El Pollo Rey

Some of the best chicken you’ll find on the peninsula. Don’t even question if you should come here or not. Everyone should try this place at least once. Burritos, bowls, or a quesadilla is the way to go. Always add guacamole; they make it fresh in front of you.

Highly recommended if you want to know how real Pollo asado taste this is the spot its fresh and filling!!! Loved it!!!

Excellent authentic homemade Mexican food! Friendly staff make you feel like family.

Went to lunch here. It was awesome! The chicken is amazing and everything else was great too. Loved the guacamole, the beans and the salsas. Service was fast and very attentive. Will definitely go back next time in Monterey.

We came here after reading a few good Google reviews, and the food/service/price were so good, we came back again the next day for dinner. The roasted chicken with rice and refried beans is easily one of the best meals I’ve ever had. The chicken tasted more like a family BBQ with that one person on the grill who doesn’t let anyone touch the grill than it did restaurant food. My 5 year old son has to be forced to eat daily, and he was serving himself. The people working there were super nice, the service was quick, and everything we ordered tasted fresh. We even came less than an hour before closing and the food STILL tasted fresh. We are only visiting the area for a few days or we would be back again, but for anyone in the area, or anyone who is visiting neighboring Monterey, this is definitely worth a try.

Very good chicken and a reasonable price for what you get ! Love their chicken burritos. Definitely recommend if you are in the area.

I visited this location after reading all of the wonderful reviews and I am so glad that I did. Their chicken is Hands-down one of the best chicken that I have ever had in my life. The service was excellent and the price was super resonable. I will definitely be visiting again.

Ordered the Super Bowl with carne Asada, a side of tortillas and chips to go. This was some of the tastiest grilled Mexican food I’ve had in a long time and will definitely be back to try other options.

This place is just awesome oak smoked chicken and BBQ and authentic food in a friendly and clean environment!!

Very friendly service. A nice local place. The chicken is very good. Well seasoned and tender. It's nothing super unique but it's well made and the portions are generous and the prices are very reasonable. I also thought the refried beans and rice were very good. The salsa was a little hot for my weak American palate though lol

Omg best place in town for chicken!! You gotta try it for your self. Most fresh guacamole made right infr

+1

Spectacular chicken! Staff were very friendly and could accommodate food allergies. Burritos and tacos were both excellent.

Hidden gem!!!! If you care about delicious food & love people who know how to cook come here!! We ordered the whole chicken combo & a carne asada plate. Both husband and I ate all of it!! Flavors were delicious along with Amazing beans, salsa, pickled onions, grilled onions & jalapeños and rice and tortillas. Not many places cook meat this well. Wish we lived closer!!!!

Wow!! Some of the best chicken I've ever had. So juicy and you get a ton of it for the money. I could eat here every day.

Chicken is Chicken however this tastes different, smoky chared moist. You can't stop eating every little bit. Also great Carne asada quesadillas. Now they offer wings so good big full of flavor 😋

A great style of mexican food. Perfect if you like burritos, tacos, and grilled chicken. The food taste fresh and has great flavor. Both salsa have a mild amount of spice. Very spicy for novice spicy lovers. Also ordered extra grilled serrano peppers (thankfully they are fresh, not pickled). The elote was a unexpected treat. Very traditional. They allowed a custom order with no mayo. Very reasonable on pricing. Lunch for us was about $20 + $5 tip Definitely a gem in the area

WOW HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!! My bf and I shared the half chicken combo which comes with rice, beans, tortillas, and a grilled onion and this was more than enough food for the both of us. This is one of the best chicken spots I ever had hands down. Service was great and quick and it's a very casual spot! We were one our way to Big Sur and we got recommended by this spot from someone back in LA so we had to make the stop and it was completely worth it. Ready to make the trip back to order this again

Amazing chicken and charro beans! This is the go to place in Seaside! Finger lickin good (healthier though) :)

Came during Monterey Car Week. Although it was a busy day it was great service and the authenticity of the food was Top Tier. The meat was roasted so well. I got a super burrito everything was distributed perfect in the burrito and not a greasy or soggy tortilla.

