El Pollo Loco OK- My trip here to SD has not been as adventurous as it could be with many new hipster artisan posh cool grand locations. I too have been going to crazy chicken with my parents about 5 times a week. So we have eaten crazy chicken 45 meals total in the past 3 weeks. AT least it is not McD. But more than that - my parents not only really like crazy chicken but at least 12 of the staff know them by name. So yes- not only when I am there but on their own - my parents go to this location quite often. Lunch or dinner- they like going here. My mom and dad always love to get the 2 piece Chicken Combo with 2 pieces of fire-grilled chicken, 2 of your favorite small sides and a small drink. They always choose the breast & wing chicken for $1 more up-charge. My dad gets the mash potato and side salad. My mom gets black beans and side salad. Me- I wanted to try some of the different things at least. I wanted to try a bunch of sides. So I tried the mac and cheese, blanched broccoli, mash potatoes, black beans, salad. Do I normally like mac and cheese?- no - Do I like it here? Yeah! Do I like broccoli? Yeah! Do I like mash potatoes? Yeah! Normal for an American to eat- but still homemade taste like my aunt used to make for Thanksgiving. So yes- really normal but nice. Black beans? Not my favorite - but they are cooked well. Not too runny but not dry. Salad- it is different than a normal tossed salad like McD- Way better - and worth every penny. I put extra cilantro from the free side bar on top of mine that it needs just an extra tiny touch of more flavor - but that is what the hot and spicy salsa at the side bar is for... Not too too much but just enough to add some kick to a normal lettuce salad into a party in my mouth. I too listened to my mom and dad the first time and ordered the 2 pieces of fire-grilled chicken, 2 of your favorite small sides and a small drink, w/ the breast & wing chicken up- charge. Did I like the white meat up charge as much as they do? Nope- I really like drumsticks. Did I understand what it was the first time my mom ordered for me cause I was waiting by the seats? I knew she ordered chicken- and it was my first time there - so now I know. So since then - I get the 2 piece leg and thigh combo. Flour soft shell like soft tacos as a side bread choice instead of hard shell nacho chips like chips. So - as you may have read- I've been eating then this meal for a few to many times per week for a while now. So - I changed it up a little.... I tried the Pollo Bowl It has chicken breast fire-grilled to perfection then chopped and joined with a mouthwatering combination of pinto beans, rice, diced onions, fresh cilantro and pico de gallo salsa. Again- I added some more onion and chopped cilantro. It is small in comparison to some of the other menu items but the bowl, flour shells warmed up and a drink for $5 is really a good deal that is tasty. What surprised me the most? CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP I thought the soup at first taste was just a chicken broth - a tasty one but a thin just broth soup. Then I dug my soup spoon to the bottom and came up with thick rich portions of shredded fire-grilled chicken, roasted corn, celery, carrots, roasted poblano peppers, red bell peppers, green bell peppers. I then added the Cotija cheese + cilantro but not the corn tortilla strips. The soup was just so good. I have a new soup instead of campbell chicken noodle for when I feel sick in CA. Comfort food to the max - just not the tortilla chips for me. Staff- some do not speak any English. I made the mistake of just asking the person refilling the salsa bar the name of one of the peppers. Yes, I used English and no my Spanish is not good enough to say, What is that called? without having an aneurysm. I got zero response, until the American next to me repeated the question to her, again in English though but then the cashier noticed and helped. I realized then how close to the boarder we really are compared to Hawaii. The manager knows my mom and dad by name that they go there that often and my mom and dad know some of the workers by name too that they use their names as much as they can. I need to start learning peoples names because 1 we are there that often - and 2 I like the food very much. read more

My food was hot and delicious. And Lupe had great customer service.I will definitely be coming back.

Come on its el polo loco, how can you go wrong?! Amazing customer service, great healthy food, and super affordable! It's my go to when I've had a crazy day and my kiddos refuse to eat. P.s. the curros are super so worth the calories!!!! read more

Changed my review to 1 star. I just went back again today 6/5/2020 at around noon and when I got home an item was missing from my bag once again. What are the chances this happens 3 times in a row? It just shows the amount of care and attention the people working at this location put into the order. Sadly, they weren't even buy. There was only 1 vehicle in front of me in the drive through. read more

Check your order! No condiments included... Salsa, ketchup, or salad dressing. They just asked us what kind of salsa we wanted, too. The chicken was seasoned well and tasty, but the pieces were very small. read more

The curbside pickup service here is absolutely horrible. We placed an order around 5 o'clock for a 6 o'clock pickup. We arrived at 5:55 and using their app told them we are here. I just went into the store to see what's going on. They told us they will bring it out. It's currently 6:17 and we still don't have our food. Don't bother calling their phone...they don't answer. read more

