Cilantro Mexican Cocina opens on Rehoboth Avenue
After spending nearly 10 years vacationing in Rehoboth Beach and never finding her idea of a genuine Mexican kitchen amongst the slew of dining establishments in the so-called restaurant capital of Delaware, Mexican immigrant and Washington, D.C.- area businesswoman Gladys Fernandez said she decided to take matters into her own hands.
“I used to come [to Rehoboth Beach] as a visitor for the last nine years, so I liked it here, but I thought they needed a place with authentic Mexican foods,” Fernandez said. “People need to know exactly what an authentic Mexican cocina is.”
Born in Mexico City, Fernandez said after moving to the United States with her family in 1982, she made her home in Virginia and owned smaller restaurants in Arlington and Washington D.C., serving the same genuine Mexican fare she grew up eating.
When Cilantro’s 109-seat dining room and bar became available, the owner said, she decided to take on the restaurant but only after her family promised to help.
“I have a Realtor friend who showed me the location, and I said ‘No, this is too big for me,'” Fernandez said. “But I came back in March, and my brothers and sisters said they would help, so I said, ‘OK, this is a family business.'”
So far, the owner and her staff agreed, the community has been receptive to the new restaurant. Fernandez said even after the summer season is over, she plans to stay open at the Rehoboth Avenue location and introduce the area to new dishes with each season and for special events.
“We will celebrate all official Mexican holidays with special dishes,” she said. “What the people in Mexico eat in December, what they eat at Independence Day."
Mexican Independence Day is celebrated Sept. 15, so the owner said she plans to start her seasonal celebrations and dishes with that holiday.
Sous Chef Fernando Encinas said he is like an adopted member of the Fernandez family, whose members are often waiting on customers or preparing the food themselves. So far, the young chef said, opening Cilantro has been an enjoyable learning experience.
“It’s a unique idea for the area,” Encinas said. “It’s authentic. Everything is homemade from our own recipes.”
Despite the drive time separating Cilantro from any of her former restaurant locations, Fernandez has even managed to bring some of her clientele like Washington resident Jeff Clabaugh east to try out the food at her new spot.
Clabaugh said he was happy to see some of the dishes from her other restaurants also on the menu at Cilantro.
“Everything here was fabulous,” he said. “It was the best Mexican food I’ve had in a long, long time. As a foodie, I especially recommend the mole poblano sauce, with its secret ingredient, chocolate.”
Cilantro is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to midnight, Friday and Saturday. Happy hour is every night from 4 to 8 p.m. The restaurant is located on the second block of Rehoboth Avenue. Call 302-226-1000 for more information.
