(10 stars if I could) El Pollo Loco in San Clemente is basically my second kitchen at this point I'm here every other day, no exaggeration. The whole family loves it, the kids go crazy for it, and honestly... it's hands down the best flame-grilled chicken around. Period. That chicken is always juicy, smoky, perfectly seasoned -- not dry, not bland, not drowning in grease. You can actually taste that it's grilled, not just cooked and slapped together. Huge difference. And let's talk about the rest of the menu because it deserves respect too. The quesadillas? Dangerous. The tacos? Solid every single time. Rice, beans, sides -- everything just works. It's one of those places where you can order almost anything and you know it's gonna hit. What really keeps me coming back though (besides the food addiction lol) is the service. Special shoutout to Jose, the general manager -- seriously one of the nicest, most genuine guys you'll meet. Always friendly, always smiling, always making sure customers are taken care of. He's hooked me up with some great specials more than once, and it's never forced or fake. Just real customer service, the way it's supposed to be. Respect. The place is clean, fast, and consistent -- which matters when you're feeding kids who are already starving and impatient Orders come out right, staff is cool, and the vibe is just easy and comfortable. If you're in San Clemente and craving something reliable, flavorful, and actually satisfying, this El Pollo Loco is a no-brainer. We keep coming back for a reason. Highly recommend. Now excuse me while I probably go back again tomorrow read more

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Horrible food i get sick for 2 days Raw chicken with blood i contact the company and the owner just said sorry they don't paid me hospital bills read more

By far the best and most consistent El Pollo Loco - and I've visited many. Chicken is always moist and tender. Staff are great too. read more

El Pollo Loco location is awesome. Very clean, food comes out pretty quick, and the service from everyone is great.

This review is a special shout out for a cashier, her name starts with D (I forgot the rest sorry)! Around 4:30pm on Sunday 6/1, she was SO kind and helpful when my points from my loco rewards app weren't working. She really is a stellar employee. I really love this pollo loco and their food is always so fresh and tasty at a low cost! Super clean inside. Thank you again to the nice cashier who helped me out today when my app and my debit card were giving me trouble! Great food and great employees, this is my favorite pollo loco out of all the other ones in the area! read more

Forgot my drink AND THEN tried to keep my CREDIT CARD. Then when I got a tiny bit upset employee tells me " There's no need for that". This place completely sucks. I will never go there again. MINUS ZERO STARS read more

Be careful while eating here, we don't get a lot of choice on food because of where we live so we decided to try this el pollo, they give us a quesadilla with raw meat when I called to let them know they insisted on me lying even know my daughter was sick in the restroom, I called to let them know to be careful with serving the meat like that! I didn't asked for anything. Yet I was told is only an issue if they get lots of people sick. Never going back. read more

The drive thru line is always too long. I wanted to order on the app but the app doesn't work anymore

Need new management... Whoever does the ordering of supplies should be fired as they're constantly out of things. I do like that they have the new ordering method where you place your order on an iPad type device. but please let's get it together. The store on Golden lantern is a well run machine read more

Delivery is fast and the food is always hot when it gets here. We also love the salads.

Went on Thursday for Lunch. I got the queso guacamole chicken burrito. Fantastic taste and quality. Came out super hot. The staff were happy and pleasant. Overall 10/10 as fast as fast food goes. read more

Where should I start. The churros were cold, not like but legitimately cold. My chips in the nachos were so stale and chewy not to mention so incredibly salty. We went there last night and threw up all night and still feeling awful. I'm surprised this place isn't shut down if this is there for their serving. So bad. read more

Good location, pretty fast service even during the lunch rush. El pollo loco is pretty much the same as any other one.

This location has unfortunately become a hit or miss. The cashiers are friendly but the kitchen staff needs to be talked to by management. Salas improperly mixed, chicken dried/ burnt or not nearly enough places on meals, tortillas old/dry/breaking apart. The location is closest to where I live so it's convenient- just hoping for some consistency . read more

Ugh... I just drove through and ordered a chicken quesadilla with NO avocado and I got home to find they put no cheese in it but avocado. Who would order a quesadilla with no cheese!? I even repeated my order several times to make sure they heard me correctly. read more

If i could i give 0 stars, i would. I came up drive through at 9:50pm, drive tru is open, but they were already cleaf ning, when I came to the window they completely ignore us. Why do they have closing hours at 10pm when they dont respect that read more

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I've been going to EPL for over 20 years and this pains me to write... it used to be sooo good here! Now...wow. The quality has taken a real nose dive, while prices increases... ordered a 10 pc, came with a side or rice, which use to be a signature item. Was very flavorful; now, it's crunchy and extremely bland; no seasoning at all! Tortillas stuck together and dry; avocado salsa used to be amazing but now, it's a hit/miss... either flavorful or green water... and their pico de gallo used to be so good... now, it's only crushed tomatoes... where's the onion, pepper and cilantro on the minimum...??? The chicken is not as flavorful either & the bowls are small. Lastly, the Cilantro Lime dressing has neither cilantro nor lime... such a bummer... $49 & not even enjoyed... read more

