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Cilantro
Category: Restaurants Mexican Mexican [Edit]
485 Columbus Ave(between 83rd St & 84th St)
New York, NY 10024
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
(212) 712-9090
- Nearest Transit:
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81 St - Museum of Natural History (A, B, C)
86 St (A, B, C)
86 St (1, 2)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 12 pm - 12 am
Fri 12 pm - 1 am
Sat-Sun 11 am - 1 am
- Parking:
- Street
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
Lau R. said: "Where do I begin. This place is AMAZING. We sat outside under the gorgeous awning and had a lovely late lunch early dinner. Marco, the owner, came out to great us, the waiters were great. I had the pasta bolognese, it was cooked just…" read more »
82 reviews for Cilantro
Review Highlights
"We shared the steak fajitas and the chicken stuffed with..."
(in 7 reviews)
"...we were given some chips and fried plantains and salsa."
(in 5 reviews)
"Atmosphere is nice and they have outdoor seating."
(in 5 reviews)
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82 reviews in English
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Review from Scott B.
1/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
I was out shopping w/ my friend Elizabeth a couple of weeks back and was jonesing for some Mexican food, so we took out our phones and used the Yelp! mobile app to find Cilantro. And, boy, I'm glad we found this place because we both had an awesome time!!! The food was tasty, the drinks were delicious (and strong), the service was amazing, and the place was cozy and welcoming.
Since it was a weekend day when we visited Cilantro, they were serving their brunch menu, but we both ordered off the regular menu. I ordered the steak fajitas because I read raves for the dish on Yelp! And, yes, just as everyone claims, they were mighty delicious. The beef was well-seasoned, tender, and tasty, and the veggies were cooked just enough and not over-cooked. At any rate, I'm glad I went with my gut and stuck with the tried and true. Elizabeth also ordered fajitas but the chicken ones, and she enjoyed her meal as well. Note that Cilantro serves fajitas with all the usual fixings--guacamole, sour cream, and pico de gallo--and they pile it on! And, as you can imagine, I was definitely pleased about this... and the fact that both the pico de gallo and guacamole were mighty tasty!
As for drinks, they were spot on as well. First off, they are huge! I mean, they serve their margaritas in tall beer glasses!!! How cool is that?!?! And, did I mention they were strong? Hehe! Lots of folks mentioned their traditional salt-rim margarita is good, but I tried the wildberry one... and I heard the pomegranate one is delicious, too! At any rate, I was pretty buzzed after two. These things will definitely do the trick, so be careful.
Sadly, I don't find myself in the Upper West Side of NYC often, but I recently found out they have other locations that are closer to me! Yay! I'll be sure to check those out and post reviews on Yelp! when I do. -
Review from Allison C.
New York, NY
12/22/2011
Solid food, indeed.
Next time, I'll either get an appetizer for my entree or just the entree itself. I loved the pork flautas with the pineapple salsa and guacamole. I loved my blue corn and chicken enchiladas with rice and black beans. However, after eating three flautas, I could barely eat one enchilada.
It's a good thing Mexican leftovers are always epic.
Also, a 16 ounce pomegranate margarita is an absolutely amazing concoction. I enjoy any drink that gives you a buzz that doesn't knock you down but leaves you feeling euphoric yet functional.
Perfecto! -
Review from Lexi M.
New York, NY
9/26/2011
Great choice for a casual lunch or dinner. Ended up at Cilantro on a Saturday afternoon. Initially, the plan was to go to Cafe Frida, but had no idea that they were closed between 3pm-4pm for brunch-dinner transition. Ended up stranded and starving and this is where Cilantro comes in.
The frozen margarita pitchers are a good bang for the buck, fairly large glasses, not margarita glasses.Food was all really good too. Loved the mushroom quesadilla, great for a starter. Tried the enchiladas and Mahi Mahi too. Both tasty.
Be warned though, this is a prime area for parents w/ kids after visiting the museum and you may sit next to screaming toddlers. I would go back, just not on a weekend afternoon. -
Review from Tieren E.
