I've always loved Cilantro's, their food is great, but just now I was about to place an order for pick up and I was told that there would be a15% automatic gratuity charged to all take out orders. Now I'm perfectly fine paying a gratuity, but on takeout orders during this time and without giving the customer a choice about it. Please be reasonable. Everyone is suffering at this time because of the Coronavirus and I think it's not right to add to your orders when we are trying to continue being loyal customers at a time like this. I've heard of many restaurants actually delivering for FREE. I think that we should all try to support each other in whatever way we can, not try to take advantage of the situation. Restaurants should be thankful that we all are trying to continue patronizing them and hopefully they can survive and continue their business. I know I will not be ordering from Cilantro's, at least until we can return to some type of normalcy and the gratuity can be our choice. read more

We've always enjoyed dining as a family at Cilantro's in Watsonville. Just called to order takeout and was informed they're adding 20% to all takeout orders. I'm very disappointed in them. You would think businesses that have regular customers wouldn't be PRICE GOUGING during a pandemic. I'm a nurse at an area hospital and I wonder what my patients would think if the hospital was tacking on 20% because we're taking care of them during a pandemic. read more

We came in on a Wednesday for lunch and this place is packed. Looks like a good spot for business lunches and everyone was dressed in office attire. We got seated right away and had chips n salsa fast! Their chips were out of a bag. Why don't they make their own? The salsa wasn't hot at all it was kinda blah. I had their chili verde burrito with the rice and beans on the side. The chili verde was soft and tasty, hotter than their salsa. Hubby had their seafood wrap. He said it was good. I saw some shrimp and salmon in there. Also got a couple of Margarita 's. They were very good but a little small so I had 2. Excellent service! read more

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Very disappointed!! I came here with a couple of my girlfriends expecting some great Mexican food. I had enchiladas and they were not very good. The sauce was not the mole type, but more of a tomato type sauce. The beans didn't have cheese and for the price they charge, you'd expect that they would come with cheese. My friends were also disappointed in what they ordered. Cilantros needs to improve the flavor of their food or they could lose customers. I had been here about 4 years ago and the food was better back then. I hope they stay open and just make their food good again! read more

Me visit with cilantros was great good vibe good food and good drinks and service was great will shure come back for another date with my wife read more

The food is lackluster at best and I doubt this place has been remodeled since the doors opened 25 plus years ago. I ordered a chili relleno rice and beans. The beans were salty, the chili relleno was too eggy it was gross & the rice was fine. Nothing to get excited about. I am moving back to a state with horrible Mexican food I wanted delicious original Mexican food and this isn't it! Save your money. I think this is what they get away with serving the drunks that frequent the bar who don't care! read more

My sister and I came here for lunch and I gotta say the food was better than I remembered. It's been a while since I've been here but we were both very satisfied with our food- we finished everything! I'm Mexican but I don't necessarily judge a place by how "authentic" they are but I base it on the flavors and taste. I was NOT disappointed and I will be back. Yum!! read more

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Really good. Fast pace great customer service!!! must come in! See it for yourself read more

Cilantros - Soooo yummm specialy the sopes and sangria! Highly recommend - Mexican Near Me - Watsonville, California

I've loved this place for the twenty years that I've lived in Watsonville. But the quality has gone down and the already expensive meal has gotten even more expensive recently. read more

Everything was fantastic from the warm chips, the rocking salsa to my order of the enchiladas suizas. Hubby ordered the chile colarado plate and was very pleased with his order. Great atmosphere. Will definitely be back again. read more

Cilantros - Enchiladas suizas....bombeezzy!!! - Mexican Near Me - Watsonville, California

I had such a pleasant dinner tonight here. The best part was the service. Everyone was exceptionally efficient and friendly. The food was good. I love that they put cabbage on the plate. Huge portions of beans and rice. I ordered a cheese enchilada and a veggie taco. I forgot to ask for a crispy one but I added their excellent chips and salsa to it and got a satisfying crunch. Their chips are served warm and the salsa is so good. I wish I'd gotten the name of my server. A young, pretty girl who was right on top of everything. Everyone was so nice. read more

