Cilantros - Nelson Mandela Square — Restaurant in Gauteng

The setting of the restaurant is really beautiful and staff was friendly but that's where it ended for me.

I spent around R550 including tip which food and beverage wise covered a glass of Life of Stone which tasted oxidated. The waiter assured me that the bottle was just opened but I didn't buy that and wasn't going to fight. I buy Life of Stone all the time and it does not have such a sharp taste its really easy on the palate from the first sip and this glass certainly was none of that.

For my main I had a sea food paella virtually no chorizo that I could see and taste and none of the fish was cooked into the paella this was more of a tomato based rice with veggies and the sea food placed on top - definitely not a traditional paella. To top it off I had some mussels that looked bad as the mussel meat was completely black. The manager said that this is normal and sometimes mussel meat is black but they still kindly tried to remedy it and took my plate back and refreshed my plate with mussels that actually look like normal orange meat ones. Once again I didn't want to argue but I have been eating seafood from the age of 7 and in different restaurants as well as at home and never have I had black looking mussel meat so not sure where those are sourced.

The "paella" was close to R400 and taste wise definitely not worth it and low quality interms of taste and flavor. Rather order the same at Gemelli and enjoy a much richer and flavoursome taste experience.

I really wanted dessert but opted not to waste any more money and try that out too lest I would feel disappointed again and come across as an annoying customer.

I give the restaurant an A for effort but I won't be returning - not worth the money and quality...

I went to a birthday dinner at their restaurant and I can honestly say I have never experienced such atrocious service. We were a table of 9 women in our early 20s but dressed well and not in any way poorly behaved. The problem started when we asked for tap water and were met with disgust from the waiter. In later attempts for more glasses of water because they only serve tap water in tiny tumblers, we had to ask multiple times before we were actually brought our water. We were also asked to move in the middle of our meal by the manager so that they could put the two spare tables together (some people had cancelled last minute but our booking was for as many seats as they table had). There were plenty of other open tables and there were no customers coming in to sit, only 20 minutes later was the table seated and even then there were still lots of other empty tables available. I had left over food which was taken to the kitchen to be put in a takeaway box and I had to ask the waiter about 15 minutes later for where it was and it was eventually brought out in a very crumpled and clearly previously used paper bag with the carton inside. Eventually when it came time to pay we were given the bill (which was the fastest thing to arrive at the table the whole night) and the automatically included 10% service charge was profusely highlighted so we couldn’t miss it. The final straw was when the waiter called for the other manager to bring a calculator and would not let us leave the table until they were certain that we had paid the correct amount. Once the total came to above the required amount, it was all smiles and thank you so much for coming. Absolutely...

Great service, atmosphere and food! And right being at Nelson Mandela Square, makes for a great cultural sight-seeing dining experience.

I came to Cilantros for the first time and  brought my family, and it was cozi, friendly, professional and full of character – not just a restaurant, but a warm experience.

I loved the interior decor and the ambiance.

We had Pizza's, succulent Rump steaks and great red wine, which was tastefully prepared and presented. Our kids loved the restaurant and their pizza.

The restaurant is well positioned just behind the large Nelson Mandela statue, nestled between Sandton City Mall and Nelson Mandela Square (just off West Street / Rivonia Road).

From the friendly hostess, to the waiters and service staff, I definately rate Cilantros service 4/5 stars.

I can imagine lunch also being a winner here, due to its location so proximity to the Mall, Sandton Convention Centre and other surrounding hotels.

I would recommend Cilantros for any dinner, but I must say, it looks like an amazing option for a date night as well.

(It is important that we support venues as these, especially in the current times we are in.)

Try Cilantros and you will not be sorry! I recommend Cilantros to anyone looking for a...