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I've spent the last three years of my life in Los Angeles driving down Beverly Blvd, thinking "that place looks awesome. I know everybody says it's not, but it just looks so old-school, SO L.A. How can it not be a little pocket of magic?"
Well, I'll tell you how. I think they put about 37 seconds into the preparation of each dish. I mean, we're talking Taco Bell grade cuisine. No, you won't get sick and die. But you might need a nap.
Yeah sure, the read vinyl booths and murals are a bit awesome. And I've heard their margaritas are flat-out awesome, although mine tasted like they came from a bottle of lime-green Sauza mix.
But then again, they do accommodate groups. I didn't have to wait for my seat or food at 9 pm on a Saturday. And even with two drinks, the grand total for my meal was like $20 including tip. So, y'know, it could be worse.
How very LA, indeed.
I order the same thing every time I eat here. So I cannot fairly judge, but from what I order its not bad. Not the best mexican food but not the worst either. I order a Coyote Combo #3 with chicken on the enchilada and a green corn tamale. The chips they give you when you sit down make you wonder if they buy them in huge bags from costco. Although all the times I've been here the servers have all been very nice. If your looking for authentic this is not the place, but its clean.
If you order margaritas order the Scratch they are quite a bit stronger than the World Famous House Margaritas, which taste more like a premixed store bought concoctions (probably costco as well).
But all in all, if your looking for a place you can get a group of people together and your not sure of what everyone's budget is, this is a play it safe as the food in pretty inexpensive.
Ahhh, there's nothing like a pleasant dinner experience on a Saturday night... and this is NOTHING like a pleasant dinner experience on a Saturday night - or any night for that matter, I'm assuming; but we all know the old maxim regarding the word "assume", don't we? "When you assume, you make an ASSCLOWN out of U and ME." Actually, that's "assclownume", but it's appropriate for this place because El Coyote is The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College for Assclowns!
First you got the Rodeo Clown who tried to corral us like mindless bulls into a booth by the shitcan after we distinctly requested "something away from the bathroom."
Next you got Bozo the Clown taking orders, or trying to anyway. She had to come back after our drink order because she forgot what we ordered! You have a pen, Bozo! Fuckin' use it!
Then you got The Three Stooges in the back performing a comedy sketch on our food orders. I asked for a "wet" burrito and got it dry, which made it super bland; my boy Fever got an order of tacos that looked like they had been juggled during preparation; and our promiscuous gal pals Olivia and Tori (whom we now secretly refer to as "Booty and the Ho Fish") had elements of each other's dishes mixed in with one another.
HONK HONK! Whose driving this frickin' clown car? Pennywise?! And the check! We waited ages for the check! Who's handling our check? The Joker?!
Now I know why so many people suffer from coulrophobia... don't go to El Payaso if you got a thing against clownery.
I found the food at El Coyote to be way below average for LA. You can go to almost any taco stand in the city and get better food than this place. I ate here pre prop-8, and that had no bearing on my poor review (though i do support full and equal rights for all Californians and Prop 8 is a huge embarrassment!) There are so many better places in LA to enjoy good Mexican food - El Conquistador is my favorite. Its a fun friendly environment and the Margaritas will knock you on your ass!
I was disappointed when I went to El Coyote for the first time. I had heard such good things about it, but I just wasn't impressed with the food.
Now, the atmosphere was very fun, and the drinks (the margaritas in particular) were great!
The kind of place I would go back just to have a good time, but not if I was particularly craving good Mexican Food.
Used to go here all the time, back in the drinkin' days. Good drinks, lousy food. At least it's cheap.
Only great thing is the outdoor patio. After eating there I became so sick to my stomach. I was in the toilet for hours.
Ok this review will be simple and brief. The food is caca, when you get served canned vegetables on your tostada, you probably will be deterred from the rest of the menu, at least I was. To be fair, I ate there 10 years ago and maybe they have changed but my friends do not eat their either. Now if this was a review based on Heavy handed margaritas, you will love this place. I get a drink at least once a month at el coyote to unwind with old friends. If you are single and ready to mingle, you will like el coyote.
