Cilantro Taco

I enjoyed the meal I had here. The specials for the day sounded good so I got those: sweet chili chicken (think it what it was called) and mango habanero salsa. I got them in a burrito. The burrito as a whole was pretty good, I think the quality of the ingredients was pretty good and that’s why. Also got a side of chips to share, corn and flour, and some tomato and habanero salsa with that. I also tried a street taco and taco americana.
I thought the burrito was good, especially sipping a Mexican coke with it, always an excellent combo. I liked the special chicken and salsa, though I wished they had more spice come through though, not even in a heat sense, but flavors/​spices/​hints of anything, I didn’t find it all that flavorful. I picked the tomato and habanero salsa to go with the chips we got, it was supposed to be hot, though it had about the same level of spice as a glass of milk, not very flavorful either. The (I think housemade) chips I found too greasy, flour or corn.
If it were just the burrito I was rating, specially drinking it with a Mexican coke, I’d probably say I enjoyed it at about a 4 star level, but I wasn’t impressed with the salsas, chips, and wished that flavors would have stuck out to me more in everything, leaving me walking out at about a 3 star level.

Delicious food, great vibe, and a solid music selection. Would definitely be a regular if I were a Manchester native!

I spent 6 weeks driving all over Mexico, and when I returned to the states mourned in the absence of a decent taco. Even a halfway decent one. Well… Cilantro nails it! Closest thing I’ve found to real Mexican tacos, and now that they have FINALLY added LOCAL beers (what the hell took you guys so long???) they get 5 big golden stars.
I have even tried the tacos at Al Pastor in NYC (the owner of that place literally wrote the BOOK on tacos, and it’s a great book), and well… they weren’t this good. Muy autentico, muy Bueno! I am not easy to please either!!! Plus grateful dead on the sound system, super fast delivery and friendly service…
Now if only they added Nopales… hint hint

I got a chicken burrito with extra chicken, rice, beans, jack cheese, salsa verde and just a little bit of sour cream. The burrito fell apart about 3 – 4 bites before the end but I will not hold a grudge or complain since that does happen time to time. It probably tasted better than I looked.
They have hot sauce in squirty bottles. Be warned the sauce is thinner than it looks thus it comes out of the bottle faster than you’d imagine which is good if you’re in a rush.
Free water is plus.

Excellent… great food, great ambiance, great prices! Simple, locally focused menu. Think Chipotle but better.

Delicious burrito/​taco place. This is a very casual place with high quality ingredients. Menu is limited to burritos or tacos only. The place is set up like a production line with a board above your head that outlines the steps to complete your order to your liking. There are seats and tables if you choose to dine in but it is small. They also have beer and margaritas for those dining in.
Highly recommend if you’re in the area looking for a great burrito or taco without any gimmicks.

First time at Cilantro, way better than Chipotle. Fresher, more flavorful. I was recommended by the owner (?) who was working the line that I mix pork/​chorizo and adobo and tomotillo salsas with pepper jack cheese and it was fantastic. Flavor explosion with the seasoned meats and smooth cheese/​sour cream. The hot sauce is also a lovely addition and does not overpower the boritto. The super hot sauce did cover it more I don’t recommend if you are going for flavor over heat.
Will return here in a heartbeat even when there are long lines during tourist season. It is worth the wait. Definitely add the free pickled onions too.

Loved my chorizo burrito and limeade! Everyone was so friendly. Very similar to a Chipotle, but healthier. Good if you want Mexican that’s not greasy. If you get the chips and salsa, get the corn and not the flour ones. The flour chips were greasy and definitely not as good as the corn ones.

Really great fresh food. It was busy at lunch time but they kept the line moving and were pleasant.

Like a local and more delicious version of Chipotle. Their cilantro sauce is really good and the burritos are huge. I went for the mini and it was more than enough.

Pretty decent taco place… tried the burrito and «street tacos» soft corn shell tacos. I only tried the pork. Tasty… with a little bite to it. I’m a frequent visitor to Manchester and most of the restaurants are mediocre… for a fast meal, it was good enough, I would visit again.
It does work like fast food joint in the sense, you wait in line and the food is prepped on the spot.

