We had high hopes for Coyote Cafe because the location is great and the outdoor patio is really nice. Our waiter was pleasant and friendly, which was one of the highlights of the experience. Unfortunately, the food and service fell well short of expectations. The fajitas were mediocre at best, the steak was quite tough, and everything arrived only lukewarm. Throughout the meal we had to ask for basic items like napkins, cutlery, and corn tortillas, and our water glasses were never refilled. The most disappointing part was at the end of the meal. While service during dinner felt inattentive, once it was time to pay, the waiter stood over us waiting while we completed the payment on his handheld device, which felt unnecessarily rushed and uncomfortable. Overall, it was a disappointing dining experience. The pleasant service and nice patio weren't enough to make up for the mediocre food and lack of attention to the basics. read more

The staff is super friendly and super good at making sure you're taken care of. The place is big and so busy which makes it so impressive. They have classic diner breakfast food (I've only been there for breakfast time) and their portions are big and they always taste good. They have a good variety of vegetarian options too. (The biscuits are wonderful as a side too) read more

Thought I wrote a review for this place but I guess I never did! We went here a few months ago for breakfast/lunch. The food was good, but not great. I had the crab cake benedict which I thought was okay. Wife ordered fried chicken and they gave her a TON of chicken. The taste was just okay as well. Chicken fried steak was good and the club sammich was good! Prices were decent. Big open restaurant with plenty of seating options, including at the counter with stools, with "old diner" vibes. read more

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We have been looking at Coyote Cafe for a while and finally stopped in for breakfast. We had their breakfast burrito and the ASC (avocado, sausage, cheddar) scramble. The food was good overall, kind of standard diner quality. I prefer potatoes (both hash browns and home fries) crispier than they came out. Service was quick, pleasant and attentive. The ambiance is "nice diner", good size dining room with lots of windows. They have a big menu with lots of options for lunch and dinner as well. We will be back to try more of the menu! read more

Coyote Cafe - Breakfast burrito in foreground, ASB scramble in background - Comfort Food Near Me - Vista, California

Big portion sizes that complement their pricing. The food has always been tasty to me and they also have a variety of different items to choose from so I believe there is something for everyone! read more

One of my favorite breakfast spots in Vista. The menu is quite large, but the quality of all the dishes is maintained. What I most appreciate is the simplicity. None of the dishes are overly complicated. The restaurant is large, but there isn't a lot of decor. They just do breakfast and do it well. The service is great, the food comes out reasonably fast and they come around frequently to top off your coffee and make sure you have everything you need. read more

Coyote Cafe - Kielbasa omelette - Comfort Food Near Me - Vista, California

This place feels like wandering into your grandma's kitchen ; cozy, bustling, familiar in the best way. It's always a little busy, but the food comes out exactly as you hope it will, every time. I had an avocado and spinach omelet with home fries (I prefer mine a tad crispier), and my kiddo happily polished off his plain cheeseburger just the way he likes it. Service is friendly and perfectly timed, the coffee flows freely, and the bonus delight is their case of pies calling your name on the way out. read more

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Ambience Reminds me of a mom and pop restaurant with dishes similar to homemade. Ordered take out, food was ready on time and hot. Staff was very courteous and friendly. Would definitely visit this place again. read more

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We stopped into Coyote Cafe for dinner and it's been quite a while since we've he dinner here. I have breakfast here more often. Really large menu and a lot of specials on the board. My wife has the California chicken sandwich with avo, Ortega chili and cheddar. She had a split with fries and sweet potato fries and she really enjoyed everything and even took 1/2 sandwich home. I had the French dip with Ortega chili and Swiss cheese and fries. The au jus was hot and rich and delicious! It's the best French dip I've had in a long time, will def have that again but with sweet potato fries! Ice tea was very refreshing too. Our server was very nice and attentive and this place is always clean and tidy. Starting coming here after Saturday night service with our kids many years ago and it's as good as it ever was. Give them a try! read more

Coyote Cafe - California chicken sandwich with cheddar and Ortega chili. Half fries and half sweet potato fries - Comfort Food Near Me - Vista, California

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Good! A solid place to get your American Cafe on. Just nothing really memorable. Good sized plastic plates filled with enough to fill you up. Just nothing memorable. Corned beef hash is hailed on the menu as house-made. OK, made in house as characterized by the hashbrown potato slivers scattered throughout the finely, yet tasty, chopped corned beef. Just rather underwhelming. The very good country potatoes on the wife's plate would make a better, yet repetitive, hash starter. Go figure. The omelet on the wife's plate was big and satisfying. Again, just underwhelming. Service was pleasant and the overall interior feel says "American Cafe". Do stop in and give their huge menu a try. Dicks read more

Coyote Cafe - Top of the menu - Comfort Food Near Me - Vista, California

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Had the pork chop dinner...with loaded baked potato....fabulous. But friends, you MUST TRY the COCONUT CREAM PIE (slice)....divine!