I thought I would try this location since the the chicken in Vista is usually dry. Chicken seems better here but, and it's a big but, the lady at the window insisted that the tortillas she gave me was corn. We try to avoid gluten so this is a big deal. I am including a picture to show you that even us gringos know the difference between flour and corn tortillas. These are definitely FLOUR. Wow, she was rude. Well, unfortunately I am having a problem posting the picture. But I'll keep trying. read more

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

My family ordered food from Uber eats, and I was really disgusted and even threw up of how disgusted I was that I found a nail inside of the guacamole this is so disgusting I am really upset because I usually love getting pollo loco here but I will never buy from this location. This has never happened to me! I can't believe it, do the employees not wear gloves?!! GROSS read more

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The review im posting today is on the shrimp avocado tacos the freshness of the ingredients was there as the heat from what seems to be Cajun style shrimp and sauce the only thing lacking was half the name where was the avocado I have one wedge in each one and luckily I left that bite for last. The flavor was good but only delicious when you add the avocado and being that I'm such an avocado advocate I can't get enough of it so either I'm being too picky cuz I'm a glutton for avocado or I don't feel that they put enough wedges even if it was at least too wedges that would have lined the tortilla perfectly. Keep up the good work on the fresh quality food but don't skip on what's in the name. read more

El Pollo Loco - Where's the avocado? oh there it is! - Fast Food Near Me - Oceanside, California

i would say the food is good but what wasn't good was the worker named Orila who had a bad attitude with me. it felt like she was forced to speak to me. i as well saw her treating employees unfairly , such as keeping a teenager overtime when minors aren't allowed to do such thing. Don't think i'll be going any time soon. read more

came on a saturday night at least an hour before closing because food service workers get it. ordered one birria taco and some sides. my side salad was very much lacking in dressing and the taco must have been premade before hand because the taco was definitely not hot. it was my first time trying the birria and it was actually pretty surprising. the filling itself was pretty good but it was really not hot or even warm. my only questions are why are there 3 tortillas and why is the taco COLD ? rice is always good here def one of my favs, same goes for the mac n cheese (guilty pleasure). read more

Great food and service, only deducted one star because there was a man murdered beside me towards the end of my meal

3rd time here, 3rd time problems. This visit burned dried out chicken, and salad dressing but they forgot the salad. Had to correct the order taker 2 times from flour tortillas to corn tortillas. Ridiculous, no one else in line, 9 people behind the counter and they can't get simple orders right. Management issue, it has to be visit after visit. Done with this location. read more

This is the worst food ever. I ordered the crunchy taco which was greasy uncooked shell, then the meat inside? Our dog eats better. They were not busy. We placed the order online thinking on a friday evening before new years, they would be busy.... when we picked it up, there was nobody inside (about 6:30 pm). I will never eat at this place again. read more

I was visiting San Clemente and like all of my trips I tend to stick with what I know while keeping it cheap & healthy. Of course I could have found closer places to eat while staying in San Clemente but I needed to head to San Diego and decided to look for restaurants along the way and that is when I found this El Pollo Loco. This El Pollo Loco was located right off of the 78 freeway at College which is only a short distance from the 5 freeway, my main destination. This El Pollo Loco is located in a large shopping center and offers plenty of parking. During my visit I found the parking lot to empty, I tend to eat during off hours. I walked into this El Pollo Loco and was stoked to find no line. I walked up to the cashier and ordered my usual 3 piece combo (Breast & Wings) super well done and when I say 'well done' I mean really burnt. The sides I tend to always go with the same side salad no dressing, no cheese, pinto or black beans and corn tortillas. I load up my salad with the condiments provided by El Pollo Loco (Tomatoes, cilantro, onion, pico de gallo & creamy cilantro). At most El Pollo Loco's when my food is ready it is not burnt enough and I have to send my food back to be cooked even more, not at this location. During all of my visits my food was cooked right the first time and that signals 'attention to detail.' I found the staff here to working as a team, during the down time of my visits not a single employee behind the counter was sitting around with their hands in their pockets. One employee was cooking while the others tended to the condiments section to ensure it was spotless while another employee swept & mopped the floors. My food was outstanding, had the right crisp to it, the condiment area was spotless and stocked fully, the restaurant looked clean, smelled clean and so did the bathroom. You can guarantee when visiting a restaurant or the home of a friend 'dirty bathroom' means 'dirty kitchen,' that rule has never failed me. I only wish I lived closer to this El Pollo Loco location because if I did I would be visiting this spot 5-6 times a week, I love me some El Pollo Loco. Without a doubt I will be stopping by this location again and again and again. read more

