Great spot! Food is amazing, ambiance is great, and the service members are always friendly

Café coyote taste like home just like Mexico. The staff is amazing and the food is incredible. FYI, the small margaritas are not small lol my favorite skinny and sassy straight up tequila with sparkling water really the most tasty margarita if you're watching your calories. We had the friendliest server her name Is Aida, she is very welcoming ! Very attentive & sweet read more

Aide!!! Great server!!!! Friendly, professional and attentive. Food was great too! The ambiance was fun. read more

Cute spacious Mexican cantina in Old Town San Diego. Outdoor and indoor seating in themed rooms. Very cute decor. Our waitress was friendly and took good care of us. Complimentary chips and salsa are brought to the table. I had the tortilla soup and a cheese enchilada. The soup was very good, albeit slightly heavy broth, but a great smoky chile flavor. The enchilada was a little salty but again the red sauce had a great flavor. Everyone else enjoyed everything they ordered, and most of the items come with freshly made flour tortillas. read more

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I've always loved this place! The food is great! Service is EXCELLENT! Ambiance is always on point! Usually when we come here we see Myra, but I had a lot of time to kill today since we just left the Chula Vista Police Department, the ceremony and beginning of the LETR. We met Ash our server! And this gal was so awesome!! There's not enough words to say how thankful I am that Lulu and I met Ash! I want to give a big shout out and thank you Cafe Coyote for Ash, Myra and your amazing team! Best customer service ever! Thank you Ash and we look forward to seeing you again! JJ & Lulu PS a few of the new pictures are from the event this morning. Thank you again! read more

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​If you are looking for the quintessential Old Town experience, Cafe Coyote certainly looks the part. The chips and salsa are a solid start, and the menu is expansive. ​The Birria: Visually, the birria was impressive--rich, fatty, and deeply colored. It tasted as good as it looked, which makes the subsequent "delivery fail" even more disappointing. ​El Rey and Pollo a la Crema: The portions are massive, and the food arrived hot and well-seasoned. Was cooked perfectly and paired with their delicious handmade tortillas. ​Drinks: The Horchata was creamy and served in a huge glass, which was much needed to wash down the meal. ​The Service: A Literal Hot Mess ​While the kitchen was firing on all cylinders, the front-of-house was a total wreck. Our server seemed more interested in "performing" than actually serving. ​The Incident: Our server was literally spinning around with a bowl of Birria soup like they were on a dance floor. Unsurprisingly, the laws of physics won. I ended up wearing a significant portion of the soup. ​While mistakes happen in a busy restaurant, the lack of spatial awareness and the "showmanship" at the expense of the guest's safety (and wardrobe) was completely unacceptable. It's hard to enjoy a "good meal" when you're damp with beef consommé. The real issue?: ​The Server: No immediate attempt to fix the mess or call a manager. ​The "Help": I had to flag down a different server to complain. ​The Management: Absolute silence. No manager came to the table, no apology was offered, and the meal certainly wasn't comped. Bottom Line: Go for the handmade tortillas and the birria, but maybe wear a poncho or sit far away from the "spinning" servers. The food is 4-star quality, but the service was a 0-star disaster. read more

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Great area this place is in, nice ambiance and beautiful outdoor seating, wasn't too hyped on the food but they have a great selection in Tequila. The staff was nice. The weather was perfect. There is alot of shops in the area to go to also. Was a nice experience, maybe next time I'll order more food. :) read more

Okay guys it's definitely really touristy but sometimes that is what's FUN! We love taking people who come from out of town to walk around Old Town and this is just a great stop with a great vibe. The food may be not as typically authentic as other places in the same area but you get great photos, the bathrooms are easily accessible, and the food and drink is pretty good, and the vibe is just fun with music and ambiance! In terms of what to get, I especially LOVE the carnitas here and could eat them all day. They're super good. I also feel that even when this place is busy it's still pretty easy to get a spot and the service is fast and efficient. This last time we came we had such a sweet waiter named Lucy/Lucia who was so on the ball with us, even though it was a busy Saturday!! It made our experience so positive and I would come back in a heartbeat just to get served by her. We always have fun here and I love taking others here as well! read more

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Is in an excellent location right in the heart of Old Town, and the restaurant itself is massive. They even have a roped-off area for guests waiting to be seated, which gives you an idea of how busy the place can get. Surprisingly, we walked right up and were seated immediately, which was awesome considering we visited on a Saturday afternoon with perfect weather outside. One of the coolest parts was seeing the ladies outside making homemade tortillas right in front of everyone. You can even watch them from the street, which really adds to the experience and atmosphere. The service was great from start to finish. The food came out quickly, tasted delicious, and even the check came out fast. Honestly, they did a really impressive job considering how large the restaurant is and how many people were dining there at the time. Definitely a spot worth stopping at if you're visiting Old Town San Diego. read more

