I was getting lunch for my husband and his hungry co-workers when the place I had planned on getting food was out of what I was ordering! In a desperate attempt to find some food and fast I hit Yelp! for some suggestions. I called El Coyotitio and asked if they could make me 32 Beef Tacos. She was very helpful, asked a few questions to make sure I was getting what I wanted, the order was placed and I headed over.
These people were AMAZING! They packed my salsas in huge cups, gave some extra chips, even cut up a bunch of limes packed it all in a huge box and then started on my beef tacos. The cook packed them very neatly and made sure they displayed nicely. They were incredibly quick even though the restaurant was pretty busy and they were rushing out orders and taking calls. Then they helped me carry it all to the car!
The food also happened to be delicious! The tacos were very well priced at only $1.75 each and were so fresh and yummy. My husband and his coworkers loved the food, and I loved the food. So I'm kinda writing this review based on the response of a whole shop full of dudes! I will not only be going back as a loyal customer, but I will also be bringing some fat tips for these ladies. They could have been irritated that I called last minute but they were awesome, accommodating, and beyond friendly.
Love this place. Â Go here if you want some authentic mexican food and atmosphere. Â Â I really like that they give you a bowl of fresh limes to squeeze over your entree or chips. Â I agree that the chips are not incredible, however the enchiladas are fantastic! Â Service is always great. Â Friendly staff. Â Great authentic mexican food for sure.
Review Source:On Thomas S's and Scott T's recommendations, I figured a trip to El Coyotito #3 was in order. Â I ordered the campechana, which was just ok, nothing like the campechanas I get from my favorite truck or those I am amazed by at El Cameron Loco. Â Overall, it was OK here, but I do not know that I will make another trip back.
Review Source:I love this place.  Muy auténtico!  I gave it 4 out of 5 because the chips are NOT homemade but everything else is.  You literally have to go to mexico to get "comida de estilo familiar".  Don't be fooled by the crappy strip mall outer facade this is a very satisfying menu and I have always had good service.  The Tilapia is served "whole" with the head.  I have not seen a Tilapia this big since I went to Yelapa, Mexico.  Ceviche is chunky and flavorful and the tacos come in "lip", "tongue", chicken, chorizo, steamed beef, shredded beef, chorizo and more.  Plus, they even sell the "Bimbo" products on the shelf.  This is the real deal, I even saw Spanish Priests eating there on one of my visits.  Dios bendice estos alimentos!
Review Source:Hmmmm...the service is friendly & capable but the food was less than great. My first complaint is the chips. They are NOT homemade but cheap bagged chips. The salsa was good with a fresh flavor so that helps wash down the less than fresh chips. Â Both the hubby & I ordered smothered burritos. Â He had the shredded beef and I tried the carne adovada. The burritos were very large but even with the smothered sauce & toppings they were fairly bland. Â My carne adovada was overlooked and really dry, not tender or heavily flavorful. Â The refrieds were fresh but needed a flavor boost IMHO. Overall I prefer Senior Burrito for this type of home cooked Mexican fare. Â Everyone has their favorite spot and this one seems popular with the neighborhood crowd so take my opinion with a grain of salt. Â Me well I wouldn't be likely to return.
Review Source:You might not know it from the outside, but this is a solid Mexican place. Â Their take-out menu has a map where they highlight how close it is to the Mexican consulate, so you know their target audience. Â I haven't explored the more interesting things on the menu yet, but the basics are very good. Â Burritos are huge, available plain or smothered, and have all the typical meat options. Â Tacos are excellent here, piled with plenty of meat. Â But they also do a lot of seafood, so that's a nice alternative to a lot of Mexican restaurants. Â They give you a nice pile of chips at the start, though I like my salsa thicker than their basic red. Â I've had the tomatillo green on the tacos and that's excellent. Â Once you stick your head inside you'll see that this is a very authentic place, and even though I usually get my food to go on my way home, I'll stop here when I need a fix.
