El Pollo Loco

The food is great there but they discontinued having tacos

Great service crew! Very friendly and the food is always good!

Food was good, and they offer keto items which is hard to find.

Yummy healthy food, courteous staff, and reasonable prices. Thank you.

They were really nice and welcoming, great place to go with your family!

These are the best fast food tacos from a chain! Excellent burritos, tacos, quesadillas and salsa!

Great food, up quickly, and got our order just right!

Friendly staff, delicious food and fast drive-thru. Good spot.

Always very clean and staff is efficent and friendly. I eat at El Pollo Locos a lot and this is by far the best overall experience.

El Pollo Loco is one of few fast food places that has healthy fare, it is my go to when I don't feel like cooking, and always tasty

Ultimately this is my number one favorite fast food choice. Never disappointed and I highly recommended for a healthy fast food.

Yummy yummy yummy new salads here try em out The wait is so quick and the service is so good.

Love the food and get great deals w coupons and the App.

This is our family's favorite fast food restaurant it's real chicken on a grill real beans fresh salsa it doesn't get any better than that

I've been going to this location for close to 20 yrs. Always awesome chicken. Never fails

Food was delicious and the cashier was very nice and polite will be going back over there again

They have good food. This place is definitely underrated.

The original pollo bowl was delicious and was quickly made ready for us to enjoy.

I love El Pollo loco. The mac and cheese is probably one of my favorite all times

Friendly and helpful..got a free bowl just for downloading there app. Food was delicious

The food was great service was quick and efficient, on top of that store looks awesome with all new colors keep it pollo loco

Drive through service only at this time and the service was FAST and efficient! Got through the line so quickly… Our food was still hot still when we got it home and everything was in our order just like it was supposed to be! Delicious as usual! Phenomenal job El Pollo Loco!

I've lived right by it for the longest time and I haven't gone there because my daughter likes nuggets. Their burritos and their tacos are amazing. I've already been back twice this week.

The staff there are the friendliest. The manager goes above and beyond, he serves you your order at your table and he helps his staff out a lot. Since it’s close to my job I go there often and the staff knows me now, I have never had a bad service there.

Very good customer service! Very clean environment! Christina runs a good crew! She is the best leader a team could have! I recommend everyone to dine here!!!!! Keep up the good work Christina!

Great El pollo loco, fast and friendly service. Place is always clean. When you go tbrough the drive thru service is allways accurate. The employee always asks if you require salsa. Family size meals are a reasonable price. Also has bathrooms for convenience. Overall good chicken, sides, and burritos.

As we were near that area and decided to try this place and it was actually really good, from the food to the service. Tostada salads are awesome.

The ten piece legs and thighs I got was delicious. The chicken was cooked perfectly. I ate all ten pieces myself. I wish I had more coupons to use. I would go there all the time.

My favorite place to get chicken. The skin is delicious. I've never had bad chicken at el pollo loco ever. You can't go wrong with a 2 piece metal.

I go here all the time to buy food for my family. It’s inexpensive, healthy, and delicious. Absolutely love this restaurant and highly recommend it to anyone!

Went through the drive through. Super friendly person took my order. They remembered my sauces without a reminder and the food was hot and delicious

Surprisingly good burritos and tacos. Haven't tried the chicken. A bit on the pricey side for fast food but you can tell it's real food for the most part.

Amen, amen! Come here hungry and you will order take away bags. Even though I was ready to go, I changed my mind and ate my take out platter right there. I ordered shrimp and boneless chicken meals. The restaurant always impressed me with it's extreme cleanliness and well stocked salsa bar. Come in famished leave with satisfied tummy 🤣🙏

Every time I get the opportunity to visit family in California, El Pollo Loco is a must! Never ones have a been disappointed

I eat here frequently. The staff is super nice & helpful. The drive-thru line is quick & even when they are slammed busy, they get you in & out quickly and are extremely accurate with orders. The quality of the food is excellent. I will continue to go here for lunch, dinner, etc. It is fast food but doesn't taste like it.

Irma the manager was very helpful and gave very good customer service. Her cooks and staff were hustling and very busy but still all greeted us as we came in. Thank you for making us feel special and welcomed. By the way, their new nachos we're delicious!

