Hungry Coyote — Restaurant in Needham

Wow! ....i just had one of the very best carnitas tacos I have had in years! In fact, the last time I had carnitas tacos of this quality was years ago cooked by the same man - Francisco: The Hungry Coyote. Not only is the food OFF-THE-CHAIN, Francisco is just a really good dude. He genuinely likes to prepare food and he gets really jazzed about it. He believes in what he does and couldnt be happier when people enjoy his product. Quite simply, the guy is a class act. While i awaited my order, a local cyclist came in .. Thirsty ...asked for tap water .. Francisco gave the gentleman a bottle of cold spring water ... The cyclist humbly declined initially but, seeing that Francisco's offer was genuine and heartfelt, he graciously and gratefully accepted and rode off. Francisco deserves to do well. He works hard .. Cares about his food .. And, most importantly, he appreciates his customers. Give Hungry Coyote a try .. Your palate will appreciate it. I googled "Hungry Coyote" on a whim .. There was a restaurant in Brockton years ago of the same name. The gentleman that worked there really had a passion for his ethnic heritage and the foods thereof and i was hoping this restaurant was his. After talking with an amiable gentleman, Charlie, i learned it was. I found Francisco. The restaurant is neat and clean and well-equipped to crank out some KILLER food. To my utter disappointment, Francisco wasnt there. I couldnt be annoyed or anything because there are no hours posted. I hung around for a bit but left disappointed. I can at the moment only give 3 stars, in fairness, BUT i am comfortable doing so gratuitously because i KNOW what Francisco is capable of churning out and i am sure i will be updating...

Almost every time I tried to visit this place it was closed. The one time I finally show up when it's open the owner is out back not answering to customers. After about five minutes of knocking on the counter trying to get ahold of somebody a man comes out and very slowly and begrudgingly puts my order together. Maybe 20-30 seconds later just as he starts my food a regular comes in and he happily greets them and puts aside my order and makes his instead! Right in front of me! I can honestly say I have never experienced this at any restaurant or at least in such a blatant and disrespectful way. I can't say for sure but I believe this was the owner. Whoever it was should be ashamed at this sort of customer service. Based on that and the mediocre, lukewarm tacos I brought home I won't be visiting this place for a while if not ever again.

edit: To add to this, I've seen the owner responding to Facebook comments and reviews with insults and swears. I have no doubt this man was the owner of this establishment and for that I won't be back again.

update: Owners response is confusing. This review is for the Hungry Coyote in Whitman. When I made this review, I believe this was the same restaurant I had visited in Whitman or at least an offshoot of it. If there is a new owner, that's cool but that does not change my review. When you get a new business page, you need to recreate a new one not just edit the information. Otherwise you're stuck with all old reviews. Maybe I'm wrong and you could...

This is not the best Mexican food in Massachusetts. It is the best food in Massachusetts, period.

We are extremely far away from the US-Mexico border, and almost as far away from the town I grew up in, eating tacos and tamales sold out of the back of pick-up trucks on the outskirts of town. But I felt like I was right at home when I was eating here.

When we walked in, it was clear that everyone else in the place has had a similar experience at one point or another. People in line asking "is this your first time here? You're going to love it; we come back way too often."

The food is great, the regulars are great, and even the owner-- who was talking about his grandmothers recipes and his upcoming trip to Mexico-- made for an incredible experience.

I had the surf & turf fajitas, and my partner had carnitas enchiladas verde. The salsas are made in-house, the peppers, onions, and meats are grilled on a flat top right in front of you, and everything is ready extremely quickly.

With apologies to every other restaurant in greater Boston, this is simply the best restaurant around. His abuelita's recipes are unparalleled.

I look forward to...