El Pollo Loco - Mexican Near Me - San Clemente, California

Everytime , the order is not correct when order is thru the drive window. Most of the time the chicken breast is dry . But what bothers me the most is the lack of paying ATTENTION to the order .. who wants to take it back after driving back home. read more

The original pollo bowl was marked as $5 but actual price is $5.59 (and no I did not get the combo). The cilantro was bad; it was all decayed and black. The rest of the meal was ok till I bit into the chicken and realized it was still pink inside. I often go to El Pollo loco when it's around me, but I think I will skip this one. read more

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What time does the inside dining close? I get here at 8pm and the chairs are stacked and the inside is closed. Customer service has gone to shiii in 2023 ‍ read more

What a disappointment! My family decided to grab dinner from this place after watching the ad on TV. (Very convincing and inviting even if you're not really in the mood to eat - Kudos to the marketing group) We drove to the restaurant knowing that they close at 10pm. When we got to the place, the whole dining area looks dreadful. Lights are so dim but a group of people were dining in one corner. Suprisingly, the menu display on the tv monitors were turned off. I thought, they might have problems with them. So I stood in front of the counter hoping that someoneone would come to me and ask for my order. Five mins later, no luck, so I decided to ask the person way at the back if they are still taking orders. She looked at me then walk away. I am not sure if they speak or understand english language. It just creeped us out just like one of those crazy places you see in zombies movies. ‍ We left at 8:20pm and end up having dinner at nearby IHOP. read more

El Pollo Loco - Dining closes at 9pm and Drive thru at 10pm - Mexican Near Me - San Clemente, California

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Have not been here for over a year .Picked up chicken about 6;30 pm on April 17th. It was horrible, greasy, tasted as if it had been kept warm for a day. read more

I ordered a shrimp salad and the shrimp was so over cooked it was inedible. Like tiny little pieces of shriveled plastic. I've eaten here a lot and for some odd reason you never get a receipt...isn't that against the law? Today I asked for a receipt and the female cashier glared at me as if I did something wrong...what the heck? Are the employees trained specifically Not to give receipts? read more

No heat in dining area, inside temperature feels like outside temp on a coo day . Strong cleaning smell.

Held off leaving a bad review for a long time even though there's been many offenses over the years. Ordered two classic chicken burritos and got two tortillas filled with literally nothing but rice. Not a single piece of chicken. Theft imo. I'm done. read more

Had a bad experience today, I have ordered multiple times the shredded chicken bowl in the drive through.. but today I was told I am unable to order it because they only can do that through an online order and that there was an online coupon. I stated I have never done that and was confused on why I was unable to order it like usual and I did not need the coupon id pay the normal price . The guy helping me out said his manager told him he is only allowed to sell that online. I showed him the menu on my phone showing they have that bowl to order and he said he couldn't do it but to order the original pollo bowl. So I ordered the original with no onion or cilantro, he read it back and then I went up the window to pay. I then asked the guy at the register window if they had shredded chicken bowls and he looked at me and said no then handed me my food. I got back to work with the bowl I didn't want and it had cilantro and onion on it. Super confused why I could not order the bowl I always get. read more

Expected to know what I want to order immediately without seeing the menu at the drive through. We were told to drive up to the menu but then nobody was there on the speaker. A woman came up & said order now you're holding up the line! How could I ? Not a pleasant ordering experience. read more

Inattentive staff, uncaring delivery of the most simple orders, and terrible food all together. Really wish I couldn't see what they did in the kitchen, because watching the staff cook the food makes it far less appetizing if you pay attention. Got chicken combo with Mac and cheese and Cole slaw. Had about a bite of each side and realized that I might not make it home if I continued. Chicken was awful, but edible. read more

This location has fast friendly service. I had a problem using the code on my app, but the nice manager Jorge honored the code so I could save money! The food was prepared well and accurately. I will definitely return. read more

