Pollo-Mex

Sweet and friendly staff. Great atmosphere-​it does not feel like a strip mall once you are inside. Excellent margaritas and solid food.

Back again, wife and I, for an early supper. Our server immediately brought a basket of chips and a bowl of salsa; this kept us occupied until the waiter arrived. We each ordered a house margarita on-​the-​rocks with salt; when these arrived we ordered a Guacamole Molcajete to share. The Guacamole was as good as ever. The wife observed that the house Margaritas were poured over ice from a prepared bottle (a little bit of a let-​down; we had envisioned each being made-​to-​order, but after all, this is a production environment). There was more than enough Margarita in each glass to satisfy, and boy, were they good.
We shared the Fajitas Carne Asada– they were REALLY good. I have never had such a tender, moist, yet flavorful piece of skirt steak. We asked for it to be cooked medium-​rare, and it arrived with a good sear, yet warm pink interior: perfect in such a thin cut. The accompanying grilled onions and peppers were very flavorful, and a great accompaniment, along with the rice, beans, and steamed flour tortillas.
There was so much good food that we could not consume it all; the waiter was most helpful in packing the extra Guacamole to-​go at our request, supplying some added chips and salsa without request.
This restaurant is our favorite for a Mexican meal, regardless of the time or distance.

I have no idea out of 150 reviews this place has 4 stars. BAD and a rip off, at least my experience was.

Cute décor inside. After reading reviews on their guac, it was just okay. I ordered spicy and it wasn’t spicy at all. Even asked to add more spice, I had higher expectations. Other than guac, their fajitas were good and service was good. Will come back to try their drinks and other items.

If you eat in at the restaurant, try to get there on the early side. There aren’t many tables, and the place fills quickly. FYI, they have a full bar. Regarding food — the choices vary between Mexican, to «Tex-​Mex», to Columbian. All of the food is great: for appetizers, try the taquitos, the avocado and tomato salad, and the camarones al ajillo (shrimp sautéed in garlic). They can run out of their rotisserie chicken and several of their non-​Mexican entrée dishes fairly early, which is somewhat disappointing. The white rice/​black beans and tostones (which come with the entrée chicken, seafood, and beef/​pork dishes) are excellent. I’ve liked every dish (entrée and traditional Mexican/“Tex-Mex”) I’ve had.
There is a slight growing pain with both the time between ordering with the waiters and the time for carry-​out (longer than they claim at times), probably because the Colesville area needs good restaurants. That is what made me drop the review one star. Hopefully, they will get up to speed. We order take-​out as well as going there for dinner.

So I’ve been to this restaurant a few times and always had a great time until my visit today. The server, a young lady who never actually said her name, was trying but really was doing a poor job. She took awhile to come over to take orders, never checked on us, was just slow in general. We inquired about the happy hour specials and she mentioned margaritas were $ 4. So two mango/​strawberry swirls were ordered. Not once did she mention it was only the plain margaritas on the hh special. When it came time to order our food, we ordered the cowboy steak (medium well) and a steak fajita.
The restaurant was starting to get packed considering it was a Tuesday and three days before Christmas, but I felt our food was taking awhile (over 30 minutes). We flagged down our server and she advised three more minutes. About 10 minutes later, the fajita steak meal came out sizzling, and my poor lonely cowboy steak meal was cold and definitely overcooked! I kept cutting into it hoping it would get better, but sadly, it was way too dry and overcooked. I just couldn’t continue with this meal. I ate most of the accompanying salad, but we asked for a manager.
The manager came over and I explained my disappointment with the overall service and my food. He was extremely apologetic and offered to take it off our bill. It sucked because I was still hungry, but at that point I was ready to go. When the bill came, the $ 4 happy hour drinks were actually $ 7.10 (they charged 70 cents per flavor (and 70 cents for the swirl… are you kidding me??) Ok that’s it. Let’s go!!! Maybe I will give this place another try, but was not happy with my experience today and don’t plan on returning soon.

Ordered chicken, which was not seasoned, it was bland. The chicken was little hard to cut, and pull apart and deep inside was red. Did not get sick, but some parts was over cooked (tasted like rubber). The coleslaw was sweet.
The green sauce was also sweet with mint like smell. I was excepting the green sauce to be very spicy, but was not.
If you like chicken with a taste, eat Sardis or Crispy and Juicey. Today, the lesson I learned is to stick with your regular place.

