The folks here are so cordial and compassionate people. I've been coming here for 3 years and that has not changed at all. These seemingly disparate traits indicative of a similar management style are more of a small business community attitude. No discrimination to the housing-challenged nor the scores food stamp recipients that can enjoy a delicious grilled chicken that's as crazy for its neighborhood as its chicken.

Great service, the manager was on her lunch break when I ordered and came to pay for the homeless gent behind me's dinner. So sweet!!! El camino location warmed my heart and fed my family great food and plenty for 65 dollars. I got two large salads, 6 tacos, and an 8 pcs family meal with two sides. Good deal and great food

Love the original Pollo bowl for some tasty and relatively low fat grub. My wife likes getting a 3 piece meal and making burritos from the items. Reasonably fast service.

I ordered Double chicken bowl but it seems the chicken wasn't double. Update: I have been contacted by customer service department about my experience. Because of the fast response and great costumer service, I would like to change my review from 3 to 5 star.

Well grilled chicken. Flavors are mild. Don't expect any spicy flavors or a lot of heat. We prefer the legs and thighs option since the meat is always tender.

Excellence in service and cousine both

High-quality chicken deliciously, marinated and barbecued to perfection. Fresh salads prepared with ripe avocados, just as you would do it at home. A feast for the entire family.

Place has many variety their classic chicken burrito is perfect to fill the hunger. Service is fast enough. Like the freshness of the burrito.

First time visiting. The chicken is very good. I recommend the 8-piece chicken special.

Super awsome location!! Ur order will be right everytime they will make sure. Omg new quesidallas are so tasty. Ebt is accepted!!!!! A little sweaty inside the dining area although :(

Update - very well managed, prompt service. Fast Wi-Fi and FOB.

Food is good, restaurant is clean and nice.

Delicious burritos authentic flavor Pozole really good 😊👍

The staff is always very friendly. Good service. Excellent tasting food. Lots of variety in the menu

I love the double chicken tostada bowl and try to get one at least once a week. It's super filling and seems healthier that other meals. This time they forgot my cilantro dressing for my salad and I had to go back for my dressing after getting home to eat.

Not your typical fast food restaurant. El Pollo Loco offers fresh roasted chicken, salad, healthy sides, and burritos. All with a Mexican twist. The food is fresh. This location is very busy. Service was outstanding and the cafe was clean. I highly recommend!

If you have to have chicken then Pollo Loco is the best place. As far as "fast food" restaurants this is the place. This particular location is one of the last ones in the neighborhood so do not hesitate to go there and go often!

The food here is quite good and not dry like another reviewer has posted, but then again I have ordered chicken salads and burritos and not whole pieces of chicken. But anyways, the chicken I do get is wonderfully seared but still has juiciness. I often don't eat the salads with the dressing because it is quite heavy, instead I find myself using their avocado salsa to dress my salad, which makes it yummy spicy. Not terribly expensive, but not everyday food.

The best El Pollo Loco Ive been too. Theres always friendly and efficient women working in the drive thru. They always have a smile and ask me if I need any other items. A+ on customer service and my chicken black bean bowl always looks and tastes delicious!

Love the drive thru 1🙌 option.

A fantastic, Authentic Mexican restaurant with very kind staff and delicious food, hot spices and Pisces, and a never ending, revolving crossword-puzzle for your mental health in the hidden secrets of sacred geometry here and there... ....brought to you by Authentic Aztec-MagRay (Magyar) cooperation from Orion, Sirius, and other warless places of our Great Universe, Laniakea. Viva Pélè, bon appetit... ;) :D :*

Micheal Bobaguard

I went into Google Translate and put in the words, "El Pollo Loco" Means some spanish stuff or whatever, something about a cockroach. So, I went in there and I saw cockroaches in the kitchen, devouring the 3rd waitress, she died. I attended her funeral and the food was good. I rate this 5 stars, a Bobaguard Prize of Honor.

Rosemarie Maez

The Lady who took my payment was very personable. The food was hot and tasted good.

jshieh jshieh

Best burritos I have tasted. Staffs and manager are very helpful. WiFi, all drink varieties, even coupon ads are available in store to be scanned.

Mario Maciel

The Chicken was delicious, nice and broiled. The guacamole and the chips were good. It was a good meal.