I enjoy eating at El Pollo Loco! I came here late at night and order a family meal and the chicken was juicy and delicious. I would recommend coming here again. Also, their burritos are delicious I tried the chicken avocado and it delicious and big.

I signed up for their rewards program awhile back so I get discounts and deal through their app. I've been craving tamales and bought some a couple of weeks ago from a local restaurant so I was excited to see that El Pollo Loco has tamales! I had a deal for a tamale bowl for $5. I chose the two chicken tamales. Came with beans and rice. They were delicious!

8/16/2025: last 4 visits - three 5-stars, one two-star. When the crew is hot, they are fire. 1/31/2025: Five stars for last two visits (1/25 & 1/31), Double Chicken Tostadas each time. Delicious! 1/13/2025: Five stars. Ordered two Double Chicken Tostadas - fantastic! Flavorful, fresh and a decent amount of chicken. Great job! 12/12/2024: Two stars. Terrible execution of my mobile order. I ordered a Double Chicken Tostada and a Street Corn Double Pollo Fit Bowl. We ordered 4 salsas, they gave us 3. One of the two containers of Creamy Cilantro Dressing was 2/3 empty. The Fit Bowl was the worst - about a teaspoon of corn; barely any chicken; and a small, blackish portion of avocado. It was a disaster, dinner-wise. Very disappointing.

Ricardo Rodriguez

Every time I get the opportunity to visit family in California, El Pollo Loco is a must! Never ones have a been disappointed

Kiaanii (sunshineee)

I enjoy eating at El Pollo Loco! I came here late at night and order a family meal and the chicken was juicy and delicious. I would recommend coming here again. Also, their burritos are delicious I tried the chicken avocado and it delicious and big.

Timothy Stern

I eat here frequently. The staff is super nice & helpful. The drive-thru line is quick & even when they are slammed busy, they get you in & out quickly and are extremely accurate with orders. The quality of the food is excellent. I will continue to go here for lunch, dinner, etc. It is fast food but doesn't taste like it.

Jorge Lieras

Irma the manager was very helpful and gave very good customer service. Her cooks and staff were hustling and very busy but still all greeted us as we came in. Thank you for making us feel special and welcomed. By the way, their new nachos we're delicious!

Bill Menter

8/16/2025: last 4 visits - three 5-stars, one two-star. When the crew is hot, they are fire. 1/31/2025: Five stars for last two visits (1/25 & 1/31), Double Chicken Tostadas each time. Delicious! 1/13/2025: Five stars. Ordered two Double Chicken Tostadas - fantastic! Flavorful, fresh and a decent amount of chicken. Great job! 12/12/2024: Two stars. Terrible execution of my mobile order. I ordered a Double Chicken Tostada and a Street Corn Double Pollo Fit Bowl. We ordered 4 salsas, they gave us 3. One of the two containers of Creamy Cilantro Dressing was 2/3 empty. The Fit Bowl was the worst - about a teaspoon of corn; barely any chicken; and a small, blackish portion of avocado. It was a disaster, dinner-wise. Very disappointing.

Mary Faith

I signed up for their rewards program awhile back so I get discounts and deal through their app. I've been craving tamales and bought some a couple of weeks ago from a local restaurant so I was excited to see that El Pollo Loco has tamales! I had a deal for a tamale bowl for $5. I chose the two chicken tamales. Came with beans and rice. They were delicious!

Went thru drive thru. The lady that helped us was so nice. Thank you!

Good food for the price I think they only have chicken now

Customer service was great. Original Pollo bowl was good.

The chicken nachos were plentiful and tasty. A little wet but the chips stayed crispy.

Very fast drive thru,go once week,check out the chicken salad a healthy meau!

Very good, beats the classic fast food joint.

The food was good as always. We got a good price with a coupon. One order was wrong and we ate it anyway rather than complain and wait.

Food was hot and good, but the drive through server forgot to give a straw for my drink. That's a small thing, but annoying.

Like the food here. Seems fresh. Like everything else it's either smaller, less, more expensive or both. Like the team here. Always friendly.

This location is one of the better locations. Clean dining room. Food was fresh!

Drive by go by drive thru was really fast food was good

Chicken consistently well cooked and tasty. The sides are nice sized and well prepared and packed. Good fast food alternative.

