Cilantro

I went last night and unfortunately have to say the food was incredibly average. For what they charge, I would have expected better tasting/​higher quality food. I LOVE guacamole and theirs tasted store bought (not fresh). To boot, it was crowded last night and while the server was nice and apologetic, it took 20 minutes just to get water. Also, I requested flour tortillas for the enchiladas instead of corn and they said the kitchen would not do it! I probably won’t go back… Papagayo is so much better all around.

This is authentic, fresh, Mexican food. If you’re looking for real Mexican food, look no further. Met the owner, who happens to be the executive chef, and she is a delight. She checked to see how our meals were, and genuinely cared that we were taken care of.
This place is a little under the radar right now, but once word gets out that authentic Mexican food lives in Salem, it won’t be long before that changes.
The food was delicious. From the first taste of the sopa, I knew I was about to go on a journey to flavor town. I look forward to trying the entire menu. You can’t put this place in my backyard and expect me not to come here every week.
See you Friday.

Came here with my fiancée and her family when they visited Salem and they loved it! The house margarita is wicked strong– they don’t skimp out on the alcohol. On the contrary I heard there’s three tequilas in there. I had two and I was done for the night.
Moving on to the restaurant and the food– Everyone was super friendly, you can tell there’s a group of dedicated locals that hang out at the bar, it’s awesome. The staff are attentive and courteous, we were incredibly well taken care of.
I sampled quite a few items from the menu: the camarones rellenos, the queso fundido with chorizo, the tamales, and the memela. All of which were absolutely delicious. The others also loved their entrees and their drinks and would definitely come back. It’s rare to find good Mexican food in Massachusetts that isn’t something like Chipotle or similar… growing up in California I can certainly appreciate it.
Definitely recommend!

I really wanted to like this restaurant tonight… I’d heard great things… but the food was meh at best, the steak was thin, the enchiladas were uninspired, the plain white rice w/​the chicken was lumpy (would have been better w/​Spanish rice!) the con Que so was cold… and they charged for hot sauce (I mean really, it was only $ 1…but you don’t charge for condiments)!!! on the plus side the tortilla soup was excellent, and always a good Margarita! all that said… dinner for 3 w/​one drink each for $ 130 (including tip) was way overpriced for what we got. drinks and an appy OK, …given the reputation, I was disappointed… I’d give them one more shot to upgrade, but if your looking for a sure thing, look elsewhere

I’ve been living in Salem for almost 30 years and this was my first time at cilantro, they usually close Monday’s but to our luck Esther, the owner opened for a private party for her regulars. She told us that she was closed but since she saw that we found a metered spot up front she said for us to sit down and she would serve us, that was a great first impression already. And then the food came and it was so delicious and fresh. We got the fish tacos and the chicken ensalada. Highly recommend this place, loved the family vibe. Andrew, Esther’s son waited on us and he was great! Can’t wait to go back and try other dishes. Not on a Monday though :)

Expensive entrees for the area Portions were small. Food was pretty bland and not very seasoned. Howling wolf restaurant up the streetis much better.

Stopped in again on a Friday night, not too busy, as usual. Again, I feel like this restaurant is representative of Salem Unilocal reviews, in that it’s a great restaurant that isn’t reviewed well, I think mostly bc its traditional Mexican (vs Tex Mex) and pricier than Salemites want. It seems that anything in the pricier than fast food range is lowly ranked automatically. Sad.
Anyway, we started w some guacamole, which as always was quite tasty — Fresh and well-​made. Not spicy (which I would like). Chips were fresh and crispy — also really good.
With the chips, we enjoyed some margaritas and 50/​50s. Margaritas were well-​made and fairly strong. 50/​50s as always were quite flavorful.
For meals, we had the shrimp w bacon and filet mignon.
Filet mignon: the meat itself was okay, not as flavorful as we’re used to here. Came w Enchiladas (we asked for the spicier sauce) weren’t bad, but not full of anything. Overall okay meal.
Shrimp w bacon: 4 large shrimp, really good, esp in sauce. It came w a tiny salad and some white rice. Really quite tasty.
Another great meal

