Dos Coyotes Border Cafe

Give me a break! I realize that food costs have increased for restaurants– but when I pay $ 10 for nachos– I expect a decent size plate! When the guy brought over the plate– I thought he made a mistake by bringing a quesadilla due to the short nature of the food item! Nope– it was my sad plate of nachos! This place is a rip off! Another case of «resting on laurels” — used to love it, but not coming back! There are better places in which the owners actually care about their product!

I thought this must be a nice place to eat judging from the crowd? but I was mistaken, this place seem more like the Panda Express of Mexican food? not very authentic, almost like Taco Bell?
Another thing I dont like is they say Salsa & Chips included, thats one of the most important parts of the meal at a Taqueria type restaurant, most more authentic places have a Self serve all you can eat chips & salsa bar
they are VERY CHEAP on the salsa & chips, they only give you a small handful of chips, barely enough to go with your meal! they should offer a basket of chips or have more available at the salsa bar.
I would avoid comming back just because of the cheapo salsa & chips
traditional Mexican owned taquerias are much better than this place, the only good thing about this one is the convenient location at the mall
I’ll stick with the old school taquerias in the future, you get more for your money and better more authentic food, this place is just a typical chain type fast food place, nothing special.

First time here and I am reminded of Chevy’s.
Ordered a mango chicken quesadilla, which tasted very bland. I wish the mango flavor stood out more, and the chicken could use more flavoring. I guess you can’t expect much from a restaurant within a mall.
Staff was friendly and delivered my food shortly after ordering.

Been coming to Dos Coyotes to years and they are pretty consistent. The salads are huge but I think the quesadilla and Ranchero burrito is where it’s at. The food comes out pretty fast and they have a salsa bar. Overall, always a good experience.

I’ve been going to this place for years and love it. The steak enchiladas are amazing, the border burritos are fantastic, the Navajo Nachos with chicken are probably the best nachos I’ve ever had and I get them routinely.
My absolute favorite though is a seasonal special they do, a fajita burrito. Sateed summer squash, bell peppers, onions, rice, guacamole, cheese, and smoked chile sauce. They do chicken, veggie, or seafood but the chicken is by far the best. I spend such ridiculous amounts of money on these burritos every time they are in season, it’s probably a good thing they don’t serve it year round or I’d never eat anything else, and I’d be broke.

DO NOT I repeat DO NOT order the margaritas!!! They are disgusting! The shrimp tacos are good but the salsa had no flavoring at all.

Good place to some fast Mexican food. Came on a Friday night, ordered a Howlin tostada and some Santa Fe nachos. The guacamole on the nachos was really good and fresh. The salad was huge and tasty. My only complaint is that the salsa bar was messy and there weren’t many clean tables. I counted about 6 tables that had dishes just sitting there until half way through our meals.

If your looking for a good burrito, this isn’t the place. I ordered a burrito and was not folded right it all fell apart and couldnt eat it.

Dos Coyotes is an essential stop on most of my trips back to Sacramento. You can’t go wrong with anything from their main menu. The Navajo Nachos are topped with tons of cheese and other goodies, and the Caesar salad has these great garlic tortilla chips that are worth bagging and selling separately. Today I got the chicken and shrimp gumbo from their seasonal menu and was delightfully surprised! It also came with two little mini quesadilla slices with spinach for dipping. One of my favorite lunch stops in sac town.

My first exposure to a Dos Coyotes was at this particular restaurant many years ago when I went on a first date with Joe K. This was one of his favorite places, and I had no idea what to order, so he ordered several different dishes that I could sample. Of course we couldn’t eat all of that food, but there was plenty of delicious left overs to take home! That was one dinner date I’ll never forget!
Recently, during some holiday shopping at the Arden Fair Mall, we decided to check them out again to see if they were just as good! This time we didn’t order as much food, but a meal for each of us seemed more financially reasonable. I ordered the Yolo Cranberry chicken burrito, and Joe got the California Taco plate. As we casually waited for our dinners to be prepared, it was fun reminiscing about the good old days and how Dos Coyotes has become one of our favorite restaurants to go to. Usually we go to either the one in Elk Grove or on Folsom Blvd. because they are more convenient to our locations.
I have a fondness for Dos Coyotes because the food is different, with unexpected ingredients that seem to bring a pleasant surprise of delicious flavor combinations. And you certainly get a huge plate of food from salads to tacos! It’s not just Mexican food, it’s their creative version of Southwestern/​Mexican border style dishes. It also has a large, well maintained salsa bar. I never get tired of eating here because they have a nice variety of options to choose from. Along with their standard menu, they always have seasonal specials.
This restaurant lives up to the franchise standards. Our food was delicious and the staff gave us friendly service with a smile! We will most likely be returning here again during our next shopping endeavor!

