We stopped in for a quick bite. I ordered a wing lovers special and my wife ordered a chicken combo. In both orders the chicken was as dry as sawdust. Moreover, my wife's order was salty. "Food" is off the menu at this chain. read more

El Pollo Loco - Wing lovers special - Fast Food Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

Love their chicken! This chicken is a deal. It's grilled to perfection after being marinated! It's juicy and delicious. I always order the double chicken on anything I order. I really hunker down to enjoy that lemon lime flavor in the chicken! I usually get a double salad or a double tostada bowl. Pollo Loco has never failed me in the taste department! I'll continue coming here for takeout, especially when they mail me coupons! I got my double chicken salad for free the other day when my husband and I got three full-size tacos and a got Pollo bowl! It was a wonderful deal. The portions are generous, so I had the salad for lunch and then the leftovers for dinner! If you're on a budget, this is a place to come for high caliber fast food! read more

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The chicken here is great, some of the sides are ok, just overall you feel like you're getting fresh food. I wish the prices could come down so I could eat here more often for lunch. Overall: B read more

El Pollo Loco - Me and Linkin - Fast Food Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

This location is no bueno. It had been 4 plus years for me since PL for me and my first Cali food stop was here after so long of being on my mind. Ordered.. classic chicken burrito with chips, guac and a bottled water. The burrito wasn't even lukewarm. Staff was chilly and I think they just wanted to go home. Bathroom was ok. I had to ask for sauces and they didn't throw in cilantro and onion which was super annoying. I went all the way back to get some and they had closed early with lock and chains on front door!!! It's not cheap here. Why do I even tip???? This shared parking lot with Target is beyond any madness that I could express here without curse words...! read more

Customer service 3/5. Missing chips and salsa.... All 4 corn tortillas broken... side of rice filled to 70%. This is the 3rd time the slo location is unable to follow a simple order. Don't waste time or money there. read more

2/5 Stars: El Pollo So-So Tried El Pollo Loco for a quick bite and went for the burrito bowl. The rice? Solid. The beans? On point. The guac? Wish it was real guac...The toppings? A fiesta in my mouth. But the chicken? Let's just say it didn't live up to the "Loco" hype--it was more like El Pollo Meh-co. Here's a thought: can we get the option to order chicken breast only? Some of us are picky about our poultry parts, and mystery meat vibes don't pair well with otherwise fresh ingredients. All in all, it's a pass for me. The potential is there, but until they sort out the chicken situation, I'll go where I can get have the option of white or mystery meat. You guys clucked-up. read more

Superior customer service, quality food and very reasonable prices. This is one of the only restaurants in the area that don't ask you if you want to leave gratuity too, which is refreshing! Enjoy. read more

Okay, not sure if I feel like describing a normal "Randy B" review: the ambiance, the items I ate with detailed descriptions, etc. After all, no El Pollo Loco transports me into Chicken Heaven. But, I will say... You can't go too wrong with a 2-piece, white meat, combo meal with 2 sides, nor the 380 cal Double Chicken Avocado salad with light cilantro dressing -- both are tremendous and filling. (Single piece Thigh is $3.49 each, forget that!) Bottom-line, one of the more healthy fast food options out there. Location Specific: San Luis Obispo, CA ================================ * Ample seating inside * Pretty clean with a modern design * The service is pleasant and efficient. * Located in a large outdoor strip-mall surrounded by all types of stores * Located 1-2 blocks away from Costco read more

I often eat at El Pollo Loco wherever I might happen to be, so I stopped in here while passing through town on a recent roadtrip. This particular location is located in a shopping complex and wasn't quite as nice as most of the other locations I have been at. The day I was there it was quite busy inside and there was a lot of traffic in the parking lot, which is shared with a bunch of other stores. The menu and food here, however, is basically the same as what you will find at any other location. read more

El Pollo Loco - Fast Food Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

This is a pretty good Pollo loco. And trust me I know some bad ones. I've never been in there when they were out of white meat. For that person who asks why can't I just order a chicken breast. You can order a chicken breast you just have to do it. everything's available ala carte. My regular order is the three Taco combo and two chicken breasts for my boyfriend. read more

Good food but if you order through the mobile app and expect your food to be ready once you get there, it won't be. you get there and they ask you what was in your order and then they make it really fast so you still end up waiting for your food. The person in charge of giving the orders out gave me a random bag. That had a different person's name on it just because my order had taken 10 minutes to come out. I just ordered a quesadilla. Do not go there unless you have plenty of time to waste and you wanna be surprised when you receive your order instead of getting what you ordered. read more

