WORST experience. What happened to cilantro? How can you make Mexican food bland? We had a really disappointing experience at Cilantro. The food was honestly the worst Mexican I've had--bland, poorly seasoned, and lacking any real freshness. Dishes that should have been vibrant like the fajitas were barely edible. Overcooked shrimp to the point of rubber. Peppers so disgusting they must have used spoiled vegetables. Burnt onions. The margaritas were just as bad. Watery, overly sweet, and clearly made without any care or balance, I don't know how a margarita could be so bad. To make things worse, the service was awful. Slow, inattentive, and borderline dismissive. We had to flag someone down multiple times, and it never felt like anyone actually cared about the experience. Overall, not worth the time or money. There are far better options out there like Nina's burrito and Taqueria 86. read more

What I love about Cilantro's Mexican Cuisine is that the food don't feel like a fast food takeout. It's fresh, well prepared and served with savoring taste and flavors. My favorites are the fish tacos with Mahi Mahi fish & Guacamole. It's definitely in my top 5 Mexican restaurants in the city. I highly recommend it, also their staffers offer excellent service service; with a relaxing atmosphere that is complementary overall. read more

Cilantro - Side Guacamole - Mexican Near Me - New York, New York

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A good solid choice if you're looking for Mexican food on the Upper West Side. Margaritas are very good and we shared an order of Shrimp fajitas. It was a nice presentation served with a choice of Flour or Whole Wheat tortillas, sautéed onions & peppers, pico de gallo, sour cream & guacamole. Guac was fresh and homemade. Tortilla soup is always good too read more

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Wow! What an incredible Taco Tuesday experience! I came here many years ago for food and drinks. Most recently, when I came, I was told that they were new owners of the establishment. The ambiance and decor is modern. Definitely very cozy vibes. I was seated immediately and ordered the fried Calamari along with Two Shrimp Tacos with a side of Guacamole. It did not disappoint! Every bite was absolutely delicious! I went ahead and ordered two fish Tacos for a second round. They were cooked to perfection! My drink of choice was a frozen Mango Margarita. Lastly, for dessert, I had the Lava Cake with vanilla ice cream. Everything was awesome I can't wait to come back to try the chicken tacos, steak tacos, and a Frozen Strawberry Margarita. read more

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Great space to go out with friends especially to share a mimosa pitcher and catch up for a bit, huge fan of the chicken flautas they were INCREDIBLE-- so flavorful and the perfect amount of crunchy Loved the tunes! Attentive servers! So many options to choose from! read more

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I went to cilantro to satisfy a chicken wings craving. The interior was neat. The service was cheerful. The chicken wings were a hearty portion with a tasty dip. read more

Cilantro - Chicken wings - Mexican Near Me - New York, New York

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Service was really slow even though there weren't many people in there. My steak and eggs were bland, the steak was overcooked, and the potatoes weren't crispy. The mole was good though read more

Food was so good, and service was top notch! I love the ipad menus! Would definitely come back

The food and service were so divine. Service 10/10, no problem with the waiter, and loved the iPad menus. Food 10/10 so juicy and delicious. Would definitely come again! read more

Food is so good. Service is almost always awful. Slow, inattentive, incompetent. Don't know what happened to this place. And no, I don't want to touch a dirty iPad to see the menu. read more

The taco here are so small and mine were barely warm. (see pics of taco compared to my hand). Every time I come here they bring complimentary chips and salsa, which is great, but the chips are usually stale and almost colder than room temperature. (Did they take these out of the fridge?) I tried the steak fajitas, but the steak had no flavor. I also had the tostadios, which were also not warm. I'm noticing a patten here - they can't seem to warm things up. There are better options in the area that are tastier and warmer. And, looking closer at the bill, they sneak in an unmarked credit card surcharge, which I think is slimy. I do think the restaurant had a nice ambiance and I like the chocolate lava cake. read more

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Apart from poor service the food was just not good. The coffee came cold, so after asking to change it they said the machine is broken so I took a tea. I had eggs Benedict: the potatoes were not tasty. the eggs have some unpleasant aftertaste. I do not recommend this place. Manhattan is huge with great amount of coffee and restaurants. Go to eat in better place. read more

We came here for dinner with a small group. Their AC was not working and it was getting way too hot inside. Luckily they kindly moved us outside despite having started our meal. We started off with guac for the table. It was enormous and very delicious. It was slightly spicy which was perfect. For dinner I got the shrimp fajita. The shrimp were juicy and well seasoned. The tortilla tasted a bit dry so I just started eating the rest of the meal without it. We tried to order frozen margaritas but their machine was not working so we ended up having to get them on the rocks. Overall a few bumps in the meal but the service was accommodating and the food was pretty good read more

It has been YEARS since I've been here. The margaritas are still just as strong and the chips and salsa just as good. Nice that you still get the chips and salsa for free! We started with the queso which came out sizzling in a skillet. Even with sharing this it could've been a meal. Then my chicken enchiladas with mole sauce came out. Timing was a little off since we barely had a chance to enjoy the queso. Nice portion size, excellent mole sauce. Rice and beans were very dry. We sat outside in the street enclosure. It wasn't crowded and the tables are nicely spread out anyway. Jumped once or twice from the cars speeding by though. The service was attentive enough. Overall a good night here! read more

