All Cilantro is one of the better quick Mexican spots I've tried, and I go to a lot of small takeout places. The restaurant was clean, the staff was friendly, and the service was quick. Most importantly, the food was really good--everything was fresh and tasty. The El Matador tacos are a must-try and definitely worth coming back for. Overall, a solid spot that I'd recommend. read more

Taco Tuesday might actually be the best day of the week. In San Diego, where everyone claims to have the best Mexican food, it almost feels required to spend Tuesday finding the best tacos deals. I have been on the hunt for Taco Tuesday spots that balance price, quality, and flavor, and this might be the cheapest one I have found so far. We are talking 99 cent tacos. The meats included in the deal were al pastor, carnitas, pollo, buche, and cabeza. Carne asada tacos were $2.45 and lengua tacos were $2.95, which is still very reasonable. At most taco shops you are paying close to $4 for lengua alone. These are TJ style mini tacos but the amount of meat they give you is actually generous. It was busy in here. Nonstop traffic. They also have a drive thru which helps keep the inside from getting too crowded. There is some seating inside and a small patio outside. The place was not exactly clean but it did not feel dirty either. It looked more like the staff just had not had time to tidy up. The bathroom was a different story. Super disgusting. As if they haven't cleaned it in a week. I think McDonald's is cleaner. There was no sign advertising the 99 cent tacos but you can see it on the receipt. Trust me. The salsa area was rough though. The red salsa was completely empty and never refilled while we were there. Instead of a salsa bar they use squeeze bottles for small cups. Only salsa verde was available along with limes and pickled carrots. That whole area looked messy. We ordered a spread to try everything: al pastor, carnitas, buche, cabeza, lengua, carne asada, and a horchata. Our name was called for the order but the horchata was missing. We waited another 10 minutes for it because no one at the counter was free to help. A little frustrating since the rest of the food was already ready. Al Pastor This one surprised me the most. Super juicy and not dry at all. Not the cheap finely chopped al pastor you sometimes see during Taco Tuesday. These were real slices cut from a chunk of meat and the pieces were big. It also came with a little guacamole which was a nice touch. Easily one of the best tacos we tried. Carne Asada A little disappointing. Salty and a bit dry and chewy. I could see it working better on carne asada fries where other toppings balance it out, but as a taco it was not good. Carnitas Really good. Finely pulled and very flavorful. You honestly would not even need salsa. The only downside was the salt which seemed to be a theme with some of the meats. Sodium overload!!! Buche Great flavor but the texture was tough. It felt like it needed more cooking time because it was firm instead of tender. Kinda of like a jerky texture out the outside. Cabeza My standout taco. I usually skip cabeza because it can taste gamey, but this one was delicious. Super tender with a rich stewed beef flavor. It was definitely greasy which probably helped the flavor, though after a few tacos it might feel heavy. Lengua Texture was great and the pieces were big, but it lacked flavor. Usually you taste aromatics like bay leaf and onion in lengua. This one felt plain and salsa kind of took over the flavor. Horchata Unfortunately this was the worst part. I honestly could not drink it. It tasted like a birthday candle that had been burning way too long. You know that smoky birthday cake candle smell? Somehow that exact scent is what the drink tasted like. Very artificial and chemical tasting. Overall this is definitely a Taco Tuesday spot worth visiting if you are nearby. It gets busy, but it is hard to beat 99 cent tacos with this many meat options. The al pastor and cabeza were the standouts for me and I would come back for those. The carnitas were solid too. Everything else was a little mid, but at that price it is still hard to complain read more

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The food sucked! All of it was tasteless. Wings were old and dry. Ordered double rice and only got one scoop of rice. She forgot the taco I ordered. But really everything we tried had no flavor. Just plain meat on a tortilla. read more

I really hate to give a business a bad review, but I had no choice was Willie disappointment I've been coming to this location for years and I'm not sure what happened or they got a new ownership but I ordered birria ramen and it was absolutely disgusting. The noodles were tough to chew, and the soup was literally cold and then meat structure was like rubber To chew on, I'm very disappointed and not only that on top of that I asked him for onion cilantro and they were soggy and smelly and I'm so sorry to hear this to you guys but I'm very disappointed after years of coming there. I'll say this that'll be my last time I'm coming there. I completely threw the food away after a couple chew I was not happy at all read more

El Cilantro Mexican Grill - This is the receipt just in case if the management wanna check the cameras - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

This was my first time trying Cilantro Mexican Food, after a friend recommended it for their menudo. I have to say, the flavor was really good and I enjoyed it. However, I was disappointed by the portion size. There simply wasn't enough food, and there wasn't much hominy either. I understand that food costs have gone up and running a restaurant isn't easy, but eating out is expensive for customers too. For the price, I was hoping to get a meal-sized portion. Unfortunately, what I received felt more like an appetizer. read more

