Beyond Delicious!!! And their customers service is just remarkably, Definitely recommend everyone to stop and try it yourself. So many food options salad, soups , burritos etc you can't go wrong with this place , Friday night perfect to enjoy El pollo loco

Every time we drive thru the people who work there are so nice. They listen and always get our order right. I appreciate that.

They remodeled this location and it is fantastic for eating "in". Love their new tostada bowls and the coupons that circulate in the different coupon magazines to make their already affordable meals, a steal!

Very nice place very clean the food was excellent I didn’t have to wait so much for my food , very customer service Thanks Jenny for the coupons 😁

There are several health options good prices. Clean atmosphere cut some nice soothing Mexican music would be nice to listen to.

The service here is impeccable and the cooks keep the menu ready to order and as tasty as it should be. A great example of El Pollo Loco.

Staff are amazing and the place is packed during lunch time. Chicken are freshly cooked and they are always good 👍

Tasty food, quick drive thru. The ranchero burrito is quite nice because of its marinade. The chicken pops in your mouth especially with that hint of lime.

The chipotle avocado burrito is actually spicy and the sauces have flavor/spiciness too! Whoever makes the sauces need a raise!!

Solid food. Incredible chicken. Not the fastest drive thru but solid. Great staff. We go weekly!

Very quick drive through even though it was 6 pm. Very pleasant lady at the window. Food is typical of El Pollo Loco.

This is one of our go-to options for a quick and easy dinner. We get the twelve piece leg and thigh meal, which usually has a coupon in the local circular. The food always is ready quickly and is hot and filling. Plus this location recently remodeled, so if you are dining in, it's very nice.

The Foothill Ranch location is always clean, the food good and the staff friendly. I have had instances where items requested were left out, but it's very rare and when I called, was given info to have those items replaced/added free at my next visit. Overall, this is, in my opinion one of the best in the system. Still wish the company would bring back the Flan! Not a fan of the churros as they really aren't good for take out or delayed eating; they become stale & greasy pretty rapidly. Have learned to order right at the time to eat only.

The drive thru could be faster and friendlier. The Dr. Pepper was flat. I got the double chicken avocado salad and it was DELICIOUS! Can't wait to get it again and again. Finally a fast food salad that tastes fresh!

I take my kid here fairly often since he loves the Kid's BRC burrito combo. I get the 3pc chicken meal and then add some of my chicken to his BRC at the table. Chicken is great, I'm doing low-carbs at the moment so I ditch the tortillas and get broccoli and salad as my sides, very easy.

Great service! I couldn't ask for.s.better experience. They got the order correct, were very polite and fast delivery. I work close by and only get a half hour for my break so this is greatly appreciated!

This location is great. Taste/quality varies a bit between locations. Fast, polite service. We allways get the double avocado chicken salad and double chicken bowl. They're great.

This was my first time coming to this location and a nice lady named Elizabeth took my order efficiently and was very kind. She is a great cashier and knows her job very well, I got my order in just a couple minutes and it was delicious! I will continue coming back and hope to have her help me again!

Ryan Youngs

Great service and food.

Fred Currie

Good marinated BBQ chicken. I like the new touch screen order kiosks. I find it quicker and easier to go inside instead of the drive through.

