REVIEW: Cilantro's Restaurant
Tonight (3/12/2024) around 4:40 pm we ate at Cilantro's Mexican Grill (soon to be named Pablos, I think), located at 1377 Kingwood Drive, Kingwood, Texas 77339.
I'm not an easy nut to crack, and if there's a problem in something, I can usually find it...I am very discriminating. My previous employer would call me "The Troubleshooter", among other things, which wasn't far off of "Troublemaker", depending on tough guys and the side of the players.
That said, we easily found convenient parking right out front, walked in, and noticed the place was absolutely fresh smelling, and immaculately clean, which I value highly. Even the window glass and the fancy antique ceiling tiles sparkled above an olde time thick plank heartpine flooring. The music was soft with big hitters (Phil Collins, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, et al), and the lighting and ambiance was very inviting.
We were immediately greeted by a hostess, who was very polite and walked us to a nice booth. The booth table was clean and free from any sticky gunk, and the seat cushions were spotless and devoid of any previous customer undertakings. The restaurant was fairly quiet as guests were reserved - and weren't shouting, boisterous, or with ill mannered youngsters.
We ordered our drinks (I wanted a margarita but when I'm driving, I NEVER drink), so it was a diet soda. Next time I will Uber, and test fire the delicious looking margaritas shown on the menu. Count on it. Soon.
Drinks and chips/salsa arrived promptly, and we also ordered a cheese sauce with ground beef appetizer, which came piping hot and was thick and delicious. The red chip salsa was hearty, not overly pepper spicy, and had a smooth, well-balanced and non-acidic taste. The chips were warm and fresh with a good snap. So far, batting a thousand.
A waiter came and took our orders - Chile Relleno for me, and Carnita Enchiladas for my bride. Black beans, sour cream, refried beans, guacamole, and rice were part of the dinners.
About ten minutes in, dinner was served on large oval steaming hot plates. It looked and smelled delicious, and we eagerly dug into a mammoth amount of food.
Everything was fresh, the cheese was smooth and creamy, the chile pepper with moist shredded chicken was delightful, the beans, guac and rice were flavorful, and we did more eating than talking! It was a wonderful experience we shall repeat again, especially noting a competitive pricetag of less than $47.00.
Service was spot on, our glasses were refilled, and each of the servers were clearly interested in our happiness and well being. We were provided "to go" boxes, and we will happily have a second meal tomorrow. Yum!!!
We tipped above 20% given the exceptional service, and as we were leaving, everyone thanked us, including a very polite and friendly fellow I believed might've been the owner...he introduced himself as "Rick" and said there were updating lots of food and things starting this weekend, and he enthusiastically welcomed us back. I told him I had read about this restaurant on the Kingwood forum and heard great things - that brought a big smile to his face, and I was glad, as our experience was exceptional, and I hope that his place will be packed with lots of hungry customers going forward. I believe Cilantro's...soon to be renamed Pablo's (I believe), would be a big hit on date night, on any night, with or without the family. 5/5 stars, a highly deserved "well done" to Rick and Company.
