Chef-owned Angry Cactus was worth the two-year wait and the walk

Abilene has been waiting two years for the Angry Cactus to be remodeled/built in the old Sockdolager Brewery location in the SODA (South of Downtown) district off of S. 1st between Oak and Locust. They already have a well-regarded location in downtown San Angelo, and chef/owner Tim Condon chose Abilene for his location. 

Filet 

Looking toward the front

I have to commend him for having an extended soft opening period which could be used for training his team and where diners could make lunch or dinner reservations (via Google) and give feedback on the food and service. Hopefully, this approach will lessen the crush and opening snags that usually happen when a new restaurant opens here by giving people many opportunities to try it before they officially launch on October 19th. The place has already gathered a lot of positive word-of-mouth. I visited during the soft opening on a Tuesday for dinner. When they open fully that they likely will not take reservations. They do not take them at the San Angelo location.

Looking toward the kitchen

When I first heard that a full-service restaurant was going to go into this location, I was worried because I knew that the parking lot was small and that most people would have to park on the street or over in the courthouse parking lot and walk a bit. Not everyone is going to be up for that, unless they really want to eat at the place in question. At this point, people were willing to make the trek so I hope that continues, especially during the colder months. 

Prickly pear margarita

As you enter, there is a smallish waiting area on the left, some merchandise for sale on the right, and a big reception area in front of you with the bar behind it. Our host quickly seated us in a booth on the west side of the restaurant. There is a step up to get into the booth, so keep that in mind for mobility issues because the restaurant is has black floors and it can be hard to spot. The ceiling is also black but the decor and walls have a lot of color and neon to make the place "pop". There is a big, bright Abilene mural above the kitchen area. Music was playing and there were televisions around but it was not too loud. At 5:30pm the tables were about half-full but the atmosphere was not overly noisy. I am not sure what is will be like when the place is packed. There is also a view of the kitchen area and everyone was working hard on getting the food out.

Green chili queso

My friend and I decided to get two appetizers. We ordered the green chili queso and chips ($10) and the unlimited chips and salsa, which had two types of salsa, a red and a green ($6). Both were well worth the price. I especially enjoyed the queso. There were visible strips of roasted green chili in it and it was the perfect consistancy. Not too thick but not runny either. The portion was very generous. The chips were a consistancy that is not my favorite. I like tortilla chips to either be thinner or thicker but the in-between kind tend to lack enough crunch which can come off as stale even though they not stale. That being said, thin chips would not work with the queso since they would break. The salsas were both tasty but I enjoyed the green more because it reminded me of Green Goddess salad dressing. Very creamy and herbal instead of being tomatillo-based. The red salsa was quite tomato-forward and did not have much heat to it. On my next visit for an appetizer, I will get the cheese fries which has the queso on top.

Banana Foster cake

Because of having two appetizers and wanting to try dessert, I did not order an entree. My friend got the wood-grilled filet ($42) which came with garlic mashed potatoes and vegetables (carrots, green beens, and squash. The steak was topped with a red wine demi-glaze and crispy fried onions. The steak was perfectly cooked as ordered (medium-rare), extremely tender, and was around 8 oz. in size. It was pronounced as the best steak the person has ever had in Abilene (and that includes the Beehive, Perini's and Copper Creek). I had a bite and it was delicious. The sauce added some dimension without overshadowing the beef. Food presentation throughout the meal was done with style.

For dessert, we shared the Banana Foster cake ($16) which has been getting rave reviews from people. It was butter cake topped with vanilla ice cream along with bruleed bananas, candied pecans, and a sprinkling of granola. Decadent and delicious. The price point was a bit on the high side but desserts are meant to be indulgent, right? It was certainly enough for two people to share. 

The server and the person training her did a very nice job of taking care of myself and my companion. The food came out in a timely fashion. We had two managers drop by our table, along with the chef/owner who chatted with us for a while. Especially about the quality of the beef that was being served, which was very high indeed. Everyone was on top of their game and the attitude was quite welcoming. 

Without being on special, the least expensive entree on the menu is $14 (catfish) and the most expensive is the antelope steak ($48). There are lamb chops available which you do not see often around here. There are also burgers, chicken, pork, Mexican inspired dishes, chicken fried steak, salads, pasta, and seafood choices. There were several gluten sensitive options as well. 

Some other highlights about the Angry Cactus--a brunch menu is served on Saturday AND Sunday, $12 lunch specials on weekdays, evening dinner specials several days of the week, and drink specials every day. If you time it right, you will not need to spend a ton of money to have a great meal at the Angry Cactus.

