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    El Cilantro Mexican Grill

    3.2 (469 reviews)
    InexpensiveMexican, Seafood
    Open 7:00 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)

    Order El Cilantro Mexican Grill Takeout or Delivery

    El Cilantro Mexican Grill Photos

    Business Info

    EL CILANTRO MEXICAN GRILL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - El Cilantro Mexican Grill

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    As a first-time reviewer of El Cilantro, I have to say this visit was pretty disappointing overall. I ordered birria tacos and al pastor tacos, but the order came out incorrect. The drive-thru line was also busy, and I ended up waiting about 30-45 minutes before receiving my food. By the time it was ready, everything was served cold. It looked like only a young girl and one guy were working, which may explain the slow service, but the experience was still frustrating given the wait time. From a food standpoint, the seasoning across the board was off and didn't feel well balanced or properly executed. The al pastor tacos were very disappointing and lacked quality. The birria tacos also seemed off, almost like canned ingredients may have been used, and the tortillas were soggy and cold. The pickled carrots were very bitter and hard to enjoy, and even the horchata tasted watered down and lacked flavor. Overall, the quality and consistency just weren't there during my visit. Based on this first impression, I likely won't be returning.

    Carnitas plate
    Shanna P.

    The service was so pleasant really nice girls. The food was some of the best carnitas, beans and tortilla it was so delish. Really fresh the entire meal and it was served fast for a holiday weekend ! We ate it to fast to get a great photo!

    Tacos de cabeza
    Kieu N.

    Overall, I'd rate this place a 2.5 out 5 for San Diego. I've been here a few times and they never give you lime or salsa with your order. Salsa is lacking and taste like they make it with canned tomato sauce. Tacos are okay, Cabeza was decent but not consistent with the meat per taco. Great price on Taco Tuesday but that's about it.

    Side Order of Fries
    Desiree J.

    I stopped by for dinner tonight and it was a little less appetizing. I typically order the tacos only because I really like them and they are affordable but this time, I also ordered the churros and a side of fries. The fries were extra crispy (not in a good way) and almost inedible (too hard to eat). The churros were dry and the tacos almost had no guacamole on them. I come here a lot so I understand that everyone has their off days, but I just feel like I wasted money this time. :(

    My Boys
    Christopher C.

    Good solid taco shop. Good flavor from fresh ingredients. I love the "help your self "extras. The service is very friendly and that is good because they're very slow getting orders out. What I really like about this place is that they have Original Flavor and style! So yes this restaurant is worth your time and money

    "Chicken buffalo fries" they should be called chicken nuggets cut up fries
    Sarai R.

    Order some chicken buffalo fries !!!..... but they should named them cut up chicken nuggets and fries with just an little little bit of ranch and buffalo sauce on them totally not worth the $16dls we paid for them really bad not the best flavor either..

    Hard taco shell?!
    Christina F.

    Tacos are trash! Got overcharged? But they have no flavor and the people are very rude with attitudes! Try a different one

    This is the receipt just in case if the management wanna check the cameras
    Abel R.

    I would hate to give this place a one star it seemed like as soon though no owner stick over the cashiers are unprofessional always busy on the phone when a customer comes. They took a while to serve customers and it's been happening the last 34 times and they got my order wrong couple times I didn't say nothing about it. The second time they didn't complained the cashier. She didn't even say nothing about it. She shouldn't even apologize but what topped it off yesterday I was there around 10:57 last night and I handed money to the cashier. She gave my change back instead of putting in my hands the way I did she put it on the counter like you got your money and walked away from me and took her phone out of her pocket stop playing with her phone. That is a sign of disrespect and the right way she wouldn't sit down on a chair playing with her phone that is unprofessional. I hope the owner step up take responsibility and teach these young ladies the duties because he's gonna lose a lot of customers well sad to say he just loves me and I'll go to the dame there every day

    VICTORIA C.

    ***LEMON GROVE LOCATION*** This is our 2nd time visiting El Cilantro in Lemon Grove grand opening. Located right next to Mariscos & a smoke shop. It's the little strip right off the hwy 94 E exit college Ave exit on your right. There's a Yum yum donuts & Hinta Japanese restaurant as well. The food & drinks are basic like bar food not bad though. Good drinks & there's a also live bands some nights, like tonight 9/30. Fight was playing on the TV. The cost of the food is reasonable as with the drinks. Full house but if you just want food can order to go at counter near the entrance. Art decor on the walls is beautiful. The place is clean. Downside is the parking in this mall can be pretty scarce & tight. However, twice I found good spots not too far from the restaurant. Service is pleasant most of the ladies seem very nice. With the exception of one.

