I've been waiting for my pickup order for over 30 Minutes. This place is a a sh** show. Bring reading material or some form or entertainment to pass the time. read more

Will keep it short and simple; We were all enjoying our Tostada Salad, until I saw a piece of hair! Never again!! read more

El Pollo Loco - Piece of hair! - Mexican Near Me - Richmond, California

Chicken good, but dried out late in the day. Most food very good, especially bowls and salads, except guacamole sucks. Sometimes run out of broccoli. Salsas outstanding. read more

I had ordered through drive through on 12/01/2021 between 8:00-8:30 pm and paid $11.02 for my order. Why is it I have problems all the time when I order through drive through? 1. My order was wrong had to park and go inside the facility and have them correct my order. Which I ordered enchilada & 2pieces of chicken bowl. I received an order of 2 pieces of chicken and 2 sides. 2. My order came with a large drive and was given a regular drive. I had them replace the drive and they gave a cup that was leaking on the side. See attached photo. 3. Was not given my receipt. 4. When I went in I was given an attitude by the cashiers and manager. 5. I asked for for sauce and was given only 3 salsa. I asked for the green sauce and was given an attitude. 6. This is not the first time this has happened. It happened several years back and that's why I stopped going to your store. But yesterday I gave your store a second chance to do thing right and they couldn't get it right. I don't like giving reviews on Yelp but with this I can if the problem is not resolved. read more

El Pollo Loco - Cup that was given for sodas and other fountain drinks that was leaking from the bottom. - Mexican Near Me - Richmond, California

It was raining hard in Richmond, CA & I needed drive thru food but not fast food burgers. I was told by locals that El Pollo Loco has a drive through. That seemed fascinating & convenient with the pouring rain. I ordered the two piece chicken meal with rice & black beans as the sides. The rice was very dull & hard, which is unlike what you'd expect from Arroz Rojo (Mexican Red Rice). Sometimes restaurants have the bad habit of making rice in big pots for the day, and not worrying about the flavor & texture of the rice since it's not a main dish. Well let me tell you folks & restaurant owners, it matters! The beans weren't that flavorful either, another let down to my meal.. The chicken was decent, but that's not what we look for in a meal, do we? No disrespect but I will not be coming back to this location. It's always difficult writing reviews like this but the truth is the truth. I do not recommend this place, I will continue venturing my food adventures elsewhere. I hope this restaurant reads this review & fixes these important things. More Mexican food to come everybody! read more

Some of the healthiest fast food there is. When I'm sick, I go and get their tortilla soup, which is actually a chicken soup with tons of fresh vegetables, with little bits of crunchy tortilla on top. My only criticism is that lately it is too salty. But I just add a bunch of water, which is good for me anyway, and I'm glad to have freshly made chicken soup available at a drive-through. read more

This is my favorite fast food chain restaurant. Never feels like I've abused my body after eating here. The customer service is to the point, no bs just get the job done. They're quick most of the time. Most importantly, food is by far healthier than other chains and there are lots of options to choose from. Their rewards app is a cherry on top of the pie. Although I have no complaints I have a couple suggestions to take this chain to the next level. Reduce/Remove the single use plastics: Every time I get take out the amount of plastic bags, straws, utensils (which they give by default), soda cups really adds up a lot. If you can switch to biodegradable materials it would be super cool and I don't have to feel guilty for getting takeout. Gluten Free: There's already a lot of gluten free options on the menu but it's not really a GF friendly joint. There's no guarantee your order is GF even if the ingredients in your order are GF. If you can implement systems in operations to eliminate cross contamination and go all in on making the menu GF friendly this place would be unstoppable. Also, adding some gluten free tortilla options for burritos would be dope. I don't know what the cost to benefit ratios are for doing such a thing but I'm hoping there's a financial incentive for this change. Rewards App: The interface on the app is not very intuitive. Needs work. Thank you and Cheers! read more

The staff is amiable and welcoming! Restaurant # 3472 The chicken is so delicious! It has great flavor and perfect textures, and it leaves you wanting more! The sauce is deep and flavorful, rich, and feels like a warm hug. read more

