El Pollo Loco

Stopped by this location on 6÷14÷16 around 130pm went into their restroom to wash my hands; so as I was standing there washing my hands observed one of the female employee (Hispanic pregnant girl) came out of the bathroom stall didn’t even bother to wash her nasty hands after using the bathroom. She just opened the door and left. I followed after her to try to tell her that I saw that she didn’t wash her hands; she walked to the back of the kitchen. I told the 2 cashiers that I saw their female employee did not wash her hands. Eww that was so gross to see how their employee would think of preparing the food with those dirty disgusting hands of hers. This will be the last time I’m visiting this establishment!!!

Surprisingly poor service. We stood at the counter of an empty restaurant while three women ignored us. When we asked twice to order, we got a blank stare and no apology from the cashier.
Another party came in after us and got their food well before ours came.
It’s clean and food is the same as any other location. But really, service is very bad.

I visited Pollo Loco on Tuesday March 29, 2016 at 2:59 p.m.
Gabriella the drive thru attendant was so rude, unprofessional and had no customer service. At first when I put in my order through the drive-​thru she did not take it correctly and told me the wrong amount when I repeated the correct order she seem too bothered. When approaching the drive-​thru window she did not repeat my order she told me the amount I gave her cash and a card to do two separate transactions of payment she seemed bothered at that as well she proceeded to make both transactions with cash so we have a total wrong receipt she had no communication with me nor eye contact with me the whole time at the window. She never asked me if I would like any salsa or what kind of dressing I would like for my salads so when I asked for the correct dressing she made me give her back all the other dressings in the bag that should already gave to me and was super bothered by that. I will never go back to this restaurant again

Great food at a reasonable price, this location is clean and bright and gets your order out quickly whether you are eating in or going thru the drive thru. Deysi G is the BEST employee! She remembers customers and is always friendly and efficient.

I find this location very inconsistent. Sometimes their double chicken salad rocks, sometimes it doesn’t. Today was a prime example busy lunch time in the drive thru, it took forever, I had to remind him of my extra side of chicken after he handed me the bag. They also serve you these tiny sides of dressing, barely enough for the salad. I really only go to this place because it’s close to my work and semi healthy.

El Pollo Loco is one of those places that you either are familiar with it, and love it, or you have never heard of it. I learned about it when it was in the Atlanta area many years ago. And then, for whatever rhyme or reason (I would like to blame Atlanta’s lack of taste back in the day), all of them shut down. It wasn’t until a trip to Phoenix when I knew they were still alive and kicking.
And then on my most recent drive through downtown Oakland, I saw there was one. Which could only mean one thing. There has to be more spread throughout California. Thankfully, there was. On the way to work (OK, the current building I am working out of), I saw one, and realized it is literally walking distance from the hotel. This excited me. You better believe I went there.
Anticipating eating my favorite fast food item of ALL TIME (the crunchy chicken tacos from EPL) I go right up to the counter and blurt my order out (which, by the way, this was a clean location, FYI). The cashier (who seemed younger, but felt my pain), informed me that they don’t make those tacos anymore, with the extra crunchy shell. My heart sank. I mean, 36 hours later, my heart still sank. I mean, it sank enough I had to take 2 stars off my review.
I was glad though the cashier knew what I was talking about, and he stated he missed them too. At least I knew I wasn’t going crazy (mind you, I brought a colleague of mine here to try these things out too). Instead, I ordered the 4 chicken tacos (I guess the «new style»). The difference is the shell (which is actually a little larger, holds better), they marinate the chicken, and they use cheese and lettuce. So, they are slightly modified– but not the OG style I learned to cherish over the years.
As I waited for the order, I sat there and stared around. I saw they still have the salsa bar. and they still sell Coke, and they actually had a Horchata machine (not something I see everyday).
When the order was ready, I got the tacos, and went across the street to the liquor store (which is actually more of a convenience store, FYI). Then, we walked back to the hotel. Mind you, it was a solid 25 minutes those tacos sat before being consumed.
Now, we all know if we don’t eat crunchy tacos in a decent amount of time, the shells will become soggy. I tell you what, I was more than impressed with these tacos. It didn’t taste like the original, but after all that time, they still had that crunch. And they were not greasy. And the chicken was not dry. I was actually impressed. But still, not the OG.
I was glad to see EPL around, and close by, and still in business. I was sad to see the changes. But I am sure, for health reasons, they modified the tacos a little. I mean, let’s be honest– this is the healthy alternative to KFC (they grill all of their chicken instead of frying it) — while at the same time not compromising flavor. I will be back before my time here is up… I will call this a 3.5 stars (which is pretty damn good considering the heartbreak they have caused…).

I love this place. My friend and I go here almost daily for lunch during the week. Deyse in the drive thru is amazing and has such a friendly smiling face! I love that you can order healthy options with very little need to adjust to fit diet restrictions. And the fresh salsa is super tasty.

Very disappointed. I went on drive thru around 8 30pm and they were closed!!! I went online and it said they close until 10!?? I was mad because the other nearest pollo loco was about 10 min away.

Good service, great food, a little bigger than most other locations and right off the 10 Freeway. Place looks clean, staff is friendly. I will be back!

The food here tastes just like all El Pollo Loco restaurants. The issue I have been having is the service. Have had many occasions where they get my order wrong than act like its my fault or I did not speak clearly. Their drive thru is terrible and unreliable. You have to repeat yourself just to maybe get the order in. Other people I know have told me they have the same issue with this particular restaurant.

Great food and outstanding service. Clean, friendly and helpful. Pls congratulate your staff!!! Lucy was at the register she was incredible.

Lunch today at El Pollo Loco was very tasty. I tried the new Carne Tostada Salad. I hope that this is added as a permanent item. The meat has a great flavor.
The staff was very accommodating and pleasant. Even after we received our food the manager came by to check on our satisfaction. The store was clean and tidy. We are already planning on our next visit.

The service was poor the staff act like they were doing you a favor by delivering your food… chips is barely any in the bag see photo and I’m not one to complain I usually do a good review want a restaurant this one really not good service bad I guess maybe it’s a coordinate who you are

So El Pollo Loco is pretty pricey depending on what you get. The chicken is usually good quality along with the sides they use. However the salads and bowls here are really awesome, and I’d usually recommend those since they’re filling and priced fairly. The deal menu is also pretty good, but the tortilla wrap sometimes has cold cheese in the middle. However what sucks is sometimes the staff members are kinda uneven, once I visited and one was fighting with another in the middle of ordering making it kind of awkward.