El Santo Coyote Mexican Restaurant

Reviews 3

GA

Gail Rinehart

I go here regularly with friends and family, or at least I used to. This place recently went under huge changes so they could open in time for Cinco de Mayo. I just had lunch there with my family today so we could see all their preparations for the celebration tonight. The outside looks phenomenal, and we were surprised that they did so much in only a few days. Things went downhill once we got inside. Our server had exactly ONE day of experience being a server, so every order had been submitted erroneously. Thats not completely uncommon for new staff, but I would expect management to spend more time on training the servers before letting them loose during the biggest Hispanic holiday at the prettiest Hispanic restaurant in town. Our ceviche appetizer came out the size of an entree and without its usual tostada, so immediately we told the server that it wasnt what we ordered. He told us to eat it and that he would ensure we would only be charged for the appetizer size ($5 vs $15 fyi). The wrong orders however did not excuse the chef from sending us raw shrimp in our ceviche. The shrimp were gray, slimy, and disgusting. Of course we sent it back, but none of the five managers would believe our word that the shrimp was raw until they actually pulled it out of the trash to verify that we were capable of identifying a dangerously raw shellfish (which I was personally insulted by). One manager kept insisting that we try their ceviche cooked properly, and she would bring out a small portion. This was nice, but we had their ceviche earlier this week so we know what it tastes like, and eating raw shrimp had turned our stomachs away from ceviche for at least the time being. After insisting for the 3rd time, we said "OK" just to get her to lay-off. It came out 25 minutes later and we had no interest in eating it, but it was cook properly this time and delicious as we remembered. Simultaneously, our entrees arrived and the wrong style of fajitas were brought out, so I had to watch my husband eat while I waited an additional 30 minutes for the re-fire, but management assured us that the cooks and staff would enjoy eating the mistake fajitas in the kitchen, so I could rest easy knowing that they were taken care of. My husband ordered his usual; the Calamares Diabla, which is usually incredibly tender, but today was overcooked and tough (still flavored sauce nonetheless). The fajitas that finally arrived were correct the second time, but not anything above average as far as taste and presentation goes. Our waiter went missing for well over 40 minutes so management had to bring us the check, which included the full price for the raw shrimp ceviche entree. Yup, not a single discount for any of their mistakes. The combination of everything going wrong had my blood boiling, but mostly because we were there only a few days ago and it was outstanding. Granite, our waiter is usually Victor and he doesnt require the assistance of five scatter-brained supervisors who do not attempt to communicate with one another. Alas, I am sad that my favorite restaurant has become an epic fail. They are located in a horrible part of town, so for their sake, I hope they get their s*** in order before everybodys experience blocks any good memories that they might have had at El Santo.

VI

Viviana Toste

After reading all the reviews it seems like this place is a hit or miss. Unfortunately we had a terrible experience. We were a party of about 23 with reservations and we did not get seated till about 45 minutes after. Apparently they were understaffed. When we were finally seated and organized they took another 30 minutes or so to bring us broken menus. Instead of taking our drinks and appetizer order first, the waitress proceeded on taking entrée orders as well. This process took another hour or so. There was only one waitress taking orders. We started getting some of our appetizers about an hour later (mine was never brought out). A few minutes later the entrees started coming out, a couple plates every few minutes and the ones that came out were missing some items. My husband ate his fajitas without the tortillas because they took like 15 minutes to bring them out. My father in law ordered a filet mignon (which by the was disgusting) with beans instead of vegetables, but when they brought the plate it had veggies. When we told one of the waitresses she proceeded to remove the vegetables from his plate with her bare hand! At this point Id had it. We asked to speak to the manager several times, but we only got a waitress to come talk to us who was supposedly the owners daughter. No one ever apologized or tried to make our experience better. We were celebrating my husbands bday so it was a family event. Some of our party started leaving because kids started getting cranky and 2 hours had passed and they hadnt even gotten their appetizer. It was really the worst dinning experience Ive ever had . I can go on and on on how terrible this experience was. I am not even going to get into how it went to pay the bill. The waitresses disappeared on us we all had to go to the bar area to pay! Its disappointing because this place had been recommended to me and my husband loves Mexican food. Needless to say we wont be going back. That night alone they lost over 40 customers who will never go back. They had issues with another big party that was sitting near us...it was embarrassing.

BL

Blake Blackstone

I have driven past this place many times and have always wanted to stop in. Growing up in South Texas, I know what real Mexican food is and it is my favorite. Finally came to this this beautiful place. I read a note painted on the wall saying that parking was in back so I parked in the back and made my way into the compound. Upon entering I saw a desolate and defunct space, although still beautiful. It was as if I was in an abandoned Mexican theme park. I finally meandered towards the front, looking for some signs of life. Somehow I found the resturaunt. It felt like a secret hiding spot in this big abandoned place. I sat at the front of the restaurant for 10 minutes waiting for someone to seat me, up to 3 differeny workers just rushing past me on this very slow day. I had to pee and could not locate the Mens restroom. Finally I decided to take matters into my own hands and walked deeper into the restaurant and interrupted two workers just talking to each other all alone around a corner. Finally was seated. Their website nor Google maps has any pricing on this place so I was surprised to see how expensive it was. I ended up getting the #2 - taco, burrito, and enchilada combo that comes with rice and beans. After I ordered I expected complimentary chips and salsa to come rolling in but that never happened. I got my food. It is definitely NOT authentic. And honestly, somewhat room temperature... And to top it all off there was no tobasco sauce or anything available. The rice and refried beans portions were so small that I could have finished them both in like 5 bites. I ended up having to pay $16 dollars for my food. Dont come here for good food, good service, fair portions or fair prices. Come here for atmosphere and nothing else.