Cynthia’s

Absolutely superb authentic Mexican cuisine! Fernando greeted us upon entering and gave us a sample of the chicken tinga which was amazing. We were waiting for a few friends to meet us for dinner and Fernando and Cynthia brought out chips and retried beans and 5 different salsas. The homemade refried beans were excellent as was the salsa. For my main course I ordered 2 chimichangas filled with chicken tinga and pork and cactus with salsa verde. It also came with beans and rice. Overall it was the best Mexican meal I have ever had! Our group of 6 was more than pleased with the food and Cynthia’s hospitality.
We will be back.

Just stumbled on this place coming in from out of town, and it was excellent. Really authentic Mexican food, tortillas are homemade and veggies cooked from scratch. We had the Sopes — highly recommended. You can get them with meat, vegetarian, or vegan. Atmosphere is really casual. Our waitress was also very helpful navigating the menu.

I’ve passed by this place many times but never went in before. The outside of the restaurant is very unassuming. My fiancé wanted to try something new in the third ward and we found such high Unilocal reviews for Cynthia’s that we decided to give it a try tonight.
I was astonished to find such authentic and home made Mexican cuisine! The tacos were terrific and wrapped in two corn tortillas! The refrained beans were home made and contained bacon which added to the flavor. The Spanish rice was flavorful, and the chimichangas were the best I have ever had before, light and crispy without being greasy.
I have lived in Milwaukee all my life and can state that this is the best Mexican food in Milwaukee right now. It is by far better then any of the more well known Mexican restaurants on National Ave. In addition to delicious and home made cuisine, the owner and chief were very pleasant and friendly! I travel quite a bit and would go so far as to rate Cynthia’s high on the list of great Mexican food in the US.
Check out this place the next time you want some Mexican food in Milwaukee, if you have the same experience as my fiancée and me today, you will not be disappointed!

We had an excellent experience here. We walked in and Fernando greeted us like it was his home. We looked at the menu and both decided on chilaquiles with rice and beans. i had chorizo added and green salsa. my wife had the bacon with the red salsa. i have to say we both LOVED our breakfast. we have some great mexican places here in chicago and we have been going to puerto vallarta for the past 20 years and i think this is the best mexican breakfast we ever had. we will be coming back EVERYTIME we are in milwaukee.

Great breakfast! I tried the chilequillas. So delicious! Everyone was so friendly too. The only thing that would make it 5 stars is better coffee. Everything else was great!

Cynthia and Fernando make this restaurant a wonderful experience. Fernando cooks like you are a guest in his home. The food is authentic and delicious! Cynthia is a gracious host. Order the machete with the pork salsa verde and a fruit water. So good! We highly recommend this place!

Really really good. We’ve lived in Cali and Texas… This is the best Mexican food in Milwaukee! The huaraches with pork verde was great with the nopales and the chicken tinga was flavorful and nicely spicy. Fernando was very friendly and definitely knows his stuff. The seating bybthe water was great too. Fill this place up, Milwaukee! We need to keep them!

5 stars for the homemade corn tortilla alone! Seriously, don’t miss this tortilla. The guacamole featured fresh tomato & cilantro. They also had fresh mushrooms, vegetables, and cactus. Last time we went they had an amazing pablano corn rice, so don’t skip the entrees that include rice & beans! They are now open for dinner on some nights, which makes it much easier for me to get there!

Best tortillas I’ve had in my life! The prices are reasonable, the food is phenomenal, and you can’t beat the location. Vegetarian/​vegan options are plentiful, and the food quality is consistently world class! Cynthia’s is far and wide your best option for ethnic dining in the third ward.

Chilli quillis. Bad spelling aside it was superb!
Rainy day and mex go nicely.
I think I posted a pic a while back but forgot to review.
Anyhoo I hope they tighten things up a bit as other reviews have noted. But as far as a good, friendly local spot it’s dead on good.

Was walking by Cynthia’s and the sign for Cochinita Pibil caught my eye because I was recently in Yucatan and this is a regional specialty there. After I was convinced this was the place to go, I realized they had already closed for the day. The owner and head chef were sitting inside though, and after we chatted for a few minutes, they welcomed me to sit down and the chef offered to prepare me a meal!
To be as warmly welcomed as I was would have been enough but the food exceeded my expectations. The head chef KNOWS Mexican Cuisine (he grew up in Mexico City but lived in many other regions as well). I had a platter of three tacos served Mexico City style — on two warm, soft, corn tortillas. The attention to detail was amazing, each Taco was served with a salsa or garnish prepared specifically to compliment the meat. The Cochinita Pibil had clearly been slowly cooking all day, The Pork in a verde sauce was tender and delicious, and the steak topped with onion and cilantro was perfectly cooked.
All three Tacos were perfectly seasoned, beautifully presented, and delicious. Here’s the kicker though: I as delicious as the Tacos were, I would have come in here just for the rice. The side of rice, seasoned with poblano pepper and whole kernels of corn, was fluffy, light, and absolutely delicious.
I actually really enjoy eating vegetarian if it is done well so I am really looking forward to coming back to Cynthia’s to try some of the veggie offerings. There were many (7 or 8) veggie options on the menu and they all sounded really, really good. I will definitely be back!