Appalling & truly horrible dining experience! Esther Marin (owner/​executive chef) was apparently intent on making a birthday dinner tonight for a close family friend, I only get to see once a year when I come back east, one of the worst experiences ever. Everyone in our party was kind, easy going & gracious, yet Esther became incredibly rude without any provocation. We chose Cilantro because it had been a good spot to go in the past, but after tonight it wasn’t hard to see why the restaurant was empty & the reservation book lying open near the entrance was also empty. The drinks & appetizers & initial greeting were fine (we arrived 7:15pm & I kindly mentioned to the waitress & Esther we had a birthday girl with us upon being seated as an appropriate heads up). There was no problem until the waitress placed our entrée order. I had ordered the chili rellenos & asked for «crispy please» since the menu didn’t specify if they come soft or crispy (the 2 standard ways they’re made). It’s best to ask & if a restaurant only does them one way they’ll usually let you know on the spot. Moments after the waitress had gone to the back after taking the order, Esther brusquely approached our table & quite rudely interrupted us mid conversation with a mini rant on how she «will not do extra crispy» & «they come crispy just like in Mexico» with a very condescending tone & apparently with the assumption I didn’t know how they taste in Mexico. I attempted to soothe the situation & in order to get back to the happy birthday conversation, I told her in a positive manner «I didn’t ask for extra crispy. Sounds like you already know how to make them perfectly, which is just what I wanted.» It seemed to work & Esther shuffled back in agreement, but no apology. The entrees came out right after appetizers were cleared. Unfortunately mine was sub par to say the least. There was one single soft chili relleno (traditionally served with 2 when it’s printed plural on the menu), plain white rice & a bland scoop of beans all of which was completely tasteless. I wouldn’t mind eating a soft chili relleno or just the sides if there had been any flavor to the dish. The waitress asked how it all was. Everyone said fine & she looked at me so I merely told her «disappointing» which was honest & accurate. The waitress grabbed the plate while everyone was eating & took it to the kitchen, leaving me with an empty place setting & everyone feeling even more uncomfortable. Esther Marin came peeling out of the back & once again without an «excuse me» or any type of courtesy rudely interrupted us to berate me openly. I quickly reminded her we were in the middle of a birthday dinner, but she kept going with her more massive rant. I again calmly & politely told her we were in the middle of dinner & she stormed off. The waitress told us she’d remove it from the check, which she did & asked if I’d like something else. I ordered a quesadilla just so I’d have something in front of me for the rest of dinner but felt the likelihood that the angry chef might have tampered with it after the behavior Esther had already exhibited throughout the night was a risk I didn’t feel comfortable taking by eating it. Plus she kept coming out of the kitchen multiple times afterward to sit on the bench in the back across from the kitchen door & glare menacingly at me in direct view. We got the check. There was no happy birthday wishes or offer of dessert by either Esther Marin or the waitress. We said thanks, goodnight & were quite relieved to leave. Even if she was having a really bad day the blatant disrespect & erratic aggressive behavior toward us was beyond unacceptable! This place is no longer worth going to ever. Esther Marin was terrible to us despite having been long time customers. Luckily I have no problem getting an outstanding chili relleno back home along with awesome quality of service & food, topped off with common everyday respectful behavior, where nobody has to worry about loose cannons.

This was the worst Mexican restaurant I have ever been to. Very strange menu, they did not even have a burrito as an option. I got the bacon wrapped jumbo shrimp. There were only four and far from being jumbo. They were medium at best and served over white rice with a small green salad. My meal could’ve passed for Chinese. The entrée cost $ 20. What Mexican restaurant serves white rice? At any other Mexican restaurants I’ve eaten at they serve complimentary chips and salsa. They charge you six dollars for the chips and salsa here. The meal was only fair. Do not even think of going to this restaurant.

If you want FRESH ingredients you are coming to the right place.
Whenever craving Mexican in the Salem area this is the place we typically end up-​especially when drawn with the choice between here and the howling wolf restaurant down the street. Cilantro is by far the superior.
The owner has always been there when we dined and was friendly, tentative and clearly a hard worker and passionate about the business which is always a reflection on how well the food is.
If anyone complains about paying extra for the chips and fresh Pico de Gallo its because its not crap chips out of a bag and salsa out of the jar. The chips are HOME MADE and DELICIOUS! As well as the Pico, very fresh and probably made to order. Absolutely delicious and well worth spending the extra what $ 3-​$ 4?
Fresh ingredients, great service, reasonable prices, amazing homemade chips!
Side note: Their chicken dishes are always exceptional– not sure what it is but they cook their chicken PERFECTLY-​if its for a salad, quesadilla, or dinner plate its always done right-we’ve tried them all!