This place hit theeeee spot! To get straight into customer service, which should be #1 criterion in a review, was excellent at this restaurant. Staffed had great suggestions on what to order, and overall they take care of their patrons.
The food… oh my sweet love… the food was on point!!! My favorite type of food is Tex-​Mex and this place does it with quality and flavor. I first order the fried Tamale, which was sooo sweet and and fried just right. You could taste the corn kernels in almost every bite and I like that. For my meal I ordered the steak and pork rib fajitas combo platter. Plenty of food comes with your meal… The ribs were good no complaints, not the best but I wasn’t expecting them to be considering this wasn’t a BBQ joint. But the steak, the tender juicy steak was the best I have had at any TeX-​Mex spot. The spicy guacamole was superb man, simply bomb! Everything was great and I had left over for the next day.
All in all I have found a new favorite spot! Clutch clutch clutch, and I’ll be back again and again.

If I could give half stars this would be a 3.5 star review. Here’s the thing: I grew up in CA so I have experienced the best (and worst, by comparison) Mexican food. Once you accept that this is American East
Coast Mexican food I think Pollo Mex does it about as well as anybody else. The shredded chicken and beef filling for the burritos, enchiladas, tacos is well seasoned and delicious. The guacamole is fresh, made to order and proper good. Sure the rice is just okay, the margaritas are not as strong as they could be, and the salsa is too liquidy, not quite chunky enough, and has a strange amount of black pepper but if you need a good solid Mexican meal to curb your craving, then this is the best place in the area.

$ 12 for 3 pieces of cold tortilla with meat on it… I ordered the three tacos from this place and i gota tell you i think the taco truck by my house would have been 100x better and at half the price. I understand this isn’t a taco spot but if your going to serve it for that price at least put a tiny bit of effort into it, hands down the worst tacos i’ve ever had and the only reason i added an extra star was because the lady at the front was really great and kind.

Nothing to write home about. Service was good, but lagging on request for end of meal check.
We will go to Don Pollo in Twinbrook and pay extra for sauces rather than return here. Chicken was not as done as I Would have liked, and lacked the spices as well.
On the other hand, the yucca was done to perfection.
Prices a bit steep for product but we were aware of $$ going in. The great reviews on Unilocal did not justify the end product at all.

So i recently moved to silver spring area and decided to order in gtom the local Mexican restaurant. I ordered from Pollo Mex and was a bit disappointed. I ordered the steak, shrimp and chicken fajitas.
For $ 18, I expected a bit more food. The rice needed seasoning, there was barely a tablespoon full of Pico as well as guacamole and don’t get me started on the meat. The meat also needed seasoning and a blessing
I had and made enough mexican food to know what it should taste like and this experience was lackluster.

Wow! Surprisingly really good fresh food for a shopping center restaurant! Ambience is traditional vibrant Mexican colors. Very cosy space with full bar.
Salsa is nice and fresh, Cantina thin and crispy tortilla chips. My friend was with us she is from Texas, she told the servers I like it spicy. They brought over a couple different spicy sauces for her to try and nailed it! As she said this is «Texan approved!!» We ordered quesadillas, budin Azteca, Al Carbone tacos shrimp, chicken and beef… man that beef was tender and moist, full of flavor.
Restaurant and bathrooms are very clean, service was spectacular. Henry our waiter and Oscar his assistant were spot on. We will definitely be back!!!

I miss empanadas. So, I got them here, the beef ones. A bit too squishy inside for my likings, crispy crunchiness on the outside. Not the best, but after two micheladas everything tastes good

If I could give this place a negative star, I would. Not only does this place smell of wet dirty wags, obviously what they use to clean their tables with, but the service is lack luster. The salsa tasted good and the tequila was satisfying, but unfortunately that’s all I can comment on because my tacos did not come out.
Many empty tables later, I questioned the waiter about our food. She was surprised our tacos did not come out by now. Mind you, this is one hour later. No longer in the mood to eat, I settled the check at the counter. To my surprise, they did not comp the tacos we never rec’d.
We had to talk to the owner because the staff did not take the initiative to do this themselves. I had to wait even longer for my boyfriend to get the owner’s attention, meanwhile noticing the number of flies crawling on the wall. After all the fuss, he removed the tacos from the bill but did not give us the tacos for free. Instead he sent us away with a 40+ tab (drinks) and an empty stomach. Never will I come here again! Not just because of the service but because of the risk of salmonella lurking in the horizon,