On my next visit I will probably try the "This ain't your grandma's meatloaf." It is one of the chef's specialties. I recommend you give the Angry Cactus a try. I do not think you will be disappointed.  

https://www.theangrycactus.com/

https://www.facebook.com/angrycactusabilene/

833 S. 1st St.

Abilene, TX  79602

325-232-6200

Regular Hours (starting Oct 19, 2026):

Mon - Thu: 11am - 10pm

Fri & Sat: 11am - 11pm

Sun: 10am - 9pm

Pizza Haus (or House)--His Legacy in Clyde America has some tasty pizza but check their hours on Facebook

16 inch Sampler

The Pizza Haus is located in an old Volunteer Fire House by the railroad tracks in the middle of Clyde, Texas. It is the decendent of the original Pizza House that was on the frontage road to I-20 but which closed after the owner's death. The last time I had their pizza, I blogged about it here--

https://edibleabilene.blogspot.com/2012/03/pizza-house-in-clyde-tx.html

My mom, brother and I decided to drive over to Clyde and have some pizza. Before we left, I checked the restaurant's Facebook page to be sure they were open. They are family-run and at times the hours are inconsistant. 

Menu

Once inside, you place your order at the counter. We went with the 16-inch sampler for $19.20 and a half-order of cheesy breadsticks for $3.85, along with two 4 oz cups of ranch dressing for .75 each. Drinks are $1.99 a piece. Sodas are bottled, not fountain. They have a small one-trip salad bar option. You can also order a pizza with gluten-free or cauliflower crust, which is a bonus for a small-town pizzaria. These crusts only one in one size.

There is a dining area in the next room from where you order with about 8 picnic tables. When we arrived on a Saturday at 12:30pm, there was only one table unoccupied. Everyone seemed to be enjoying their lunch. It was mostly family groups. 

Small cheese breadsticks

As it was the first time I ate there years ago, I was most impressed by the crust on the pizza. Crispy, flavorful, and not too thick. They must put a little oil in the pan when they cook it to give it that crisp.

The toppings were generous but not quite as plentiful as they were in the past. Sauce was put on with a light hand as was the cheese. My main criticism, would be that they use canned mushrooms instead of fresh ones but the onions and peppers were freshly chopped and they go with the large pepperoni slices, which I like. 

Dining area

Order at the counter

Everyone was happy with the food and we had some leftover for a snack later. The pizza is well worth the price. For fans of jalapeno poppers, they have a popper pizza option but that and the sampler are the only "speciality" options. You can build you own with a list of 13 different ingredients. 

If I lived in Clyde, I would probably eat there way too often for my waistline!

The Pizza Haus--His Legacy

212 N 1st St, Clyde, TX 79510

(325) 893-4141

Current hours are posted on FB-

https://www.facebook.com/PizzaHausHIsLegacy/

Five Guys has arrived in Abilene

 Five Guys recently opened a store in far south Abilene. I do not always write reviews of chains but when a new one comes to town, it is worth a mention when it has a reputation like Five Guys. 

Little hamburger--single patty

The first Five Guys burger I ever ate was several years ago in Georgetown, TX. At the time, I did not realize that their standard burger has two patties and that you get a bunch of extra fries in the bag when you buy even a small order of french fries. I had a much bigger lunch than I could finish and was facing a 3-hour drowsy drive back home.

On my visit to Abilene's Five Guys, I ordered a little burger with a single patty for $8.49 and a small fry for $4.79, and water to drink. Their regular size burger with two patties is $10.69.

The price point is not inexpensive. My lunch was about $14 but I did not leave even the slightest bit hungry. 

The hamburger meat has never been frozen and the fries are cut in-house. You can see the potato boxes stacked behind the counter. It  was a good burger, juicy without being super messy. The patty could have used more seasoning. The toppings were all fresh as was the bun. You can also get as many of the standard toppings as you want on  your burger.

"Little" fries

I find that hand-cut fries are often limp and soggy but the ones at Five Guys had a crisp to them. They must be double fried. I still prefer fries without the skins left on them but that did not keep me from eating and enjoying them. They use peanut oil to fry them.

The menu also includes hot dogs (start at $6.79) and milkshakes ($6).  

The restaurant was clean and well-staffed. It took about 10 minutes for them to cook my order on a Saturday at 11:30am. The restaurant had not gotten really busy yet. There was only one person in line in front of me but by noon, the place was filling up fast. 

I did not see any free peanuts out. There were multiple signs that warned people with a peanut allergies that free peanuts are available while people wait for their food.

