El Pollo Loco

This the worst chicken, I eat on this restaurant also the service. No body take care quality the chicken was old and dry also their mango salad let me describe the mango salad less the one oz the pick the gallo with mini chunk off mango lettuce one piece avocado and dry cold chunk off chicken.

I’d give this place 4 stars for the previous year and the times before that, but about a week ago I decided to stop by the drive through. It literally took about 30 minutes and there were only about 4 cars ahead. This usually never happens and I’ve had more people in front of me on many occasions and had faster service. That was around 3 – 4 P.M. and it didn’t look busy inside. I shrugged it off but a few days ago around 8 P.M. I had the same experience. It was at least a 30 minute wait. Yesterday I waited about 25 minutes with 3 people in front of me at the drive through. This used to never happen. Other than the wait time, I really like this location.

I love El Pollo Loco and this location is usually good. But this morning was not so great. First of all, when I pull into the drive-​thru at 10:45 am, the speaker recording says the restaurant is closed. I check Unilocal!for the store hours and it should be open. I drive to the window and there is a car at the window. So, ok, it IS open. It’s my turn at the window and «Rodolfo» stares me down as if to say, «Didn’t you hear the speaker? Why are you driving up to the window?» I feel uncomfortable because he just stares at me and doesn’t ask for my order. I go ahead and say my order and he curtly gives me the total. The entire interaction is uncomfortable and unprofessional. I felt as if I was infringing on his time and bothering him by wanting to eat. He should not be at work right now if he’s going to treat paying customers this way. The manager needs to send him home for the day to deal with whatever he is going through. IJS

Service was pretty fast and food was as expected. I don’t come here too often but for fast food it seemed a little much?

They’re supposed to be open until 11 — that’s what their sign says and that’s what Unilocal says, so I went at 1030 pm and here closed. The guy inside said they’re closed because «it’s slow». This is crap! Why have your hours posted if you’re just going to do what you want anyways.

Ok. I know this is corporate, but it still deserves 5 stars. El Pollo Loco is a great spot to go to in a pinch. It’s reliable. It’s consistent. I can expect the same quality food and service. This one’s no exception.
I come here often. Service is always great. Food is as expected. My daughter likes the Avocado Chicken quesadilla. I like the Tostada Salad. I love the Avocado salsa. It’s addictive.

I love getting take out chicken from this location because it is close to where I work and because their drive-​thru is never that crowded. It’s pretty common for me to grab a 4 piece mixed combo meal with the sides being macaroni and mashed potatoes. I usually take it home and devour it all in five minutes! I’ve also grown fond of their value menu. If you don’t favor combo meals, you can always get smaller items like quesadillas or Loco side salads that will fill you up quite nicely. If you’re a fan of delicious grilled and marinated chicken, this chain gives you all of that and then some.
Enjoy!

Although I really like the chicken the place is dirty and the Manager didn’t seem to care when I brought it to her attention. It seems that they only care about the mighty dollar.
The area I the front at the cashier area was dirty, the soda machine was dirty with ice over flowing and water and ice on the floors. The trash cans were full and over flowing and this was at approx 3:30−4pm on December 21, 2015.
I will never buy food at this location again. You
Must maintain your establishment if you want me to eat there, again.
I hate dirty restaurants

This is one of the better locations I’ve been to. It’s relatively new, kept pretty clean, and service is very good. Even when they made a mistake, they correct it problem and sometimes give you a little extra! This location is easily viewable from Hawthorne blvd, but a little hard to get to since you have to get in at the same entrance as the Walmart.
If you have never been to an El Pollo Loco, it’s basically some of the healthiest fast food you can get. They are known for their flame grilled chicken. They offer chicken plates with sides, burritos, salads, bowls, tostadas and have a pretty good value menu. BRC (beans rice and cheese) burrito is really good, you dress it up with some of their green salsa (my fav).
Oh, and there is a pretty good salsa bar which has plastic to go containers. This place is good for some good fast food, the drive thru hasn’t been super packed in my experience.

Worst experience of any El Pollo Loco! My order was incorrect & there seemed to be a language barrier… I don’t speak Spanish. Very messy salsa bar! I will seek out another location before I return to this one.

We were given 0 napkins and 0 utensils with our to go order that consisted of a chicken bowl and macaroni and cheese. Seriously? Will not be back to this location.