I am stuck in Austin, Texas right now. However I would kill for a mango scratch margarita. I love this place on Sunday afternoons. You know, when you wake up all hungover, you attempt to go to the farmer's market, and then you go to El Coyote and sit on the patio and drink your hangover away. Oh don't forget the greasy goodness of the cheese enchiladas. Its not fancy,, don't have high expectations...its mexican food! It's messy and sometimes the waiters get backed up, or maybe they are eating too, but hey, I have never EVER been without a cocktail in my hand here....or without chips or salsa. Don't get me wrong, I love my Tex-Mex...but I cannot wait to get back to LA to eat here!! MM....naughty!
I see that there's a few Proposition 8 supporters who rated this place a 5 star. Well even if El Coyote didn't support Prop 8, I'd still rate this place 1 star for the worst Mexican food in town. It's cheap, that's it. And the margaritas are okay.
For way better Mexican food and margaritas head across town to El Conquistador, plus it's more fun and festive than this place!
Mexican food + inadequate service = El Coyote
While the drinks were good and I loved the guacamole, the service was SOOO bad that we won't be going back. The bartenders and servers not only didn't CARE about what we wanted, but seemed annoyed that there were customers there in the first place. Huh?
Twice we had to wave down the server and ASK the server for another round. Additionally, we asked the server THREE TIMES for the check because she kept forgetting. Well, guess what: we forgot your tip, lady. She only came by the tables when new people were seated, which was not often. Solution: make your own strong drinks at home and mix up some smashing guac in a food processor. Save yourself the drive. I'll never go back here again. Plus: the tables and booths were not that clean.
Why in the world would anyone come here for Mexican food!? It's cheap, sure, but other than that this place doesn't have much to offer.
It may have been my luck, but my server was terrible! She failed to bring me the correct check TWICE and overcharged us. I've yet to try the margaritas though...
All in all, avoid this place and head down to where the real tacos are (may I suggest King Taco or El Taurino!?)
Really wish I would've read the reviews here before I went.
Quite possibly the shittiest Mexican food I've had in LA. And I consider Mexican one of those things that's difficult to screw up. I've had better from a roach coach.
I've never been a big fan of the food here, but helllloooooo Fiesta Hour! Weekdays from 4p-7p they have a happy hour with $4 margaritas, $3 beers and a howling cat. No shit, they have a howling cat that I'm really hoping was the resident pet and not someone's dinner. Someone, please tell me they have a pet cat. :|
But how's about those cheap drinks and mediocre guac to line your belly? The house marg had this tropical fruity thing going on but it worked. So did the second. The third was even better! Good times!
This place was recommended to me by a lady who's a thorough-bred Los Angelean. But, like Canter's and Pinks nearby I don't see eye-to-eye with the kitch "History Channel" eateries that are a bit past their sell-by-date.
El Coyote is ok for an occasional Mexican meal near home. Enjoy the laid back service and atmosphere, wonder at the toy parrots surrounded by chilli-shaped lights and choose carefully from the wide menu.
I've been here twice in the past month or so after a looooong gap and have got used to the warm salsa that gets dished out! And I most enjoy the chili con carne made with pork. It comes with rice (which sometimes dries out under the hot lamp) and beans.
If you don't have any booze then you can eat here for $20 for two. Add the margharitas and you can double that.
El Coyote is one of the best Mexican Restaurants in the city. Ostrich tacos and Arroz con Pollo are my faves. Not to mention their tequila selection and famous margaritas. The service is always fantastic. I grew up in LA and have been coming here ever since I was a little kid. While the best Mexican food in the city is at my family's dinner table, when I'm away from home and want it all: great food, great service and a comfy setting, this is where I go.
Never quite know where to go with this place.
On one hand it is a bit of a tourist trap, on the other hand there are always parties of some kind who seem to be enjoying themselves tremendously.
Maybe I am just not that much into Mexican food. Love the margaritas though!
This was to be my final stop on the L.A. restaurant tour with G.D.B.. At this point, I was really not entirely impressed with the overall food selection that he had made for us, although it was a holiday weekend, he is a vegetarian and I'm a picky eater, and it's not SF or Boston. And neither of us really cared to go do the "scene" anywhere else.
It was a somber evening marked by mediocre food. First of all, although it seemed (as indicated by her nametag) that the waitress had been working there for ages, she just didn't seem to have it together. Granted, it was the bar area, but so people just kind of seat themselves, but it's not that difficult. When you wonder if your waitress is going to get your order right, that's a problem.
