El Pollo Loco

I just want to say, that I rated this place before, and they deserve more than 3 stars. Probably the best el pollo loco near me! And they don’t short you on salsa, they give you what you order (THEY don’t forget your order). oh and at least three of the employees have been there a while and know how to run the place. I appreciate this location

Ordered just before 11 a.m. and asked for my chicken well done. When I approached the counter the cashier was counting her till. She looked up at me, muttered something, and then started counting again. I should have walked out then but I was pressed for time. From then on the customer service went from rude to mediocre.
I ordered a breast and wing well done when I got home I saw it was LAST NIGHT’S, Overcooked, dried out REHEATED CHICKEN! At 11 in the morning! It was dry and extremely salty. After one bite, I threw it away. It was a total waste of money! Instead of going back there and demanding my money back, I’ve decided to NEVER go to this EPL again.
If you must have El Pollo Loco, go to the Drive Thru on 1^st and Gaffey. The customer service is Excellent and the chicken is made fresh everyday.

When I walked in I was greeted by staff I ordered two chicken tostada salads. Food was good & fresh. we dinned in & enjoyed the food.

I always get the chicken tostada with the cilantro dressing. Always good, pretty filling. Looks almost like the pictures on the wall! Lol ;) The location isn’t the greatest, its in the old Terraces center. The center is kinda old and stinky, but usually pretty clean inside.

Good quality food, for a Pollo Loco. Still, it’s fast food and although it is good in quality, the customer service at this location is good. Better than you’ll find at other fast food places by far.

Their recent racist television ad is a total turn off. Chipotle has long since overtaken them and this only likely mens the death knell unless that ad is pulled and fast…

I will no longer patronize El Pollo Loco because of it’s racist advertising. A recent commercial depicts an employee named Bob as incompetent compared to Juan and Miguel.

My personal experience has told me that you just can’t miss with El Pollo Loco. We typically get a «family meal» with three sides. The chicken, (duh), is always cooked to a level of extreme tenderness, nearly perfect, mouth-​watering deliciousness. The sides are consistently tasty /​well prepared and service at this location is always fast and courteous. The torts are favorites of ours to stuff with rice, beans and heavenly little tidbits of moist chicken. As soon as I get home, we begin making multiple little gorge inducing mini tacos. Yum!!!
The only gripe I have regarding the store itself is those piss-​ass sized containers that they give you to put your salsa sides in. Gotta be a corporate thing cuz I’ve seen it elsewhere at other El Pollo Loco’s too… Beef that crap up El Pollo Loco!!! You ain’t gotta worry ’bout peeps hoardin’ all the salsas and avocado sauces from your store. Either that or give folks a larger container or two, (or three), when handing over their meal orders. Think «cup sized» maybe and leave it at that…
Parking situation here sux major booty but that is no fault of El Pollo Loco’s… Just another engineering marvel courtesy of LA County planners /​developers /​approvers!!!

I have been here a few times in the past month. I have to say, I do not agree with the other reviews on the customer service or food/​salsa bar. However, the location is a bit tricky if you’re not familiar with how the structure works. Anyway, I came in during dinner hour and it was full, but not crowded. I ordered my meal, a chicken burrito, and was greeted with very friendly service! As I waited, I prepared my salsas and there was no mess! EVERY TIME! Very unusual for any restaurant with a salsa bar. My food came out quickly with no issues.

I have this location 4 stars because it doesn’t have a drive thru. But other than that the service is really quick, the quality of the chicken is amazing, made just right. The managers are so polite and attentive. The location is always clean. The salsa bar is always clean as well and the salsa tastes so good.

I think Unilocalers should check and up-​date reviews done in the past of establishments that they frequent. Because, hey, if you thought it was a good idea to write one bad review then you go back and they’ve fixed the issue you didn’t like, it would be nice to say kudos, you listened.
That’s why I’m writing an update to my neighborhood El Pollo Loco. It is still always crowded when I’ve been there but the service has definitely changed. They have a dedicated lady who checks on the salsa bar to make sure it is filled AND, most importantly, cleaned up. So, from 1star to 4stars for the improvement. Yay!