After searching on Unilocal for a place to grab lunch in the area, my friend and I decided on Pollo-​Mex based on the good reviews the restaurant has received. And, we weren’t disappointed. It’s a mid-​size restaurant located in a shopping center. Decent seating both inside and out. We chose to sit outside in front of the restaurant. (They also have patio seating out back.)
I found service to be both efficient and friendly. From the two gentlemen who took our orders to the busser who brought some of our food and cleared away our plates, they were all professional and gracious.
For food and drink, we ordered a couple of margaritas, the elote loco and a selection of tacos. All were quite tasty. I love elote and try to always order it when it’s on the menu somewhere. Their version did not disappoint. Great amount of tang with the cheese and chipotle mayo the corn was slathered in.
I sampled the beef tongue, shrimp and pork tacos. The tongue was tender and flavorful, as was the pork. The shrimp taco was ok. Whatever they seasoned the shrimp in was completely overshadowed by the mango salsa — so much so that it made the taco sweet. I would suggest maybe asking for the mango salsa on the side if you go the shrimp taco route
The complimentary chips and salsa were good, although the salsa was a bit to chunky for my tastes and they could stand to bring it out in a bigger bowl. Especially considering they are very generous with the chips and have no problem refilling them. If you’re feeling adventurous, ask for the spicy salsa. It’s got a nice peppery kick to it.
The margaritas were pretty good. Definitely above the standard issue you get at some Americanized Mexican restaurants. While we only ordered a couple, they offer by the half pitcher and full pitcher at very reasonable prices.
I hear the guacamole is delicious, and sadly we didn’t get to enjoy any this time around. If I lived closer, I think Pollo-​Mex would be a place I would make a regular lunch or dinner outing.

This is a cute little place hidden in a strip mall. We ordered the Elote Loco (street corn) and it was freaking delicious. I have it everywhere I can find it to see who can make the best. They rocked this so hard.
We weren’t super hungry so we passed on the Guac, but when I go back I will try it.
The chips were good. Thin and not greasy at all. The salsa was a little too chunky for my, but had a good flavor. It was really mild. We had to ask for a little more spice.
We ordered the tacos. Tongue, shrimp, chicken and pork. They were all really good. The shrimp was flooded with a oddly spiced mango. I wouldn’t get that one again and the pork was my favorite.
The margaritas were ok. Not bad at all. We had one reg and one cadillac.
The staff was very friendly. We saw the inside and it was sizable, but we chose to sit on the front porch. The front porch has five 2-​top tables and the back was much more spacious.

After a long week at work, this little family-​owned business was a perfect way to start the weekend. We started with a ½ pitcher of Cadillac margaritas and their standard chips and salsa. The salsa was tasty, but not very spicy, so we asked for their salsa picante and HOLY GUACAMOLE it was HOT! I definitely tasted habanero, onion, a little tomato, and more habanero.
My husband ordered the chile relleno plate and I ordered the steak and shrimp fajitas. Neither of us could finish our meals, but they brought us a box and bag for our leftovers. Service was excellent!
The only reason why I took off one star is because the place got very loud and I felt like I was yelling through our conversation — thereby contributing to the overall noise level AND because they use margarita mix. Why oh why do so many establishments do this when they don’t have to? We will definitely return for the super-​fresh hot meals and wonderful service.

I eat here every month with friends. I don’t even look at the menu any more (although the owners did change items last year). The food is reasonable and good. I think everyone who works at the restaurant is family. There are only two details that I would change: Move the giant mirror so it doesn’t face opposite of the toilet and get a bigger place. The food is so popular that it is always crowded. You might get more elbow room at lunch. I haven’t tried the Sunday brunch, but I will. Don’t come for intimate conversation since it can get loud. I could eat here twice a week and feel content. Three cheers for the wet burritos.

Delicious food!
Carne Criollo ⁵⁄₅ — ordered it medium rare, and the chef delivered it perfectly! Very rich and tender with flavors. The refried beans and Mexican rice were a great side kick. House salad had too many raw onions, though.
Complimentary chips and salsa were good, too. Could’ve used more salsa.
Friendly wait staff! Great service!
Will definitely come back