Cinco De Mayo Restaurant

they have the best grilled chicken in the world!
if you like ceviche this is the best place. i had ceviche in 7 diff. restaurant and i can tell you they have the best one by far.

Cinco De Mayo is CLOSED

Lame. Bad service, no water refills and we waited forever for our food. When it finally came, they only brought 2 out of the 3 lunches ordered. Our friend had to wait another 10 minutes before his food came. And when it finally did, it wasn’t even good.

Solid food in a very friendly place. Had terrific carnitas burrito and enchilada suizas. If this place had a liquor license, it’d be packed every night.

Finally I found a place serves Coke in a bottle from Mexico.
After learning a few weeks ago from Lisa D that Cokes made in Mexico contain real sugar and are much tastier, I’ve been on a quest to find a bodega in my hood that stocks this thirst-​quenching treat.
Cinco de Mayo, a neighborhood restaurant across the street from St John’s the Divine, is that place.
CDM occupies the spot formerly used by Bengali Café, an Indian place that was almost always empty. The former régime’s remnants remain, with Hindu designs on the wall, but today they mingle with framed — and frayed — tourism posters from the Yucatan.
As for the carne asada tacos and chorizo taco and papas fritas, the food was OK but nothing great. But the frig is stocked with Jarritos of all flavors and Coca Colas in a bottle. The labels give it away. Refresco. Hecho en Mexico.

People obviously love to hate on this little restaurant. I’m not sure why, both times I’ve been here the food has been fine.
The service is extremely slow, and they don’t serve alcohol. Even though they don’t serve beer, they let me and my friend down a few of our own that we brought with us, which I thought was going above and beyond as far as courtesy goes (risking being shut down!). They even gave us glasses to use.
The food is great. I’ve only had the Chile-​Relleno and the Tortilla soup. I think the prices are a little expensive given the crap décor, but hey, it reminded me of home and California Mexicans.
I don’t think you should ever take a date here, but if you’re looking to try something new, and have the time, give this place a chance. Sure, the salsa might not be homemade, but who gives a shit. You don’t go to Mexican restaurants to have the salsa, you go for the meal. And I don’t blame them anyways, the place is so dead all the time, I doubt it would be economically feasible for them to make fresh salsa for every little rich white Columbia kid who foregoes their «fears» and goes into the little dump.
I give ⁵⁄₅ stars to negate the poor unwarranted reviews by the Columbia bourgeoise. This is a working class neighborhood, with working class food. Go back to Connecticut, yuppies. This place is actually ⁴⁄₅.

a huge group of friends and I went here on May 5^th because it was my sister’s and two friends’ birthdays.
I ordered chilaquiles. Man was that a mistake. Chilaquiles is supposed to be a dish that you can’t mess up. Well, they managed to. When they brought me my food, all I got was a plate of soggy chips. No cheese like I expected. The green sauce was horrible.
My friends ordered quesadillas and burritos. Those weren’t too bad, but you’d really have to have no brain to mess up those.
All in all, if you want to eat mexican food in this side of town, go to the far superior Taqueria y Fonda la Mexicana. It is well worth the extra walk.

Being critical of Mexican food in the city is like hating on Dane Cook: no matter what you say, you just can’t stop the horror, and yet there’s always someone ignorant enough to enjoy it.
I’m a humble boy from the ‘hoods of Scottzdale, Arizona. I need my green corn tamales, my suiza enchiladas, my fried ice cream. As such, I gave Cinco de Mayo a chance. Two chances, actually.
First, the chips and salsa were crappy. If you order from home or for pickup, guess what! You don’t get any. They cost $ 4. For a small bag of stale chips and some pedestrian store-​bought salsa.
Both times I ordered, they forgot my can of soda. Forgot? Oh, right… they remembered to charge me! Also interesting, on their menu they offer «Suiza chicken and cheese enchiladas.» Sounds delish! So, I ordered them. «Which?» The man asked. «Uh… the chicken and cheese enchiladas!» «No, you can have one or the other.» For $ 14 you can put both in my fucking enchilada. Or ‘could,’ since they most certainly did not.
The cheese enchiladas were good and so were the tamales, I’ll admit. By that, I mean they were good by NYC standards. Oh, and the rice is suitably yellow. They don’t offer green corn tamales, though.
The chicken enchiladas, not so much. They fall apart far too easily. Perhaps had they added… hmm… CHEESE?!?
The re-​fried beans reminded me of Old El Paso. Not the tourist destination; the salsa brand.
How could a restaurant that is so needed in the Columbia area fall flat in every way? Taqueria is a better choice by far, even considering the shady and disgusting atmosphere of that establishment.
This location seems to be cursed, with the restaurants that come and go here. Let’s hope the next place to fill the spot will be a step above.