Frankie Writez

SEPTEMBER 25th, 2025: When I first arrived, a kind gentleman held the door for me to let me in and he allowed me to place my order before his. THEN, gracefully I was greeted by Emma (I’m not sure if she’s the manager or front-line employee but either way I know that she is such a light, a kind soul, a wonderful spirit and a fantastic person!! Much more than an El Pollo Loco employee, she’s an Angel in my humble opinion. She not only helped me to place my order for the NEW Queso Crunch Burrito Bowl, she gave me a discount coupon which granted me $3.49 off of my order! She said that’s “her favorite magic trick”: Being kind and offering her kindness to those who she serves and in her life. The warmth in her conversation and spark in her spirit truly brightened up my day and lifted my heart!! I’ll spare her personal business, but I’m thankful that Jesus brought us together this day! She even blessed me with more coupons to take with me and to use in the future. I hope nothing but kind and wonderful blessings for you, too, Emma! What a great gift! Now as far as the bowl goes, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5. It’s a nice chicken bowl with an added crunch from the tortilla strips and the seasoned rice adds a great flavor to it as well! I do know that it’s a limited time item but I would order it again. The bowl may have earned 3.5 stars, but partnered with the Exceptional Customer Service I received from Emma on this day, it bumps my overall rating to a 6/5 stars!! Thank you El Pollo Loco and Emma for this wonderful and blessed experience. I’m looking forward to stopping by again soon!! AUGUST 15th, 2025: I wish I took some photos of my food, but I ate it so fast because it was so good, I forgot! Haha I drove up to this location at a little after 1pm and there was no one in line. I wish I would’ve gotten his name, but the guy who took my order and my payment was very sweet and kind. I ended up trying their Shredded Chicken Nacho combo with Salsa Fresca minus the Guac and a Hawaiian Punch. I drove around to the window and as I waited for my food, the guy who took my order was busy taking another order, and (i believe) the manager came and asked “Is this her food?” to him to make sure I wasn’t waiting much longer. Thank you! (I should’ve gotten your name too haha) He handed me my food with a smile. He thanked me and I thanked him and the other guy for their help! My gosh, I can only speak for myself when I say, those nachos were good!!!! The queso topped with the seasoned chicken, tortilla chips, salsa Fresca, pinto beans was just the quick stop meal I needed on this busy day. Not only was it good but it was filling too! I’ll definitely order that one again. This is my second time at this location.

Arregg T

Tastes just the same as any other pollo loco, but their "Kiosk Specialist" Emma at this location is amazing. Made ordering very pleasant

Kristyn

I went here kind of late, about an hour before closing time on a Sunday. Even considering that, the place was clean and looked remodeled. Food was fresh and delicious. They were a little busy at the time but I still got my food in good time.

Rosenda Henley

The food was really good. We got

Tushar Nikalje

Every time I walk into El Pollo Loco, Gilbert greets me by name with a warm smile. Even before I order, he already has my drink cup ready and he always makes sure I get my spicy sauce without me having to ask. It’s the little things like this that make a big difference. Gilbert’s service is always fast, friendly, and thoughtful. He truly goes the extra mile to make customers feel valued and remembered. El Pollo Loco is lucky to have someone like him and so are the regulars like me!

Marina Chen

Great food at a great value. Really wish this had this chain in Manhattan! Got the family meal for $24 and my family of four was able to eat this over two meals.

One of the best fast food Mexican places there are. It's got nice prices and good food but it wouldn't be able to beat a good sit-down Mexican restaurant.

We ordered a menu item that on the board said "comes with chips and a drink" but we did not get the chips. Otherwise nice clean location.

This is my prefered El Pollo Loco restaurant in Lake Forest. The restaurant is clean and rarely crowded; it's kind-of out-of-the-way, compared to the other El Pollo Loco restaurants in the area, which helps keep the noise down.

The food is good but it is always different. A quesadilla one nio night have shredded chicken, the next night not. The tostada might get avocado or sour cream one time but not the next. They also forgot our drinks on the drive thru and don't really seem to care when you have to park and walk back in to ask for what you paid for.

There's a crazy chicken on Bake and Trabuco that is outdated. This location is worth the drive to get the better atmosphere. It's a more modern look. Food was prepared fast. Clean restaurant and bathroom. Good place to use those mailer coupons

Love that they have vegetarian and vegan options now. But even just their rice, bean and cheese burritos are super tasty. I would've never tried that burrito if I didn't find out about the other vegetarian options they are now providing.

This is my top choice when it comes to eating chicken. Next time you have their chicken tortilla soup, throw in a side of thier guacamole salsa. Soup is already good as it is but adding this improves the flavor by about 1000%😋

Very good fast food. Not unhealthy or carelessly served, but nice for being fast food. I enjoyed the burritos very much. The hot salsa is nice .. not painful, but nice flavors along with the heat.

