Never enough staff for indoor dining. It's a popular place and I like the food but I can't wait 20 to 30 minutes for it anymore.

Ordered a to go of 8-pc chicken legs n thigh. Terribly disappointed cus when we got home n ate the chicken legs n thighs are burned n the legs are so dry n hard. Maybe they either were left overs fr yesterday that they just reheat or were cooked earlier n just kept being reheated that most were burned and so hard to eat. We practically threw them to trash! What a total disappointment! We just moved in here fr Fairfield n we've been ordering El Pollo fr other places. Yesterday was our 1st time to order in this location but I think this is the worst. Definitely not coming bk again! read more

i come here often and they're always very nice and look happy to help! the food was also very good and well done just how i request it

very disappointed I paid $3 for each of these sides and this is what I get.... the burrito I ordered came with guacamole as well- I'm allergic so I asked really nicely if they could not put any. Pretty much just a very disappointing visit. read more

El Pollo Loco - Fast Food Near Me - Livermore, California

Decent food excellent salsa, if you're on a budget I would try the tortilla soup, they usually give you some chips and tortillas. It's not really the best, but it's not the worst. I like the three piece meal I usually get breast and they are decent read more

Very poor customer service. Staff just doesn't care about customers. Chicken is over cooked and dry. I asked that sour cream and salsa be "on the side" of my wifes tostada, got home guess what, they got it wrong. Yesterday I ordered another tostada and had to ask three times for the tostada Tuesday discount. I was careful where I walked while waiting in the lobby for my take out order, water and ice cubes spilled on the floor, nobody cleaned it up. Very disappointing experience. Looking at other customer reviews management doesn't care and has not addressed issues. read more

This is one of our favorite fast casual restaurants. The food is fresh and the chicken is delicious.

Never have I ever...ventured into an El Pollo Loco until today. Probably should have stuck to that. The kids wanted to try it because they missed their KFC that I refuse to ever buy again. Ever. See previous reviews if curious. I online ordered two two piece meals and a stuffed quesadilla plus two churros. Sides were a salad, mac and cheese, potatoes and gravy and broccoli. Can you tell we are usually a KFC family? Went in to pick it up and was ignored by everyone for 10 minutes. Just stood there like I had nothing better to do. Finally one guy in a maroon shirt (manager I assume because most are in black shirts) asked what I ordered. Oh! It's an online order? Hence the reason I am standing on the online order side and not at the counter. He rangled up the food and I finally took off 20 minutes later. Got home and was missing a side on mine-the salad and dressing. My daughter said the quesadilla avacados were "filmy" and for a hound, she barely touched the $7 "quesadilla" she got. My son said his meal was ok, but refused the mac and cheese because it looked gross. Don't ask about the yellow broccoli. I get they are not expected to serve good vegetables so whatever. The churros were probably the best part. Even though I witnessed them being nuked twice while I stood there and waited because they didnt realize I was standing there staring at them. Had such high hopes but nope. One and done. Sorry kids. I'm going to go make myself a salad now. read more

Absolutely horrible experience. My husband came home late night with dinner and we were starving. I ordered the Loco Street Taco with Chicken and my husband got the $7.49 Ranchero burrito, which was smaller than my hand! The Taco came folded in a ripped up, smashed tortilla... and had absolutely NO other toppings. The websites says it has cilantro, sauce, lettuce etc... but my Taco was barren. The chicken didn't even have any sauce of it, just greasy chicken on a smashed totilla . My husband finished his entire burrito in 4 bites. I demand a refund... What do you think, we're going to order the food and NOT look at it before we eat it? Also one more thing to note, I was the only customer in the entire restaurant. read more

El Pollo Loco - Garbage excuse for a street Taco, NO TOPPINGS?! - Fast Food Near Me - Livermore, California

I ordered curbside and the workers were too lazy to bring it out to me. Went in after waiting outside for 20 minutes only to find my food sitting there on the counter getting cold. I showed the employee that it was my order and it was curbside, and instead of offering apologies or any sort of courtesy, she lazily passed me my food without a word and walked away. The place was not busy, as there was maybe one other customer. Absolutely disgraceful service, all managers and employees should be ashamed as they have failed to provide the simple service they are paid for. read more

