Right Close to Home: The Story of Cilantro Mexican Grill

Article By: Ashely Bautista, Student Intern | BCS Chronicle

What You Need To Know:

• Established in 2017, Cilantro Mexican Grill restaurant has been a top authentic Mexican restaurant in the Bryan-College Station area.

• From authentic Mexican cuisine to Tex-Mex style meals, Cilantro offers it all for the BCS community.

• Owner Alesandra Aguilar discusses her story and journey behind the well-known restaurant and her vision for it.

We All Start From Somewhere

Born and raised in Texas, Aguilar relocated from Houston to the Bryan-College Station area in 2000. Back in Houston, her parents owned many meat markets and restaurants in what she called the style of “taqueria” or Mexican taco restaurant. However, when moving to the Bryan-College Station area, her family only owned one restaurant – the well-known La Perla Taqueria.

After graduating from college in San Antonio, Aguilar came back to Bryan to continue working in the family business and help make it grow. Eventually, Aguilar asked her father about the potential of opening multiple restaurants like they had in Houston. Soon after, Aguilar began the search for locations in the Bryan-College Station area.

“I wanted it kind of, like, here in downtown, because I think downtown has a lot of history, and I like that the community is very close,” Aguilar said.

Learning from her father who's a former taquero, Aguilar had a good shoulder to lean on. While she initially felt apprehensive about starting a new business venture, she used this apprehension as a catalyst to learn and advance through the process.

“Sometimes if you're not scared, then you're not doing it, right,” Aguilar said. “I don't know how to explain – like when you were scared to jump, but then once you jump, like, that's it, you just learn from your mistakes.”

Community Support Through it All 

While it hasn't been a perfect journey, her parents encouraged her to embrace critiques and learn from her initial mistakes.

“Take the criticism and learn from it and grow from it, like don't take it personal, but also incorporate it into, like, what you (can) do to make it better,” Aguilar said.

Although the COVID-19 pandemic took a toll two years after opening, Aguilar said that she could not have asked for a better community to help and support her through it all. 

“I can't ask for a better community than Bryan-College Station,” Aguilar said. “They're really, really, close, and they come out, like, for anything, and it's just – I really love it.”

Cilantro is one of many Mexican restaurants in the Bryan-College area, but what sets it apart from others is their personable service, fresh ingredients, and traditional family recipes.

“I always try to tell my waiters, like, please make the experience as wonderful you can, because, I mean, I would like to say that my food is great, but, I mean, if let's say that food was okay [or] basic food, but [the] experience would be good like I [would] want to come back, but if I get treated wrong, I wouldn't go back,” described Aguilar.

Diversity and Authenticity

With the Hispanic population being the second-largest ethnic group in Bryan-College Station area, representing authentic Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine is highly important to Aguilar.

“When I go anywhere else, I'm like, Oh, it doesn't compare to, like, [my] mom's home cooking, [my] grandmother's home cooking,” Aguilar said. “So, I try to- I wanted to bring that here, for Cilantro.”

For Aguilar, authenticity is important, as she wanted to keep her recipes as close to those from her Mexican culture as possible.

“It's very authentic, it's like you're actually going to Mexico and eating there,” Aguilar said. 

Tex-Mex cuisine arose when cooks started to add more ingredients to accommodate tastes and preferences more preferred by people in Texas.

“I try to incorporate both worlds together, so everyone can enjoy a little bit of something for themselves,” Aguilar said, describing her dedication to authentic Tex-Mex style cooking.

Every Piece Has a Story

The restaurant’s interior exudes a warm and calming atmosphere with reddish brick walls, black and white floor tiles, and a section of green grass covering one whole section of a wall with big block letters spelling out “Cilantro.” Inside, restaurant patrons are always surrounded by art wherever they look. Carved portraits, tiny antiques, and paintings from local and international artists adorn the walls of Cilantro.

Each section of the restaurant features a different style. One room displays all of the art and woodwork from Mexico. Another displays portraits of famous musicians as well as one of the most famous Mexican painters, Frida Kahlo. 

“And then this back wall, we just put pictures that even some of the customers will bring in, like, ‘Hey, we want to get this to you, we saw it,’” Aguilar said.

Always Moving Forward

After almost nearly a decade in business, Aguilar hopes to inspire others with similar dreams and to let them know to keep moving forward even when the journey gets hard.

“At least try to do it, you know, and if it didn't work out, and you did everything you did, and you tried your best, you're like, ‘Hey, it wasn't for me,’ at least you did it.” Aguilar said. “So, I would say not (to) give up.”