Chicken is always tasty. Sides are ok, nothing to rave about. I usually get Chicken only & make my own sides. The staff is always friendly & courteous.

Nearly $6 for a small bowl of potatoes & gravy, good but too much $$.

Stopped here today to grab fast food. If you want healthy fast food you can’t go wrong here. We ordered the current deal of the $20 platter ... 10pcs plus 2 extra large sides and a load of tortillas... delicious and great to feed a family of 4.

Joel Barrett

Order the wing lovers meal you get 4 wings and 2 sides with my senior discount $6.71 Great deal for this restaurant

J G

It was busy, 12 pm on a Tuesday, the line to order was almost to the front door. Even during that time, it only took 15 minutes from when I walked in, to when I had my food on my table. That’s fast food lol. Parking is a bit crowded, trying to find close parking is a bit challenging during peak hours, but that would be at any restaurant. The cashier was really quick, working two registers to get customer’s orders going. She was still friendly and funny. Zero complaints here. Food was good, my chicken nachos were tasty, the chicken was juicy. Today they did run out of black beans for some reason, so they gave me pinto beans. The cashier told me when I was ordering, definitely not a huge deal. Drive-thru was also busy, but the staff was moving quick, they were moving! Good atmosphere, I sat down and ate in peace! Lots of tables and chairs available inside.

gus g

I tried their new birria (shredded beef) crispy tacos. They were quite delicious. I would not have expected this at EPL. And the dipping sauce was seriously awesome. The tortilla was super crispy and undoubtedly fried for our order. Also, I love the packaging of the birria tacos. Cute little box holding ever5in place. Pleasantly surprised. Good job EPL.

the food is good but the person they had in the drive thru on the sunday afternoon shift gives very bad service to customers

Well it's a fast food place sometimes a chicken is dry sometimes you order is slightly off so three stars is pretty generous

The food is typical of EPL and this location is okay....but the staff and the customer service needs improvement but only a select few EPL's even have decent service anyways.

Ordered (to go) a two piece white (wing + breast) combo with two sides of broccoli. What I got was a two piece dark (leg + thigh) combo with broccoli and corn. How that translated I have no idea, but it's a not too subtle reminder of why I rarely go to this location!

They were kind and the food was fine. I have nothing negative to say, but the over all experiences was mediocre. They do have good deals on chicken if you like chicken.

We showed up at opening time posted at the door and they weren't opened even after 20 mins of waiting after time posted. Drive thru wasn't open either.

Gave a 2 star on service for app charging me 4 times. I did get a refund but they need to fix app.

I ordered thru the app for curbside pickup when I arrived I confirmed my arrival I waited for 30 after time I went inside the manager was rude and food as cold for seating on counter for 20 mins after I notified manager he told me food was not cold and not his problem

Not my favorite place but my local EPL is whack too its all about timers but thats not this place. I think for drive thru they had this poor girl taking orders AND collecting money AND passing out fud. Not a cool thing to do, possible but its a quick burnout job. Shame on local Mgmt for that,, it doesn't leave much room for making sure the guest has everything they want. I had to ask 3x for the salsa my girlfriend wanted. Then I ended up getting a bunch of extra. Plus they were out of lemons. As for ordering, she kept talking over me as I read my order in. This place is a lazy store that just uses crushed tomatoes for Pico de Gallo. Pico has DICED tomato in it and yes the texture and flavor is different. TIP *** You like tortillas, $1.50 for a pack of 5.

Got our meals wrong, so speak CLEARLY and listen when he reads it back during the ordering process! Other than that, love the new shrimp options and the salsa bar is always fresh and delicious! Clean restaurant and VERY busy. Always a great option for lunch bec it is healthy, tasty and affordable. Free drink refills continue.

