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    El Pollo Rey

    4.5 (374 reviews)
    Open 10:30 am - 8:00 pm

    Order El Pollo Rey Takeout or Delivery

    El Pollo Rey Photos

    EL POLLO REY ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Dogs allowed

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    Recommended Reviews - El Pollo Rey

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    Huge chicken quesadilla!
    Andrew B.

    Took my wife here for her first time. 5 years later and this place is still amazingly good.

    Whole Chicken Combo
    Jonathan O.

    They always day it never judge a book by its cover... I would say that mentality is old... because if the cover of that book is clearly a mom and pop Mexican chicken joint then judge away and do not sleep on this spot. Nothing else I can say can be more honest than this place is a 10/10 and you should not skip it.

    Front door view
    Greg C.

    Ok. This is not your first date place to go. If you want to go to Mexico without actually going this is your spot. A basic layout for this taqueria, order at counter, take out or eat at home. About 5 tables. Mostly soft drinks, water, no Beer. Quick service and most dishes about $15 and up to double if you go overboard. Good size portions or chicken, carne asada in variations of burritos, asada/chicken plates or tacos. Food is very good and fresh. The front door is always open and at night it gets a bit chilly inside. Folks in there working hard and probably appreciate the breeze. Nice place. Will go back for lunch.

    Elote was dry and grilled which gave it a weird flavor
    Angela G.

    Years ago I remember being caught off guard when picking up some absolutely delicious chicken in Monterey. I have planned to go back to that place since then and was excited to be heading back to Monterey to get it. This was before my Yelp Elite days so I didn't have the place bookmarked or previously reviewed. So when I looked back to find it this came up and I thought this was it. But after trying it, I can't imagine that this was the place I was raving about in my head. I parked on the street and headed on in. The lady at the register was super sweet and helpful. I ordered a half chicken which came with sides and tortillas. It was out quickly then as I picked it up, I saw that they had elote too. So I order that as well. That actually took a little bit longer to come out. I got the food back to our hotel and served up everyone. We all started eating, and I was waiting for the nostalgia to hit. But there was nothing. Nothing had any flavor or excitement for us. Believe it or not, the pickled and grilled onions were the best part. Everything else was just bland. I don't know if it's because I hyped it up so much in my brain. But we were disappointed to say the least. It is a reasonable value though. My husband I were able to get off of the meal with a salad of our own on the side.

    Menu11/25
    Shaun G.

    Stopped here for lunch. When we got here the restaurant was empty but a steady stream of people would come in for take out. The place was clean and it is an open kitchen so you can watch them grill the chicken. We ordered the half chicken with rice and beans. There is a choice of refried or charro beans. Ordered the charro beans on the recommendation of the employee. Also got one carne asada taco. After the order was placed I read some reviews of how the chicken came without the grilled onion and the taco was so greasy it fell apart. Time to worry? The chicken arrived with the grilled onion. The white meat was moist and not dried out had a good grilled taste to it. Charro beans were good. Glad I went with the recommendation. The taco was also good. Not greasy at all and the tortilla stayed in one piece. Overall 4 stars and worth eating here again.

    Carne asada plate
    Lauren S.

    The grill is fired up and lined with red onions and jalapeños. Got the $10.99 steak plate and $14.99 chicken plate. Free rainbow tortilla chips for the table when you dine in along with 2 spicy salsas and picked onion. Bursting with flavor, the chicken is so moist and tender with the perfect amount of char flavor. The steak is so tender also equally as flavorful. Tortillas are fresh and we opted for corn and flour.

    Half Chicken order with rice and beans and roasted onions and jalapeños peppers

    Food was excellent and fresh. The service was quick as it takes for you to order. Ambiance was a clean place with a few tables. The take out orders were many. We will be back.

    Half Chicken Combo
    Caitleen N.

    Our first meal stop in Monterey! We had El Pollo Rey in our itinerary as a "best chicken" place, and it was pretty solid! Upon walking in, we notice that it's a more intimate establishment with the counters, cooking spaces, and dining tables all at the same height with essentially no separation from the kitchen - seeing your food cook right in front of you felt very authentic. The service was great, very kind workers. We ordered the Half Chicken Combo with refried beans and also got some chips and salsas. The food was really good, we enjoyed the tenderness of the chicken, the spices of the salsas, and the overall flavors of the combo. Would come back again!!

    Half Chicken Combo
    Melina R.

    Some of the best chicken I've ever had. It was extremely juicy and flavorful the marinade it's in was explosive! Rice was fluffy the beans weren't anything special but the chicken was out of this world. My friend got the carne asada quesadilla and it was a huge portion! Really yummy Smokey flavor perfect char on them and the asada was soft and not chewy. It pulled apart perfectly and they were generous with the guac! Have to come back. And it was super affordable!!

    Half Chicken Combo
    Mika C.

