Cilantro Mediterranean Cuisine — Restaurant in Philadelphia

This was one of the more impressive restaurants I've been to in Philly! You wouldn't be able to tell from the humble storefront on the outside and the (surprising) lack of a crowd inside this relatively small place, but the food is hands down some of the best Middle Eastern food I've ever had. Portion sizes are extremely generous - each entree can easily be stretched into 2 meals. We got the chicken shawarma wrap, which was enormous and perfectly toasted, and the mixed grill which had a little bit of everything. Everything from the meats to the sauces were perfectly made and seasoned. Meats tasted very fresh - the lamb chop was a bit small but made up for its size in the flavor it packed. The rice served with the mixed grill was so aromatic and irresistible. And the desserts! First of all, the family who runs this place are very attentive and sent us a free plate of (delicious, of course) baklava to sample after we were done with our entrees. They then checked in with us about how we liked everything before sending out the kunafa we ordered. And this kunafa was heavenly - easily some of the best kunafa we ever had! Despite being stuffed at this point, we ordered another kunafa because it was just that good; cheesy but not too cheesy, not overwhelmingly sweet, crispy on top, and served with a side of refreshing whipped cream. I am salivating just thinking back to it! My friend and I sat around for quite a while chatting and enjoying the ambiance of this place until soon before closing time, and we got a bonus prize for it: the resident family's two adorable kittens came out to play! They were super friendly and affectionate and the cherry on top of an already lovely night out. Great experience overall, 10/10...

I came here with my fiancée for lunch the other day. We have been curious to try it out and I’m so glad we did! We ordered the platter for two. The hummus and bread was very good and I liked the dressing on the salad. When the platter came, we couldn’t believe how much food was on it! It’s definitely worth the price with how much they give you. I don’t like lamb so my fiancée was gonna eat the lamb but I tried a bite just for fun and it was actually really good. I was surprised because I normally can’t handle it and they cooked/seasoned it so well that I actually enjoyed it. The kofta kebab was just ok. It tasted like they use high quality spices in the ground meat for the kebab but it just wasn’t for me. My fiancée really enjoyed it though!! My favorite was the steak and chicken. They were so good and cooked perfectly. It was super fresh! The grilled veggies with the meat were also great and we really enjoyed them. The rice was a little lukewarm so it got cold with the fans above us. The fries were like that too. I also think the fries could be a little crispier. So the only thing that I didn’t really enjoy was how the rice and fries got cold quickly from the fans in the restaurant. It is very hot outside right now though so I can understand why they want to keep it cool inside. Our waiter was very nice! I wish they had bigger to go boxes because we ended up having to use three smaller ones. Two of those were just used for rice alone. But that’s not a huge issue, just a suggestion. We will definitely come back again when we are craving some...

How can a small restaurant like this have almost 3,000 ratings and 4.9 stars? Read more to find out:

Food is a solid 5. No complaints at all. Great flavor, fresh ingredients, served hot. We got the lamb chops and chicken shawarma and the eggplant moussaka. No complaints on any of them. We also got the kunafa which was great as well. And regarding the service, the staff were very friendly. But, our drinks arrived after our appetizer was done. They did not check on how we were doing with our food and if we needed anything. But I believe in good food or good service so I decided to let it fly.

Now for the interesting part. He asked for our check and the owner comes out asking us for a review on Google. He said he would be serving Us free baklava for this(#BribedByBaklava). At this point I really appreciated a person being so concerned about his business and I also left a five-star review. One of my friends gave a four star review because that's what he felt the restaurant was. The owner walks up to us in few seconds, and says I see one of you gave me a four star, and he wanted us to change it to five star. While he was respectful while asking this, We were caught off guard and almost felt a bit frustrated by this.

By the way the baklavas were amazing too. Do not let this review run away from the restaurant. It is a gem of a place in the middle of Philly. I just hope the management, just limit themselves to asking for a review and not bother them if they leave anything less than a five...