I ordered a double avacado chicken salad. In the drive through line. The employee waited until after she handed me the salad to inform me they were out of avacado cilantro dressing, out of pico de gayo and out of avacado salsa... she gave me buttermilk ranch instead without telling me and then she never gave me aa fork. What's wrong with fast food workers these days?? Was it always like this ? The only place you ever feel appreciated anymore is in n out burger. I hope this type of service isnt the new normal. It's really bad. I have been to this el pollo loco in the past a few times and received good service. Just not the last few times. read more

I eat here somewhat frequently and it's usually fine. However, I ordered a chicken black bean bowl and there was no chicken LOL read more

El Pollo Loco - Fast Food Near Me - Livermore, California

I went to El Pollo Loco today in the drive-through the chicken they gave me was so burnt I could not eat it I tried to give it to my dog but my dog would not eat it so I threw it out the sides were pretty good but they were so small I finally had to go out and go to Jack-in-the-Box everything at Jack-in-the-Box was perfect so I will not be going back to the Livermore locationThe people in the drive-through she'll remember that sherries was next-door they're gone now Mel's diner's was next-door they're gone now pretty soon I want to keep doing stuff like this that location will close it's doors read more

Ordered online and went to pick up. I should have went through it when she neglected to give me my cup for the drink I ordered. Get home to no Mac-n-cheese with kids meal, no chips with taco combo and no dressing for salad. Will never go back. Rubios is SO much better! read more

I went through the drive thru because it was pouring rain, I've never been here before either. I took a minute looking and said ok I'm ready and the guy says ok ready what do you want... so thanks for the dad joke. I was asked to pull ahead and they would run out to bring my food. I was upsold on a combo meal and never got my drink i realized as i drove away. I got shrimp enchiladas and a chicken bowl. The enchiladas were ok, I did like the shrimp inside the most. It tasted grilled and fresh then rolled in a tortilla with a green sauce. Green sauce was very tangy. I didn't eat the side of beans or rice they were stuck in a lump together and it was not worth it. The chicken bowl looks as good as the enchiladas which is 3/5 at most. read more

It had been a while since we had visited this location since we experienced some of the same issues as submitted by other reviewers. We really like El Pollo Loco and decided to try this location again. We have been there twice for takeout in the last 6 weeks and both times we were very satisfied with the store, staff and food. We ordered our food at the store for take out so we cannot comment on any online ordering or delivery issues. The most recent order was a three piece meal. The chicken was perfectly grilled, the rice and beans were also prepared very well. Vast improvement over previous experiences here. Based on our two most recent visits we will definitely be going back soon for more. read more

Good food, horrible staff. I go here frequently, except they have been out of a key I ingredient and have failed to let me know each time I have ordered it. Give me the food missing the component...soooo annoying. Last time, back to Baja Fresh. read more

Second time here was much better. The line at lunch time was manageable and the food was well prepared. The white meat chicken was moist and the black beans were excellent. I also got the steamed broccoli as one of the sides and it was also fresh and well cooked. read more

El Pollo Loco - Fast Food Near Me - Livermore, California

Walked out This was our 4time going here and there's been issues everytime , but today was the worst and we won't be back When we went in there were a few tables all had their food already. We order and go find a place to sit. The pager goes off and i go to get our lunch and Mathew ( a manager) tells me it will be just a moment the guy in bk was cooking the shrimp. Ok no worries. We wait and we wait oh and in the mean time my tacos are sitting So the two people who came in after us now have their food. I ask Mathew wheres our food and he tells me the guy in bk is cooking shrimp. So at this point i requested our money and we walked Thanks Mathew for being the worst manager ever!!!!! read more

