📅 01.27.26
✍🏾 BIG AL’S WRITTEN REVIEW
Big Al’s Reel Reviews
EP.207 - Coyote Flaco 👎🏾😡
📍Mansfield Center, CT
Sometimes a restaurant builds expectations before the food ever reaches the table.
Coyote Flaco does exactly that. As you enter, right on the window of the door sits a large sign proudly displaying “Voted Best Mexican Restaurant - First Place 2025.” Inside on the wall, there’s another sign showing “First Place - 2022.” Two different years. Two number-one awards. 🤷🏾♂️😄
So naturally, my expectations were high.
The restaurant itself looks the part. Bright colors, Mexican-inspired décor, and a space that appeared to be energetic and lively. On the surface, everything suggests you’re about to have a dope dining experience. But…
Once I was seated and the visit began to unfold, things started going left fairly quickly.
From early on, the overall energy felt off. Service wasn’t attentive, my glass was left empty multiple times, and the interaction never felt warm or welcoming. As the meal went on (especially with how spicy some of the food was) I found myself constantly reaching for water that wasn’t there. 🥵💦
Then the food started arriving.
🍽️ ALRIGHT, HERE’S WHAT A BROTHA ORDERED:
1️⃣ Tacos (2) - $8
👍🏾 Thumbs Up
These were the first items to hit the table and, keeping it real, the only thing that came out right. The tacos were decent and had actual flavor with a nice crunch. Nothing groundbreaking, but sadly they were the best thing I ate during the entire visit. 😢
2️⃣ Chicken Fajitas - $23
👎🏾 Thumbs Down
WTH.🤷🏾♂️😢 This dish came out lukewarm not sizzling and that was the first red flag.
Instead of arriving on a hot sizzling skillet like fajitas normally do, the chicken and vegetables were served warm and sitting in a pool of cooking liquid. There was no sizzle, no aroma, and no heat coming off the plate.🙄
The chicken wasn't good and it was soaking in the broth rather than freshly seared. The peppers and onions were soft and waterlogged instead of grilled or charred.🤢 This was horrible.
This plate also came with rice and beans on the side and the portion size of the rice was honestly insulting. Not small. Not light. Insulting. The kind of serving that makes you pause and say, “that’s it?” I just laughed out loud 😄
I’ve never had fajitas served this way before. What should’ve been loud and sizzling came out quiet and flat.👎🏾
3️⃣ Ribeye Steak - $32
👎🏾 Thumbs Down
Yo I really had high hopes for this one, but it was a major miss!
The steak lacked flavor entirely. It was spicy as all heck, yet somehow completely flavorless! All heat with no taste. It left me extremely thirsty throughout the meal and constantly looking for water refills.🥵💦
The cheap quality cut of the steak was very thin, the presentation looked rough, and the overall plating was unappealing. Nothing about it resembled what you’d expect when ordering a ribeye. And for the price, it absolutely was not worth it.
4️⃣ Pork Burrito - $18
👎🏾 Thumbs Down
The burrito was very small and there was very little meat, leaving it dry (except for the soggy Flour tortilla) and underwhelming. Flavor was bland and under-seasoned, continuing the same pattern as the rest of the meal.
It also came with a small side salad and honestly, what was that? Tiny portion, topped with Thousand Island dressing, which I personally cannot stand. That alone made this entire plate an easy thumbs down. 👎🏾😄
As the meal went on, nothing improved. Service never picked up.
🏁 My Final Thoughts:
By the time I left, I couldn't wait to get out of the spot and I left so fast I didn’t even realize until I hit the gas station down the road that I forgot my hat at the restaurant. I thought about turning around for a second… then remembered where I was. They can keep it. 🤷🏾♂️😄
And that’s really what stuck with me most about this visit. From the moment the food started hitting the table, nothing ever came together. The service never found its footing, water glasses sat empty far too often, and the overall energy felt disconnected. The food lacked seasoning, the
Megan Thompson
Delicious meal, excellent margaritas.