Review Source:Damnit, damnit. damnit! My curse of not getting the food or dining experience at places my friends rate highly continues! Chips were okay, the waitresses nice, the room a little dingy but homey too, but the food? Well it woulda been pretty good if we weren't  a-salted! I ordered an adobada, a lengua, a carnita, and a chorizo taco. The adovada was way too salty, the chorizo much too salty, the carnita friggin' salty, and the lengua... not salty enough. ????? damnit! It wasn't just the tacos. The wai-fee's adobada burrito was just a couple shakes short of having a shaker of salt in it too! Crap! I hate it when that happens! Do I risk going back... maybe not. Too many other fish in the proverbial sea. (veintedos)
Review Source:I've been coming to El Coyotito #3 since before I moved to Denver. Â It is a nice, solid spot if you have a hankering for some sit-down Mexican fair or Mex seafood. Â In fact, I will go on record and recommend any of their seafood dishes, especially the camarones a la diabla. Â If you prefer the turf over surf, I'd recommend their carne adobada, tender, juicy bites of pork marinated in red chile sauce. Â It is incredible in taco, burrito or stand-alone plate form. Â The pork green chili is pretty good as well - you can kill two birds by getting the carne adobada burrito smothered in green chili.
Review Source:I have to admit that my range of what I choose at Mexican restaurants is limited to one item...the quest for the perfect burrito. So..no matter where I go..I order a beef burrito and then judge the restaurant on their chips, their sauce that they put on their burrito and the meet they put in the burrito. I have to say that El Coyotito serves a very good burrito. Their green chili is very good and the meat they put in the burrito was tender and flavorful. Oh...and the chips and salsa were above average.
Review Source:Great authentic Mexican food! This place is a block away so I have gotten "to go" orders a lot. I have eaten inside once and it was just like dining out in a family owned restaurant in Mexico. The tv is on some cheesy Mexican soap opera and ladies are sitting around talking in Spanish. Really an authentic experience. The food is great though.
Review Source:So u walk in, its kind of dumpy and I think the 2 waitresses are middle eastern. But hey, what do I care if the food is good? The chips and salsa comes and I was not pleased. Store bought tortilla rounds and fire hot salsa. The pork adobada taco was very flavorful, the beans and rice were decent and the bean tostada relieved my craving. Coming from san diego, 15 mins from the border, I'm spoiled, Â but this really hit the spot when craving mexican food here in denver.
Review Source:The marinated pork and tongue tacos/burritos are definitely a must have! Â The tongue is cooked to perfection and tender enough to just melt in your mouth... the appearance of the tongue meat up close is not so appetizing, but the taste and texture definitley make this a "must try once"!
Review Source:I crave the tacos adobada. Â If you can get over the somewhat sketchy location in a random strip mall and the slightly unwelcoming atmosphere, you are in for a treat. Â Once you come in, the wait staff are friendly and attentive, The menu has pictures! Always a plus. Â So far I've had tacos and burritos and both are pretty darn tasty. Â I'd say 3 tacos for a meal or try 2 tacos and something a la carte- like a chili relleno (but I'd pass on the cheese enchilada). Â Only been here twice so far but after the first time I was hooked on the tacos. Â I am moving right around the corner so I expect that I will be eating here quite a bit in the future.
Review Source:This place is a diamond in the rough. Â The tacos, flautas, tortas, etc. are always consistently delicious. Â What is odd about this restaurant / mexican grocery is the business model. Â Over the years, this establisment has gone from a ratio of 80/20 grocery/restaurant to 30/70, with periodic fluctuations along the way. Â If you like eating tacos in a bit of a dive atmosphere, while watching soccer, this is your kind of place.
Review Source:Hmm.. Where to begin.. Unfortunately I cannot give zero stars, because that's what this place deserves. I went in to get take-out for my husband and I, because of all the good reviews I had read about this place.