Morrisville, NC
1/29/2012
This place has awesome fajitas. They have $10 & $12 fajita Monday's. It will definitely fill u up. They also have deals on the margaritas on a particular day that I can't remember... But check it out... It's awesome. Service is okay tho. Waitress kept forgetting about us. Didn't check on us not once and didn't tell us about the special on fajitas... I had to ask about the specials; but then again you never know what you're getting in NY rests.
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Review from Valentina L.
Manhattan, NY
1/24/2012 1 Check-in Here
Eh, Its a nicer atmosphere than the UES version, but the service is lacking. I was here after a Costa Rica reunion yoga session, totally hypoglycemic and dehydrated. The waitress seemed overwhelmed with the 8 of us, but we were very docile after a 2 hour class. We took our seats. The water and menus came. She tried to take my order twice. I only need one order of shrimp, lady. Thanks. When the food came she didn't know what entree belonged to each person. She was just calling out the name of the dish and handing them out to us. The food is blah. I expect more heat from a Spanish place.
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Review from Stephanie M.
Manhattan, NY
1/16/2012
Went here for brunch, after wandering around and finding most places to be like Chuckie Cheese and full of kids we finally found Cilantros (kid-free). Yum is a word that comes to mind. We got here around 11 AM so it wasn't full of people quite yet. The brunch menu is very good and you can get a massive bloody mary for 6 bucks. My husband had the steak and eggs and I was like "Are you kidding me? This is amazing!" So yes, I will be going back to Cilantros.
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Review from Massiel O.
Bronx, NY
1/1/2012
Cilantro may be a spice but there's nothing flavorful about this place!! Granted, I hate cilantro so I should have expected it. The bf had the skirt steak, which ended up being a hanger steak instead. Nothing special about it. Bland. Our starter quesadilla? Boiled, bland chicken. My tortilla soup? Disgusting. Probably canned. Wouldn't recommend. Not going back.
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Review from Pinky T.
Las Vegas, NV
9/13/2011 1 Check-in Here
Cilantro might actually be my favorite place in the world to eat.
I love the chicken nachos, I love the steak fajitas, and no matter how hard I try I cannot replicate their green hot sauce.
The wild berry frozen margaritas will knock you on your ass. -
Review from April A.
New York, NY
Updated - 1/19/2012
Went back there for a sit down, and am sad to say that the food has gone down in quality a bit. The service however was outstanding.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/3/2011
I love this place for sitting in and having a meal. The salsa is yummy and I can't get enough of the… Read more »
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Review from Jesus A.
New York, NY
12/19/2011
The most amazing brunch i have ever had in my entire existence. Try the quesadillas and you wont wanna eat anywhere else.
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Review from Amy B.
Chicago, IL
12/12/2011
Love $10 fajita night! The margs will rock your world!! The staff is great and the atmosphere is always fun. Great spot to meet up with friends. LOVE!
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Review from Melissa G.
Pasadena, CA
6/13/2011 2 photos
Look, I'm from California...and having visited NY on multiple occasions (since I've got family there), I haven't been able to find any place that has great Mexican food - the kind of great Mexican food that we've got here in California. I've given up. But this place is decent. Surprisingly decent. Not great, not amazing, not really authentic. And plus it's really overpriced for Mexican food. But it's decent.
The best part - the spicy habanero sauce we asked for - it genuinely had a 'kick' which was surprising. The chicken tortilla soup was decent, the quesadilla with mushrooms... alright. Nothing really all that wonderful.
Good ambiance, great at accommodating parties with children, servers were oh-so-nice. Overall, I'd save my Mexican cravings for when I'm back in California, but if in NY and someone reallllly craved some Mexican food, I wouldn't throw a complete tantrum coming here. -
Review from Tim K.
Manhattan, NY
12/2/2011
Came on a Friday night. Was not too crowded at all and seated immediately.