Turns out, it was a problem. I ordered a shredded beef taco and shredded chicken enchiladas. I got shredded beef in both. I like shredded beef, but it's not what I wanted. She was nice enough to comp my second margarita for her mistake, but it shouldn't have happened. It's not rocket science.
There are two types of servers in the world: those who need to write orders down, and those who don't. Those who don't need to most of the time will recognize that there are times that writing down is necessary, and that's what makes them stellar. She didn't write down anything, and when you're waiting for your tequila, you get worried. We eventually got our shots of Patron, but there was a period where we wondered if the tequila fairy was going to remember it.
The food was nothing spectacular, and neither was the decor. This place was a fitting end to what turned out to be a bad decision weekend with G.D.B..
If only there were reviews for everything in the world.
Not the best Mexican food Hollywood has to offer. But the El Coyote bar is a great place to kill time when you are waiting for a friend to go on lunch break at CBS.
The beers are expensive just like any LA bar. I think it was $4.75 per Dos Equis. But the food prices weren't bad. They give you 2 large tacos for $4.50 À la carte. And good tacos at that! Plenty of beef topped with fresh lettuces and heaps of shredded cheese packed into a greasy fried tortilla shell. The only thing I didn't like was the salsa. It reminded me of tomato paste.
Once my buddy arrived we had a round of their Famous Margaritas which were most likely famous for their liquor content and not their taste. The bar had a few patrons and the TV was going but we could still hear each other talk. Always nice. After our cocktails were finished it was time for my friend and I to part ways. Me to enjoy the rest of my day off and him back to work. Poor guy.
I used to work as a photographer downtown and this would be the spot to stop with other camera jockeys for a four-margarita lunch before staggering back to the lab. Gone are the days of film, but tequila is forever.
The food is decent, the chips are salty, and you will be happy so long as your glass is full. Or half-full, optimist that you are.
Came here Saturday night for a birthday party with a large group of people. Yep I saw the 2.5 star rating, but thought it'd be rude not to eat. I kind of have mixed feelings after the meal.
The Ultimate Margaritas with Herradura Silver & Cointreau were quite good. Their web page said $7.95, but I guess inflation kicked in and they're now $8.50.
For dinner I ordered a Chicken Tamale ala carte $3.50 and the Enchilada Howard $6.50. The Enchilada Howard was a Cheese Enchilada covered with Chile con Carne. It was supposedly named after their 1st regular customer 74 years ago. I'm a sucker for that kind of advertising.
The tamale was dry, enough said. The Enchilada Howard was pretty tasty. The Chile con Carne had large chunk of fall apart tender pork in good tasting sauce. The bad part was 90 mins after the meal I had a stomach ache. Something in the food was not sitting well at all. The warm salsa on the table was more like pasta sauce.
The margaritas were good, but I'm not sure I'd go here to eat again. Things just didn't sit well. I'm surprised how full this places was for not having really good Mexican food.
I have a special place in my heart for this place. My boyfriend and I have been going there for years and kind of consider it "our place." Lots of good memories. Also, it's pretty inexpensive and has the cool "Old Hollywood" thing going.
The ostrich tacos are GREAT. Try them. You won't regret it (especially if you like ground beef because it's like that, but better).
Great margaritas, lousy Mexican food. Truely abismal. Good atmosphere. Decent place to take friends so long as you are there to drink.
Margaritas! Yes, they're potent and delicious. I'm not sure what tequila they use, but it's great.
NB: I have a general rule that Mexican food sucks west of La Brea, so El Coyote just misses my cutoff!
I ordered a chile con carne burrito here, it was decent but I've definitely had much better. My friend had an enchilada and tamale that were much better than my burrito, though. The rice and beans are fresh and worth savouring in your mouth. The tamale was fluffy and sweet. There are tons of Mexican decorations on the walls and tons of white people sitting in the booths. The servers were friendly and I got great and attentive service [because I sorta look Mexican?].
Parking: It's valet after 6pm I think. And the side streets around the restaurant are all NO PARKING 6PM - 8AM WITHOUT PERMIT. [Those damn ungrateful, self-righteous permit parking neighborhood resident assholes]. Anyway, there's a not-so-secret secret: Park north of Beverly! It's the cool place to be anyway, I mean who would want to leave their car parked around parking permits? Eww.
