El Pollo Loco

I was very disappointed with this location! I bought a 8 piece meal dinner and I couldn’t wait to get home to eat. When I opened the box the chicken is burnt and dry. I got on the phone ASAP to call them to let them about their product. The person I talked to you was very polite and she stated that to bring it back! so I brung it back the next day they cooked up some fresh hot chicken but the rice was hard and they didn’t have any salsa. I’ll keep going to the Hayward location!

Today was my first time trying the food it was not very good, no flavor, very dry. &+ also the fruit punch they gave me taste just like water no sugar no nothing. Very disappointed I really thought it would be a good place.

So I still remember the very first time I went to El Pollo Loco it was back when I was about 6 or 7 in San Francisco. It was a treat for us because we only went twice a year at the most. Then we stopped going and I forgot about it for some years. To my my surprise I saw a coming soon sign «gasp» I went in shock, «I remember that place from when I was a kid» I told my friends. But enough with the story let’s get to the good stuff.
I had the 3 Tacos al Carbon with a side is Mac and Cheese, and mashed potatoes. The perfect combo in my eyes. I always get some hot red salsa and mild green to add to my tacos. The food was awesome as usual and tasted really fresh.
The wait time is never bad and when it is it’s usually the customers that can’t make up their minds. Today went quick great customer service the food came out on time and I had a great lunch.
I come here often for the food and the service just keeps me coming back. So yes Unilocalers try this place out and enjoy.

Grilled chicken burrito, with avocado and salsa on the side. I LOVE that they toast the tortillas, as opposed to «steaming» their burritos. Try one! I just wish they had better chips!

Good food for fast food.
I never eat fast food.
Location is sketch.
Enjoy your chicken while watching all the hookers parade down international. I love the midget one… nice shoes.
Homeless will walk up to you and ask for money while you eat.
Overall, worth the trip. Think adventure you’ll be ok.

Great food, great service, friendly staff. Area is not the safest but the restaurant itself is a 5

Chicken done right, so damn good. That Cilantro sauce is killer.
I’m simply a Pollo Loco fan.
I wish they had more location like they do in L.A. at every 3 blocks.
Service is great, fast in and out.
Watch for street potholes and live zombies in the area.

It is almost never that I give a fast food joint a five star rating but El Pollo Loco deserves it!
I’m not a huge fan of chicken, but I am a huge fan of chicken done right!
My chicken is never dry and is always moist, juicy and flavorful. And I can’t forget about that delicious grilled chicken skin! YES, chicken skin! (The spices hit the skin first so it’s only right that it should taste amazing after it’s grilled.)
My food is always hot and they always get my order right.
There is a sweet lady who takes my order every time and she has the warmest personality I’ve ever encountered at a fast food restaurant.
Now the only thing I am waiting for is the Horchata machine…

we went there about 2 hours before closing time. Got a 3 piece combo (legs and thighs) with mash potato/​gravy and mac and cheese. The legs were a bit dry, thighs were good though. They were seasoned just right and the skin was crispy.
Mac and cheese was sooo cheesy and perfect! Mash potato is your typical MP you eat.
The Churros were hot and chewy. I can’t say it was the best, but it hit the spot for now.
As for Soda (pop to some of you), it was pretty watered down.

Oh yeah, that’s what I’m talking about!
$ 20 feeds at least 3 with the Mexican Salad 8-​piece special. It even comes with churros! Tastes good too!
Added bonus: if you head Northwest on International Blvd, you get to see a full on ho stroll at 6:00pm on a weekday! Such festive costumes makes it feel like carnival!

I don’t usually review fast food restaurants on here but I had felt I had to after my last visit to El Pollo Loco… 2 churros for $ 1! That my friends is a deal that can’t be beat. We all know how delicious a churro is when we’re at an amusement park or carnival and smell them from a mile away. The problem is they’re usually crazy over-​priced but you know how delicious they are so you pay it anyways. Well my friends, problem solved! Have a buck and craving that amazing treat? Boom… head to El Pollo Loco. I’m gonna be honest, I got 4 this weekend in one visit. $ 2 never went so far!

Went there for dinner last night with my daughter. We went through drive-​thru. Ordered the 3 pieces of chicken combo… I asked for rice and beans as my side dishes. In addition to that we got the crispy tacos.
When we got home I realized they left out the rice! Oh no! I was a little disappointed :) I bit into one of the crispy taco and noticed there was a piece of plastic in my taco! Soooo pissed off at this point!
I really like their chicken but will not go back to this place again.

I love EPL… I really do. Having grown up with this stuff in ESSJ, it will always have a place in my heart. The chicken is pretty damn good and I don’t feel disgusting after I eat it. The staff at this location is always super friendly and they have a drive-​thru.