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I will never come here again. The food is fine, whatever. But they force an iPad upon you to menu and it just sucks, I asked for a paper menu and then the people next to me did this same. They give us paper menus but say the prices are outdated and everything is a dollar more than branded on their paper menus. So why the fuck do they still have these outdated menus? You're telling me they keep them because they know customers want them, but they don't give enough of a shit about customers to let them view accurate prices? Hope this helps place closes read more

The food always meets or exceeds what you hope for. The entire experience pleased our palates. The employees show amazing service! You'll appreciate the thorough good energy. This place delivered a comprehensive visit. read more

Today we had guacamole which was nice and chunky but it was good amount of onion and spicy level of jalapeños were plentiful. My fav was the chicken tortilla soup. its so homey and heart warming. The bathroom is nice, one for M and one for W. I mean, its the same. Clean and decor were matchy w the restaurant itself. Staffs were friendly nd gets to the point. Fill our water frequently nd the water is tasty too. Cobb salad were just ok, shrimps were big and seasoned but not grilled. My party ordered the steak quesadilla app which was cheesy and tasty(no pic sawrry). I would come backfor soup. Margarita were pretty bad tho. read more

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Cilantro is a casual dinner place with lots of seating and no reservation required, usually. My friend and I came here to catch up and were pleased with the food overall. She used to come here all the time and I could see why: the food is good and filling and not too expensive. The Steak Fajitas were pretty good and my Wild Mushroom Quesadilla was solid - I mean, how could you go wrong with cheese guac and tortillas? We did sit next to a couple who was very upset with their food quality and had an argument with the servers about it; I wish it could've been resolved a little more gently, but it does seem like the couple was able to receive some sort of resolution. read more

First time visiting the restaurant place looks very nice gives you a Mexican vibe. We had some margaritas that were very good, we order the nachos but not worth it. You have to add the avocado and sour cream that came on the side. Also it come with only chips cheese and beans. Our waiter was very nice to us making sure we had everything we needed. Will definitely be back to try some of there entrees. read more

Cilantro - My second mango margarita. - Mexican Near Me - New York, New York

Authentic Mexican food. Ordered fajitas mixed with steak, shrimp & chicken. Nice char flavor on the meats read more

The servers were very friendly and did not rush us on a Saturday night. Nice vibe and reasonably priced for NYC.

Order pick up 79 dollars for four quesadillas and I got one sour cream. I have eaten here before for a day pick up and had amazing service but today was not the same. During the day we get salsa and sour cream for all quesadillas. read more

Cilantro - Mexican Near Me - New York, New York

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Really good food, love their taco salad. A bit pricy. Ambiance is usually pretty good. Service can be hit or miss, especially if you order delivery. read more

1st time at Cilantro UWS (9/24/2025), did takeout of the enchiladas suizas, and pleasantly surprised, dish compares favorably with El Mitote's further down Columbus. HOWEVER, would I go back? I doubt it for the following reasons: 1. menu price $22, receipt price $23 - hostess explanation "that's the price". 1 of my pet peeves; restaurant should have, for public relations, charged $22,; and it's not the $1 - it's the principle, for those of u who will immediately assume otherwise. 2. very hard to understand the waitress (whiny accent, difficult to tell where from?) or the "Manager", who was, plain and simple, a jerk. Why do I say that? As a 1st time customer, which I told him, I asked for a small side of their salsa roja just to compare to other places. he feigned stupidity as to request, finally understood they have 2 red salsas, not 10, but TWO. He "could have" simply provided both, but it felt like pulling teeth. Finally, after too much back-&-forth, HE understood, and brought a little small bowl to taste??? How moronic! What I asked for was a small plastic takeout container with the red salsa. Finally, he "got it" & said it would be in the takeout. When I got home, it was 1/2 filled, which was bizarre. God forbid, he would have filled the small container - emphasis on only asked for a small plastic takeout container. ALL other Mexican restaurants gladly give both the green and red salsas when asked. This manager acted like he was doing me a huge favor. 3. as I related, difficult to understand the "Manager" or the waitress/host, neither appeared to be Mexican. Possibly the employees in the kitchen, the cooks, were Mexican (I hope)? Usually order guacamole to test whether freshly made or industrialized, but decided not worth it after this fiasco. I'm going to assume it's industrialized. So, to answer my original question at the top, and after writing this, NO I wouldn't return! I am not trying to discourage anyone from going, but this was my 1st and last time - too many other Mexican restaurants scattered around the UWS! I encourage reading the other reviews, most are negative and would not recommend. p.s. I forgot to add, the sneaky 2.99% Cc surcharge, someone else mentioned. read more

nice venue but service is slow and the chorizo with the huevos ranchero is a hot dog. really.