Likes: tasty flames chicken, salsa bar, real dishes
Dislikes: if you want to sit in the restaurant, but your friend gets food in the food court instead of dos coyotes, they forbid it. Salsa area cramped and spoons are so tiny

The prices are reasonable and they give you a lot of food. I was looking at the salads because they were on a ginormous tortilla, but decided on the nachos. They were great and I had great left overs. They were around $ 8.50 for the ones with pulled pork. There was a lot of sour cream, guacamole, refried beans and pulled pork. The nachos were a dark color and all of them were covered with something. The water dispenser was the traditional clay pot. I think the clay makes the water taste better and the soda machine is the one you can mix and match. I will try them out again, but we had to ask for complimentary chips instead of being offered. Be sure to ask for them.

Good selection of burritos, salads, etc. Clean location, good taste, attentive good servers being out your plates and help as needed while enjoying your meal.
Recommend the Yuka salad… excellent.
Also had the beef in beer sauce burrito… good.
Salsa bar great selection &wide variety… I recommend the clear green sweet salsa. Excellent

Dos is an institution around here. Fresh food and generous portions are standard. The salads are terrific here. The Yucatan and Yin Yang are very satisfying and delicious. You may want to share the salad with a buddy, they are that big. Dos isn’t a Mexican food place. It’s fresh food that looks Mexican. The salsa bar rocks as well.

Love their all you can drink machine. It pours out all different flavors, fizzy or no fizz and all different calorie count. You can get soda with fizz or vitamin water. It also spews out ice.
The food is ok. They don’t give you enough dressing, but you can buy more. I think that’s a bit odd. You can help yourself to salsa but not salad dressing. I’d be more of a fan if I got more dressing.
They have their own bathrooms which is nice as the other places make you go to the one downstairs.

The grilled corn on the cob. Get it. NOW. Seriously, get it now while it’s still on the seasonal menu. Trust me, you will be one sad face if you miss out on this perfectly charred piece of corn heaven, served with an outstanding chili-​lime butter and philosopher cheese. You probably don’t even need the soft, mild white cheese because it’s really the rich and creamy butter that catapults the corn to culinary heights. You just want to slather it on everything! I could base my whole review on just this one $ 3 item, but since it’s only around for a limited time, I’ll let you know what else I recommend (although I’m still thinking about that dreamy butter!).
The salads are huge, made with a ton of fresh veggies, and signature grilled protein on a king sized bed of mixed greens. I’ve had the Yucatan and the Yin Yang (Asian chicken salad), the latter being my favorite. It’s the sesame-​based dressing they put on the Yin Yang that makes this dish a standout. I could drink that stuff.
You can never go wrong with their burritos. The grilled steak is my favorite. The border burrito is huge, with all the fixings inside. Getting it wet (red sauce and melted cheese on top) is always a messy indulgent. Go for the Southwest if you prefer a smaller burrito with just the meat, cheese, guacamole, and salsa. Light and crisp tortilla chips come with the burrtios.
Dos Coyotes has one of the best salsa bars in the universe. Among the 6 different red and green salsas to choose from, there’s usually a seasonal or special, like mango or corn. My favorites are the thick green one that resembles a pureed guacamole and the mango (if they have it).
Service is great. Employees are fast and friendly. I’ve never had an issue with takeout orders either.
Four stars only because a few items I’ve had, not mentioned in this review, were just average in taste. But I’m definitely a fan of Dos Coyotes, and an even bigger fan of that grilled corn on the cob!