Decided to start off with some Margaritas which were pretty good, not the best I've had but good. Service was quick and attentive. Only a party of 2 so we went with 1 appetizer and our entrée
Guacamole made to order was surprising good. Well seasoned and fresh with good ingredients.
I went with the Chicken Tacos. The soft shells were slightly harder/staler that I usually have seen; maybe just a bad batch... standard double soft shell taco. Chicken and everything else was very well seasoned and tasted great.
Nice interior feel with families and couples here. Overall great experience and would definitely repeat
total meal for 2 ~60
(Drinks, app and 2 entrees) -
Review from Boogie N.
Manhattan, NY
8/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
When in the course of human events (and the humid NYC summer), you find yourself in need of frozen drinks and tasty Mexican food, seek shelter at the nearest Cilantro endeavor and partake of both.
It's not fancy-shmancy but it's tasty and the vibe is completely relaxed. It's strange, being on the Upper West Side, seeing singles mingling at the post-work happy-hour swingin' bar with families (read: little, screaming babies) only steps away, but this place welcomes all. The drinks are great, the food is above-average, and the sidewalk seating is almost enough to take you away from the UWS, if for only an hour or three.
The one knock is that the food isn't amazing. But it's definitely above average and without question well prepared. I like the pork flautas (sort of like carnitas wrapped in crunchy egg rolls, served with salsa, sour cream and guac), the tacos (all are tasty) and the nachos rock and roll. But I can also recommend the pork chop and the PEI mussels, and everything else we've had here is good if not uber-memorable. It's the kind of place from which you enjoy the entire experience but don't remember each component of the experience, if that makes sense. Either that, or maybe it's the tequila that puts a smile on your face and leaves a dent in your short-term memory. Either way, you'll have a good time ;-)
A visit here won't dissuade you from taking a trip down South (though the Zetas and their extra-curricular activities might), but in its place, this is a decent-enough substitute, if even for a few hours after work or on an overly humid NYC weekday/weekend. -
Review from Megan C.
4/3/2011 2 Check-ins Here
This place is right across the street from my new job, so I'm going to give it another shot, but my first experience was definitely meh. I had the taco salad and I didn't think there was nearly enough lettuce. A couple bites in and it was a huge taco bowl full of mush. The chicken was not the best quality...fatty and chewy. After my first bite, I thought that it wasn't even cooked properly.
Here's hoping that their burritos or enchiladas are better. -
Review from Francesca C.
Schenectady, NY
5/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
After attempting to get food at Cafe Frida but waiting 10 minutes for water to never arrive, Tom and I wandered up Columbus a few more blocks to discover Cilantro and what a pleasant discovery at that!
There weren't many vegetarian options but what they did have was delicious. My taco salad was great and the dressing was sweet but not TOO sweet to the point where I may have mistaken it for a dessert. When I ordered, I asked the waiter if the portion size would be sufficient for a dinner meal and the waiter not only informed me accurately but also checked with me that I was happy with my decision to order a salad as my meal (and I was). The winner, though, was Tom, who ordered the spinach, mushroom and goat cheese enchiladas with roasted red pepper salsa. Obviously, I had to taste test to make sure it wasn't poisoned... err something... Everything tasted very fresh (and poison-free).
I was pleasantly surprised when the bill arrived, especially considering the location and atmosphere. My perception of the experience may have been skewed after the events (or lack thereof) at Cafe Frida but I thoroughly enjoyed Cilantro and will know next time to continue walking up Columbus a few extra blocks. -
Review from John B.
Boston, MA
12/19/2011
Quality upscalish mexican food for reasonable prices (at least by NYC standards) with a solid atmosphere. Like any UWS place you'll probably be surrounded by young families if you go there between 4 and 5:30. The margaritas are great - two of them and I'm borderline hammered.
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Review from Teresa B.
Astoria, Queens, NY
1/12/2011
I have walked past this restaurant so many times with out ever giving a thought to trying their food. Jaded by east coast opinion about Mexican cuisine, I thought why even give it a chance?
