Cinco

I had high hopes for Cinco, the newest lunch spot that opened downtown at Broad and High. Sadly I was completely disappointed. Serving burritos, tacos and salads it’s more of a Chipotle rip off than anything else. A coworker mentioned that she had heard this and while I tried to be objective I would have come to the same conclusion on my own. Don’t get me wrong, there are definitely some good things about Cinco but overall I’m left feeling quite unfulfilled.

The Good:

• Cinco does seem to be a solid lunch time value. My burrito was $5.25 and a 24oz foundation coke was only a dollar more. Tacos were $5.25 and salads were $5.75 so the overall value is there.
• Cinco also has a great outdoor patio and which was by far the highlight of our trip.
• Location, location, location. At Broad and High it’s only a short walk for most folks working downtown.

The Bad:

• The atmosphere is fairly poor. Waiting in line the wall color and assembly line gave me the feel of an elementary school cafeteria.
• Initially I was pretty jazzed queso was available, which it is not a Chipotle. I ordered a chicken burrito and just like Chipotle it comes loaded up with rice. The queso really helps bring everything together and adds moisture. The only bad this was the queso wasn’t not very good. In fact it was pretty bad.
• The chicken on my burrito was almost rubbery and lacked flavor.
• Cinco really is a low budget Chipotle knock off, right down to the signage.

Overall, I was very disappointed. However, I’m not sure if feel let down due to my actual experience and food or if I was just expecting more. At any rate, with a convenient location I’m sure I will end up eating at Cinco again but it won’t be a first choice.