El Cilantrillo Restaurant - Florida Mall

Our first dining experience was on Friday at 1:30 pm. We were greeted and seated promptly. There was Salsa music playing at reasonable volume and the low customer chatter added to the ambiance. The restaurant was clean and asthetically pleasing. Our server offered great customer service by cheerfully switching to English when I told her my husband doesn't speak Spanish which he truly appreciated. My husband and I both ordered from the special lunch menu. I ordered alcapurria, bistec empanizado, arroz blanco y habichelas and a side of tostones my husband ordered the chicharron de pollo and arroz con gandules. The generous portion size allowed for leftovers. I was pleasantly surprised to find my alcapurria was filled with meat from end to end. The steak was thick yet very tender, the breading was crispy and light. The fried chicken chunks were crispy and seasoned perfectly. We found the food to be fresh, hot and flavorful. Given our experience we have decided to add this restaurant to our regular dining options.

El Cilantrillo at Florida Mall was absolutely delicious. Everything had such a comforting, homey taste, the kind of food that feels like it was made with love. We had the pernil, tostones rellenos with carne, fried cheese, and the arroz mampoyao, and every dish was amazing. Even the arroz con habichuelas was packed with flavor, and the chuleta with arroz con guandules was cooked perfectly. We finished with their chocolate cake, which was the perfect ending to an incredible meal. We also loved the live music playing, it really added to the atmosphere. Everyone was very friendly and helpful, and although it was a bit busy, they still provided great service. We’ll definitely be coming back!

My partner and I visited this restaurant on Oct. 31 for Lunch. The food was very good but we were dissapointed with the service. When we came in, there was nobody at the front desde for about 10 minutes although there were 2 hostesses. We decided to sit at the bar and we ordered some drinks and later we ordered Lunch. It took a while before we got our lunch. In the kitchen there seems to be a party. Loud talking and celebration while customers waited for the food. Outside the bartender and waiters just taking, no work bring done. Seemed to us that they are either overstaff or they are not well manage.

This was our first visit to this restaurant, and it exceeded our expectations in every way. The food was exceptionally delicious, prepared with evident care and attention to detail. The service was equally impressive—staff members were attentive, courteous, and made us feel truly welcome. In addition, the prices were very reasonable, making it an excellent choice for families; in fact, we found it to be a great value for a family of four. Overall, the experience was both enjoyable and memorable, and we are certain that we will be returning in the near future.

When we are in the Orlando area we always want to get to a puerto rican restaurant. We are always looking for new ones to try, after reading many reviews we settled on Cilantrillo. The restaurant is spacious and cozy all at once. With salsa playing over the speaker loud enough to hear, but not to overtake the conversation. Our server was Fernando, he was personable, funny and knowledgeable. We each got a margarita, a traditional and a passion fruit. Strong, yet balanced. We started with the fried corn meal logs (sourtillos de maiz) and beef pastillos. Both were fried crispy but not greasy. And served with mayo ketchup. Would order both again. My husband ordered basically a fried chicken cutlet, which came with two sides (he ordered white rice and red beans), and a salad. He ordered a side of fried sweet plaintains. The chicken was the size of his head! Thin and crispy, but well seasoned, he loved it. I ordered the mofongo with pieces of friedpork with the garlic sauce and added a side of white rice and red beans. Again large portion of mofongo. Moist and flavored. White rice was cooked good and beans were firm, but tender, just needed a bit more salt, didn't see pieces of ham hocks, so might just needed more salt. Overall a great puerto rican meal. We would come back.

We tried this place based on the Google reviews, it was very good. Although, it was absolutely amazing I gave them only 4-stars is because it was incredibly loud in there ordering was a challenge. We ordered an appetizer platter that was $45 (to get a sample of numerous items) and a dinner platter that was $80 (also to get a sample of several items) but unfortunately the server did not explain that they were almost the same dish. Although, we could have read the menu better it was not well understood the were so similar. We had two adults and one child. We paid $150 but had enough food for four to-go containers in which we packaged to give out to homeless people. We are just traveling through and will not have an opportunity to eat the leftovers (unfortunately).