El Pollo in San Pablo was one of my favorite places to eat at since they opened, but as of today, I will not return until Carlos, a newer manager working the swing shift Aug 19, 2023 is no longer there. We walked to the counter and no one was present. Other customers were getting their orders as we stood looking at staff ignore us. Carlos, who later told us he was the manager on shift (the swing shift), began pacing the line while playing with a register and talking on the phone. Another staff, looked at us and laughed while he was washing his hand, and spoke to Carlos in Spanish, and left the the sink. Carlos, looked at us, then walked back to the prep area, and continued his phone call. Everyone could tell this was a personal call because he was laughing, and speaking in Spanish (I am Black but I know Spanish) Once he decided to put his call on hold, he set the phone on the counter and looked at us, still with no greeting. I asked was he on a personal call, he cussed in Spanish and laughed. I repeated the question and he cocked his head to side and said nothing. I began to place my order and I could see what he was punching was in correct. I said can I tell you what type of tortillas I want. He said forcefully, 'what kind?' Then I decided I no longer wanted the food. I told Carlos that he has horrible customer service, and he just cost the restaurant money. He laughed as he walked away with his phone and continued his conversation. I returned and a different cashier was changing out his drawer with Carlos, who had no name tag on. Carlos spoke to cashier, Jesus, in Spanish telling him not to help us, some more bad words, some chuckles, and explained that we yelled at him earlier. We interrupted them and asked for their names and the manager. Carlos said he was and walked away laughing. I reminded him that he cost the company money because of his behavior. Not only did he not try to fix the issue by simply acknowledging his unprofessionalism, he showed us where we stood as frequent customers by ignoring us to help Spanish speaking customers with a smile and haste. I will not be returning because if my money is green it should not matter my race. I am mentioning race because of some of the racist comments he made about us in Spanish and part of the personal phone conversation we heard. San Pablo will continue to lose money and customers if they keep Carlos. I would say re-train him but racist ideas and feelings cannot be corrected through training. FYI: I know I'm not the only black customer who have been mistreated by Carlos and his front of line crew. Also, I have introduced introduced many people to this location, but Carlos has ruined that. read more

Ordering via the app is glitchy. After placing the order you need to first tap "on my way" before you tap "I'm here" but the restaurant doesn't get the notification. I waited over 20 min then decided to go inside. The lady at first said she already brought out a curbside order but when she double checked she found my order sitting and said that her screen never for the notification that I was already here. Funny because when she brought out a previous order to the car right next to me I caught her attention and informed her that I just placed a mobile order and asked her to add some Pico de Gallo with my order. I guess she forgot that I was waiting outside for my curbside order and was too dependent on her computer screen. Forget curbside order, better to just go inside. One more thing I want to add if you go through drive-through they never give you a receipt. If you're on their rewards program be sure to ask for it. read more

For a place to have food with no flavor is said. But to have customers waiting 30 minutes to get there order with no flave Is ridiculous. Never again will I eat or Ill order from san pablo polo loco. Very vear bad customer service. read more

It's funny that a chicken restaurant never fails to consistently disappoint with their trademark grilled chicken, but pleasantly surprise with their salad sides. The grilled chicken has always been dried out and feels like it's been reheated or has been hanging out in the 'hot spots' way too long. Their al cabron (chicken) tacos are pretty decent --- it's diced grilled chicken with chopped onions and cilantro. The jalapeno sauce goes quite some ways in spicing up the tacos while their green salsa from the salsa table makes it sublime. They should either patent that green salsa, or teach the taco trucks how to make 'em. I think that's the best salsa (not really salsa verde) I've had in quite a while. I think it might be a 'cilantro salsa'. Their cilantro dressing on the taco salad is what makes their salad. It's very flavourful, and highly unexpected. It's not a whole lot, but is enough to coat all the greens if one mixes them well enough. Anywho, that's way too much effort on reviewing a chain outlet. And that, is "El Pollo Loco" for you. read more

El Pollo Loco - Mexican Near Me - Richmond, California

First time I've ever had their food. I had mine delivered. I enjoyed everything ordered (leftovers for sure tomorrow). My only suggestion or more like a lesson learned,it that crispy tacos don't travel well. They were delicious, but arrived deconstructed. Will be ordering other items for sure. read more

Service is horrible and they are always saying they are out of the green salsa. When you tell them to cancel your order and refund you, they manage to find the salsa. Horrible! read more

omg is my favorite site for eating service is nice thank you is apréciate excelent food

This is the third time receiving my order with half the chicken dried out like jerky. I always ask for it fresh off the grill, not from the steam table where it dries out. I asked the cashier twice if I could get it fresh off the grill but in the end it was not fresh off the grill...I am 35 plus Years as a chef, you think the management could manage their steam table dried chicken better. I guess it is all about pumping out subpar chicken. Such a shame because it would not take much to rectify the problem. read more

Great food! I order my usual double tostada salad, and it was very good as always. The store is very nice and clean and very good service.