Cashier seemed over it, didn't say a word to me when I walked up to the counter. I get it, I work customer service, I know how it gets. I won't hold it against him. Salsa bar needed attention, the cilantro was almost empty, and had browning leaves, you can tell it hadn't been cleaned in awhile. Food tasted bitter. Bathrooms were absolutely gross. Won't go out of my way to go here, and I usually enjoy this restaurant. Maybe it's only this particular location. read more

after three messed up orders I told myself I would never come here again but I had a short lunch and I needed something quick and its close. ordered 3 items and the person I sent to pick it up said there was only this one item. I had to head back down there and let them know I had missing items to which the person at the front desk seemed confused. they kept going back to the lady stationed at the drive thru cash register. I asked if I could please just get it made or get a refund. the woman at the drive through cash register came over and opened up the taco with her bare hands to investigate, told me it looked fine to her, and put the taco back in the bag. I was like hey you put your bare hands all over it can you please have someone remake it and add the other items from the order or give me a refund. she said NO REFUNDS and said I was good to go. I think she was pretending like she couldn't understand what I was saying so a gentleman stepped in and translated. she stormed off to remake the taco (again without gloves on and without washing her hands after touching cash) and came back and threw the taco at me. I didnt feel like making a scene so I left and just submitted a report with pollo. it was intense and such a pain to have money wasted like that especially these days when money is so tight. I basically gave el pollo loco free money because she wouldn't refund me and I couldn't safely eat what she gave me. super messed up. read more

I usually come here and 50% of the time I get silverware. No worries I keep extra forks in my car for that reason. But today...I gotta say something...who is making salads with more sour cream than lettuce. Should be calling it a double chicken sour cream. read more

Do not consider eating at this place. Food is terrible, bland, overcooked on the grill, small portions. I wouldn't eat there for free. Livermore Resident read more

I know Covid impacted many businesses, but a recipe it should not have impacted one's ability to follow a basic recipe. I recently order a chicken/avocado burrito- one of my favorite items on the menu. I'm not sure what it was they made, but it was inedible. They amount of chipotle sauce in the burrito was overwhelming, there was no avocado in the 4 bites I took. Before throwing it away I unwrapped it to see what was inside. I found six small chunks of chicken , about a 1/3" each, and a small amount of avocado at the very bottom. Nothing but sauce and cheap filler ingredients. No need to go back there again. read more

went to the place to order asked for extra salsa's and dressing. It was on the receipt. got home only 2 salsa no dressing. at least fill the order accordingly it's not that hard to read the ticket. won't go back this place sucks! read more

All in all it is pretty good food. Nice to have a new place to go. This is my 4 visit since they opened (work near by) and it all taste good although each time something wasn't right on order nothing too major. They are just busy and need to read the orders a lol better. But better than Burger King Update 12/17/18 this has issues still, for some reason they do not know how to make a standard quesadilla, I just want chicken and cheese, but they seem confused every time I order it. Most the time the cheese isn't even melted. It's an ok place when you have no better choice read more

We tried this location around the time when it first opened and did not like the quality. However maybe the last 3-4 times recently we noticed the quality has improved................. significantly. Also the chicken I notice tastes excellent (and better) and we are now saying it is better chicken than Popeyes. read more

lEl Pollo Loco was interesting in the beginning. combos are a good value. not naturally tasty. need to spice/personalize flavor at salsa bar. many food options available, most touted protein is the marinated chicken. sometimes tender, sometimes overcooked. ultimate double chicken bowl (6.99) -citrus marinated chopped chicken, guac, jack cheese, cabbage, pico de gallo, pinto beans, rice, sour cheese. -yep. usually mix it up after adding a little mild sauce. take outs: -would be a fan if not for the blandness of the food -not a fan of customizing food since i have poor creativity instincts when doing it "my way" usual eat the food as it comes with little tinkering. -service ok, plenty of parking. read more

The place looks nice and clean. The employees are friendly. We have gotten food thru the drive through a few times, the chicken had been over cooked and tough and dry,. read more

