Cinco de Mayo Dos

I stumbled upon this place over the weekend. I was walking on eastern to go to another place when the window sign said Tacos! So I said self, why not get a side of tacos to go with my other meal. I bought 2 Beef Tongue tacos and 1 Buche taco. Best tacos I’ve had by far. The beef tongue melts in your mouth. Buttery and juicy that no red sauce is really needed. The Buche taco was also so delicious. The red sauce is really spicy so you’ve been warned. However, the cebollines were so savory. It reminded me of a restaurant in Guate called Los Cebollines. Ask for the grilled green onions. You won’t be disappointed. I will def make the 45 minute trip back for some more side of tacos. With that said, if it looks yummy… than eat :)

I never would have known about this place’s hidden restaurant if it weren’t for Unilocal.This is an authentic Mexican place where the server didn’t speak much English and the clients were all Hispanic. The carnitas burrito was amazing. It would have been even better if it had lettuce and sour cream, but it was still great. The pork was so tender and they give you huge chunks of it. The horchata was refreshing, and because I got it to go, they gave me like a tub of it. I was not a big fan of the flan neopolitano. But overall, the food was very good!

Tacos on fresh home made corn tortillas with fresh cilantro and the trimmings. Telenovelas in the background.

Good lord, this place is now my favorite neighborhood joint for Mexican food! I feel guilty for ranking it higher than Los Mariachis, which is still my go-​to for nachos though.
Tortas with carne enchilada and pollo loco quesadilla were delicious. The meat was flavorful, portion large but not obesity-​large. Free chips with green homemade salsa was one of the best homemade salsas I’ve had.
Will be back!

Great place to eat. Service was good I would for sure go back again. Service was exceptional and food was amazing service was great. I think everyone should check them out!!!

I have to let the secret out. BEST MEXICAN FOOD IN AMERICA!!! You would never know it from the humble view from the street but trust me this place has no equal. I bet you cant eat here only once…

I knew this place was legit even before my tacos came to table. Green sauce is soooo good. Reminds me of home in Texas! Homemade tortillas and best damn al pastor!

I have heard only good things and have been excited to try it. Tonight I tried to place a To-​Go order an hour and a half before they closed. I called and asked «Can I place an order for pick-​up» the woman on the line simply said «no» and hung up the phone. I found it very rude that I didn’t have a chance to ask a follow up question. I’ll try to update this review if I ever give them another try.

This food experience compelled me to write my first Unilocal review. amazing !! It is totally hidden inside a market, but if you want authentic inexpensive Mexican food… like get there. I also was not emotionally prepared for the chips and salsa, which were on another level entirely. I got the horchata and shared an enchilada and the shrimp and garlic and now I am in heaven so bye

This place has an authentic, grungy feel. It’s to the point — get some food, eat some food — without any decoration. Its hidden inside a more general grocery store. The food is great, plentiful and cheap.

We tried tacos al pastor and carne asada. They were OK, but the best. So pastor is not the traditional pastor tested more like adobado than pastor. The sope was much better. Good size portion and no delivery.

Best tacos in Baltimore. Hands down. This place is not for everyone as it is literally a hole in the wall. You would never know there was an actual taqueria in the back of this Mexican grocery and butcher. Totally worth the cultural shock.

Tucked deep inside a Hispanic grocery store is the best Mexican cuisine I’ve found thus far in Bmore.
Cinco de Mayo makes, hands down, the best tacos al pastor I have eaten outside of Mexico or LA. They’re juicy, savory, with a noticeable chili kick and just a hint of pineapple sweetness. The tacos de lengua and my fiancée’s carne asada burrito were pretty amazing as well. I recommend this place unreservedly.