3 stars because I've had some ok food here, but the last thing I ate was more like 1.5 stars. I like that they let you keep your coupons if you use any, helpful to try to get you to come back. Their food is decent, as long as you don't stray from the main offering: chicken. The shrimp bowl I had, had very few shrimp and they were pretty tough to eat, like they'd been sitting for a while after being cooked. They ask if you want corn/flour tortillas or chips on the side, I went for the flour tortillas. They had a really hard spot on the edge, about a half inch or so, like it had been hanging out of the package and got really dried out. The salsa bar was ok, just ask for bigger containers if you're taking food to go. Don't bother trying to put the lids on the tiny salsa containers at the bar, the lids warp really easily and are hard to put on. Just use them when dining in to save time. read more

Spicy chipotle burrito... enough said! Staff was still learning how to keep the flow of the drive-thru going but it was worth the short wait. My burrito was fresh, surprisingly spicy (compared to other chains who claim "spicy" items) and satisfying. I saved half for later. This is gonna be dangerous having an El Pollo Loco two minutes from my house! read more

We used to eat here religiously back when we had eliminated gluten from our diets (not many places are fast, cheap, and gluten/dairy free!). Now that we have better variety in our dietary options, though, we haven't been there as frequently as we once were. We also didn't have a location close to home before, so I was very excited when this one opened. I love El Pollo Loco's grilled chicken and rice, but after years of only having that option, it's nice to have this be an occasional" meal now. If you're gluten and diet free though, there's tons of great options for you...just stay away from the flour tortillas and anything with cheese, and you'll be good. I love El Pollo Loco, but this particular location drives ME a little "Loco." They've never been able to get my drive thru order correct, and I've had to go into the store every time I've been there (seriously...every single time, random days and random times...why even have a drive thru if you're going to have such epic failure rate in order accuracy?). Then there's the inewait for someone to acknowledge me, and then explain that it's my order wrong so many times (and often, they'll just stare blankly at me when I ask them to correct it), that I think it's easier to go someplace either closer to home, or find an El Pollo Loco location that's going to get things right - or not treat the customer as if it's their own fault the order was wrong in the first place. There's three El Polo Loco restaurants within driving distance of my house - this one just happens to be the most conveniently located. Convenience, however, is being redefined by this location (and I had been very excited when they opened because it was closer to me). read more

For a fast food restaurant the salads are pretty good. It is a challenge to keep track of the menu changes. For $7 the salads have a good amount of chicken, & my favorites have avocado. read more

Food and service was awesome best service I had in a very long time. I was all over the place with my order and she helped me get it right. Even with all my request she still helped me with a smile. The food was top notch as well we wanted a little snack after running around all day and the food was fire AF! Hot, fresh and delicious I will be back here again and only to this location best in town! read more

Not only did my cheese enchiladas contain basically no cheese, they were trying to close an hour earlier than the website says! Which is very irritating. read more

The food is good, the service is friendly but so inept. Another order shorted, stuff left out, another trip back to get what wasn't placed in our bag. Yes, If I ever go there again, I will not leave the drive through checkout until I've checked my bag but frankly, it's a bit of a hassle to get in and out with all the construction. read more

I work night shift at a nearby Senior Living facility and I'm at this El Pollo Loco 1-2 nights a week; the service is always on point. On this particular evening Lupe realized that I was missing an item on my order and he rectified it immediately with a sincere apology. I appreciated his sincerity and efforts to correct my order. Thank you Lupe. read more

Not to bad for the location. This area is always kind of sketch with the amount of bums that hangout around, still not sure why they are all around here, but it can be a bit annoying when just trying to get some food, and someone comes up to you and your family begging for money to buy more alcohol with. The food here is ok, my chicken was not hot and the avocados were far from fresh, I'm sure if I'm ever in the mood for El Pollo Loco I will just drive to the next one and avoid this location. read more

Went through the drive thru today and every time I go, the people are so rude. I only go back because I like the chicken. But the people at the drive thru are not pleasant Maybe the rudest drive thru ever. Not too mention, they burnt my churro today and I had to toss it. Thinking of giving up on El Pollo Loco now due to the workers. read more

I'm starting to give up and get annoyed with this location. The past 4 times I've come here they always get my order wrong. I asked for the tostada salad with no pico no sour cream and when i got it, it had both then when i told them they gave me a new one without cheese. Every time I let them know and they just seem annoyed. read more

I was quite impressed. Had one of the $5 bowls. Caesar bowl. Came with a drink and two tortillas. Filled me up, had there chicken, lettuce and rice. read more

