Best Iowa City Drama

Iowa City has had its share of drama in 2018, from the closing of Zombie Burger, the City Council special election, the Ped Mall construction nightmares, and the seemingly weekly protests that take place on the Pentacrest.

The most dramatic moment in Iowa City in 2018 had to be the grand opening of Cactus 3 in September. It was a shock, as two other Cactus restaurants  exist downtown, just doors away from each other. The newer Cactus 3 sits in the previous Pepperjax Grill in the heart of downtown at 114 S. Clinton St. Manager of Cactus 3 Noe Tellez said the owners were excited to open because of the restaurant’s location.

“The main reason that we opened Cactus 3 is because it’s in downtown, and here’s where we wanted to be,” Tellez said. “The other two are not downtown. Everything that’s happening is in here, like downtown. I’m glad that we are finally where we want to be.”

Tellez, who has been on the Cactus management team since 2012, said that instead of three separate Cacti in Iowa City, he wishes for one massive Cactus restaurant.

“When we first started, it was just Cactus 1. We have always been looking for a location big enough where we can fit just one Cactus total,” he said. “We are trying to just have one big enough so we can take care of it. It’s really hard to manage three places.”

What a scandal that would be, if one day the three Cacti just merged into one superior Cactus, the Costco of all restaurants.

The people themselves have spoken; a September tweet addressing the new Cactus 3 has been the most viewed from @DailyIowanArts this semester, receiving 521 likes and 112 retweets.