***Finally it's here. The worst food experience ever! Do not eat here! There is a reason so many bad reviews. Never seen so many employees that absolutely hate their job that they make your experience terrible! Went through the drive through and thank god cause I can only imagine how much worse it is inside. The condescending girl taking our order would have rather spit in my face than actually be helpful. I asked if I could pull up to see the menu and she sneered at me and said no. Then  pointed to the sign hanging by her collar. Which was printed on both sides in a small font. Sadly through the whole process she would get our order WRONG. What a waste of time. Her smug face was enough to obliterate any small chance of holiday christmas spirit. She was more like the Grinch and glad to screw up anything you ordered and not give a crap. Oh Geez......pulled up to the window.. The gentleman handed us our drinks with soda spilling all over me and my brand new car. Who does that? Someone who doesn't give a sheet? I wanted to throw it right back at him. Who are these employees and where did they come from? If they worked for me they would be GONE.  Also due to the graphic nature of what I saw through the window I cannot describe on Yelp what 2 employees were doing. But that's not for the workplace. Oh Lord.....now the food. Dried out chicken. How much more can I describe the chicken? Dry as the desert. They cut the chicken wrong....I hate chewing on bones and cartilage. Oh my god,  the rice....undercooked and flavorless. WHY  send out food in such bad shape?? Has the world gone MAD? Also, the chicken avocado tacos.....omg there was NO avocado in them and were a big sloppy mess with the sauce and lettuce spilling out of the wrapper and all over the bag. Did a pre-schooler prepare these? This nightmare of an experience for a overpriced menu. El Pollo Loco deserves this review because they managed to fail in every area of what a decent food service should be. Managers and Owners of this establishment please do not reply cause that would only be sad excuses for which there is NO EXCUSE for the way you handle your food service. Besides Yelp reviews (whether positive or negative, it is considered feedback. Get it together.) I prefer No stars for this place. Didn't earn them. Rejoice! You will never see me again in this establishment cause this is the second time this has happened. Grade F Store 3444 Chk 7849 Dec 15 Gst 3 Order# 7849 read more

I have been eating here for the last 7 years. In the last couple of times I ordered the Original Pollo Bowl there is hardly anything in the bowl. I was down in Carlsbad and ordered a Bowl and it was a good size like it use to be at the San Clemente store. I am going to have to go farther now to get my fix of the Original El Pollo bowl. I hope your store can step up and start giving the portions like in previous months. read more

The "manager" on duty was rude and unprofessional. He was making faces, and hand gestures, very immature. He doesn't appear fit to be in charge of anything. Picture posted for reference, he has dark mohawk hairstyle. read more

El Pollo Loco - Rude, unprofessional "manager" He acted immature, and should not be in a supervisorial position anywhere. - Mexican Near Me - San Clemente, California

I'm having a hard time understanding three stars rating for store..the f food and Service at this El Pollo Loco has always been consistently amazing! if they get make an error with your order all you have to do is call them, talk to them and they will correct it immediately!! With out a problem the foods has always been fresh and delicious it's it is my favorite fast food because it's healthy and consistently yummy read more

How the heck can you ruin tacos Al carbon? This location certainly knows! Stopped by for an early lunch, about 11:30 - the dried out chicken in the tacos clearly was old and obviously reheated too many times - chicken jerky is juicier! Why must the salsas and pico always be in a thawing state - tasteless, running and cold? This is unacceptable- this is not Mexican food, this is corporate greed trash! Shame on El Pollo - there are numerous other 'fast food' MX - Baja Fresh is in the same lot. Their salsa isn't frozen, running and tasteless. Their chicken doesn't taste like yesterday's dried out crap. What an insult.. read more

Double check your order, inside and out! They always serve me the wrong burrito, and they always up charge for chips when I never ask or want them. read more

El Pollo Loco - What the actual fuck? - Mexican Near Me - San Clemente, California

Won't ever go back. Ordered just a pollo bowl and they charged me for a bottle water. I said I didn't order it and they refused to refund me my money. Let alone forgot to give me part of my order also (should have checked). read more

I literally just pulled this out of my mouth in my burrito. How absolutely nasty is that!!!!! Plus I paid for sour cream and sauces I didn't get! $32 later and this big ball of hair was in my burrito! Oh my god I've never in my life been so grossed out!!!! read more

El Pollo Loco - A big ball of hair I found in my mouth from taking a bite of my chipotle avocado burrito!!! Disgusting!!!! - Mexican Near Me - San Clemente, California

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There's a reason why this store is rated 2 stars. Extremely poor management. They really (manager) could careless what customer service even is. I presented them with a 20% off online coupon from their app. It was not only confusing for me but also the employee. I placed my order and then presented the coupon. The employee took the coupon but shortly after he stated it needed to be an online order. His work around was to cancel my order and place again online. But now my coupon had expired so I had neither. The manager refused to credit my coupon and of course it was no longer available on my phone. Sadly it was poor communication from the start. The app is confusing and the manager really could careless. It could have been handled so much easier with a little customer service and a kind explanation. I don't blame the employee this is all management. read more

I ordered the chicken avocado bowl and it only had 6 small pieces of chicken. I thought this was a joke so I asked the employee of this was it and he said yes buddy..... Not worth the price Total con job here. read more

El Pollo Loco - 6 small pieces of chicken! What!!! Total rip off - Mexican Near Me - San Clemente, California

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If i could give this place zero stars i would. This is the SECOND time they handed my DoorDash driver the wrong bag of food when i asked why this keeps happening she responded with "that's not our fault". So driving through a drive thru and being handed the wrong bag of food is my fault? She told me that we were able to come back and get the right order in a very rude voice (even though it was CLEARLY DoorDashed) i told her she would not be getting our orders anymore and she told us "okay DONT fucking come here anymore" and hung up abruptly. INSANE that this woman is still employed that was disgusting. read more