The shredded chicken always has bones in it. Back to tacobell it is. I wouldn't want to die from chocking on some chicken nachos.

I am sharing my most recent experience. We ordered from Doordash Monday night and both had the 3-piece chicken with beans/rice. I should have trusted my instincts because the chicken didn't look right. It look a lil undercooked but was actually overcooked. It was definitely sitting for a while. We were so tired and hungry we just kept eating. That night I had felt a lot of pressure in my stomach. I woke up and felt super nauseous. From then on every hour I was puking. I never get sick! The chicken tasted off and I should have went with that and stopped eating it. I am still recovering from stomach flu and had to miss work yesterday. I used to love this place now I am scarred. El pollo NoNo for me! I am still recovering and will be eating chicken broth, rice, and crackers until I feel better. Please do better. read more

I try to be scrupulously fair on the few occasions I review a business. So I tried this EPL 3 different times over a month or so. Sorry. Total fail. I ordered the double chicken bowl with added guacamole each time on the web. The food was fine the first couple of times, though if there was any guacamole it was no more than a tablespoon. For 99 cents. And if what I got was double chicken, single chicken would be just a few chunks. But both times the food wasn't ready on time. Like half an hour late. If I'm stopping by on my way home from work to grab dinner, I'm not interested in standing around for a half an hour to get my food. Then when I get it I can't get out of the parking lot for a few minutes due to all the cars in the drive through line blocking me in. On the third attempt the bowl bore no resemblance to what I ordered at all. Basic things like any chicken or avocado slices were missing. It was basically chopped lettuce on rice with a few beans and some chopped tomato and a dollop of sour cream. One could argue I should have checked it before I left, but knowing how long they take to make stuff it would've meant more standing around while they made it again. I think the basic problem is that they're too popular. There are like a dozen people back there frantically making orders. It's the same counter for picking up on-line orders that should already be ready and people ordering in the restaurant. So you have to cut in front of people to go to the counter to say "I ordered on line, my name is X ; it should be ready now." And when it isn't ready you just have to stand there and pester them every few minutes while they call out the numbered orders for the people that ordered in the restaurant because they apparently don't call out names for on-line customer orders. If I planned ahead and ordered an hour in advance I should be able to walk in, show my confirmation email and grab and go. Not stand around and feel like I'm constantly cutting in line and pestering the employees. This whole on line ordering thing really disadvantages normal people ordering a meal just for themselves. So many of the orders made while I stood there and waited were obviously for like 6 or 8 people. And the person picking it up would go through the bag and nit pick "oh, there's no chips or no salsa or no whatever" for 5 minutes while I'm waiting for my extremely simple one item that should have been ready 20 minutes ago. I really liked EPL a few years ago. You just drove through like any other fast food restaurant and got what you ordered no problem. This location, or maybe these days with so many people sitting at home and ordering delivery, it's just no longer a viable option for me no matter how much I like the food. read more

Thought i give this place anotger chance. Today i came back to order a chicken bowl. To be honest, i shouldn't have. It was a waste if my time and money, chicken was dry and hard. This used to be one of my favorite places to eat. Sad to let them go. read more

El Pollo Loco - Mexican Near Me - Richmond, California

since the pandemic we havent been to el pollo loco,we tried to order drive thru for our dinner tonight,i was kind of disbelief that they change the recipe that i knew of the moist juicy yellowish big cut of chicken tighs and legs,what was given to us are dry burnt petite legs and wings looks like been cook for sometime,the packer should have notice this and set aside for the sake of el pollo loco,one of my fav grilled chicken i will try a different location next week and take a picture,i really cant believe it! read more

Very bad, the cashier rang up the wrong item, when I told them, they just changed the item but never refunded me, or offered to give something extra since I overpayed. On top of that, she took my salads. Looks like they are understaffed, very sloppy and not caring about their customers read more

Excellent service and the staffs are very nice!!! Every time I placed my order they're so quick and my food are hot and correct!

