Cafe Coyote: Experience Authentic Mexican Cuisine in the Heart of San Diego

Cafe Coyote is a very Popular Mexican Restaurant in Old Town San Diego. Sierra was our Waiter and She Delivered Excellent Customer Service and Very Attending to our Table. We ordered the Carne Asada Taco Plate and Chicken Enchiladas Plate. The Food Quality was very Delicious and Food Portions were very Generous. I Highly Recommend Anyone in the Area of Old Town San Diego to stop by Especially for Happy Hour and Awesome Great Mexican Food Options...

If you’re in the San Diego area, stop what you are doing and go to Café Coyote! The food is amazing. The atmosphere is fun. The service is top-notch. Trevor, the general manager is a first class operator and engages customers with intention and courtesy. Try the pumpkin flan! You don’t want to miss this amazing San Diego icon! Our server, Javier,, was the best!

Stopped here for dinner while visiting from Colorado. This is Baja Mexican, different than what is served in Colorado. Started with an appetizer of queso fundido, it was delicious! I followed that with the chicken tortilla soup, which I thought had a chicken base, but it was a rich tomato base and a lot of shredded chicken, making it more like a stew. Then I sampled the California burrito with French fries and beef. The beef was good, but the French fries stuffed inside the burrito threw me off. I then finished with flan for dessert and it was creamy with a thin layer of caramel on the top, instead of floating on the bottom. It was very good.

As soon as we walked up to the place the atmosphere was amazing! Lots of papel picado draping from the roofs and huge general area to sit, with choice of inside and outside seating. Very busy which did not hinder food preps thankfully. My fish tacos were messy but delicious and the churros made an excellent dessert to end the night off. I also bought this long sleeve shirt as a souvenir (wearing right now) and it’s very cozy. Would love to return again when we’re back in the area!

This was our first time visiting this restaurant in Old Town San Diego! After an afternoon of exploring we built up an appetite and dined here. And very glad we did. It was "that good"! After a short 10 minute wait we were seated out on the patio. Atmosphere was lively. Restaurant was very busy. Saturday. It was a beautiful January 2026 evening. The heat lamps kept us comfortable. Food was delicious and reasonable priced. Roaming photographer, free souvenir photo and mariachi were added highlights to an already amazing dining experience. 30 years in business is a testament to food quality and loyal following. Check them out while visiting Old Town San Diego! Thanks again. We will be back!

These enchiladas were a special- 3 sauce enchiladas and they were amazing! The chicken soup was heavier than I thought it was going to be but still delicious. Servers were hustling with how many customers they had but they did great, very coordinated! Atmosphere was also a vibe. But by far the best thing is the hand made flour tortillas, whatever you do, order a side of tortillas to have!! And of course we each got a topo chico to quench our thirst!

This place lived up to the hype! The fajitas were filling and the spicy watermelon and cucumber tajin margaritas offered a unique, refreshing twist. I’m not usually a big fan of churros, but these were honestly the best I’ve ever had. The vibe is excellent with massive seating areas, ladies hand-pressing fresh tortillas up front, and even a photographer providing free souvenir postcards. Truly one of the best Mexican spots I’ve visited. I'll be back every time I'm in the city.

A lively place with good Mexican food. It seems quite popular in the area as it was fully booked with more people coming in! Food was good. Service was ok… we had to wait for a while to place the order and get the food as well. The tables are quite small to fit 4 people and are placed very close to each other making it quite congested. The margarita flight was quite interesting. It had 5 flavours of margaritas- mango, cucumber, pineapple, pomegranate, spicy watermelon