Sometimes we don't want to cook and lazy to go to restaurants, and we love El Pollo Loco since forever. Luckily, this restaurant is closer to our home than any other ones, I think it's only opened a year or 2, quite new. When it first opened, we could buy 8 piece legs and thighs for $12, but the sale is gone, and we had to use the App which does have many deals for family weekly. Last week we're craving for the chicken and got the 12 piece family for only $25 instead of $40 regular, it's a no brainer to go and take them home. When I got there, the nice lady behind the counter asked if we add 8 more pieces for $10, yes please. So, for $35 we got 20 pieces of legs and thighs (we don't like the dry breasts) and 3 large sides order: Mashed Potato, Corn, and Coleslaw. This restaurant is very clean, the servers are extremely pleasant, fast and helpful. The chicken flamed broiled perfectly, juicy and not dry as some other places. Flavorful and Yummy. The sides are extremely good too, everyone loves the mashed potato, it actually has chunks for potato in it and the gravy is plenty and perfectly mate with the potato. I like the corn and coleslaw, better than many other restaurants. It's inexpensive, tasty and the whole family enjoys healthy foods and the best is we don't have to wash the dishes. What else can you ask for? read more

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El Pollo Loco is located near the 880 freeway in a large shopping center. Speciality is Mexican grilled chicken. Offerings (Mexican American): wings. Fried chicken, tacos, burritos, combos, sides, chicken tostados, salads, drinks.. seating available inside & out. Had trouble understanding overhead menu. Ordered chicken burrito, got classic burrito. Acoustics bad, cashier didn't hear what i ordered... Bites: classic burrito (4.99) rice, pinto beans, cheese within flour tortilla. -an inch shorter than iphone 11 pro max. -interesting tastes probably from various spices, herbs & cooking oil. -lst burrito ordered in a decade or so. Didn't miss the rice & beans. Usually finish unfinished burritos of others. Food Came out 5ish minutes. If ever repeat. It would be a combo, fried chicken or a bowl. 3.5 stars read more

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Very upset I usually don't do review but I ordered thru Uber Eats and I did not receive my order I would've gone in person but I have a fractured leg but I wasn't able to get a refund I got it thru uber cash and then I reordered my food and did not receive my drink the uber drive stated that the employees said there wasn't a drink for my order when it says on the receipt regular hi-c And I called pollo loco and they said oh well we'll make sure to tell our employees to pay more attention and you can come and get you're drink yeah if I could I would read more

I didn't even realize there was a El Pollo Loco in this area. I was driving by the and boom there it was in all its bright colorful glory LOL. I stopped by and grabbed their signature salad with extra creamy cilantro dressing. Salad 10/10 -it was fresh and the creamy cilantro was very tasty as well. They have very good customer service and it's clean inside. However, the layout is a bit strange. They do have seating in the front by the cashiers and some in the back, not very big but enough to sit and dine. They also have sitting outdoors as well. I'll definitely be back to this location again in the foreseeable future. read more

Not gonna be my usual, thorough, cover everything type review, but I did want to give props where they're due. I do uber eats from this location and this shop is always on top of their game. The food is good, hot and fresh as I've come to expect, eating at El Pollo Loco since I was a teen (yeah, looong while ago). What stands out to me here besides that long term consistency, is their packaging is unexpectedly NEXT LEVEL. Very very impressed. The take out bag is sealed like an amazon shipping bag. As such it's glued and there's no tampering happening here. It has a convenient perforated tear strip (again much like an amazon package). And it has handles. So in the bag, you'll find more well-thought considerations; all the salsa containers (and they don't skimp) are corralled and tied in one neat bag. Chips have their own paper bags so there's no fighting over them on arrival. Warm, chewy tortillas are paired in a thin bag, then the pairs are all stacked in a group setting within a greater tortilla bag. Everything else is packed in solid, plastic or paper cartons of their own so there's no spillage or contamination. Yeah this review was pretty much focused on the amazing takeout packaging. But it needed to be praised. This is not even a high-end, fine dining restaurant. Bravo El Pollo Loco. read more

I haven't really been inside El Pollo Loco restaurant for a while now and it's quite modern. This location happens to be new, which is right next to Union City. The menu went all digital and the food here is good also. Perfectly fit for getting all of the nutrients you need to keep yourself in shape. I also like how they seasoned the chickens as well as the rice. I think I should try other foods besides the chicken meals like the bowls and burritos. read more