The staff was nowhere to be found when I entered, and you could hear crickets..that's how slow they were. When the woman finally got to the front I ordered the cheese enchiladas for myself (because for some reason they don't sell tamales!! What Mexican restaurant doesn't serve tamales?!?). Then I ordered a smothered steak and bean burrito for my husband. After about 20 minutes we finally got our food. We live about 2 mins from this place, and when we finally got home, and after much anticipation to try what my yelp friends were bragging about...we sat down and took first bite.
Our food was cold..my cheese enchiladas were just horrible. Anyone who knows what real mexican food is supposed to taste like knows this is canned sauce! I'm surprised that the two bites I took even stayed down. The cheese inside wasn't even fully melted. Their Spanish rice is basically rice with orange food coloring, with dried up green beans in it. The refried  beans were soup like with what looked like old crusty milk on top (I'm hoping and praying it was cheese). My husband who will pretty much eat anything when he is hungry couldn't even finish his burrito. The steak was dry, and their chili was awful.
I would never ever recommend this place, and I would not return, even if someone paid me to eat there. It is awful, and I'm sorry I wasted almost $20 when Santiago's is right down the street! I am thankful I didn't get food poisoning out of this trip to El Coyotito No.3! I am still cringing at the thought of this place as I type.
Ok, this one is going to be tough to write. Â When I moved to Denver, I was in love with this place. Â We took everyone here and they all loved it. Â It's still a pretty tasty night out and the price is still excellent but...
I'm afraid my heart is with another now. I went back here today and it was just...middle of the road. Â The chips fell flat after getting used to freshly made chips elsewhere. Â They really need to get into making their own chips. Â Store bought ones just don't cut it. Â My quesadilla was alright but nothing out of this world. Â Service seems to have shrunk a bit as well. Â I get the feeling now that I'm looked at as some a-hole gringo during my stay.
I still think this is a solid option for Mexican food, but it's not my "show out of town friends what Mexican should be like" choice anymore. Â I'm sorry Third Lil Coyote.
The "Woohoo!" explaining 5 STARS doesn't even begin to describe how I feel when I get to go to El Coyotito. Sitting beneath a giant soccer trophy (It's for 2nd place and it's taller than me!) and enjoying a Fresa Jarritos is as close to heaven as I can get.
The burritos are humongous and absolutely delicious. Their chicken is tender and flavorful. Even the chips and salsa are top notch. The waitresses are SO friendly. They serve perfection down to the sour cream. I cannot think of a single negative thing to say. Seriously.
The place is small, but has so much character -- For example, I challenge you to find all the subtle "Oriental" decorations that hint at the building's previous life.
P.S. The random "Additional Tips on this Business" makes me smile because it asks if it has TV -- Well, YES, they do have TVs, and they are always on a Mexican Soap Opera where big fat dudes end up with beautiful women. Apparently, that concept is universal in the Soap Opera World. The TV programs are always a joy and add to the wonderful atmosphere!
I LOVE YOU, COYOTITO!!
Yum. Â I went with a girlfriend and we shared the chili rellenos and carnitas. Â Good stuff. Â I like to gauge a Mexican restaurants skill by their refried beans. Â if they are good most likely the rest will be. Â They were! Â I ordered a Michelada to start, refreshing! Â Good chips and salsa, quaint restaurant and inexpensive. Â Perfect.
Review Source:I can't believe this place has been just blocks from my office and I hadn't been there until today!
Finally I got to taste why there are so many great reviews for this place on yelp.
BEST cheese enchiladas I have had in a long time. The sauce was perfect- not too smokey or heavy like some places. They do put sour cream on top, which I didn't know they were going to do, so I just scraped it off.
One bad thing: the stale chips. Yes, they were from the back of the Sysco truck and they were stale, stale, stale. But the salsa was so good, I ate them anyway to create a salsa vehicle. YUM!
The inside decor is functional, not pretty, but you don't go there for the interior design- you go there for the food. Who ever is cooking in the kitchen there is working hard and knows what they are doing!