    If I ordered carne asada why am I getting pork in there ? That's insane man

    I never leave reviews but when I do I really mean it.. they charge 17,69 for a carne asada fries that comes half empty literally 10 bites and I'm done I wasn't even full and when I asked the cashier specifically to take care of my plate because I'm feeling a bit hungry and tipped her they should at least look out. That's almost 20$ and I'm half stomach rn

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    14 days ago

    Tried this place for the first time. Everything I ordered was delicious. service was great. Highly recommend

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    8 months ago

    I like their salsa and great for parties or get togethers the way they pack their tacos individually.

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    Captain's Log -- Stardate 21,610…read more Twenty-one thousand, six hundred and ten rotations around this magnificent sun have I endured -- each one sharpening my palate, steeling my resolve, deepening my reverence for the extraordinary. On this day, the winds of destiny carried my queen and me eastward through the storied corridors of El Cajon Blvd, drawn by the ancient and irresistible promise of the perfect burrito, toward a hallowed establishment whispered about among the most discerning explorers of San Diego's vast culinary frontier -- known simply as Hacienda's Mexican Food. The perfect burrito. The very quest conjured visions of a culinary holy grail -- elusive, legendary, and worth every light year of the journey to find. If you are on the hunt for that perfect burrito, know this with Vulcan certainty: the hunt ends here. Make it so. We materialized at this unassuming outpost tucked along El Cajon Blvd -- modest in appearance, mighty in reputation -- arriving in that sacred window between the lunch and dinner hours when the quadrant falls quiet and the universe itself seems to hold its breath. The space was entirely ours. And in that still and sacred atmosphere, something felt deeply ceremonial -- as though the cosmos had cleared the bridge for what was about to unfold. The owner Llana greeted us -- a soul of remarkable warmth and genuine sweetness, the kind of presence that makes a stranger feel instantly like returning crew. In her presence, one does not feel like a customer. One feels like family. I canna' change the laws of physics -- but I am certain this woman bends them daily with nothing more than grace and a welcoming smile that signals to every visitor: you are home now. I, your Captain, fixed my coordinates on the California Burrito. My queen -- ever the diplomat of the table, ever the most discerning navigator in any quadrant -- set her course for the Tostada. We settled in. We waited. And then the plates arrived. My queen's Tostada materialized before us like a transmission from another civilization entirely -- a structure of such breathtaking architectural precision that I whispered to myself: look, but do not touch. The presentation was nothing short of magnificent. A masterwork of color, composition, and intention that stopped all conversation cold and demanded to be witnessed before it was consumed. Chicken. Rice. Guacamole. Mexican salsa. Sour cream. Refried beans. Cheese. Lettuce. Corn. Every element in its rightful place, every flavor in perfect formation, every bite a revelation. This was not a dish. This was a declaration. A communication delivered not in words but in the ancient and universal language of extraordinary food. "Infinite diversity in infinite combinations" -- the Vulcan masters understood this truth millennia ago. Hacienda's lives it on every single plate. And then -- the California Burrito. My mission. My mandate. Guacamole. Crisp golden fries tucked within like classified cargo. Pico de gallo singing with freshness and fire. Each component bound together in that warm tortilla like a crew that has trained for years -- each knowing its role, each elevating the others beyond what any could achieve alone. Mind-bending. Dimensional. The kind of burrito that makes a seasoned traveler set down his fork, close his eyes, and simply breathe. It does not simply fill your stomach -- it reprograms your memory and rewrites the coordinates of what a California Burrito can be. This is what the pursuit of the perfect burrito leads to. This is the destination. "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" -- and the needs of every soul in San Diego seeking authentic, extraordinary Mexican food are met here abundantly and without reservation. No one who walks through those doors should leave without ordering. No one who orders should leave without already planning their return. Hacienda's is not merely a restaurant. It is a landmark. A standard. It now holds a permanent and honored position in my top three locations in all of El Cajon -- a distinction earned not through spectacle, but through the undeniable, irreducible power of truth on a plate. To my savvy consumers -- the discerning explorers of San Diego's most unique and desirable Mexican food -- I issue my final command: Set your course for El Cajon Blvd. Find Hacienda's. Walk through those doors and tell them Captain 619 sent you. Resistance to this burrito is futile. And you will not want to resist. There are not five lights. There are not four. There is only one truth in that kitchen -- and it is wrapped in a tortilla. My queen and I depart richer than any treasure map could promise. Live long and prosper. End log -- Captain 619 Voyager. Taster of Worlds. Forever loyal to the flavors that refuse to be forgotten.

    Lovely Mexican restaurant, delicious food. Really nice atmosphere. Casual but nice. Great customer…read moreservice we will be back for sure.

    Photos
    Upstairs dining room at The Hacienda
    Upstairs dining room at The Hacienda
    Haciendas Mexican Food
    Haciendas Mexican Food

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    El Cilantro Mexican Grill - mexican - Updated June 2026

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