Pollo Tropical

I love this place. It is taste good and very cheap, very fast and friendly service, clean environment and easy find address. I have been there for several times and love it whenever I come in and come out. Really love it. Keep going, guys, you are doing a good job!

There are only 2 types of people that will read this review
1. Those who have never been to a Pollo Tropical
2. People who have achieved an epic level of boredom.
Seriously, do you need this review? Chances are you have been to a Pollo Tropical location before and guess what, this one is just like that: Awesome. Totally, ridiculously awesome and cheap food served in a dining room that always looks like you just missed a huge lunch rush and they haven’t had a chance to clean up yet. The food is so good, you won’t care that the tables need some attention.
If you haven’t been to a Pollo Tropical, take a chance. It’s fast food and it’s cheap, so even if you hate it, it’s not going to break you. But let me tell you this, as a resident of California for years I would have freaking DREAMS of this place. I would wake up excited after dreaming that they finally came to Los Angeles only to be saddened by the realization that I was still in my depressing, Pollo Tropical-​less pathetic life. Eventually I wised up and moved to Florida.
I noticed recently that they have been opening up stores in Texas, so finally Texans have a reason to live.

Stopped in today just for a quick bite. The place is pretty well kept by the looks of the place. For the most part clean but then it was 15 minutes after they opened so. For the most part I wanted a drink to kill off some mean heartburn that came out of nowhere. Now this the first time that I have ever been inside one of their stores. After all I’m pretty anti-​chains big commercial joints. This one racks right up there with the Mickey D’s and burger beetle places. So I stared at their menu till I gave in and got the 2.50 coke and went my merry way. I just came down here to look at my next project and maybe I’ll have to stop in cause of the location to the job. But, I will come kicking and screaming.

Definately not the nicest PT but not the worst. I think the worst goes to the Orlando PTs! This is quasi-​clean, chicken still food but they use plastic utencils! Makes it very difficult to cut the chicken etc.
All PTs should follow the model of PT on Park in Pinellas Park and on Waters in Tampa. They so far surpass this and the others in cleanliness, congeniality and overall satisfaction. PLUS they have actual flatware AND provide wetnap for the hands!
Seems it’s time for PT Corp to start standardizing their restaurants and stop allowing the franchisees to do whatever they want.
OH YEAH AND MY GREEN BEANS ARE COLD!!!
Chicken still tastes good!

I love the chicken, the beans, rice and yucca are also very good. I was planning to eat here at least once a week, but then I saw a large cockroach crawling up the wall next to my table. He wasn’t in a hurry, like he was afraid or anything, he was just strolling along…
If I see a roach in the dining area, I’m confident there are a lot more in the kitchen. Never again will I eat here. Never. Disgusting.

SO GOOD! I was suprised at how much I love this place. We are obsessed with the create your own Tropichop. I get chicken and recommend the yellow rice! Ive gotten the brown rice before but it just doesnt do it for me. The cilantro sauce is a must as well… poured all over it of course. Ok, now I want some! :)

Verdict on our visit and what we ordered:
Service: good
Balsamic Tomatoes: good
Chicken: passable with sauce
Mac and cheese and yellow rice: meh
Black beans: bland, but fine
Yuca: cold and hard
Rolls: stale
Garlic Sauce: tastes like vegetable oil

If you like flavorful grilled chicken, you’ll be quite happy, whether you choose bone-​in chicken, chicken sandwhich, or in a Tropichop. The yellow rice with veggies and the yuca fries are quite good, too. The beans, however, are watery and bland. But, to be fair: I experienced similar issues with the beans at several Pollo Tropicals, even in the Miami area, so I’m chalking it up as a problem with the franchise in general, rather than with this particular location. The Archer Road location definitely had better food than the UF campus one every time I tried them, though.

Rice and black beans with chicken: From excited to disappointed … Rice and beans super bad. The cooks forget that salt is somewhere in kitchen too. Have no taste at all. Chicken so far so good. Mmm maybe little more far but well for 10 $ what i want.

It’s met all my needs for the most part. I’ve had a few bad experiences. One time they ran out of chicken, and one time they burnt my chicken but over all it’s a pit stop to me when I want something quick and cheap and a lot of food to eat while under the same banner eat healthy.

I am giving review to the lady working the drive thru window on 3÷11÷15 (Ms. Foster) she was truly outstanding, multitasking everything being polite, accurate and just flat out good at what she does. She was amazing. The food was not to bad either.

Good stuff!

This is hands down my favorite place to eat in Gainesville. Great food at a pocket friendly price! I’ve had their food a thousand times now, and not once have they gotten it wrong. Okay, their corn soufflé was burnt and not fresh a couple of times, but they were always happy to replace it as soon as i got it to their notice.
Corn soufflé is my personal favorite side from pollo tropical. Their chicken is always tender. My friends and I always come back happy from that place, it’s something about their food.
I’ve never had a problem with their staff (which is why the 5 stars), they’ve always been friendly and helpful but some of my friends did have an issue a couple of times.
Garlic cilantro, spicy poyo poyo (beware, it’s very hot) and curry mustard are my favorite sauces from their sauce bar and i recommend you try them too!

