Restaurant Review: Cinco De Mayo of Jacksonville, Florida

Cinco de Mayo of Jacksonville, and more specifically, Jacksonville Landing (a riverfront shopping mall in downtown Jacksonville), is an authentic Mexican restaurant which offers lunch and dinner from its scenic riverfront location. One can try all manner of tacos, enchiladas, burritos, etc., or one can go for the "Especial Cinco de Mayo" fajitas, which consist of beef, ribs, chorizo, shrimp, and grilled chicken and steak served with rice, beans, lettuce, pico de gallo, guacamole, sour cream, and of course, the tortillas.

Lunch is a particularly good time to stop by at Cinco de Mayo, because that is when the place offers at least 5 dishes for under $5 ($4.99). And if you are having a late lunch, wait until at least 2PM, because that is when the place starts its happy hour. During this happy hour (which runs from 2-6PM), margaritas are $1.99, and draft beers are just 99 cents. You just can't beat those kind of prices.

While shopping at Jacksonville Landing recently, I stopped by Cinco de Mayo for a lunchtime snack. The place was advertised on the main board of the Landing, but it was still a bit hard to find. Seemingly quarantined away from the major players of the Landing, like Hooters and American Grill, Cinco de Mayo lies in a side wing of the mall. The place posts all sorts of tacky neon ads on its windows and door, alerting passersby of the cheap eats and drinks inside. Still, one can't help but be drawn in- lunch for under $5?!

After I peeked inside, I took a look at the place's menu and was surprised to see many good entrées offered for lunch. There were tacos, a quesadilla, a burrito, and other choices on the menu for under $5. Two additional lunch choices were offered for about a buck more. I asked to be seated outside.

After getting to sit down to a wonderful view of the St. John's River, I received some chips and salsa. The chips were great- homemade and with just a bit of salt. The salsa was good too, slowly building up to a spiciness level that I could withstand.

I decided to order the #5 lunch special, which was a chicken chimichanga topped with lettuce and guacamole salad. I also decided to order a regular margarita- I had just made it to the 2PM happy hour commencement.

My drink came quickly. I took a taste of it and was pleased with its balance of sour, lime, and tequila. The chimichanga took a little bit of time, but eventually appeared before me. It looked more like a big salad than any kind of chimichanga, but lying below all that lettuce, guacamole, and tomato was indeed a good size chimi.

My waiter came around a few times to check on my meal and even inquire about my shopping bag (I had purchased a framed photo of the city, and it was peeking out of its clear bag). I was never hurried along, even though I probably sat over my lunch for an hour and a half.

After I'd finished my meal, I asked for the check. My meal had come to an amazing $7 (and some tax). Arguably, this was one of the cheapest meals I'd had in a long time. However, the quality had not been compromised. If ever I'm at Jacksonville Landing again, I'll be sure to stop by Cinco de Mayo.

Here is some additional information about Cinco de Mayo:

Address: 2 Independent Dr. W.
Jacksonville, FL 32202
The Jacksonville LandingPhone (904)329-2829