The Sope was different but was really good! The skirt steak / carne asada was really good! And the Nachos are really really good, I ate like 5 bowls of it and I'm not even exaggerating! Nachos are served when you sit down. I would definitely go back! read more

Cilantros - Combo: shredded beef Sope & carne asada Taco! So delicious with the handmade tortillas...I highly recommend it! - Mexican Near Me - Watsonville, California

The food is expensive but tasty. Be aware that the bar is called "Jose's Cantina." Sometimes the cantina has night-time entertainment. The restaurant sometimes has a mariachi band in the evening. read more

Cilantros - Bring lots of money. - Mexican Near Me - Watsonville, California

My son and I were looking for a place to have lunch on a rainy Saturday in Watsonville and I decided to try Cilantros. It had been some time ago that I had been there and I had good memories of great meals there. I was hoping to share that with my son as we both ordered sope taco combo's. DO NOT order the shredded beef, it was bland, dry and a mistake. Even the ground beef was better although the sauce seemed watery and lacking much seasoning. My son did splurge and got the carne asada which he said was excellent. Service was mediocre at best and very inconsistent. They would offer water to the table next to us which they politely declined and then not offer us any and I was parched with no water in my glass? I won't be going back again, I'll stick to El Palomar in Santa Cruz if I want a good meal. read more

Cilantros reminds me of chevys but a little better. We had the prawn fajitas. The beans and rice were good. The chips and salsa were good. The price was decent. The waitress was very nice and attentive, I didn't catch her name. The drinks were poured well and the overall experience was good. I would return to this restaurant if ever back in the area. I don't visit Watsonville often but this place may be a reason to come back. read more

This was recommended to me to try out. I was impressed with the service, but the food was a little bland and did not have the depth of flavor for the price. I was a little disappointed. read more

So much more than running into your old high school boyfriend in Jose's Cantina..... LOVE, LOVE, LOVE: - The chips are always fresh & served warm. - The prawn tacos! The reason I keep coming back! Delicious! - The rice is perfect, I hope they never change their recipe. - The chip & salsa guys/ table bussers. Friendly and prompt on the refills. They often put your waitress to shame. NOT A FAN OF: - The salsa. It's ok...pretty bland...but I keep secretly hoping that they will serve a more authentic, spicy, roasted version some day. That would be a nice surprise. - Their Take-Out service. The few times I ordered food to go, it was either very late, cold or missing items. My advice is to ALWAYS check the bag! - Jose's Cantina cover charge. This isn't San Jose. It's not a CLUB. I'd like to get my Pre-Villager drinking done for a reasonable price, thank you very much! LOL Oh, Cilli's, you're a classic. Don't ever change. :o) XOXOXOXOXO read more

I was very very shocked that it cost $60 for two people for lunch. And I only had water to drink. It was ridiculous for the food that we received and the waitress was unattentive. I will NEVER go back to Cilantros. Overpriced, and the food wasn't great! read more

Great service! Food was awesome I got the tortilla soup with rice and beans on the side. It was amazing I loved this place. If you're in the area this is a must try!!!! read more

There is always something wrong. Either something with food is off or drinks are bland. Service is horrible or priced are bad. But this spot... damn near perfect. Food is great. Service is on point. Drinks are delicious. Everything about my sopes dinner was great. I am really blown away. Thank you guys. read more

This is by far the most unfriendliest place to eat in. Service was absolutely horrid and all the waiters, cashier walked around like they hated their job. Food was mediocre considering the cost. Too expensive for flavorless food but I guess if you live in this city and have no choice, welp it'll suffice! I give them 1 star because you can't give a negative star.. DO NOT WASTE YOR MONEY HERE!!! Horrible food! Horrible customer service!! read more

I ordered enchiladas with shredded chicken red sauce. comes with rice and beans or salad; however, I have never paid $24 for enchiladas. my husband ordered the special with the steak and requested med. rare. it came as well done. if you don't want to pay the automatic 18% , you can pay cash tho the server was pleasant and came by to check if everything was ok. read more

This place is okay for Mexican food . I've been here a few times and it is consistent.