Still some of the best tasting lean healthy cuts of chicken. Problem is their cost. Went through the drive through and service was super friendly and fast. Almost no wait. If it didn't cost 35 bucks to get full dinners for 2, I would have given them a higher rating.

Good and healthy Mexican cuisine. Me and my lady could live off this stuff black beans and avocado are a regular thing on their meals. Can't ask for much more one of my favorite fast food for sure a little pricey and that's why it get 4 stars instead of 5

Nice. Good teamwork. Friendly staff. Delicious food. Generous portions. Ordered this time by app, even though they have perfectly lovely dining room open now (april 2021). Their app needs some work though. Can't fine the way to ask for black beans instead of pinto. Sad.

Good clean simple food. Not too salty, definitely not the best place to get tacos in san diego, but it seems like really clean, simple ingredients. I would definitely eat here again. If youare on a low sodium diet or have restrictions, this place is a safe bet

Morgan Malone (Mo)

Good clean simple food. Not too salty, definitely not the best place to get tacos in san diego, but it seems like really clean, simple ingredients. I would definitely eat here again. If youare on a low sodium diet or have restrictions, this place is a safe bet

Sonny Ranes

Good and healthy Mexican cuisine. Me and my lady could live off this stuff black beans and avocado are a regular thing on their meals. Can't ask for much more one of my favorite fast food for sure a little pricey and that's why it get 4 stars instead of 5

Mark Bevington

Still some of the best tasting lean healthy cuts of chicken. Problem is their cost. Went through the drive through and service was super friendly and fast. Almost no wait. If it didn't cost 35 bucks to get full dinners for 2, I would have given them a higher rating.

sean maschue

Nice. Good teamwork. Friendly staff. Delicious food. Generous portions. Ordered this time by app, even though they have perfectly lovely dining room open now (april 2021). Their app needs some work though. Can't fine the way to ask for black beans instead of pinto. Sad.

I haven’t done El pollo loco in @80 years so finally decided to try a fresh salad here. I only saw Double chicken avocado as a true salad, (with out the deep-fried shell), as The 1 option but that’s too much chicken so I paid $2 extra for a replacement of shrimp and oh my. Can’t tell so much from the pics but the shrimp were skimp tiny and fried to dehydration. Also, there’s approximately 2 very thinly sliced avo. Extra salsa or dressing was imperative to keep from choking. Great service even though they were dinner-time busy.

René

I haven’t done El pollo loco in @80 years so finally decided to try a fresh salad here. I only saw Double chicken avocado as a true salad, (with out the deep-fried shell), as The 1 option but that’s too much chicken so I paid $2 extra for a replacement of shrimp and oh my. Can’t tell so much from the pics but the shrimp were skimp tiny and fried to dehydration. Also, there’s approximately 2 very thinly sliced avo. Extra salsa or dressing was imperative to keep from choking. Great service even though they were dinner-time busy.

Good thing I'm a chicken breast person them chickens they have don't have any wing span at all.

As much as I love El Pollo Loco, they were unapologetically out of avocados. 😞

Would have been five stars but the burrito I ordered was very sorry. Totally skimmed out.

Mac and cheese very watery, chicken very dry. When asking to change the Mac and cheese, nothing was different. It was practically soup.

Five Pollo Loco workers at lunch during lunch time. Line out the door. Adjust work times. Normally very good service, not today.

Everything was good except the taquitos. They were really hard and the filling wasn't that great. Loved the chicken - flavored very well.

Front desk not really polite Needs more training to deal with people

The grilled chicken burritos are good if you only have to pay $5. I wouldn't pay $8 for the combo, though. That would be the regular price without the coupon. I don't normally eat here. But the $5 combo deal it's not bad. That's the price with the coupon.

The food tastes great and seems to be fresh but they're not on top of things such as condiments. Today, they're out of Avocado Salsa. None is available, even over-the-counter. They lack efficiency which in turn makes me question what else is inadequate behind the scenes. This isn't the first time I've come across this here. It happens on a regular basis.

My typical experience is with the drive thru it is is the most stressful drive thru I've ever been to. 50% of the time our order is wrong to some degree. The rest of the time pretty much guaranteed they're going to be rude. Food is good should I drive through

Well I ordered the double chicken And avocado salad and I asked for a dark meatOn my salad and they were unable to give me that and try to tell me that they put dark meat on itAnd it clearly was not. Actually the salad doesn't taste as good as it used to all maybe it's just the location don't know for sure but I don't believe I'll be back

I love their chicken but always check your order. They often get it wrong. If you ask for Sprite taste it because they don't check and you get home with selzter water.