El pollo loco is fairly good. The chicken is great and salsas are fresh. The service is even good. so why the 4 stars? The drink choices are not great and their "horchata" comes from a drink mix and most days the location in SLO is watered down a lot. I'll come in once in a while for food but I won't stay because they don't have good drink options. read more

El Pollo Loco - KETO friendly chicken burrito no Pico de gallo - Fast Food Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

The food is the best fast food there is. Emily is awesome! They ran out of coleslaw so she gave me a freat salad in place of it. Thank you!

burrito was decent, but it smells exactly like a dog groomer in here. i am skeptical of the cleanliness of this place. it seriously smells as if there's a pack of wet dogs in the kitchen read more

The last time I came here I would have rated it only 2 stars, because of the quality, the rudeness of the cashier, and how loud it was with the echo-y banging as they cut up the chicken. However, my experience yesterday changed my mind. The cashier was friendly and helpful. The Birria burrito was so yummy, and they were pretty accurate with my special order (there were onions in the burrito, but that might be because they were in the meat). The chips were amazing, happy I ordered a extra bag. The only thing that wasn't as good as it could be was that their ice or soda spiggots need to be cleaned - the soda tasted like mold!! It is so conveniently located near Target that I plan on getting my dinner there each time I am at Target. read more

El Pollo Loco - Birria Burrito, no onions, no beans, no cabbage, extra cheese, extra crema - Fast Food Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

Last Wednesday we stopped here for Tesla Charger. For the 2nd time, we ordered the grilled chicken, 8 pieces of legs and thighs plus 2 sides. Chickens were grilled to the perfect point, not too dry or uncooked. Very fresh, juicy and well seasoned. Good job to the team! They are also very friendly. read more

Food at El Pollo Loco is amazing. I went here yesterday and the service was fantastic. I always love the ambiance because the stylish decor and perfectly clean surfaces make me feel at home. The staff is always friendly here and I definitely recommend going there. read more

We stopped here for lunch on our way down to San Diego. Excellent service and follow through. We had two adults and two kids and the orders got a little complicated but they ended up getting everything correct. It's rare to have a fast food restaurant double or even triple check your order, but that's exactly what they did here and oddly why I'm giving them 5 stars. I'm also giving them such a high rating since I love their food. I love their flame-roasted chicken and they offer some healthy options for side dishes that are really good. I like the broccoli and the salad, which were fresh and tasty - for veggies! They only offer food to go during Covid, but there are some isolated picnic tables in the area if you want to eat outside and still be socially distanced. read more

We went there for lunch. We were going to sit on the lovely patio overlooking the ocean but it was still a little cloudy. We moved to the inside and it was beautiful. The food was delicious, the service was excellent and we were not rushed. Catching up with old friends lasted a little longer than we anticipated but we felt perfectly comfortable. This will be a place we'll frequent on our summer Central Coast trips. read more

Service there is not good at all need to have improvement workers look like they don't want to be there..plus they don't even ask if you want and sauce with ur order just leave every order on counter and they walk away I would not recommend my friends or family to go to this location.. read more

Tonight's order was pretty sad. Ordered a avocado stuffed quesadilla and it wasnt put in the panini press thing. It was 10 bucks. it loked like it was ready for the press, to make it crispy outside and hold everything together, but it was put in the wrapper raw. same thing with my wife's burrito. If you cant deliver expensive fast food as advertised, then inform the customer. read more

I've never heard or tried this place until I moved down here. A healthier option for fast food. They grill their chicken right there and my goodness it's AWESOME. They apparently used to have an open salsa bar but since Covid they haven't opened it up. The restaurant itself is already. The walls by the seats are kind of gross, like they've never wiped off the splatters of god knows what. Everyone has been friendly there so far. No complaints. read more

Food: good portions for the price; quality OK. Service minimal but not bad. Ambiance: the absolute worst (San Luis Obispo location). Will not return or recommend. read more

