Dos Coyotes - Davis Wiki

South Davis Patio

Location	North Davis at The Marketplace	South Davis at Oakshade Town Center
Address	1411 W. Covell Blvd. #107 & #108	2191 Cowell Blvd. Ste. A
Hours	Sun - Thu 11:00 AM - 9:30 PM	Sun - Thu 11:00 AM - 9:30 PM
	Fri - Sat 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM	Fri - Sat 11:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Phone	(530) 753-0922	(530) 758-1400
Fax	(530) 753-0724	(530) 758-1450
Established	January 9, 1991	December 13, 2000
Web Page	North Davis Location	South Davis Location
Menu	Click Here
Catering	catering@doscoyotes.net	catering number (530) 753-0202

South Davis location

Dos Coyotes is a chain of restaurants that serve southwestern (not Mexican or TexMex) style food. They started in Davis in January 1991, and now have seven locations in the greater Sacramento area, including North and South Davis, Arden, Roseville, Folsom, Elk Grove and West Sacramento. Their slogan is "Have you had your DOS today?" The back of their menu (and their website) has a letter which is signed "B. Coyote" and lauds a visit to a Davis location.

The name "Dos Coyotes" derives from the owner's name— Bobby Coyote. Jokes involving Acme products aside, it's unclear who the other Coyote is. It is said (and disputed) that the other Coyote is Bobby's ex-wife, the co-founder of the restaurant. She no longer works for the company, but may still own part of it. The owner of Dos lives in North Davis, and has one of the moving sun/horse/skyline things that can be found in the windows of the North Davis location on their front lawn.

Some people believe the North Davis location (the original) is somewhat better than the South Davis location in terms of quality and portion size. Others prefer the South Davis location, which just goes to show that food preferences are subjective. The North Davis location is significantly noisier (both inside and out) and the South Davis outside patio is significantly nicer. Both locations serve a sizable variety of salsas, with options ranging from guacamole-based to old standbys like pico de gallo, and from mild to hot. The quality of meat used is quite good, including premium Angus beef. Dos Coyotes also orders their produce daily so you know that your food is always fresh when you order it. The food is prepared without lard, MSG and trans fat. Their daily specials can be very interesting and are written on the chalkboards in each restaurant, as well as on the Dos Coyotes Website. Their menu is divided into burritos, tacos, Southwest plates, antojitos (quesadillas, nachos, taquitos etc.), salads, kid stuff, side orders, and beverages. On the back of the menu you will find the Dos Coyotes Feeding the Pack- Catering Menu. They offer several seafood and vegetarian options — they are particularly famous for their immense salads (for other immense salads see Pluto's). They also have a "guilt-free" light menu. They have more than 30 varieties of beer, priced $2.00-$2.50.

Note that they do not serve Mexican (or TexMex) food, and they make that fact very clear on their website and other marketing materials. Despite this, many people lament such "inauthentic Mexican food." It's a bit like lamenting that Jimmy Buffett or John Denver are bad country singers... when neither sings country music, but rather something vaguely similar but regionally distinct. Southwestern cuisine has a heavy influence from Mexican cuisine, but also inherits a good deal from the chuck wagons of the old west cowboys and other non-Mexican sources.

They have free WiFi and participate in the Off Campus Meal Plan. Dos Coyotes also donates toward the fireworks of the city's annual 4th of July events, as well as Celebrate Davis.

See other similar options.

North Davis Patio

Media

Read a story about owner Bobby Coyote and Dos Coyotes in Davis Life Magazine.

Read a review of Dos Coyotes in Davis Life Magazine.

Comments:

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Older comments and reviews were moved to separate pages

Reviews from 2005 ~ 22 comments.
Reviews from 2006 ~ 11 comments.
Reviews from 2007 ~ 25 comments.
In 2007, a commenter posted about finding hair in their food, and the results of their attempt to get a refund. The fallout and long discussion generated by the incident (some ~35+ comments after purging) were moved to the Dos Coyotes/Purported Hair and Refund Incident.

2008-01-22 21:43:31 For an entertaining time, check out the "hair incident" or whatever it's labeled under for a hilarious anecdote of Amy Lee finding a hair inside her salmon burrito. She and Bobby Coyote have a battle of emotions that amounts to nothing. Really, it's good reading! —Chronoz

2008-05-16 14:14:40 Always like the food here. I usually go to the north location, but went to the south for the first time today. I always get the shrimp burrito. Both places makes it well, but for some reason I prefer the north burrito....more sauce or something? —tgdavis

2008-05-16 15:26:58 I used to eat at the North Dos several times a week. It was convenient and the food is decent. Now, while I don't mind going there from time to time, I don't really understand why people rave about this place. Yea, the food is good (although, I've been served cold food on occasion) and I enjoy the salsa bar, but still. . .this place is way overrated. It is what it is, cheap tex-mex. —CurlyGirl26

2008-06-09 19:37:01 they're really really tasty, but they need to keep the flies out of the salsa. —Adaleen

2008-06-13 20:58:29 Dos coyotes is the best! My favorites are the shrimp burrito and the Adobe salad —jrendler

2008-11-11 00:13:39 I used to order the Howl'n Tostada ensalada (get the dressing on the side if you are health-conscious) here a LOT...but now I am kind of burnt-out on the place. They give you SO MUCH FOOD it is kind of overwhelming at times, and they are not the cheapest place in town. Aree Rating: 7/10. —ArianeMetz