If you are a burger and fry fan, give them a try. Especially if you have never had it before but be aware that it is going to cost more than the typical fast food burger. There is no drive through window either since everything is cooked to order. 

The location is convenient for people who live in far south Abilene, Wylie, and Potosi.

Five Guys--Abilene

6950 S. Central Clack St., Unit 1

Abilene, TX 79606

(865) 363-0590

https://order.fiveguys.com/location/five-guys-abilene/menu/burgers

Hours are 10am-10pm all week long.

Updated--R Lux is more than a charcuterie but the clue is in the name, expect "luxury" pricing in this prime location in the far southside of Abilene

Update: Service has vastly improved. Excellent food and service today for a lunch on a Saturday.

This weekend gave my friend's and myself a chance to celebrate a birthday and try out a new restaurant/lounge in town. There has been a lot of buzz about it, both positive and negative. They have been open for two and a half months, so we figured most of the starting bumps had been smoothed out at this point. I believe they began as just a charcuterie caterer before opening a brick and mortar restaurant. There is only one charcuterie option on the menu and it is not cheap.

We arrived shortly after they opened and were seated quickly. The place had a nice vibe but it seemed more like a lounge than a sit-down restaurant since most of the tables were not particularly large. There are two big rooms that make up the space and we were put in the one that had the bar in it. The decor was primarily black/gray, gold, and green. The music that was playing was 80s, which we all enjoyed.

R Lux--south side of the restaurant

The hostess brought us some menus and water for the table. The server came to the table about 10 minutes later. We had some questions about the food and drinks, our server let us know she was new and would get the information we needed. Certainly, we understand when a person is just starting that there will be gaps in training but these would become more evident through the meal, particularly related to timing. 

Chips and dips

We ordered some more water for the table and began to look at the menu. About 10 minutes later the server returned to answer our questions so we ordered an appetizer of chips and dip which consisted of tortilla chips, queso, salsa, and guacamole ($14) and some adult beverages were also ordered from the bar.

Margarita--no salt

The wait for the appetizer was about 15 minutes with an additional 5 after that for the drinks to arrive. The guacamole was fresh and quite tasty, as was queso, though it had cooled enough to develop a "skin" on it. The salsa was served warm and had a heat to it which was quite good. Each of the dips came in a ramikan that held about 1/3 of a cup of the dip in each one. We ate the chips and dips and proceed to wait another 20 minutes for our server to return so we could order our meals. We had been in the restaurant almost an hour at that point. They were not particulary busy but there did seem to be a staffing issue due to the wait time involved. Fortunately, we were not under a time crunch but we were quite hungry at this point as most of us had skipped breakfast. 

 

Lux Pasta

As for the drinks, the margarita ($7) was pronounced delicious. As good as anyone had before in Abilene, if not better. The other alcoholic beverages were fine but not as impressive as the margarita and for the most part more expensive. 

For my main, I ordered the R Lux pasta ($19) without any meat added, the birthday girl had the Nashville Hot Chicken ($19) which came with cole slaw and fries, and two people ordered off the summer menu and had the Lux Stuffed Avocado which was two halves of an avocado with a scoop of dill chicken salad on each ($18). The food took about 15-20 minutes to arrive. 

The food quality was very good. The parmesan cream sauce with spinach, cherry tomatoes, and a hint of red pepper flakes for spice on the linguine pasta had a lot of garlic as well, so be warned. The sauce definitely tasted house-made. The pasta portion was generous, so I took home the leftovers. The slices of bread on it were more for looks than taste as they were dry. Overall, I was pleased with the dish.

The avocado with chicken salad was heavy on the dill but the menu does indicate that the dill is featured. The presentation was very nice, though a retangular plate can cause an issue when trying to cut the avocado. Both individals finished their meal. The avocado was perfectly ripe and if you like dill, the chicken salad was good.

The Nashville hot chicken was breaded in panko crumbs and fried. The flavor profile did have some spice to it but was more on the sweet side than expected. Also, the chicken itself was in need of some salt, so most of the flavor was coming from the breading. The cole slaw was crunchy and had a nice flavor, and fries were crispy just how the person likes them. 

During the meal, we did have to ask for our water to be refilled, and a second round of drinks for a couple of us took a very long time to arrive. At the point we were paying out we had been there for almost 2 hours. We were paying separately and the checks has to be re-done as well. 

The server did her best but I think the restaurant suffers from a lack of training when it comes to some of the employees or a scheduling issue as to how many are working at any given time. We did see the manager and she came to our table to help clear some dishes. We were asked at one point if we were enjoying our meals. As you might surmise, a couple of the separate checks has to be re-done. On the whole we were happy with the food but it should not take 2 hours to finish lunch due to staffing, which I believe is a management issue, more than then the server, in this case. 

