Fiesta Cinco De Mayo

Not a 4 start quality restaurant but I am a fan of this place. I guess you can consider it a hole in the wall. Food is pretty authentic to my knowledge and their prices are super cheap. I am in love with their chicken nachos and I get them every time i go. To date one of my favorite nachos.

Really delicious authentic street tacos. I am so happy I found this place over the weekend. The chips and salsa were also surprisingly fresh and home made. And I am a true fan of their dessert flan. Yummy.

The food is fine but the environment is even better. Very sociable owners and barman. Great margaritas, and the salsa is fresh without being overly salty.

I love this place. I always try to go there when I’m in the area. The enchiladas verdes, taquitos, and vegetarian plate (guac burrito!) are my favorites. I really like that it’s family run too. I’ve had good service every time.

What a strange collection of reviews. One reviewer has had good experiences «over the years» then has one «bad» one so the place get a terrible rating?
If you are expecting Tex-​Mex learn to live with disappointment. This is pretty basic actual Mexican fare. It’s excellent. I particularly like their mole sauce. The staff is friendly and attentive. They are accommodating to larger groups which isn’t easy given the relatively small size of the place. They are also very good with small children. I find this place charming and very earthy. I can’t say enough good things about Cinco and anytime you go there the chances are many of the other patrons will be Mexican. That should tell you something.

Very very good food, I’m from Los Angeles and this Mexican food is delicious recommend to anyone who like good service, great food, and cheep margaritas!

This place is a gem. We have been going since it opened twelve years ago. We I about once a week and have never been disappointed. My husband gets the carne con Rajas every time. It is a perfectly seasoned and cooked steak with and amazing spicy creamy pepper sauce. Anything with the Rajas is amazing. I get the enchiladas verdes camarones. It is super unique and so tasty. Their tortilla are perfect and their sauce is so flavorful. You can get any two combination of rice beans or salad. I love their little side salad it is always topped with the freshest avocado. Guac is fab. Best salsa ever. Sangria is killer. And they give you a shot of 43 liqueur after your meal. Only complaint is they are stingy on water. Love will always love. Raul and his staff are the best!

After moving to Columbia, CT from Seattle, Wa, my family and I have been looking for a casual place to eat that has good food. I looked up different restaurants, and this place received pretty good reviews, so I decided to go and check it out. I was not impressed upon entering as nobody greeted my family, and we had to figure out by asking others if we had to wait to be seated (you don’t, you find a place and seat yourself). I was annoyed that the workers just stared and said nothing. Rude. Finally our waiter came over to take our order, he was unpleasant at best. When we received our food, our waiter said nothing to us, not even asking if we needed anything else (which I did) Again, rude. When I was able to flag him down and ask for what I needed, he acted like I was bothering him…
Finally the food. It was actually good. I rated this place with 2 stars because the service was AWFUL, which makes for an unpleasant experience. I will not be dining in again, but will instead, order out (as I saw many other people doing).
Bottom line: Good food, AWFUL service.
Hope this helps.

Absolutely amazing and delicious, great chips and salsa I get the enchiladas, and chimichangas. I love their rice and beans. Very good IMO I would come back the price is hard to beat ;)

So many people in the area highly recommend this place that I had to finally check it out. My boyfriend and I stopped in for an early dinner, the interior is kind of tacky, but nothing that I didn’t expect. There are a bunch of 4 top tables and you can sit wherever you want, a bar is in the back but it doesn’t seem like they have people sit at it.
We got a traditional margarita and a sangria, they were both «ok». The waiter brought out chips and salsa and I ordered a side of guacamole. The chips and salsa were great, the guacamole was not that great. I had a vegetarian combo plate and the boyfriend had the hard taco combo plate. These also were just «ok».
I definitely went in with high expectations, and the experience certainly didn’t meet it. We regularly go to Coyote Flaco in Coventry and in my opinion the food, drinks, service and interior are way above Cinco de Mayo.