One of the best fast food chains that there is. Better than Taco Bell for sure. I have hit the drive-thru about 30 or 40 times...never been inside actually... god I am a loser, lol.... anyways,,, I usually score the avocado fuckin kesadee-Ya ....like how I spelled QUESADILLA there? lol It's good, and it fits in your hand, so easy to eat when you're driving. What's especial about this place? The shicken tastes really good..... like you BBQ'd it ya'self. Insider TIP: when you order churros, they come in two pieces..... it's like a standard churro got cut in half.... so when you order two churros they get confused here..... so if you want two orders of churros, ask for 4 churros. That's what I had to do a couple times in the drive-thru when my Richmond Unified School District Spanish failed me. Strong 4 stars, almost a cinco. Another insider tip, ask for salsa and pico de gallo when you get to the window. You probably won't get it if you don't ask for it. read more

Not a very good place to eat made my stomach hurt for a week please check the food before serving

I would give them 5 stars but you can't order online. Frustrating to say the least. I have notified them. I wasn't able to use my "reward points" because I couldn't order on line. read more

This review is for any El Pollo Loco. Familia Dinner with 10 pieces of legs and thighs, two sides and tortillas. This fast food chicken restaurant is slow cooking at its best. The grilled chicken is succulent and moist. Just like your grandmother would have cooked them. The numerous choices of sides are well prepared. And the tortillas are thin and warm. $20 for takeout. read more

Unbelievable they couldn't get my food right twice. 0/10 wouldn't recommend. can't understand anything they say and the lady tried to argue with me. read more

Wanted something different so pollo loco was on my way. Restaurant itself was not kept up tables were dirty and bathroom was disgusting. Place wasn't even busy and the Employees we're laughing and having a good time behind the counter so to me that was more important than getting that dining room clean and bathroom! I decided to take the food to go instead and I wanted a family combo but the cashier was the rudest and had the worst customer service skills I have came across!!! So with that being said I just didn't want to deal with her rolling her eyes when I asked a question or was deciding on my sides so I just said give me the chicken only and that's what i left with. It was that bad!! And than I come home and the chicken is so dry you couldn't even take the chicken off the bone it was so stuck to it. and to make matters worse I called and I couldn't find the receipt so theirs nothing they can do without a receipt no questions asked. And I spoke to the same girl that took my order. I just asked to remake the chicken but nothing can be done if you have no receipt!!! So I will not give this place another try they need to work on their customers service skills ! And cleanliness of the restaurant .. and make their customers a priority instead of upselling their product I down graded because of her bad attitude. And on last thing who ever packages the chicken should know better and If you can't tell from dry burnt chicken from good grilled chicken maybe you shouldn't be working in the kitchen.! And than you pay for your meal and it's not what you paid for and they do nothing about it because you have no receipt but I had the dry burnt chicken is that proof? Shame this is one pollo loco that does not put its customers first that's for sure!! read more

Before June I didn't come to Pollo Loco at all since they had opened. After a change in my diet I've been going ever since on average once a week. The staff here is usually friendly and you can see that they are working hard! Everybody is moving and getting orders ready and everything. You can experience long lines and wait times during lunch hour and between 5 PM-7PM when everyone is trying to pick up a meal for dinner. So be patient during peak hours. I usually like to go after 7 PM myself. The food that I've ordered has been up to par. Nothing undercooked and they might forget to add a sauce here and there but nothing that should make you get angry. I usually get the tostada and mix it up with the tostada bowls or meals. The nachos are tasty!!!! And the $5 menu is a great option! Oh, and the coupons that they send in the mail is also a PLUS!!! Use those coupons!!! The chips and guacamole are on point but every once in a blue moon it doesn't hit but that's okay, can't be perfect all the time. Other than the long lines and there's a reason for the long lines (which means the food is pretty good!) then you're good! For the most part the inside they keep it clean. Usually I see a staff member seeping or cleaning the tables at the times that I go. I'll keep coming here for sure! I'm a fan of pollo loco! read more

