Definitely a place to consider when you are in the mood for Mexican food. We stopped by on a Friday evening in June and were one of a handful of diners. Outside the fray of downtown Petoskey, El Cilantro has a much more relaxed vibe. It's close to the state park and ideal for hungry campers or bikers riding from Petoskey to Harbor Springs. The server definitely gets five plus stars. Helpful, fun and attentive. We enjoyed the complementary chips and salsa while waiting for our food. Our shrimp tacos, which we shared, were enough for two or one very hungry person. They looked appealing, served in a casual "basket" plate. Though everything was fine and satisfying, we both felt there was a lack of seasoning that would have made our meal next-level. We are from Southern California and may have higher standards and more experience with Mexican cuisine than most. The level of flavoring and spice would surely appeal to the palate that does not crave much heat or traditional spices. As campers, we will definitely keep El Cilantro on our list to visit for future trips. read more

El Cilantro - Clean, modern, spacious dining room - Mexican Near Me - Petoskey, Michigan

See all

We needed a New Mexican place to love in the area, and El Cilantro was perfect! The service was incredibly friendly and fast and the food was delicious. The shrimp tacos were outstanding- best we've had! The Birrias were perfectly prepared and full of flavor. I also really loved their salsa - freshly made and you could tell. We used to visit this location years ago when it was Scallywags, and it felt a little nostalgic! read more

See all

First time here, it is quiet with pleasant music and plenty of room. We were a bit confused as to if we go to the front and order or sit down. Once we washed and sat down we were served. However, I was quickly disappointed that with the Burrito California they would not allow me to substitute rice for fries in it. Fries? No fries thank you. The chips and salsa were good, but it will cost you about $3. The salsa is very tasty and very crispy chips. We ordered the shrimp burrito, a carne asada burrito and the carnitas plate. Shrimp burrito was a hit! My daughter (26) loved it. The carnitas were well seasoned and very tender. We liked them. I enjoyed the carne asada burrito but felt the guacamole was lacking in quantity, yet I loved the simple beans, rice and flavorful meat. Tortillas were also yummy. I can see this as a good take out destination locally. read more

See all

Just okay. Definitely not "south of the border" Mexican food. My chicken chimichanga was smothered in queso and inside was chicken, and white rice with a few kernels of corn. I was missing Spanish Rice and refried beans. The choriqueso was good but the chips were stale. Only a small container of salsa accompanied the chips. No alcoholic beverages. Restaurant is clean and employees are friendly but the food didn't make the grade. read more

See all

Not particularly impressed with the Mexican food here. The restaurant itself was clean, the service was okay, and the decor, just a little South of the Border-ish. My Tijuana Quesadilla, however, needed help. The flour tortilla was filled with tender pot roast (yum) bits of purple onion, cilantro and queso sauce (not cojita or mozzarella or Jack cheese). Sauce on the inside made for soft and soggy tortillas on the outside - not crispy. A tasty consommé appeared on the plate, along with a small ramekin of warm (not hot) refried beans, but the quesadilla was already soggy so the consommé made it more soggy. Chips weren't homemade, although the salsa (served in a tiny ramekin) was quite good. The chips and salsa were extra $; Most Mexican restaurants serve those gratis as long as you order a meal. So the food was so-so. Maybe the farther away from the Mexican border one gets, the less authentic it becomes? At least this area offers restaurants with international cuisine. And that is good. read more

El Cilantro - Tijuana Quesadilla with ramekins of refried beans and consommé - Mexican Near Me - Petoskey, Michigan

I don't play when it comes to food- especially Tacos and pizza . (My favorites) When I tell you THESE are the BEST tacos (Quesabirria's) that I have EVER eaten in my LIFE!! Delicious isn't even close to describing how amazing they are. The flavor of the stewing spices makes these tacos with dipping sauce one of a kind! Inside the restaurant is cute and super clean. And the employees were super nice and helpful. I didn't have to wait long on my order and everything was made fresh and hot. My new favorite to go place If you haven't went yet, you better go ASAP or else there won't be none left from me eating them all. read more