College drop off week and needed a place to grab some lunch, my son recommends this Mexican restaurant in a strip mall on main street… Hummm. Well I was pleasantly surprised at how good this place really is. The chips and salsa are fresh and homemade, the beef taco lunch special was great, the beef burrito was made with shredded beef… amazing! and the chumichunga was even better all served with a rice and beans. The staff is authentic and super friendly, looks like this is my new hang out when visiting my son at college

3.5 stars is just about the right rating. Since Unilocal doesn’t have half stars, I’m leaning slightly towards 3. The food was mostly average. I ordered a combo that included a cheese enchilada, a chicken enchilada verde, and a shredded beef chimichanga. The chimichanga was the highlight of the plate. If I come back, I’m just ordering those. The enchiladas were fine, but nothing special. My friend just got the cheese enchiladas and was disappointed. I can see why – it wasn’t a great cheese enchilada, but it was still palatable. Rice and beans were tasty. The chips and salsa were great, but I think I remember refills costing extra (boo!). My table of eight mowed through the chips we were brought, so I wish they had just refilled them for free. For dessert, we ordered fried ice cream and flan. The presentation of the fried ice cream is flashy, but the cornflake coating was a little soggy. The flan was decent. Service was good considering we showed up close to closing time. The restaurant is tiny, but cozy and clean. I’d probably go back just to give it another chance.

I never really had a bad experience coming here over the years, Until I went with my Cousin this summer. First off the lady never gave us our chips and Salsa! Thats like the first thing u expect! It took forever to order our drinks and When we wanted refills the waitress never came to our table She passed by plenty times and saw our empty glasses! Then finally she asked what we wanted to eat. I ordered the tacos! Let me tell you i did not expect it to come straight out of an Old El Paso Taco Kit!

I’ve heard a lot of great things about this place and finally tried it out for dinner. I was pleasantly surprised by the interior, the wall murals are fitting with the dim lighting and I’m a fan of the ceiling flags. I could do without the fake ivy, though.
We went early so were greeted and seated immediately. The service was great even as more people came in.
We started with chicken taquitos which came 3 to the plate – perfect for the two of us. The shredded chicken was seasoned well and the flavors were nice and light. They also bring complimentary chips and salsa – the chips were fresh and worked well with their house salsa. The tomato based salsa was simple with onions and cilantro but it had a great kick to it.
For entrees I had the ground beef tacos and my companion had the shrimp Veracruz. Both came with rice and refried beans. The beef was well seasoned and the tacos were a perfect balance of the soft filling and the crunchy shells. The food does not have much in terms of a spicy heat to it so I put forkfuls of the salsa inside of the tacos and they were amazing. The shrimp dish was also flavorful and full of shrimp.
I’m looking forward to my next meal here.

Interesting mix of reviews here. After many visits, I still haven’t decided whether I love this place, or merely tolerate it. To be sure, it is clean and the floor-​to-​ceiling wrap-​around mural covering the dining room walls always has me staring in amazement. It is dark and cozy, but nice.
My first issue with the other reviews are the references to Tex-​Mex. Tex-​Mex is the last thing I’d call this food. While 5 de Mayo (as the sign out front reads) features the regular offerings like chimichangas and burritos, I often find myself wishing there was MORE in the way of basic Tex-​Mex combo platters. These type of meals are actually rather limited here.
Where 5 de Mayo shines is in full, traditional Mexican dinners. One small section of the menu is devoted to a handful of enchilada/​taco/​burrito-​type combos; the rest is divided into Steak, Chicken, Shrimp and Veggie meals. These are full-​on dinners, not taco plates. And the ones we’ve tried have been quite good. Their chicken with molé sauce is exceptional. I don’t recall which steak dinner my wife ordered last time we went, but it, too, was very good.
Now, getting back to the combo plates. Face it, this what many people — if not most — expect when they go into a Mexican joint. Especially one that looks like 5 de Mayo from the outside; a tiny storefront surrounded by a muffler shop, miscellaneous closed businesses, and a truly low-​rent looking Royal Buffet restaurant right next door. There are a couple of menu items that I really enjoy, and tend to gravitate toward when we go for lunch; the enchiladas verdes, or the enchiladas molé. 5 de Mayo’s verde and molé sauces are both excellent, and I much prefer either of them to their regular red sauce. They also make a mean Chile Relleno, and even offer it stuffed with your choice of meat, not typical (they’re supposed to be just cheese). The rice and bean sides are tasty, but nothing outstanding.
Finally, just to jump on the chip bandwagon… I simply don’t understand the rationale for charging extra to refill the tiny basket of chips. The salsa is so fresh and awesome, you’ll definitely wipe out the first basket before your meal arrives, then have nothing to dip in your refrieds. The chips are homemade and excellent, to be sure, but really? My guess is, they’re a bit too good. Guests were probably asking for a fresh basket just before leaving, then having them bagged up to take home. Only a guess, but seriously… what they make in extra pesos must surely be lost in goodwill.
Over all, Cinco de Mayo is pretty darned good. Just don’t expect «Tex-​Mex.»

