El Pollo Loco
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: No
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Alcohol: None
44 reviews
San Jose, CA
"These guys have the best Pico De Gallo in the south bay. It's bar none. The best. The big dog. I always like to get a whole bean, cheese,…" read more »
11 Reviews for El Pollo Loco
This El Pollo is just average. The chicke is a little over cooked and not really juicy in the middle. I think the El Pollos in Socal are a little bit better. The french fries here a also overloaded with salt. Been here a few times and started asking for no salt on the fries but they still seem a little on the salty side.
They do have some good deals once in a while when they have 10 pcs of chicken for like $7.
This place is pretty cool.....let me tell you why...
So i needed to get dinner for 10+ people.....and less than half an hour to do so......
El Pollo Loco to the rescue!!!!!!
I got the family 12 piece mixed meal with 3 sides and doubled the meat for only 5 dollars more.....that's right folks....24 pieces of chicken, 2 sides of Spanish rice, a side of mashed potatoes/gravy, and some flour tortillas all for 30 bucks....
This literally is almost like stealing...i cant believe you can get this much food for 30 dollars....my first option was Round Table Pizza but even that is like 50 bucks for 2 large pizzas which could probably feed about 5-7 people.....i even saw an ad where they can cater any party/business meeting for around 4 bucks a person......
El Pollo Loco is good...its healthier than KFC and has that distinct charbroiled flavor added....the food came out within 5 minutes of ordering...but the best part is....it doesn't really taste like fast food!
If you have never tried El Pollo Loco before, get out from under that rock that you have been living under and go get some cheap chicken for dinner tonight!
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There must've been a reason why I had never visited and eaten at "The Crazy Chicken" before in my life. Was the reason:
A) I was afraid how "crazy" the chicken was going to be?
B) I felt that eating "crazy chickens" was inhumane and PETA should investigate?
C) I didn't understand what "El Pollo Loco" meant before I made my first visit?
The answer is C...
...if I was retarded.
This "Le Poulet Fou" is located a few miles from my workplace and I've always passed by it without ever thinking about going there to eat. Then during one of my "I'm hungry, but I don't know where to eat for lunch" moments at work, it popped in my head that I should finally try out "Il Pollo Pazzesco." So I came here and ordered a 2-piece chicken meal with mashed potatoes (...what?!) and spanish rice (...ah, that's better).
Mistake #1 from me: I should've ordered the 3-piece chicken meal because I didn't realize how small the chicken pieces were going to be.
Mistake #2 from me: I'm an idiot for ordering mashed potatoes at a Mexican-themed restaurant.
Mistake #3 from me: I came, I saw, I ate, and I left still feeling hungry.
The chicken wasn't special in any way. It lacked major "craziness" to me. I think I could've fired up better tasting pieces of chicken. It was boring.
I'll have to cross this place off on my places to eat for lunch. Sorry "A Galinha Louca"...in any way you want to translate it, you suck.
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Went at 11:30am on Monday and already 4 ahead of me in line. Got the number 1 with 3 pieces of dark meat, 2 tortillas and choice of two sides with a drink for $7. $2 for a small tortilla soup. Help yourself to the salsa bar and drinks. A bit of a wait but not too bad. 6 in line behind me. Plenty of food and love the grilled chicken. Ask for extra tortillas, there is enough food for 1-2 more taco wraps.
They have a deal right now, get a full grilled chicken for $4 when you buy a family meal.
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this is temple food.
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This El Pollo Loco was Loco Frio! And by that, I mean crazy cold!
We walked in for a quick bite to eat, and were blasted with COLD COLD air from the a/c ... but it was like a 52 degree winter outside. Maybe they're getting hot from grilling all that chicken, but as a patron you don't want your mouth to freeze before you can use it to eat with.
The ordering process was easy, even though I hadn't been to an EPL in about 16 years (the last one was in LA on a trip to Disneyland when I was a kid) and the cashier even called on us to come and order when she noticed that a family had cut the line in front of us. Nice!