You should expect the price points on the menu to be on the level of the other higher end places in Abilene such as the Taylor County Taphouse, Copper Creek, or Cypress Street Station. Check out the menu on their FB page. Currently, their website has no useful information on it. Hopefully, the training of staff and having enough of them on the floor will improve, even at "non-peak" times like a Friday or Saturday night.  

Next time I go, the fried green tomatoes and the goat cheese appetizers are on my list.

 

R Lux

6838 S Clack Suite 6, Abilene, TX, United States, 79606

325-455-RLUX

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559198378362

Hours

Monday CLOSED

Tuesday 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Wednesday 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Thursday 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM

Friday 11:00 AM - 12:00 AM

Saturday 11:00 AM - 12:00 AM

Sunday 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Gloria's Grill is a SODA district staple with big homestyle burgers served weekdays at lunch

Gloria's Grill is a lunch spot open Monday-Friday located just west of the Taylor County Courthouse. It is locally owned and has been around for decades. People who work in the area are loyal customers of Gloria's.

About a year and a half ago, they closed up shop and retired. However, the reopened again after a break and customers were flocking back there for their mid-day burger break. Other menu options include taco salad, hot dogs, Frito pie, and a BLT.  You can get fries or tater tots as a side. They keep the menu simple, but the folks I saw eating there seem perfectly happy with that.

There was also a nice cross section of Abilenians eating inside due to the restaurant's location. Orders are placed at the counter. 

I got a cheeseburger and fries combo which was $15.50. I cannot recall if the drink came with it or not. It is true that the price is not inexpensive but it is not a small burger. In fact, the combo I ate kept my hunger at bay for the rest of the day, I skipped dinner.

The buns on the burger had been toasted on the grill which is always a plus, and the meat was juicy without being super greasy. It was a really good hamburger. The fries were also cooked to crispy perfection. I am not a fan of limp, undercooked french fries. 

The service was friendly and the food was hot and satifying. It took a few minutes for the food to arrive but there is no doubt it was cooked fresh.

It is a positive action to support our Abilene business owners, so give Gloria's Grill a try the next time you find yourself in the downtown or south of downtown area during the week at lunchtime. 

Gloria's Grill

228 Chestnut St. 

Abilene, TX 79602

325-675-5105

https://www.facebook.com/p/Glorias-Grill-100063715860276/

Hours:

M-F 10:30am-2pm

Chuy's has arrived in Abilene--get ready for the creamy jalapeno sauce!

Chuy's Tex Mex has arrived in Abilene! I usually do not focus much on chain restaurants but the arrival of Chuy's has been much anticipated locally and since they opened they have been swamped with customers since they opened almost 3 weeks ago.

Pico de gallo or salsa? Something is off.

My first visit to Chuy's was about 30 years ago at the original Barton Springs Rd. location in Austin, TX. This was long before their acquisition by Darden Restaurants (owners of Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse and others) in 2024. It was  positive experience and I do recall the cart with all the salsa and chips. The last time I went to a Chuy's was in Waco about 8 years ago. From that visit, I remember eating a lot of the creamy, spicy jalapeno dip with my chips and having a meal with the famous Boom Boom sauce but what I most remember is that I was tired that evening and so full after dinner that I went to bed almost immediately after getting to the hotel. 

Yesterday (Sunday), I went to Chuy's at 2:45pm to meet a friend for either a late lunch or early supper...lupper? It was a 25 minute wait for a table for two. Even at that time of day there were still several people waiting to be seated. Abilene folks have a tendency to overwhelm new places in town, especially when they are chains that people have been looking forward to having locally available. It was a nice day to sit outside, so the wait was not terribly inconvenient. There was not a lot of space in the entry for people to wait but there are benches outside and they had also put out dining chairs on the sidewalk as well.  Once you are on the waiting list, you get a text when your table is ready. The waitlist option on the website is not active for Abilene yet.  

Chicken Flautas dinner

Once we were seated, we were greeted fairly quickly by our server and the chips and salsa arrived. The salsa looked very anemic. It was more like a watery pico de gallo rather than salsa. It was a disappointment. When we asked our server about it she said that it looks that way when it comes out of the freezer before it has a chance to thaw and get more red. I am not sure about that. Perhaps they ran out of regular salsa and had to substitute something similar. By the way, it is absolutely not uncommon for there to be supply issues when a new place gets hit as hard as they do when they come to Abilene. The demand here is unexpected.for most of them. However, once we asked for the creamy jalapeno dip, that helped us have something better in which to dip the tortilla chips. It is very tasty with a nice kick. 