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Cafe Coyote surprised me in the best way. I was a little skeptical at first, but the food ended up being really good. Located in Old Town San Diego, the restaurant has that classic traditional Mexican ambiance that really gives it a south of the border feel. Pricing was about what you'd expect - around $60 for two people including soft drinks. I had the El Rey plate with carne asada, green enchilada, and carnitas, while my lady had the veggie fajitas plate. Both meals came with beans and rice, portions were solid, and everything tasted fresh. The chips and salsa were a great start too :) Overall, really enjoyable experience and I'd definitely come back again! read more

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My wife and I visited during Spring Break. It was pretty busy and the wait to be seated was about 10 mins. The ambience is kind of loud. The place itself is pretty big and they can accommodate large parties, although that may make the wait longer. The menu was pretty typical in what you'd see in a Mexican restaurant. They do make all their tortillas from scratch and you are able to see that being done at multiple stations throughout the restaurant. The food presentation was great. Where it was just lacking for me was on the flavor. read more

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I've eaten here a few times and figured it was finally time to leave a review. Most recently, I stopped by on a Wednesday night after 8pm, and since they close around 9pm, we did feel a bit rushed toward the end. We ordered the ceviche, which wasn't my favorite--it lacked the tanginess I usually look for. The California burrito (à la carte) had great flavors overall, but it felt a little dry. This place is always busy and has great vibes! read more

Food was great! Ana's customer service was amazing! Returning customer, coming from Los Angeles. Will Definitely return soon. read more

Cafe Coyote - Queso Fundido - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

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I've been here twice now and I can say the taste of the food stays consistent. Fresh handmade tortillas and delicious drinks. It gets really packed here and it's more of a fiesta vibe with mariachi walking around. It has an outdoor/ indoor setting so I could say the places appears pretty clean and is great for larger groups of people. Our server was Alicia and she was patient and on top of her game with our party of 8. I have only ordered the chicken chipotle flautas and I love them. Tonight I tried a house margarita and it didn't disappoint.. if ever in San Diego old town it is a must stop. read more

Cafe Coyote - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

What a wonderful experience! Loved everything from the service, the decor, inviting cool patio, tasty margaritas and delicious fish tacos and burritos! read more

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One of my favorite Mexican restaurants, anywhere. If you're in the SD area old town is worth checking out for breakfast and a stroll through the shops. The vibe is incredible given its old town energy. There's even a park down the street to sit at and enjoy a sunny SD day. The staff are also SUPER nice despite the busyness of the shift they're on. In house made tortillas are a MUST! read more

Cafe Coyote - Burrito - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

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This is a touristy spot in old town. Let's be honest, you are not here for a Michelin 3 stars fine dining experience. For San Diegans, this will not be the default place for Mexican food. What it is good for is decent dining at a moderate price. Its location in old town makes it accessible for a touristy break. Given the size of the restaurant, the wait is often quick or immediate. For novice introductions to Mexican food, this is a good place. Also, the margaritas are tasty and not so water down. Conclusion, I take my out of town visitors here. Doesn't require to much thinking. Always a crowd of interesting people to watch. Has parking underneath the restaurant, although the spots are tight, better suited for Prius and not your F150 truck. Good bites read more

I loved everything about this place. I am already planning another visit when I am in San Diego this summer. Guess what? They take reservations! From what I could tell, the majority of the place is covered so even if you sit outside and it rains (just in case), you are covered. Again, most of the area. My hotel gave me a free appetizer of the restaurant's choice. Honestly, mine was just beans, which were great for dipping the tortilla chips. If you are staying in a hotel, check with them to see if they do the same. I had the margarita tray and I probably liked 4 of the 6 drinks. Yum! Honestly, and this is so silly, becasue we were going on a walking tour, i knew that I was not going to go back to the hotel so I just ordered (don't judge), flower tortillas (made fresh) frijoles. I felt that I was a little kid in the kitchen with my dad. That is all I needed. Seriously! The beans were that good that I didn't need anything else. The tortillas, also. Mariachis played for us and, again, it was as if my dad was there with us. Great time. Okay, moving on from my sappy stuff to something also important... The restrooms are a bit of a walk and are upstairs. If you cannot climb stairs, there is an elevator. Hopefully you will enjoy this place as much as I did! ........ ...... .. ..... read more

