Mexican Food in Saratoga is abundant. Really, it’s almost up there with the number of Italian restaurants we have. But how many of them are authentic mexican food?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if you haven’t been to El Cilantro in Ballston Spa, you’re seriously doing yourself a disservice.
My first visit was back in May, and I’ve been raving about it ever since.
This time around, I shared the tamale of the day (simmered chicken in a mole sauce) and honestly, it changed all the feelings I ever had about tamales. They offer different tamales daily, so check the menu!
For my main meal, I ordered the stuffed pepper.
Before I get into the pepper, let me talk about the beans and rice. The beans are so absurdly delicious on their own, I’m considering ordering them with just rice the next time I go. Although then I’d be missing out on the attention they give to their proteins, which is another thing worth talking about.
How often do you get chicken tacos with dried out, pulled chicken? Like… most of the time?
Well at El Cilantro, the chicken is anything BUT dry. It’s slowly simmered in spices and is juicy and tender. It doesn’t matter which form you order it in – tacos, stuffed pepper, tamales, whatever. The chicken is full of flavor.
Okay so the stuffed pepper threw me for a loop with the description: Poblano pepper stuffed with sauteed onions, garlic, tomatoes, raisins, green olives, and chicken.
Specifically the raisins and green olives. But because I never fear something different (ahem… beef tongue) I ordered it anyway.
The verdict: A divine combination of ingredients. Fried in an egg batter, the flavors were mild yet memorable. A hint of sweetness paired with a hint of heat, the flavor of the chicken came through once again, making it the star of the dish.
This tiny restaurant serves up BIG flavors. Just make sure before you go you put it in Google Maps because unless you know where it is, it might be hard to find.
El Cilantro
1431, 388 Milton Ave
Ballston Spa, NY 12020
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