It’s March and I’m drinking Horchata
It looks disgusting when it’s all over the floor-​a
(Lunch takeout) The black bean/​sweet potato spinach burrito was good and large, but the service was lacking. Wouldn’t return, and I’m not quite sure how they’re doing, but I guess they may last.
–7 stars for service & presentation/​packaging, +2 for food, +2 for value. Horchata all over the bag/​my table/​floor + burrito placed upside down within its container=disastrous, stressful eating experience.

Eight dollars and fifty cents for guacamole? You’ve got to be kidding me. I will say that it was better than some of the other guacs around Columbia, but, really, avocados aren’t made of solid gold.
Had mole encheladas. Eh. Pretty basic, just some tortillas wrapped around chicken with mole on top. Didn’t really taste like a dish so much as a combination of a couple ingredients.
I won’t be ordering again; will stick with Taqueria.

The complimentary chips and salsa were good; not anything out of the ordinary for a Mexican place.
I ordered Horchata, which was good. It tasted like they use an additional ingredient beyond most places, which was similar to the taste of the red-​hots candy. Overall, good.
I ordered the chile relleno and my friend ordered a bean taco and bean tostada. Since the taco and tostada was not strictly on the menu, I won’t review them. The chile relleno came with a large fried pepper in a delicious sauce, black beans and rice. The dish was overall very tasty.
Good service, good food, I will return.

Came into this place super hungry, so the immediate chips and salsa were welcome. Salsa tasted store bought, but it wasn’t bad.
I had a burrito and a chorizo taco. Both were pretty good but nothing special. Would have liked to have had some tomatillo salsa for the taco/​burrito cause both were a little dry.
Overall it was ok, but I won’t be in a hurry to come back.

This place is a little hit or miss, but when its a hit it is REALLY GOOD. I get a vegetable burrito at least once a week and it is packed with fresh veggies combined with just the right amount of other normal burrito ingredients. I think after a few more weeks of ironing out the kinks this place will be consistently great. It is perfect for weeknight take out.

I’m a native San Franciscan, and as many people know, we’re picky about our Mexican food, to the point of obsession. Most Mexican food in New York just doesn’t compare, and I’m not sure I’ll ever get used to carrots in burritos. But I was compelled to write this review because Cinco de Mayo is about as good as it gets in the Columbia area, and anyone who tells you that Blockheads is a better choice and isn’t talking about the margaritas is an unreliable source. Nothing fancy about this place, just offers good enchiladas and a solid burrito for a not terribly expensive price.
Sure, the décor is a little drab. But the service is friendly and, more importantly, they deliver quickly. Definitely a good choice for those more interested in the food than the presentation (as any good Mexican place should be). Give it a try.

I love this place! I’m from Texas, and have been looking for good Mexican food ever since I moved up here, and I’ve finally found it. This place just opened and I hope it hangs in there, because without it I’ll be left once again to have my heart broken on a regular basis … by the terrible NY Mexican food. Have the enchiladas … excellent.

This place must be cursed. An otherwise busy block on Amsterdam Avenue (Hungarian Pastry, 1020 Bar, V&T), this former home of the dismal Bengal Café (which spent many nights empty) now plays host to an equally loathsome Mexican joint. ¡Que lástima!
The wait staff was polite, attentive, meek even (I was one of three tables). No liquor «yet,» cash only. Enchiladas de mole were covered in salty, chunky mole goo (it clearly lacked my nana’s secret ingredient… Hershey’s chocolate syrup) and awkwardly topped with onion garnish. Beans and rice were decent, but nothing to write home about. As mentioned before, the décor is completely unchanged… blank white walls, soul-​sucking florescent lighting, a few strands of Christmas lights, and some left over Indian décor. I ultimately felt like I was in the same restaurant, except with cleaner bathrooms. And with a price point that seems a tad high, why bother when you have the infinitely better Taqueria y Fonda two blocks south?