Awesome new breakfast place in third ward. Owners are very nice and willing to please. They have tons of Mexican inspired dishes along with your other breakfast staples. I had the chiliquiles along with some tacos. Both were spectacular. I’ll be back!

Bar none the best food and service you can have on the run. Discovered this place while walking down the street with a colleague. Was instantly pleased from a salsa samples patrons were encouraged to try.
If you have tried this place out yet, please do. Your taste buds and friends will thank you for it.

Tremendously awesome food! Cute front where we ordered opened up in the back into a beautiful open area overlooking the river. I highly recommend grabbing a meal here, even some coffee, bring your book, and sit in the back relaxing. Fernando is a great chef that can spontaneously create dishes. Check in with Cynthia to find out what her specials are. Trust me, you will be greatly surprised by this place!

Went here for the lunch and it was awesome! Had the tacos al pastor and they were great! The service is soo friendly, highly recommended!

I’ve been thoroughly pleased with both the food and the service here. Cynthia, the owner, has an active role in serving the customer and it makes it feel like home. I had the mole enchiladas and boy were they fantastic. Excellent flavor and a good portion. I will definitely be returning.

Food is good, but seems like prices went up and other things went down.
The food is good, but as a restaurant, it seems like it’s just not run well. Even after being open for 6+ months, it seems like they’re still figuring things out, and so every time I stop in, it’s different.
Today I got 3 carnitas tacos for $ 9 plus tax. They needed at least twice the onion and cilantro, and the tortillas seemed on the verge of stale. While the food is okay, the lack of attention to the restaurant is not so okay. There are a bunch of cleaning supplies by the entrance that have been there since I started going here. There are menus in multiple different places. There’s an empty menu holder on the cold case for some reason. The ‘free chips’ basket was empty, so it was impossible to try their home-​made salsas. The check-​out procedure is nearly the same as it’s always been: awkward. I wonder if the state-​holder (s) of the restaurant have even been to any other restaurant in the area to see how they’re run.
We’ll see what happens, but it’s taking a long time to figure out how to do things that should have been fixed months ago.

This is a great spot for lunch or breakfast. The building is a little odd, and it can be misleading as you walk past the storefront as it often looks empty. There are a few tables as you walk in, along with an open kitchen but there is a huge seating area in the rear of the building as well as a patio out back. Cynthia, the owner is always talkative and the counter and Fernando, the head chef is very passionate about his cooking.
On my first visit I had a breakfast burrito which was made exceptionally well. You get to pick from six different salsa’s and can sample them ahead of time at the counter. On subsequent visits I’ve had a roasted vegetable sandwich — fresh zucchini, squash and other veggies along with feta cheese and a creamy honey mustard dressing. Yum!
Many of the menu items include chips (from El Rey) and salsa, a total bonus!

This place is absolutely worth visiting if you live in the Ward or are just passing through. My husband and I stopped for breakfast after seeing it on ch. 6 news the other morning. I am SO happy we came! The owners are so amazingly nice, and the food was out of this world. Their salsas, sausages, etc. are all house-​made and wonderful… it was truly some of the best salsa we have ever tried. I ordered a breakfast burrito and my husband ordered an omelet… for both of us, it was the best breakfast we have had in the Ward yet (and we have lived here over a year, and eat breakfast out quite frequently).
Cynthia’s outdoor patio is right on the lake and in general the establishment is very large and open — it is such a cute restaurant.
Cynthia’s — please post your hours on your door so we can know when to come back :)

Stopped in for a late breakfast today with the Groupon. Service was exceedingly friendly and gracious. I ordered an omelette with home fries. The omelette was cooked to perfection and very cheesy. The home fries were delightful and came with sauteed bell peppers as well. The cup of fresh, homemade salsa served on the side really brought the meal alive.
The most pleasant surprise was a member of the staff who was so excited about his tacos that he made me one for free. I was told that I had just had the first taco ever made at Cynthia’s and the quality made this a sincere honor for me.
The back area is very spacious and offers WiFi and USB connectivity for device charging. That and the view of the river makes Cynthia’s an excellent choice for a long, working lunch.