Hispanic Heritage Month: Get a taste of Mexico at Cilantro Mexican Grill

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – September 15 was the start of Hispanic Heritage Month. It’s a time to honor the culture and contributions of the Hispanic and Latino communities. You can get a taste of this daily in the BCS at places like the Cilantro Mexican Grill.

It’s located in downtown Bryan and is packed the color, culture and community.

“I think Cilantro is very welcoming, very vibrant, very colorful,” Alexandra Aguilar said. “We have really great music, our staff is really, really nice and we put a lot of love into our food.”

Aguilar, the restaurant’s owner, opened the doors in 2017.

“It was always a dream of mine to open a restaurant in Bryan-College Station,” Aguilar said. “When there was an opportunity, we took it and we’ve never looked back ever since.”

Food is personal to Aguilar. It’s something that’s always brought her family together.

“It was all about the food,” Aguilar said. “It wasn’t about what are you wearing or who’s all coming. It was about what’s cooking, what do I need to bring or what’s my chore going to be to bring this year.”

The name “Cilantro” was inspired by a pregnancy craving Aguilar had before opening. At that time, she craved things with cilantro and lemon. Her husband jokingly said she should name the restaurant Cilantro, and she loved it.

“He was like, ‘wait, I’m just kidding,’” Aguilar said. “I was like ‘no, it works out perfectly. It’s a single word, and I really, really like that.’”

Cilantro’s menu has a mixture of foods Aguilar grew up having along with foods from different cultures. Some of the menu items include chicken flautas, Matamoros, Tamaulipas-inspired fajita tacos and horchata.

“When I see people, my customers eating and enjoying their food, that brings me joy, and it gives me a little bit of my history that they’re eating,” Aguilar said.

For Hispanic Heritage Month only, the restaurant will be serving pozole, which resembles soup with pork or chicken. It can be topped with cabbage, cilantro, onions and radishes.

Aguilar hopes guests take time to learn more about the foods the restaurant serves throughout the month. She said people can also celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by supporting other Mexican businesses and artists.

The Cilantro Mexican Grill is located at 106 North Parker Avenue in downtown Bryan. You can also keep up with the restaurant on Facebook and Instagram.