour Cactus Club at Night — Cactus Club at Jack Poole Plaza

Cactus Club Menu

The menu varies slightly by location. Classic menu items, such as burgers, pasta, and steak, remain largely the same across the company.

Typical appetizers include things like Szechuan lettuce wraps, mini burgers, calamari (fried squid), potato skins, edamame, and chicken wings. Some locations serve sushi.

Most Cactus Club restaurants offer a selection of Asian-inspired rice bowls, as well as more traditional comfort foods. They usually have at least a couple of fish and pasta entrees, plus half a dozen or so steaks.

Some menu items are only available in certain restaurants and dishes can vary. For example, the last time we checked, a 12 oz. Millionaire’s Cut steak was available in some locations, but in others, only the 11 oz. was on the menu. Why? We don’t know. Perhaps people in some Lower Mainland communities aren’t as hungry as folks in other parts!

Prices across locations can vary slightly on some items. The quality of the food, however, is always high. Some locations also offer brunch menus, but others don’t.

Cactus Club also offers special menu sections for plant-based, vegetarian, and gluten-smart dishes. All menu items include symbols indicating dietary guidelines, but the separate sections are a unique feature of this brand’s menus.

Cactus Club Burger and Fries — A Burger at the Bentall 5 Location

History of Cactus Club

Cactus Club Cafe began in the late 1980s with two former Earls Restaurant employees, Scott Morrison and Richard Jaffray. The first location was in North Vancouver (which, today, understandably, isn’t as modern-looking as most of the others).

In 2004, Scott Morrison left Cactus Club and became the Chairman and CEO of Browns Restaurants, a similar locally based restaurant chain. Not surprisingly, Browns, Earls, and Cactus Club are all direct competitors. Also notable is the family that owns Earls, who hold significant shares in Cactus Club.

Since its founding, Cactus Club has expanded to more than 30 locations nationwide. This includes over 20 in BC and the rest in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario.

Cactus Club Restaurant at English Bay — Cactus Club at English Bay

How Does the Restaurant Compare?

Cactus Club is similar to other premium casual dining chains, such as The Keg, Earls, and Browns. It’s obviously similar to Earls, given that it was started by two former Earls employees. It also has clear similarities to Browns.

It’s hard to say exactly how Cactus Club differs from its competitors. It’s arguably slightly less expensive than the Keg and more kid-friendly than Earls is known for. Cactus Club has a slightly larger menu than the Keg, with a wider range of food options. It’s also more “West Coast” with more seafood and Asian-inspired cuisine on its menu.

To learn more about how the above restaurants compare among themselves as well as with other places like the Boathouse, Moxies, Milestones, and JOEY, see our article about Vancouver’s Casual Dining Restaurants.