Jack Bienvenue
Amazing as always, top notch everything
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Anna Dias
food is typically pretty good and the service especially is always great with friendly and efficient staff. I'm mostly just reviewing to say that I'm baffled how a piece of lettuce came buried in my side of sour cream when I didn't have a meal with lettuce in it tonight, and I mean buried so that I didn't see it until I dipped some enchilada in and hit something hard. anyhow, the enchiladas are good and the chimichanga is kind of dry, could use queso on top maybe. it's very loud in there during dinner hours too but plenty of parking to accommodate everyone.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Trio Enchilada
Russ Besmond
Great time, went for a 40th bday party!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Deb.Pietre Dure
We got there early for our reservation and they were really gracious about getting us to a table earlier. The enchiladas were wonderful. I ordered the blue corn and it came with a molé that was really excellent. My friend had pollo Limone and she lived it. I only wish I had taken pictures of our dinners. I can't wait to go back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kevin Downham
Excellent. Great waitress
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Terri Loso
Wow great, generous and delicious tacos! Olivia was so friendly, she made us feel right at home and did a great job. Great atmosphere, we be back for sure!
Kenneth Jezek
Food and service were very good. Men's room was tiny. After the meal I needed to blow my nose. There was no paper in the men's room other than the stall, which was occupied. Not a good situation.
Russ Harlow
Incredibly fast service. My wife and I made a reservation the day before, we were seated within 5 minutes of arriving. My wife had the Trio Enchilada and I had the Coyote Ribeye Steak. Our server Olivia was great...knowledgeable, attentive, and friendly. When we placed our order we expected to wait a little while as it was dinnr rush on a Saturday...our food came out hot in less than 10 minutes!! (and the steak was a perfect medium rare).
The food was very good, my wife loved the flavor of all three enchiladas, but beware the Chipotle sauce on the steak IS spicy. For me it overwhelmed the flavor of the steak, but I prefer tangy to spicy... it was still good, just be warned.
Have gone here many times, but tonight was a bit disappointing. We had a reservation for six people at 5pm. My usual meal was not up to par with many past visits, and my table mates agreed. We were there a few minutes over an hour and were asked to wrap it up and leave because they had others waiting for the table.,we have never been asked to leave - their own website said a party of six needs two hours to dine. I understand they need to turn over tables, but this seemed rushed to me. Will think about going back very carefully.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Bud Hayes
EXCELLENT Mexican style food. Good size portions. Best selection of Tequilas around here. The owner is awesome. Staff are great!
Steven Hansen
Nice vibe. Bartender was great and the food was pretty good. ENJOY
Dan Cote
Great drinks
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Christopher Smith
Good food and friendly people. More of a 4.5, half star off because when we arrived there was very few customers dining and we had to wait 5-10 minutes listening to the front person take a phone order until manager came out to seat us. Other than that service and food was very good
📅 01.27.26 ✍🏾 BIG AL’S WRITTEN REVIEW Big Al’s Reel Reviews EP.207 - Coyote Flaco 👎🏾😡 📍Mansfield Center, CT Sometimes a restaurant builds expectations before the food ever reaches the table. Coyote Flaco does exactly that. As you enter, right on the window of the door sits a large sign proudly displaying “Voted Best Mexican Restaurant - First Place 2025.” Inside on the wall, there’s another sign showing “First Place - 2022.” Two different years. Two number-one awards. 🤷🏾♂️😄 So naturally, my expectations were high. The restaurant itself looks the part. Bright colors, Mexican-inspired décor, and a space that appeared to be energetic and lively. On the surface, everything suggests you’re about to have a dope dining experience. But… Once I was seated and the visit began to unfold, things started going left fairly quickly. From early on, the overall energy felt off. Service wasn’t attentive, my glass was left empty multiple times, and the interaction never felt warm or welcoming. As the meal went on (especially with how spicy some of the food was) I found myself constantly reaching for water that wasn’t there. 🥵💦 Then the food started arriving. 🍽️ ALRIGHT, HERE’S WHAT A BROTHA ORDERED: 1️⃣ Tacos (2) - $8 👍🏾 Thumbs Up These were the first items to hit the table and, keeping it real, the only thing that came out right. The tacos were decent and had actual flavor with a nice crunch. Nothing groundbreaking, but sadly they were the best thing I ate during the entire visit. 😢 2️⃣ Chicken Fajitas - $23 👎🏾 Thumbs Down WTH.🤷🏾♂️😢 This dish came out lukewarm not sizzling and that was the first red flag. Instead of arriving on a hot sizzling skillet like fajitas normally do, the chicken and vegetables were served warm and sitting in a pool of cooking liquid. There was no sizzle, no aroma, and no heat coming off the plate.🙄 The chicken wasn't good and it was soaking in the broth rather than freshly seared. The peppers and onions were soft and waterlogged instead of grilled or charred.