My family went here for lunch yesterday. We wished we had chosen somewhere else to have lunch. The girl taking our order was gruff, did not smile and rushed us through our order. Two of us have never been there so we had to read the menu to see what was offered. We offer other people behind us to please go in front of us and order. Finally we ordered our meals. What we received was incomplete orders in which we had to go to the counter and ask for the items missing. Like the tortilla chips for the tortilla soup which by the way had no flavor. It was bland and just tasted like the chicken broth it was cooked in. Where were the spices that made the soup. My street chicken taco was bland also. The floors were dirty especially by the drink dispenser that was loaded with excess ice. The coke dispenser shot out coke almost to the table behind me. The counter was filthy and sticky by the coke machine. I won't go in there again. It certainly was not worth the money I spent there! L read more

We haven't been to El Pollo Loco in 15 years so we decide to stop in for a quick bite. OH MY GOD! It was horrible! Bland food. Dried out chicken and the prices were extreme. The only good part was their Roja salsa. Never going back! read more

We stopped near Target and saw the place and decided to try it. Food was good..the hostess was friendly and nice. read more

El Pollo Loco - Grande Avocado Chicken Bowl, 3pc Leg & Thigh Fire-grilled Chicken Combo - Fast Food Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

This place should have new management or close this location. It was very unsanitary and has been this way for awhile. I will not be coming back here and am bummed cause I really like their food except at this location. read more

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First impression: I walked in and there were three employees in the dinning area off to the side having a conversation that seemed loud, the place was empty and most of the tables were dirty and the chairs were everywhere. I actually thought there might have been an incident that I just missed. I went to the counter thinking someone would show up and a young woman came from the back. She walked up looking at here phone and asked 'how are you?' but never looked up. I said 'Good how are you?' She didn't answer me, she just stood there at the register and looked like she was typing away on her phone. Another customer came in behind me and asked if I was going to order. I said 'She's on her phone, it might be an emergency.' He looked upset about it all. She finally looked up and said 'Sorry I thought you said you weren't ready.' then I said 'Actually I told him that you might have an emergency.' She then said 'I have a ? month old baby at home, everything is an emergency' I tried to smile or laugh a little to kinda support that concept that kids are a challenge but she kinda got an attitude that made me feel like I was interrupting her personal life so I just said 'I'll have a chicken and avocado burrito and a coke please' she typed into the machine and immediately began a conversation with her manager about going home early and the two of them were shouting through out the kitchen. I went to the soda machine and that area was a mess too. I thought we'll I'll eat outside because these tables are all dirty. While standing there waiting for my food a man rushed in and out with food, maybe a driver for a food delivery service? Another man came in and picked up food using an app and a code he scanned at the counter. My food came up and I asked the guy working what the scanned code thing was about and he pointed to a cardboard sign and that was pretty much it. My tray of food had the items I ordered but no napkins and the salsa containers must have been from a kids meal because they were not grown person sized. I didn't ask for the grown up salsas because I just figured they are all so over worked already that doing a decent job was to much work. The burrito had no cheese. That was strange to me. A burrito with out cheese of any kind? There were big brown beans large chunks of chicken and a pinch of cabbage or salad. So out of curiosity I opened the burrito up and dumped out the kids sized salsa container and hand picked the big beans out of the burrito to discover 5 beans for in the salsa dish. Hahaa! I wish I had taken a photo to show you folks and I would say I would do it next time but I will likely NEVER return there. The chips were stale, the staff was stale the place was messy, the burrito was oddly per portioned. I'd say go find a ma and pa business to eat at, these giant chains don't care about you or their staff and it really shows. Horrible zero star service. read more

OMG! The floors were dirty, the windows were dirty, the tables were dirty and both of us threw out our meals. There was a horrible smell to the rice and the chicken was so hard and dried out it was inedible. We ordered the bowls. Obviously the wrong dish as it was crowded so they must make something that is good. read more

Great quality food and always super super fast. I've never had any poor experiences here. Overall I like this restaurant and it's super cheap and convenient. read more