In summary, I think people are hating on this place for being kitschy just so they can feel superior about the "secret taco truck" or wherever they get their "authentic" mexican food from. Biiiiitch, pleeeeze. I'll take a margarita at El Coyote anyday.
Delectable Defecation. Dog food on a plate. Prison food. Regurgitated Yucatan delight. Slop on a plate. Ohh so good! Got a great atmosphere, great margaritas and the green corn tamales are outlawed in 5 states; starts riots for being so good! The decor has an Ed Debevic's meet Acapulco theme going on. This is the first restaurant I was ever fed at. My parents after my birth at Cedars Sinai rushed to eat at The El Cy. Number 7 with cheese baked over the rice for life!
This is a great cheap place. I have no idea why people are giving it 1 star. Amazing guacamole and great tacos and fajitas.
Fun chintzy atmosphere, well worth a try.
The picture I posted may be gone today, but the feeling remains the same. Whatever happens El Coyote, you will never see free-spending me, my free-spending family nor my free-spending friends again. Ever.
Just started writing reviews and this one has been simmering for a long time. So here goes: El… Read more »
This place is awesome. The food is tasty, they have an outdoor patio where you can smoke, it's cheap, and the atmosphere is kitchy and fun. If you're looking for upscale, fine dining, you won't find it here. If you're looking for cheap drinks, guilty pleasure food, and a great place to sit outdoors, you should definitely check it out.
I have to let my inner-Melvin Udall come out to play. He's not my inner-child. He hates children. He's not fond of margaritas either, and he hates bad renditions of my favorite greasy-kitsch Mexican dish ever, the exalted chile relleno.
El Coyote does not respect the chile relleno. It doesn't even feign the act of respecting the chile relleno. It gives the finger to the chile relleno.
Thus, my inner-Melvin Udall and I both extend our middle fingers in glorious salute to El Coyote.
I don't drink margaritas, okay? You can't make me.
Other than that, my friends from out of town love trying to make me take them here, to which I say, "Get your hands off my steering wheel or we're all going for a nice ride down Decker Canyon and I'm not kidding at all."
Good for: little except DUIs as far as I am concerned. Maybe luring tourists as well.
El Coyote's biggest strength is its kitchsy party atmosphere, with lots of colored lights, pinatas, etc. The outdoor patio is particularly nice.
That said, my vegetarian burrito was almost completely tasteless, and it didn't sit well with me. The tortilla was delicious, though... which usually leads me to suspect that it was made with lard (vegan policy at a Mexican restaurant: don't ask, don't tell).
Our drinks were reasonably priced, considering they were strong. However, I asked for very little sugar in my mojito and it came out tasting supersweet.
In conclusion: not a bad place to bring a big group, especially if you're going to drink.
The classic choke & puke. The formula - basic cheap drinks, served fast and furious style. If you're desperate and drunk enough to convince yourself you're that hungry to really need to eat.. then the formula will follow in short while ..
I'm not sure what qualifies anyone to work in this kitchen ... but it's not talent. Cheap drinks and liquor - yes.
Talk about OLD SCHOOL. I was there a month ago and sat in the both next to an Oscar winning actress who's name escapes me. Food is just okay, but that's NOT the point of this place. PEOPLE WATCHING is the name of this game. Scratch Marge's also is a good deal.
Most people in the restaurant business know that El Coyote is a money maker for over 5 decades if not longer. I've seen Madonna, the Back Street Boys, all the guys from the Chili Peppers, Charlie Sheen, Slash, GnR, and so so many more there. It's just a land mark for locals growing up in Hollywood basically.
Go with an open mind and relax. Don't have allot of expection. This place is more about the history of Hollywood then anything else.
Mexican comfort food. I love this place for lunch. Parking is free at lunch time!
I like their crispy tacos and combo plates.
It's pretty greasy, and not the best Mexican food, but this place is just a classic meeting spot that I do get cravings for. And the margaritas are super good and STRONG, just how i like em.
If you go for dinner, be prepared for the sassy old waitresses to TELL you what you are ordering, instead of actually listening to you.
I know it's kinda beating a dead horse, but I could really give a flying shit about that whole gay marriage scrum hoo-haa that took place here awhile back. In all honesty, I think the gays probably shoulda been protesting the food here...it ain't so good.