El Pollo Loco always brings back happy memories. We won’t get into those memories but I will say that they happily include their green salsa and that little self-​serve bar where you can help yourself to as much of the lemons, cilantro, onions, and salsa that you want. Stuff like that warms my heart.
The vertically unchallenged youth and I were starting our taco crawl and I had to go to the bathroom badly. We ordered a few chicken al carbon tacos and I got a little token to let me into the bathroom.
Once relieved and thoroughly hand-​washed we tore through our first round of tacos for the day. They were fantastic with the green salsa.

El pollo loco is chicken mexican style, many ways.
there’s only one register and only one person dispensing the food. food seems to take longer this way buy it’s cost efficient and minimizes labor cost for el pollo
eats:
–taco al carbon (1)
bland chicken minichucks with some veggies. good value
–fried chicken leg (1)
very small leg, leg steamed cooked one, then crispy deep fried.
meat tender and tasteless, bland, skin crispy
frijoles refritos:
–salsa bar… pico da gallo wasn’t so flavorful
–ordering took awhile. quick when i got to register
–2.5 stars for low taste satisfaction, 4 stars for value.

An interesting thing the great Tupac once said, was that while he was incarcerated:
«I was dreaming about
El Pollo Loco the whole time.»
So walking into El Pollo Loco I thought of his words today.
It was crowded around lunch time, which was ok. It gave me a second to decide what to order. Here’s what I ordered:
Ultimate Pollo Bowl: It’s all the glorious innards of a chicken burrito without the tortilla. Guacamole, sour cream, beans, rice, salsa, chicken, and cheese. Always a great combination of ingredients when put all together. But taste-​wise it was average.
Chicken Leg: A dry chicken leg. Maybe because it was the leg, I’m guessing the other pieces would be more moist.
As far as El Pollo Loco, a healthy option compared to a lot of the eateries in the area. Not in the fast food category to me, It’s much better. A decent spot for lunch on international. As far as dreaming of it like Tupac, most likely not.

I never actually ate here, but there was an incident that happened in 2008. and I never got to thank the man who helped me…
To be honest, I do not remember what he looked like, or what his name was. I do recall he was kind of young, drove some kind of «drifting» car? And that he was an employee at El Pollo Loco. But he went OUT OF HIS WAY and provided the best customer service EVER.
I had ran into El Pollo Loco after a guy came up to me on the street «forewarning» me that his friend was going to attempt to «rob» me. Panicked, I started walking in a hurried pace, in which the attempted «robber» followed me making threats. As soon as I caught sight of El Pollo Loco, I ran into the dwelling as fast as I could. Thinking I was safe, I turned around to see the robber coming in to the El Pollo Loco establishment. I walked as fast as I could to the cashier and told them to call the police, and that a man was following me and that I needed help. The lady who was at the cashier, had her male co-​workers approach the robber and ask him to leave the establishment, in which they did in a very professional manner as to not disturb the other customers.
The cashier came up to me and handed me her personal cellphone with the police on the line, and I informed the police of my situation and the robber’s description.
I was afraid to walk outside (I was not driving at the time), and one of the workers (the male) approached me to see if I was okay. I told him I was afraid to walk outside, and he talked to his manager, and offered me a ride to wherever my destination was. We took careful precautions to walk out the side door to avoid being seen or followed by the robber, and I got in his vehicle, and he took me straight to my destination.
Three years later, when I think about it now, this guy saved my life. There’s no telling what could’ve happened that day had he not offered to help! Thank you, and thank you El Pollo Loco staff!

Hmmm, I grew up on El Pollo Loco so when I had a craving, I braved the rush hour traffic and rain to grab some dinner to go. I have to say I’m disappointed. I don’t remember the chicken being so greasy and salty and low quality but that’s what I was served here — I’m disappointed and will not venture to another El Pollo Loco again for the time being.
They claim not to be fast food, but I had the same sick bloated greasy feeling that I get from fast food after eating their fare…

I love El Pollo Loco, and there should be more locations around the Bay Area!
I came here to grab lunch, and the service was great. I ordered a 2 piece (breast & wing) combo meal with fries and spanish rice. The meal was ready within minutes! The chicken was flame broiled, so it is very juicy and hot. The fries was very crispy. The spanish rice was very good, too!
El Pollo Loco is better than grilled KFC!

Pollo Loco, How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee 3 piece meal to the depth and breadth and height of marinated chicken. I love you, I really do.
Seriously though: chicken, churros, rice are bomb here. This is one of the few «fast-​food» places my mother likes because it’s real food. I’m sorry to say there aren’t enough Pollo Locos in the SF bay area but LA is crawling with them.
I know people in the bay area are against chain restaurants but as far as the food is concerned EPL is like a regular mom and pop restaurant with great food that happens to be a chain.
International blvd may scare some people but I don’t think it’s dangerous at all. It’s about a 10 minute walk from Fruitvale BART.