Service was friendly; 3 people said "goodbye" and "have a good day" as a I left.
There is alot of seafood on this menu, and while they do have the classics (burritos, tacos, enchiladas), they also had seafood and other dishes I have not yet seen at a mexican restaurant and that look interesting.
Can't wait to go back. I already feel spoiled to have such a tasty, inexpensive mexican restaurant blocks from my office.
El C is a new fav.
The interior of this place is decorated more like an Indian restaraunt that really needs remodeled. Â But, that's part of its charm. Â
I've been spending some quality time at El Coyotito lately. Â One of my favorite things is that they open very early (8 AM I think), so I can drop into here at 10 AM for a weekday hangover brunch. Â
They serve yellow corn tortillas with a really good salsa. Â It's more like a pureed pico-de-gallo,but with decent heat and not watery. Â
They do offer quite a few seafood dishes, but so far the thing I've found that I like the best has been their carnitas. Â In fairness though, I want to give a few more things a try. Â
Do be a bit careful what you order. Â One of my favorite Mexican seafood dishes is Camarones Mojo de Ajo, and they had a similar-sounding Camarones a la Diabla so I thought I'd give it a try. Â I don't know if this is a traditional Mexican recipe but I found the sauce to be creamy, a little sweet, not very spicy, and overall it didn't hit the spot.
This place is great, my boy took me here a while ago and I was a little hesitant as we walked in but from the moment I tasted the food i knew I was hooked. It's truly authentic and not greasy and sketchy like other places I've been. I love that we can walk in the place and not have to wait, we can always sit at the same table and take our time eating and chatting.
The burritos are HUGE and way too much food for me but they are so damn good :) I've recently become hooked on the chicken quesadillas but they are also slightly too much for me to power my way through. Last weekend I tried out the tacos and it was the perfect amount of food plus they were street tacos which I love. I had three carnitas tacos with some rice and beans and was pleasantly full when we left. I also finally caught on to the fact that they serve beer so I was one happy camper after dinner!
I have always wanted to try this place and I'm so glad I finally did, I only wish I would have done it sooner! Â
This is real authentic Mexican food. Â I don't think I have had anything that compares. Â The portions are huge & the prices are right. Â I had a shrimp dish, I had to count; there were 15 shrimp on my plate! Â The beans are some of the best I have had. Â I was a little disappointed with the rice though, I was expeceting better. Â I was also disappointed that they don't serve margaritas. Â Other than that, it was great. Â I can't wait to go back.
Solid. The service is fast and the portions huge. I ordered the Chile Rellenos and had to take home the 2nd relleno because there was no way I could eat anymore! Served with rice and beans, this was just the meal I was looking for. Initially, I wished they had some lunch specials or combo plates but in the end, I left satisfied.
What breaks my heart is that they have out of the bag chips. You can tell when you look at them, when you taste them, and when you see the giant boxes of them sitting around. The salsa is good, but those chips need to go. This place just barely falls into the Moderate range as my lunch was $12 before tip.
I had my rellenos smothered and it wasn't ridiculously hot, but hot enough to have me guzzling my soda and blowing my nose discreetly. If you order a Coke, it comes in the very cool glass bottles that I'm pretty sure have real sugar in them. Bonus points for the cool bottle, but balanced out by the point deduction for no free refills. I prefer it when the bubbles are free-flowing.
I am not hungry anymore. It is all thanks to El Coyotito No. 3
This is some seriously authentic, fabulous Mexican food. I have not had a lunch this delicious and well priced in well.....a blue moon at the LEAST!
We walked in about 9 and half minutes after it opened and the tables were already half full. This is a HUGE HUGE sign that what you are about to eat is good enough to play in traffic for. Damn right. There were a couple of ladies ordering take out and we maneuvered around them and found ourselves a spot.
