El Coyote New Mexican Bar & Cantina — Restaurant in Oklahoma City

After seeing some negative reviews, I was worried about how the food would taste; however, these are my genuine thoughts, and as a preface, I was genuinely surprised.

Negatives: (only two I can think of):

The first “negative” aspect of the FOOD, in MY opinion, (if you even want to call it a negative) was the salsa they give you once you have been seated. definitely not my cup of tea, in terms of how sweet it is. I like my salsa to be a little more salty, I suppose. But, it was by no means bad. Just different. If you want typical salsa, then just go to the hundreds of other Tex-mex places. Simple as that. This salsa is different than any salsa I’ve ever had though, which is pretty neat, which is why I wouldn’t change it, because it adds a unique touch to the restaurant. The only reason I bring this point up is because this salsa is definitely unlike any I’ve ever had.

Second, we had the devil’s canyon margarita, and while it was super tasty, I thought it was way too small for the price. Though these drinks seem to be advertised as being top shelf, you can get a margarita/coronarita at almost any Tex mex type of place (I know this isn’t Tex-mex, but it’s the only thing I can really compare it to) and it will be much bigger and much more filling than here, for roughly the same price. Maybe a bigger margarita should be added? Just a thought!

Positives:

I saw one review saying the food had no flavor? This person is literally out of their mind. We had the Green Chile Chicken Nachos, and I swear these may be the best nachos I’ve had in my life. The sauce on top was different, but complemented the cheese and chips wonderfully. Also, the guacamole tasted differently than any guacamole I’ve ever had, but in a wonderful way. Everything tasted so fresh.

As for the entree, I can only speak for what I had, but the Roasted Mushroom Chile Relleno was incredible as well. I had it with the Christmas sauce, and it was like an explosion of flavor unlike anything I’ve ever experienced! I was only in Santa Fe for one day and only had one meal there, but I can definitely see the influence there. You have to try it!!!

For dessert, we had the sopapilla sundae, and it was also insanely good. The pistachio’s were a wonderful touch.

Finally, I just wanted to quickly shout out Adam, our server. He was very kind, funny, and helpful when it came to recommendations for what to eat. He made our first experience here a wonderful one, and I thank him so so much for that.

To make a long story short, I am definitely coming back here again, and I’m glad that I can get a break from every other Tex-mex joint that has roughly the same tasting meals that I expect.

But yeah, the only actual change that I would personally make would be increasing the size of the margaritas. Other than that, this place is easily a 5/5, and everyone has got to...

On my second visit to El Coyote I was very disappointed with the experience. We were seated immediately on the patio which is a beautiful space. They were busy so I thought we were off to a good start, but then it was at least 10 minutes before anyone brought us water. This was done by the hostess who apologized for the delay and explained that several tables had been seated at the same time causing the wait staff issues keeping up with everyone. Which is understandable, unfortunately the service never got better.

We were eventually brought chips and salsa at which time we also ordered queso, unfortunately the chips tasted stale. It probably took another 10-15 minutes before anyone took our order and by the time our queso arrived we had run out of (stale) chips. So there was nothing to eat the queso with. My partner had to go find silverware and napkins for us because despite a request for some they were never brought to us.

I had the mushroom stuffed Chile relleno which was delicious and my partner had a chicken taco and shrimp taco. He said the shrimp taco was delicious but the chicken taco was just ok.

Also we ordered drinks, besides water and had to ask for them specifically when our food was brought out. Our water was only refilled when we were basically done eating.

Lastly the flies were obnoxious. Which is to be expected, however the other tables all had devices on them to help with the files and we had to ask for one for ours. We didn’t get one until after the queso arrived, probably 20 minutes in.

So after all this I was seriously disappointed. I had been previously with a friend and could not wait to return. My prior experience was great, fantastic food with really great service and a good atmosphere, but this visit was anything but.

I’d be willing to try again, largely because my previous experience, but I think my...

We went for dinner last night, 10/28. We got there at 4:30p and the inside of the restaurant was full, well, full in a way. Way too many parties of two sitting at large tables and bar hogs (the people who sit in the middle seat instead of next to someone to leave two together) all over the place. Better seating management would go a long way. The service was very slow and the music so loud you couldn't hear the staff. I ordered a house margarita, I'm not sure if it had any alcohol in it. It was overly sweet and the server complained they filled the glass too full. Seriously? Fill it up, if the contents are acceptable. Second, I ordered the layered enchiladas and I asked for the egg to be hard on top. I knew the server didn't get it based on the smile and nod I received. The meal came out with a runny yolk, that's okay. The chicken in the enchiladas was excellent and the green sauce really really good. The beans reminded me of ranch style beans from a can and the hominy was good. I'm not a hominy fan so another option would have been nice. I'm now done with my meal, I have no water, and I drank my margarita....sure I'll take another margarita for desert. 🙄 Last, but not least, the chocolate cake. It was moist and the icing was like my grandmother would make....I felt as if the meal had been salvaged; however, the whip cream reminded me of ready whip, so leave it off! Just let me marinade in the goodness of someone who can make chocolate cake and icing. Overall, the food is good, the salsa excellent, the service needs work. With a little work things are going to be good, it just takes some time. Go with the appropriate expectations for service and you...