Cilantrillo is an absolute gem in Orlando. From the moment you walk in, the atmosphere feels warm, vibrant, and authentically Puerto Rican. The service was attentive and genuinely friendly, which made the entire experience even better. The food was exceptional. Every dish was full of flavor, fresh, and beautifully presented. You can tell they put a lot of care into their recipes and ingredients. The mofongo was one of the best I’ve had, and the seasoning was on point. Portions were generous, and the flavors were unforgettable. Nancy took care of our table and she was top notch attentive. A professional on her craft. If you’re looking for a restaurant that combines amazing food, great service, and a welcoming vibe, Cilantrillo is the place. I highly recommend it and will definitely be returning.

Waitress didn't speak English. We had to wait over 20 minutes to be seated even though mist if the restaurant was empty because they were short staffed. They opened at 11am, our group arrived around 12:15 PM.

Food quantity: 9/10 Food quality: 8/10 Service: 7/10 Ambiance: 7/10 Overall rating: 8/10 Great food and great music! I really enjoyed their mofongo! Highly recommend going early for dinner as they get crowded and quite noisy later in the evening. It was a bit difficult to have a conversation towards the later evening hours.

I met up with a group here to have dinner. Parking was easy - they share a lot - and when we arrived it wasn't too busy on a Thursday evening. We had a table reserved for the party of 11. We were told that at least half of the party needed to be present before we could be seated - that didn't take long. We quickly learned that many of the staff/servers didn't really speak English (according to their own words), and the Hostess just spoke to us in Spanish, and we were able to figure it out. Once seated we were given menus, but our Server told us that she couldn't take our drink orders until she knew how many checks there would be. She also said that she didn't speak English, but I think that she did quite well getting our drinks, our orders and taking care of the table. She was able to answer my questions about my order just fine. I ordered churrasco and it came with a salad (lettuce with 1 or 2 tomato slices) and a premium side. I chose maduros as my side. I think that everyone's order came out fine - my food was ok. The chimichurri was really good. Churrasco is a pricey item but was one of the few things that I knew what it was so I knew that I would eat it. There were at least 2 other tables that were celebrating birthdays. The staff came out to their tables with a dessert while clapping and singing, in Spanish. Our table clapped along, adding to the audio ambiance. The restaurant was clean, and they seemed to be operating in an organized and efficient manner. The lighting wasn't too low or too bright, but the noise level did pick up a little once a few other tables of 4 or more guests filled in. Once was enough for me, but I'd probably go back if there was a group meeting there for some reason. I would like that chimichurri recipe though. Everyone else's food looked good (though I probably wouldn't order those items) and I heard no complaints, so I'd have to say that if you like this cuisine type then you probably should dine here at least once.

What a great place. This place was totally PR vibes. We were seated right away on a Sunday after church. Our waitress came and took our drink orders. I got a delicious passion fruit alcohol drink that was so tasteful and huge. We ordered an appetizer of fried cheese and guava dip. Which was one of my fav parts. Our entrees were perfect for one person. I got the carne guises and my bf got the fried pork. The trick to was filled with flavor and so delicious. This is definitely a place we will go back to. Authentic taste of Puerto Rican food. Love the whole experience.

This restaurant reminds me of local restaurants from the island. Live music, friendly staff and delicious food. They have a pretty extensive menu and everything sounded so good. I settled on a pechuga a la plancha with arroz con gandules. The chicken was juicy and flavorful. The rice was amazing- first bite and I could taste some plátano - it also had some salchichón and longaniza mixed into it. Large portions - thought I wasn't going to be able to eat it all but I did . Couldn't stop eating! I also got a mofongo con carne frita to go for my husband and it was SO GOOD! Juicy and flavorful meat with a very well made mofongo. Definitely coming back !!