So this place opens up right around the corner from campus, and next to the Hungarian Pastry Shop, replacing the unlamented Bengal Café which seemed to have held on far too long. I’m walking by on my way to class, so I don’t have time to take lunch, but I do take a menu and vow to come back soon for a proper sit-​down with my lady. Which I did tonight, to my profound regret.
Walking up at night this time, I was heartened to see it brightly lit and apparently busy. We were seated near the back, near an upright drink cooler next to the kitchen door.
The dread set in.
I so very much wanted to like this place. Before having moved to Manhattan a couple of years ago, I’d spent a decade in California, and while not dragging high expectations for Mexican cuisine to New York, I do desire it not to suck so badly as to compel an angry exit.
First awkward moment: after having seen bottles of wine on the tables of a nearby noisy birthday party, we found the place was dry, having opened without its liquor license. No big deal, even if a bit disappointing on a weekend night: it’s not uncommon for the local protection racket cum alcohol control board to drag their asses interminably even after having been paid their tribute, forcing shops to ply their trade for weeks while reassuring customers «you’ll be able to buy beer soon, I promise.» Nearby Blockheads suffered the same awkward period before they were able to offer their now well-​known cheap & cheerful happy-​hour-​without-​limits margaritas, but at least offered solid Cal-​Mex food with attentive service in the meantime.
So, the people near us had known to BYOB, accounting for their more sanguine disposition. In our case, however, we had to make do with ice water and diet cola, the latter having been initially forgotten.
Oil-​soaked, stale chips and bland salsa arrived, the latter store-​bought bland with no pretense of preparation and no vegetables. Every self-​respecting Mexican mamacita makes her own salsa, but this place doesn’t.
I fixated on their pollo de mole poblano, the one thing I’m guaranteed to try if I find available, much the way some fixate on pad thai when dining Thai: a deceptively simple dish, but so disappointing when botched. It’s a «calibration dish»: if they screw this one up, there’s no hope.
In the meantime, we ordered an appetizer, the most expensive pre-​made guacamole I’ve ever suffered, served with a side scattering of the same stale chips we’d had before the meal. Our main courses arrived, and I could tell immediately that something was horribly wrong. My mole sauce was clumpy and congealed, and the bistec a la mexicana blanched and unwelcoming.
Every mole poblano I’ve ever ordered has had as its centerpiece a single chicken breast bathed in its signature sauce. The menu even specified chicken breast. Instead, I was handed a couple of very bony drumsticks in lumpy, oily pools of rancid, unemulsified hell-​tar. Our waiter didn’t seem surprised, and quickly offered to replace the dish.
I awaited the replacement and tried a bit of my lady’s bistec, hoping I’d experience a that’s-so-much-better-than-it-looks recovery of spirit from my own disappointment, but to no avail. The «grilled steak» was indistinguishable from boiled tripe.
My replacement mole poblano arrived. They must have known they were in the wrong in their original choice of meat, and had attempted reconciliation with two flat strips of «chicken breast,» dessicated strips of reheated meat slathered with the remains of the original plate’s sauce.
I was so very pissed off, and my waiter knew it. He hovered solicitously when I eventually pushed my unfinished plate off to one side, enquiring what was wrong, as if it might be a surprised. I told him, and he informed me the «chef» was not there that night, so some other cook was there in his stead. He was *expecting* failure. He knew he was delivering crap to my table. To his credit, he offered to make good, but accompanied with an awkward bit of haggling, alternating between striking from that bill that $ 14 failure or the earlier $ 8 guacamole failure.
Time to leave. Another waiter mishandled the bill, initially handing us a fiction which *added* a spurious charge.
Word limits here prevent a scathingly full description of the lack of décor, but suffice to say they haven’t even tried: they’ve got Bengal’s old schlock, including ceramic elephants, with dirty bare walls, and a Mexico Tourism poster.
This travesty needs to die a quick death soon.

Overall 3.75 stars
We had attentive, friendly service. I had the carnitas tostadas, pretty good. The fajitas were huge! The only real complaint we had was the food did lack a little flavor. But add a little hot salsa and you are good to go.

