El Pollo Loco

This place is amazing! The fire grilled chicken is so flavorful. As for the sides I’m not a fan. The rice is kinda dried and I’ve tried it a couple of different times. The beans are not all that great either. Only thing that was good besides the chicken was the salsas, salads, burritos and mashed potatoes. I haven’t tried the Mac n cheese so I’ll have to next time I’m craving pollo loco. Now I’m giving it 4 stars even tho the chicken deserves 5 but the staff needs to be friendlier they are not all that nice. They are trying to rush you while you order and that’s so annoying.

2^nd time and last time I try this place. Ordered 2 piece combo with broccoli and Mac n cheese. This was the smallest chicken wing I have ever seen. Completely dried out, absolutely no meat on the skinny bone. The skin was missing from the breast. The broccoli was brown and cold. Their Mac and cheese must be the blue box crap. The green sauce was really good and the Diet Coke was flat. So bummed, I really wanted to like this place

I love the chicken avacado burrito, it has to be my absolute favorite. Then I always substitute the chips and queso with either charro beans or their delicious corn.
The only reason I didnt give 5 stars is because I once had a bit of chicken bone in the burrito, and other times the chicken has been a bit overdone.

Yummy fresh food, grilled chicken, under 500 calories menu, my new fav place, been there twice this week!
My new favorite is the Chili lime shrimp avocado tacos! Awesome!

It was a cold and rainy evening. I was driving home from my 5^th visit to the gym in 3 days and I was on day 2 without sleep. Needless to say I was whooped and in search of something that would satisfy the ravenous hunger I felt, but that also wouldn’t undo my past three days of hard work. I was in no mood to fight the crowds at Chick-​Fil-​A, let alone try to get across the traffic on HWY 6. Not only that, but I don’t exactly love love their grilled nuggets anyway. But what was I to do? I have apparently been brainwashed into craving entire chickens with a side of hard boiled eggs after I work out, so I needed my protein.
Then almost immediately after CFA, there was El Pollo Loco to my right. I had passed El Pollo Loco daily, but had never heard of them prior to this location opening and really had no idea what to expect from their menu. But, chicken was right there in the title and there was no line. Done. I whipped into the drive thru and someone answered the intercom and asked me to hold on momentarily, which was fine by me because it gave me time to go over their menu. I spotted their chicken dinners, but I literally wanted only chicken, no veggies or sides of any kind! So when they came back to ask me for my order, I asked if I could just have two chicken breasts and of course they said yes, gave me my total, and asked me to drive around to the window. I pulled up, I paid the nice kid at the window, he handed me my dinner, and he wished me a great night. I thanked him and headed home.
The delicious aroma quickly filled my car and I could hear my stomach screaming for sustenance. It took so much of me to not rip that box open and start gnawing on that chicken breast while I steered my way home with one hand, but woefully, I knew that I needed to weigh it before I consumed it. The drive home was intense as I anticipated what beautiful piece of meat was hiding in that bag that emitted such a melodious scent.
I arrived home and headed straight to the kitchen to get my weigh and grub on. I opened the box to see two delectable juicy looking pieces of chicken. I weighed them and finally, I took my first bite. The meat was very well seasoned and not at all dry as chicken breast often is. But wait, what was that taste? Maybe this was some kind of seasoning I didn’t recognize, so I took another bite to see if I could put my finger on it. It was not a taste I liked though… It was chemical-​like… So, I decided to try the other piece. Hmm, this piece was delicious, with no hint of that other flavor. So, I finished this piece and ate some grape tomatoes to compensate for the missing piece of chicken.
At this point, I feel pretty confident that I have now consumed some form of cleaning agent. But, I’m still alive today, so yay for that! However, because of this, I’m gonna have to dock a couple of stars from my review.

This for was my first time trying The Crazy Chicken. I had the chicken enchilada plate & it was pretty good I’ll probably come back but not to this location. The establishment is very dirty but the service was very fast.