The food here is absolutely delicious, especially the Super Burrito! 🌯 I always enjoy coming back—such a great experience every time!

Authentic, delicious, and juicy Mexican chicken. We ordered a whole chicken meal with cactus strips, and horchata for everyone. The chips and salsa were on point as well. If you like heat there's grilled jalapeno and if you like a milder flavor there's grilled onion. I have no complaints.

I got a vegetarian burrito and let me tell you…This burrito was so good. They definitely filled that bad boy up and I was a huge fan of that. The guac was out of this world and I loved the flavor of the grill. We also got tons of sauces, and pickled onions and grilled onions. I had food for both lunch and dinner. I was a really big fan of this one and will be coming back very often. Super good! Was supposed to just take a bite in the car and ending up taking half of it haha

OK, this place is the perfect example of why you should eat at small family owned businesses and restaurants. Food here is amazing super friendly service and really fast. This is what El Pollo Loco wants to be but can’t do it because it’s a huge chain now.

Great food, great service. I 100% recommend the half chicken meal. Rolled out of there extremely satisfied! Update: just stopped in again during the car show with some friends and split the whole chicken combo. Still amazing and if you live anywhere near seaside and haven’t been here you are definitely missing out!

Friendly staff and open kitchen shares the flavors and smells of freshly grilled chicken and asada. Super burrito with chicken was outstanding with juicy tender chicken. Grilled jalapeño and onion made a nice addition. Street parking available.

Mexican food today 🤤 this thing was called Super Quesadilla! It was huge and daaaaamn goood! Could barely finish it, and the combination of meat, cheese, sour cream, and avocado was amazing. The only thing that i was not happy about is that they don’t give you water at all. If you want something to drink you have to pay😞

Can only rate the food because we got taken out. The gf and I are visiting Monterey for a week, working remote, and wanted something healthy as we had been eating out more than we usually do, being on a work-cation. This really hit the spot. Really nice chicken, rice, and beans, with a delicious salsa on the side. Out of towners be warned, their fresh salsa has some heat, and the grilled serranos can really pack a punch. I was so happy to have a delicious grilled meal with fluffy rice and flavorful beans. Thanks so much for the great meal.

Leftover Treasures

A great style of mexican food. Perfect if you like burritos, tacos, and grilled chicken. The food taste fresh and has great flavor. Both salsa have a mild amount of spice. Very spicy for novice spicy lovers. Also ordered extra grilled serrano peppers (thankfully they are fresh, not pickled). The elote was a unexpected treat. Very traditional. They allowed a custom order with no mayo. Very reasonable on pricing. Lunch for us was about $20 + $5 tip Definitely a gem in the area

mika cribbs

WOW HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!! My bf and I shared the half chicken combo which comes with rice, beans, tortillas, and a grilled onion and this was more than enough food for the both of us. This is one of the best chicken spots I ever had hands down. Service was great and quick and it's a very casual spot! We were one our way to Big Sur and we got recommended by this spot from someone back in LA so we had to make the stop and it was completely worth it. Ready to make the trip back to order this again

Taylor Chavez

Came during Monterey Car Week. Although it was a busy day it was great service and the authenticity of the food was Top Tier. The meat was roasted so well. I got a super burrito everything was distributed perfect in the burrito and not a greasy or soggy tortilla.

Svyatoslav Plishka

The food here is absolutely delicious, especially the Super Burrito! 🌯 I always enjoy coming back—such a great experience every time!

Ron Clonts

Authentic, delicious, and juicy Mexican chicken. We ordered a whole chicken meal with cactus strips, and horchata for everyone. The chips and salsa were on point as well. If you like heat there's grilled jalapeno and if you like a milder flavor there's grilled onion. I have no complaints.