I love this place. The food is authentic Mexican cuisine. Being from Texas… I am always on the lookout for great Mexican food. I think I have had everything on their menu… from their salsa (I wish they would bottle this or tell me how they make it) to their mole … Everything is tasty and fresh. The guacamole is truly the best I have ever had. I also give them credit… The place is very clean. The restrooms are spotless! The service is family… Lovely and very friendly.
SO… Why not a five star? The only reason is because of their chip hoarding! They give you (a party of one or five) a tiny basket half full of chips. AND When you ask for more… They charge you! To make it worse… The second portion is even smaller! at least it feels like it’s smaller. If the food, service, and atmosphere wasn’t perfect… I would give them two stars for the chip hoarding alone.
I get upset every time I go… because I have to have more chips for the wonderful food. But I keep coming back. Just one day PLEASE give us some chips!!!

I was skeptical of this place the first time my girlfriend decided we were eating here. I had only seen it from the outside, and it appeared to be a cheap Mexican place. I fully apologize. This is the best Mexican food I have ever eaten. The portions are large, and I have been back several times since and each time I have loved it more than the last. Everytime my girlfriend comes to the Windham area, she has to come here.

I wasn’t expecting authentic Mexican when I went, but even by Tex-​Mex standards this place was not so good. And expect to pay dearly for your mediocre Tex-​Mex.
First of all, this food is cooked with enough lard to kill a small horse. I’ll be the first to admit that lard is what Tex-​Mex is all about, but I’ve never had the taste of lard be so prominent in my food. It’s because most of the food is so flavorless and tepidly spiced.
As a Texan, I appreciate full-​flavored food and can tolerate spiciness (don’t get my started on the tongue-​scorching curries at Wings Express in Storrs). And here I feel the kitchen is dumbing down the flavors to suit people who appreciate blander, milder food. And that’s fine. But when you tone down the spiciness and seasoning in Tex-​Mex, it’s that unfortunate taste and texture of lard that comes out in full force.
But from the sounds of the other reviewers here on Unilocal,that’s something that locals go for here. Just be warned, you’ll be getting a a pretty dumbed down version of Tex-​Mex, which is already a step in the blander, lardier direction from authentic Mexican.
If you want real Mexican then head to the little hole-​in-​the-​wall taqueria on the corner of Valley and Birch. They may not serve chips and salsa or even speak English, but they serve up some of the best Mexican food in town: tacos, tortas and all sorts of traditional meat dishes. Plus it costs only a fraction of what Cinco de Mayo is charging. I know it’s a different animal altogether, but it’s hard to imagine someone opting for such horrible Tex-​Mex when we’re lucky to have the real thing right here in Willimantic!