I was super excited when El Pollo Loco opened in SLO. I've had three experiences, the second one uneventful. As far as the others... My first experience was spending almost $100 on catering for my wife's Bunco group. (I've done this several times in the past from the Santa Maria store which have all gone well.) I ordered a day in advance and set up a time to pick up the food. The next day when I arrived, I asked two different employees if everything was there as I didn't want to open the large box to do an inventory. I was assured it was. Got home to a house full of people to find that they forgot to include the tortillas. So frustrating as they are part of what makes El Pollo Loco so good. Considered going back but the food would be cold by the time I returned so I didn't. I know....first world problems but still annoying. Yesterday, my wife and I returned for lunch. The cashier seemed to be having a bad day. Ordered the 3 piece meal for myself and added a drink. Apparently, I was supposed to ask for a "combo" because when I added the drink, the employee let out a huge sigh and rolled his eyes. My apology was met with silence. I paid for my order and thanked the employee, who ignored me and looked past me to the next customer. When I went to pick up the food, my order was missing a side. When I mentioned this to his coworker, the guy simply took my plate, added the cole slaw and put it down. Not expecting an apology but acknowledgment would have been nice. I'm pretty easy to please. So 5 stars for the food....1 star for the service. I'll return but I'll check everything before I leave and lower my expectations for service. read more

The food is delicious, of course. However, the trash cans were full. It was very cold inside. The cashier was very rude. read more

Has anyone else noticed that this pollo is NOT your regular pollo loco? None of our chicken was marinated. Grilled dry tasteless. We alerted the staff who apologized and said he would fix it and or check into it and would be back. Never came back. Very disappointing. We won't be back. So. Second time back at the San Luis pollo loco. No change except possibly worse. Cold and old chicken less than desirable marinade. Will not be back. I'm sure they knew the chicken was not appealing and yet they still served it. I feel like it was mid day, not busy yet and using their left overs from the lunch crowd. Regardless still not that good marinaded pollo chicken. Done and done! read more

They open fairly early at 10 am which is great. I think they should get an open sign or do something about the appearance from the outside of the restaurant. It is difficult to tell whether or not they are open. Once inside though, the restaurant is really clean. The staff I talked to were very friendly. The food was better than I had expected, but nothing too special. I ordered a Ranchero Burrito, they got it out in a couple minutes which was great. I grabbed their avocado salsa and salsa rojo to add. The burrito itself was super fresh, the cabbage makes a nice touch. Not too much flavor in it though. That being said, I'd get this over Chipotle anyday! With the added punch of the avocado salsa in particular it was quite good. Overall a pleasant experience, but they need to do something about the lighting inside and out, it looks and feels dark and closed even on a bright sunny day. read more

El Pollo Loco - Ranchero Burrito - Fast Food Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

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Went in for dinner on a sunday evening. The place was gross. Dirty tables, dirty floors, drink station with trash, overflowing trash cans with stacks of trays. My wife said the woman's restroom was horrible. It wasn't busy. An employee walked thru the lobby and we thought he was going to do some cleaning but he just walked past it all on the way to the restroom. The windows were filthy too, probably not cleaned in months. Won't be going back. read more

Didn't give me the salsas I wanted. The food wasn't as good without them. For the amount of money of the food and the additional fees they can at least give us the sauces that we ask for. read more

Portions are way too small for the prices, making this food chain less valued. I also find their published coupons to be misleading.

Dine-in and take-out is served entirely with plastic. The amount of food trash is unacceptable in this new restaurant. For dine-in they should use washable dishes and cutlery; all of this goes out to SLO's landfill. In addition, all meat bones and food-soiled paper needs to go into a compost bin for the new Kompogas Digester in SLO, instead of landfill. read more

El Pollo Loco - Plastics ready for takeout at Pollo Loco. - Fast Food Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

The new el polo loco beef taco 2 for $10 is tasteless greasy and unsubstantial. If you want a greasy deep fried taco Better just go to jack in the box for the 2 for $2 and it is a delicacy compared to this miss. What a miss it is. The el polo beef taco is revolting. THE DIPPING SAUCE IS A MISS AS WELL. Go on. Just go to jack in the box, order two crunchy tacos and ....ok ...order a large fry and you still will be under $7. I hate leaving reviews. These Tacos AND the sauce is a black mark for this restaurant. Service was great as always. Restaurant was clean and appealing. El polo loco is a 5 in my book however today it is a 4. I'm glad I ordered chicken in addition to these nasty beef tacos. They were just gross. So sorry. read more

The SLO El Pollo Loco really leaves a lot to be desired. First, do not sit at the side of the restaurant facing Dick's Sporting Goods. Between the soda dispenser and the gigantic fan that goes off every time the door is opened, I couldn't hear myself think. Not relaxing. Next, I order a chicken breast. It was so painfully dry, I had to load it with salsa and corn just to get it down. My husband ordered the enchiladas. The green square was bitter. This is the second time eating here and will be the last. read more