El Cilantro - Quesabirria tacos with radishes and limes. Served with a side of consomé for dipping. - Mexican Near Me - Petoskey, Michigan

Fresh and quick food served with waitstaff intent on excellent service. My wife and I ordered an appetizer first, a queso cheese dip with tortilla chips; it was delicious! A very generous amount! For dinner, I was very hungry, so I ordered two tacos, a carnitas and a chorizo taco, plus their egg and chorizo burrito. Ugh! Too much food! But I ate at all, and it was delicious! Hot, fresh, and very quick to the table. Five stars! read more

El Cilantro - Carnitas taco (left) chorizo taco (right) - Mexican Near Me - Petoskey, Michigan

See all

As other reviews, I totally agree that their food are amazing and delicious. Just wish their location is a bit better to bring more customers in. We ordered papelon drink ( I believe it is lemonade with brown sugar); appetizer : shrimp queso fundido, 2 entrees: pabello criollo & pollo caribeno. The appetizer was served warm, the plantain chips paired perfectly with the warm melted cheese and shrimp. I was craving for sweet plantain for a long time and I finally got what I want. The pulled beef was so flavorful, just a great combination with rice & black bean. We finished everything and this place definitely is my favorite spot in Petoskey for Caribbean food. read more

See all

I LOVED this place!! Super cute inside, a great menu, and great service. I will definitely be returning! read more

El Cilantro - Mofongo - Mexican Near Me - Petoskey, Michigan

Great food, very kind/friendly service in a pleasant spot! Love the decor, and the music. It's that rare place where you can take kids (or not), but you'll also enjoy the food and it's affordable! They also do take out, and the guacamole is delicious! read more

Eh, it was just ok. Definitely not authentic and not well seasoned. The food was ok but very bland tasting. Staff is very nice. This was our 2nd time trying it hoping it would be better the 2nd time. I doubt we'll be back again. read more

This is my new favorite place to get tacos near Petoskey. The staff is nice. The menu is not too large; and the menu items are not redundant. The food comes to the table pretty quickly. Everything I've eaten has been delicious. And the prices are very reasonable. I also like the murals that are painted on the walls. Otherwise, the seating area is plain, but clean. Overall, El Cilantro is a restaurant that I'm very thankful to have close by. It's a great place to get a delicious and affordable meal with my family. My current favorite is the Quesa Birria. read more

The Choripollo bowl was very good and full of chicken and Mexican sausage. The only thing I was not a fan of was the food being served in a paper bowl. I don't even do that at home. Friendly server and such a quaint place. I would return if ever here again. read more

I had a delicious shrimp burrito here! The food was delicious, but I would not say that it is authentic Mexican. I would call it more of a fusion. The rice is a short grain sticky rice. read more

What a delish meal, and a great dining experience. It was just refreshingly easy to roll in, choose our table, have immediate kind service and pay easily at the table when we were done. Most importantly, the food was of perfect quality. Not overdone, just well made meals from fresh tasting ingredients. My kids loved the crispy rolled tacos and I tried three tacos- beef, carnitas, and vegan. The carnitas was just perfect. Looking forward to frequenting this place in the future! read more