After an afternoon of loping in sunflower fields, and hiking at a waterfall, my lover, friends and I decided we needed to chow down on some heavy chunks of carbs. And chow we did. This was my first time at Cinco De Mayo and I must say, I love the feel of this grocery and hidden diner. It’s a very homey neighborhood and local feel to it. And the surprising bit is how they managed to squeeze a restaurant into what could have been a backroom or hangout area for the workers to eat lunch. This nearly windowless eating area looked like an extended bathroom, with a Jesus/​Mother Mary themed waterfall set up at the very epicenter. It might have been a transformed urinal, but really, the mini waterfall was charming and cute — it’s just that it seemed very out of place. It’s forgivable. The food was fantastic.
We got the carne asasda burrito and el pastor quesadillas. I love the weight to price ratio for this meal. They were large and probably the same size if not bigger than Chipotle burritos. The seasoning was perfect and had a great balance of Mexican earthy flavors. Most importantly, it was very very buttery. There was so much butter leaking out, I’m sure it clogged an artery on the way down. I really enjoyed demolishing this sucker. The el pastor quesadilla I had mixed feelings. On one hand, the pork inside was so perfectly delicious. It wasn’t overly salty, it was seasoned well and had melty gooey queso fresco holding it together, however, the fried quesadilla shell overwhelmed the wonderful flavors. The shell was floury and so thick that it foiled the fantastic flavors of its stuffing. I enjoyed eating the meat inside and the flour shell separately.
Given how much I loved the food, I really wanted to give this place a 4 or 5 rating, however, the service was strongly lacking. The server was probably busy with other roles in the kitchen, however, the turnaround time for our checks and meals was exaggerated. There were also very few people to be serviced so I was surprised the service was taking as long as it did. I did like that this place was not very crowded and that there were few people here. It still reminds me of the bathroom, but I would have forgiven it seeing how amazing the food was. But still… that service wasn’t the best… I would still come back here for the food though and would definitely take friends here to get a taste of real Mexican food.

This restaurant is the definition of a hole-​in-​the-​wall gem. On a relatively barren block, sits a run-​down small little grocery store. Then if you go in through a maze of aisles within the grocery store, you stumble upon this little restaurant. It looks kind of unkempt, but in a welcoming kind of way — when you see the slightly broken chairs and authentic, mis-​mash of condiments, you know that the focus is not on appearance, but rather on the food.
The meal starts off with a complimentary tray of tortilla chips and guac/​salsa. I have been here twice and have ordered the carne enchilada (spicy pork meat) burrito each time, because it is just so delicious. The first time I came, they provided enough food to feed two starving people two meals in a row! Unfortunately, the most recent time, they seemed to have cut their portions (as my friends also agreed), and it can only feed one starving person now. That being said, the prices are still decent at 7 $/​burrito. I love the filling of seasoned rice, veggies, pork, and queso fresco — it is hot and steaming, and the cheese pulls with each bite. It is amazing! My friends ordered the tacos at 2.75/taco — which were also delicious, and the al pastor quesadilla at 7 $/​each — steaming hot, thick flaky crust, and flavorful pork meat.
The reason I only gave 4 stores despite the amazing food, is the decrease in portion size compared to before (I had expected what I had the first time), and the service (you have to request water when dining in, otherwise water will not be supplied — and it is difficult to get a hold of the waitress).
Definitely will return. And would recommend to anyone who would like an authentic experience in a hole-​in-​the-​wall restaurant.

You KNOW that this place was going to be good when you walk into what seems to be just just a small store with some produce, meat counter and staples and then get led into the very back/​hidden place where a tiny restaurant is.
Everything looked good on the menu and while you decide what you want, they bring out homemade tortilla chips with a delicious/​cilantro/​green/​spicy sauce. I could drink that stuff! Obvy homemade.
I wanted a tamale and a taco and they were out of tamales (sad face). So I opted for 2 tacos. 1 carnitas and 1 al pastor. The tacos are big and comes with a some grilled veggies on the side which I loved AND homemade green and red salsa! Yes!
Fiancé got the chorizo taco (wish I got this) and a quesadilla. O man, this quesadilla was huge, fried, cheesy, meaty and delicious. So not good for your health.
Were not served water and it was a bit spicy. We got the guava juice in bottle and it was delish, reminded me of the Hawaiian Sun guava juice.
Service was not the best.
Took a longgg time to pay which felt like an eternity b/​c our time on the meter was running out but other than that, it’s the most authentic Mexican place I’ve been to out here.
Grab some Mexican candy on the way out :)