From the new Ultimate Double Chicken Entrées — get the Double avocado grilled chicken salad! It is the BOMB dot COM… this salad is awesomely delicious. Wait, is that HALF an avocado in it?! I don’t know, but it’s not a slither. The chicken chunks are plentiful and the greens mixture has been spot on every time. I have ordered this salad 3x’s just to make sure my taste buds, eyes, tummy and purse wasn’t pulling a fast one on me. Nope — CONFIRMED — it’s great.
Please please… thank me later: D

I would always love to come at any banch of El Pollo Loco !
The price is very affordable and it is good if you bring your family and friends and for sure they will love it too!
Their side dishes are also good i am not into spicy food but their salsa and good enough for me.
I am always looking forward if they can open a branch near our place Conroe or The Woodlands;))
Their staffs were very nice ! The food is hot & fresh when served:))
I just had a bad experienced with their nachos i guess when i bought it was already exposed for hours that is why its not crispy when i ate it:((but no worries for me because what matters most is the chicken! Ilove it to the bones!

This is nice place to go to get fresh fast-​food, except the chicken breast is often dry and over-​cooked. This food is better for you than burgers.

Very good experience! Very tasty food, well made and the flavor of the Shrimp is incredible!

Very disappointed! I expected better. Ceased salad with iceberg lettuce from a bag. It was not appealing. Rice was so-​so, chicken needed a little more cooking.

I am going to keep this review short and sweet. The chicken is excellent. You can actually taste the bird. It does not feel like you are eating Monsanto. However, as a side, I had mashed potatoes and coleslaw which felt like something I used to get from the dollar tree while in undergrad freshman year due to the no stove no foreman no anything other than your personal nuclear microwave policy.
Highly recommend the chicken and only the chicken. I’ll definitely try some other sides. The place is very clean and the food looks very appetizing. When you are ordering and you see the chicken being cooked on the grill it really makes you want to keep coming back.

Was really looking forward to finally eating here after waiting and watching it be built.
It is too expensive for fast food and the chicken was way over cooked. Gave it several tries to see if it would get better but nope.
Sad

Yes I also haven’t had this since San Antonio as a kid, never went much there because my palate wasn’t mature then, I was only into fried chicken sadly and honestly never gave it much of a chance before I believe they went out of business or moved. Now that one is nearby, I found myself wanting to try it anew, and I’m so glad I did, very tasty chicken!
The main thing here is the chicken and for fast food this is really good, certainly different, and the citrus flavor/​rotisserie is why. If I had to compare it, I would put it with taco cabana in terms of quality, fresh ingredients just different items on the menu.
I got a double chicken bowl which was way more food than i expected. Lots of mexican rice and beans as filler, with some melted Monterrey jack and a slice of alvacado, very little lettuce, in a way very like a chipotle bowl, but again the chicken is what stood out, the lime infused, moist, perfectly cooked chicken.
Also got a taco al carbon which looked very pedestrian, but the taste was very acceptable for the price. It’s always good to have a cheap go to item on a menu when you don’t want to get sucked into a whole meal combo, a couple of these can make a cheap meal. Diced onions, chicken they describe as chopped citrus-​marinated fire-​grilled thigh meat, cilantro, wrapped in a double corn tortilla. Dip that in their excellent green sauce (which is slightly spicy) and it was very tasty. The tacos in the pictures look great although someone mentioned they were pre-​made and cold; however, I have had some pretty good cold tacos in my life, I just wish they were more fresh but I’ll have to try for myself next time. Looks like a lot of things actually to try on the menu for another day, like churros (hopefully not filled).

The grand opening crowds have finally subsided and I can come enjoy a tasty meal at my local El Pollo Loco. The first few months after opening were a complete mess. You could hardly find any parking, the drive-​thru was flooded, and there was hardly any seating available to dine in. Thank goodness that’s all over with.
Came on a Thursday night, needed to fuel up before hitting the gym hard. Traffic was very slow around 8:30 — 9:30PM. I walked in and was immediately helped out without any wait. The cashier was pleasant. I ordered a 2pc combo of their citrus marinated chicken, normally it comes with a leg and a thigh or a wing and a breast. I payed $ 1.75 extra to get two breasts. I’ve always been breast kinda guy.
There’s tons of sides to choose from like rice, corn, broccoli, mac & cheese, mashed potatoes, cole slaw, black beans, and more.
I always get the mashed potatoes here because they are BOMB AS FUUU’! aka really effing good. For my second side, I usually get the rice or the black beans but this time with the help from the cashier, I ventured off and picked the Mac & Cheese. Omg, the Mac & Cheese is sooo cheesy! I love it.
My total for my meal was $ 10.33, drink included.
Everything was pretty great, the food was fresh, the citrus marinated chicken was on-​point, but… There’s one thing this place really needs to fix. THE HORCHATA!
I’ve come a total of 4 times to this location since grand opening, and the Horchata is always ‘Out of Order’ or they have ran out. I walked over to the fountain drink station seeking out the Horchata, had a huge smile on my face, happy to see that the ‘Out of Order’ sign was not present, only to be completely disappointed when all that came out of the machine was tap water.
I’m Hispanic, I need to have my horchata fixed! I expect to have a cup of horchata on my next visit. Okay? Okay.