Today my mother and I decided to try Puerto Rican cuisine for the first time. It was sort of a rainy Sunday and an hour drive north to Petoskey for a new experience seemed like the right thing to do. The reviews all seemed to rave on the authenticity. The location is a bit random but located near to petoskey brewing in a strip mall with a parking lot. No street parking is a huge sun. The exterior is unassuming. As soon as you step inside you are greeted with bright colors, cultural artwork and the smells of delicious food. They also do have Mexican food so if you want to sample something new and also enjoy something you know and love they have you covered. I will say the menu does a good job of explaining the dishes which are all named I struggle to pronounce. My mom and I decided to get the appetizer sampler and share an entree. The goal was to get only things we couldn't pronounce and had never had. We started with two coquito beverages which were nonalcoholic but google told me they traditionally are mixed with rum. I got the Nutella coquito and my mom got strawberry. Very very creamy, like a melted milkshake poured over rice. Basically Puerto Rican "egg nog" but better. The sampler had 4 unique items and a cup of queso for dipping. Large portions and could have served 3-4 ppl easily. We didn't finish. I loved the fride pork way more than I expected. Crispy and light on the outside but juicy and packed with flavor. The pork melted in my mouth. The sorullos are basically sweet corn meal hush puppies. Perfectly fried and even moist inside. Tostones are fluffy plantain cakes. I think my first time have plantain... Starchy like a potato but textured and slightly sweet like a banana. We added a bit of salt and dipped these in the queso. Lastly the beef pastelillo were SO delicious. Light and flaky handmade dough pockets filled with perfectly seasoned ground beef and cheese. Reminded me a bit of a pasty but lighter. The entree was the chicken mofongo and it arrived in a very grand wooden goblet bowl. I'm a sucker for picturesque things! This is a heavy meal and I'm so glad we shared. The plantain in this dish was grated to the texture of rice but chunks stuck together like thanksgiving stuffing as my mom remarked. So much flavor and all spices were muted and blended perfectly. Strong tomato flavor. What a great experience trying this food for the first time and what an absolute gem in this area! The young girl inside was manning the floor, hosting, busing tables and running the register. Such a sweet and hardworking employee. read more

See all

We went here expecting typical Mexican Food with the whole experience such as Chips and Salsa, moderately priced food. The inside felt kind of dirty. Their ice machine was not working so the server had to bring ice "from the back room". The cops and salsa took awhile to get served and the salsa was served I. 4 ounce plastic containers which was not enough. I heard all the tables asking for more salsa. The place was under staffed with what appeared to be one server and one cook. The entrees came out one at a time with about a 2-3 minute delay between each delivery, just odd. The food was mediocre, nothing really creative or wowing. We will try Mi Tequila next time. read more

Tried to go here when passing through town, based on the great reviews. Website said they closed at 8 and we got there at 7:05 and were told they were closing and had been just about to lock the door. Guessing they just weren't very busy and wanted to go home early. Might call to check hours before you go. Will try again if we're ever in the area again. read more

Food was absolutely delicious! Our server was very attentive and our meal came out quick. Next time we are in Petoskey we will definitely come back. read more

El Cilantro - Mexican Near Me - Petoskey, Michigan

Just had a late lunch there. Birra tacos were fantastic! Everything it seems is made in-house. The nachos were wonderful, too. We had ice tea as drinks. This was the best Mexican food that we have had in Petoskey thus far. We ate at 2 others that we just ok. The service is friendly and helpful. We will definitely eat there again next time in town. Ambiance was typical of a Taco house you might find in Los Angeles. I recommend this Taco house!!! read more

Not authentic at all; Me and my mom ordered a pickup for a burrito and tacos and they were both dry, and not well seasoned. We both had a conversation about the tacos making us feel sad as even chipotle is much better. And when she told me the one burrito was $16!? Crazy for such a lame attempt at Mexican food read more

We were staying in Harbor Springs, MI for a night & craving tacos. We checked out El Cilantro & it turned out to be a casual, clean little place with good ambiance & tasty salsa. Our server was friendly & helpful, our food was ready fairly quickly & was really good. Two of us ordered fish tacos, one got shrimp tacos & one birria tacos. We asked to have cilantro added to the fish & shrimp tacos because they don't come with it but we LOVE it. We'd definitely return. read more

Que Rico! Muy delicioso! Gracias por todo. Todo fue muy rico. We enjoyed the food and the friendly helpful service. Muchisimaa gracias.

A hidden gem just a few minutes away from downtown Petoskey. Such good food for a great value! Wish I would have gotten a picture but my hubby and I scarfed down the food quickly. 10/10! read more

The food is not your Taco Bell type of food. It is made to order. And the workers are friendly and very polite.

I don't think I've ever left a review for anything before, but this may be the best food I've had since moving to Petoskey a year ago. I can't believe it took me so long to try it. The quesadilla California changed me for the better. Wonderful staff too. So friendly and attentive, and our food came quick. Not to mention the salsa is the best I've had in a long long time. HIGHLY recommend. read more

Tasteless chicken enchiladas, no flavor or heat. Chips were good and salsa was good but it was charged on the bill.

