Cilantro Mediterranean Grill

Not open at advertised hours. Drove out to the restaurant to grab some food at 6:30 on Saturday and the ‘open’ sign is turned on but the door is locked and no one answers the phone. Wasted a trip and disappointed. It is supposed to be open until 7 PM on Saturday.

Thought I would take a chance and try something new in the Durham area today as I am from out of town and just passing through. Took some relatives to this place called cilantro Mediterranean Grill and pizza to have them try Mediterranean food. The guy behind the counter was young but seemed to be friendly and told me of some specials that the restaurant was having. He recommended the lamb stew with rice and I ordered that along with the kubideh with rice. After a 20-​minute 25 minute wait I asked the guy what was taking so long and he said he just put on the rice and didn’t have it ready to order and it would take another 15 minutes to complete. He could have told me this before placing the order, but he didnt. This was a big oversight that could have been corrected with a better approach to prompt customer service. Despite this, mishap the food was good and service/​staff was courteous. However promptness, wait time and customer communication could be greatly improved.
Please note that this is an update of a review submitted earlier (5÷28÷16) on this establishment. In reference to a missing item; it was included with our order. It was an oversight on my part.
Dwayne.

Here on business and was so excited to see a Persian place in town! Lovely owner, fresh and simple food straight from the farmers market. I asked him to open one in Austin. We ordered chicken, lamb, hummus and an eggplant dip and it was all fabulous. Took leftovers back to my hotel room.

The food was good but not $ 16.20 good. I got 5 small lamb pieces of lamb with a half container of rice and the other half salad. BTW way guys if you read this, put the salad in a different container. No one likes a warm salad. If I paid $ 10 then maybe I’d be back. But as it stands nope t do it.

Maybe it was just an off day, but this was not good. The wait for the food was about 10 minutes, including the wait time in line, which isn’t bad. The line for the register and the wait counter for the food is unorganized so people end up standing around one small area near other diners. I got a veggie sampler to go, which is why I didn’t realize until after I left that they gave me the wrong stuff, all the food was mixed together, and the pita bread was *uncooked* in parts. I’m a little spoiled from the other great Mediterranean food places around here, so I’m biased, but the food that I did get was also not very good. And uncooked food is a big no no.
I’d be willing to give this place another shot, since it seems popular, but I was not impressed with this visit.

Excellent middle eastern food. Fresh. Simple. Flavorful. Proprietor is from Israel and is of Persian descent. He cooked us a take out meal even though we arrived just a few minutes before closing time. We had falafel, lamb kabobs, salad, tabouli, and a unique eggplant appetizer (not baba ghannouj) with mint seasoning. And did I mention that the place is clean, comfortable and well lit? Last but not least — it’s a great value, too. Overall, a hidden gem within the research triangle.

The best Mediterranean in RTP! You get a lot for your money. The customer service is outstanding. And the food is delicious. If they are busy, it’s worth the wait!

I got the falafel wrap. It was good but nothing special. I’ve had better and worse. Seemed expensive to me. Probably won’t be back.

Wonderful food and exceptional service! We look forward to going back to try more items on the menu!

Can’t believe there are negative reviews of this place.
I have a gyro salad once a week from there and it’s my absolute favorite thing to eat around work.
The gyro is real, spit fired lamb and it’s awesome.
The owners are super nice as is everyone that works there.
Greek dressing great too.

Very tasty lamb gyro. Excellent hummus, tzatziki, bread, and Greek salad dressing. Service a bit slow, but that means they’re making things fresh.

My wife, who is not a soccer aficionado, calls it the «sport of disappointment,» since failure to score is so much more common than scoring. When we left Cilantro Mediterranean Grill last night, she looked at me and just said, «Super D.» Disappointing.
When I think of Mediterranean food, I think of flavorful spices. No such thing was evident here. My wife had the filet mignon platter with a salad for $ 9. The meat was cooked well, but underseasoned, and the salad was just plain. Not worth $ 9.
I had two of the kabobs, which were better, but still did not pop with flavor. The rice was bland as well. Not worth $ 13.
The hummus appetizer and bread were plentiful, but even the hummus was bland. Not worth $ 5.
I do feel bad giving a low review, because the people working here were very friendly and helpful. But the food served did not live up to our expectations, plain and simple.

First and foremost, the owners are very friendly, patient, and attentive. I always feel very welcome — like a special guest.
The food is always hot and fresh with generous portions.
I highly recommend the fesunjoon, which is a pomegranate chicken stew, or the gyro.
I the ambience is simplistic with clean lines and an open and airy feel.

I wasn’t sure what kind of food Cilantro served based on their name. The obvious thought would be Mexcian or Indian (there is an Indian Cilantro in Cary). Turns out they are Mediterranean and this restaurant is small with counter service.
I went with a special dish they were offering for the day which was lamb and eggplant stew with basmati rice. There was a little wait, but not a huge wait as other reviews have mentioned. The stew was good, but dominated by the eggplant (not a surprise) with a skimpy amount of the lamb. I did enjoy the flavors. Somewhat spicy but not too spicy. The meal came with bread, but I thought the bread portion was lacking. I did enjoy dipping the bread in the stew.
Cilantro Mediterranean Grill was a decent place for lunch, but I wasn’t overly impressed and though the lunch was pricey (close to $ 15 with a drink). I would most likely visit again to try other Mediterranean offerings such as their gyros.

Both the stars are for the owner/​manager. He is so nice and friendly that I could go to this place only to say hello to him. The food, however, was disappointing. No taste at all. We tried Chicken Kebob with Pilaf and Falafel Roll.
The menu says Falafel Roll with hummus but I was not served any. When i checked with the Manager he said it was inside the sandwich. I told him that i did not see/​taste any hummus. He gave me some extra. Sadly, it did not work for my taste buds either.

Quick serve Mediterranean café with delish food. The gyro salad is large and wonderful. Stuffed grape leaves are really good. Owner is very nice and often works the register. Recently started offering pizzas that I haven’t tried but look great!

One of my favorite places. Everything I have had is amazing! Everything is made to order and so fresh.
The guy that is always at the register is sooo nice and helpful. Such a sweet guy. He brings in things from his own garden such as picked garlic and pickled eggplant sometimes. He makes you feel right at home and has such a passion for the place. Love it!

For shame! I’ve been to Cilantro quite a few times and failed to write a review. Let’s remedy. For as many times as I’ve given them patronage, you would think I would give a better review. Allow me to explain…
First off, the service is great. The owner is very accommodating and friendly. The ambience is minimal. Like someone went to IKEA and decided to decorate a restaurant. It has no authenticity, but I’m not sure that matters for a business lunch. What they do have is a few outdoor tables, with umbrellas, and that’s a huge selling point in the summer. I wish they had more.
The food is ok, it’s not going to knock your socks off. A huge fan of Neomonde, my bar for Mediterranean food is set high. I’d like more options for fresh sides and salads. Their menu is simple. Grilled meals and salads and 2 – 3 sides. Not a lot of options for the GF sect.
Still, it’s fresh and consistent. You can’t go wrong really.

Ate here for lunch and had the chicken sandwich. The food was «okay» but nothing to write about it. I would come here again if suggested but otherwise I would try a different Greek place.
On another note, the place was very clean and staff friendly.

Ok, I waited to write this review after 2 visits. Why you ask? because the 1^st time I went was served and helped by the owner. Yes it was great, fabulous and fresh. Loved it. However on the 2^nd visit, the owner was not there and it was so fabulous, it was good but not like the 1^st time.
I will be back again, because it was good (2^nd time) and fabulous (1^st).
Let’s see if the 3^rd is the charm…