Daniel Âchë

First time here for lunch brake. Ima have to give them a 7 /10 reason being : veggies are "old" Over all the chicken was good per usual .🐔

Carlos Vazquez

I want to love El Pollo Loco and sometimes I really do, but this last visit capped off a run of poor service. I went through the drive through and order one of their "limited edition" chopped chicken salads only to receive a shrimp salad. The food was servicable but it wasn't what was advertised. Their "chopped salad" was just their normal salad with slightly different ingredients. It was not chopped, just normal greens. Disappointing.

I was a little disappointed they charged me triple for what I ordered, had to wait to get it refunded and dealt with. However the food was good

The food did not taste very fresh and the employees at night were extremely rude. They made us feel like we were not welcome and they wanted to get us out of there fast. It was 3 hours prior to closing time so it's not like we went there the last 5 mins before closing. Terrible costumer service, definitely makes me not want to come back.

There are other El Pollo Locos close enough to avoid this location. They refuse to make simple substitutions (want chips instead of beans as your side? Too bad, not on the list), and charge for extra sides (creamy cilantro is extra). No other Pollo does this. Avoid.

Food tastes good, same as always. Just small. Like they're using baby chickens. Almost the size of chicken wings. Service was excellent.

Food is good, service is slow and they always make mistakes at this location. When ordering my food I also feel like such a burden on the employees to help me.

The staff tonight was very unaccommodating. I had a buy one get one free reward and ordered three things. Two $7 burritos and one $3 burrito. The reward took $3 off the total. When I questioned it the cashier said that's how the reward works. Ok. Take the $3 burrito off my order and apply the reward then. Nope. The assistant manager was absolutely no help either. I know they have manger override cards as I use to work for EPL. I even mentioned this to him but he would not budge. My complaint is not that the cheaper item was removed from my total. It's the fact that the assistant manager didn't even try to correct things. I wanted the cheap burrito removed and put into a second order. I hadn't even paid yet and he would not do anything. I should have walked out. That's the last time I'll give this franchisee owner any of my money.

THIS RATING IS BECAUSE OF THE SERVICE. Seems like the employee who works the drive through needs to go through training again. Always (ALWAYS!!) has a big attitude and rolls his eyes when you ask him for something. I asked for extra salsa and he just rolled his eyes. If you hate your job, go elsewhere. 2 stars because the food was great (as always, I never have problem with the food).

On 3 different occasions I picked up Pollo Loco at the Foothill Ranch location while I was moving to Rancho Santa Margarita where I now live. Each time I told the person at the drive through window what salsa's I wanted to go with the meals. The first time I got the food home and noticed I only had 2 regular salsa's When I had orderd 6 regular and 4 of the avocado salsa's, I figured it was just a mistake. The second time I made sure to speak very clearly thinking the guy had just not heard me. I get home and same thing, 2 salsa's. The third time, I make sure to speak clearly and when I get to the window I repeat my salsa order to the guys face and ask him if they are in the bag. He looks me right in the eye and says "Yeah, they're in there" I open the bag right in front of him and take everything out, 2 salsa's. I ask him why he's not giving me what I ordered and he says "You only ordered 2 - 2 piece combos". As if that's a good reason not to give me what I asked him for. Not only that but he lied to my face. Had I eaten there at the resturant I could get as many salsa's as I liked but taking it home I'm stuck. Thanks for ruining 3 meals for me. I love Pollo Loco but I won't go back to this location, terrible customer service.

I visited this location multiple time before this review. The staff was friendly most the time. Place was clean. Food… maybe it was the time of day I show up? My visits have all consisted of around 5 pm. The pico and onions in my pollo bowl ALWAYS taste and smell spoiled. Idk if it’s not being kept to temperature all day or what. But even picking it out will ruin the meal. If this location can figure out why this is occurring, it would deserve 4 stars! Fingers crossed here

Ali Raza

I had heard so much about this chain of restaurant. Finally decided to try it but unfortunately found the chicken to be completely bland. There's no seasoning or any kind of spices used on it. It's purely just fire grilled. Perhaps it caters to people 2ho can't handle any spice at all.

the food at this location isn't very good. one of the employees on break was getting salsa and coughing all over it. kinda lost my apatite after that. and I'm not a fan of the purple cabbage in the tostada now

I love pollo loco but but this location! My burrito was cold and I bite into it and spit out. Piece of bone.