Food=3 Stars
Service=5 Stars
(cannot bring myself to give 4 stars)
I have not eaten here for around a decade. I got sucked into trying their baja shrimp salad tostada based on the repeated ads I saw on Hulu. It was okay. The «salad» consisted of 5 tiny, alright tasting shrimp. There was barely any salad in this salad. I had no idea there would be beans and rice. I was not offered any dressing, but luckily I heard the man in line in front of me ask for dressing. The cilantro dressing was tasty and saved this mediocre meal. 2.75÷5
My hubby had the double chicken bowl. It looked better and was more substantial than my meal. His was better than mine. I would give it 3.25÷5.
Inside felt kind of depressing, but the lady working the cash register was super friendly, efficient and saved this experience. She gave my son 3 activity books that he enjoyed. She gave service with a big smile. More places need employees like this!

Specifically this is directed towards Jose one of the grill savants that work here.
Its been about 3 months since my last visit here. While picking up something quick for me and my pops Jose always is able to stop and greet. A full hello how are you doing, how is work type of talk –this is highly unexpected. He further goes and helps me with extra cups and refills at the salsa bar, then goes back to grilling. This guy is the cook and is more attentive then the manager, promote this guy el pollo loco. Nothing beats a hard worker whose always willing to do more.
The food:
This place is fast, easy, and cheap.
9.99 for 8 Pieces.
solid.

Just went to el pollo loco and my experience was terrible. I went through the drive thru and ordered: 12 piece chicken family meal with flour tortillas, coleslaw, mashed potatoes, side salad, 2 churros and a classic chicken salad. It came out to $ 37.25
When we pulled out of the drive thru we noticed they forgot to put the side salad in so I had to run in and ask for it, we thought that was all that was wrong.
After arriving home we took everything out of the bag and noticed they didn’t put any churros in, there was no chicken in the classic chicken salad and we received corn tortillas instead of flour.
I will not be going back again and do not recommend anyone going to this location.

Wish there was a way to leave no stars for this place. Since this location has opened, they’ve hired the worst people to work here. Unprofessional and rude. Just because it’s a fast food restaurant doesn’t give the employees the right to treat customers the way they do. I hope whoever owns this franchise or if it’s company owned does its own investigation on how the employees act.
If you can help it, avoid this location

I wouldn’t send my worst enemy here!!! The employees are rude, disrespectful, very unhelpful and they lack team work. I’ve given this place numerous try’s thinking that they’ve had an off day. Nope, it’s consistent on getting the orders wrong every single time.
I will never be going back to this location ever again!!! I love the chicken but the headache that comes with there service and packaging abilities will never out beat the taste.

The management at this location are very unprofessional. This review will help those who are interested in working at El Pollo Loco.
I went to a job interview 2 Thursdays ago and was asked to come in the upcoming Monday for a second interview. My plans on Monday changed so I had to reschedule to Tuesday and made sure I called 2 hours in advance. The manager answered the phone and said that this was fine.
When I got there, I told the cashier I was waiting for an interview. I was asked to sit and that the GM would come get me. I was asked for my name 2 times while I was sitting by different employees because I waited for so long. I waited for about 50 minutes for my interview. The GM apologized and interviewed me and offered me the job!
I was pretty happy that I didn’t waste my time waiting for nothing. She told me to go in on Thursday to fill out papers and start on Friday.
I went in on Thursday at 3. She told me that the computers were down and that she’d call me when to come in. I didn’t hear from her by 3 on Friday (next day) so I called. An employee answered, asked for my name, went to go get the GM, and came back saying she is very busy and can call you back. She never did.
I’ve called 4 times after that and gotten the same response.
I don’t know what happened but they obviously weren’t being honest with me about getting the job and instead of admitting any mistake or apologizing for not being able to hire me, they act like all my crap ex boyfriends and fade out.
I will not be eating here anymore after their unprofessionalism.