For my meal, I ordered the chicken flautas dinner. It came with six good sized flautas, rice, refried beans, sour cream, fresh guacamole, and chopped tomatoes. You can choose between the traditional Spanish rice or green chile rice. I went for the green chile and it was perfectly fine but a bit blander than I expected from something with green chili in it. The refried beans tasted like they came from a can. I was put in mind of either Old El Paso or Gebhardt brand canned beans by the color and consistancy...will not be ordering any bean based dishes at Chuy's in the future. However, I was impressed with the chicken flautas which had cheese as well as white meat chicken on the inside. The outer part was perfectly fried. The chicken was moist and there was plenty of it. Frequently, flautas come out dry and overcooked in a lot of places. I was only able to eat 4 of the 6 on the plate so the portions were generous and worth the cost. The guacamole was also a standout. Not too much onion or lime, very fresh and flavorful. 

Enchilada (no cheese) and taco plate

My friend ordered the enchilada and crispy beef taco dinner. It also came with rice and refried beans. She opted for the traditional Spanish rice. Since she is lactose intolerant she substituted a beef enchilada for the default cheese one and got the regular ranchero sauce on top. She liked the taste of the ground beef in her taco and enchilada but was not crazy about the sauce on top of the enchilada. The dinner was adequate but nothing to "write home about" in the end. 

Both of our dinners were between $11-$12 each which was at the lower end of the cost spectrum. The price point was very reasonable for the amount of food we were given. Menu prices on the website for pick up or delivery do not match the printed menus inside. Dine in was a little bit less expensive. There is a weekday happy hour from 3pm-6pm with drink and appetizer specials.

Service was just fine considering how busy they were in the middle of the afternoon and considering most of the servers were likely new hires. There were plenty of workers on hand to keep things moving along. The inside of the building has fit as many tables as possible so it does have a bit of a cramped feel to it and there is the usual eclectic Chuy's decor. 

All in all the experience had some hits and misses. They deserve some grace since they have not even been open a month. As I love Tex-Mex food, I am sure I will return once the hub bub has died down and the wait times are not as long. I just hope they fix the salsa situation before next time but at least the creamy jalapeno was as good as I remember. 

Chuy's

4104 S. Clack St.

Abilene, TX 79606

325-237-1113

Located at the Mall of Abilene

Website: https://www.chuys.com/home

Hours:

Sun-Thurs 11am-10pm

Fri & Sat 11am-11pm

Rick & Carolyn's Burgers and Fries (and homemade steak fingers too) is popular with a lot of folks!

Rick & Carolyn's Burgers and Fries has been in Abilene for a very long time. They once had several locations in town but are now down to only one located on S. Pioneer Dr. between S. 1st and S. 7th streets. They are a real hometown spot with some devoted customers.

Steak finger dinner with onion rings ($2 upcharge)

As the name indicates they have burgers and handcut french fries but the items that most people rave about are the steak fingers.

The parking lot was full at 12:30pm when I arrived. It looked like a lot of "regulars" were enjoying their lunch. Orders are taken at the counter and they will bring out your food when it is ready. Service was extra friendly. Also, even though it was the lunch rush, the food came out fairly quickly. The people working were on the ball. 

My friend and I both ordered the steak fingers dinner which comes with fries. I substituted onion rings for the fries which was a $2 upcharge. They are also made on the premises. The steak fingers are huge! They are not the pre-made frozen ones you get a most fast food places.

The steak finger dinner also comes with Texas toast, white gravy, and a drink. The meal also come with ice cream but I did not have room for it at the end. I paid just over $20 for my lunch but it will easily be two meals for me. The fingers are basically a chicken fried steak cut into thirds.You can also just order a chicken fried steak if you do not want it cut up. I doubt anyone is still hungry if they finish the entire plate. It is a lot of food.

The peppery batter is thick but there was still plenty of meat. The meat was tenderized well but could have used a bit more seasoning. The same batter was used on the onion rings, which did kind of overwhelm the vegetable a bit. The slice of onion could have been a bit thicker to stand up to the batter. All that being said, I was only able to eat one piece of meat and three onion rings before I was completely full.  

By the way, the hamburgers are pretty good as well, so the next time you are in the mood for some old-fashioned homestyle fried food or a burger, give them a shot. 

Rick & Carolyn's Burgers and Fries

302 S. Pioneer Dr.

Abilene, TX 79605

325-793-2706

Hours:

Mon-Sat 11am-8pm

https://www.facebook.com/RickandCarolyns/