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Food was cold and tasted fishy even though it was beef rolled tacos. Also barely any sour cream or guacamole. Look at picture read more

El Cilantro Mexican Grill - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

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! read more

El Cilantro Mexican Grill - Carnitas plate - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

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. read more

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How are you going to charge $1.50 more for LESS food?!?! I used to pay a $1 for delicious tacos with the works - onion, cilantro, lime, guac. They're now $2.50 which isn't that expensive all things considered BUT they cut the guac and the lime. I ordered the same meal I usually do and got tortilla, meat, onion on half the tacos, and way too much cilantro. The service has always been a bit lacking but it's also gotten significantly worse. The women working do NOT want to work and act like YOU are an inconvenience by existing let alone being a paying customer. I probably would've rated this 5 stars a year ago because the tacos are good, it's close to home, and had decent pricing so I could over look the service. Unfortunately, this place has gone way down hill. Like others have said, there's too many other taco shops to put up with the BS anymore. read more

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. :( read more

El Cilantro Mexican Grill - Side Order of Fries - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

So, we've been coming here for several years and this will be our last experience here as the food was absolutely bad! We ordered a carne asada burrito and a shrimp burrito. The carne asada burrito was filled with rice and beans and lettuce and a small portion of carne asada that was hardly noticeable! To make it worse, the meat was very salty and not seasoned properly. I can't remember ever having a carne asada burrito with rice and lettuce in it! The shrimp burrito was just as bad! It also had a ton of dried rice and very little shrimp with no taste in it. We also noticed that they only have one size drink of 20oz. They either hired a new cook or a new owner has taken over...we liked coming here but too many choices in Mexican restaurants to have one bad experience. Sad :( read more

Second time coming to this restaurant and we ordered a few things. First they ran out of Birria so only one taco was made, no problem. My friend ordered jalapeño poppers that took 40 minutes to come out and they were frozen. We got our money back. After 40 minutes of waiting, we were frustrated waiting for our food. The 7 mares took longer to come out and they did not give me the rice that came with it the first time I had it. The girls behind the counter had a large Starbucks at the counter, they should drink it to wake up. What a horrible experience and horrible customer service. I can now say I've bitten into frozen jalapeño poppers. read more

3 times I've ordered a trio breakfast burrito (ham,sausage, bacon), and all 3 times all I got was some bacon in there. I even double checked with the lady the 3rd time and asked if they have all those meats available and she said yes but still only gave me a bacon breakfast burrito, HALF of it was empty with no meat even when I paid for full price of the 3 meats. They intentionally mess up my order or just don't care and expect me to be okay with it. I used to love this place for its prices and portions, but now they've RAISED prices and LOWERED portions. Makes no sense and not worth it. read more

First let me say the food was good, the cook who was left by himself did an amazing job. But I will tell you the young lady who was taking orders was a bit off putting. We arrived before the rest of our family. We had a total of 8 coming to eat. While we were waiting she approached us and asked if we could order as she was leaving soon and didn't want her cook to have to do it all. At first I thought that was very nice she was looking out for him. I explained there were more coming and I would like for all of us to eat together. That is when it got uncomfortable. She said they asked her to stay but she didn't want to. We felt bad for the cook and went ahead and ordered. The rest of our party arrived, ordered and as she was leaving she came to us and said. Please be kind to my cook. We were not in any hurry and had not said anything rude to indicate we would not be kind. I'm just sad we added the tip to our order instead of waiting and giving it to the cook who was left to fend for himself. Even being left alone he had a smile on his face. read more

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. read more

El Cilantro Mexican Grill - Tacos de cabeza - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

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I have ordered from this place many times through Uber eats and their food is by far the best. Never disappointing. I ordered today through doordash and i was short on my order. I contacted them and they made a way for me to receive the rest of my order. Not only is their food amazing but their customer service is amazing. If I could give them more then 5 stars I would. Thank you Eric, ur communication and ur customer service in making sure all our food was delivered in a timely manner shows ur appreciation to your customers. read more

9 times out of 10 they get my order wrong. I've tried to look past it but it's to the point that I'm concerned about their lack of common sense. It's also pretty off-putting that when they get my order wrong the cashier chick gets excited and says she gets to eat my order that was made wrong. Today was the last straw. My order was supposed to be free because of the last visit where they messed up... and now they messed it up AGAIN and literally all I wanted was onions+cilantro on the side and they put pico on the entire meal... pico doesn't even come with it ‍ . It's really not that hard. read more

The worst taco shop rude employees asked for nachos substitute the chicken for corn Asada. They messed up. I had to go back three times and never got right replacement kept my food and give me my money back rude employee. read more

Rude cashier and terrible service I came in today and got a dirty look and attitude from the cashier with blonde/ brown hair. She was even being rude to the customer in front of me smh read more