Food was delicious. The steak was so tender and the addition of the mushroom sauce was unique and a perfect addition. The Latin stir fry rice is a mix of red beans, plantains and bacon.

We had a good experience here, they have a lot of variety and flavorful dishes. The seasoning was on point across the board, and the prices were fair for the portion sizes. Highlights for us were the mofongo, which was absolutely delicious, especially paired with their garlic sauce, and the fried cheese bites, which were perfectly golden and satisfying. However, a couple of things kept it from being a full five stars. The arañitas were a bit too thick and came out greasy, we think they'd be much better if they were thinner and crispier. Also, the cooking of the meats was inconsistent. I ordered my churrasco medium and got a mix of medium rare and medium well, while the ribeye, which was ordered medium rare, was mostly well done with just a few bites cooked properly. Despite those details, the overall quality and flavor of the food were excellent, and we'd definitely come back to try more!

Decent local place. Was very busy for a week night. Drinks were the best part. Portions were large!

Alright, my food was great! I would say pricey but good. The flavors were awesome and the portions were good. However, our server didn't return to refill our waters, nor offer us salad dressing for the "side salad" Also, they auto add 18% gratuity so just fair warning.

My cousin and I decided to go out to dinner. We both would be flying back home tomorrow. We decided to try El Cilantrillo. They prepared authentic latin food. My cousin and I decided to share a plate. We ordered the fried chicharrones with pickled red onions. We choice the spanish rice with smoked sausage and grandules.We also had the white rice with red beans. The service was excellent. The food came out popping hot. The ambiance was lit and their were several large tables for family gatherings. If your in Orlando, FL. Please check out El Cilantrillo. To all my yelpers. Let's continue eating our way through the world.

So El Cilantrillo is yet another first for me...I have been dying to try this spot for quite some time now since I see them on social media all the time...and boy am I glad I finally did! This restaurant location is right next to the Florida Mall with plenty of parking spaces for easy access. Upon walking in, we were greeted and seated almost immediately. The restaurant itself had a lot of tables and was a pretty big space...great for large parties. We first started off with drinks and ordered the coconut mojito and tamarindo margarita. The margarita was definitely the favorite of the two and had great flavor. The coconut mojito was good, but I just wish it was a tad bit stronger to cut the sweetness. For food we ordered the fried cheese w/ guava for appetizer, pulpo stuffed mofongo, trifongo and the fried pork. Let me tell y'all... the presentation was immaculate!! It was all so visually appealing. The flavors were spot on too...our favorite items hands down had to be the fried cheese w/ guava and the trifongo! Overall, we had such a great first experience at El Cillantrillo. The service was great and the food was definitely tasty. I definitely recommend for folks to try this spot out and make sure you come hungry because they definitely feed you with their large portions lol.

Always have great lunch specials in rotation, I always stop by when I'm in the area. They have several restaurants throughout Central Florida. Great natural drinks and refreshing cocktails service is always friendly and the ambience is tropical with island vibes.

It took them a while to acknowledge our Table; we almost left. We ordered their Bacalaitos (cod fish fritters) and White Parcha (passion fruit) Sangria to start. Delicious Cod Fish fritters but a low quality Sangria pitcher at $40!!! Not recommended. Need patience; once ordered main courses, kitchen is slow. We ordered staples; Mofongo with Shrimps and Pernil (roasted pork) with Arroz Mamposteao side. Ambiance is loud and busy (even children squealing). Main entrees finally arrived and are huge and tasty. Both are very juicy and Good values. We are only two and still they stick you with 18% Gratuity and will not tell you when bring the check. BEWARE! Place is pack because food is tasty and great food price. It's slow though and Sangria is not recommended. $105 for lunch for two because of the overpriced Sangria. We will go elsewhere.

Good service Not pleased with the dish we ordered. The fried pork small pieces were too hard to cut and chew. Other than that I would give it an average.