After living in the area for over a year, I finally visited and was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the food, service, and decor. The host opened the door for our party and we were immediately seated. The waiter was attentive, but not overbearing.
I instantly noted the aromas wafting around me. I could smell a mixture of recognizable scents from my Mexican upbringing in Southern California...tortillas, enchilada sauce, and tequila.
Although the menu is limited (probably because they care about what is presented) their portions to those seated around me were abundant and looked scrumptious. The prices were reasonable too!
I played it safe on my initial visit by ordering off of the appetizer menu. I tried the Spicy Habanero Wings for $8 (excellent!), and the Queso Fundido w/ chorizo, diced green chilies, pico de gallo, monterey jack & cheddar cheeses (also $8, and indescribably tasty).
Our party also shared an order of Chicken Enchiladas, smothered in roasted red pepper sauce, served with rice and black beans. Every element of the dish was delicious.
In summary, I'm happy that I came here. The food was great and I can't wait to come back.Listed in: My Manhattan
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Review from Megan F.
New York, NY
4/1/2011
Husband and I were looking for a place to eat after visiting the Natural History Museum. We walked only a couple of blocks, and on this block found Cilantro, an Italian restaurant, and a sushi restaurant. So we decided on Cilantro.
The restaurant itself is really nice- decorated like an adobe (I think thats what it's called..).
The chips and salsa were very good- clearly the salsa is homemade.
Husband ordered the seafood soup, which was on the daily specials. We were both impressed- the broth was tomato based and tasty, the calamari and shrimps were perfectly cooked.
Frozen coconut margarita was awesome! Double-blended, I think, it was smooth, and strong, and gave me brain-freeze and a nice buzz.
I had the shrimp enchiladas with green chile. There was lots of cheese on the enchiladas.. the green chile was a good choice (you can choose red or green or something else, I think roasted pepper..).
Husband didn't like his fish tacos (also on the daily special), he said the fish lacked flavor. The salsa verde that came on the side though, was was awesome, reminds me of the green sauce that you get at Peruvian chicken places in the DC area.
We took home a piece of tres leches cake, which was very good.
Would definitely return here, if in the neighborhood.
Tip- this place is very "family-friendly", there were little kids at most of the tables. Fortunately for us, the children were well-behaved and were not disruptive.. -
Review from Art S.
Springfield, NJ
4/30/2011
We were in New York at the museum and thought to try some lunch. We smelled Mexican and thought to check it out. I really liked the spinach and mushroom enchilada -- good for vegetarians. I didn't think the servings were huge as revieweres have said, but definitely filling. I ate at 4 PM and haven't had to eat anything else till when I went to sleep. Prices were resonable, with most at lunch at $10 or less.
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Review from Kristin J.
New York, NY
5/26/2010
Some friends and I stopped here because we love Mexican and thought the open-air restaurant and patio looked great. We were had great seats to watch people stroll by on a Sunday evening.
Because it was just one of my friends and I at first, we ordered a pitcher of sangria and an order of nachos as an appetizer. The sangria was okay; there was little fruit in it. The nachos were decent, and I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of sour cream and guacamole heaped on top. No scrimping there!
My other two friends arrived after we had downed the nachos, so they ordered spicy guacamole as their appetizer. One who comes here all the time says that the guacamole is hardly ever spicy, so it's best to order spicy as a default. Not that day, however. It was so spicy they couldn't finish it. Not sure why they decided to put so many peppers in the guac that day. You may want to ask how they're making it when you go in.
For an entree, I split the chicken fajitas. The chicken strips came with green peppers, onions, and 3 tortilla shells. Not really sufficient for 2 people, but another friend ordered tacos and had several extra shells she let us have.
Overall, this food is incredibly mediocre, and I'd be willing to put up with it if it were a lot cheaper. But especially for Mexican food, it's pricey. -
Review from marisa m.