Can't say enough good things about our experience. Our server was attentive and answered my questions well. We started with arepitas- HOT, crispy, cheesy - yum! I got the arroz con pollo, which fits the bill for a perfect comfort food. My wife had pabellon criollo and I'm still dreaming about the bite of black beans I swiped. We also got a slice of tres leches to go - it was good, a little on the sweet side for my personal preference. I sadly live much too far to become a regular but if I lived nearby I'd be visiting routinely. read more

This is not your typical Mexican restaurant. Simply look at the menu. The choices are from many Latin countries, although some of the familiar Mexican dishes are there too. Prices are typical for the area and really are a value for how much food is on the plate. We went there for lunch and cleaned our plates. The food is delicious out of the kitchen, but hot sauces are also available if you want some heat. Service was great, our server made sure we had everything we needed for a great experience. The decor is great too with their latest renovation eliminating all hints the seafood restaurants that occupied the storefront. We walked in and just said "Wow". They are a bit hidden in the corner of the L-shaped strip of stores next to Toski-Sands. Look for them, try them, you should be happy you did. read more

Hidden gem. Who would'a thought that there would be a great pan-Latin restaurant in the northlands? Wide variety of dishes from multiple countries. Had the mixed appetizer, mofongo and a burrito. All were good. read more

Food was delicious. The stew tacos (can't remember name) were so good. Not something i would normally order, but another customer recommended. Will absolutely order again! Fresh salsa and guacamole. Pineapple juice is fresh and great for a treat after dinner/lunch. Will definitely be back. read more

This place confuses me a little. So first of all, they don't serve alcohol here. So we sat down and tried to order drinks and we're told they don't have drinks... was a little surprised! The food wasn't bad, but the dishes came out one at a time. So by the time the last person in our group of 8 got food, the first person had been finished eating for like 20 minutes. Not sure if this place really thought everything through before opening. Not somewhere I'd go again to be honest. read more

I am a taco fanatic and the shrimp tacos were some of the best I've had in my life. Extremely fresh and delicious with a beautiful presentation. Excellent! read more

Nice little restaurant. Everytime we've gone here or drove by they always seem empty, but despite that we tried them out. Staff was friendly and the food was excellent. Very clean and light meals. Nothing felt greasy or heavy. We've ate here a few times and always are happy with our meals. Shrimp was cooked perfectly and the steak in our burritos was tender with no fatty pieces which was great. Worth checking out if you're a fan of this type of food. read more

The dishes at Latin Sazon cuisine were typical Puerto Rican recipes that were reasonably priced. Unfortunately due to the low manpower we had a long wait however it was a beautiful atmosphere and gorgeous restaurant. I would rate this three out of five stars just because of the long wait and some of the meals seem to be rushed. read more

See all

This is my new favorite casual restaurant in Petoskey. The food was absolutely delicious and authentic (but still came out quickly). Great menu. Excellent service! Very casual and comfortable, they don't appear to have a liquor license though. I saw a lot of people coming in for take out orders too. I know this restaurant has been through a few iterations, but they absolutely have nailed it this time! Definitely highly recommend!!! read more

The food is always delicious, served hot . Always have had friendly service, even when they are a little on the busy side.

Pabellon criollo was amazing. The meat was was so full of flavor, paired with rice and beans! I will definitely be back to try other things! read more

Fantastic! We had a great service and the food was amazing! The empanadas were so tasty. The carne asada was also excellent and well prepared. The plantains baskets with ground beef were very unique and delicious. We will be back. read more

Excellent food and service. I've eaten here several times and highly recommend the fish tacos, mofongo and chicken Monterrey. The lunch specials are a great deal at $7.99. I do wish the menu on the website included descriptions or photos. That lack of info led to me ordering the only meh meal I've had - the Bistec Encebollado. (Yes, I did Google it but not every version is going to be the same.) Everything else has been great, though, so I'm not too bent about one mediocre experience. read more