THE FOOD WAS WAS SOOOOOO GOOD! We came after a day at animal kingdom and when I say it was everything it was . Reminded me of eating at my besties mom's house. They were pretty busy and food came out at a decent time . Con: parking sucks

Where do I begin? We have visited a different location of this restaurant and it was great today was a total disappointed . The waiter Camila shouldn't be a waiter if you don't enjoy serving people . Took our order and after a few questions about the menu she didn't have much knowledge of portion sizes or how some of the food was served. The appetizer didn't come to the table together to be able to share. I order a mofongo with pork chunks to find out it's a more garlic sauce that you couldn't even taste the plantain and the meat seems to be precooked all day that it was like rubber. The other dish was Carme guisada was soup not the way it suppose to be made . What a waste of money and time . We left the food and we didn't even am apologies after expressing why the food was still in the plates Never again

Service and food is always great!!! Don't look anywhere else, this is your spot for authentic Puerto Rican food. Sundays are the worst!! They have someone singing so darn loud that you cannot even speak, hear or enjoy the atmosphere. It physically hurts your ears!!! I walked out once when they couldn't accommodate our party away from it. It is super annoying.

Love love love this place!! It's lively, but not overbearing, the food is phenomenal, the service was great, no complaints at all! We started with the queso frito con salsa de guayaba (fried cheese with guava sauce) it was perfect. I would drink that guava sauce. It was so good and paired absolutely perfectly with the cheese. For dinner, I went with the mofongo de bistec (mofongo with beef and onion). You can choose a garlic sauce or a creole sauce, I chose garlic and was NOT disappointed. It was so garlicky and delicious. The portion size was huge, I had plenty left over for lunch the next day. They do not skimp on the meat, which was great to see. I want to try everything they offer, but it would be hard not to order these two amazing dishes again. When we arrived, we were told there would be a 25-minute wait, and they sat is about 5 minutes later. Our server spoke English, but many did not, which is fair. It seems like the vast majority of patrons also spoke Spanish. Shortly after we sat down, someone came to take our picture for a free postcard. We were skeptical but smiled anyway. They did eventually bring the free post card, and then offered additional prints for a cost, but she was very understanding/not pushy when we said no. I can't wait to go back!

Great service great food. I had the Mofongo relleno alajillo, the food was moist fresh and Hot! My nephew had the Mofongo relleno de churrasco... he said explosion in your mouth everyone that we went with was happy with the food the service

Highly recommend for authentic Puerto Rican food outside of PR. We had a Passion Fruit juice which was refreshing and delicious they also serve Acerola juice which was nice to see on the menu. The Chicken Tostones was served with chicken breast strips that were in garlic sauce in a cup made of fried plantains. Chicken was moist and very flavorful and the tostones were perfectly fried. I ordered the Shrimp Stuffed mofongo and it definitely hit the spot. Perfectly seasoned and moist and fresh ingredients. The grilled chicken breast was moist and rice well flavored. The portions are large and definitely shareable. The restaurant was clean and food is very good. Service did lack a bit since it got busier but overall, we would return.

Yay , was looking forward to experiencing the food and drinks at the restaurant and left very happy with the experience. Nice service and nice ambiance. We ordered an appetizer to share and we all enjoyed every bite and my Coconut Mojito was delicious. Was not disappointed on my 2 hour drive to enjoy and try my Puerto Rican gastronomy.

Food was good but a little pricey, service is a little slow, there's a photographer circling around offering photos she takes of you for $20 which was kind of cute but a little random. I would definitely be back to try more from the menu.

Went here for dinner, we were seated promptly and waited 20 minutes for the wait staff to acknowledge us; they kept walking past, we decided to leave and go to Turull's next door. The drummer in the band acknowledged us as we were walking out the door; very poor customer service

My 2nd visit and did not disappoint. The food and service were amazing. Looking forward to coming back again.