Coming from southern California, I know what El Pollo Loco is all about. I have loved it for years. I was sad when we relocated and I couldn't find the chain around here. When I heard they were opening up here I was very happy! But the happiness was short lived. Gone is the El Pollo Loco I loved so much down south. No more large juicy chicken pieces. Just dry, overpriced, tiny portions. This location in particular, however, has really thrown me. First time I ordered a Pollo Bowl. Had to pay extra for tortillas (didn't used to be that way) and of course when I pulled out, I looked in the bag and had to go back for my paid-for tortillas. On another attempt, I ordered the DOUBLE CHICKEN fajita salad. My friend and I got home and had an $8 Bowl of lettuce. We had to go back and ask for chicken. How is that possible in a chicken restaurant? Then today I tried again. Ordered the Southwest Chicken Bacon salad. Sat down and there was no bacon on the salad. When I went to ask for it, I saw the sign said it also came with corn, which was also missing. Really?? They need to get it together over there. I realize they're new and all but forgetting chicken on a DOUBLE CHICKEN salad in a chicken restaurant is a tad, well, Loco. read more

For the TL;DR version, scroll to the very bottom of the review. I must have had one of the few positive experiences at this restaurant compared to so many other reviews I see here. The following is my recollection of what happened and my thoughts throughout the whole thing. The cashier Taylor B was the one to take our order. Me and my GF wanted to try this location out. We are used to the one in Hayward near Jackson Street, which is almost always over-crowded and the people who go there apparently don't know how to form a decent line, so people often end up waiting in awkward spots like in between the door, so your body has to keep the door open, anyways that's a rant for another time. We came around brunch/lunch time, and the place was pretty dead. We were first greeted by some dude at the very end of the store. I notice most the employees are white. In Hayward most the employees are Mexican/Latina women. It makes sense that there are young white people working here, because this is Livermore. Livermore has lots of white people. I do not mean to be racist I am just recalling my memory of eating here with the most accurate details I can remember. The guy who first greeted us seemed shy and spoke with a voice we can barely hear from all the way back there. A second person came to help us, a girl named Taylor B (yes, your cashier has a name, look at your receipt) and her personality was the opposite. At first I didn't understand her humor, but after a few more sentences of small talk I was able to tell when she was joking around. I personally wish sarcasm would just die but retail and customer service are jobs that kind of make you a sarcastic person to get through the day without blowing up, so she is forgiven. After we took our order here comes the fun part, picking a table, getting the napkins, drinks, and salsas all set up. I read some of the low star reviews for this location and people are saying stuff like, oh the drive thru takes forever, it's not fast at all, there were chicken feathers in my chicken, this coleslaw is not a full cup, and there's never any salsa. While I can kind of feel bad for most of these, the cole slaw one is just straight stupid. If they didn't give you a full cup of cole slaw go to them and say what the heck is this, I want a full cup. They will most likely give you a full cup if you ask, but I guess you're too high and mighty to do that. Let's just make a yelp review to vent out my anger that someone gave me 1/4th a cup of cole slaw. It just looks like you ate it and then took a picture after you ate it. Maybe you were so hungry you just ate most the cole slaw and forgot to take a picture of it first, then you blamed them idk, and idc. The drive-thru line at the Hayward location is always long too. You got family in the drive thru ordering for their entire families at home at El Pollo Loco, and you SHOULD expect a 15-30 minute wait if you are taking the drive thru. Seriously put some TV shows on your phone and watch them in the drive thru. If you're new to El Pollo Loco yeah maybe I can see why you are pissed that the drive thru isn't fast. In general, if we as a collective group of smart citizens wish to have faster drive thru lines, then do not order for your entire family at a drive thru just because it's easier for you to do than to walk inside the store. The drive thru for all places should be restricted to like 10 items or less like at a grocery store (that shit should be LAW)! Anyways back to this store. The only complaints I have is that my burrito wasn't folded tightly enough and it broke apart and was messy and I literally ate it with a spoon. The quality of my burrito tortilla wrapping as well as the quality of my GF's taco salad thing seemed like a few days old or some shit. Other than that, the chicken itself tasted good, the avacado was delicious, ect. Taylor was cool, she even came by to check in on us and see how the food was and how we were doing. She also developed a yellow brick road inside joke with me and my GF and it was our little thing. She did something to make us feel special, which is what excellent customer service is about. She's good at making rapport. The Churros were hella good. My experience wasn't bad, I feel bad that alot of people had bad experiences here. I notice a lot of the reviewers are MILF-aged white women. May play a factor in the ratings. Idk. People in Livermore look at me way more often than strangers in Hayward. What is it that weird that I'm asian? Or have black hair? Or am I just the kind of person that strangers love to keep looking at? Is it the way I dress? I don't know but something about Livermore creeps me out in general. TL;DR VERSION GOOD: 1. TAYLOR IS A COOL CHICK 2. CHICKEN AND AVOCADOS TASTE BOMB 3. CHURROS ARE CRUNCHY AND DELICIOUS BAD: 1. BURRITO WASN'T WRAPPED TIGHT SO IT FELL APART I ATE IT WITH A SPOON 2. QUALITY OF BURRITO WRAP AND TACO SALAD SHELL BOWL SEEMED A BIT OLD AND STALE read more

