A new Mexican in Lombard - Cinco de Mayo

I just posted this on Chowhounds and thought I'd also pass it along to LTH.

Finally... a great Mexican restaurant in the western suburbs!! Went to Cinco de Mayo on Roosevelt Road in Lombard last night. We were a little skeptical as we pulled up as there was only a couple of tables occupied around 8:30. As soon as our party of 9 entered, we were greeted with smiling faces, baskets of chips and perfectly spiced thick salsa. While the menu isn't extensive, it was no problem for everyone in our party to find something to order. The variety and uniqueness of the items were plentiful. Although guacamole is not listed on the menu, when we inquired about it we were brought 2 bowls of some of the best chunky dip we've ever had! The entrees were fresh, plentiful and absolutely delicious - everything from taco platters and burritos to tilapia with a tomato & pepper sauce and camarones a la diabla (shrimp with diabla sauce and mango salsa). When it came time for dessert, we were all so full that it wasn't an option. We quickly changed our minds once we looked at our dessert options. The chocolate cake reminded us of a flourless chocolate torte and had ice cream, whipped cream and raspberry sauce. The flan with whipped cream and fresh strawberries was fresh and light. Even the banana split was delicious. Cinco de Mayo does not sell liquor, but allows BYOB. I'd highly recommend trying this new gem in the western suburbs!!

Cinco de Mayo Restaurant
621 East Roosevelt Road, Lombard
(630) 495-7960

Perhaps we should change the title of this; I initially thought you were referring to the food of New Mexico (and wondering what idiots the owners must be if that was true and they named it Cinco de Mayo).
-p

And I hesitated on the title of the post because I thought readers might think I was referring to the Cinco de Mayo celebration!!

If anyone knows how to change the title, please be my guest. I'd really like to see this restaurant get some exposure so they are successful!

I just changed it to something that hopefully clarifies.

Today for lunch I decided to give Cinco De Mayo in Lombard a visit. For the most part I left very satisfied, but there are a few issues.

As I pulled up, I noticed the signs advertising the availability of tacos, tortas, and burritos. I had been under the impression that this place was not supposed to be a run of the mill taqueria, and was a little disappointed. However, once entering I was in a fairly large dining room that was well appointed, but completely empty. There is no host desk so a gentleman (who would be my waiter) came out from behind a kitchen door to seat me.

After being sat I was presented with a very nice table salsa with a very fresh flavor good amount of heat, and tiny bits of avocado. The downside is that the salsa was served with some of the stalest chips I’ve ever had the displeasure of consuming. For my lunch I ordered what my server revealed as the specialty of the house, the Habanero Steak. From the menu it is described as, “Char-broil skirt steak, habanero pepper sauce, grilled onions, Mexican rice, pinto beans, salsa, and cilantro.” I requested medium-rare, and received closer to rare (which isn’t a big problem for me). I must say that the presentation is unlike I’ve seen from a Mexican restaurant in the burbs. If you can imagine a mound of rice with a skirt steak deftly wrapped around its side, topped with a fresh pico de gallo and grilled red onion, surrounded by a lake of pinto beans and cilantro.

From first glance I realized that they were truly trying to present a much more upscale item than any of the 5 taquerias within a few miles. However, in this case the presentation made consumption difficult. I could not easily cut into the meat without first moving it off the rice. I was a little disappointed with the beans. They were very watery and had little flavor until I added salt. The meat, while I could see had been brushed with a pepper sauce; I could not feel any of the classic burn of habanero. I used the remaining table salsa as a condiment for the steak. The rice was just your average mix you’d find in any local establishment.

Overall, I believe the advertisements for tortas, and tacos could drive away their target market, but once inside Cinco De Mayo is quite a nice place. They do spread themselves very thin with a menu with everything from chicharron quesadillas to Alfredo chicken fettuccine. I will return to try other menu items, but I fear that unless business picks up enough for the chips to remain fresh; this little gem in Lombard will soon fade away into the “what was the name of that place that used to be in this spot” limbo that so many good ideas end up.


Flip

I'm glad to see someone else trying Cinco de Mayo and giving it a semi thumbs-up!! I agree that it was a little deceiving from the outside, but once we entered our impressions immediately changed. I'm also hoping that business picks up so that they remain open and serve up what we've found to be the best decent Mexican in the immediate area. (Still have to get down to Joliet for Amanacer Tapatio).

Craving some good Mexican last night, we went to Cinco de Mayo again last night. The sign on the windows now says burritos and tacos, while they do so much more than that. The two sisters that run the front of the restaurant are just as sweet as can be. You can tell they are putting their all into the making the restaurant a success. The chips and salsa were immediately brought out along with the very tasty salsa verde and guacamole (they remembered we had requested both last time). The chips were fresh, so maybe they read Flips review from his visit?? We had a coupon for a free appetizer from our last time there, and the group decided on the chicken nachos, which were huge & quite filling. We still decided to go ahead with 4 dinners. They were hominy stew - a pork & hominy creation that we all enjoyed... it came with a chicken tostada that looked very good. Another had one of their chicken enchilada dishes which she loved, but couldn't finish because we were all so full! My husband had the tilapia, which is light and fresh topped with a fresh mango salsa and slices of avocado... sooo good! And I had to try the habanero steak. It did come out with a great presentation.... steak wrapped around some tasty mexican rice with beans around it. The steak was hot enough for me (and I have a reputation for eating whole jalapenos), but everyone else in the group thought it was a little too hot. Although when ordering something with 'habanero' in the description, you expect hot!!

We were all much to full to consider one of their delicious desserts... and we've tried most of them. Now I wish we would've taken some to go!!

It's still a BYO.... the food and service are top-notch. The atmosphere is clean and pleasant and the Mexican music playing in the background adds to a festive dinner! As we ate dinner, we had a hard time figuring out why nearby places like Santa Fe in Glen Ellyn and Cozymels in Wheaton probably had waiting lines around the same time we were being waited on at Cinco de Mayo. Hopefully, more patrons will start migrating over to Cinco de Mayo.