Matt

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I had a great experience at El Pollo Loco! The staff were very polite and friendly, the service was fast, and the food was absolutely delicious. Thank you for the wonderful experience — I’ll definitely be coming back!

Orestes Flores

Food was great. People were great. Hard to find a better chicken place. They offer great food, affordable prices and good service.

Cyrus Shahriari

For a consistently excellent dining experience, the El Pollo Loco on El Camino Real in Santa Clara, near the San Tomas Expressway, comes highly recommended. The entire team at this location is exceptionally customer-focused, friendly, and quick, ensuring every visit is a pleasant one. Beyond the great service, the food consistently delivers: their signature fire-grilled chicken is always high quality, juicy, and flavorful. What truly sets this location apart is that despite the top-notch food and service, their prices are consistently competitive, offering high value that's hard to beat even when compared to other fast-casual options. It's truly a standout for anyone looking for a delicious, affordable, and welcoming meal.

Dan Kim

Haven't gone to El Pollo Loco in years but decided to since they have a $10 off for $30 coupon in their app. Honestly even at full price I want to say this was a great deal. The bowl and a drink came out to a bit over $6 which in now a days fast food pricing, is an excellent value. Food itself was above average, the tacos though were a bit dry but salsa helped.

Apeksha

I just love their food. Had grilled chicken and tostadas. It was amazing. It’s so filling . Love the customer service too. It’s my go to place for Mexican food .

Mark Looney

One of my favorite fast food restaurant chains. This site combines an old-school exterior with the new interior design. Simply superb! My meal and my service were absolutely fantastic.

+2

I like eating here. My latest fave is the double chicken avocado salad. I like the cilantro dressing. The chicken is good just by itself with their green sauce. I do think the staff could use more training on courtesy and making better decisions. I gotta mention this- it happened today at dinner, and yes, I should have caught it sooner...I appreciated the guy at the window trying to fill my soda up all the way... apparently he doesn't realize tho just what a disastrous mess it makes when over-filled soda comes out the hole in the lid and goes all over the car. I just detailed too :-/. How do you train on common sense?

Good inexpensive chicken dishes. Salads are extensive with a variety of offerings. Nice people work here treat them right. Plastic serving trays and bowls need to be better.

El Pollo Loco consistently delivers on their promise of delicious, well-seasoned, barbequed chicken. Both white and dark meat are tasty. Their salsa bar includes a variety of sauces along with wedges of citrus and chili peppers. They have a number of side dishes that complement the chicken. This last time I found the macaroni and cheese somewhat overcooked and mushy, but the cheese flavor was good. You can get beans, salad, etc. They also serve entree salads, burritos and more. This is good value from a fast food restaurant where you can put together a healthful meal.

Friendly, fast service, only reazon am giving 4 stars is because my order I was supposed to get legs and tight only but I got it mixed with wings, not what I asked for...not a big deal, but costumers pay for what they want. Agree? Other than that it's a good place. Still coming back to it...

I love the tostada combo. Under 500 calories, delicious (don't eat much of the shell, add churros instead). A little bit more expensive than other fast food restaurant but so much more healthy.

4 stars as the person was slow behind the counter packaging the food... also tossed out food on a tray before putting into a plastic bag which other locations would of put in straight into a plastic bag before removing it from the stainless steel shelves from the cooking area. Some people are not worth the 15 an hr they are complaining about..even at 12 bucks they is no customer service.

Love El Pollo Loco, the food always tastes great and it doesn't kill the wallet when you eat here. Pretty healthy for the most part, and cost the same, if not less than a fast food burger and fries. I usually get the chicken, rice, and black beans and it always seems to fill me up. The chicken is really good.

I was somewhat nostalgic for some crazy chicken and haven't had any since my last visit to Arizona. I headed to this location when on a business trip to San Jose and wasn't sure if I should eat there because the back door was open and had no screen. But uppon entering I found that it appeared clean and the food smelled great and it was. Delicious yummy Crazy Chicken! Not sure the area is best at night but the food is awesome and with some minor adjustments to the outside it would be more inviting.

