Cilantro in Salem

By far the best Mexican food I've had on the East Coast. I highly recommend Cilantro to anyone looking for great food and excellent margaritas. Seriously, get one of their margaritas.

The food doesn't match the price. It's only ok.

Love the authenticity of this place! Not your typical mex-tex, this is the real deal!

Friendly and fast service, great music and food! We were lucky to stumble on this restaurant while looking for shelter from the rain

Made to Order, Family Recipes, Very Good Food. On the pricey side. $$$-$$$$ Owner is not the best at customer service and she closes without updated social media sites. Not the best practice for a business. Can get comparable food other places without the hassle of wondering if they are going to be open. It's your call folks but don't blame me if you end up w closed doors when they say they are open. I'm neutral at this point. Food is great but service is terrible. I'll be spending my money elsewhere and avoid the headache.

Excellent service excellent food!

I ordered from grub hub. Took over 2 hrs to get the food delivered. The food was delayed at the restaurant. Will never order from Cilantro again. I accidentally ordered nacho French fries instead of regular nachos. And as one would imagine soggy french fries w nacho topping on it is disgusting.

Great spot. Everything we had was amazing and we had a lot. Queso fundido, tacos, tacos dorado, and Chile rellenos. We’ll definitely go back just for tacos on a Tuesday since the two we tried were bomb. Extensive drink list, as well. Can’t wait to go back!

We started with the apple cider margaritas and some nacho . Everything was made fresh to order! I had tamales while my friend had a quesadilla and both were delicious! Our bartender was exceptional and her mom (the owner) stuck her head out to thank us for our compliments. I will definitely be back our next trip to Salem!!!!

Really enjoy the food here . Even my wife from southern California thinks the food is tasty.....well for the east coast she says but trust me that's a pretty big endorcement.

Expensive for Mexican food. About $20 for a fajita plate. Really should have been about $10. In addition the food seemed to be below average. I ordered the fajita plate and expected at least skirt steak. I'm not sure what type of meat they are using but it was not flavorful. Empanadas were ridiculously small,which leads me to believe they are not made in house. Hot sauces for the table were just ok on the flavor. Overall thumbs down.....im from Texas and know good Mexican food. This was not......

Overpriced for what it is. Portions are too small and the food is on the low end of Mexican restaurants in terms of taste.

Great mole'.. the chef was great, when I couldn't decide she sent a small sample to make sure I enjoyed what I ordered.

Food was damn good

Excellent food. Clean and light and flavorful.

Excellent fresh food...small and intimate..great staff..we will be back.

The service was pretty good and I like how the restaurant looked. However, the salmon was over cooked and overpriced for the portion size. The guacamole was good but also overpriced.

Excellent service. Staff was very friendly/helpful. Food was nicely portioned and very tasty.

My visit to cilantro was excellent . I went on Cinco de Mayo at 4 in the afternoon. I got a seat at the bar and had a half sangria half margarita. Actually I had three. The ceviche was the best I have ever tasted in my life! I can't believe it was my first time there. Definitely won't be my last.

This is a cute, quiet restaurant with really good higher-end quality Mexican food. One of the best restaurants in Salem.

My fiance and I decided to try a new restaurant tonight and we are so glad we found Cilantro! We are already planning our next date night there. We started with queso fundido with chorizo and as soon as it arrived, I knew I was going to love it. It smelled so good and tasted even better. For our entrees, I had a simple chicken and cheese quesadilla which came with house-made pico de gallo. My fiance had the chicken and steak fajitas cilantro. After one bite, he was ready to make this a regular haunt. The food was out of this world, but the icing on the cake happened after we left. We accidentally left our to-go box sitting on our table and started meandering down the street. Our waitress chased us down to make sure we got our leftovers. If I could give them more than 5 stars, I would. Even in a town full of good food and great service, Cilantro is already at the top of our list. Highly recommend!

There are some terrific authentic dishes here, with recipes from the owner's Mexican hometown. Everything, including the desserts, are made on the premises. Some of the highlights include the homemade empanadas, the cheese filled meatballs, the red snapper with any of the homemade sauces, and the margaritas made with fresh squeezed lime juice (and a terrific selection of sipping tequilas). This is an under the radar gem in Salem. Don't go looking for Tex-Mex or budget family prices. This is fairly sophisticated stuff.

A wonderful family owned restaurant that serves authentic Mexican food. The food is authentic because the owner is from Mexico and the food is the best Mexican food I have ever experienced. I highly recommend this restaurant, you won't be disappointed.