2008-11-13 09:08:44 This is the worst Mexican food I have had in a long, long time — and since I eat it at least 2-3 times a week, that's saying a lot. As others have said, the enchilada sauce is so sickeningly sweet and reminiscent of chef Boyardee that I could only eat a few bites. The rice and beans were bland. I had some of my friend's burrito, and it was nothing but said bland rice. Bad Tex Mex... never going back. —mattf

It's not Mexican. It's Southwestern. By the same reasoning, Silver Dragon is also bad Tex Mex, with very bland rice. —jw

2008-11-16 18:12:38 VEGETARIANS BEWARE!!!!! i was at dos coyotes last night with a big group, and one person ordered a veggie burrito (the ranchero i think). this person is so vegetarian he wont eat marshmallows. so imagine how upset he was when he found a big chunk of steak on his plate! it was a big stew sized piece of beef mixed in with the sauce that was poured over the burrito. one would hope that a place like davis could handle the "enormous" challenge of not serving meat to vegetarians, but sadly, dos coyotes fails at this simple task. this was the marketplace location by the way. —aro

2008-12-26 14:18:46 Loooooove the shrimp burritos. The Covell location is cozy, but be careful to sit in the back if you go to the Cowell location in winter—it's smaller and if you sit too close to the door, the cold air will waft in over you every time someone comes in! The food has always been good & tasty—and when I've ordered take-out, they always give me a big bag of chips (so make sure you've got extra salsa at home!). —RHeinman

2009-01-26 17:41:44 I came all the way from BC Canada Just to get my Border Burrito fix! nothing fills me up more than a Border steak. I would loved to eat one of those right now. When can we get a Dos in Canada? Im dieing out here !

CR —CurtisRobinson

2009-01-30 20:42:13 My sons and I eat at the South Davis Dos Coyotes about once a week. We enjoy the noise (my boys are noisy) and the floor-to-ceiling windows, and my Southwest Vegetarian Burritos are pretty tasty. Mostly we keep coming back because my boys like the food, because it's nearby, and because we appreciate the excellent customer service. The employees are friendly and remember what we order. Manager Suzie, in particular, offers first class service to the diners. When the place is not too busy, she checks on each table asking about the food. Once I saw that she discovered that the kitchen had made a mistake with an order, and she immediately went to prepare the meal herself, returning quickly with an apology and the correct order. Later I followed this family out as they commented on the excellent service, and the Mom put a five dollar bill in the tip jar. Everyone was smiling and well fed. —DrandyJones

2009-07-21 00:28:10 Decent food and service, but I'd much rather take the short drive over to Chipotle. Their menu isn't as vast as Coyotes, but the food sure makes up for it. —longboardlover

2009-08-17 21:01:11 Dos Coyotes is by far one of the best restaurants in Davis. I have been eating here for over 15 years and in that time they have always been consistent with food quality, kept a clean restaurant/kitchen and continued to satisfy my taste buds with new creations. The owner also supports the Davis community in many ways. Why longboardlover would choose to support Chipotle (McDonald's owned) over a local business is beyond me. As for the criticism that the food isn't real mexican food....I'll take grubbin southwest "mexican" food over crappy "authentic" any day. I love Mexican food and Davis just doesn't have any restaurants that even come close to satisfying my craving. Seriously, La Esperanza is probably considered "authentic" and it has gone way down hill over the last 15 years. They will charge you almost four dollars for a bean and cheese burrito that's a fifth of the size of a Dos bean and cheese burrito. And for all you vegetarians out there-uh, this is a busy restaurant and mistakes happen. Get over it. Thank you Dos Coyotes! I love you! —shelanagig

Just because something is locally owned does not make it better. I personally think Chipotle puts too much rice in their burritos and Dos Coyotes overcharges for everything (I usually end up spending seven dollars on a basic burrito and six dollars on chips with beans and cheese). My favorite restaurant with burritos has to be Taqueria Guadalajara because I can spend six dollars for a pretty big burrito that comes with guacamole and sour cream (yea, amazing, does not cost extra). —hankim
Chipotle is no longer owned by McDonald's. McDonald's sold their stake in ownership in October 2006. Chipotle is now an independent company.

2009-08-18 23:11:54 the burrito was wrapped terribly. it fell on my pants. good job americans. —jasonwon

2009-09-26 21:03:21 Beware! It'll cost you an extra $10 to get a carafe of margaritas! Two glasses of margs are about $5 each and each carafe, which is equal in volume to two glasses, is $20! We went through this whole thing proving it to them and they gave us a free carafe rather than our money back. Yet, still, it sells for $20 a month later! —mbyars

2009-11-08 20:59:23 the enchiladas SUCK... they always put onions in the sauce, and it tastes like it just came from a can. ew. However, they do do a nice job grilling the chicken, although they dont really separate out the good and bad meat. The only thing I order is the ranchero burrito, big enough to split, pretty damn good! they always put lots of cheese, but they should start serving it with SOUR CREAM....it would be alot better.

—mrandmrs

2009-11-10 16:08:43 We also got over-charged for the carafe of margs. What a rip off! I wish we had spoken up! —ashleyinthemist