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I love this place they are always very accurate with my order, friendly staff, the chicken is always very yummy I highly recommend this place there is plenty options in the menu. read more

Fast, cheap, good! Patient and polite taking orders. This is the only fast food joint I've been to where an employee walked through the dining room and checked-in on customers, "Everything tasty?". I'm only dinging them a star because the tables in the dining room were clear, but not cleanly wiped down. Serving sizes are not huge, but that's a plus if you're trying to keep your weight in check. Love their spicy green salsa! read more

Amazing service the cashier who took my order was very kind and attentive. His name was David I believe. I got the avocado salad sans corn (allergy) and my husband got the double chicken nachos with extra sour cream and guacamolè, and added avocado salsa. The salad was so good, I'd recommend putting pico and creamy cilantro. read more

Horrible!!!! This has happened to me more than once at this location...they are always out of chicken. How can you be out of the main ingredient in your establishment!! Management needs to be put in check! They are just as bad as the food. read more

I have tried too many times to like this location but it is horrible. I absolutely love El Pollo Loco and was excited one was coming to Livermore. I have visited ones in different parts of the state and have had a bad experience. On the other hand, the first couple of times ordering here, there was 15 min wait time for food, another time they were out of an item and my last visit, well I am grateful I didn't choke because the chicken was soooo dry. Needless to say...I don't know if I can go back Maybe it's management? Maybe they need someone capable of ensuring things are running well. read more

I've only eaten here three times, and I've downgraded my review the last two. We went there yesterday at 5:15 for dinner. There was only us and another customer there. I had a 4 piece special, or 1/2 of a chicken. It was either a game hen or an infant chicken. Really, the wing was so small. All pieces were dried out as well. The flavor was ok, but I can't stand dry chicken. When we sat down we looked at the floors. Disgusting. Crumbs, papers, plastic silverware on the ground. Again, that's with hardly any customers. I see why it was so dead in there. I should have gone next door to Mels and hit their fried chicken dinner. read more

Good food. Unfortunately bad service. I hope they screen their employees well. Treat customers the way you want to be treated when you become a customer. read more

El Pollo Loco is my go to spot to try to eat healthy semi-fast food. The food and service is generally good wherever I stop. I stop by this store about twice a week after the gym because I don't want to cook. This store is pretty bad across the board... 4 times out of 5 they get the orders incorrect. Every time I've asked for the light Salad dressing they are out. You have to ask them for salsa because they are out of it most of the time too. The chicken either is not ready (around dinner time, it's a chicken restaurant) or over cooked. It just seems like they need to hire some people that care a little more about what they are doing. read more

I used to love spending my money here! The last two times that I have came to this exact location my orders have been really shity. The staff is very friendly and nice but very forgetful. Every time I go through the drive-thru they forget to give me a fork or the salsas or my drink or they pass the stupid timer and they make me park on the side of the place. Today I was very upset cuz I got my chipotle chicken avocado burrito no beans or cabbage. So it's usually smaller than what it is, and that's okay but today it was farther than usual I took two bites out of it and there was not one piece of chicken inside of it. The nice blonde pretty girl I'm not sure if she was a manager or not, attended me and started to dispute with me about her being the one that made the burritos and she had put the chicken in it herself. I showed her the burrito and she opened it and was like oh sorry. Not sure what's going on. I'm hoping that whoever runs this page will talk to the entire staff and get everything situated, I really enjoy their food. thank you read more