New York, NY
Updated - 4/4/2010
I used to love this place. Then they served me moldy tortillas.
Not kidding. This wasn't a small amount of mold, it was a serious amount that left me baffled they didn't notice.
I was expecting to at the very least have our drinks comped (they re-made my entree), but they did nothing. The manager was apologetic, but c'mon... you just served me moldy food!! I didn't ask to have my food re-made, I wasn't to thrilled to eat anything else there! Bad food & Bad customer service!!!!
I definitely will not be back!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/19/2010
I absolutely love the shrimp fajitas here. I'm practically salivating at the thought.
I normally… Read more »
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Review from Ika c.
Dallas, TX
5/17/2009
Sauntering along the Upper West Side on a beautiful, warm Saturday afternoon, what is the obvious next step on your journey?
Dining at Cilantro, of course!
We got lucky and had the best seat in the house; beside the huge open windows looking onto the outdoor seating and street.
Now, first things first: GUACAMOLE.t
I order guacamole at any place that serves it, and I have yet to be completely satisfied. However, Cilantro came very close in my search for the perfect guacamole, wih fresh ingredients and clever seasoning.
The wildberry Margarita, tasty, yet strong, and only $8!
And the fajita my friend ordered was delicious, as well. We asked to split chicken and shrimp. The chicken was great, but the shrimp a little dry.
I'll definitely be coming back here and will recommend this as a good mexican restaurant to my friends! bueno!!! -
Review from Patty T.
New York, NY
5/6/2009
Cute little place.. Esp love the guacamole and Sangria.
I got the fish tacos and substituted the rice and beans for the house salad. Delish! I appreciated how they use the real corn taco flats vs the dinky flour ones. For all the health nuts I saw options on the menu for whole wheat tortillas for fajitas.
Love our waiter.. even thought it was super crowded you never felt rushed out.. :) -
Review from Dana B.
Huntington Beach, CA
8/30/2010 1 Check-in Here
Food was good. I had the steak sandwich with fries. Not very southwestern, but the meat was tasty. The sandwich came with American cheese, which to me is like the special helmet kid of cheeses - very few things are enhanced by American cheese in my opinion. So there was some scraping of crud off of the sandwich.
Anyhow, the pico de gallo was good, which was a welcome surprise. Not bad for being so far from Mexico or the American Southwest. -
Review from Scott L.
6/14/2010
Just fine fajitas, at a great price on Mondays. Good service - good guacamole. The steak was a little overdone for the fajita, but the chicken was much better.
A good choice for happy hour. -
Review from Joleen Z.
New York, NY
8/13/2008 1 Check-in Here
This is my neighborhood Mexican restaurant-- I love their margaritas and the delish chip basket with fresh salsa! The fajitas are fresh and not too salty, the tacos are yummy and lets go back to the margaritas--they have like, 8 flavors--the ones off the top of my head that i remember are strawberry, raspberry, coconut, peach, mango, lime and pomegranite. Also, their sangria is toxic--so good but 1 large glass of this and you are walking out of this place crooked.
Great al fresco seating and always a good crowd--I'm a fan. However, fire the bizarre hostess that was doing the robot and eating chips at the host stand. She needs to go. -
Review from Rachel K.
Brooklyn, NY
I'm a fan just especially for the $10 Monday night fajita specials (this is cash only). I accidentally came upon this place while strolling around trying to find a place to eat... and it happened to be a Monday! Ever since then, I've probably dined here at least 20 times just for the fajitas.
They offer steak, shrimp, chicken or vegetables. Unless you're vegetarian, steak is usually the best choice. The quality of meat vary from time to time - sometimes isn't as tender - but the portions are usually quite generous.
Complimentary chips and salsa are good; you can ask for refills. Guacamole comes with the fajitas too. The decor and ambiance is nice and inviting; the service is pretty average.
All in all, I'm a fan of their Monday nights. It's great bang for your buck, plus everyone I've brought here has always enjoyed their meal. -
Review from d'N'L m.