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I loved all the people working here in whipple might not all but the most they were Nice and helpful, keep it up guys , always wear your big smile and always be respectful to your customer, The Great service to your customers is a big plus to Us so thank u that even if you all very tired you can still able to give your smile and your Best Godbless you, the person who serves me is Sebastian and Amelia and to one of the Manager on duty Ms. Nels, thank u to all the Good staffs and All I encountered the day I came which tonight around 9pm up read more

Ordered some meals and was very disappointed with the portions. For what they charged I should have received a decent size piece of chicken and sides. Doesn't look like picture shown on menu. Even KFC has decent looking chicken. read more

A friend of mine told me about this new location, and he raved about the salads here. So as we were driving towards Hayward on our way home, we placed an order via their mobile app. The location is nice with plenty of parking. Inside is new and clean. There is a separate pick up window, and I see our order was ready. The traffic back home from Hayward to Fremont was terrible. When we finally got home, I opened the bag and saw that half of our order was missing. Such a rookie mistake not to check inside the bag while we were there. After that traffic, there's no way I would drive back to pick up our missing items. However, I called the restaurant, and Reuben the manager answered. I told him what I was missing, and he was sincerely apologetic and offered a $10 credit next time I'm in the store. This was appreciated, but unfortunately I have to minus a star for poor quality control. My order ticket say "order reviewed by JB", so JB needs to do a better job. As for the food, that's a solid 4 stars. + Street corn chicken and shrimp salad - I got no corn (another mistake), but the rest of the salad was very good. The chicken was good and shrimps were a little spicy. There's big slices of fresh avocados. I chose the creamy cilantro dressing, and it was tasty. + Cole slaw - good, basic + Chips and guac - the guac was fresh and there are chunk of avocado in it. Overall, good We also ordered the Street Corn Chicken Pollo Bowl, but never got it. I'd give this place another try if I was in the area, but wouldn't drive there just for the food. read more

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We tried then chicken nachos. They were great! Our to go/drive through person recommended the churros and we had to try them; did not disappoint. Service was fast and friendly. $23 read more

El Pollo Loco - Chicken Nachos Churros - Mexican Near Me - Hayward, California

Crispy tacos Street tacos Chicken, rice, steamed broccoli (steamed to perfection) Tortillas made fresh! Chips, Guacamole, hella sauces Total: $46 As a new fast food restaurant, the food was exceptional. The meat was a little bare boned, which was my only complaint. As long as the food is good, I will come back. read more

El Pollo Loco - Mexican Near Me - Hayward, California

My go to lunch from here is the double chicken avocado salad with pumpkin seeds on top...very filling and satisfying salad...tried the citrus chicken salad twice and didn't taste the "citrus" both times bc I wanted to see if they just forgot to add the "citrus" the 1st time...fast service, a good place to go for lunch... read more

i first tried the grilled chicken in SoCal and i liked it very much so when i saw that there is one in Hayward I tried it. i was disappointed because it was very dry. After so many tears, I tried it again and it turned out the sane also very dry. So I just go to El Pollo Loco in SoCal. i hope you can improve your grilling ways so the chicken will be moist. Please observe how you grill your chicken because I think that it is over cooked. read more

I'm so happy they opened an El Pollo Loco in our area. They are "healthier" fast food and their drive-thru is open until 11:30pm!

This has become our go-to when none of us want to cook but we don't feel like going to a sit down restaurant. It's always quick and the chicken is always delicious plus it doesn't give you that crappy feeling most fast food chains do. Glad this one is closer than the other in Hayward and will be our place to go for a quick meal. read more