I would give 5 stars but manager Mike is a duck with really bad attitude. He just stay in the office. The employees are all great, makes up for his dickiness :-/

We came here on a Sunday night around 8:00 pm. The parking situation is a bit tricky, as you have to enter from the side street in order to park closer to the restaurant. Otherwise, you park a bit futher down, as the flow of traffic goes one way.
I’m a fairly frequent diner of the EPL, and found this one to be quite tiny. The way the queue is configured, you can’t really read the menu until you get to the front of the line. The menu is the same everywhere, so I got the 2 piece leg/​thigh combo with corn cobblet and pinto beans, for dine in.
After getting my drink, there wasn’t a lot of places to sit, and many tables were occupied or dirty. So we picked a table by the door.
The food came out within 15 minutes, a bit slow for a fast food place. Then again, EPL isn’t the fastest, even in the Orange County locations. One thing I noticed about this location is their House salsa was a bit chunkier than the other EPL I’ve been to, almost like pico de gallo rather than the pureed salsa that say, Fullerton gives me. Stephen though the House salsa was spicier than the pico de gallo.
The food came out piping hot, and so were my tortillas. This location had fairly large chicken, which I was surprised, because many locations serve scrawny birds.
Overall a good visit. Its more of a 3.5 star review, but since my food came out hot, fresh, moist, and the pieces were large, I’ll be generous and give it 4 stars.
I do wish that kids don’t horse around in a restaurant. Its not EPL’s fault, but I think a manger should have kicked out these teen sk8ters that were goofing off, and shooting spitwads at each other.

The food was hot and fresh and the service was very fast. I will be back for sure.

Ate here at 830 pm on a Friday and everything was sub par. Like staff was preparing to close early. Chicken on my ultimate bowl was cold. Salsas and ice were empty like they were hoping they could make it til close without having to refill them (over 2 hours). Usually a good chain, but on this occasion, not so much. There was more lettuce in my bowl than rice and beans… cmon.

I love their food and the staff is nice. They try to be as quick as possible but they are ALWAYS packed and busy! The only not good thing about this place is parking and why why why why would they stop delivering WE WANT DELIVERY BACK!!! some I us would to have it for lunch at work but can not fight the parking or the crowd! Delivery was the best!!!

I would put this place a good notch above most fast food options. You might say it’s like the «In n Out» of chicken.
Chicken has a good crisp skin and very juicy & tender and very flavorful meat. It’s never been over or undercooked. It does tend to be naturally oily (not the kind you get from deep frying, especially in frying oil that has been re-​used all day) and you can drain it if you wish.
Pinto Beans are cooked whole (no hidden fillers or added fat like you might get in «re-​fried» beans.) They have many sides to choose from, all of which are pictured at the cashier’s counter.
Avocado is served thickly sliced and has been perfectly ripe — not mixed into a thinned out «guacamole.»
Salads have been fresh and crisp. Salsa bar lets you add fresh cilantro and diced onions, plus your choice of salsas, whole chile peppers, lemon wedges, and or their creamy avocado dressing.
I haven’t had the New Grilled Shrimp entrees, but I will give them a try soon.
The manager gave excellent service when I found that the Tortilla Soup had pimento which I am allergic to (a form of bell pepper.) She very cheerfully offered to let me trade the soup for a Chicken meal — I just chose to have Chicken and a side of pinto beans.
Cashiers were polite and efficient, and someone offered to bus the table when we were finished — I expected to bus my own at a kind of fast food place.
The salsa bar was neat, clean and well stocked. Prices were very reasonable for the quality and quantify you get.
They have some special Family Deals, Rice Bowls, and some good looking «Under 500 calorie» entrees.
All in all, I should come here more often !

Good food, good prices…
Pollo Loco is a great place to have a fast food tye meal without all the fat and calories of most fast food places…
This Pollo Loco doesn’t have the best location and it usually stays pretty busy so be sure to be prepared for a wait if you do decide to come here.
Food is great though.
Chicken is always fresh and well seasoned. I know it may sound strange, but I have eaten at other Pollo Loco locations and oddly this one has the best taste.
Cool thing about Pollo Loco is that they have a pretty big variety on their menu. From tacos to burritos to chicken plates. Regardless of what you order the food is definitely great and always fresh!

Horribly designed location. Came in for a quick lunch the other day before the lunch crowd, staff was very pleasant. Salsa bar was a mess. Customers seemed especially unpleasant. Ate quick and left. On the way out the door I got hit by a horrible smell and looked over to see a dumpster right next to the exit door. Yes, I love to smell garbage right after eating my lunch. Thank you.

Chicken Bowl
White Meat, rice, beans, salsa
Extra salsa from the bar
Flour tortillas — yum
Clean (when not busy)
Friendly staff
Quick service
Cheap
Messy (when busy)
Parking a challenge
Crazy layered strip mall