We waited for over 40 minutes for our food because the cook was no where to be found. My burrito was missing ingredients, and on top of that the ham was cut into the biggest and super thick pieces, making it gross to eat. My partners burrito had EGGSHELLS!! Absolute horrible experience and food. The cashier/person taking our order was the only one who was being kind, and she was apologetic for the wait. read more

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 read more

El Cilantro Mexican Grill - My Boys - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

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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.. read more

El Cilantro Mexican Grill - "Chicken buffalo fries" they should be called chicken nuggets cut up fries - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

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

El Cilantro Mexican Grill - Hard taco shell?! - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

Best quality Mexican food in San Diego definitely go here a few times a week I highly recommend the surf and turf burritos and nachos

Ordered a California burrito and it has to be the worse I've ever had in San Diego. There was very few pieces of meat. The second half of burrito had three little slices of meat. I know because the first half was so bad that I just unwrapped it and counted the meat. Would not comeback here again. read more

Comí aquí y mi familia pidió tacos de adobada que no tenían sabor. El arroz estaba durísimo. Se notaba que probablemente eran sobras y los frijoles estaban cubiertos de grasa. ate here my family ordered adobada tacos didnt have flavor. The rice was extremely hard. You can tell it was probably just leftover and the beans were covered with grease. read more

***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. read more

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Absolutely disgusting!!! Spent $96 on some bean and cheese burritos (asked for rice in there), 2 sides of fries, fish burrito, and shrimp fries. Most burritos had zero rice, one had a piece of plastic in it, only gave us one side of French fries, and the fish burrito had barely any fish. Even the bean and cheese burritos tasted odd and the girls attitude at the window was pretty stale. She was acting like giving us some hot sauce was some huge production. Even though we live close by, never again! read more

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

I truly enjoy visiting this place for a late dinner. The employees are consistently pleasant, the food is genuinely authentic, and the ambiance is quite agreeable. read more

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 read more

El Cilantro Mexican Grill - If I ordered carne asada why am I getting pork in there ? That's insane man - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

La comida esta horrible y apesta ese lugar por problemas de la tuberías . Y el menudo te ponen mas maíz que menudo todo lo que pidas save mal.. read more

El Cilantro Mexican Grill - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

This place used to be my fav; it's been 6 months since I visited this establishment the last time and had realized they raised up the price on everything so badly- for instance, carne asada fries used to be $9.99 and now it's $14.99. Dang, $5 difference is insane:/ Tacos used to be $.99 but now $1.99. Still very economical but the quality has gone down I feel like. Service is always great- also the restaurant is always kept super clean. No AC though so it can get hot as FU**. I don't think I'll be going back, unless I'm in the area :( read more

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Literally the WORST customer service! Food is okay at best! They have messed up my orders consistently but I kept going back for convenience. I will NOT be going back this time for the way the girl handled my call politely asking her why my carne asada plate that costed $15.99 only had meat rice and beans! No tortillas (which I had to remind her of), no guacamole, no lettuce and no pico! She literally hung up on me and when I called back she said "I don't have time for you, we are too busy!" Now, this is not the first time they have given me a sad looking carne asada plate missing ALL SIDES! My daughter always asks for pico on the side and we end up with NO SIDES AT ALL!!! This time I decided to write this review because when I called to let them know of their mistake the girl was so incredibly rude and did not even try to rectify the mistake! Instead she said I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOU!!! So done with this place! Trash customer service and not to mention the meat/food quality has gone down significantly as you can see in my photo! That meat tasted worse than it looks! read more

El Cilantro Mexican Grill - I paid $15.99 for THIS AND ONLY THIS!!! - Mexican Near Me - El Cajon, California

Food was very good but the service was awful. There is a very rude girl who works on Thursday night. Just horrible. We asked her if she could clean the table. She came by with the cleaner and towel in hand and said, no, the table is clean and walked away. She needs another place to work. read more

I used to really like this place. Was surprised when i pulled up, menu looked a little different and cashier was a little rude but no big deal. Got some tacos and they were not good, meat had no flavor, tortillas were dry and overcooked, too much guac, on top of that no napkins and 1 hot sauce. ​ read more

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

Horrible. Did not have fish tacos which they advertise. Paid $18 for shrimp nachos. Had about 6 tiny shrimp. Did not add beans. A huge pile of hard chips with cheese and sour cream. This place is a rip off. read more

great food excellent service the cashier was a great person I will 100% recommend this restaurant to my friend and family read more

3 tiny cold tacos 30+ minute wait tattoo girl in there is VERY rude she doesn't even know what day it is this taco shop sucks !!! Don't waste your time here you will be there a hour for shitty tacos shitty service and shitty attitude beware !!!!!! read more