    WOW HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!! My bf and I shared the half chicken combo which comes with rice, beans, tortillas, and a grilled onion and this was more than enough food for the both of us. This is one of the best chicken spots I ever had hands down. Service was great and quick and it's a very casual spot! We were one our way to Big Sur and we got recommended by this spot from someone back in LA so we had to make the stop and it was completely worth it. Ready to make the trip back to order this again

    Super Bowl

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    2 years ago

    This place has the best chicken and Mexican food coupled with a very friendly staff. I highly recommend them.

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    3 years ago

    Wow this is great Mexican food - exceptional chicken, tortillas and salsa. This is a MUST if you like the Mexican and are in the area.

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    4 years ago

    Love it! El Pollo Rey is my go to here in Monterey, love the cactus salad, beans too.

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    3 years ago

    Delicious grilled chicken, homemade tortilla chips and salsas... Do yourself a favor and try some.

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    Page 4 of 10

    El Pollo Rey Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - El Pollo Rey

    Is there any seating?

    Yes, they have tables inside.

    Do the serve margaritas?

    No it's mostly take out and it's the best chicken on the peninsula! They do have beer....

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    Mariscos Puerto Nuevo

    Mariscos Puerto Nuevo

    4.2
    (451 reviews)
    0.6 mi
    $$

    The carnitas were very good not dry very flavorful would highly recommend with rice and beans also…read moregood Salsa is very good with just the right amount of heat not weak at all The steak ranchero also highly recommended Service was excellent If you are visiting from out of town like we were you should check this place out You can either eat there but we took back to our hotel room and they made sure we had everything we needed like tortillas extra salsa napkins I will be visiting again

    We went back to Mariscos Puerto Nuevo last night for dinner with couple of close friends, and it…read morewas absolutely outstanding. I honestly can't speak highly enough about this place--it remains a total gem in Seaside.The food was incredible across the board. Between our table, we had everything from their fresh, every dish was packed with flavor and served in massive portions. You can really tell they've been using the same traditional family recipes for a while making it feel comforting and authentic.The service was fast and friendly and the homey, whether you're a local or just passing through the Monterey area, this is a recommended spot if you want high-quality, authentic Mexican seafood that never misses the mark. I had the Nuevo seafood special and it was off the hook good ! We've previously enjoyed breakfast and lunch here before but the dinner last night just turned the dial up to 10 on the happy scale !

    Photos
    Interior view
    Interior view
    Chips and salsa
    Chips and salsa
    Menudo: Beef Tripe Soup w/ corn tortillas + fixings | $13.95 (available weekends only)

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    Menudo: Beef Tripe Soup w/ corn tortillas + fixings | $13.95 (available weekends only)
    El Cantaro

    El Cantaro

    4.4
    (1.3k reviews)
    3.5 mi
    $$

    SCW and I stopped into El Cantato while staying in Monterey Bay. This place was a priority for me…read moreas it's all plant based and Mexican. Parking is sparse in front of the restaurant but paid parking is nearby. We entered and wow, the place was busy. Not overwhelming but lots of people in the indoor dining area enjoying their food. The menu is overheard and we decided what we wanted and ordered. The employees were kind and helpful, we probably were the only people that didn't speak Spanish well in the restaurant but that wasn't an issue, SCW got the number 2 combo, I got the mole. Also ordered an appetizer. Seated and waited about 10 minutes and our order came out. Everything was freaking amazing. Such great flavors and so fresh. Even SCW who doesn't necessarily gravitate towards Mexican food made nom nom nom sounds the whole time. The mole was incredible, the best I've ever had. The whole time we were here it was an endless stream of customers, even late lunch hour. SCW was impressed by the contrast stream of people coming in. We even walked around the wharf nearby for a while and drove past again and it was still packed with people. Do yourself a favor and visit El Cantato. I know I will.

    This is an amazing Vegan restaurant. I was in the area for the day and found this place. I haven't…read morebeen to many Mexican restaurants with any vegan options let alone a full Vegan menus. It took our party (8 people) a while to decide as we were spoiled with choices. But we had time as it was pretty busy for a Friday around 1. I ended up getting the carne asada nachos and the aqua Fresca that they had that day (mango and watermelon I think). Both were absolutely spectacular. The picture included might not show the best scale but I had 2 others helping me to eat this plate and otherwise I would not have been able to finish it (even as a larger man). The crunchy jalapeños with the chips, beans and guacamole were the perfect balance. As a meat eater, the texture of the faux meat was a touch odd, but the flavor more than made up for it. The staff was helpful and attentive even as they were balancing supporting customers, answer phone orders, and taking regular orders. My wife and will definitely be stopping by here more often!!

    Photos
    Pretty mello. How I prefer it!
    Pretty mello. How I prefer it!
    Authentic Mole Negro Oaxaca Style Plate and corn tortillas
    Authentic Mole Negro Oaxaca Style Plate and corn tortillas
    El Cantaro

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    El Pollo Rey - mexican - Updated June 2026

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