This location does not honor their own app coupons. The guy at the cashier says I can't do anything after scanning the barcode

Staff is always rude and they do not clean the tables after they are used. I watched a man that was coughing get up and leave and no one came out to clean the table, obviously a no no in the time of COVID

We arrived at this location after the posted open time, just to encounter locked doors and an employee eating, whom of wich refused to acknowledge our pressense.

Not good, well at least the Chicken Avocado quesadilla was pretty bad, the Chicken pieces were pretty hard to chew and some of them were crunchy like Chicharron (if you are familiar with this type of crunchy pork dish) it's important to inspect the quality of the product before you serve it

Very unprofessional and dumb people at the drive thru. Waiting for my order and because I was on my phone at the window they didn't bother to say anything and kept me waiting 5 mins hiding from me like children. Do your job, not tell me to greet you first when you should be. Really stupid employees, both were men.

Used to be my go-to for chicken salads, but last week there was a a tiny bone and huge chunk of fat the size of an avocado slice (it accounted for half the chicken). The time before I ordered a salad, they read back a salad, and I received a tostada. I find it outlandish to charge $8 for a basic salad, especially if you can't get it right or you throw in the wing fat.

EPL isn't what it was when it first came to the US. After Denny's got involved it just went downhill. The Americanization I could avoid but lately the pieces are getting to be a joke. Obviously they are serving the tiny wings and breasts when you order chicken. The larger pieces are made into tacos or whatever. At first I thought it was random. But after many visits to several different EPL the pattern was clear. This location was better than most so I have it a try. The Cornish game hen sized pieces were the final nail in the EPL coffin for me. Go find a real Mexican eatery and drive past all EPL's. Unless you are in Mexico... I'm sure those are still good since they are owned by the original owners.

Drove there yesterday, ordered a chicken burrito and chicken bowl. 24hrs later with fever and diarrhea. Don’t go there, dirty place….

The cashier had a terrible attitude and was extremely rude when I tried using a coupon. I ordered a double chicken salad, but the bowl was barely half full. The people who ordered in front of me also had many issues with their orders. I definitely don’t recommend going to this location if you are trying to get food.

They don't know how too make a salad look at the picture Linda Linda follow the picture

The cashier was really good until I started getting some salsa . She didn't stop looking at me , she was counting the salsas and making faces, we love salsa and we have a big family. She make me feel really uncomfortable.

I order by the drive through. I paid my order $27.99 )with my card then I asked the lady my have 4 ranch please she says we charge for that I said ok I gave her my card back she says your card is declined what!! I said I just paid you I have money she calls one else's she says your card is declined so she says don't worry. They were making it a big deal over ranch they also for got to gave me a drink that came with my combo

Service wasn't that great today and I came across multiple hairs in my food didn't make a scene got my refund but since the restaurant was so packed the guy whom helped me asked me to lower my voice. They were respectful throughout though after I showed pictures.

Ordered a 10 piece family meal and was very disappointed with the quality of the chicken. The legs and thighs of the chicken purchased was dry, overcooked and the meat was tough. I am not quite sure who is overseeing the quality and amount of time chicken is left warming and then sold as fresh broiled chicken. This is the 2nd time this has happened and will be my last time that I will purchase chicken from the Lake Forest Dr location.

The only thing good I can say about this evenings meal is...the woman who took our order was very sweet and friendly...other than that the entire meal was wrong and incomplete! The chicken was hard and dry...we could not eat it...i didn't even make broth from the pieces uneaten...too hard!! The worst meal since the lockdown!! Did not get what we ordered...and I was not driving all the way back down there to let them know what a horrible job it was...not worth the gas!!