Brooklyn, NY
6/9/2009
I think I have walked past this place everyday for years.. If not this place then some other place.. Finally I went here..
I am not a Tex-Mex sort of guy.. I dont like fajitas..
Looked at the menu and pictured every dish sucking and how it would be plated..
I went with the habanero wings. I asked if they were hot and the waiter gave me the "oh yes, very spicy" answer.. They were kind of spicy for UWS standard.. The blue cheese sauce happened to be really good.. The wings were crispy but, had little sauce.. More sauce and it would have been a really good plate of wings..
My and the girl split fish tacos.. They were pretty good.. Previously frozen tilapia filets cooked on a flat top.. The fish was nicely browned. brownedServed on two nice flour tortillas with a spicy cilantro mayo on the side.. White rice and black beans..
They serve you those blue and red tortilla chips with chopped tomatoes and a tiny bit of cilantro..
Place was ok, not inspiring.. I have no desire to go back but, it's not bad.. Margarita needed some more liquor but, it was cheap..
If you eat fajitas, I think this place would be good.
If I need Mexican I would most likely travel.. Noche would be my first choice on the UWS.Also i am interested in trying Comida Mercado Fresco which is next door and new. -
Review from Raquel G.
New York, NY
9/2/2009
A great go to Mexican place in my neighborhood, especially now that 2 of the other Mexican options are gone (La Cocina Mexicana closed down and Comida BURNT in a fire!). I have gotten delivery from this place several times before and been consistently happy each time, but finally decided to go there for dinner last night, by myself.
Their guacamole is great, very chunky with tomatoes, just how I like it. Their salads are fresh, and all the plates I saw go by looked super yummy. If I wasn't on a diet, I would definitely go for something like the fajitas or tacos next time! The sangria and margaritas look great and BIG. I just had a glass of wine, but a pretty large one for only $8! I will definitely be back, until Comida returns that is...Listed in: Best of My Hood
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Review from Shivu S.
3/27/2011
A group of 6 of us got flat out rejected from a very crowded Calle Ocho. Without having a Plan B, we wandered a few blocks up to Cilantro. This turned out to be quite a nice alternative, granted more casual and less boozy than Calle Ocho. The food was tasty and cheap ($9-10). The staff let us sit and chill out for a long time after we were done with our food. The staff was less attentive than the UES location - and were a little slow to refill chips and salsa, etc, but otherwise was a great time.
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Review from Tasha B.
3/21/2011
Probably more like 3.7 stars, but I'll round up! Cilantro is my second favorite Mexican restaurant in NYC (see Mojave for #1). All I need to say is that they serve plantain chips with their tortilla chips and they put corn sliced straight off the cob in their quesadilla. El cielo!! I've been twice and have tried both the mango margarita (on the rocks) and the sangria. The margs were pretty good, while the sangria was average. However, that crisp quesadilla and is really what steals my heart! The Tucson-adobe atmosphere is pretty cute too. When I'm up in the up (upper west, anyway), I'm always down (with Cilantro, anyway)!
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Review from Lauren C.
New York, NY
6/1/2008
We got right in on a Friday night at peak time without much wait or hassle. I was starting to down my raspberry margarita when they called us for our table.
The margaritas are killer and seemingly better made than even other Cilantro locations. They pack quite the punch. I'm a fan of their sangria too, so I had to make the fatal error of mixing it up.
Solid entrees. Average prices. 3.5. But I can't stop going back to Cilantro, no matter how I try. Just a good drunk standby, I suppose. -
Review from Wy g.
Lexington, MA
10/8/2011
Sweet Service and very accommodating host when we went early Sept. But...the food is bland. I could go to the market, buy a can of black beans, a bag of Vigo Spanish rice, blue corn tortillas, a can of tomatilla sauce, monterey jack, and pre-cooked chicken strips ...Voila...microwave minutes later...have the same meal. It's called Cilantro's but no cilantro on my dishes. Go for drinks and chips and salsa and enjoy al fresco evenings on Columbus...nothing more.
