El Pollo Supremo

Closed, is a good thing, food wasn’t that great, and was over priced

They are closed now. I’m not surprised. I tried this place twice (because they are right by my office) and the food wasn’t very good both times.
No me gusta.

Hole in the wall type of place. Some of the things on the menu I’m scared to try like their dessert in their fridge looks like its been there for days same with their macaroni salad. BUT… im a fan none the less.
My family had an El Pollo loco craving and this was the closest thing to it (since the nearest one to us is in Sunnyvale). It was actually better in some ways.
The chicken was tender and juicy, yum! We had several sides to go along with it… corn, plantains, beans, rice, tortillas. The plantains made it sooooo freakin good. then again i like to eat bananas with some of my dishes at home soo plantains are too far off from that. anyways it was some good eats!

decided to go back to this place to try the chicken… i ordered the number 1 that came with tortillas and salsa. OR rice and beans. WHICH THE RUDE LADY NEVER ASKED ME and just decided to give me tortillas and salsa… so what am i supposed to do with 3 tiny pieces of chicken, 2 of which shouldnt count as a piece cause they were like tiny wings, and tortillas and salsa… i dont get it. its not like the chicken is shredded… am i suppose to shred my own chicken and put it in the tortilla and salsa? WTF!
its just retarted if you ask me, i would have easily chose rice and beans… but anyways apart from the lady at the register just being bored and looking like she hates her job, on the way out i noticed on tuesday between 3 – 9 they have 99cent fish tacos. with crispy fish, which if u look in my previous review for this place IS AWESOME and got 5 stars last time… so i decided to get 10 of these for dinner, figured u cant go wrong.
AND I WAS RIGHT! BEST FISH TACOS IVE HAD IN THE AREA AND THEY ARE ONLY 99CENTS… you have to dress them a little yourself tho. comes kinda bland just fish and lettuce. so i reccoment putting lemon and they give u this pretty good tarterish kinda sauce too. but regular tarter sauce is awesome too…
so 2 stars for everything except the fish tacos and fish and chips… SO FAR

I don’t understand the rave reviews this place has gotten. I only decided to have dinner here because of the glowing recommendation this restaurant has received from other Unilocalers.
I had the chicken, salsa, and tortillas. I was most disappointed with the chicken because I expected it to be very flavorful like everyone had said, but not even the skin was particularly tasty. The meat was tender, but I found it extremely bland flavorwise.
My sister enjoyed the salsa and even found it spicy, but it just tasted like diced tomatoes to me — I wasn’t very impressed at all.
On the whole, I don’t think I’d return for another meal — as many others have stated, it’s not a particularly good value. The food’s fine, but not great. I
Honestly, I think I would have been disappointed even if I had decided to wander in here for a meal without all of the hype from Unilocal

El Pollo Loco meets Pancho Villa.
We tried a few things off the menu, including the fried shrimp and the fish tacos, which were decent. While we admit the grilled chicken is great (flavorful skin!), we live a few blocks away and don’t plan to go back anytime soon. It’s also on the higher end of the price range for ‘cheap’.
(My dad however went back for the chicken twice in a row.)

My rating is strictly for the chicken, it is soooo tasty. It’s like it was marinated to the bone and super moist. I really didn’t care for the chicken flautas or the fried plantains — seemed like it needed more flavor or even salt. I’ll only order the chicken next time around — it definitely doesn’t disappoint.

I am a huge mexican chicken fan, having grown up in Albuquerque. I ate this style of chicken countless times with my family growing up.
El Pollo Supremo brought back all the flavours I remembers, and is even better then what I had back in the day. The chicken was moist, flavorful without being overly spiced, and was not fatty. The salsa tasted fresh, with the perfect amount of spice and the sides of spanish rice and pinto beans were great.
There was a lot of other choices on the menu, but I only tried the #9 family pack, which fed myself, my wife and my 3 kids (5yrs, 3yrs and 9 months). Even the baby loved chicken!
The place was rustic, but clean, and inviting.

I was looking forward to this place, thinking it would be a local down home version of El Pollo Loco. It was fine, not great and I thought the value just wasn’t there.
We got 3 pieces of chicken and Enchiladas. We spent $ 15 at that point and there really wasn’t a whole lot of meat on the chicken. The salsa and beans were mediocre. They didn’t give me many tortillas but I went back and they gave me more for free. The enchiladas were bland, perhaps lacking some kind of spice or something. There was plenty of chicken though, which was good.
Deciding we were still hungry we went for the flautas. These were actually pretty good with a little guacamole and sour cream. I’d probably get these again if I go back (although they are fried and probably not great for me).
By that time we had spent close to $ 30. I’m willing to accept that maybe we went kinda late in the day and perhaps we weren’t getting the best crop of chicken… and maybe didn’t order the most intelligently?
I’m not itching to go back but maybe I’ll like it next time around.

I used to grab lunch at El Pollo Supremo when I worked in the area. Always had the chicken and it was always consistently GOOD! I have also had the clam chowder and fish n chips, no complaints but the chicken is too good to stick to these other menu items.
Place is clean and the counter person is always pleasant. I used to always talk to the owners daughter who also works there!
I need to go back, it’s been a few months. From wha i’ve heard, Bob and Marty are VIP’s!