I usually always go to this pollo loco location to get food, but that will change starting today. I order a chicken avocado bowl and a chicken avocado tostada. When I opened the bowl, the avocado was black and was clearly not good to be eaten anymore. When I opened my chicken avocado tostada, I took a piece of the tostada and it was very stale. This is very unacceptable because someone can get sick. Stop feeding people expired items. I am very disappointed. read more

El Pollo Loco - Rotten avocado - Fast Food Near Me - Oceanside, California

I've been here numerous times. . Everytime I've been here. Everyone is very nice. The food is excellent. No problems. Today I went, the place was packed at 12. Everyone looked like they were enjoying there meal. I've been to a few other locations and I wasn't happy . I rather drive a little longer and get good service and food. Enjoy your day read more

My wife begs to go to this location because is new and clean. I prefer the Mission location because prices are cheaper. But here you pay extra for better service. They usually have a guy that brings you the food. I LOVE THE SALSA BAR! Serano chiles! read more

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

Definitely my favorite fast food! Great chicken tostadas salad, and amazing salsa bar! I don't like doing drive through bc they always forget to give me condiments that I asked for. However, everyone is so nice and efficient so I don't mind going inside read more

Jose's missed me again because the mean girl is still there. We had a couple of burritos here. The chickens Chipotle is good with lots of flavor. Never an attitude here.... like other places . My girl likes it also. We will keep coming back everytime that mean girl is at jose's read more

El Pollo Loco - They were cool and wrapped my girls burrito in gold foil ! - Fast Food Near Me - Oceanside, California

My expectation of fast food is never high but in a pinch we stopped here. From the very first encounter with the young lady who took the order we were greeted with attitude. Halfway thru the order (mind you it was only 2 items) another person starts talking instead. Get to the window, our coke is a good 1-2 inches from the top.. And full of ice when we had asked for easy ice. Mention it to the employee and she says well we already filled it so ... Is that ok? Sure, I guess. Get our food and drive off. No salsa in the bag although they asked us if we wanted some and we said yes. No problem I'll eat my chips without salsa. Chips were more stale than anything I've ever found in the back of my pantry. Seriously couldn't even chew them. So 4 strikes today El Pollo Loco. I wanted to pass along feedback so pull out the receipt... Totally unreadable. Well played, well played. read more

El Pollo Loco - Receipt unreadable -- so survey info is useless. - Fast Food Near Me - Oceanside, California

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Ordered a chicken avocado burrito, it was good. I was welcomed by 4 different workers. Service was fast. Restaurant was clean and nice looking. Worthy of 5 stars. read more

Sub-par franchise. This outlet provides only one dressing for its salads and wants to charge $1 each for additional ones. I enjoy the Pico sauce and it measures two teaspoons per container. For a large salad (double chicken) it is ridiculously small portion. The other Oceanside franchise is not this silly / stupid. read more

I always go to Encinitas location but these time I come to here and it's much better here.They have to go to train at Encinitas location

Nice, roomy dining room in this EPL. Staff as always very friendly and welcoming. I ordered the chicken tostada salad sans the beans, extra lettuce. Tasted fresh and even though I didn't eat the shell, I could tell it was moist and freshly baked. Some EPLs serve tostada shells that turn to sawdust as soon as you breathe on em. Not here though. I was in the area working at Mira Costa College and decided to stop over. Would visit again next time I'm in the area. read more

At other pollo Locos I've had to wait for more than 10 minutes for my food. I've been eating at pollo locos so many times and ive never experienced phenomenal customer service like I did here. The burrito "tradicional" actually looked like the picture and it contained all the ingredients mentioned. I ordered churros to go and man they were really crunchy and good. As I was eating I noticed that the good service bell was ranged a few times. This is a good place ;) very satisfied read more

El Pollo Loco - Good service and food!! - Fast Food Near Me - Oceanside, California

Excellent food, I love the Ranchero Burrito. Only reason I didn't give it a 5 star is because of the tortilla chips, very stale chips sometimes, and chips not warm at all most of the time. Other then that awesome! read more

This has to be the best location for this restaurant. My wife and I eat here at least once or twice a month. We decided to order thru grub hub(huge disappointment). We paid in line, guy drops of food, but didn't give us all of our order. Call grub hub and they just say well here's your food money back for what you didn't get. Now go back on and reorder and wait another hour. Not happening. Called the El Pollo Loco location and the manager said I'll just remake your whole order again for no charge. I offered to just bypass the mistake of a company called grub hub and pick up my food. It was hot and ready and even thru in extra tortilla. Gave me a free drink too too it off. Now this is customer service. Wasn't even their fault but they made sure the customer was happy. Will never use grub hub again, but this place restored my confidence on how customer service should be. read more