Amazing Puerto Rican food that will leave you full and satisfied! Service was great, we had a big party and they were able to put us in a designated party area. Great atmosphere and everything was delicious!!

I have driven by El Cilantrillo countless times, but finally made the proper visit. It was busy on a Saturday afternoon with a 20-25 minute wait. Fortunately the bar was open seating and we grabbed our seats. The bartender was patient and friendly as we perused the menu. The drink menu is missing prices, but seem pretty comparable for tourist area. The sangria priced at $14/glass. My friend ordered us the appetizer sampler, Surtido EI Esmayao" which was a great size for splitting between 3-4 people. My favorite items were the fried pork chunks, cheese, and corn fritters. The fried pork chunks can also be ordered as an entree and would recommend 10/10. Everything we tried was great, next time I need to try their rice and beans and maybe even the bistec. Also be sure to check the bill as they added gratuity automatically. The food was great, we will be back again!

The service was excellent, had a visitor and we were craving some island food. It did not disappoint. Great options with variety on the menu and delicious tasting food. Wasn't able to make reservations as it was last minute, however we were seated right away. There's large tv screens inside to watch sports etc. honorable mention, the fresh lemonade was refreshing! I usually don't like limes, which were added in but to my surprise it was a nice touch. Would definitely go back, they have multiple locations.

In two years a great improvement in service, presentation and options. I recommend this place for a good mofongo, plantain soup or the Kan Kan

I loved everything!!!! The best in every way!!! Worthwhile with great portions and wide variety!!!

The food was very tasty and we would come back for that. We started with the bacalaitos and they reminded us of when we had them I Spain. Very tasty. I ordered the Asopao de Camaron and my wife had the Trifongo with camaron. She always asks for extra criollo sauce with her mofongo/trifongo but the waitress, Erika, apparently didn't hear her. So the food comes with no extra sauce and my wife just asks again. She didn't complain. She didn't get upset or demanding as this was an issue that could easily be resolved. Nope. After some time with no extra sauce or an update on our request we asked two other staff about it. After some more waiting, our waitress showed and said "they are working on it". When the sauce did show it was that apparent that it had been quickly made. If the waitress had acknowledged our inquiry when she was reminded by other staff that we were asking about it and come by to update us and said, "I know you're still waiting for the sauce let me check on it for you" it would have gone a long way to making the wait and the experience tolerable. Nope. If she had said, OMG I forgot, sorry I'll get it right away that would have been OK. Things happen. But nope. We were left waiting with my wife slowly eating her meal hoping some sauce would show up. From the rehearsed greeting (spiel) the waitress gave us when we were first seated it was apparent that she had been trained to greet customers cordially and professionally. It's unfortunate that she wasn't trained to care about what happens after that.

AHHH, we finally made it to El Cilantrillo. My coworkers have been raving about this place for a while. We found ourselves in the area and figured it would be a great chance to check this place out. We arrived and were quoted a 20-minute wait. After about 5 minutes we were called up and shown to our table. Our server greeted us and took our drink order shortly after that. My wife ordered one of their juice drinks, it was delicious and fresh. We also ordered an app. We went with Queso Frito Con Salsa De Guayaba, fried cheese with homemade guava sauce. WOW! The cheese was perfectly fried and that guava sauce was on point! We both loved that app. For dinner, I ordered a Pulpo (octopus) Mofongo and went with the garlic sauce option. The Mofongo was presented beautifully and it was a large serving. It was served hot and everything was well seasoned and tasted very fresh. I would order it again. The service was great. Our server answered all of our questions and was very attentive. It is worth noting for parties of 2-5 they add 18% gratuity and for parties of 6 or more they add 20%. They have a very large bar area, which looks very nice. There was live music at one point during our visit. Great place, would for sure go back.