David Stubblefield

OK, this place is the perfect example of why you should eat at small family owned businesses and restaurants. Food here is amazing super friendly service and really fast. This is what El Pollo Loco wants to be but can’t do it because it’s a huge chain now.

Adam Egger

Great food, great service. I 100% recommend the half chicken meal. Rolled out of there extremely satisfied! Update: just stopped in again during the car show with some friends and split the whole chicken combo. Still amazing and if you live anywhere near seaside and haven’t been here you are definitely missing out!

Nalina

I got a vegetarian burrito and let me tell you…This burrito was so good. They definitely filled that bad boy up and I was a huge fan of that. The guac was out of this world and I loved the flavor of the grill. We also got tons of sauces, and pickled onions and grilled onions. I had food for both lunch and dinner. I was a really big fan of this one and will be coming back very often. Super good! Was supposed to just take a bite in the car and ending up taking half of it haha

Shane Coles

Friendly staff and open kitchen shares the flavors and smells of freshly grilled chicken and asada. Super burrito with chicken was outstanding with juicy tender chicken. Grilled jalapeño and onion made a nice addition. Street parking available.

Zvereckable

Mexican food today 🤤 this thing was called Super Quesadilla! It was huge and daaaaamn goood! Could barely finish it, and the combination of meat, cheese, sour cream, and avocado was amazing. The only thing that i was not happy about is that they don’t give you water at all. If you want something to drink you have to pay😞

Nick Plewacki

Can only rate the food because we got taken out. The gf and I are visiting Monterey for a week, working remote, and wanted something healthy as we had been eating out more than we usually do, being on a work-cation. This really hit the spot. Really nice chicken, rice, and beans, with a delicious salsa on the side. Out of towners be warned, their fresh salsa has some heat, and the grilled serranos can really pack a punch. I was so happy to have a delicious grilled meal with fluffy rice and flavorful beans. Thanks so much for the great meal.

Rodney Whisenand

Chicken is Chicken however this tastes different, smoky chared moist. You can't stop eating every little bit. Also great Carne asada quesadillas. Now they offer wings so good big full of flavor 😋

First time here so we ordered a lot of food so we could taste. The carne asada tacos were my least favorite. Tortillas were too dense and did not care for the guac on top. Carne asada was good, plentiful and lean. Then we tried the wings, half mango habenero and half dry rubbed. Delicious, spicy and lots of meat on them.. I could see ordering a bunch for a football game. Then we ordered their #4 half chicken. OMG, that was the win of the night! It had that open flame flavour and wow was it moist and delicious. I know I'm going to be thinking about that chicken when I'm in the area. Great place, all in all. You order at the counter and they bring it to you. Was very busy when we went but thankfully they had one table left. I'm excited to go back and try more things! Excellent!!!

We ordered 2 full chickens to go and they were amazing! We had the rice and beans added too. Everything was delicious, it also comes with some grilled onions, jalapeños and tortillas! YUM!

Sabina d'Agliano

First time here so we ordered a lot of food so we could taste. The carne asada tacos were my least favorite. Tortillas were too dense and did not care for the guac on top. Carne asada was good, plentiful and lean. Then we tried the wings, half mango habenero and half dry rubbed. Delicious, spicy and lots of meat on them.. I could see ordering a bunch for a football game. Then we ordered their #4 half chicken. OMG, that was the win of the night! It had that open flame flavour and wow was it moist and delicious. I know I'm going to be thinking about that chicken when I'm in the area. Great place, all in all. You order at the counter and they bring it to you. Was very busy when we went but thankfully they had one table left. I'm excited to go back and try more things! Excellent!!!

Service was average straight to the point menu and chicken was good flavor little dry

this Sinaloa style restaurant is really good, roasted chicken and real carne asada cooked in a charcoal grill, probably the only place on Seaside where they do it, the taste and smell is a little trip to Mazatlan, everything is good, try the asada burrito is the best with grilled onion and Serrano on the side, prices are reasonable, they have to go service as well as sitting area, try them you will love the food.

