Cilantro Mexican Grill & Seafood

So far, here’s what I’ve learned in my Legal Ethics course:
–Know who your client is.
–Don’t sleep with your client. Don’t sleep with your boss. Don’t sleep with your employees.
–Be competent, diligent, and confidential.
–Don’t have conflicting interests.
–Three hours of listening to someone tell me all the things I’m not supposed to do as an attorney makes me 1) really ambivalent and 2) really freaking hungry.
Conflicted with whether to read (skim) 100+ pages of ethics opinions that I had neglected to do before class, whether to offer some unauthorized legal advice to someone who was clearly not my client, and whether to go find a burrito that was the size of my calf, I chose the latter, and proceeded in auto to the T/​L for a place to eat. I really wanted to just stumble on something. About the only thing I did diligently that day was stumble upon Cilantro Mexican Grill & Seafood.
I was a bit skeptical, primarily because the place seemed a bit empty, and there was an exceptionally odd tenderloiner who found my interest in Cilantro to be the most hilarious thing she had ever fathomed. Realll funny, pal. Guess who just had a fabulous meal???
Between my co-​adventurer and me, we ordered a fish taco for $ 4.75 and a vegetable burrito for something like $ 7 bucks. We enjoyed some crispy chips and tasty salsa while we waited for our food to come out, and were treated very nicely by both the cook and the waitress. So friendly.
The taco was super tasty– it was very fresh, tender talapia, served in some sort of spicy/​sweet red sauce with onion and cilantro. It was definitely not what I was expecting (places like the Taco Shop, Nick’s, Tacolicious, etc. have definitely made their mark), but it was VERY tasty! I imagine it was pretty authentic– not your cali-​baja fish taco.
The burrito was the size of a small newborn, and was super tasty. The veggies tasted fresh, and tossed in the same sauce– it was almost like a bean+rice+ratatouille experience, all in a giant green tortilla. If you can’t finish, it’s no problem– the lovely people at Cilantro will gladly wrap anything up for you so you can enjoy it a second time.
No one ever accused me of being smart. And it will probably be a shame if all I take away from this class is that it is never unethical to pursue the interest of my own hunger. She will probably always be my biggest client anyway.

Joined Unilocal to write this review. Bad burrito. All rice, cold carnitas, and all and all pretty sucky. Only redeeming aspect was the pico was pretty good. Don’t do it. Get a nearby slice for cheaper instead.

I was pleasantly surprised with the food at Cilantro. The restaurant is simple but clean, and they serve great authentic mexican food. The Al Pastor Sopes are to dye for! The meat and the masa are tender and have great flavor. The pozole is also great and very spicy. I am happy to say that I finally found a great Horchata sweeten just right at Cilantro.
They offer take-​out.

One stars for friendly staff.
One Star for clean place.
Another star added for the tasty cilantro burrito that calmed my animalistic hunger. I feel I need to return to really enjoy the burrito, I was so hungry that I could have eaten Mc Donald’s and it would have been heaven.
The chips and salsa were fresh, that was a plus. Growing up in the Mission with some of the best Taquerias in the city it’s hard to Love one outside of the Mission grounds, but I will go back with a calm hunger to enjoy even more.
I’m gonna add another star cause the guy at the cashier was kinda cute and made me laugh, I’m a sucker for good customer service :)

Neighborhood not so great, but I got a soft taco with shrimp that I’m still dreaming about. Healthy portion for what I paid. Nice service, not crowded – but that might be because it was raining.
And they do put cilantro in everything, so be ready for that.

Cilantro is a perfect example of why Mexican food is the best food on the planet: As long as your food isn’t barking at you, it’s good.
I wish they had a salsa bar because their salsa is good with a small kick.
Bottom line: If you’re close and in the mood for some good ‘ol deep fried drunk food, Cilantro makes it happen.
Pro-​Tip: try the nachos.

I spend a lot of time at Koko across the street. Not because I’m a drunk (although we’re still waiting on the final results) but because the handsomest boys in the world and most stunning beauty in SF man the bar. I can, without a doubt, vouch for their burritos, even when sober. Sure, they taste 4 star that way and 5 star after a few shots of Fernet and a manhattan or two but this is good stuff even if they often make assumptions about the kinds of beans and other items you’d like in your burrito. Trust them– they know what they’re doing.
As a person who sincerely lives on fat free cottage cheese, yogurt, turkey breast, and lettuce, this kind of food is like an oasis in the desert to me. And I only indulge on the rare night when I’ve worked so much I forgot to eat or I’m too drunk to care about waking up with a food baby. Go here. Get a burrito. Eat it slowly. This kind of happiness should be savored one bite at a time.

I have always had amazing food here, brought 3 co-​workers who have really enjoyed the food.
I usually get the soft tacos but have tried some of the other plates.
Soft taco tortilla shells are fresh made. Tacos are pretty filling and tasty.
Chips are deep fried and thick and the salsa is great. Portions are pretty decent, tacos are large, quesidillas are large, plates are large.
A little more pricier than the average Taqueria but the food is definitely much better. Clean. I just wish the salsa and chips portion was a little bigger.
Highly recommended.

Got the job done. I was starving & stuck in the rain. They served me a quesadila under a roof & I ate it. That about sums it up.
Lose a star for overpriced fare, gain it back for having the world’s cleanest taqueria bathroom.

The people who work there are so friendly it makes me want to stop in and eat a burrito everyday but that’s not going to happen.
It’s fast, very Mission dive-​like in the Polk area, and it’s pretty good. The Super Chicken Burrito was really good. Haven’t had anything else there, but I would.