What a gigantic menu...what fabulous seafood choices... Great Scott what are we gonna order??? OK, OK, calm down we can always come back Jenn.
We waited a few minutes but once we ordered the food came quickly. My oldest daughter had a bean burrito smothered. She tore into it like she hadn't eaten in days and almost polished it off. The green chili was flavored to perfection, really fresh but not enough for a trip to the ER. My other daughter had the chicken quesadillas and they were also fresh and served with massive chunks of avocado. She kept making those "yummy" noises people don't mean to make but do anyway. I had some Asada Tacos...well about three to be exact and as sure as I'm sitting here they were some of the best around. The tortillas? They're fresh and perfect. The steak? It's flavorful and cooked well. The huge chunks of avocado? It's SO wonderful, the cilantro too. The grease? It's the absolute perfect amount of that heavenly stuff one could ever hope for.
The old school bottles of some sodas they have are so cool. It reminds me of living back in Chicago and bringing your glass bottle back to the store for some dough. How bout the pastry selection ? Looked good too but we had run out of time and didn't get any sweets. I believe it will be for the flan when we do return.
We are so satisfied and know we will be back... and really what more could you ask for? Oh I almost forgot, the prices make it  4 1/2 stars no question. You'd be silly not to check this hidden treasure out yourself.
One of the reasons that I like yelp is that it reintroduces places that have blended into the landscape. Â I have passed this place many times and at first I thought to myself "I wonder if that place is any good?" Â Eventually it was just background scenery for my drive down Leetsdale. Â I decided to give it a try - the decorations like everyone has said is a hodge-podge. Â It is a Mom & Pop operation that doesn't feel the need to impress with it's decorations. Â I don't know if was due to the amount of traveling I have been doing lately but as I looked out the window onto a busy thoroughfare that I have traveled regularly for many years I felt like I was in a new place. Â This is a good thing for me, I seem to have gotten into a rut and the change of perspective is a nice thing.
The staff was courteous and prompt. Â The menu was extensive - I really wanted this place to be my close-by go-to spot for good Mexican food. Â Chili rellanos are my benchmark - here they are pretty large. Â But to be totally honest they were bland. Â Even though they have everything else going for them the main reason you go to a restaurant is to eat and I couldn't give this place anything higher than 3 stars based on this experience. Â But I am not going to give up on this place, I will be back to try something else that has been recommeded by my fellow yelpers.
Ended up here after learning the hard way that Las Tortas is closed for the holidays for a few days.
- Baffling decor. Yup, there really is a 6ft trophy for, I think, soccer on display, as well as a large sequinned Indian tapestry thing. We were seated a couple of feet from the jukebox which randomly BLASTED out Mariachi tunes.
- Godawful chips, and the salsa was way too cold which took away a lot of the flavor.
- Interesting menu with tons of things I wanted to try. Lots of seafood. I wimped out and opted for a shredded beef quesadilla ($6ish). Absolutely delicious - really tender and flavorful beef (there were these super tasty little burned/charred pieces in it) with gobs of melty cheese. The accompanying slices of avocado were a nice touch. He had the chiles rellenos stuffed with ground beef and bacon ($7ish), and LOVED them - really large poblanos with a great smoky flavor, stuffed full of meat. The refried beans were smooth and tasty, and the rice didn't taste like it had been sitting around all day.
- Efficient service. Could have been a bit friendlier, but who cares.
- My only complaints are that the plates were luke warm, and the food got cold fast (it didn't help that the restaurant was really chilly too). Also, they serve Diet Coke by the can. I tend to drink a ton of soda with my food, and so I don't like having to ration my drink when free refills aren't available.
I was really glad to get home, and see so many good Yelp reviews for El Coyotito. It looks crappy from the outside, but the food is definitely worth a try!
As with many, I too have driven by here too many times to count, and finally, after reading some yelp reviews, decided to head on in. Â I was greeted by a familiar "Hola," and some other quick words I did not catch, so I said "Hi, can I sit wherever?" and the waitress said "yes!".
