Pollo Picante

After reading other reviews, I expected to be wowed by the food. We ordered street tacos and a chicken burrito. The tacos were very good, as were the side of beans, full of flavor and nicely spiced. The burrito, on the other hand, was heavy on rice and light on chicken. It also had quite a bit of gristle and some unidentified crunchy somethings I suspect weren’t supposed to be there. I may return to try a grilled chicken plate, which looked good, but the expectations are now much lower.

Wow! Really good food! I had the half chicken with beans and rice. Very flavorful and cooked perfect! Not dry at all. Loved the beans and the grilled jalapeño that came with the meal. Definitely will be a routine lunch spot for me!

I love this place! They always deliver to my business on time. their flavors real original and fresh.

Seriously amazing! Small and quaint and the food is so delicious. I recommend to anyone who wants a quick meal but doesn’t want to give up quality.

1400^th review! Why eat at El Pollo Loco when you can eat at the less crazy (And infinitely tastier) El Pollo Picante? This little restaurant in the midst of a strip mall serves up a delicious charcoal grilled chicken. When you step in the grilled aroma pleasantly surrounds you and you can see the cool grill set up they have in house. The menu is simple, which allows them to excel at what they do best– carne asada and pollo asado. I got a half chicken meal to go with rice and beans ($ 8.08). While I waited for my meal I took a seat and admired the spotlessly clean surroundings and small fridge with various bottled sodas. There is also a soda fountain behind the counter.
My meal was packaged in a few minutes and I was quickly out the door. The chicken was a hearty size, and I probably only ate about ½ portion of my meal for lunch. The sides and salsa were a generous portion in to go cups. The flavors of everything were great. Excellently seasoned, and well balanced. Everything went well with each other. In addition to the chicken, salsa, and sides, a generous portion of warm corn tortillas, pickled onions, a slice of lime, and roasted jalapeño was included. I especially loved the roasted jalapeño, which was perfectly grilled with a spicy kick.
Service was friendly with a smile. Definitely a great place for grilled chicken. I’ll have to come here next time to try the carne asada!

After having gone to another similar chicken place in Tempe, my expectations were high. This place was much closer to home so we decided to stop in.
There was no one dining when me and my friend showed up. The place was clean and the guy who took our order was friendly. We get our plates which consisted of chicken (not spicy at all) tortillas, and I forget what else. I think it was rice. Unfortunately, our chicken was SUPER DRY and BLAND. It literally had no flavor :(I really wanted to love this place but the chicken ruined it. It’s a chicken place, shouldn’t the chicken be tasting great? Maybe I will give it another try and hope that this time it’s seasoned.

Picante. Everything here is Picante in some way or another. For me that’s a good thing, for other people, maybe not so much. The pollo was picante, the beans were picante, the cold pasta salad was picante. The fresh salad, rice and tortillas were not. I stopped by on a Wednesday night and they had a buy one (either half off or free, don’t remember I am old). I bought the deal along with a cold 2 liter coke, which is a great deal for the price I paid. You want to know how much? I don’t remember…
The chicken was delicious and had great flavor. One of the chickens was a tad bit dry but we still enjoyed it. The beans, cold salad and salsa were also great. Their red rice was so bland, i let my kids eat all of it.
The place is small and clean. The girls working that afternoon were super nice and helpful.

The best pollo & carne asada you will find!
The restaurant is tucked away in a small strip mall located close to Mesa’s downtown area. Pollo Picante is immaculately clean and the staff greet you with a smile. There are several platters to choose from but it’s pretty simple you pick if you want chicken or steak and pick your sides.
It’s worth noting that all the side dishes are amazing and packed full of flavor, you get several different salsas including hot mild and medium along with some fresh guacamole that puts all others to shame. Additionally you get fresh grilled jalapeños, onions and some other vegetables which I didn’t eat but it looks like nice. Pollo Picante does a great job with takeout orders & packed everything up very nicely.
In closing, if your taste buds are craving some amazing food at very good prices I highly recommend you visit this restaurant which is locally owned and family run and is a great option for satisfying some cravings.