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Review from Kiesha R.
9/3/2008
Ugh. Even by east coast standards, this is bad Mexican food. (Sorry, I don't mean to offend - but Mexican food is just not good here.)
Please understand that they are only getting a New York-biased 2 stars for the very large and pretty tasty serving of sangria, and the lively setting. Here are all of the areas they missed on:
-Chips were not good, and fried plantains don't belong in a Mexican chip basket.
-Pico de gallo seemed only to be chopped tomatoes.
-Both chicken and steak for fajitas were dry.
-Not allowed to mix chicken and steak in one fajita order.
-No cheese for fajitas.
-No rice and beans with fajitas.
-Somewhat burnt tortillas.
Service was average, so not much to say there. All in all...blaaaahhhh. -
Review from cait l.
3/3/2011
Notably, the portions here are enormous - higher than average prices are met with good value. I had nachos that were absolutely fine - nothing mind-blowing. Always a fan of tex-mex...
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Review from Christopher C.
Manhattan, NY
3/28/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Go on Monday night to enjoy the fajita special: $10 chicken fajita and $12 steak (get te steak). Cash only for the special, unless you get drinks too, like the good and strong margarita pitcher, for example. You can also mix flavors; the girly-er the better (you didn't hear that from me).
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Review from Brandon J.
Huntington Beach, CA
3/7/2008
I'm not sure what the other reviewer ordered, but I've eaten food from this location dozens of times. It's a block away from my apartment. I've never been blown away by it. However, it's been consistent, clean tasting, quality Mexican food.
New York is not known for its Mexican food. I've had some of the worst Mexican meals of my life here... (ummm...Senor Swanky's) I grew up in CA... and I can say that Mexican food is the only culinary edge that CA has on NY.
I've had some meals that are better than others for sure. My personal favorite are their fish tacos and their salsa. All the ingredients taste fresh and they've been consistently good, the 10+ times I've had them.
I've only eaten inside Cilantro twice. Yet, I order takeout from them weekly. It's always delivered quickly.
I would reccomend this restaurant for a good, basic, Mexican meal. -
Review from Hyunmi K.
New York, NY
9/26/2008
I had high hopes since there aren't many Mexican places on the UWS. I went here on a Saturday afternoon with three other people and we all had the same sentiment-that it sucks.
The meal started out fairly well. Their chips and salsa are really good. The menu choices are a little disappointing. Sometimes you just want a plain old burrito, and this really isn't an option. The service was spotty at best (forgetting to refill our water after asking about three times) and the entrees are expensive, particularly for the grade of food you are getting. I have been to hole in the walls that serve really inexpensive Mexican food that are wayyyyy better than this.
The sad thing is that we were starving when we got there. Having run over 12 miles in the heat earlier in the day, we still found the food to be too salty. (That means it was inappropriately seasoned since you shouldn't be turned off from salty food after an intense workout! Plus I love salty food in general.) And the flavors left you-well, wanting more. It was such a poor meal. What a disappointment. At the end of the meal, we were all full, but in that bad way where you ate to fill yourself but actually didn't enjoy any of it. I think that is one of the saddest feelings in gastronomy.
I can honestly say I will never go back to this place. If you want Mexican and are in that area, go to Gabriella's further north, but better yet, find your way south to the Great Burrito.
Atmosphere is nice and they have outdoor seating. So maybe for drinks (and the chips and salsa) I can be persuaded to go back, but I will never pay for a meal there again. -
Review from Ian T.
New York, NY
9/3/2010
Monday night fajitas are $10!!
Spanish speaking staff make you feel like your in Mexico, even if the food is more Tex-Mex. After a finger-licking mountain of nachos a fajita is just right to share. It's so good I've become a regular! Just look for the guy on the patio savoring the atmosphere and friendly service while chowing down on some one of the best bargains in the city.