I decided on a window seat so I could have a glorious view of Leetsdale, Rack attack, and that golden dome church deal. Â
I was surprised at how inexpensive this place was for all of the various incarnations of Mexican food that they offer. Â Not being a refried beans fan, I opted to get three tacos, and not a combination plate, even though I was kind of in the mood for some rice. Â Not to be disappointed at all though, as the chips and salsa arrived. Â Sure, the chips are from a bag, but the freshly chilled and homemade salsa surely made up for that! Â
I ordered two shrimp tacos and one chicken taco. Â The plate was humongous and I could barely down two tacos! Â
The staff was incredibly friendly, and again, I think they must have thought I spoke Spanish...so that was fun. A server came with my food and said something in Spanish and I said I was sorry, but I didn't understand what he said. Â He was friendly, but kept calling me lady...haha
Definitely mixed crowd here, nice service, tasty food, and huge portions. Â Also, funny decorations like others have mentioned...large trophy, Indian artwork, coyote paintings, boxes of chips, refridge case with tons of Mexican sodas. Â Also blaring Mex carnival style music to really put you in the mood and feel that you have stepped into a 'lil bit of Mexico right here in Denver. Â I will definitely be back!
Wonderful tacos, 500ml cokes in glass, what more can you ask? I would probably ignore the fish tacos next time, since there are plenty of tastier options here. Frankly they were so bland that my two year old Mila stole my shrimp taco and I don't blame her. Everything else was good. The chips were a little mediocre, but then again, i noticed they were from a box, yumm. Maybe someday they will make them fresh & maybe move up a star or two in my book.
Review Source:I know what you're thinking... how did a pretty young thang like you wind up here? Â Believe it or not I've been here many times, on purpose! Â It's the most authentic Mexican food I've ever eaten. Â Granted I've never been to Mexico, but this is NOT Â TEX-MEX, my friend. Â I like it spicy, and they don't hold back! Â Yea, spicy! Â I've tried several things on the menu and yep, everything's wonderful. Â
The decor will stop you in your tracks, it's the worst. Â You have to endure a little pain with your pleasure baby. Â It's well worth the bad ambiance to try the great food, trust me, you won't be disappointed.
Last week a friend from North Carolina came back to Denver for a visit. All she asked was that another friend and I take her to an authentic Mexican restaurant. I knew that El Coyotito would fit the bill as this is my latest crush.
We started with Tostadas Camaron (shrimp) and Ceviche mixto and could not vote on the best as they were both great. These went well with the chips, salsa, and beer. We all wanted a chili rellano and ordered one dinner and had an extra rellano added to the two that already came with the meal. These are so nice as you can actually see the pepper and taste its roasted goodness; they top it with green chili but do not bury it. And we ordered an enchilada trilogy, chicken, cheese, and beef. The cheese enchilada was divine as they use queso fresco, the Mexican white cheese, instead of Texas Longhorn cheddar. Â I remember this type of enchilada from Acapulco so obviously it is authentic. And the refried beans are lip-smacking good.
What is not too authentic but makes me laugh is the decor. Many other cultures know how to recycle and  El Coyotito is no exception. The decor shows the location's history by reusing a gold sequined Asian tapestry, a large trophy, and a mural.
After several hours of gossiping, drinking beer, and sampling some of the best Mexican food Denver has to offer, my Southern friend said, "Y'all, that made me smile like a opossum." Â And being from the South myself, I knew that was the highest compliment anyone can give.
I completely forgot to write this review after I went so I'll write it now.
The level of magnificence reached by the carnitas at this place is worthy of more than 5 stars... Â All by itself. Â I completely melted with pleasure when I ate it. Â It's full of amazing flavor & completely falling apart. Â
On top of that, the ambiance is very good with these large booths everywhere. Â And the decor on the walls is just perfect. Â I'm definitely going back and I'll have something different to make sure my experience wasn't a fluke, but my guts say it's not. Â
See you there.