I am so sorry to leave this review but I have to be honest… El Pollo Loco has nothing to worry about, the concept is cool the employees really try to please but unfortunately the chicken is a waste of time… no flavor what do ever, I think that they are depending on the charcoal smoke to flavor the Chicken. NOT!!! they have to usr some type of seasoning, the entire meal was just bland… I can not recommend this establishment. SORRY!!!

Loved their grilled chicken. Perfectly cooked, seasoned and priced. Had the ¼ chicken combo plate. Came with hearty portion of rice and beans and some corn tortillas. Rice and beans tasted homemade. Fast and friendly staff. Might order to go next time, walked out smelling like charcoal.

This is a no nonsense place. All they serve is charbroiled chicken and sides, but it’s really good charbroiled chicken. You smell the coals as soon as you walk in. Not much for atmosphere, but a good lunch spot and a tasty alternative to El Pollo Grosso.

Just happened to hear about this place on one of the Unilocal talk threads. The conversation was pretty amusing. Either way the food here is really good.
Located in a really small strip center with a small eating area. These guys grill up some tasty Chicken. They have a simple menu with counter service and a delivery area that extends out about 5 miles. Nice!
Ordered the Half Chicken Plate with a side of Beans and Rice. It also comes with some spicy Chili Peppers, Pickled Red Onions, Lime, Tortillas and homemade Salsa. The Mexican sodas that they have are always a fun treat as well.
Service is very friendly and the ordering process is not very difficult. You can get a ¼, ½ of whole chicken and they will cut it up and have it ready to go.
Hoping they may eventually add some more proteins to the menu. How about a little marinated Beef, Pork or some spicy Shrimp.
I’m definitely a BIG FAN and recommend coming over and giving these guys a try. You will probably see me over here for an early lunch. The prices are reasonable and the portions are large enough to fill you up. QUE FANTASTICO!
4.25 STARS

I had been looking for this type of restaurant, the only one i found was «pollo supremo» but it isn’t even close to this «pollo picante» i loved it and I am there on a regular basis. I highly recommend it. Place is very clean, delicious and GREAT service. If you ever consider in getting chicken, you DEFINITELY have fo try this one.

The staff was friendly and the eating area was clean. The chicken cooking smell was amazing when you first walked in.
Great Chicken with beans and rice.
We will definitely be back when we get that BBQ chicken craving.

We just ate lunch here, the place is small but quite clean. The menu is simple, chicken and 4 different sides and a few drink options, mostly bottled drinks. The chicken is excellent, perfectly seasoned and cooked just right, not dry at all. The prices are quite reasonable!

If you are looking for some authentic Mexican charcoal fire grilled chicken, look no further! The chicken at Pollo Picante is great! The chicken was cooked perfectly over a charcoal flame and seasoned just right. Prices are great as well. Half a chicken, 2 sides, tortillas, grilled jalapeño, pickled onions, lime and salsa for less than $ 8! That’s what I call a deal. Lucky for me the owner stopped into my place of business which is right down the street to let us know about his restaurant. Do yourself a favor and check them out. I am glad I did!

I work across the street and have been waiting for a good place to eat nearby and finally I have what I wanted. Pollo Picante is not just good it’s Great! Before you even walk in the door you begin to smell the amazing chicken on the grill. The menu is simple, bbq grilled chicken and a few different sides. They serve some of the best chicken I have ever had. The owner has a passion about what he does and his recipe is great!
The place is extremely clean. The staff is very nice and friendly. The prices are a great value. I’m a loyal customer already. Everyone should try this place!

This place is awesome. Reminds me of my favorite joint in Rocky Point. The chicken is juicy, flavorful and cooked to perfection. The simple menu is done just how it should be. The only thing missing to make it perfect is some shredded cabbage. I personally also like a larger, thinner tortilla but the street tortillas they serve are good.
Do not be put off by the slightly sketchy looking strip mall, this place is clean inside and the staff is friendly.
The meals are a good value and you should try the pineapple drink.