Very overpriced bland food. I think a lot of people from Watsonville eat here because it's in a safe place, but, the food isn't even close to real Mexican Food. It was very bland and extremely overpriced. Service was good, but probably 30 people waiting for a table, many tables empty, doesn't make sense.. I'll never be back, and I'm local.. read more

Great chips and salsa wanted to sit outside and waitress ocomedated us however not even ten minutes later a different waitress came in and told us we had to leave by 1:30 which gave us less than 45 min. To eat I asked and we had not even ordered our food yet so I just asked to go eat at the cantina instead since main restaurant was full. Food was ok. Disappointed. read more

I think their food is good but I'm thrown off a bit on the takeout process I went there today and ordered a burrito to go the burrito seem to jump in price so I asked why they said they gave a 15% gratuity that is for forced, I think this basically defeats the meaning of gratuity am I gracious because I got good service well I don't know all I did it give them a credit card and they charge me for a burrito I don't think they necessarily went above and beyond or pasta table or gave me chips and salsa water any of those kind of things that you would normally tip for so I felt like this transaction could've went with or without some gratuity but I believe that gratuity should come out of my feeling of how well that checkout process went, again I think it was a pretty simple transaction normally I give a dollar a to tip would've amounted to somewhere in the 15 to 20% range I don't like that they take it before hand that's just a symbol that you're not paying your employees enough I actually in fact would rather get rid of the tipping process like they do in other countries and just have a flat rate where no one's having to falsely kiss your ass to get some better tip just let me pay for the service you provide all in one package whole playing games It's pretty lame and I think shame on them for putting a forced tip on takeout items. read more

My family and I love the food here. I highly suggest the Sopes. It's one of those places you take your visitors from out of town to experience some great food! Had one incident with service but the owner took care of the situation and I am sure there won't be any issues moving forward. read more

Our favorite Mexican food when in the Watsonville area! Everything is fantastic we ha been dining here for25 years!

Went in for dinner this past Sunday evening after the Strawberry festival. Both the carne asada fajitas and enchiladas dishes were excellent, and the flour tortillas were awesome. The service was great, we had a friendly and talkative waitress. In fact, we also had a friendly and talkative drunk man come in from the street and hit us up for three dollars while we were eating. Being the patient sort there was a kind no. So the man goes and buys a beer at the bar and comes and sits at the table next to us, letting us eat peaceably for all of a minute before becoming utterly insulting. The crime? Talking about all the superbowls George Seifert won with the Niners and how sad it was that he had just died. Um Guy, get it right, it's Bill Walsh. Being a staunch 49ers fan, bf was not amused. All in all, a great place to eat. Plus they have one of the really cool digital juke box thingy's as previously mentioned (see the Sky Lounge review). One star off for the expensive mixed drinks, though my margarita was strong and delicious. read more

Cilantro's is a part of the El Palomar family. I personally think this is the best of all the others. The view is nothing special (busy intersection) but the atmosphere is more relaxed than the others and it is easier to get a table. The chips are generic but the salsa is killer. I recommend the house special plates and steer clear of the fish and seafood plates. Drinks are good but tend to be on the weak side unless you are sitting at the bar making friends with the bartender. They have an attached sports bar area with flat screens, great place to gather to watch an lively game. Over all I reccomend this place for a good time and great mexican food (both traditional and california style) read more

Excellent Mexican restaurant with friendly staff, fast service, and delicious food. Fairly priced large portions and consistently well cooked dishes are what keeps me coming back. I recommend the cilantros special dinner. read more

Oh, man. Last night we had a 25 minute wait, which can sometimes be awful at certain places, but at Cilantro's you just hang out in the bar and get chips and salsa and they call your name over a loud speaker. I had a paloma margarita which is made with fresh lime juice and squirt with some club soda served on the rocks and is so yummy and tasty. For my meal, I order the half-order of carne asada (the best) rollas. They come with guacamole and sour cream. Mmm mm mm. We had a wonderful server last night. She was bubbly and great but I did miss getting her name. My dad had the enchilada suiza, which he said were excellent and my mom had two fish tacos, which she also said was excellent. Yummy! read more