«…Ranchero Burrito A la Carte (steak) is the symbol of a wet Burrito»
(Note this review is based on my entrée alone)
The Ranchero Burrito A La Carte with steak (spicy) has never failed me, except the chip portions. I’ve ordered their nachos and salads before, but I always come back for their hearty wet burrito. Avoid the chicken option, the chicken seems flat or mundane to me and i believe there is a vegetarian option as well.
Personally, the Ranchero Burrito A la Carte (steak) is the symbol of a wet burrito. I’ve tried many others in SF and LA but fail to find its rival (i’m open to any recommendations). However, at this moment and time, i think Dos’s Ranchero Burrito will suffice.
The presentation is always sloppy but mouth watering, and every bite you take screams for more. Remember, the plate is hot and so wait for the cheeses and sauces to marinate. Don’t forget the salsa and lime from the salsa bar!!!
Recap:
***Payment – credit/​cash (I believe they don’t allow DISCOVER or AMERICAN EXPRESS transactions, just MASTER or VISA)
***My experience – I’ve had this dish for almost 10-​years+++ and it always addicting
***What’s in the burrito? Steak (of course), guacamole, baked in ranchero sauce, salsa, and love
***Portion – Hugeee!!! (thats what she said) and i wouldnt get the South West Plate — Ranchero, the rice and beans are just way too much (unless you are returning from a 2– week expedition in the woods and need of calories).
Rating ⁴⁄₅ because its great but not perfect! I feel like the imperfections is what makes this burrito awesome (e.g. sloppy presentation).

My boyfriend and I originally went to the plaza for Pluto’s, but after seeing that Dos Coyotes’ seasonal menu had gumbo, we decided to try this place. We both like gumbo, so we had some standards that this gumbo needed to pass.
I’ve never tried Dos Coyotes because it never really sounded appetizing. I should have followed prior encounters. The gumbo tasted like Progresso. It really could have been from a can, and they were selling it for $ 9 with a measly spinach quesadilla. But since we were hungry, we just ate it.
It wasn’t TOO bad, but for a restaurant charging about $ 10 for it, it was disappointing. If you want gumbo, go to a place that specializes in gumbo, like a New Orleans restaurant. That was our fault. Dos Coyotes should stick to… whatever they do. Mexican? American? Not sure what they actually do, but stick to that.
Whenever we come to the plaza for Pluto’s, we always see that Dos Coyotes is crackin’, so maybe they really do make good food, but their gumbo tasted like canned soup. Not worth the money.

Chain Mexican restaurant in the Sac and Davis area. Located in the Arden Mall Plaza (next Barnes&Noble and UO), surrounded by other food venues such as CPK, Plutos, Smash Burger, Subway, Taro’s Sushi, etc.
You can order here and dine out in the food court area, so you and your friends can order meals from different restaurants but dine together. I wasn’t sure what to get, but decided on a salad since I didn’t want to end up in a food coma. I saw a few tables eating what seem to be a GIANT PLATE of salad… it is DEFINITELY enough for two! Most people were sharing. I got a Yucatan Salad ($ 9), it was tasty. Has a tortilla as the base with black beans, chicken, corn, tortilla chips and other yummy toppings. I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them (note to self: try the salmon salad!)
Drinks: Watermelon margarita, bottled beers, self-​serve mixable flavor soda dispenser ($ 2.22), water, iced tea.
Overall, lots of options to eat in this plaza. Good choice for big salad or Mexican food. Better than the food in the actual mall food court.

This place rocks! My friend and I ate here right after we had seen a movie next door. It was a bit crowded and cramped in the restaurant, but I had a pleasant experience. Service was awesome, especially from the young lady who brought our food to the table.
The Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos I ordered were well-​seasoned and cooked perfectly topped with fresh vegetables. The dish was also served with tortilla chips; however, with an endless supply of salsa from the salsa bar, I thought the chips on my plate was all I would enjoy, but the server surprised me with a basket full of chips when I asked about it.
Can’t wait for my next visit!