I’m a fan of big flavors, seasoning, and spicy Mexican food. All of which you won’t find here. Yet it’s still good.
I’ll agree with another Unilocaler here. The food is bland, compared to other Mexican restaurants. But it’s not completely bland. There is one, maybe two spices in the hamburger meat and the shredded beef. It’s just the simple flavors of each ingredient combined together to make each item. It doesn’t make it bad. It makes it different. I know the perfect patron for this place, one that would give it 5 stars. A person who doesn’t like Mexican food because it’s too spicy. This would be their place.
We started with the chips and salsa which they delivered without our asking. Chips were crispy and salsa was fresh. Very liquidy. You’re gonna have to be careful not to make a mess. Cilantro is the foremost flavor but not overpowering (I’m really starting to like cilantro more and more).
Our appetizer of beef taquitos came next. There are 3 to an order. They are folded over like a taco, just with a smaller shell and contain shredded beef and topped with lettuce, sour cream, and chopped tomatoes. Very tasty (slightly smoky flavor on the meat). Would be more reasonable price if they added another taquito or dropped the price a dollar or more.
Between my wife and I (combo #1 and #4) we had a taco, burrito, and cheese enchilada (posted pictures here on the site).
The tacos must immediately be removed from your plate. Better yet, ask for them on a separate plate. Or ask for a side plate to put them on when they get there or you’re going to be eating a taco sandwich since the bottom will be steamed to death by the rice.
Tacos are made up of a simple hamburger meat (very very slightly seasoned), lettuce, and cheese. The meat is juicy, lettuce crisp/​fresh, cheese moist and corn tortilla shell crunchy (although I don’t think it’s homemade).
The tiny burrito was filled with shredded beef, wrapped in a CORN tortilla and topped with a red sauce (mildest I’ve ever had). Simple yet good.
The cheese enchilada was also wrapped in a corn tortilla and stuffed with mostly if not only white cheese and topped with the same red sauce. Simple yet good.
I’m always VERY happy when the beans are moist/​creamy and not like some paste you’d use to make an Adobe mud hut.
The rice was fluffy rather than clumpy like, so no making fun of it saying it would be good for Mexican Sushi.
The food here tastes fresh, simple and clean. Not lost in spices but very close to bland for me.
I’d give it 3 stars if it weren’t for the homemade salsa which I pour over everything to make it more to my liking. But a person like my sister that can’t even hardly stand black pepper would L O V E this place.

This place is my jam. I used to come here so much all the time, and then the past couple years i’ve just totally been distracted — finally went there recently and i’m psyched to know it’s still the cute little restaurant i remember.
I’ve fallen victim to ordering the same thing repeatedly here. They apparently have a lot of really good entrée items… i can’t really comment on them because i fell in love with the combination plates (#2 of course) and the various types of enchilada plates.
My typical order:
Drink — Margarita on the rocks, no salt, upgraded teqilla
Appetizers: 1. Fresh guacamole 2. Beef Taquitos — not your typical rolled up disaster: crispy corn tortilla folded in half filled with shredded beef, onions, lettuce, some sort of chili pepper, topped off with a salsa verde, sour cream/​some kind of yummy mystery cheese, salsa (presented as mexican flag-​creative!)
Main Dish: Top 3 Fav’s: Combination Plate #2 (which contains 1 chimichanga, 1 enchilada verde, 1 chicken enchilada), Beef Flautas, Enchiladas Mole.
I love the owners and the wait staff and even enjoy the other patrons, which tend to be people who consider themselves ‘regulars.’ I like to think of this place as my secret from the rest of the world, but it’s hard when you’re someone who gets excited to tell all your close relatives and friends about things you know they’d love too.
Extra special fun fact: If you or the majority of your dinner party order an alcoholic beverage you are more than likely to receive a complimentary dessert shot of Cuarenta y Tres aka 43 aka AWESOME!
Only thing that wasn’t for me was the beef tacos — kinda bland
I’ve been known to drop in for take out orders of chips, salsa & guacamole and i encourage others to do the same.