If I were going to take friends or family visiting from out of town, this would be the first place I would take them out to eat. The food is excellent (I love the tortilla soup, or the pozole) portions are generous, the drinks are good, it's always clean, prices are reasonable, and adequate seating is rarely a problem. The service can be a tad slow at times, and they can seem a bit reluctant on the drink and chip refills, but it's still one of the best deals in town! United MileagePlus Dining members read more

This is definitely one of the best places to eat in Watsonville and I am not just saying that because it's one of the few restaurants in Watsonville. Good food and great margaritas! Really really good margaritas! One of my favorite dishes is the red snapper with tomatillo sauce. A couple of warnings are that the bar is okay unless it's a Friday or Saturday late night (after 7:30 or 8pm) it gets a little rough. Stay in the dining room and you will be safe from the shady crowd that develops in the bar. But you may get asked by a little man or woman to buy roses in the restaurant or if you don't like loud mariachi music don't come the weekend nights. read more

Definitely make a reservation! The place is kinda small but the food and service are good! We went for the live music and although it was good, the group went to random tables and performed and never seemed to make it out way, which kinda sucked. read more

Food was ok was way better before .. our rib eye tasted like tar when they don't clean the grill server dropped off the food and took along time to come check up on us so by that time we were over letting her know about the steak ... maybe we went in on a bad day read more

Saturday night I had organized a mini WHS Alumni reunion, and chose Cilantros as the venue. I had a negative experience with waitstaff when I was there in November, and didn't want to repeat the experience. I called and talked to the manager Jay, and he assured me that they had all new waitstaff, and that we would be taken care of. I have to say he kept his word! When I arrived, he had all the tables ready for us, and the waitress was not only super nice and friendly, she was an alumni also! We had over 40 people show throughout the night, and all I have heard from the attendees, is how much fun they had. We are planning on doing this every couple of months, and will definitely continue to use Cilantros! Thank you Jay! read more

I went to the bar side of Cilantro's this time. The drinks were really great, and the people there seemed to be a lot of regulars and nice. The waitresses are awesome too! Now, if only the restaurant side would catch up on the spirit of the bar side. :-) read more

First off this place is goooooood. I usually rate things by locality (I.e. a 4 star in Gilroy could be a 3 or 2 in SF) but this place has no locality rating. I have heard the person/group who owns Cilantro's has a restaurant in Santa Cruz and one in Monterey. I don't know the names but if anyone does, I would love to know. After eating here, I think those restaurants would be an excellent excuse for a trip to those localities! The only reason it is not a 5 is because the bathroom was disgusting. It is directly linked to a bar and it could have been those patrons, whatever reason it was horrible. But let's not focus on that, I only tell you to explain why I did not give Cilantro's a 5. The foot is great. Chips with salsa as usual, but I am sure it was locally/homemade salsa. You can taste so much cilantro in it, the stuff is clearly not mass packed and brought in by a can. The service was quick, unobtrusive, and polite. Young ladies who seem to just do their job and enjoy themselves without bugging you. I would be willing to bet mostly family and friends of family. The staff seemed so comfortable with each other... one of those things I just can't explain. The main meal: I ordered a red snapper taco plate with beans and rice. Again, the beans and rice seems like ordinary fare for a Mexican restaurant, and looked ordinary, but tasted so goood. My tacos were so large, I dumped some snapper out and had a separate meal of beans, rice and fish. There is no way to describe the food but alot; fairly normal but a touch exotic (there is a mexican food with a seafood theme) and just plain awesome. My dining mate had a ceviche tostada and he loved it, having never tried ceviche before. The seafood was very fresh and though you clearly knew you were eating fish, it was not overpowering. WHoever the chef was/is knows their way around seafood. read more

I have mixed feelings about this restaurant. For Watsonville which has great Mexican eateries, I give it 3 stars but truthfully it has been hard to find Mexican food this good in big cities like San Francisco, LA, Portland or San Diego when we travel which is often. Cilantros makes some signature dishes like their sopes, fajitas and fish (Huachinango!). And their homemade corn tortillas are great. But the salsa and chips are pedestrian. And the restaurant itself is starting to look run down. As well the scene on the weekend is for young people, loud and lots of drinking so we avoid it then. But if we are in the mood for a decent meal with a good service and a great cadillac margarita, this is where we go. read more