🤢 This was horrible. This plate also came with rice and beans on the side and the portion size of the rice was honestly insulting. Not small. Not light. Insulting. The kind of serving that makes you pause and say, “that’s it?” I just laughed out loud 😄 I’ve never had fajitas served this way before. What should’ve been loud and sizzling came out quiet and flat.👎🏾 3️⃣ Ribeye Steak - $32 👎🏾 Thumbs Down Yo I really had high hopes for this one, but it was a major miss! The steak lacked flavor entirely. It was spicy as all heck, yet somehow completely flavorless! All heat with no taste. It left me extremely thirsty throughout the meal and constantly looking for water refills.🥵💦 The cheap quality cut of the steak was very thin, the presentation looked rough, and the overall plating was unappealing. Nothing about it resembled what you’d expect when ordering a ribeye. And for the price, it absolutely was not worth it. 4️⃣ Pork Burrito - $18 👎🏾 Thumbs Down The burrito was very small and there was very little meat, leaving it dry (except for the soggy Flour tortilla) and underwhelming. Flavor was bland and under-seasoned, continuing the same pattern as the rest of the meal. It also came with a small side salad and honestly, what was that? Tiny portion, topped with Thousand Island dressing, which I personally cannot stand. That alone made this entire plate an easy thumbs down. 👎🏾😄 As the meal went on, nothing improved. Service never picked up. 🏁 My Final Thoughts: By the time I left, I couldn't wait to get out of the spot and I left so fast I didn’t even realize until I hit the gas station down the road that I forgot my hat at the restaurant. I thought about turning around for a second… then remembered where I was. They can keep it. 🤷🏾♂️😄 And that’s really what stuck with me most about this visit. From the moment the food started hitting the table, nothing ever came together. The service never found its footing, water glasses sat empty far too often, and the overall energy felt disconnected. The food lacked seasoning, the
Delicious meal, excellent margaritas.
Amazing as always, top notch everything
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
food is typically pretty good and the service especially is always great with friendly and efficient staff. I'm mostly just reviewing to say that I'm baffled how a piece of lettuce came buried in my side of sour cream when I didn't have a meal with lettuce in it tonight, and I mean buried so that I didn't see it until I dipped some enchilada in and hit something hard. anyhow, the enchiladas are good and the chimichanga is kind of dry, could use queso on top maybe. it's very loud in there during dinner hours too but plenty of parking to accommodate everyone.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Trio Enchilada
Great time, went for a 40th bday party!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
We got there early for our reservation and they were really gracious about getting us to a table earlier. The enchiladas were wonderful. I ordered the blue corn and it came with a molé that was really excellent. My friend had pollo Limone and she lived it. I only wish I had taken pictures of our dinners. I can't wait to go back.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Excellent. Great waitress
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wow great, generous and delicious tacos! Olivia was so friendly, she made us feel right at home and did a great job. Great atmosphere, we be back for sure!
Food and service were very good. Men's room was tiny. After the meal I needed to blow my nose. There was no paper in the men's room other than the stall, which was occupied. Not a good situation.
Incredibly fast service. My wife and I made a reservation the day before, we were seated within 5 minutes of arriving. My wife had the Trio Enchilada and I had the Coyote Ribeye Steak. Our server Olivia was great...knowledgeable, attentive, and friendly. When we placed our order we expected to wait a little while as it was dinnr rush on a Saturday...our food came out hot in less than 10 minutes!! (and the steak was a perfect medium rare).
The food was very good, my wife loved the flavor of all three enchiladas, but beware the Chipotle sauce on the steak IS spicy. For me it overwhelmed the flavor of the steak, but I prefer tangy to spicy... it was still good, just be warned.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
Have gone here many times, but tonight was a bit disappointing. We had a reservation for six people at 5pm. My usual meal was not up to par with many past visits, and my table mates agreed. We were there a few minutes over an hour and were asked to wrap it up and leave because they had others waiting for the table.,we have never been asked to leave - their own website said a party of six needs two hours to dine. I understand they need to turn over tables, but this seemed rushed to me. Will think about going back very carefully.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
EXCELLENT Mexican style food. Good size portions. Best selection of Tequilas around here. The owner is awesome. Staff are great!
Nice vibe. Bartender was great and the food was pretty good. ENJOY
Great drinks
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 4
Good food and friendly people. More of a 4.5, half star off because when we arrived there was very few customers dining and we had to wait 5-10 minutes listening to the front person take a phone order until manager came out to seat us. Other than that service and food was very good
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Fajitas, Trio Enchilada, Mild Salsa
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