Food is always good and the seasoning is great. The chicken is always moist which is an extra plus since it's not over cooked and dry as leather. My family has even going here for years every now and than and we have never been disappointed

I had the Chicken Nachos. Very good. Should have gotten two. Not very filling. Update: Tried the Double Chicken Tostada. The Tostada was old and not crispy. The Avocado was brown and hard as a rock. The chicken was fine but I don't think I will order that again.

Food was fresh. Chicken was a bit dry. It was sitting on the grill, maybe to keep it warm, but it was dry. Staff was friendly. Diner was not the cleanest.

Great food, great service. Only negative is that it is always very hot inside.

If you like guacamole, then this place is for you. There is guacamole in everything. If you do not want guacamole, you will have order food requesting to take off the guacamole. I enjoyed my selections, although most items do not promote healthy eating. Service was slow as I had to wait for the cashier to count her drawer before I could order. When I did order, the cashier kept getting distracted with all that was going on. I enjoyed my meal.

Chickens a bit salty but perfect with tortilla Combo is good for 3 people.

This is a pretty clean restaurant that was run pretty efficiently. In general we got burritos but they felt like they were slightly lacking in the protein. I think next time we would get the salads. They looked very good, almost everyone at the restaurant had one. In general it was pretty clean.

Offers good food at a good value. Tostada salads are a great go to as well as the family chicken meal. Make sure to try the green salsa and the horchata

I love coming in here. At lunch you have all kinds: Landscapers Office folks in dresses/suits families It's cheap, the food is fresh and always bring in your coupons from the mail. I knocked off a star because the salsa bar needs cleaning and the staff is so busy they don't have a chance to clean. CUSTOMERS: be careful when getting salsa !!!

Ruben Sanchez

Great food when it's fresh. Great service when they listen or don't have attitudes. So it's always a hot or miss depending on day and time.

Viv M

This was an ok place. The burrito bowl was decent but the chicken was overcooked, dry, and bland. I had gotten the avocado grande bowl but there was only one slice of avocado(I didn’t mind that much though, I don’t really like avocado, I was just hoping it might add something to it). The whole bowl was pretty bland too. I probably would have been better off getting the family meal with chicken and rice and coleslaw. I give it 4 stars because the family meal is always great

It has it's charm. With the virus & new help each visit we need all the help they can offer. I feel they suffer with each meal they serve. It is the same old. They really need to step back & regoup. It is like they really are on the tread mill. They being the rat. Going no were fast. Living in hope dying in despair. It is really never dull....

Green dacor with falling apart furniture. They don have heater because is the same temp as outside. 54 degrees my food got so cold so fast and my soda was warmer than the sause the sause was icy I had to ask for another but it was also the same fixed the heater at less

The food can be very tasty, but they aren't very consistent at this location. Sometimes the chicken is bland, or blackened. Other times it is fantastic. Otherwise I would give it 4 stars. If you do go, I find the 3 piece meal with leg and thigh is the most flavorful. But the wraps are disappointing due to small amount of chicken.

Food is mostly good for the price. The Santa Clara location is lacking quite a bit though compared to other El Pollo Loco locations. Every time we dine in we are typically served all of the chicken on one plate, even though my wife and daughter are eating in with me. The BRC burrito size has decreased to almost nothing compared to other El Pollo locations. The salsa bar is no longer available to customers to access for years now due to the shut down, and it seems like a burden to the employees in Santa Clara when we ask for simple salsa and onions. We often drive further to the Sunnyvale location for the better service and food.

I like the mexican style chickens and I like the open salsa bars. However, I think the quality of the food here is not consistent. Sometimed the chickens were overcooked and very salty. The cleanness of the salsa bar is another issue. The staffs should come out more often to clean up.

Pro - Convenient location, easy to find - Drive thru is a must for quick lunch/dinner runs - Easy to use online ordering - $5 Street Corn Chicken Pollo Bowl is a great value for a quick lunch or dinner - Plenty of parking Note - Lobby closes at 9 PM but drive thru is open thru 10 PM

Newer, larger restaurant than Sunnyvale’s, so we come here more often. The Double Chicken Avocado salad with added green salsa and a mango iced tea is a great affordable meal. Unfortunately, on today’s visit, the chicken in the salad had the consistency of jerky. Ugh.