My original pollo bowl came relatively quickly, but the waitress breezed by us the first two times without realizing what our order number was. She didn't see it though we had it out, so I had to go up to her and show her my number. So besides that and a few hard grains of rice, the food tasted fresh and pretty healthy.
So EPL is still as loco as ever, especially the guy who's controlling the air conditioning -- but it's still a decent place for fast eats. So bundle up before you go!
Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr---ito! Haha, get it? Brrrrrito? As in chicken burrito? :P I know I know, I'm cheesy.
I LOVE El Pollo Loco's food, especially the tortilla soup, but I had to give this location 1 star because the service is craptacular at this particular location. I've been to this one 4-5 times since it's the closest one to me, and after the last visit, I realized that the service was bad no matter what day of the week or what time of day that I've gone. Each time that I've gone here's what's happened: 1) I order my food, 2) I stand waiting, and then realize that people that came in after me get my food before me, 3) a worker finally realizes that they forgot me after I flag someone down, 4) they give me the food, but either get the order wrong, or forget something, so I have to wait some more until they get it right. Seriously, this has happened 4-5 times now. I've learned my lesson to never go to this location again.
I love this chicken! I have a craving for the grilled chicken this place is famous for once or twice a month. The avocado salsa is to die for. They've always been very polite and friendly. I usually get my food to go, but even when I've eaten there, the service fairly quick.
Mmm...mmm... NOW THAT's SOME TASTY CHICKEN!!!!!!!
El Pollo Loco is the BEST, most naturally flavored chicken I've ever had the pleasure of feasting on!! Okay, so maybe the flavor isn't that natural, because that right there is some truly marinated goodness!!
Okay, so the taste...um, tastes like chicken! haha. It tastes really natural with a hint of seasoning (just enough), but however they marinate it brings out all the natural flavors and makes for some really juicy, tender grilled chicken!!! Oh yes, they grill the chicken right there in front of you and chop it all up. It's freshly cooked...sooooooooo good! There is a slight charred taste making it all the tastier!!! Oh gosh, my mouth is watering now! LoL!
The sides are good. The little sugar snacks are good. The price is HELLA CHEAP! What's there not to love? It's not a fancy place, more like a Taco Bell of chicken...but MMM, MMM, MMMMMMMMMM!!!!
I first got hooked on this stuff as a kid down in LA...El Pollo Loco was all over the place (and Brad Pitt's first job in Cali). When I moved back to SF, my family would make sure we'd stop off at El Pollo Loco on trips to SoCal and we'd always take another HUGE order to go - to enjoy at home! LoL! They had two on the Mission in SF for a brief time. About 7 yrs ago, I found the two in the SoBay and take special trips out there just to eat at this cheap chicken spot! LoL!!
I think I'll drive down there for lunch...30mins ea way...whatever, it's worth it!!!
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For one of the best value meals around for two, repeat at the order counter after me:
'Three-piece meal, all breasts (as in white meat -- you'll pay $1.80 extra for this), flour tortillas, extra flour tortillas, pinto beans, cole slaw, and one drink (with free refills).'
Shred the white meat off the bones, wrap in the tortillas with beans, cole slaw and condiments (salsa, avocado sauce, and hot sauce that you have to ask for at the counter), and be surprised at how ELPL's rotisserie chicken can make a pretty darn good and filling meal for two under $11. Sadly, we overdosed on this deal as graduate students, but we still come here once in awhile -- not to relive the painful memories of being poor -- but to make our own mini-burritos.
Crispy, tasty rotisserie chicken for cheap, done Mexican-style. The quality of the sides can vary--the veggies are sucky (oversteamed), and the beans are ok (not tasty enough, a little watery). They have a real bargain on the menu with the $1 BRC (beans rice and cheese) burrito. They offer a nice variety of salsa as well. For what they do, they are good at it, and I feed the family aqround once a month at the craseee chicken.
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