The food, service, and ambiance were excellent. It goes to show that you can live in an area for years and still not have discovered all the little gems. El Cilantrillo was a pleasant surprise and we will definitely return. We really had an appetizer sampler with one main entree and each was delicious. All well seasoned and nothing overly salty. I came for the arroz con gandules and was not disappointed: rice done well with soft gandules and seasoned to perfection. I could have eaten an entire plate of it!! The masas de cerdo was oooo so crispy and seasoned outside with tender pork inside. I would have liked juicier but that may have detracted from the crisp so a toss up. The beef empanadas were too brown for me and not enough filling but were indeed crispy with delicious meat filling. My companions loved the nachos but also would have liked more meat ( we got beef). Our servers were attentive and excellent. You should speak at least a little Spanish but it is not required. They met all our needs and requests and were very sociable. The booths are not made for larger people (like me) and that was uncomfortable. They did offer to seat us at a table with chairs but I had already squeezed in and didn't feel like moving. There was a nice busy vibe with clearly happy people and evidently it was a popular place with repeat customers; of which, I will now become one!!

Loved the grilled chicken! Tons of seating and parking. Would love to come back and try more things.

I have heard of this restaurant from many Puertorricans and finally had the opportunity to check it out on our way down to Miami from a road trip. There are a few restaurants in Orlando and this was the closest one which is located in a shopping center. We did not made a reservation, which I recommend you do ahead of time, so we waited 30 mts. The restaurant was packed and had live music. I felt I was literally back in the Island. The menu had some incredible plates which I wanted to try. I ordered arañitas as an appetizer and I shared a chicken breast plate filled with yautia. It was delicious. Highly recommend this plate. I also ordered on the side "mamposteao" which is rice with red beans combined. For drink I ordered an "acerola" juice. My favorite every time I go to any puertorrican. restaurant. I did not ordered dessert but was surprised not to see a traditional dessert on the menu called "tembleque" made out of coconut. This restaurant is definitely a great one to go for Puertorrican cravings. I wish there is one in Miami. Highly recommended.

Overall this place is a great place for families. They have many shareable options that come with good portions. I will say the restaurant can get really loud and busy depending on when you go. Our server was decent he just seemed extremely busy which was understandable since it was Saturday night. The cilantro rice is something that will continue to bring me back!!

If you are visiting Orlando or live in the surrounding areas and feel like eating authentic Puerto Rican food, the El Cilantrillo Restaurant is the place for you. It is my absolute favorite place to eat in order to get a true feel for Puerto Rico in the state of Florida. The food at El Cilantrillo is super authentic, with that homemade rich taste that really takes you to the heart of San Juan or Ponce. Dishes like Mofongo, perfectly seasoned pernil, and all the Puerto Rican favorites are cooked to absolute perfection. Sure, the service could at times be a little slow, but that's a small price to pay for food that's clearly being made fresh to order. You know you're getting quality every time. I could go on and on about each dish I've tried, but really, the average attention span isn't that long, so I'll just say this: El Cilantrillo has never gone wrong; every meal is a hit. their beverages are of top class quality, and each one is designed in great detail to go well with the amazing food. It's a proper place to have a good cocktail made while experiencing those flavors. Sometimes they even have live music teleporting you straight to PR. I'm also very happy to see that El Cilantrillo is expanding within the region and increasing the number of its establishments but without ever losing the quality that makes them so special. That's a brand that knows what it is doing, and it does it well. Whether you're a local or just passing through Orlando, El Cilantrillo is a can't-miss for anybody who appreciates excellent food. Highly recommended!

Good hosts should of asked for assistance for a group as big as we had. No napkins forgot few waters few things was forgotten where she could of have an extra hand other than that good service

Amazing food Nancy is the best Enjoyed the pernil and chuleta and bacilitos. And the service was amazing

We ordered masitas de cerdo con arroz manpostiao. The meat was overcooked and hard. The coconut mojito tasted like milk, no coconut flavor. And our server was very cansual, lack of customer service. The cilantro rice was pretty good. Not worth the 80 dollars. At least 3 employees in a table where we were seating, just talking the whole time we were there.