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This in no part is not towards our server Ricky. If it was just based on service alone it would've easily been a 10. On a busy day like today, the service was all around amazing and Ricky was a great guy. But the food itself was just too bad not to give a review. Honestly the food I get at my local taco shops, yes even Lolita's, was much better quality and taste wise and cheaper for that matter. We came here today to do Cinco De Mayo and taco Tuesday. Our go to place across the street was closed down (Fred's) and I'm so bummed because we enjoyed their specials and the food was consistently good. Here however, not so much. My hubs got the tequila sunrise, one of the drink specials for cinco de Mayo. It was absolutely delicious. My drink on the other hand was horrible. I got the the spicy cucumber and it tasted like the glass it was served in was washed in lard and prepared in lard. The consistency was as a margarita should be, but that lard taste was so off putting that I had to pass it on to my husband and he couldn't even finish it. The chile relleno, oh boy. It was soooooooo soggy and the batter was horrible. I got a taco trio, carne asada, fish and hard shell taco. The only good taco out of the 3 was fish taco. The carne asada was so dry yet soggy, is that even a thing?! And the tortilla was not fresh. It was gritty, cold and heavy. The crunchy chicken taco was so bland, no seasoning no nothing. Just dry and soggy which seemed to be a theme. Honestly when you have good taco shops around you it's so disheartening to know that a place commercially for tourists serves this quality of food because that would the first impression tourists would get of Mexican food and San Diego is the heart of excellent delicious Mexican food, especially the hole in the wall places. For those trying Mexican food for the first time, pls don't let this be your first experience. There are so many great places around that don't cost as much and have better quality food. read more

Cafe Coyote - Chile relleno, Baja Fish Taco Plate, carne asada taco, hard shell chicken taco - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

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We came as a group of 15 and this huge venue could accommodate us no problem. We called for a booking and changed the time a few hours before without an issue. This is a huge venue that runs like clock work. The front hostess took us to our room and it was perfect for us. The food was varied and all 15 of us enjoyed. read more

Cafe Coyote - Yum - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

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Second time here and I'm honestly still obsessed with this place! Of course I had to order the lobster again and it was just as good as the first time. I got it with a Jamaica water with tamarindo candy added in and OMG it was sooo good. My husband got the Old Town Style Carnitas plate and loved it too. Our waitress Ashley was AMAZING !!!! and so attentive . She even brought me gloves for my lobster and an extra plate to keep everything neat which I really appreciated. The service was super fast and everyone was so welcoming. The whole town was celebrating Cinco de Mayo so the atmosphere felt so fun and authentic. I was raised in Mexico and I'm super picky with Mexican food and seafood, especially lobster because I used to eat it all the time in Rosarito. This is honestly one of the closest places to that authentic flavor. The lobster is pricey but it's a huge 1 lb of lobster and 100% worth it. Everything tastes homemade and authentic. Totally recommend! read more

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Homemade tortillas made in house where you can see at night! I think they only do it in view at night though. I think at night they also have live music. This review is for the day time experience where I ordered the Birria plate. There's bathrooms here and parking is paid for the entire area. There's a general lot for paid parking. Plenty of paid parking spots or you can get free street parking if you're lucky. read more

Cafe Coyote - Birria Plate - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

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Taco Plate ($21.95) - This was a satisfying and hefty portion of food! I tried their Carne Asada and Fish tacos and had a very slight preference for the Carne Asada, which had a pretty good marinade. The fish was fried perfectly and would've been better than the steak if there was less crema. read more

Cafe Coyote - Baja Fish Taco Plate , Carne Asada Taco Plate - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

The restaurants sprawls over a large area in Old Town San Diego. Our waitress and servers were fantastic and the food was just as fabulous. They have a LOT of festivity and associated decorations and a Mariachi band to augment the scene on an early Friday Night. Lots of specials at that time, so pays to go early to beat the crowds and get some bargains. Very family friendly, too. Margarita happy hour specials are a must if you drink! Different taste than Texas or Arizona Mexican and authentically delicious. Don't forget to buy some homemade churros to go as you leave. read more

Not even living here anymore but always have to come back. Outstanding service amazing food in a vibrant historical area. Got here about 4 pm on a Sunday and no wait, line will be down the street when it's busy though and parking is limited. This is a must try! read more