I am just passing through and had dine in lunch. The roasted chicken which seems flame roasted and slight seasoned broth marinade… not bad. Very tender.
Sides were brown rice and black beans. These needed some stronger seasoning, seemed very light in the taste area.
Green beans were nicely cooked crisp and good taste.
Dine in customer service was quick and professional.
Good food and staff.

If you’re looking for budget-​friendly Cuban-​inspired food, Pollo Tropical is the place to go.
I tried Pollo Tropical the other day (in lieu of going to Mi Apa), and was very pleasantly surprised. I know this is a chain, but I had never been to one before. I ordered the BBQ pork sandwich, and my fiancé ordered one of the chicken bowls. The portions were perfect, the food was (and tasted) extremely fresh, and the prices were excellent. My BBQ sandwich, which came with one side and a drink, was only $ 5 and change. My fiancé got a drink with his chicken bowl, and in total we spent under $ 12. The food was delicious, and the sauce station has some really interesting, flavorful sauces. We will definitely be back and are excited to have Pollo Tropical in town.

Decent food for the price. I like the environment, the cleanliness, and the theme.
The chicken itself isn’t too great. I had one of those bowls, and it was basically what you would expect, but nothing special, unfortunately.
The guava bbq, however, was very good. And I like that there’s a sauce bar where you can control the sauces!

I’ve eaten at Pollo Tropical about five or six times since they opened up on Archer. If you’re thinking about eating fast food like McDonalds, then I would recommend going here instead. The food can be a bit boring here, but the price is about the same as other fast food options except the quality is better (and probably a bit healthier).
My favorite items on their menu so far have been their wraps (the chicken quesadilla) and the tostones. I usually get their chicken bowl (aka Tropichop) with various toppings, but the flavors are generally a one note affair.
The dining experience is a bit unpleasant, and to-​date they have an overly confused seating system. They should either be a full service restaurant or just let you order and pick up your own food. Since opening they have kept busy, and the dining room has been on the noisy and crowded side. I recommend just going through the drive through and skipping the chaotic dining in experience.
I was hoping for food that was a little more inspired, but it does the trick if you need food fast and cheap.

4^th visit — still needs work. Good food but they can’t get the order correct. It’s a made house –
I have now lowered my score to a 2 from 2.5.

I wish I could give them more stars. But it’s just OK
nothing great or unique going on here
Personally I think the local Cuban places (mi. Apa, etc) have much better food than pollo tropical. Boston Market has better chicken. The serving we received was small. The chicken met have been starved.
I was really looking forward to this place opening what a let down
You decide

With all the hype and with my memory of the location I visited in Miami, I couldn’t wait to have a Pollo Tropical in Gainesville. Sadly, my 1^st experience there was not one that would have brought me back.
The place is super busy and so there were two hostesses outside letting us know how long our wait would be. They said 10 minutes, but it was not to be… We got inside in less than 5, so great start to the long-​anticipated experience!
After we’re were inside, however, things took a turn. The line to order was horrible slow even though there were 3 cashiers taking orders. I can forgive this because it is, after all, a new location and unfamiliar to the Gainesvillians. This, ordering may take a bit longer… No big deal.
The prices are not bad and the options are many, plus I could add a fountain drink to my Tropichop for only a dollar. SWEET! Got my drink, sampled all the extra toppings and sauces, and sat down with my group. The hostess even brought an extra chair from somewhere in the back so we wouldn’t be crowded. Nice touch. Here’s where my joy ends…
I unwrapped the silverware (real eating wrenches, not plastic) and both the fork and knife were dirty, not water spots, stuck on food. Yum. So, because it was so busy in there, I wiped them off with my napkin and kept it to myself so as not to gross out my co-​workers.
The food started coming to the table… One order at a time. Now, when we ordered they’d told us our table was #6 and sure enough there was a marker on our table. Why then are you bringing one plate at a time? SIGH!
To the food critique: not bad, but not screaming YOU MUST EAT ME EVERY DAY!!! Sad face. The portions were somewhat small and the ingredients were fresh enough, but they forgot two of the toppings I ordered and there was really no contrast between the hot ingredients and the lettuce and tomatoes. Bummer. Wilted lettuce, but not because the hot food wilted it, looked almost like it had been either a lil frozen or just too old.
The sauces were varied and seem to be something there for every taste. They have fresh made mango tea… Too bad I don’t like mango.
Overall experience a 2.5, but since its new and they aren’t I’m their groove yet, and probably overwhelmed with the sheer volume of people testing the flavors… I’ll give a star for the servers being so friendly and helpful. And I’ll go again… When things settle down a bit.