The experience I had at this restaurant with my wife and two friends with almost identical to the one described by Chris T. We recently saw that a new place was opening and wanted to try it our for a few reasons: 1) it’s in our neighborhood (a couple of blocks from my apartment), 2) my wife and I are Mexican, and it’s really difficult for us to find some great tasting Mexican food in NYC.
So, when we walked in and were greeted within a minute or so, shortly after that with some chips (from a package) and salsa (identical to Pace Picante), we were off to an okay start. We each ordered food: I had the chipotle chicken burrito, my wife had the steak burrito, and my two friends had mole dinner plate and the shredded chicken burrito.
Though my burrito wasn’t too bad, due mainly to the taste of the chipotle sauce, it certainly was not worth the $ 9.25 I was charged for it (especially since the menu said it was $ 8.50). Having been open for a week, there couldn’t have already been price increases. My wife’s steak burrito… well, I’ll just borrow from Chris T’s review: «.the meat was bland, dry, and overcooked; it also lacked a binding agent (e.g., meat marinade or salsa). Neither of the two salsa sides added much flavor (spicy or otherwise) to distract from the dry meat.» My friend who ordered the shredded chicken burrito almost choked on the dry meat, and ordered a side of sour cream thinking it might help. They brought her a container obviously designed to hold no more that a tablespoon of an ingredient with what literally looked like watered-​down sour cream. She was disgusted and not only didn’t eat the sour cream, but also gave up trying to eat the burrito. OH, and they charged her $ 2 for that «side» of sour cream.
Now mediocre food should at least be made up with great service, but don’t hold your breath here. Our waiter (after the initial greeting) took forever to come back to our table, forgot more than once of the items that had been requested (another soda, the side of sour cream, etc.), and though only carrying four plates, could not remember who ordered what, or what the plates even were. I mean he literally stood there for at least a minute trying to decide which burrito was which before he decided he should take them back to the kitchen for clarification. Luckily my friends and I are close enough that we told him just to leave them and we’d sort them out. And mine was wrong. Not only did it not have the «shredded chicken in chipotle sauce», as advertised on the menu, but it was extremely dry grilled chicken with no guacamole or chipotle sauce AT ALL on the plate.
In short, less than mediocre food, terrible service, horrible value. This is one addition to the neighborhood I was not glad to have experienced. My wife and I will not be returning there. Apologetically, only for what now feels like a betrayal on my part for not having said this sooner, I highly recommend that you instead go to my favorite Mexican food spot just three short blocks away, Taqueria y Fonda la Mexicana, which is better priced in terms of value, better in taste… just better all around.

Oh, how we wanted to like the food. The waitstaff was earnest and responsive, but the food was simply mediocre and overpriced.
Eagerly, my wife and I walked into the new restaurant that recently replaced Bengal Café. A few minutes after we sat down a waiter brought out warm chips (probably packaged) and salsa (maybe canned) and ice water. We were off to a decent start.
The first thing I noticed about the menu was most items on the menu are less than $ 10, but a few entrees cost more than $ 15. I also noticed that the soups were priced oddly; the black bean soup and vegetable soup were $ 4.50 and the chicken soup was $ 4.75. The tortilla soup was an inexplicable $ 2 more than the other soups, but I like tortilla soup, so I went ahead and ordered it. The tasty soup, which was served in a small bowl, had a little kick and was garnished with avocado slices. Not bad and not too salty.
I ordered three soft tacos as my main course (steak, carnitas, al pastor); my wife ordered a shredded chicken burrito. After waiting a long time for these items to arrive, we had the worst Mexican food we’ve had in a while.
The tacos looked promising, but the meat was bland, dry, and overcooked; it also lacked a binding agent (e.g., meat marinade or salsa). Neither of the two salsa sides added much flavor (spicy or otherwise) to distract from the dry meat. The al pastor filling was interesting and featured little chunks of pineapple — a potentially nice touch if the meat were not so dry. After two tacos I relented because my jaw was too tired from chewing the rubbery meat and tortillas.
The chicken burrito was also underwhelming. Instead of «shredded and lightly seasoned chicken», it featured grilled chicken breast. The chef also forgot to add the guacamole, which would have added some much-​needed moisture to the filling.
I think this is Cinco De Mayo’s first week in business, so they may have to work out some kinks. In the meantime, I commend to you Taqueria y Fonda la Mexicana (
), which is reliably good, or Chipotle (
). Both are only a few blocks away.