But I will say that quaffing a couple of those high-octane margaritas and watching all the beautiful people in the bar act all uh-mayy-zing and shit was pretty entertaining.
By the time we were seated, I was completely blotto'd. Like I said, the food is definitely not the best in LA, but I can't lie...I had fun here.
My advice? Come here, have a few marg's in the bar, get really lubed up, and then hit a taco truck.
Came here for drinks and apps with mother dear. Since it was a nice day we decided to sit out on the patio and have girl talk. The waiter brought out chips and two red salsas. I assumed the one in the smaller bowl would be the hot one and the large sized one would be mild. Since I like my salsa with a kick I tried the smaller batch and to my dismay it was mild. So I shoveled the other salsa and it was warm. It was warm like it belonged on my pasta. So gross! We ordered the nachos and they were "eh" and the drinks were half way descent. Won't be returning unless I am in desperate need of a warm salsa fix.
Eh--It's a dive--a place for "Fear and Loathing In Los Angeles" set. Food is divy but overpriced--plain Margaritas are great. Good place to sit outside and get buzzed on a hot LA Sunday and watch the freak show pass by.
Sorry that I can't patronize it anymore.
Eh, definately a so-so kind of place. I was not impressed by their salsa (runny) or guac (watery). The tap water tasted strange, as did their mojitos. The entree tasted good, and the portions were large... but the service was CRAP. I think our waitress literally stopped by 2 times.
Not worth it, there are so many other amazing places to have Mexican food.
I've been going to the 'Yote for about 5 years and if there's one thing you can say about this place--it's that it doesn't change. Probably hasn't in about 75-years, about as long as it's been open.
The food is comparably better than say...dog food, indeed I've fed my dog better. The 'Yote's food somehow exists in this realm of quantum physics because of a mutation in the flux of electrons you can't find anywhere else on earth. That's my only conclusion as to how a Mexican restaurant could destroy the idea of Mexican food so bewitchingly badly.
The tequila list however is priced lower than ANYWHERE in LA--that I'll guarantee. If you prefer to destroy tequila by mixing it with sugar water and lime--they'll still pour it strong.
It's always packed for reasons that forgo rationale and the service is snortingly inept if not friendly.
I went here with some friends last night for a few reasons:
1. One friend wanted Guacamole and convinced me that it was hard to find at most restaurants. I don't eat it so I don't know.
2. I heard this place was good.. from somewhere.
This place has a big menu of Mexican food but for some reason includes spaghetti and hamburgers on the menu as a side note. The glasses of water are so small that they have to be refilled every 2 minutes (because its spicy food, you are going to want to be drinking it) and the warm salsa was kind of gross. I ordered a burrito that was alright for the price, but I think fast food basic burritos are better. My friend that wanted guacamole ordered the Guacamole Dinner that he thought would have tons of guacamole on it, maybe even on the salad that came with it but no instead it was just a regular dinner with a little side bowl of guacamole with the main dish.
Positives are that it is pretty cheap if you want bare bones food (and don't try to add cheese or sour cream or any other condiments to the dish) Bean and rice burrito under $5. Also the staff are very nice and the location is good.
You know what the shame is about El Coyote? it should be much better than it is. Okay, I'm not a native and when I came upon it around lunchtime, I thought "hmmm, that looks pretty good." I'm mean decent Mexican food in LA, shouldn't be that difficult. Lots of cars in the parking lot and a decor that exuded a certain south of the border shabby chic suggesting it was much better than it actually is.
It's just okay and having some read some of the 300+ reviews, already here I'm not really able to add much more. But I will say this: mediocre decor usually suggests mediocre food. Or, if the owner's don't care about how the place looks to customers, how much care are they going to exert in the kitchen? Not too much.
Just a couple of thoughts? I don't like drinking soda out of plastic cups. Yuck. Plastic cups, plates, utensils, etc - all should be banished. The chips and salsa are uninspired and pedestrian. And the menus need to be simplified. It's okay if you don't offer 100+ entrees. Just do 15 well and people will be happy.
I know nothing will change and I also know I'll never be back.
Celebrate Day of the Dead
Neighborhood: Chinatown
We Are Now Open For Dinner!
Neighborhood: South Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Mid-City West
Category: Bars
Neighborhood: West Hollywood
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: West Hollywood
Category: Mexican
Neighborhood: Hollywood
Category: Mexican
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