We had the Chicken Burrito and the Beef Burrito and they were absolutely delicious, my one takeaway though that the protein / meat ratio was too little compared to the rest of the ingredients, it was still very delicious and the service super great.

Friendly and quick restaurant for chicken, beef, and sides. Recommend the chicken, rice, refried beans, and tortillas. Tasty chicken (not too juicy) and delicious salsa (not too spicy and full of flavor). Great price points. Perfect for take out to the beach or if heading home.

Nader

We had the Chicken Burrito and the Beef Burrito and they were absolutely delicious, my one takeaway though that the protein / meat ratio was too little compared to the rest of the ingredients, it was still very delicious and the service super great.

Ali Hanks

Friendly and quick restaurant for chicken, beef, and sides. Recommend the chicken, rice, refried beans, and tortillas. Tasty chicken (not too juicy) and delicious salsa (not too spicy and full of flavor). Great price points. Perfect for take out to the beach or if heading home.

Paco Vargas

this Sinaloa style restaurant is really good, roasted chicken and real carne asada cooked in a charcoal grill, probably the only place on Seaside where they do it, the taste and smell is a little trip to Mazatlan, everything is good, try the asada burrito is the best with grilled onion and Serrano on the side, prices are reasonable, they have to go service as well as sitting area, try them you will love the food.

The food is definitely good but it's not consistent. Not caring or realizing or both that consistency brings people back is lacks cabezas. Serving tough carne asada with hard tendon in the a la Carta to save a few pennies isn't muy intelligent. On the fly we might return but for the same coin, about $50, a couple wagu steaks from safeway and some store bought la tortilla factory organic yellow corn tortilla is a much much better option. The chicken seems to be costco bought and over grilled burnt to hide it's origin. Wouldn't post this if they actually served what was advertised on a consistent basis. The server appears to be loco.

Super authentic restaurant for amazing-smelling grill, roasting chilies, onions, chicken and carne asada. Expectations: 5 stars Chicken: may be 4-5 stars My personal service experience and carne asada experience: 3 stars Around 4 pm I walked in and waves of amazing roasting chilies and onions came my way. There were many half chickens roasting and looking really great. Prices for burritos look very fair, so when it came time to order the combo meal, my expectations were it would be a value. I ordered carne asada (1lb), and it came with beans, rice, tortillas roasted onions and chilies with a few small containers of 2 different salsas. $32.99! The counter person advised I order an additional pound if eating for two. The carne asada was inedible in parts. Much of it was incredibly difficult to pull apart, some of the fat being too tough and hard to even cut or chew. The beans and rice were tasty, as were the roasted chilies and onions. I cannot imagine how, though, the meal combo and extra 1lb of extraordinarily tough carne asada could cost over $70. Additionally, I added a tip. Unfortunately, when I came back in to pick up my order that was on the counter, the lady that rang me up was gone and another lady said she would be with me and took a while to return. She ended up unpacking my whole order, went through it, and repacked it before she gave it back to me. She said she didn’t know what was in it or if it was mine and I showed her my receipt. So, I would definitely never have tipped for such an experience. I would think about returning for a chicken burrito- but NO combo meals and NO carne asada.