Well, this time I was there for half an hour the lane was big and one at the cash register. He wasn’t happy for some reason got my food was good ate and left.

The cashier was friendly and the drive thru went fast but they did forget to put in 2 items that we ordered and didn't realize till we got home.

This visit only merited 3 stars. My order was not correct so it had to be replaced. When the new meal arrived (double protein/chicken super food) the brown rice on the plate was so under cooked it crunched. I reported that on my way out and the person who took that report acted like she could care less. I would have reported it after I took the first bite but I had an appointment to keep and didn't have the time to wait for yet another replacement. I was not offered any compensation. I must say that the rest of the plate was tasty.

I ordered the 3 pc chicken meal. It should be two legs, one thigh. They gave me two thighs and one leg. I asked to exchange one of the thighs and they gave the plate back to me with there legs! Oh well. They also forgot the salsa and I had to go back to the counter to ask. Also when I first placed my order and paid, she didn't give me enough change back at first so I had to ask. Oh well, that's what to expect to deal with fast food chains sometimes.

I used the drive-through at the Encinitas facility and ordered Toco El Cardon for the second time ever, the 1st it was surprisingly good. Today the did not geve me the salsa, it irritated me because they're dry without the salsa and their 3 mi away so I wasn't going to drive back. I decided to call and tell whoever answered the phone that the people on the window has to be more attentive because it's too difficult to fix their mistakes once you're home. The girl said to me okay and hung up. That bothered me more than no salsa. Customer acquisition is too expensive for somebody to blow you off with okay people that call are usually upset but easily calm down with I'm sorry, I'll be sure and let him know. Some people would say get a life but when you look forward to it and it falls flat irritating. All right the food was good though I'll order it again I'll just check the bag next time, I should have done it.

Dennis Desmond

I used the drive-through at the Encinitas facility and ordered Toco El Cardon for the second time ever, the 1st it was surprisingly good. Today the did not geve me the salsa, it irritated me because they're dry without the salsa and their 3 mi away so I wasn't going to drive back. I decided to call and tell whoever answered the phone that the people on the window has to be more attentive because it's too difficult to fix their mistakes once you're home. The girl said to me okay and hung up. That bothered me more than no salsa. Customer acquisition is too expensive for somebody to blow you off with okay people that call are usually upset but easily calm down with I'm sorry, I'll be sure and let him know. Some people would say get a life but when you look forward to it and it falls flat irritating. All right the food was good though I'll order it again I'll just check the bag next time, I should have done it.

Sallie Moore

I ordered the 3 pc chicken meal. It should be two legs, one thigh. They gave me two thighs and one leg. I asked to exchange one of the thighs and they gave the plate back to me with there legs! Oh well. They also forgot the salsa and I had to go back to the counter to ask. Also when I first placed my order and paid, she didn't give me enough change back at first so I had to ask. Oh well, that's what to expect to deal with fast food chains sometimes.

I had a tostada the chicken tasted like rubber not enough rice and beans threw it away was very disappointed

The orderer was shorted again when i got home and they were out of pico de Gallo salsa

Food is not like it used to be and way too expensive now.

Drive thru service was great but I got the Chicken tortilla soup and it was way to hot. But the main problem was it had Zero flavor. Very disappointed ☹️

Took the chance going here, asked for avocados on the side, upsold to a meal deal. Left drive thru without our drink and got home avocados in my meal! I call them they aks me "what would i like"...uhh well for starters council your people on LISTENING & quality control, show some leadership skills! Next, simply ask for my order number then simply offer me a replacement item! Thats it! BAM DONE! Probably wont go here again. Must we take Spanish lessons to order a fast food item?? Feeling like the language barrier is becoming a "thing"...

This El Pollo Loco has gone wayyyy down hill. Rude manager. The get your drive thru order wrong pretty much 100 percent of the time. And they are indignant about it. Not a good look for a business

I ordered double chicken salad with drink. No barely any chicken, no cotija cheese a few pieces of corn. I asked for a knive. I was told in the bag. I stated where nothing in the bag. Very poor service.