Oh. My. GOD. Wow. Just… WOW!
So I just moved back to the area after 8 years of living in foodie heaven: Ann Arbor, Michigan. Seriously… the food there is f’cking amazing. Moved back to Bennington and not only is there zilch when it comes to ethnic food options (Rattlesnake closed, wtf) most of the restaurants are going out of business. I love Mexican and there is no place to go so while driving back from W. Dover (Vermont Wine and Harvest Festival) we took 100 and 30 and decided to give this place a try.
Very simple menu: burritos (two sizes), tacos (two styles), salad. And then options… protein, salsas, extras. I like a simple menu because it appows a restaurant to stay focused, have fresh ingredients, and truly understand the complexities of a dish.
We went with a mini chicken burrito, a street taco (onions and cilantro vs. the gringo version of lettuce, tom, cheese) combo (one beef, one chicken, tomatillo jalapeño salsa) and drinks. They have beer, soda, (including fanta) and sparkling and still water.
The food was awesome. Like, seriously awesome. I would not shut up about it awesome. I almost went back for seconds awesome! I have to say I like that it was authentic style and not «Vermont style Mexican». When I’m in my old stomping grounds of NYC I love getting real Mexican. Same as in Ann Arbor — we had a tiny hole in the wall taco place that was dirt cheap, delivered, and was my go to. Cilantro is now that place.
So why only four stars?! I know, I know. First, it was the first time so I gotta go back and try it again. Which I will and I am sure that it will become a five star fav. But I did have two three little gripes. First, the rice was HARD. Like overcooked, or sitting too long, or not cooked long enough hard. It was tasty, but a little too hard for my taste. Second, the paper towels in the bathroom were not in the machine but instead on top of it. The machine is high enough to begin with but with the paper towels being on top I actually had a hard time getting to them. Also, since they are not in the machine their were someone’s wet finger prints. Ugh. Also, flies. I get that it’s Vermont and we love our swinging screen doors but after a while we were like inundated with flies.
Local focus, amazing food, quick friendly service… yup, we’ve found our new place for Mexican!

Me and my Israeli friends arrived Manchester Vermont and enjoyed the wonderful meal that was crafted by the talented crew of this place! Great food! 5 stars.!!
Great specials, just ask the clerk to create something special…

Stopped in after a 7-​hour hike up to the top of Mt. Equinox and back, then around some of the other trails… needless to say, I worked up a bit of an appetite. Had the «Taco Meal Deal» which comes with two tacos, and a side of rice and beans. Upon their recommendation, I decided to get one each of the «Street Taco» and the «Taco Americano» with the house-​made cheese. Both were excellent, made with fresh, local ingredients. The service was excellent, friendly and very accommodating. The only minor complaint I had was that there was no air conditioning… plenty of ceiling fans moving air, but on this 90-​degree day, a little A/​C would have been appreciated… regardless, I still enjoyed my meal, as the food more than made up for the lack of A/​C. If you’re looking for a quick, fresh tasty treat in Manchester, don’t pass up Cilantros!

Food was superb.
Very complex flavors with fairly simple ingredients– isn’t that that goal of most great food? Well this place takes a few kinds of perfectly prepared proteins with rich hearty flavors, puts them on a tortilla of your choice, enhances them with creative Mexican sauces and fresh traditional ingredients– and BAM– you have a handful of complete yumminess.
I started with three different tacos and rice and beans. It was a goodly amount of food but I yearned for more, so added another taco for dessert. Everything was delicious and I will dream of the homemade jalapeño salsa you can slop on anything and everything.
Place is simple but accommodating. The guy making my food made me very excited to eat it because of his enthusiasm. Fairly certain the guy manning the cash register did not want to be there. I think his colleague knew, and tried to cover it to make it work.
In general this is taco magic, and probably the best Mexican street food I’ve had west of the Mississippi. I work regularly in LA, so I love me some authentic Mexicanus. I will be back for more!

Really excellent. Way way better than it should be considering its an authentic (ish) street taco place in Vermont!
They have great specials — check the board!

This place is fantastic! You can get two tacos and beans and rice for only $ 8. A great cheap and fresh taco spot. The salsas here are all delicious– between our tacos and chips and salsa we sampled 4 out of the 6.
In addition to their great food, this place is dedicated to serving non gmo locally sourced ingredients and investing in local charities.
Eat here! You won’t regret it.

Pretty solid tacos! Tried three of the street tacos; one chicken, one chorizo, one pork. Overall, they were very good but a little greasy. My favorite was the chorizo. Add some of the hot sauces if you are into a little spice. Also ordered the fried chips and they were pretty good. Would have been better if they were hot. Eat it!

Ate here for a quick lunch while searching out wedding venues in the area. Solid meal. Local and sustainable food. Delicious and nutritious and quick, exactly what we wanted! Everyone liked their meal, and we would return.

I can’t explain how good this place is. If you’re in town, GO. I would like to preface this review by stating I do not eat at Taco Bell, thus my benchmark is much higher.
A few friends and I went into Cilantro Taco after skiing Stratton and we are mighty glad we did. My friends both got the tacos and they were very happy. In fact so happy, they each went up and got a 4^th taco. I got the chicken burrito which was perfect. We all agreed the local ingredients were fresh and enjoyed every bite. The cilantro oil they make was delightful and the homemade queso was out of this world.
If your in the mood for hot food, go with the F’n hot sauce (also homemade) as promised, it’s F’n hot! My friends face turned 50 shades of red, I thought we were going to have to call in the fire department. The owner gave her somethings to cool down the taco with. Staff here was very personable.
The selection for orange juice is larger then most places, which I can appreciate. They also have a nice selection of beer which paired wonderfully with our meal.