Best authentic Mexican around. Family fun and operated. Awesome bartender and great ambiance.

This was a great find in Salem. We found a coupon on GroupOn, which heavily discounted the meal for us. Their portion sizes are generous and the food is delicious. Absolutely loved their shrimp appetizer.

I went to Cilantro last night for an impromptu date night and had an AMAZING experience. Having grown up in Texas, I can be pretty picky about Mexican food and even what passes for Tex-Mex in most parts of the country, especially the Northeast. Cilantro is wonderfully authentic, the food was delicious, the drinks were tasty and packed a good (but not excessive) punch, and the owner was a delight to talk to. The Queso Fundito, especially, was fantastic and really brought me back to my childhood in Austin. The filet mignon (served sliced thin on a platter with rice, beans, enchiladas, pico, and quac) was some of the most tender and flavorful I've ever had. I cannot recommend Cilantro enough. It is easily one of the best Mexican restaurants I've ever been to outside of the Southwest, it's so good it would hold it's own down there just fine, and it is easily in my top 3 restaurants in the greater Salem area.

Excellent food with fresh tasty ingredients. We all loved everything.

Really good!! Enchiladas and margs are amazing

Food quality seems to have declined meaningfully. Expected interesting and authentic Mexican fare like past days.

Delicious food and awesome service! The churros were the best!!!

Margaritas are the best in town. The simple all natural ingredients make for a great Mexican experience. The owner is delightful, we love you Ester. Great salsa and guacamole. Taco Tuesday all the way.

Best margarita in town! Very friendly staff/owners. Always a go to for a good time!!! #nationalmargaritaday

LOVE this restaurant. Owner and staff are great. Food is awesome, authentic Mexican food (ie, no Tex-Mex) Magaritas are fantastic. I eat here nearly once a week.

We love cilantro! Esther is the best. We moved out of town about eight years ago but still go back for takeout (in spite of 20 minute drive) a few times a year and Esther remembers us each time. Food is amazing. Try the nachos - so fresh and yummy!

One of the best Mexican restaurants I have been to in a while. The owner Esther made me a excellent personal Margarita that set me up for a great night too

Cilantro was a wonderful authentic mexican restaurant with delicious food, good margaritas, and friendly staff. Some of the reviews on here have been fairly negative, but rest assured that if you are looking for an authentic mexican meal, this is the place to go. If you are expecting your typical americanized mexican dishes, then you might feel a bit disappointed. We also feel that the prices are on par for a city restaurant. We spent more on lunch than we did at Cilantro.

Nice place. Good food and drinks.

Great taste.

Cozy and delicious Mexican restaurant.

Taco Tuesday!!! Awesome family run place. Great service and food. A hidden gem around so many good places to eat. Definitely a repeat

Excellent!

This restaurant is why reviews should have infinite stars. Great family, amazing food. Go, now!

The staff was great and the food was amazing. Incredible homestyle Mexican cuisine. Will visit again.

Went in on an afternoon with my wife. There were only three other patrons who fully occupied the small bar. When we sat and ordered drinks we were told that we had to order meals to sit at a table. We left and never returned. Way to go, guys!

Cilantro is one of my favorite restaurants in Salem. The food is excellent, authentic Mexican. Try any of the soups, the chicken mole or the fish with morita sauce – so good! And the margaritas are the best in town, not too sweet. What really sets this place apart for me though is the service and atmosphere. It’s a family owned and run business and they make you feel like family. We generally sit at the small bar and inevitably end up chatting with other bar patrons and the staff. We leave many restaurants thinking “that was a great meal.” Cilantro is one of the few we leave thinking “that was a great meal and a great time!”

Fantastically authentic. The family that runs this restaurant puts all their love and effort into their food and it shows. Everything is made perfectly. If you're nostalgic for some hometown Mexican cooking, this place is it.

The food was amazing! Would definitely go again!

Great food, great service.

Average Mexican food. The question fundido with chorizo was our favorite. That cheese pull though!

Never gave a one star before, but I now know why they were dead Empty opposed to the howling wolf that had an hour wait. Top shelf Margarita had what tasted like no tequila in it and neither did my girlfriends vodka soda, so in turn I had to order two shots to pour into our drinks which doubled the bill. The nachos were chips cheese and diced tomatos. The bill for a dinner roll sized plate of nachos, two drinks, and two shots (titos and well tequilla)came to a total of 50 dollars. Not a large sum but for what is offered it was rediculous. Take a hint from from any homeless man when it comes to hospitality and don't rush people out the door when there are only 4 people in a restaurant that easily seats 100.