Classic Mexican style grilled chicken. If you are into Mexican fare give this chain a try.

Depending on the time of the day, the chicken can be the as expected or all dried up and stale, basiclaly be prepared to get the left over batch from lunch if you re web ordering between 2 and 4. Even drive thru. Everytime.

Ordered the fajita bowl. Was actually really good. I generally dont go to El Pollo Loco however I actually really enjoyed it; the food that is. Only reason for a 3 star is for the cleanliness of the place. Tables were ALL sticky and dirty in general. All. Of. Them. Not sure if it's because I came in during lunch hour but either they need to do a better job cleaning the place and or it was busy and understaffed. Food 10/10 cleanliness 3/10.

I usually love pollo loco but lately I have been noticing they don't cook the chicken.Well I went the last two times to get a salad the first time my chicken wasn't cooked thoroughly it was under cook the second time the salad wasn't fresh I usually don't like to complain but I could of gotten food poisoning from that. All I'm saying please cook your meats well and give fresh lettuce for the salads.

Food was the same as always, stingy in the salsa and Pico. Instructions asked to be given extra Pico de Gallo & bigger containers of avocado salsa. Actually got less Pico than usual and 1 less container of salsa. Edit on 6/18/19: As usual, I got my original pollo bowl combo cause it's healthy and filling. Figured maybe I was too quick to judge last time, so I got the exact same order via my app order history. Lo and behold, they were even stingier this time, if that was even possible. Same 7 cups, now sometimes not even 1/2 full. All cups were at most, 1/2 full. I don't know, was my $5 combo not big enough? Was I not spending enough there? Both times, the lady I spoke in drive-thru just sounded confused when I mentioned online/app order pickup. Had to pull up to explain. My order must have been ready, because they handed me the bowl pretty quick after I showed my phone. Why the hold up?

Jon Lee G

It must be me and my luck, but every time I get a side salad there is NO DRESSING IN IT OR VERY LITTLE WHAT GIVES?! Sorry but come on, it’s not good without the cilantro dressing.

Cali Native V

Haven't eaten at any El Pollo Loco for over 25 years. Just about the same as I remembered. Grilled chicken meals were better than expected but the chicken salad chicken was very dry and hard. I suspected they used the previous day's unsold chicken. The atmosphere was barely acceptable. Tables had crumbs and the restroom was outside and very messy. Stomach ache ensued.

Paul Lein

Just a few sentences to sum up my experience. The chicken was dry. The place was a bit grungy but that's ok as long as the food is good. But it wasn't, it was dry.

Alex Allan

First time here just convenient cuz our hotel right up the street. Furniture are rip, normal wear and tear. Need attention. I feel so creepy we have to get our food and get out. The guy took our order quick, 5 customer behind us got their order. I just order 2pc chix, mac & rice took them 18mins to be exact, it was good by the way👍🏽 When your not comfortable you will keep looking in you watch, i was timing them from the time stamp of my receipt 🥹 I have my little kids with me and Homeless eating at the patio with no shirt on🥵

Always wanted to try this but it turned out to be terrible. Got the fire grilled chicken pieces and grande avocado chicken bowl. Expected the chicken pieces to be spicy but they were not. The bowl was just below average. No idea if it’s the choice of food but experience was bad!!

They get a two star! Reason if i ask for my receipt you must bring me my receipt, hell! The young lady should have me my receipt when i payed for my food!! Like she was supposed to!!!! I will not be returning to that store anytime soon!!!

This is the second time I've ordered a 16 piece family meal and get all the way home to get on the first visit an 8 piece and this last time a 12 piece. How do you not know the difference or you can't count or you expected me to just let it go. Well I didn't and called corporate. The one on Coleman is way better, their nicer and I've never had a problem with them.

Good chicken but absolutely rude servers. They asked me for an order confirmation when I went there to grab food even when I told them my name and the exact order. I have never seen this anywhere before. Maybe the order was for $5000 and was full of gold that they were so particular about the order confirmation but it is strange to expect it. One might order it and not carry a phone to grab food. You usually tell your name and they give you your order. It’s not a flight ticket

Foods good most of the time but service sucks. They started charging for the creamy cilantro sauce Wich should come free with your order. I hate to rip on a pregnant woman but she has a really bad attitude. I get it that ur pregnant n u gotta work n hey, we all have bad days but she's like that all the time. I'd rather go to the one off Coleman. Service is great there n they don't nickel n dime u there.