Food is great and the waitress are the best around. Love this down home experience . They make sure your experience is the best, friendly and welll served read more

Had to go check it out we got a free appetizer coupon. Restaurant was jampacked. Another good sign of a good restaurant. Food was good. Totally would recommend it. If you're in the area our server Ana was great. They even had live music going around the tables. read more

Coyote Cafe - Fish tacos - Comfort Food Near Me - Vista, California

Been here a couple of times and every time has been great. Their breakfast is delicious. Love the diner feel to it. Good prices. Lots of variety to keep everyone in the family happy! Friendly service. I appreciate that our server brought out coloring books and crayons for our kids. I really enjoyed their chicken fried steak with their white breakfast gravy. Sooo good. read more

Coyote Cafe - Chicken Country Fried Steak - Comfort Food Near Me - Vista, California

Service was great and plenty of seating. We had a fun time. Onion rings were perfect and great with ranch. However we asked for state medium and medium well and both were cooked so well done there was zero flavor at all and completely dry. Both the ribeye and the sirloin. We got second and third opinions. Yup, dry n no flavor. Eggs were greasy and no flavor. Gravy was lacking n flavor, even the biscuits were just like dry bread. Onion rings were crispy and delicious cooked to perfection though. Just give them a moment to rest so you don't burn your mouth. They are worth the wait and they give you a good portion of them. Again service was great. But I'd choose a different dish, avoid eggs, steaks, biscuits n gravy. Definitely go for the onion rings. read more

I love this place for breakfast have eaten here a number of times as live up the street. I've always enjoyed the food and the servings are a good size. read more

Staff member accused my table of vandalizing their bathroom after seeing a napkin on our table that was drawn on. Made the service uncomfortable. read more

Good service and decent prices. They just need to update the To-Go process a little. Let people pay for the food before it's ready, that way when the food comes out you're not stuck waiting for dine in customers chatting at the register. Our food just sat there because they needed the actual paper ticket from the kitchen to charge the customer....Yikes. We could have been out the door with hot food! read more

We have been here twice. Both times we sat in Kaylee's area. The service was wonderful. Kaylee was attentive and professional. At our age we can access the senior menu which is great. My husband had the chicken fried both times because it was so good! I tried the fried chicken and the fish and chips and can't pick a favorite! Our meals came with bread and butter , salad , veggies and a fabulous loaded potato with bacon ,cheese , sour cream and butter!!! We chased all that food with pudding, just like your grandma made. It was a wonderful meal at a decent price with great service. We will be back. read more

I'm still on the hunt for good fish & chips. For clarification, I've only been to England once and didn't try authentic English fish & chips. But I may have found it in an unlikely spot: Coyote Cafe on N Sante Fe. This is a family restaurant, similar to a Denny's. The fish isn't fish patties; it's real fish, deep-batter-fried and not oily at all. The coating is very crisp and flaky. It was quite good. The fries (standard American fries) were also crispy and tasty. The soup is minestrone, and it's also good. Maybe sometime I'll make it to England and have the chance to try authentic fish & chips. read more

I don't know why I thought this place would have good Mexican breakfast. We ordered Huevo Rancheros and it was awful! They put some type of ketchup on the eggs! Tortillas were bought from a store and they were nasty. The only good thing was great customer service from our waitress. Also the beans were great. This place was super expensive, our breakfast was 55.00 and I had a soda only read more

What a great find! Had a nice meal here in early afternoon on a week day. The cafe had no wait and the service was friendly and efficient. The ambiance is like stepping back in time, clean and cozy. Nice menu, with a huge variety of options. I opted for a pork chop dinner with everything being perfectly cooked. The chops were thin, yet juicy and the mashed potatoes and gravy were delish. I could not believe how large the salad was that came before the dinner. After the meal, the check came with a small dish of delicious tapioca pudding. What a treat! Great meal. read more

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Ordered via Grub Hub and it was really good, everything hot. Delicious clam chowder and fish and chips

I ordered a medium-rare steak and received a well-done steak. I sent it back and received a medium steak. The rest of the meal was fine and the waitresses are very nice. read more

Coyote Cafe - Too-well done steak. - Comfort Food Near Me - Vista, California

One of the last family restaurants in vista that serves a diverse menu that is not microwaveable food portrayed as regular food. The restaurant is very clean, with great service. Our foot was hot and flavorful with the portions well above acceptable. We really enjoyed the atmosphere and pride in the quality of food that was brought to the table. Thank you from our family to yours. read more

Coyote Cafe - French Dip with Onion Rings - Comfort Food Near Me - Vista, California

