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Cilantro on Eglinton E.

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I heard of Cilantro during the power problems last summer. They were the only restaurant open in the district at the time because they are hooked on Bell next door. When everything was back to normal, I gave them a try. Here is what I thought at the time (Please do not shoot the messenger):
The decor lacks atmosphere. The owner might be color blind, for what I know. Service is attentive, the food is what you normally expect, the bill is a bit higher that what you would expect.
Any comment from someone who has been there? I'd like to hear it.

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  1. I went there once and was underwhelmed. The food as you said was exactly what you'd expect...not remarkably good or bad.

    The server was friendly but instead of asking if it was possible to substitute chicken for beef in a pasta dish, she told my friend to order another dish! A good server should have at least asked the chef if it was possible, especially because the menu didn't have any disclaimers saying that substitutions weren't possible.

    Although it certainly wasn't horrible, I wouldn't go back unless I heard from a lot of people that things had improved significantly. There are too many other good restaurants in that area for me to waste my time having a lacklustre experience.

    2 Replies
    1. re: Renee

      My co-workers and I went for lunch a few months ago. The general verdict was the food was fine but pricey for what you got (especially some appetizers we hoped to pass around - the calamari consisted of 3 rings and 1 set of tentacles) and the service was on the snooty side (we could see the waiter visibly grimace when somebody didn't want grated cheese or pepper on their risotto).

      1. re: stein88

        I find the whole grated cheese / pepper thing to be snooty and pretentious in and of itself, frankly. I go to restaurants so the cooks can prepare my meals as well as possible. Especially the pepper. I expect a dish to come out of the kitchen seasoned properly, not have the top notes of the flavour applied by a wannabe actor.

    2. I walk by that restaurant all the time on my way to the gym and I have never ever seen anyone in it. They must cater to the lunch crowd because the dinner crowd is none existent. I'm impressed that someone's actually gone to it!