I walked in begrudgingly — I was rushing to choir. My super quesadilla turned out to be not a misnomer. And I’d go back. I mean $ 9 for no ambiance in a rando urban location is a bit much. But they did well on the deliciousness scale.

A perfectly passable, medium sized al pastor burrito, nothing too fancy, no toppings bar like some of the more generous places. Décor is San Francisco taqueria, pretty clean. If you need a big slug of food and you’re in the neighborhood it’ll do the job.

I walked into Cilantro with one mission only: To chow down and fast! I ordered a pair of fish tacos (at $ 4.85 each?) and a strawberry agua fresca. I asked the cashier what she might recommend before I placed my order. It was her first day, apparently, and she didn’t know a thing about the food or the register (Umm, hello? You are Mexican! Direct me. I know nothing.). Neither did the cook who spoke mostly Spanish.
The aqua fresca arrived without ice. The fish tacos arrived steaming hot. The filling for the fish tacos at Cilantro is actually a spicy fish stew that should be served in a bowl with corn tortillas on the side. It took forever to cool down and was nearly impossible to eat as a soft taco. I ended up grabbing a spoon and later sour cream and guacamole to cut the spices. I looked like the prom queen on the cover of an old Hole CD by the end of my dinner. Damn that stew was tasty though!

Come here after you party it up at Element.
Pretty bombass nachos. But that could be the alcohol that told me so. Who cares! Open late. Across the street. Cheesey deliciosness. Win win for me!

Yeah, after a few drinks at Ko Ko’s across the street, this seemed like a good idea. You can bring food in to eat at Ko Ko’s.
The chips were fresh and great, and salsas were good.
My shrimp taco was something like $ 4.75 and was consisted largely of tomatoes. Ironically, nothing we ate tasted of cilantro.
However, I have friends who have come here on other occasions and hated it, with the staff running out of guac, and screwing up everyone’s orders.

Cilantro gets points for friendliness and cleanliness (the most immaculate taqueria I’ve ever set foot in), and for nicely charring my tortilla on the griddle before assembling my super carne asada burrito.
Unfortunately, said burrito was very bland. Even the cheese, sour cream and guacamole couldn’t save it. The meat, while tender enough, was almost flavorless.
I’m not ruling out giving Cilantro another chance, but I’m not necessarily in a hurry to return either. And if I DO end up back there again, you can be sure I will remember to tell them to leave the LETTUCE out of my burrito. Yikes!

The next time I come here might probably be rare, since I dont live near it and the only time ill be visiting it is if Im in the area drinking and this is the only late night joint still open.
With that said, I gave it four stars for one reason only. They didnt have breakfast burritos on their menu and I asked them to make me one… which they went and stared at me and asked what is in it. So I explained it, or at least what i wanted in it — eggs, carne asada, rice, beans — and they gladly made it. It was decent, but I was sad not to get any guac.
The prices of the burritos are pretty high though. Afterwards, i told them that they need to add breakfast burritos to their list especially since they are open so late. My friends got different burritos and I dont know how they enjoyed it, but mine was good. If they didnt make my burrito, I would have given them a 2 stars since I know they could have made this burrito more tastier.

Talk about a buzz-​kill. After ending a fun evening at Cairo Nights (see my previous, 4-​star review), my friends and I stumbled into Cilantro in search of delicious Mexican food. We certainly did not find it here.
My chicken burrito was dry, bland, under-​cooked and overall very unsatisfying. My friends had similar feelings about the chicken quesadilla and carnitas tacos. Specifically, the meat tasted unseasoned, the tortilla was dry and brittle, and even the salsa lacked any spice or zest.
To make matters worse, the restaurant ran out of both napkins AND guacamole. What the eff?! How do you run out of the two most important items of any Mexican restaurant?! To replace the guacamole, they brought out tiny slices of not-​so-​fresh avocado. Uh… hardly a replacement if you ask me.
But it doesn’t end there. To rectify the lack of napkins, they gave us dry washcloths to wipe our hands. Yes, the same washcloths they use to wipe down their tables and counters.
A 1-​star review might sound a bit harsh, but as a resident of a city with some of the best Mexican food in the world, I hold my taquerias to high standards. In the end, Cilantro simply didn’t cut it. I guarantee you, after eating here, a meal at Baja Fresh or Rubio’s will taste like four-​star cuisine.

Not particularly impressed. Got the Cilantro burrito (which is the equivalent to a ‘super burrito’ elsewhere) and considering everything it had in it, it was pretty bland. That shizz was expensive too. Oh yeah… if there’s avocado in something, it should say so on the menu. I’m not a fan.
We thought it was peculiar that the only beverage available was beer, so we settled for saliva-​scented tap water. Though the tortilla chips are made in house, they’re really hard & crunchy (bordering on stale). I almost choked like 4 times (you’d think I’d learn after the first time, huh).
The restaurant is very clean though, as are the restrooms. There’s a pretty magnificent mural in the dining room too.
Are gringos running this establishment?!
Probably not. Look for the misspelled sign out front.

I’ve had better Carne Asada burritos that were less than the $ 7.75 asking price! It wasn’t even that great of a burrito, nothing standout or special, so at $ 7.75??? That’s ridiculously steep!
Stale stale stale and hard chips… seriously…could…not…bite…through!!!
One star — only because they were conveniently around the corner from the AMC Van Ness theater and I saved ‘some’ money by smuggling in the burrito. But honestly, a hot dog and popcorn might have been better!