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Love this place always make a point to stop by whenever I'm in the area and luckily that's today! Been craving the pork pozole. The service is always fast and friendly. I love the ambiance and relaxed vibes. Make sure to stop by if your ever in the area. read more

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Food Service Ambiance Whenever we visit San Diego this is a Sunday must before the drive back home! Food is always on point, posole and queso fondido 10/10 Ana was our server and so attentive read more

Cafe Coyote - Queso Fundido - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

Nice atmosphere and location in old town. Good size portion, but food was just ok, not bad and not great. read more

Cafe Coyote - Chicken - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

Super salty for me. Ordered the enchiladas and it was too salty. The menudo was too. My daughter said she liked her friend's mom's menudo better. The restaurant itself was festive and colorful. The service was standard. We were asked if we needed anything a couple times. read more

Cafe Coyote - Enchiladas 4/26 - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

There was a line of about 8 people around noon on Sunday, but it moved fast. The restaurant is huge (plenty of seating in various rooms upstairs, downstairs, outside etc.). Overall a bit overpriced but it's in a tourist area with nice decor, nice staff, and good vibes so the price makes sense. - Birria taco plate (~$25): you get two tortillas with the meat and some topping on the plate and need to build it yourself. The meat was just ok, not the most tender, but not bad either. This dish didn't really stand out to me. Not the best Birria taco I've had. - Baja fish taco (~$20): comes with two tacos and some rice + beans. Taste was alright, nothing special. Was better with the salsa that came with the tortilla chips. - churro: nice crunch but on the sweeter side. Don't need to order this unless you're craving a churro. - fries: fries with onions and a creamy dressing on top. Nice appetizer but again nothing special. Overall a good experience if you want good-portioned average food with nice environment. This is not the place for you if you just want the best Mexican food in SD. read more

Cafe Coyote - Birria Plate, Baja Fish Taco Plate, fries - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

We walked around and decided to try the restaurant out. I ordered their regular margaritas and it's a big drink. We ordered pork pozole soup, tortilla soup, pork tacos, and grilled lobster. The pozole was good. I like that they shred the meat and lobster was grilled to perfection. read more

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Update: Talked to the manager and they were able to fix the issue. The enchiladas on the restaurant week are going to be all cheese. I am really happy becuase I do love coming here. I love how they are dog friendly. Will still be coming back. Just hoping the next restaurant week there is a vegetarian option for me. Have always had a good experience here. Unfortunately I came here for restaurant week and I am vegetarian. There was no option on the menu for me. I asked if they could change the enchilada plate to cheese and the server came to said no. There is no vegetarian option. I have come years before and there was options on the menu. Have always had a good experience. This is the last time I will be coming here.. read more

Cafe Coyote - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

We ended up here with some friends and it was pretty good. We can get Mexican food where we are from but the food here was solid, especially for such a touristy area. The service was good and Cafe Coyote was packed but there wasn't a wait. Overall a good experience read more

Cafe Coyote - Chicken chimichanga - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

We were really excited to book my husband's birthday party for 15 people at Cafe Coyote. We were told our requests were very doable and passed to their marketing coordinator Kristine, whose behavior was appalling. We were shocked that they speak to customers this way. I've attached a screenshot of her response to this post. In addition to the rudeness, they insisted on attaching an extra 22% to the bill, when I mentioned that we have 3 quotes with 18% gratuity, I was dismissed and you can see her response for yourself. It was shocking to receive a rude response from a supposed professional, who clearly doesn't know how to talk to people - but beyond that, Cafe Coyote was offering us a very small room for only 3 hours (we were originally told 4+ was fine) and charged $1200 + $400 for gratuity and more for only THREE hours!! Every other place we have talked to gave us a much more reasonable price for more time and a nicer room. Their 22% doesn't even guarantee good service, only that you'll be paying 22%. Needless to say, we will be taking our business elsewhere, not only because their prices are unreasonable for what you get but more importantly, because they clearly don't know how to treat people on a very basic human level. We would not go here for free after the way we were treated. read more

Cafe Coyote - Response from Cafe Coyote management. - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

I stopped in on a Friday night with a few others, it was busy but we were seated right away. We came for drinks and appetizers- ordered chips & salsa, guacamole & chicharrón, my favorite item was the hot, fresh flour tortilla- it reminds me of when I was a kid walking around Old Town eating buttered tortillas. Our server was attentive, the vibe was cool. We'd come back again. read more

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This latest visit was great! Service was quick and Ana was really friendly and attentive. This is still our go-to spot for tasty food and fresh tortillas. read more

Cafe Coyote - Fiesta sampler - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