A very dissatisfied customer at the Cilantro restaurant on West 83rd street. We ordered our usual Chicken Flautas order to go, l specifically and repeatedly ask my my order not to be over cooked. Lately they been cooking the chicken to the point that is as crispy as bacon and again and again they keep on overcooking it. Last time we dine or order food at this dinner. Ever since they changed management the service and good cooking they were known for has diminished. read more

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We order delivery from Cilantro. The food is great--especially chicken fajitas! So is rice and beans and guacamole and chips. Also we appreciate the use of paper dishes in place of plastic. Excellent!! read more

Cilantrooo! What happened?! This was our favorite restaurant when we lived on the UWS. Yesterday was our first time back since pre-COVID and the food was mediocre and the service was embarrassing. There were literally only two people at the bar in addition to ourselves and it took almost 30 minutes to get our order. The server forgot my iced tea and chips/salsa. He prioritized setting a table (again, plenty of open/set tables since the restaurant was practically empty) over checking to see if we needed anything. I ordered the eggs benedict with smoked salmon and the salmon was broiled. I wouldn't go back. read more

I would give zero stars if I could. This is not an authentic Mexican restaurant. The tacos are subpar and my mom got sick. I cannot recommend this place read more

I really wanted to give this place a good rating but I came here early on a weekend evening around 5:45pm and ended up waiting almost 40 minutes for food. The table next to us sat down 20 minutes after us and got their food before us.... The server forgot to put the order in for our table, frustrating. That said, the taco salad was exactly what I wanted on a hot summer day. It was yummy and cheesy and there was so much chicken in it. read more

Had wonderful white sangria and chipotle shrimp. Guacamole was good, but not spicy (even though we asked for that). Fish burrito was solid as well as chicken wings. (Do not order rose though). Service was friendly but slow. Wonderful space with hanging plants. read more

Google maps suggested this place as the closest restaurant to the Delacorte theater when we searched up. We looked for a place to dine while waiting for the show to start. Rain poured as we walked in, a saver! I enjoyed my shrimp tostada salad. One of the best Mexican salad I had for a while. My friends steamy steak fajita looked delicious. And she did confirmed, that it was delicious. Did I mention yet that the complimentary tostones is amazingly good as a starter? Cool Mexican decor, clean restaurant, tasty food, large servings, there is nothing else you will need to enjoy a good dining experience. A good pick , come visit when you are around the area. read more

Cilantro - Mexican Near Me - New York, New York

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Cilantro has been one of go tos forever. Not sure anymore. Today they were understaffed and took a long time to get service. One of the employees shared with us a dirty little secret that they don't bring you the side of rice and beans to save money. It's on the menu. They just hope you don't ask. Plus they are still charging 3 percent credit card processing fees. A violation of state law. This is how you lose my business. read more

Cilantro - Never cleared our plates. - Mexican Near Me - New York, New York

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Totally whitewashed Mexican food, bland, and EXORBITANT prices that do not match the quality in any way. And then another 3% added for using a credit card...HA. Added a second star for good service. Don't go. read more

Cute restaurant but it needs new staff. The waitress wasn't friendly nor attentive. Food and drinks were ok.

jus left there and had an amazing time. the guacamole was fantastic and my burrito was jus sooo good. and i must mention our server;, "bush". she was sooo pleasant and helpful and accommodating. also, "baran" was also sooo nice and friendly. cilantro, you're fortunate to have them on your side. truly. read more

Smells delicious from the second you walk in. Incredible service and food was amazing!

Mediocre food. I came with a big group (family). The waiter seemed not in the mood to be at work. Him plus the servers kept squeezing by us to place stuff on the table (we had to give them stuff to take cause they weren't taking them). We found it rude because typically serves don't invade your personal space. This could be forgiven if the food was good but it really wasn't. The steak was extremely small and sooo thin. The chimichurri sauce was given only to one of the orders, and not my brother who ordered the same thing. We also ordered the fish tacos (2) and only one of the orders came with green sauce. The Mac and cheese was out of a box. I can't even say it's Kraft because that had more flavor than what the kids had. My niece ended up not eating it so we're gonna get more food for the kids. Now the frozen margarita pitcher was strong and good. Hopefully it's not cheap liquor since I get headaches from that but I won't be able to tell until later today. Would I return? No... I don't recommend the spot at all. There's more options in the neighborhood. read more

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If you ever want to have a celebration especially for Cinco De Mayo, you need to come to Cilantro. Carlos greeted us at the door and immediately I knew I was with Family. I made a mistake on resy and Carlos without hesitation accommodated my friend and I without question. The deals and the service for this holiday is unmatched! ask for Marielle she is so attentive and kind to her guest! Thank you for an amazing dinner! Te Amo mucho cilantro! Ps. My friend and I had to witness Frank M. Say such inappropriate comments. Shame on you. Do not let their close minded remarks defer you from visiting one of the top restaurants on the UWS! Clearly they have never worked in hospitality. read more

Horrible service people are latin and claim to not speak spanish... Service is horrible waited ten minutes to get milk for my coffee read more