Cilantro Mexican Grill — Restaurant in Bedford

We just got back from visiting Cilantro in Downtown Moneta, VA. We were meeting friends we had not seen for quite awhile and were looking forward to visiting and catching up over a good Mexican meal. Since it is Valentine's Day we were prepared for it to be busy but we were seated right away. What we were not prepared for was the volume of the music that was being played, apparently by a DJ. After we were seated and gave our drink order, we realized we were in direct line to one of the large speakers that was set up for the dance floor. There was no option to be moved farther away because they were busy. We should have left then but thought there might be breaks in the music, since it was fairly early in the evening. We could hardly hear the waiter, he could hardly hear us, the wait staff were having to shout at each other, and there was no way we could visit. Fortunately, our meals came quickly and we ate as fast as we could in order to get out of there. The food and service were good, but our evening was very disappointing. We didn't go expecting a quiet, romantic Valentine dinner, but we also didn't expect to be completely unable to visit. If this had been a Saturday night we might have thought twice before going here. But it was 6pm on a week night, there were families with children coming in as well as other seniors such as ourselves. Why does the music have to be that loud?? We wanted to ask that it be turned down, but of course we didn't say anything. Just ate and left. I don't usually take the time to leave reviews, but my head still hurts after being away from the noise for...

Had read that Cilantro had the best Mexican food in Moneta. And I agree. Maybe our first visit should not have been Cinco de Mayo - the place was packed even at 5:15 - but we were able to grab seats at the bar after it was determined there would be a wait. Margarita menu was fairly large. Black raspberry for me, presidential for him. Delish. Got the fresh guacamole made "table side." Served with warm homemade tortilla chips. Also, need to add that as soon as we were seated, they brought over chips, salsa and a ranch type dip that was good. Dinner: husband had enchilada verde. While it was good, my California burrito was a show stopper. The mixture of shrimp, chicken and steak with avocado, rice, spices and "cheese dip" was one of the best tasting dishes I have ever had. Servers were friendly but extremely busy because of the date. We will go back another time when it is less crowded to really dig in. If you like Mexican and are in the Moneta area, stop in.

Update: we went back! Burrito California was still a good. This time we got Pollo Fundido. It got a kick from the chorizo. And the drinks were HUGE! Next time we will not up-size. It was $60 with tip. Great value. Still my favorite Mexican place...

My wife and I wanted to try this place since we moved here in November. I decided to get take out on our way to an event. It was about 4:30 and didn't have a lot of time to wait. I was greeted at the door, I asked for a paper menu and was given one with the comment, "we would be happy to prepare anything for take out. I decided on two burrito bowls to go. Quick and easy and healthy. I got chicken for my wife and I went for the chicken and beef. After a short time they were ready. Good size meals with fresh hot tortilla chips with salsa. The lettuce and avocado were fresh, the rice was flavorful and other ingredients were all good. The chicken and beef were seasoned mildly, cut small enough so you didn't need to cut it smaller. The only problem was the beef had a lot of fat and gristle, so much so that I couldn't or didn't want to to eat anymore of it. Clean, fresh, friendly and quick with fair prices, we'll go back but I don't think I will be ordering...