Silvia Dominguez

I ordered double chicken salad with drink. No barely any chicken, no cotija cheese a few pieces of corn. I asked for a knive. I was told in the bag. I stated where nothing in the bag. Very poor service.

Tasty food but 3rd time I found bones in my burrito. See attached pic My biggest gripe is the terrible service. Was there on Sunday and Alex was downright unfriendly and does not know the meaning of customer service. Not everyone knows the menu and an eye roll doesn’t help. Do better

I came late from work around 7 pm thinking about juice chicken, OMG I eat what I can form this super dry almost burn chicken bicause i don't eat anything since 9.00 am honestly i wen back inside and the manager refund $28.00 dollar but is not about money is something the people call Quality! Most i eat was the sides, beans and Mac and cheese. Some of the parts were chicken was so so. But I will never stop here check the pictures.talk more than my words don't even see yellow chicken color or the golden roast color .

Treehugz

Tasty food but 3rd time I found bones in my burrito. See attached pic My biggest gripe is the terrible service. Was there on Sunday and Alex was downright unfriendly and does not know the meaning of customer service. Not everyone knows the menu and an eye roll doesn’t help. Do better

Ulises T

I came late from work around 7 pm thinking about juice chicken, OMG I eat what I can form this super dry almost burn chicken bicause i don't eat anything since 9.00 am honestly i wen back inside and the manager refund $28.00 dollar but is not about money is something the people call Quality! Most i eat was the sides, beans and Mac and cheese. Some of the parts were chicken was so so. But I will never stop here check the pictures.talk more than my words don't even see yellow chicken color or the golden roast color .

Horrible service horrible manager food is good but if you're looking for in a timely manner with good service it will not happen here

Had to wait 41 minutes in the car for my order. This was the worst I have had at this location. Probably wont go again. Sorry this was unreasonable.

I'm a huge fan of your restaurants but last nights experience was just something else. My order was not complete. Seems like this team had no communication. I almost drove off without my drink BUT I realized in time and asked the gentleman .. he himself had to ask his coworkers if my order came with a drink.

I didn’t got what I paid for , I repeated my order twice , and still didn’t got what I wanted, my bowl was missing cheese cabbage the avocado was awful, I got 2 piece leg and thigh but chicken was undercooked, so disappointed.

They literally sent two birria tacos straight out of the fridge for my door dash order. Even the foil they were wrapped in was cold. What the heck?

At least 5 times I have not gotten what I ordered. I specifically ask for two three piece meal combos and I keep getting two two piece neaks. Their response is we didnt charge you for the three piece meal. Great, glad you didnt cheer me as well as not fulfilling my order. Go to the one near it and pointsetta instead

When you ask if they have crunchy tacos and they say yes but you pull up and give you a burrito instead- they then say they don’t have have them. And they forgot our side even though he repeated it and asked what size. Then we wanted a refund he rudely said to give the food back. Rude all around when something like a simple mistake happens- don’t go here. It was one of the managers too!

Every time before today I had been happy with the meals. I couldn't believe today they gave me the smallest 4 pieces they had (two tiny legs and two tiny thighs) for the "half a chicken advertized!!! If I knew how to upload a picture on this application I would do it... with the pieces next to a ruler so no one is mistaken on how I was robbed today!!

Horrible !! Ig been there everyday for five days in a row and asked for one specific item " chicken wings." It's all my son likes to eat from this franchise and the one Encinitas never has it. I've had to drive to Vista to get my order. What a inconvenience this places is. And I've called in advance to place the order.

I would give these guys 0 Stars if Google would let me but the bottom line is do not eat here for any reason whatsoever. The mobile app gave me a $20 coupon and the manager refused to accept it which is absolutely unacceptable. This was a total bait and switch. Do not go to this restaurant ever it is awful.

Every time I come here the staff is never friendly. This time was no different except the lady gave attitude and rolled her eyes when she got my order wrong. I usually don’t write reviews and choose to ignore the poor service but this time was ridiculous. Train your staff better or hire nice people. It’s not that hard to be a decent person…

Brianna Loehr

Every time I come here the staff is never friendly. This time was no different except the lady gave attitude and rolled her eyes when she got my order wrong. I usually don’t write reviews and choose to ignore the poor service but this time was ridiculous. Train your staff better or hire nice people. It’s not that hard to be a decent person…