Got a salad , it had brown avocado . The salad had a huge stem of the lettuce . Tried the guacamole and it had the little black thing from avocado skin.

Chicken is dry. Bathrooms remind me of a dirty gas station bathroom.

Christina M

We ordered a side of thigh meat and was charged for white meat we were told by the girl that helped us that the price is the same for thigh meat which is not correct. We visit this location often

Did not take orders through phone, so I ordered on their website for 8 pieces chicken meal with Corn and mashed potatoes with gravy. The sides turned out to be mac&cheese and mashed potatoes without gravy. Also didn’t have salsa for chips.

Drove threw the drive threw ordered two taco salad combos asked for one with cabbage instead of lettuce lady said they didn’t do that after a little back and forth she did it when paying I asked for three salsa and she said no only two I asked to pay extra and she said they didn’t sell them as extra. She was Hispanic with tattoos of roses on both arms . We won’t be back bad service.

February 28th Update: I thought I use the app again and call to make sure they do not screw up and not give me the medium cup pico de gallo that is on the menu on the app. I spoke with Isanar at the location and at first she said they were out of pico de gallo and I said if I come in now there won't be any pico de gallo at the bar? She said we don't have any at the drive through! I said it is for delivery by door dash so you can get it from the bar in a medium cup instead of getting 10 mini-cups which is a joke really. Also, on the app I got my $10 reward after spending $100 or so and once you click on redeem reward, it gives you a little over 1 hour to redeem it at a store! What the heck?? Why is there a time limit? Why can't I apply it on my orders in the app? What a joke? Well, I will NEVER EVER go to El Pollo Loco again. Enjoy the money I have spent so far. February 26th, 2020: I tell you! I like the chicken at El Pollo Loco but they just cannot communicate and do not know the menu! I order on an app to get points (not that it is a great value) since I eat there often and on there you can order a cup of pico de gallo (not that ridiculous environment destroying miniature poor excuse of a cup) and when I go to pick it up, or when they delivered it as I tried for the first time today, they are clueless what I am talking about. I show it to them on the app and they look at each other like they have seen an alien from another galaxy that speaks alien and after a while they grab a cup and fill it with pico de gallo. I called them today to say I didn't get the pico de gallo, they say sorry we were out of it and asked the DoorDash driver to get you the pico de gallo from the little bar they have! Huh?? I told them that the driver didn't work there and that it was their responsibility to fulfill the order which she said sorry! Great, that is all I was after, an apology!!? How can you be out of pico de gallo and yet fill the bar with it? Service requires a bit of a brain and most companies lack brain where it comes to service and taking care of the customer! Wow!

The time you waste in this place to get your food is terrible.

Chips were under fried (very soft and soggy). Could barely chew through the hard chicken in the taco. Churros were good tho…

I stay at a hotel nearby when working in the area. When I want a quiet night and cheap, get fast food, it would seem this is the place a very short walk away. And yet, after going there 4-5 different times over a year or more, there is literally ALWAYS some issue. CC machine not working. can't accept cash. No sides available (not just the side you ask for, i mean NO SIDES out of a choice of six i think?). No guacamole or chips. One time they didn't have any bags to put your to-go stuff in so you could carry out all the individual containers, if you didn;t have too many..... Tonight's issue? No chicken. Thats not a typo at a place with POLLO in the name. No chicken. just before the dinner rush. None. well, I take that back - I was offered to wait for 45-60 minutes while they cook some from scratch. How this halfwit run place got 4 stars is beyond me. Morons.

This was my first time eating here. I ordered a breast and wing, broccoli, and a side salad. The chicken was old and dry it was not edible. The broccoli was old and dry, and the side salad. The lettuce was brown. That entire meal went into the trash. If I could give zero stars I would. It’s unfortunate, the actual food they served me doesn’t reflect what they advertise on tv. I will not return

This El Pollo is one minute from my house. Unfortunately I won't be returning. I have given up thinking the employees just made an honest mistake in their rush to prepare my order. The problem is, nearly every time I've gone to the place I get home and something is missing or they put onions and cilantro when I asked them to be sure not to put it on my food. Its partly my fault for not checking before I get home but I shouldn't have to. Its usually something small like 25 cent order of tortillas they forget but a couple days ago it was a $4.00 order of rice. I never called to inform them as usual but this time really bothered me. I'd say 75% of the time my order is wrong. I'm not willing to give my money to a restaurant that can't put in place a better system to catch the small things that can ruin your experience.