In the outskirts of San Mateo, El Pollo Supremo’s barnlike structure and surprisingly plentiful parking lies. As we walked in I dug on their crazy posters of a chicken and fish being «mesquite grilled». Their dining room is very spartan furniture wise but the weird little house replicas and chicken images on the wall are entertaining much like the posters over the grill. After perusing the menu we found the that 8 piece family pack, with tortillas, black beans, Spanish rice and salsa was for us. We basically got a whole chicken split up into breasts, thighs, drumsticks and wings. The chicken is fairly moist with the skin being nice and crisp and very flavorful. For the breast parts which don’t get as much marinade, the salsa makes a perfect compliment. Rice is super flavorful and moist, unlike many I’ve tried which have mostly been bland. The beans are also pretty tasty but there was so much food, I never got to the tortillas and took that and some of the beans home. The service is a bit curt but decent. The most convincing thing about the place was everyone of the patrons except for us, were Hispanic. Excellent sign. Definitely not much ambiance but good solid food in a quirky decorated locale. 4.5 stars.

Chicken is really GOOD! Moist and tasty… and it’s great that they cut up the whole chicken for you when you order a whole or meal deal. Much better than dealing with a whole rotisserie chicken. It’s also a great alternative to friend chicken. The sides are abundant and love the fried zukes. Family pack comes with 2 sides and tortillas that are fresh. Did try the fish n chip… disappointing. Hubby was like well what did you expect from a Mexican joint? To my defense I told him they claim it’s the best… but unfortunately not so! Jeffrey’s hamburger joint has some really good fish n chips.
Ordered some chicken for a party… the ladies there are great in helping you decide how much you need for how many ppl and they can cut the chicken smaller too. The chicken was hit at the party and they thought we cooked it… had to fess up and say we bought it. lol.

Ordered the two piece chicken and added an extra piece for a dollar more. The chicken breast was a little on the dry side but the thigh was really juicy. I was craving more of an el pollo loco crispy type of skin but it was chewy instead. Overall, the flavor on the chicken was good. Didn’t really care too much for the beans, rice, or salsa.

My love affair with Pollo Supremo began years ago. However, I always had to head up to the mission to have me some chicken. Now I have the San Mateo location about 5 minutes from my house and it’s actually just as good. You never really know what you’re going to get with a chain. But they have done good at this location and now I don’t have to take the trek to the city. I have never ordered anything but the chicken and have always kept it simple. This is what I do …
I get chicken, salsa and tortilla’s. .. shred all the chicken and wrap it up in the tortilla and then dip directly into the salsa.
Magnificent cheap eats. ..

Service was great but food was less than imppresive. The chicken was a bit dry. When I asked if they had chips/​salsa, they fried some tortillas to make chips for me — even if it wasn’t on the menu. And the did it at no charge. So I give the service an A++. But I like the chicken at El Pollo Loco better.

Try something new and you might be happily surprised.
We were on our way to get pizza and this caught our eye. Well, at least it caught MY eye. I know it has the word chicken in its name but when I walked in I could smell the Fish and Chips and I couldn’t pass them up.
The portions are large and better than other places who claim to have the «best fish and chips» in the area. Who would’ve thought to order this at a Mexican fast food joint?
What’s cool was that after we ordered, one of ladies behind the counter asked us if we had tried their chicken before and when we said no, she proceeded to chop off a leg and thigh for us to munch on while we were waiting for our food. Great marketing job.

I want to like this place more than it probably deserves. They’ve got cheap authentic food.
It’s always cold here so bring a jacket. The down side is that it can be uncomfortable trying to cut chicken while wearing a puffer.
So, they’ve got lots of the fried. Fried fish, fried mushrooms, fried yucca. If it’s a staple of Mexican cuisine, they’ll fry it. We skip the fried (except for the yucca which tastes like French fries but a little starchier) and get the grilled chicken. It’s served El Pollo Loco style with some tortillas and salsa. The beans and rice are worth an order, too, and they’re much better than what you’d find in El Pollo Loco.

This place is great! I ate here while I was waiting for my car to finish since their were mechanic shops. Anyways the SALSA is so good. I am dead serious. The salsa is like ¹⁰⁄₁₀ in my book. I loved the salsa so much that I finished my salsa even before i finished my fries. If you want good salsa come over here you will not regret it.

I’ve been a big fan of El Pollo Supremo for years, and used to hit up their locations in San Francisco on a regular basis. I was very disappointed with the closed the place in the Mission … the one that’s there on 24^th, isn’t the original, though it’s under the same name, and not nearly as good. The only other authentic place is on Mission, near Daly City and worth the drive.
I was very glad to see this place make it’s way down the peninsula, as it’s a very welcome treat. As the name state, «El Pollo Supremo» and for us chicken lovers, this is a great place to go. The fish is OK, but it’s certainly not the draw. They marinate their chicken in a «secret» recipe (the flavor is not only in the skin, but works its way throughout the meat), and then grill it. Some may find it to be slightly salty, but it works very well for me. Their rice & beans, and the other sides are pretty good. My daughter loves their fried zucchini, and always makes me get it.
If you’re looking for some great chicken, in a very casual atmosphere, this is the place to go, though it’s a little on the expensive side for grilled chicken.

Don’t be put off by this place. It looks a little funky but I promise the chicken is SUPREMO! :o)
I am super duper picky when it comes to my chicken, I only like white meat, no fat etc. The grilled chicken at El Pollo is «finger licken’ good.» With an order you get a choice of sides — do not pass up the Cuban beans and rice, it is yumm-​o. An order also comes with fresh salsa and tortillas. I am not joking when I say the salsa is the best in San Mateo. We love get it to go. We cut the ‘goods’ up at home and make tacos with the fixings. Its good stuff.