This is a brand new El Pollo Loco, they even built the building, which you hardly ever see anymore. Most places just take over an existing spot. I've always been fond of El Pollo Loco, probably in my tops for fast food chains. And I was excited to find out that this is now my closest to my home, which is about 3 miles. Before that the closest was about 7 miles or I'd give them a whirl if I were in another city. Now they don't nail everything but their gist, which is slow grilled chicken is crazy good. Totally has no fast food flavor outside of it being a bit salty. But to grill chicken that slow and to be able to serve it in a fast manner, always blew my mind, so I just couldn't help but to be a fan. So, I came twice. The first out was a take-out order for just the chicken and I was feeding a small group. An 8 piece which can feed 3-4 people if you have sides (we got our own that day as we were in a house) was about $23ish. There's lots of selling prompts so I think I ended up getting tortillas too, That day wasn't that good, the chicken was very charred on the exterior and the pieces were totally hacked up like someone had no business using a knife. I was a bit disappointed that day, but wanted to give them another shot as it was more out of the norm from what I've experienced from this chain. Second out I ate in on a non-peak hour and it was much better. 3 Piece Chicken Meal ($15ish/4.5*) This time the chicken was exactly how Iike how I'm sure they intend it being. Super rendered skin that's got a slight crisp but never crunchy. Very flavorful from skin to bone and I gotta say they do a better job at grilling chicken than I do at home. For some reason I can never get that flavor to penetrate that deeply into the meat, like all my flavor remains on the outside where all my seasoning is. Maybe they inject their chicken with their seasoning/marinade, but it totally works. And I actually love their avocado sauce. It is thin, green and slightly creamy but it has a nice heat zing and is quite lime-y. I love this on the chicken or better yet in a super warm and tender tortilla with pulled roast chicken, a DIY taco if you will. Now their sides can be hit or miss. The rice is just meh as most times it has crunchy bits like it has been sitting in that warmer . I can't remember what their beans were like but I'm definitely trying that next time. I actually really love their broccoli as it is steamed fresh per order so it is super plain and vibrant. I just always give props to places that dish out quality healthful veggies to balance out a nice meal. Service not bad, some are more customer oriented than others. But be patient whilst ordering as they are trained to assault you with a slew of prompts/add-ons for your meal. Like the most I've ever seen for a fast food. Over 5 additional questions to see if you wanna turn your $15 meal into a a $25 meal. Lol. Imma still be back tho. Trust. read more

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The classic pollo bowl is very good for the price. The pico is very tasty. The other items are a little pricey for what you get. The staff are very helpful and friendly read more

I've came to this location several times trying to give it a chance, but they are making it difficult to support them. I ordered in the drive through and she kept rushing me to order when there was nobody in front of behind me. I know that they have a timer, but they need to slow down because she kept talking over me before I can even get my full order out. Several times I had to tell her not that I want this when it came to my sides. All for me to get home and I'm missing a side and she put a side I didn't order in my bag. Now let's get to the actual food. The sides that they did get right was good I'll give you that. I don't eat the one she messed up on so that was trashed. The chicken seemed as if it was sitting out a bit too long. I wish it could have been fresher because it was hard to get down and chew. I didn't go inside the restaurant, but the drive thru like I said needed some work. I order a family meal 16 piece with 4 sides and I honestly would have thrown it all away if it didn't cost so much and my family didn't need something to put on their stomachs. Yall ought to be ashamed of yourself for serving this quality of food at these astronomical prices. I tried to do the restaurant survey, but there was an error code that came up and also tried to contact you all via your website, but again to no avail due to page not being available. Didn't want to blast yall on Yelp but here we are read more

I gave them a second chance. My first visit was a disaster, see review from a few months ago. Went again yesterday on Memorial Day. The place was packed w people chowing down in early afternoon. Ordered a 16 piece family meal and an 8 piece family meal, told them to put in separate bags since the 16er was going to a friend's house. But they packed all the tortillas in one bag which messed me up, forgot to give them to my friend! At least the lady packing the order was pleasant and thanked me. Man, those chicken pieces get smaller every time. Must be some small chickens at the farm. Had to request for more salsa, they didn't understand they have bigger containers. Saw a guy w a sheet of coupons, he said they came in the mail. Wish I had one, he didn't offer me any, chump. read more

I was surprised to see a El Pollo Loco location pop up here, especially with one already in Hayward. Although their other Hayward location is slightly closer to me, I feel like this location is definitely more convenient to get to compared to the other one, as it is close by the freeway. This area is a bit busy, so the traffic may be bad and the wait may be longer. This is a good option for a post workout meal and since they are literally right by the gym, I do not have to search too hard for a decent food spot with protein, especially late night when most spots are closed. I believe they have been open for about 2 - 3 months now, so it a good new addition to the area. I usually enjoy their chicken legs at their other locations I had been, but this location still has not gotten it quite right yet, as my chicken came out burnt and dry. read more

The food is good the ambient is great but while I was sitting in my car enjoying my food one of the employees was littering across for me in the parking lot read more

El Pollo Loco - My only issue is with this worker littering in the parking lot - Mexican Near Me - Hayward, California

Ordered twice from Doordash, you dont completely get from what it showed on the picture. Missing sides, no sauces.

