Pollo Campero

really wanted to try out a Guatemalan version of KFC, and that’s what i got!
Very tasty chicken in a bowl (i had to add loads of hot sauce though), okay plantains, okay yuca fries, yummy horchata (though i’m not expert), and decent tres leche cake (for something that comes pre-​packaged… eat around the top though). My pal and I enjoyed our meals, the seating area was clean and everything was quickly bussed for us by friendly staff.
Oh, the woman at the counter was really helpful too! I’m notoriously indecisive (especially when everything sounds tasty), and appreciated her patience…
Cool place to go if you want to explore Washington Heights (afterwards, my friend and I walked a couple miles to avoid food coma) and/​or grab a quick, cheap, tasty meal.
Gchat message from said pal: «i liked getting fried chicken, that was the high pt this week»
haha, so true!

I love these Latin style fast food restaurants. They’re so much tastier and healthier than regular chains. Pollo campero also lends to the Latin atmosphere by playing lively Latin music. Their fried chicken is basically how KFC’s fried chicken would taste if KFC actually discovered how to make fried chicken correctly.
It’s not the best fried chicken I’ve ever had, (you can’t beat Tennessee or New Orleans no matter how hard you try), but certainly the best fast food fried chicken I’ve ever had. It’s very easy to distinguish the flavor between this chicken and KFC or Popeyes or Churches or any American fast food chicken you can think of. Also, they have a good selection of grilled chicken including sandwiches and even grilled chicken burritos. The burritos have a Dominican twist to them and are filled with red beans and rice and slices of juicy chicken. I think the burritos should be bigger like the kinds they have at El Pollo Loco in Southern California. They also bring the food to you wherever you’re sitting so there’s more of a personal touch. Prices are cheap, service is good, and the food is great. I wish they had these below 96^th street. I grow weary of the expensive yuppie food and yearn for honest and simple Latin food like this, which is rare below 96^th street.

This time last year I was sitting in sitting in a fast food joint in the cobblestoned colonial city of Antigua, Guatemala, stuffing my face with pollo.
Never mind the local restaurant where President Clinton dined when he visited Antigua a few years ago, I wanted to eat with the locals at the Guatemalan version of KFC… aka Pollo Campero.
I had Pollo Campero a couple of times in Antigua and again in Panajachel along the shores of Lake Atitlan. I then followed everyone’s lead at the airport and bought a bucket to bring on the plane home with me, which made some customs guys at JFK quite jealous.
To celebrate my year anniversary with Pollo Campero, I took the 1 to Washington Heights and ordered another bucket of PC from NYC’s 3^rd branch of this chicken haven.
PC may not be the best fried chicken in the city, but it’s got an admirable juicy-​to-​crispy ratio and a wonderful spicy kick that instantly reminds me of lunchtime in Antigua.
Now I’m at work, and all I can think about is that leftover pollo in my refrigedora. Pollo Campero, te quiero y voy a la casa pronto.

Chicken lovers, you know who you are! You like it roasted, or broiled or fried. If you grew up on fried chicken, then you are in a special class. We have been through KFC and Popeyes, Churches, and the numerous local fried houses. I have been through Texas, Oklahoma, California, Kansas City, St. Louis and New Orleans, local chicken joints. If you have appreciated any of those flavors, then you will be happy to find Inwood has a worthy workhorse in Pollo Campero. You might wait in line. I did. You might grow irritable. I did. But when you get your order, and you settle down, with your order, or take it home you are in for something special. A delightful blend of spices and flavor. If you get a side, take a moment and add cilantro or salsa from scratch. Blend it in and savor the taste of Mexico. But if its, fried chicken you want, pull up to a table and eat it hot. That’s when the flavors kick in. Forget about anybody else nearby. Just taste the chicken. Add a hot tortillia and enjoy the flavor. If you have ever had real Mexican food, or enjoyed a corn tortillia hot with serious spices, you will remember, just for a moment, a hot summer day, in the sun, when life was just a sweet moment between you and your taste buds. The roasted chicken is flavorful. The fried is tasty. The sides are preset and limited. But if you enjoy chicken fried or roasted, here is an everyday alternative to the standard KFC, Kennedy, Popeyes fare in New York with fewer calories and a moment of satisfaction.

Touted as the best and most famous Latin American style Chicken in the world, I’m sorry to politely disagree. Pollo Campero is like El Malecon mixed with McDonalds – the concept for fast food fried/​grilled chicken (with sides, desserts, and horchata to boot!) seemed like a good idea at the time, but as always the pictures NEVER match up with what you actually get.
I ordered two pieces of dark chicken with a specialty side of sweet plantains. The chicken was meager, the plantains were burnt. My friend ordered the chicken burrito, but was hard pressed to find any chicken in it. It was tasty, but not worth the money.
I think the thing that got me the most was that no one in there spoke English! We were greeted at the door in Spanish and my friend took more than 5 minutes to order because the cashier only spoke Spanish. Alas!
I think this is a great addition to the neighborhood (of ghetto-​ness) but I, for one, will not be returning.