Chicken was burnt & hard to chew. The girl who was taking the order spoke so fast repeating my order and then when I asked her to repeat it please she was sarcastically slow. Worse meal my husband &. I ever had. Ask if I wanted salsa, I said yes but none was put in the bag. And I said excuse me 6 times before I got anyone's attention. Truly disappointed because the food is usually really good.

Ive been a customer for many years, every time I go in the customer service gets worse. I’m in there daily at times. the ladies are very rude when it comes to anyone using coupons. I run a business of my own and the reason i put out coupons is to get repeat business from customers... clearly they dont see it that way.. they were handing out coupons to every customer that purchased, i asked why do you need to rip up my coupons can i use it again next time instead of giving me a new one... {of the same exact coupon}Maria said NO they are all different. Ok..... after my purchase she refused to give me my purchasing coupon. So i asked for one and it was identical to the one she just got done tearing up and throwing away. {she lied and was rude} this isn’t the first time this has happened.... its just the first time i spoke up.. i build relationships with customers for my company daily.. so i dont understand why it would be a problem for them to do the same for a customer they see a lot of.... all around just BAD SERVICE!! NOT NECESSARY!! I Don’t want to have to move my business elsewhere but it seems to be headed that way. {new food location}I use them for MOST company meetings as well. If it had option to give a negative star i would... i hope the manager/owner can address the issue. So other people don’t experience the same. No reason anyone should feel or be treated that way.. very bad for business!!! {not a coupon issue its a CUSTOMER SERVICE issue}

Good food but the manager is rude. Sitting on tables outside and being treated like a vagrant being told to move along is not the way you treat customers. With no signage on the tables stating you cannot eat outside, there is no reason for an employee to have that type of attitude. I ordered from this restaurant quite regularly. It will be a while before I do it again.

Placed a mobile order. I showed up 10min past the pickup time. The person at the window said there was no mobile order. I confirmed that I had prepaid for it and placed it 20 mins well in advance. Asked for a manger and a refund but was not even given that. Poor customer care and service. I did contact corporate to file a complaint and got my refund. This location and its management 👎🏼

They are working with grilled chicken. Why are the white meat dry 90℅ of the time I have been there? I once had to tell them to make sure it wasn't dry, so I had to wait an extra 15 minutes before they got it right. Ugh! 50℅ of the time the dark meat is also dry. Oh and don't forget that the chicken tends to be salty. For the price, it shouldn't be this bad. Expect something to be overcooked or dry.

Makhaila Porter

Horrible horrible horrible, I’m from Monterey bay, my dad came here to eat after traveling for a long day at work and he said the chicken looked weird like something he didn’t see. When he got home he told us how he got super sick, he said his body felt tingly, extremely tired and he threw up. Please after seeing a lot of these reviews and how many people got food poisoning don’t eat here, I’m not even sure if it’s food poisoning he said it felt like he was drugged. Please never eat here. Ridiculous.

Channon Dade (Channon TV)

We come here every day all the time when we stay at the nearby hotel and it has been exceptional until this morning. My Chicken was to go and it was not hot at all... typically it is so hot it almost burns my fingers but not at all this time. I had to warm it up in microwave. Also young lady at the register got an attitude with me when I told her I was missing an item. Poor service...go at night for better chancs of getting the expected quality we have gotten over the years.

Eddie B

Not sure if they changed cooks, but my usual chicken tostada bowl whether double or not has been old chicken like dry and cooked yesterday. How do I know this, because something’s you just know. Right. 1-22-24 update. I just had the ‘new’ crunchy taco chicken. What I had was the left over of unsold leathery chicken. It was chicken jerky. My first and maybe last time to try this new menu. Horrible. Don’t get me wrong I’m a fav for el pollo, but sometimes companies get it wrong.