The food was great! But… The booze is horrible, I drank 7 margaritas within 2 hours and was still able to go to work and no one noticed that I had drank. They were so weak… Ruined my night, I wanted to be hammered. Dan was cool.

Well the food was actually really good, but expensive. The thing that bothered me most is that a small basket of chips and salsa is $ 4. Tried a mango margarita and it was very weak and had a strangely flavored syrup. I’m not sure if there was even alcohol in it. Definitely worth a try for the food, but nothing compared to Border Café.

Had a lovely ladies night dinner with my girls here last Saturday. I had moved out of the North Shore area a little bit over 6 years ago. And used to go here allot. I will say, as soon as I walked in here, the owner greeted me like I had never left. She is an amazing woman and her daughter which had just gotten out of high school going into college when I first started coming to the restaurant is now a beautiful grown woman. We order their Sangria’s which was so good and tasty!
We started out with the chips and quac which was excellent. For dinner my friends got the fajitas which looked and was told tasted amazing. I got the Polla en Salsa Poblano which is my favorite the sauce was perfect not too creamy and not to dry came with white rice and vegetable medley cauliflower, carrots and green string beans. The best part of this place is the food is fresh, and not too heavy like some commercialized Mexican joints make you feel after. The portions are perfect size.
The waitress was very attentive and dealt with us ladies laughing and being ladies after a couple Sangrias:)
And wonderful ambiance the place is small but quaint but I can imagine when it is packed it probably gets loud.
Prices are reasonable but I am from Boston. For Northshore it may be a tad bit on the pricey side but worth every penny for what you get. I will be back once again!

Cilantro is one of my favorite restaurants in Salem! It’s real Mexican food, not the typical commercialized fajitas and tacos. Whether it’s filet, chicken, or fish, owner & chef, Esther Marin, creates an amazing meal full of flavor that makes your mouth water.
I’m also a lover of Sangria and try them (especially in summer) everywhere I go. Cilantro, hands down, has the best Sangria in the Boston area. I challenge anyone to find a better Sangria!
I can’t end this review without mentioning their homemade «half & half» cocktail. It’s a perfect mix of their signature Sangria and Margarita. Yes, a mix, try it!
We’ve been going to Cilantro for many years and have introduced it to friends. The fabulous food, drinks, and service are always consistant and fabulous. Cilantro’s raises the bar in quality! Highliy recommended!

The mole chicken is delicious. It’s a very cozy spot. Huge selection of tequila. The owner is a lovely woman. Pomegranate margarita is delish.

Food was amazing although we had a very long wait when there wasn’t that many people. The staff seemed nervous and not sure how to handle a crowd. The bartender ended up helping with my table because our waiter was very slow. The bartender handled it like a manager would, worked fast and tried to make us happy. Thank god the food was amazing because after that long wait we would have been disappointed if it wasn’t. Drinks were delicious and the prices were fair.

Great guac and excellent house made chips. The food and drink are quality, and you get what you pay for in that regard. It’s the higher end Mexican restaurant and Salem, which is a plus in my mind.
I read some reviews that complained about the cost or formal experience, but this is a nice place to visit, with great servers. There are many Mexican food restaurants that are «cheap» in quality and ambiance, but Cilantro offers something better.
You should give it a try.

This is a great little spot I always go when I visit my buddy up in Salem. We usually come to drink but we have enjoyed a few appetizers here, which were all enjoyable.
Sitting at the bar is great and there is usually someone friendly there, sometimes even Ester (the owner) herself, or one of her daughters who are both kind.
The Margaritas are out of control delicious, and the margarita/​sangria mix is amazing as well.
The only problem is Ester has been known you kick you out!
Great place to stop by

The quality of the food here was very basic. Not restaurant quality at all. Service was mediocre.
I was visiting on a recommendation.
I recommend skipping this place.

I’ll be short and straight to the point.
— waitresses were half-​assing their jobs; tried to convince us to sit on the one side of the restaurant where there were no table cloths and were found just hanging out by the bar after delivering us our dinner
— who the hell puts a white table cloth in a Mexican joint?
— food was BLAND BLAND BLAND AND DRY!
— Mediocre food makes me pissed
— poor value of everything
For a «Mexican» restaurant, there actually ought to be cilantro and lime in their food cause ya know, it’s Mexican. I get better burrito bowls at my college cafeteria. Don’t set foot into this place unless you’re already hammered and don’t mind mediocrity.