Good food, reasonable prices, friendly employees. 1. Food- 4 star Flavor full, sometimes the chicken can be a little dry, but most of the time it's good 2. Service- 3 star Pick up or dine is fine, but they have forgotten my side 3 out 5 times when using doordash 3. Ambiance- 4 star Brand new location and clean inside 4. Price- 5 star Very reasonable, we usually get a family meal that will feed for for roughly $40 and they also have a 8pc leg and thigh for $12. Conclusion- I recommend for a quick meal. Healthier than fried chicken, though my wife enjoys fried chicken more. read more

Our new favorite fast food restaurant! Healthy options with chopped salads and grilled chicken, more variety than Chipotle, and very reasonable pricing. The grilled chicken is flavorful and not KFC-dry. Kids requesting weekly visit. read more

Brand new building. Nice and clean inside. Friendly service. The chicken is delicious. Flame grilled, juicy and full of flavor. Flavorful salsa. The Avocado salsa is great. Different side dishes available as well as tortillas and chips. Be on the lookout for coupons in the mail. Great deals. read more

I went through the drive thu and had an amizing services and order a family meal and Cristal and Andrea were outstading chasiers were there in drive thru! read more

I love me some El Pollo Loco!!!!! I went to this location on Whipple for lunch and honestly it took up my whole lunch but it was also the same week as grand opening so I didn't expect anything less. It was packed!!!!! Overall the food was great and the ambience was clean and all the staff were friendly. This location is definitely going to do great! read more

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One of my fav locations, Always good service. Drive thru staff are amazing nice and efficient and my order comes out correct. Somethings they forget utensils but other than that. The food is pretty fresh. read more

horrible customer service, people nowadays don't know how to greet customers or even care to show good customer service. i went inside to order and the employees seen me but no greetings or anything. Not to mentioned i ordered a side of mango habanero sauce and seen that the guy who put my sauce BARELY put any, wasn't even half filled. If im paying 99 cents i expect to receive the right proportion. Lastly, i ordered a pollo bowl and the chicken was DRY & MANY BURNT PIECES. Learn to train your employees with customer service and to serve the right proportions. read more

I've seen the reviews when this location first opened up and they weren't the best. We waited a little bit before patronizing and our first visit went really well with the service provided as soon as we walked in. The counter staff were very friendly and attentive to answer any questions and even offered us alternatives to save money. The food was perfect and the quickness of it being ready was highly appreciated as well. We will for sure come back for we have always loved El Pollo chicken and the side dishes offered. read more

Good food and the chicken had great flavor. It was cooked just right with a nice crispy skin. The salad is amazing with the cilantro cream dressing. I always add chicken to mines and make it a chicken salad. Highly recommend read more

Great service from Janiah!! Love this new Pollo Loco - nice and clean coz it's new. Hope they can keep it this way. Staff here much nicer than the staff at Pollo Loco on Jackson in Hayward. read more

Its my first time going here at this location since it opened. First thing i noticed is that its clean. Lots of available parking outside, roomy drive thru. Food is excellent of course. read more

The chicken is as expected. My gripe are the sides. I had four large sides and it is only 2/3 full. They are also stingy with the pico de Gallo. They give four small containers for 8 pieces of chicken. read more

I ordered chicken guacamole burrito. It was horribly proportioned! The worst burrito I have eaten from pollo loco locations. The mac and cheese was watery! Ordered nachos with cheese only for my child. They decided to add everything anyway! I love the mission Blvd location!! They should definitely send the management to figure out what's going on! This location is beautiful but needs help inside the kitchen!! read more

The best chicken in the world is El Pollo Loco! The G.M. In this store is great, very friendly and nice!

3 pieces breast and wing been back here 6 times since it opened. meat was juicy, beyond my expectations would be back for sure read more

Tried this new location twice this week However both times they messed up my order. I ordered a veggie burrito both times and sure enough they put chicken in it. The first we went back n got a refund but the second time we just gave up. Green salsa is good as well as the chopped tomato salsa Workers need to listen to customer orders carefully read more

The food it self is fine and the staff that we've encountered are actually friendly. I think we're sticking to the Mission location in Hayward even if this is closer. 1st visit, got home and some items were missing but wasn't worth the drive back. We're just lazy. Not the cashier's fault as he actually got the order right. It was the guy who prepared the order who missed something from the receipt. My husband wanted salad so decided to come back and give it another try. This time it's worse. Again, something was missing from our order that we were charged for and instead of regular chips we got small. My bad as I should have checked everything. It'll be a skip. Don't want to chance it for a third time. Will be driving to the Mission location. Please have a better process of checking the order prior to releasing to a customer. It's a hassle to have to drive back. read more

Chicken excellent, and the broccoli is ALWAYS fresh! I don't care for stuff like cheese on my veggies, and this is perfectly steamed.