This place is definitely a popular tourist spot for dinner, but I've honestly enjoyed the food every time I've visited. Even when it's packed, I've never had to wait long to be seated, and the service is always quick and attentive. The real star of the show is the handmade flour and corn tortillas. They're fresh, authentic, and remind me so much of my mom's homemade tortillas, absolutely delicious. If you're visiting, the queso fundido is a must-try. It comes out hot and melty, served with freshly made tortillas that take it to the next level. If you're looking for great Mexican food with a lively atmosphere, this spot is worth a visit. read more

Cafe Coyote - Packed house - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

We visited Old Town in San Diego while we were on vacation. We stopped here for lunch. It was early (say 11:30ish) so not busy but when we were leaving at 1 it was very crowded. Our server was very friendly & quick. The restaurant is huge with lots of small sections / patios you could be seated at. I believe they also had an upstairs too. Our food was ok - chips, guac, burrito, fajitas & our margaritas.....did they even have alcohol in them?!???? Very pricy & I'd say a bit of a tourist trap. I wouldn't rush back but an average experience. read more

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Ran away for a quick lunch with my coworkers and we chose this place based on our Lyft drivers recommendations and I'm so glad we came here! We're all from out of town so we were really excited to try some good Mexican food. We came by for lunch on Tuesday and it was pretty quiet and empty that day so we were seated immediately. We placed orders for 3 strawberry margaritas and I ordered a shrimp taco plate. Our margaritas came out so fast and they are enormous. We almost got worried we would show up for our next meetings a bit tipsy. My shrimp taco plate was so good, I basically inhaled it. I would definitely come back again if I'm around the area. Their decorations are super pretty and their outdoor seating looks really nice. I ended up picking up a pack of tortillas to go home with as well. Can't wait to try out their other foods! read more

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After searching Yelp for a handmade tortilla place in Old Towne, I decided Cafe Coyote would be the place to go. Besides, how could I go wrong with a spot initialed "C.C,"???? lol Strolling past the other restaurants I had viewed on Yelp, we kept an eye out. It didn't take long to figure out the 2 story HUUUUGE restaurant, with the line out front was Cafe Coyote. We got in line and, within 5 minutes, were seated on one of the outside patios, near the front. The menus are QR available, but I requested to see actual menus and was quickly obliged, with a smile. Shortly after, Shawna appeared and offered to get us started. I wasted no time in ordering the classic house Grande Margarita. Why come to Old Towne SD if not for Mexican food and giant margs??? My 24oz Classic arrived and was delicious! $25 seemed fair for this soup bowl sized libation and it definitely packed a punch. Meanwhile, Hubs was getting hungry reading the menu and had decided an A La Carte beef and cheese burrito would suit him just fine. Poor guy, had to keep nibbling on the comp chips and salsa because I was narrowing my decision down to three choices. I finally landed on the El Rey, "The King", which was a combo plate of Asada, Carnitas & Enchilada Suiza. WOW! I chose perfectly! The steak was simple, tender and flavorful, the pork tasty and chunky and chicken enchilada suiza, delicious. The plate included a good - but not overwhelming- amount of beans & rice, a scoop of guacamole and sour cream & 2 oh so delicious and slightly chewy, freshly made and served hot, flour tortillas. I was happy dancing in my seat and NOT just because of the tequila! I took a moment to check in on Hubs, who proclaimed his burrito 'YUMMY!', his highest compliment. Here's a note: the 1st basket of chips is comp. Unless you order an appetizer, in addition to entrees, there is an additional charge. We found this out after we requested another basket because ours was mostly crumbs, not chips. The policy was stated to me when the manager set down the basket. I pointed out that the only reason we requested the 2nd basket was because of the crumbs. My request was acknowledged with a nod and a smile and a, 'Of course, I see. You will not be charged. Please enjoy.' That response is appreciated and we were not charged, as Shawna was sure to tell us she got the message about the chips and apologized. But I felt the timing was a bit awkward. Obviously, when I made the request I mentioned that we had only crumbs in the basket, and as the new basket was being set down, our plates of food were arriving and I had to make room around my Grande Margarita, so maaaybe read the table and situation and LEAD with, 'We hope you enjoy your meal and will not charge you for this replacement basket, unlike the usual charge of a 2nd basket.' That would alert us to the policy, but also let us know our concern was heard and addressed. Overall, we walked away stuffed and satisfied. We were impressed with how huge this restaurant is, the attentive and friendly service, the delicious dishes and beautiful murals. Cheers! "CC" read more

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