Super salty chicken!! We came here yesterday, and USUALLY Pollo Loco is good, but yesterday we came and they gave us heart attack level sodium chicken! I love flavor on my food, but this ain't that, this is all you taste is salt! When we brought it back and requested a different batch, that one was super salty too! I'm not even sure they swapped it out, probably tried to pull a fast one. Clearly this is the cook who went way overboard with the salt on this batch of chicken they had for consumption yesterday. Fire or retrain that guy/lady! They can't cook! Pollo Loco should provide a refund or make the order right for those who paid for this nasty chicken yesterday. That is a poor experience when your chicken isn't even edible from how extremely salty it is. Pollo Loco has been pretty good in every other experience, but Saturday April 29th they went heavy on the Morton's. They should pay everyone back for selling them salt instead of chicken. read more

2nd time I've come here and they been out of breasts and wing....the last visit was Saturday at approx 10:05...they close at 11 and they were already cleaning the grills which were off. I was told by the girl at the takeout window that they stop cooking chicken as early as 9-9:30. If you're out of breasts and wings what are you doing still open. Pretty lame and frustrating. The location is pretty disgusting as far as cleanliness, please take some pride in your business and get a break room. I don't mind eating with workers at all but the dining area is not their break room to nap, maybe have them go out to their car if they wanna catch some Zzzzzz's. 5/11/18 Absolutely filthy in here...people refuse to bus there own trays and the floor and tables are very dirty. Standards here need to be raised....but it's super busy in here so I guess why clean if your making money right. This place still gets a 1 star 12/27/18 Wow...don't you hate when you order a 3 piece meal/combo and they tell you they have breasts, but 20 minutes later (and your still waiting for your dinner, they tell you they now only have one breast and there gonna substitute 2 thighs and a leg for your breast and wing or I could have waited 20 min for a breast, but hey, I've already been waiting 20 minutes.....so 26 min (total) later we finally get our order and by that point I'm over it. I suppose it's my fault for coming during their rush (7ish)or even my fault for wanting the breast combo...thank you el pollo loco...thanks for nothin 3/2/19 Please look into a break room for your employees, as I sit and wait for my meal you have 2 employees on break and each person is taking up a booth of which you only have 4 total. Mainly annoyed that a now have to sit at a table directly in the high traffic area which also happens to be in the main breeze way whenever the front door opens. 6/8/19 Looking especially disgusting today...the beverage area has not been wiped down and the salsa bar is looking bare and needs to be refilled, probably wouldn't hurt to wipe down the tables and mop the floor...standard or cleanliness is less than desirable 2day...have a blessed day and think twice b4 you patron this location read more

This is the second time this has happened. And when i called the restaurant, they just brushed me off. Not a good thing, if there is another lockdown. Ordered food through door dash and there was short hair in the food. Arent the employees required to wear hairnets? read more

I will never ever, ever eat here anymore. I order the double chicken avocado salad. Number one the salad was brown Number two the avocado was half brown Number three I found a piece of HAIR in the salad I called to speak with the manager she ask if I wanted a new salad i told her no I just want my money back. They give me a refund And I notice when I was in there NO ONE had hair nets on I mean NO ONE. read more

El Pollo Loco - I found a piece of hair in my salad I will never eat there again. I notice no one had in hair nets. Just disgusted... - Mexican Near Me - Richmond, California

What I can say I personally love the pollo loco since it has a different flavor and it feels fresher than other places.love the churros as well. Great place to eat or take out. read more

Great delivery! Easy ordering! Great, fresh food! Love this chicken! Will definitely be ordering again. Thanks read more

Eight piece family meal was over cooked and dry. Taco meat was old. The best part of the meal was the tortillas.

Disgusting.....I felt like crap after i ate my taco salad bowl. The only good thing that i ordered was the crunchy steak and chicken tacos (wanna-be gorditas). The next day i burned it all off. But i still felt like shit. In fact, i think that's why i was ill later on that Friday night till Saturday morning. Damn. Here's what i think.....if you like it then eat the hell out of it................If you don't then avoid it. 2 out of 5 stars because I've ate there before when it didn't taste like crap and of course there's like a couple of good looking Mexican girls that work there and you can tell that they hate working there by their facial expressions. Oh well. I doubt I'll be back. I'm gonna stick to the taco trucks on 23rd street and MacDonald ave from now on. read more

El Pollo Loco - Mexican Near Me - Richmond, California

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Don't orderdeliver or you'll never recive it, atleast rhats what happe s to me. 10 outta 12 don't get delivered to me . Fucking thief what happened to customer service let alone I thought that's there job to DELIVER my food read more