I was in there during an evening shift, I had just gotten off of work , I was with my sister we sat down was brought our drinks and the person who sat us down said our waitress would take our order in a moment , no one was in the restaurant at the time , the waitress looked at me and went and got herself a drink and proceeded to ignore us for 30 minutes, I finally got up and I was clearly upset and my sister said we will pay for our drinks but the waitress said that's ok , I have been going there for at least 18 years there has been other times where the service was not the best but this by far the worst, I tried to call and complain but I kept getting the run around that the manager was not in, I will never step foot in that business again read more

The food is like mama used to make! The service was like we were family. The other diners were regulars. That tells me a lot. The decor is homey. read more

So delicious! Very clean inside, best breakfast in vista! Great big portions! Their gravy is amazing also their breakfast sandwiches. If you are wanting a home cooked homie meal for breakfast this is it! read more

I went to the Coyote Cafe on Thanksgiving day and the service was great. The food was great. Everything was great. They gave you a lot of food and I would recommend it to anyone and I've been there for breakfast before too, and it was outstanding. read more

Firstly, this place has a B from the health department. Not the worst violations but it's very clear that this place is taking a nosedive. We received three orders of home fries that were both undercooked and lukewarm. The potatoes were still hard. The chocolate chip pancakes where made with white chocolate chips and also were raw in the center. This is personal preference but white chips?? Come on now. Service was pretty good, attentive. It was pretty busy but there's clearly been a change in ownership. I'm now writing this review from my toilet, been here for a while now. My bathroom has about the same ambiance as the restaurant, if not better. All 4 of us are not feeling quite well and it's the only thing we've had today. Overall, basically everything was undercooked and I suspect the kitchens cleanliness is subpar enough for them to receive a B from the health department. Don't go here. Spend your money wiser than we did. read more

Amazing service! Food was great! Will definitely come back! Just happen to find this while waiting for our medication across the street.

Great food and service! Had a fun diner vibe! Was busy on a Sunday afternoon - good sign! Big portions! I will be back! Thanks! 10-21-23 went back again and got breakfast with family - service was a little slow this time, but the food was still great - worth going! read more

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had the vista omelette. it looked like an egg pancake, flat. the actual pancake (1) was stuck to the plate. i had to take aknife to unstick it. i took it home. fruit was good. service was slow. not worth the 15 minute drive is all i can say. disappointing the pictures were deceiving. read more

Excellent service and great food. However their prices are extremely high for what you can get from their competition (like Swamis or The French Cafe) read more

I went here with my mom. She absolutely loves this place. I enjoyed it but it's similar to other breakfast cafe's i've been to. I can't really distinguish them too much. Quality was good for the price. The prices were a great value. They had a nice selection of items with your typical egg/sausage/pancakes/bacon/breakfast combinations. All of the food was cooked well. The food came out quick. The environment was quaint and comfortable. My mom has trouble sitting in uncomfortable positions but she found the booths comfortable. The staff was very polite and responsive and was accomodating to our seating preferences. Overall: Great value for the price and I reccommend. It's a homey type of cafe. read more

Coyote Cafe - Comfort Food Near Me - Vista, California

First time trying this place, we live local here in Vista. I rate it 4 out of 5, our server was great, she took great care of us. The food was presented great but was just ok! We went during lunch time. We will try it again and next time we'll come for breakfast. read more

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Another ginormous fish n chips meal at CC. Best fish n chips this side of the pond. Made with sea bass. Whaaat? Sea bass? Yes, sea bass. Perfectly battered and crisp. Salads, slaw and potatoes included read more

Coyote Cafe - Fish m chips - Comfort Food Near Me - Vista, California

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The hubs and I had breakfast a couple of weeks ago on a Saturday...parking was a little difficult because they've turned several spots right in front into a patio and McDonald's doesn't allow parking on their side. Even though there were several parties waiting, we were seating quickly because we took a 2-top right in front. Our server was friendly and attentive, refilling our drinks often. Food took a while to come out but when it did arrive, it was hot and cooked as ordered. Everything tasted fresh and delicious! read more

I had a slow morning, so I came here for breakfast. The COVID outdoor area is really well set up - lots of space, but also nicely built with a solid floor and pop up roofs, so it doesn't feel quite like you're sitting in the parking lot. The waitress was friendly. I had the chorizo scramble, which was really generous - I took half of it home and had it for dinner! Will be back! read more

Coyote Cafe - Outdoor dining area - Comfort Food Near Me - Vista, California

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So far, this place has been the best of the breakfast places I've tried. The homestyle potatoes that came with my omelet were spot on. They were fresh and not frozen. You can really taste the difference. I ordered the meat-lovers omelet. The meat-egg ratio was good and overall portion size was filling. I eneded up taking the rest of it home. When we arrived, there was a line and the tables were packed with diners. However, we didn't have to wait long because they could easily accommodate 2 people. Our server was quick and the food came out hot. This is diner is a must return for me. read more

Coyote Cafe - Comfort Food Near Me - Vista, California