I am not one to rip on places I visit on a routine basis but when one chooses to no longer frequent an establishment based upon standards & common sense I believe everything after that is fair game. As the saying goes don’t S#@T where you eat only goes for when you still plan on eating there.
Anyone who pays attention to my check-in’s and/​or reads my reviews knows that I am a huge fan of El Pollo Loco. I probably go to EPL five times a week. I am a busy person; I work out like a freak and have little time to cook up healthy meals so I depend upon EPL to do this for me.
I have visited this EPL numerous times because of the close proximity to my home as well as it happens to be on my way to work so it is very convenient. Well enough is enough & I am done with this location.
When I visit EPL my order is the same every time, very simple and easy to get it right. I order 1 chicken breast, 2 legs, 1 wing and 1 package of corn tortillas. I specifically asked the cashier to ensure that my chicken is burnt. I explain so burnt that it is black, so black that it is ashy, why? Because that is the way I like it and I get a little nervous when others cook me chicken, yes I am a little OCD like that.
On numerous visits to this EPL my order has not been given to me as ordered. In fact the chicken they presented to me was not even cooked to the standard in which I requested it, not even close. Even after these failed attempts at getting my order right I still did not write this follow-​up review until now.
On my last visit I walked into this location and found the place to be packed with customers. I luckily beat the rush in the door and was first in line. I placed my order as stated above and walked over to the condiment section. The condiment section was in such disarray that I refused to even touch the spoons that were sitting in the containers of guacamole & salsa. I sat down and watched as a long line of customers ordered their food and received their food before me which I thought was a good sign because I figured my food was being cooked as ordered, it was not.
Finally my number was called and I walked up the counter to take my chicken to go but first I checked my chicken and the chicken was once again not cooked as I ordered it. I explained that I wanted the chicken so blackened that it was ashy, the chicken I was presented was not even close. I asked them to please put it back on the grill. A simple order was now 10 – 15 minutes past the time I had planned on walking out the door with my food overdue.
I waited another few minutes only to be presented now with chicken that might have pulled off of the smallest chicken on earth. I wish that my complaint ended there but it did not. My ‘well done’ charred chicken was placed into a Styrofoam without tinfoil, now my chicken was burning holes through the Styrofoam container and the container itself was now embedding who knows what chemicals onto my food. I once again handed the chicken back to the employee and asked for a piece of tinfoil so I could make it to work without poisoning myself. The employee I asked had to ask another employee who came up the counter to confirm what I was asking for, at this I was waiting for candid camera to pop out but this was no joke.
I finally received what I had originally ordered 25+ minutes earlier. I walked to my car, then to work and upon reaching work I discovered that the corn tortillas they had provided me with were literally stale and impossible to even pull apart from each other with it shattering like glass.
To say the least I was beyond upset, there is no chance I go back here. This location sits in a parking lot with several others businesses and offers a drive-​thru in my opinion if you can’t get the food cooked in the fashion you want ordering in person there is no chance that is going to happen at the drive-​thru.
On the day of my visit EPL Corporate was filming a Corporate commercial on why customers eat EPL, I was asked to go on camera but refused, I wish I could jump in a time machine and rethink that decision either way they will be receiving a copy of this review.
You have been warned!!!

It was a lazy Labor Day and I was in the mood for the Crazy Chicken. While driving to the Galleria, we noticed this new location and decided to give it a try.
From the outside, it looks like a great restaurant. Very open, brings in natural sunlight, and plenty of parking. The décor inside is nice, too.
After you place your order, you don’t end up at the beverage bar like most EPL, but the salsa bar. Yes, the salsa bar is located at the order/​pick up area, which makes that area congested. The pico de gallo and the House salsa was almost gone, and the counter was splashed with salsa, making the area look messy and untidy. The young lady took more care counting the forks than she did refilling the salsa bar.
In the dining area was the soda station, and plenty of booths and tables. However, most of the tables were dirty. Prior patrions left napkins on the table, thinking the next person would want to use it (ew, would you?), and food items still on the table. I end up finding a somewhat clean table in the corner of the place.
Eventually the tables were cleaned, and the salsa bar was wiped down.
The wait time on the food took a little bit of a wait. While it was hot and fresh, you can tell the chicken has been sitting on the grill, as it was overcooked and the skin a bit dry. I guess that’s what you get for eating at 3:00… too late for the lunch rush, but too early for the dinner crowd.
Overall the food was good, but the cleanliness of the place makes this just an A-​OK location. I still found bones and food on the floor when I walked out, which makes me wonder how clean it is behind the counter?

Chicken Tacos!
Chicken tacos filled with fire-​grilled chicken hand-​chopped pico de gallo, crisp cabbage, poblano cream inside soft artisan tortillas. Yum!
I have not been to El Pollo Loco in forever but just recently came to this location. In the past I’ve always stuck with their traditional signature fire-​grilled chicken, sides of beans and rice along with warm tortillas. This time around I got for the first time the chicken tacos! I really liked the chicken tacos. They put in a lot of tender chicken in there and found it to be very fulfilling. We got it fresh and hot off the grill! With the warm tortillas and the freshly cooked chicken, these tacos were a winner!
It was my first time at this location and like other Unilocalers have mentioned, the place is very tidy. It’s nice to see a clean fast food joint!
I thought service was ok. I did notice they didn’t open right away at their opening time and they only opened when they saw us peeking through the door. There was also a manager’s special that we were looking at in front of the cashier and the girl working there saw us looking at it and said that was no longer available. Nevertheless, nothing too special or bad with the service here.
Overall, ok :) and I’m sure I’ll be back for some more fire grilled chicken and those tacos…