El Coyotito No. 3 is one of those places that I feel torn about upon taking my first glance at it. I am absolutely certain it will be one of two things - either some of the best Mexican food I've ever eaten or the cause of the worst case of stomach problems I've had in several years.
So, when I arrived at the strip mall location yesterday I gathered up all of my guts and entered the small restaurant. Since you get to seat yourself, I naturally chose the table with the 6 foot tall trophy mounted over it because I A) wanted to see what it was all about and B) like to feel like a winner.
Although our server was slow and we each had a tough time understanding each other (I even broke out some of the ol' college espanol) I would highly, highly, highly recommend eating here.
Their menu is heavy in seafood dishes, but I went with carnitas. This was seriously the tenderest pork I can remember forking into my mouth ever. I also ordered guacamole and they let you choose mild or spicy. I went with spicy and was pleasantly surprised by the actual spiciness. There were whole chunks of jalapeno in there.
One downside (besides the chips as Matt mentioned) is that they don't have margaritas. You can have a few different beers AND coke in a glass bottle though, so that sort of makes up for the no liquor thing. And my stomach today is just fine, extremely happy even, so I'd say that last night we made an excellent choice.
Matt is right (previous review) - why haven't we reviewed this place yet? Â I have been eating at Coyotito No 3 for several years. Â Not every meal has been perfect, but it usually is really good. Â I got really mad at Santiago's down the street (on Leetsdale) because their breakfast burritos are lame. Â I went back to Coyotito and ordered breakfast burritos for take-out. Â Coyotito opens early. Â I think I showed up around 9am. Â The breakfast burritos were big, tasty, smothered in green chili and cheese, and what I was looking for - the classic breakfast burrito.
Lunch and dinner fare is traditional Mexican (Colorado-style, not Tex-Mex). Â They have a full selection of seafood entrees to go with the standard beef, chicken, and pork. Â I've seen people order the Tortas, which look excellent. Â Tortas are next on my list to try.
File under: Â You've driven by it enough times, now STOP!
I can't believe that I'm the first to review this place, as I think it's one of the best Mexican restaurants in town. Â Sitting in a crappy old strip mall on Leetsdale, I must have driven by this place a hundred times before ever considering to stop in. Â But I'm so glad that I did. Â The food here is awesome, and all over the map (of Mexico). Â TONS of great seafood dishes (the tostada de ceviche mixta is our normal meal starter), street style tacos, smothered burritos the size of a toddler, menudo, birria, terrific breakfast dishes and more.
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE!
Want some pan dulce (Mexican sweet bread)? Â They've got a whole case of colorful treats. Â Want some Mexican candy or snacks? Â They've got a rack of it. Â Pinata? Â Yep. Â International calling cards? Â No prob, right behind the register. Â Seriously, it's like one-stop shopping here. Â I've heard there's a meat counter in the back where you can buy meat, too, but I've never tried it.
The decor is pretty cheesy, but that's not why I come. Â They have a couple of tvs that are normally playing either soccer games, telenovelas, or Spanish-dubbed movies. Â They also have a great jukebox full of bumpin' Mexican music. Â And when I say bumpin', I mean it (aka the booth right next to the juke is not the best place to sit).
The crowd is totally mixed, and makes for some great people watching. Â You've got Mexican families, gringo families, youngsters on dates, people having business lunches, you name it. Â And everyone's welcome. Â While all the staff speaks Spanish, there's always at least one English speaker there for the no hablo espagnol patrons.
So if I love this place so much, why not 5 stars? Â The damn chips. Â They use crappy bagged chips, and it KILLS me, cause the rest of their food is so good. Â I would give them that last star in a heartbeat if they would just start making their own.
So next time you're driving down Leetsdale and feeling those familiar hunger pangs starting, think about your good buddy Matt, and stop at El Coyotito. Â You can thank me later.
Cheers!