El Cilantrillo Restaurant Old Town — Restaurant in Kissimmee

It saddens me so much that I had to remove my 5 star review and do an entire new review of 1 star. I have been here a few other times and it was wonderful. Each of the other times I was here, I was also with friends who spoke Spanish. This last time I was with my family and we do not speak Spanish. We were treated completely different. I drove an hour half from the east coast of Florida and my family drove hour half from west coast of Florida and we met in Old Town to purposefully eat at this restaurant. I told them all about the food and how wonderful it is. Our server was very nice and very sweet but has absolutely no idea how to be a server in the food industry. We waited 20 minutes just to get our drinks. Then ordered two appetizers and only received one of them. The tostones didn't come until the food came even though we specifically asked for it as an appetizer. The tostones were not even made right. They took a piece of plantain and flattened it whole. It was a different texture because it wasn't twice fried. Nothing like I've gotten before. My granddaughter's dinner came way before our food which was not good. Everyone knows that will cause a child to be done before the parents and is something you never do in serving. Still we asked for ketchup for chicken and fries and nothing. 10 minutes later I got up and found someone and still nothing another 10 minutes later I stood where they are walking out to stop someone to just hand me ketchup and someone finally did and I brought it to the table. Still didn't see the server and still didn't get our dinner to over 30 minutes later. Then when our dinner came out was nothing like it was in the previous times I've been here. I will be attaching pictures to show the difference. I got the stuffed chicken and this time it was very very small and less portion than I always had received before. I never got my red beans. No dressing for our salads. No drink refill the entire 2 hours 20 minutes we were here. We kept asking but nothing. And we were charged $4 a drink ordered. I asked for a manager for all the problems and there was so much more. The young manager came by and was very bothered by our request. It took a long time for her to come to the table too. I explained everything we experienced. Instead of understanding she just ego and didn't care and the portion was correct but that she would throw in a free dessert anyway. She talked demeaning, rude, unprofessional, and my daughter was shocked. We didn't say anything else because we both realized it would do nothing. Meanwhile the table down from us had a man get extremely upset and she was called to that table too. We did not understand what he was saying in Spanish, only that he was angry and yelling at her. Amazingly she sat down at their table and showed alot more understanding and compassion then she did for us. It was so noticeable the difference that it was hurtful. After another 30 minutes we finally got our server and asked for the check. She said what about the free dessert, we said no thank you please just give us our checks. 10 minutes later our checks and we were charged for the items we never received. We finally got our receipts and we signed and left. I didn't leave the usual 35% instead I left only 15% which I felt was being extremely generous with everything and still never receiving a drink refill. We just wanted to get out of there. It wasn't until the next morning when I realized that server NEVER gave me my credit card back. I was so upset because I live so far away. It was just such a bad experience and we waited so long that we just left and I didn't realize. I finally got in touch with restaurant when they finally answered in the evening and got a manager on the phone. They put me on hold and said they had to get the credit cards so I guess this happens alot. I described my credit card with all information to validate it's me and they said I had to come get it. I explained how far I live and they didn't care. Talked to head person and she showed less. I will never...

El Cilantrillo Restaurant (Old Town, FL) – A Taste of Puerto Rico That Hits All the Right Notes 🇵🇷🍽️

Dining at El Cilantrillo is like stepping into the heart of Puerto Rico, where every dish tells a story and every bite feels like a celebration of culture, history, and a deep love for good food. ❤️

From the moment you walk in, you’re embraced by a warm and festive atmosphere—🌴 vibrant colors, 🎶 Latin beats, and the irresistible aroma of garlic, sofrito, and slow-roasted meats that instantly transport you to the island. 🌺

We started with the alcapurrias y bacalaítos—golden, crispy, and packed with flavor. Perfectly seasoned and never greasy! 😋

But the real showstopper was the mofongo relleno de pulpo y carrucho al ajillo 🐙🐚—garlicky mashed plantains stuffed with tender octopus and plump conch, soaked in buttery garlic sauce. Every bite was heavenly. ✨

The chillo frito (fried snapper) was flaky, crispy, and beautifully plated—paired with arroz mamposteao, tostones, and ensalada con mayoketchup for that authentic Boricua comfort meal. 🍚🥗

We washed it all down with an ice-cold Medalla Beer 🍺 and a passion fruit mojito 🍹 that was creative, refreshing, and incredibly delicious!

The service? Impeccable. 💯 The staff were welcoming, knowledgeable, and clearly proud of their culture and cuisine. It wasn’t just dinner—it was an experience full of love and hospitality. 💛

For dessert, the flancocho, tres leches, and flan de vainilla were silky, rich, and perfectly sweet. A flawless finale to an unforgettable meal. 🍰🍮

👩🏻‍⚖️ Final Verdict:

El Cilantrillo is more than a restaurant—it’s a flavorful, heartfelt journey through Puerto Rican cuisine. Whether you’re craving a taste of home or new to the flavors of la isla, this spot delivers soul, sabor, and unforgettable service. ⭐

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 5/5 – ¡Una delicia boricua de principio a fin!

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Let me start by saying that TikTok made us do it. We saw a video on TikTok that got us super excited about visiting this restaurant chain. I quickly located this location as it was only 15 minutes from the resort we were staying at. I made reservations about a week prior to our visit. Reservations through Google maps were ridiculously easy. I received confirmation the night before and about 10 minutes prior to arriving at the restaurant, which was refreshing. Parking was RIDICULOUS, and of course not the restaurant's fault. My husband dropped us off in front of the restaurant while he circled the parking lot several times before finally finding a parking space about half a mile away. (FYI, arrive about 30 minutes before your reservations or anticipated time in order to score a parking spot). As I walked in and informed the host we had reservations for 10, he quickly walked us to our table and informed us someone would be with us to take our drink orders soon. The restaurant is very nicely decorated, with open seating, a live band plays outside where more open seating is available. We sat inside near a window where we could enjoy the music and several patrons that were dancing to the music. It was really nice to say the least. 30 to 45 minutes after we were seated, our waiter finally came to take our drink and appetizers orders, at which point we were ready to place our entrée orders as well. Long story short, our appetizers and entrée orders came out at the same time. I have to admit that the food was delicious. The tostones and mofongo were a little dry but tasted good. We were happy with our meals overall but the service could have and should have been better. We arrived at 6:40 and left the establishment at almost 10 pm. We had to wait nearly 20 minutes for the check alone. Not sure we'll return but if you're in the area and want good food and don't mind waiting forever for it, you should definitely ...