I ask for mofongo they bring mangu the service is great and food taste really good but is only more presentation is that ah by the way they do t accept teen at the bar

Amazing food. Was pricy but it was so much food it fed us for an another day. Had a passion fruit margarita.

I remember very clearly the first time I tried mofongo. I was in the sixth grade, and we had an international food day celebration. My mom made a bunch of pork and chive dumplings, since those were easy to transport. This being Brooklyn, many of my classmates were Puerto Rican, and one of my good friends (shout out to my man Juan Ramos) brought in some homemade mofongo. I didn't quite know what to make of this mushy dish that he said was derived from plantains (which I had not heard of previously). All I know is, when I had my first bite it was such an interesting texture and was mixed with garlic, his grandma's special "vinagre", and stewed pork; it was heavenly. Of course, when I got home to ask my mom if she could replicate it, her response very typically Asian. "Hi-ya! We already have some version of that made from taro root. No mofongo for you; Eat your mom's fried Wu Tao gou (https://thewoksoflife.com/taro-cake-wu-tao-gou). Who even cooks bananas anyway?" Ever since the sixth grade, whenever I get the chance, I ALWAYS seek out a good mofongo. So when I was recently in Orlando for work, I met up with some local colleagues to check out El Cillantrillo. Fun fact: After the NY/Long Island/New Jersey area, the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford neighborhoods of Florida have the second largest Puerto Rican population in the US. El Cillantrillo has a few locations, but we opted for the outpost at Florida Mall since it's close to the office I was working at. There is a sign warning folks of long wait times...and they ain't kidding about this. We arrived around 6:00pm, and the place was already packed on a Wednesday! We started off with the fried calamari appetizer...and honestly it was a bit underwhelming. The breading did not stick well to the meat, and while the menu described it as being "quick fried," it actually tasted soggy like it was not fried long enough. The lime aioli dipping sauce was good though. My friend already warned me that at most Puerto Rican restaurants, the portion sizes are HUGE. Confident in my ability to polish off the dish, since I skipped lunch, I ordered the perchuga a al plancha (grilled chicken breast). When it arrived, it was indeed enough for 2-3 people! 12 hour marinated chicken breast in house herbs and spices was seared on a sizzling plancha style grill and served with a side salad and I added the mofongo for an upcharge. And true to my buddy's word, there was a large enough portion size for lunch the next day. The chicken was super juicy and the high heat seared gave it an excellent smoky flavor. But the best part of my dish, was the mofongo. The plantains were deep fried, mixed in with onions and spices, and then pounded in a traditional pilon (wooden mortar and pestle). I really wish there were a few more good Puerto Rican joints in the DC area, cuz I so miss this side dish! We also enjoyed a few of the passion fruit mojitos. Mint leaves were muddled with house rum, passion fruit juice, and topped with a candied lime. It was a taste of the tropics. Careful not to have more than two of these, since the bartender was generous with the rum pour. By the time we left, the place was still packed and I understand why. The vibe is laid back and fun. There were large groups celebrating birthdays and not only locals were eating here, but a good number of tourists also. If you're visiting Orlando and staying close to the airport, I wholeheartedly recommend checking out El Cillantrillo.

SO GOOD! authentic. delicious. Very straightforward puertorican menu. Had everything you could want including appetizers like alcapurrias (beef only) to massively large mofongos. The plates are generous and the food is always tasty with great seasoning. The side sauces are delish, and come with most appetizers. The pina colada was great too. I've been here quite a few times so I decided to make this review because it's always consistent. The only thing I wish I could change is that we always have about an hour wait time on the weekend when we come in a large party, and they don't take reservations on the weekends. But we always wait and it's worth it. The ambiance is loud, sometimes with live music, games playing on the tvs, but it's family friendly. They have high chairs available upon request.