I have consistently gotten the wrong food. They are not able to communicate or understand what is being ordered. Normally they are polite and apologize, not today. 1 out of 4 times they have gotten the order correct. Having to drive back is very frustrating.

So ridiculous. May 9 in the evening. In drive thru. Order my food and I'm told I have to wait 30 minutes for the chicken to cook. I can't wait 30 minutes. Also why? This place is supposed to serve and sell chicken. And they run out of chicken? Now I'm stuck in drive thru for the last 15 minutes while my wife and baby are angry why I'm not home.

I eat at el pollo loco regularly for years in fact. This location is the worse one by far,. I usually come to this location on Saturdays. The ladies here have a really bad attitude and no manners. No hello, no thank you, nothing. It’s as if they’re upset that you’re there. The chicken is always dry and old. Hardly any customers here and I totally understand. I’m coming to this location anymore

I recently visited and was given the wrong order, which I didn't have time to correct, they told me it will take another 15 min. To make matters worse, the restroom was extremely dirty - I've never seen it in such poor condition. When I brought it to the employee's attention, they acknowledged that they were aware of the issue, but didn't seem to take any responsibility or apologize. The combination of incorrect orders and poor cleanliness is concerning. Hopefully, they'll take steps to improve their service and facilities." It was waste of time and money.

There is one outlet in the dining area, which they purposely started covering in order NOT to use and charge your phone. Really, I give Apollo loco business and I can’t get juice for my device. Lame

Ordered a BRC burrito inside the store, took almost 10 minutes. If you are ok a hurry look elsewhere.

Jay Honey

I am currently pregnant, and this experience was really concerning. My husband and I ordered a 3-piece chicken meal, and we were already in the middle of eating when we realized something was wrong. Parts of the chicken were raw and slimy inside. Mine felt slimy and my husband’s was the same. We didn’t notice until after we had already eaten some, which made the situation even more upsetting. They also didn’t give my husband the correct dressing for his salad. I love El Pollo Loco and know this is not normal, which is why this was so disappointing. Raw chicken is a serious health risk, especially during pregnancy, and now I’m left hoping I don’t get sick. Internal temperatures should be checked consistently before serving food. I hope this is taken seriously so it doesn’t happen again.

juan azpeitia

I would greatly appreciate it if when prompted no tomato sauce because its literally just water and tomato to please leave it out. At this point I know its intentional because I specifically asked no pico de gallo. I get its a job but that doesn't mean "yeah I care just toss it in" is fine. I asked for green sauce and no tomato sauce and they gave me extra tomato sauce. Thanks Not changing previous stars for posterity. So the girl who helped me at the kiosk was fantastic but the issue is had was that I hate the idea of the kiosk at all. These places already look like brutalist boxes with logos now the people aspect is gone too huh. The kiosks are peak consumer vs customer outlook corporations have for people. If pollo loco keeps it up I'll just stop going to wherever they have these. Maybe just stop going. Cashier was a delight though. Would change the rating to 5 stars with her attitude.

Saoud Moon

please don’t leave your advertisement paper on cars outside in the parking lot. it’s annoying and also a waste of paper.

Kaylie C

Repeatedly asked for no avocado in our meal, because my friend is allergic. I confirmed with them that they understood that we did not want avocado. They put avocado in our food, they refused to give us a refund.

Preston Bannister

I remember when El Pollo Loco chicken was fantastic. That was a long time ago, before they were bought by Denny's. (The local Denny's went out of business, this year.) They definitely dropped a notch after, but still decent, mostly. As of 4pm this Saturday, got a bunch of fairly awful chicken. Not sure if they are buying extra low-quality chicken, or whether it sat around in the warmer all day. However they got there, the end result is the exact opposite of fantastic. Expect corporate management came up with a new scheme to trade quality for profit margin.

Den RJ

The chicken was a real joke I ordered the family meal but the chicken pieces are extra small. I would have been better off ordering an order of wings, maybe I would have had better luck and I would get more meat. 😒 I don't recommend this place anymore.