ok its… chicken everything. I had some tacos they were ok– nothing special probably won’t go back with so many choices.

I have to say that this is my 3^rd time to this location because I was keeping hope alive because I recall how good they were in California. However someone dropped the ball, seriously.
My last visit and I mean my Last now was totally unacceptable.
I was in the drive thru at the hwy 6 location and when I ordered my drinks with my food I asked for a Large cup, I was then told «We Have No Large cups left» So I then asked for 2 medium drinks, to which I was told «We have no Medium cups» So I then asked do you have any cups? she responded «We have only kid cups right now «what Fast food drive thru restaurant runs out of all their cups, this is inventory 101 and unacceptable if they think they are going to compete with Chik Fil A and Carls Jr next door. They need to step up their game and give the owner of that store a reality check and retrain the management staff or replace.
I will NOT be going back

Cali is officially taking over Texas!
just another little taste of home here in Houston (my new home)
a much healthier option for chicken and it’s always sooo moist and flavorful. I fed a family of 8 for under $ 30 can’t complain about that!
they also have an amazing salsa bar that you won’t see if you go to the drive thru I would suggest asking for one of each!

I have to give this a 4 only because they advertise salads so much and my lettuce was not very fresh.
Service 5 stars
Cleanliness 5 stars
Taste of chicken 5 stars
Environment 5 stars
Price 4 stars (tad pricey)
But I’m a salad critic by heart and must have fresh lettuce.
Maybe next time they’ll do better.

Well finally got some El Pollo Loco. Last time was years ago in San Antonio and CA after our Bally’s workouts.
Wow has the menu grown! Back in CA years ago it was basically just the grilled citrus marinated chicken and fewer authentic sides. We remember the chicken pieces being larger also. They went loco and now also offer a snack menu, $ 5 combos, tostadas, burritos, chicken salads, enchiladas, quesadillas, tacos and bowls all using their citrus marinated grilled chicken meat. There are also four desserts available.
Today I had a few minutes after an appointment so I stopped in to get me a 2 piece with a breast and wing which came with 2 sides. I chose the mash potatoes with gravy and the loco side salad for $ 6.79. I had my own water. The two chicken pieces were dry and small in size. The mashed potatoes were instant. The loco side salad was pretty good with slightly puffed tortilla strips and grated cheese. It was very fresh. You can choose corn or flour tortillas. The skin of the chicken was yummy but I found my 2 pieces of the chicken meat a bit salty. Overall the chicken meat rolled up in the tortillas with some goodies from the salsa bar tasted pretty good.
I got a whole chicken to go also with the 8 mixed pieces. When I reheated the chicken pieces in the toaster oven at home with foil laying over the chicken pieces they were moist and not overly salty. Some chickens must get more salt on them some how. We had the rice and broccoli as our sides and were happy considering this is fast food. We also split our tortillas half corn and flour. The whole mixed chicken meal (8 pieces), 2 large sides, tortillas of your choice and the salsa bar was $ 20.99 + tax with no drinks. IMO it feeds about 3 average adults.
They also had fresh slices of avocado in some of their entrees. Service was pretty good. They have a drive thru also. Plus a kids menu.
Four star because I think the chicken pieces could be a bit larger. Also inconsistencies in the moistness and salt content between my lunch and dinner meal.
We need one of these in The Woodlands with all the CA transplants up here!!!