I ordered a bistec encebollado with cilantro rice and a side of plantains and side of habichuelas. I also ordered the queso frito with guava sauce. The meat was very delicious and so was the rice. The beans and plantains were also yummy. I loved the queso frito, but didn't try the guava sauce. The ambiance was nice and dimly lit. The hostess was nice, I ordered to go. I would definitely come back. Great portion size for the price. A few of the prices online are inaccurate.

They advertise LUNCH MENU outside but there is no physical lunch menu -- so if you don't ask about it, you won't get it. basically, just using to attract customers. The food was tasty but extremely small portions. Our server did not speak English too well, so the communication was kinda tough - she tried her best though. They came singing happy birthday to a customer (which is fun) but the ambiance was so quiet, and they were SOOOO LOUD that scared me. I have mixed feeling about this place - its okay but very pricey. not sure if I will come back.

Absolutely amazing place! Live music, great service! We had Fernando and he was on it! The steak we ordered was cooked to perfection and perfectly seasoned! We all ate as much as we could and loved every bite! A must try! This is our new favorite in Orlando!

Decided to try this place after seeing their pictures. I really liked the "chicharrón de pollo" it had a good flavor and it was nice and crunchy. The trifongo was good, only downside was the fact that it wasn't smashed good enough so they had big chunks of yucca. Food was a 4, service a 3 they were polite but not as attentive, and there was this smell at the restaurant that I couldn't get over, they need to fix it. It was like a musty smell. I left as soon as I was done eating. Likely won't be back.

We were seated per our reservation at 7 exactly and our server was Nancy, who was friendly, fun and provided plenty of recommendations! We took her up on the appetizer recommendation, Fried Cheese! The cubed fried cheese was in perfect bite size pieces, and it came with a house made sweet and tangy guava sauce. We also ordered the sangrias, which were quite good, adorned on top with a pineapple slice and a cherry. Nice touch! The mix of Latin/Puerto Rican food here is excellent. The menu items are written in Spanish and English, with descriptive terms written in English. For the main course, we ordered the Grouper Filet. I order mine, grilled with garlic sauce. The grouper portion was quite large and very filling. The garlic sauce was creamy, mixed with red pepper slices. My friend went with a creole sauce and highly recommended it, also. Both dishes came with a small salad on the plate and we each ordered a side of Arroz Con Grandules, yellow rice with green pigeon peas, which was amazing! It was a great compliment to the grouper and is highly recommended. One thing to note, the place was packed on this Wednesday night. This is definitely a "family-oriented" restaurant as numerous families were present, and unfortunately, it was quite loud with babies crying and a lot of conversation from various tables. It was like being at a relative's party with a lot going on. So, if you are looking for a quieter environment, this may not be the place for you. Luckily, it calmed down somewhat around 8pm and made it easier for my friend and I to converse. FINAL NOTE, please be aware if you split the check as my friend and I did, the bill comes with "Suggested Tip" amounts based on the TOTAL BILLED AMOUNT. Unfortunately, I did not check this properly at the table and I ended up tipping over 43%. Hopefully, management will see this review and correct this for the future. Placing inaccurate suggested tipping amounts on a bill is NOT a good business practice.

We went last night for the first time. Me and the wifey were not really hungry, so we thought of just sharing a plate. We did start with the Alcapurrias Homerun start. Full of flavor and filled the perfect seasoned ground beef. We decided to have Steak and Onions as our main meal with Arroz con Gandules. Another round tripper as that rice was OUTSTANDING. The waitress very helpful with our choice. The live music was another hit. Not sure who was the artist last night, but he did have some great vocals. The trifecta as the 3 HR was finishing off with a nice fresh Flan. I would like to end with this, Pal Campo sorry you don't have anything on these guys. You've become too commercialized. This is the spot to hit. Go try it out, you will not be disappointed.

Food was great, tasteful and hot out of fryer or oven. On the pricey side for food, but again it was great. But, it was hot inside.