Wonderful little whole in the wall hidden in the back of a small Mexican grocery store. Great food! Never would have found this place without Unilocal

This is the type of hole in the wall that every Unilocaler just craves to find. You go to the back of the store, through a small hallway to pop out into a little diner.
We sat down to look at the menu, and sunk into the booths. This place was basic, unadorned — and I was looking forward to some awesome food.
Then we noticed the table was a bit grimy, so we moved to the regular non-​booth tables.
A cockroach was hanging out on the table, just kind of looking at us from feet away.
Here’s my thoughts on pests in establishments. I get it — it happens. Even clean places will have some from time to time, and you might unfortunately see one scurry past. When they hang out on the table, fearlessly looking at you — then I start to question what is going on behind the scenes.
Everyone was super nice — and I acknowledge the food here could be amazing — but I’m crossing this off my list, and giving people warnings, on account of that little guy just hanging out there.

I was REALLY impressed by this hole in the wall 5 STAR kitchen LOL. So thank you to the Unilocalers that explained how to go through the maze to actually get to the restaurant!
**The next section is all about the navigation to the restaurant and the ambiance — to hear about the food scroll down to the ‘GRUB TIME’ section!**
It literally is a neighbor’hood’ Latino deli/​meat/​grocery store/​mini-​mart in the middle of Little Italy on a seedy looking corner in the middle of nowhere — BUT IT WAS DELICIOUS! No one spoke to my friend and I wen we walked in so we just kept it moving past the meat counter with very fresh looking cuts of chicken to tongue. Floors looked dingy, but were clean– smell of old GOYA cans that were nicely organized and plentiful. .. I got really excited because it seemed super authentic so you know that meant the food was going to be THE BEST!!! and it was :))
So OK — past the cans. .. boxes. .. (wasn’t sure if I ended up still in the food for purchase section. .. or the storage area of the market. .. or if we had entered the pantry of the kitchen/​restaurant!!) (see picture) But we went through some double door and VOALA! we are at a kitchen counter and can see people cooking behind the swing door. Behind us are about 5 torn up booths, and 3 little off balance table sets :)) Some one finally comes out and she’s pretty and speaks only a little English. She’s surprised that we wanted to eat in (could tell by her expression) and seats us.
**GRUB TIME!**
Service was quick first of all…
1. FREE tortilla chips * * * * (thick cut kind of), fresh, nice amount of salt served with this avocado mayo dip thing that my friend said was good (I’m allergic to avocado:/)
2. Shrimp Fajitas * * * * * ($ 11) — JUMBO, succulent, al dente shrimp cooked with white onions, green and red peppers. DELICIOUS, simple and fresh. Thin white corn tortillas (soft enough to make you feel like you’re eating flour tortillas : — PLUS). Yellow rice with a few peas and carrots * * * * * that LOOKED like it was from a box but TASTED like it was out of abuelita’s kitchen (which it was I guess)! Refried beans * * * * * that LOOKED bland but had this complex flavor going on! I was floored and in heaven. I love a good surprise.
3. Al Pastor Tacos (1 for $ 3) — marinated, perfectly cooked pork goodness with chopped pineapple, course chopped white onion, and lots of cilantro. OMG!!! They dropped the spatula and then walked away with that one! So authentic!
4. Chicken Quesadilla * * * (I think $ 8) — This one lost stars because instead of a flour tortilla which I think is more American. .. it had this thick tamale/​floury batter that surrounded this wonderful delicious chicken mixture in the middle with melted queso fresco. It was topped with crema and more queso fresco. We just ended up cutting the batter off (it was literally that thick — almost like cutting through bone to get to the marrow) HA! But the marrow was the BOMB!
Interesting experience and delicious — next time I want more pastor!!! I can’t wait to try more!