cvnative72

Super authentic restaurant for amazing-smelling grill, roasting chilies, onions, chicken and carne asada. Expectations: 5 stars Chicken: may be 4-5 stars My personal service experience and carne asada experience: 3 stars Around 4 pm I walked in and waves of amazing roasting chilies and onions came my way. There were many half chickens roasting and looking really great. Prices for burritos look very fair, so when it came time to order the combo meal, my expectations were it would be a value. I ordered carne asada (1lb), and it came with beans, rice, tortillas roasted onions and chilies with a few small containers of 2 different salsas. $32.99! The counter person advised I order an additional pound if eating for two. The carne asada was inedible in parts. Much of it was incredibly difficult to pull apart, some of the fat being too tough and hard to even cut or chew. The beans and rice were tasty, as were the roasted chilies and onions. I cannot imagine how, though, the meal combo and extra 1lb of extraordinarily tough carne asada could cost over $70. Additionally, I added a tip. Unfortunately, when I came back in to pick up my order that was on the counter, the lady that rang me up was gone and another lady said she would be with me and took a while to return. She ended up unpacking my whole order, went through it, and repacked it before she gave it back to me. She said she didn’t know what was in it or if it was mine and I showed her my receipt. So, I would definitely never have tipped for such an experience. I would think about returning for a chicken burrito- but NO combo meals and NO carne asada.

mediocre, bowl was almost $13 and only had half of what Chipotle would've offered. Flavor is what makes it good but my bowl must've only been like 8oz. When i walked in the cashier seemed annoyed at my questions

anna

mediocre, bowl was almost $13 and only had half of what Chipotle would've offered. Flavor is what makes it good but my bowl must've only been like 8oz. When i walked in the cashier seemed annoyed at my questions

I have never dined in at the restaurant, but I have been a regular take-out customer for about three years. My family and I have enjoyed their food at least once a week. Over time, I noticed the prices increased, but the quality of the food remained good, so it felt justified. Unfortunately, our most recent order was very disappointing. I ordered a whole chicken, but what I received looked like scraps with very little meat. The quality was poor. The frijoles were very bland, the juice tasted watered down, and the guacamole was poorly made. Considering the price, the overall quality of the meal was unacceptable. Sadly, after this experience, we will not be ordering from them again.

Carolina Fabry

I have never dined in at the restaurant, but I have been a regular take-out customer for about three years. My family and I have enjoyed their food at least once a week. Over time, I noticed the prices increased, but the quality of the food remained good, so it felt justified. Unfortunately, our most recent order was very disappointing. I ordered a whole chicken, but what I received looked like scraps with very little meat. The quality was poor. The frijoles were very bland, the juice tasted watered down, and the guacamole was poorly made. Considering the price, the overall quality of the meal was unacceptable. Sadly, after this experience, we will not be ordering from them again.

We have been here in years past, it WAS an amazing place. We travel from about 3.5 g hours away to come here, well, when we got here today at 6:15 pm, when the website indicates that the restaurant closes at 8:00 pm, we’re told by the cashier that they have no chicken at all and that we cannot eat there because they’re closing. When we got our food, we weren’t even given the grilled onions that come standard served with their meals, even though I directly asked the cashier if they were in the bag and she said they were. To say the least, I am devastated that my family of 6 had to eat in our car, since we live 3.5 hours away, and we weren’t even given enough plates to eat as well as being charged extra for chips! Customer service matters, treating people with kindness and respect matters. I hope you do better for other customers in the future, because my family of 6 will no longer be driving 3.5 hours from home to eat here.

Ordered takeout via grub hub and asked for all 4 meals with sour cream and guacamole on the side. I asked where it was and was told they put it in the burritos and quesadillas. Ok. So I get home and none of it was inside or on the side. I called to let them know and phone just rings…no answer. Was extremely disappointed and should have at least been refunded something for the mistake. What a let down, my family was really looking forward to dinner and instead were underwhelmed, especially for the price.

Ordered Door Dash - this is the most dry burrito with steak I have had ever. The steak texture feels like what it seems to eat wood chips. It's not a super burrito. Maybe just a bad day for the restaurant but if I was in the restaurant I would send it back.

Joey T. (curlysaltandpepperLA)

Ordered Door Dash - this is the most dry burrito with steak I have had ever. The steak texture feels like what it seems to eat wood chips. It's not a super burrito. Maybe just a bad day for the restaurant but if I was in the restaurant I would send it back.