Don’t be fooled, there is a restaurant deep in the labyrinth of this little meat market. So far, I’ve been here twice. Once, I got chicken enchiladas… the portion was huge and it was sooooo good. Today. I went and got taco al pastor and carne asada, which were super authentic and delish. I also got the taco de lengua… equally authentic, but it totally freaked me out and I couldn’t eat it.
I love this place. Its awesome, the service is friendly though maybe a bit limited English proficient for those of you who don’t speak Spanish. Also, the chips and salsa are phenom and the bathroom is clean.

Doof Doof Doof…
That’s me kicking myself for not making it here earlier after having this place bookmarked for a long time.
This place is great. Sure, service wasn’t super friendly (and wasn’t unfriendly either), but it’s perfectly fine and the food is out of this world. You basically walk through a Mexican grocery store and then sit in the back in an unglamorous room with telenovelas playing. Sit down and the waitress will bring you a menu or grab one on the table under the TV when you walk in.
We had a few tacos (al pastor, carnitas and spicy pork) and each one of them was nothing less than fantastic. Best tacos I’ve had in Baltimore by a decent leap (and I love me some Tortilleria Sinaloa and Tijuana Tacos 3 and most importantly Fiesta Mexicana in Rosedale).
I also had an al pastor quesadilla which was basically a fried football filled with possibly the best al pastor I’ve ever had. Just amazing.
I can’t wait to get back to this place, and I’ll update after a few more tries, but I’m pretty sure this is my new go-​to mexican joint in the city.

The restaurant is located in the back of the supermarket. The building is in decrepit shape, but everything inside seems to be organized. I think the food here is pretty authentic — I typically order the cow tongue (lengua) burrito, or tacos and they’re all tasty. I sometimes find the burrito has too much rice — but the taste makes up for it.
The hot sauces that come on the side in the mini cups (you have to ask for these) are HOT.
Other than the food, the service is pretty standard — just don’t expect attentive service. Just a typical — order your food, wait for the food to come out and ask for the check.

By far the best Mexican food I’ve had outside of California.

Amazing! Authentic Mexican food. We can’t get enough! The quesadilla is bigger than a calzone– amazingly delicious! When you go I to the store just keep walking to the back– and bring a translator :)

Still very good but this time we got delivery since it was cold and rand even though we live like 2 blocks away, they had some trouble finding us. The cheese torta, which I was promised was vegetarian had the most meat on it — luckily our vegetarian person had to leave before the food arrived. But, the tortas were as good as we remembered esp the Al Pastor. Could eat these tortas often!

Great Mexican food! I had a tall glass Horchata and it was probably the best I ever had! Mmm and the sope was huge! Havent had amazing Sope like this since Mexico! I definitely recommend this place If your looking for real good authentic Mexican dishes!

Quick dinner in the back of the grocery store. It’s larger than I expected it to be. I’ve seen places like this with just a counter to order food and a few seats.
I ordered the Sopes with al pastor. The bits of pineapple really brought it together for me. The blend of all of that with the gently flowing waterfall made it all worth it. The service is great and the prices are right. Will go back and try some of the other stuff once my stomach returns to normal size.

I can’t really say much about the grocery store here, but a friend of mine brought me to Cinco De Mayo for lunch one day. My belly stretched pretty far after that meal.
Man… I just love genuine and authentic Mexican food. It’s cheap, amazingly delicious, and extremely filling. Or maybe I’m just describing Cinco De Mayo. The burritos are massive, but the sopes probably tastes the best here.
I am coming to the conclusion that whenever a hole-​in-​the-​wall place has both a grocery store AND a corner that serves food, it is usually pretty darn legit.
Word of advice. On your way out after the meal, where other restaurants have a dish of mints or candy, Cinco De Mayo has Mexican lollipops. You might not like it…