This place makes me want to jump in joy! Fantastic grilled chicken without firing up the grill, efficient drive through, delicious green sauce that needs an ode written in it's honor, and enough taste to bury KFC, Churchs', Popeye's, etc., IF we lived in an ideal world. Only thing that's tough is communication. If you speak Spanish you are golden but for those of us who struggle, just stick to the basics. And I may just have to pick up some beginner classes to make sure my Pollo Rico experience is outta this world. But no complaints here, I'll keep coming!!! Oh! FYI, the green sauce has an expiration of 24 hours from what I gathered so for those of you stocking up on it, take heed. EDIT: They DO take credit cards, contrary to some reviews below. read more

Grab you and your honey a half chicken, some boracho beans, spanish rice and a handful of tortillas and you've got dinner, baby. Included is half a grilled white onion, limes and salsa. HOLY CRAP, es muy bueno! Totally Digging: Analog Packaging - White Butcher Paper Fresh Salsa Coca-Cola in old skool bottles Not-So-Much Digging: Chicken is crazy greasy. read more

There isn't much I can say about whatever this place is called now that hasn't already been said, but my wife and I ate lunch there on Thursday and BY GAWD if I didn't just eat the final scrumptious bit of bad ass chicken a few minutes ago. We got 4 meals out of a 13 dollar family meal. It is amazing what people are missing out on. Now I have my quest in life. To perfectly replicate that heavenly perfection in my very own backyard. I will now write a Haiku to whatever this place that used to be El Regio by Time Warner and Stassney and South 1st used to be: forgettable name unforgettable chicken avocado sauce Thank you! read more

I commend the El Pollo Loco staff for being open when KFC was closed at 5 p.m. on New Year's Eve. However, even after removing my mask to talk to the cashier, she had trouble understanding what I said and got my order wrong twice! I had hungry kids at home so I didn't want to argue anymore, after all the chicken was hot and juicy, as usual, but my order was messed up; for the money I spent,(over 30$) I didn't get everything I paid for. At least they were open after 5 p.m. read more

I recently turned vegetarian and I miss two things and two things only. 1. Empanadas 2. Pollo Regio This chicken rocks so hard. Its perfectly seasoned, roasted, warm and delcious. Comes wrapped up in paper with an onion. They place wrapped chicken in plastic bag that includes tortillas, charro beans, lime and bad ass salsa. Proceed to rip off chicken, place in tortilla, spread salsa, squeeze lime, and indulge. Once I was craving Regio but didn't want to make the drive out ... thus proceeded to local supermarket and picked up a rotisserie chicken (w/salsa, torts, beans, etc.) thinking it would be the same. Sike. You can't fake this chicken. The price is decent - $13 for a whole chicken & sides. The location on Riverside has a little building with tables next door and you can go in and eat there. Seriously this is my first review on Yelp. I had to review this place. All time fave. read more

El Regio chicken is great! They don't have many choices, and that is fine with me! The price is super cheap, its on my way home, it comes with rice and beans and tortillas- all of which are authentic and yummy. It does remind me a little bit of El Pollo Loco in Cali, but less expensive! read more

Chicken sent from heaven. A prime example of why Yelp is so great. I've only tried the chicken here, but honestly, it's so good I don't even wanna try the other menu items. Half chicken for $7~8 or a whole for $12~13 is a really good deal for what you get. You get your chicken, stack of corn tortillas, beans, a whole onion (steamed?), and salsa. The chicken is ABSOLUTELY delicious. AND consistent. The flavor is powerful and spot on, the tenderness is just right, and it's still awesome microwaved the next day. My personal opinion is that the chicken is a little too salty to eat alone, but don't let that hinder anyone from trying this chicken. All you need is some tortilla and veggies to even it out. Plus, I'm absolutely in love with the onion they have. Just thinking about those succulent layers of onion makes my mouth water. Texas is known for its mexican cuisine, and Austin is known for its awesome hole in the wall eateries. Seriously, it's divine intervention. read more

Growing up in Mexico I always loved "pollos a las brazas" and this establishment offers me just that. Their chicken is extremely tasty. My to go order for the winter is Caldo de Pollo. This soup tastes just like home. The potatoes, carrots, corn on the cob and chicken, ties it all together. Now when I don't feel like soup I order their 2 piece meal (dark meat) and make my self some tacos with beans, pico del gallo, lime and green sauce. MMM! My wife always order their flautas and I get to steal a bite. They are gooood. For desert their Platanos Machos con crema hit the right spot! The reason I don't give them 5 stars is because their drive-thru is a mess. Half of the time you get to the window and have to repeat your order making the wait excessive. It also not strange occurrence to have something missing. If they ran a tight ship I would give them 5-stars all the way. read more

A friend of mine (let's call him "Marco Pollo") discovered what we now call "The Chicken" back when we worked for a certain nameless computer manufacturer up north. Since then, I've been hooked. Even though they've changed names, it's still the same delicious chicken and addictive green sauce. Can't beat the value, either. I know it's gone up a bit, but I think it's still around $6.50 for a half chicken, grilled onion, rice, beans, and a stack of tortillas. Also, since they've changed the name, you can now order just a half chicken without all the sides. If you want the rice and beans, you need to order the medio pollo *combo* This location, as they all do, gets a bit busy at peak times. The line of cars will easily wrap around the building, creating all kinds of weird traffic patterns. If you want to save the hassle, ride your bike and use the walk-up window. read more

I couldn't figure it out for awhile, and then it hit me. It's almost a corny admission, but it's true: the chicken at El Regio tastes almost exactly like the chicken my grandmother made when I was a kid. My mother couldn't make it, no one else could: it was fantastic, and I have a collection of memories ripe with the idea that I was at any given time about ten good minutes from a food coma. Fast forward many years to my first encounter with the chicken entree at El Regio. First of all, totally true about how affordable this place is: no one say anything...I'd like to be able to afford to eat there about twenty times a week. The beans we got with our meal were a little spicy, and it came with spanish rice and corn tortilla sides. I feel a little like I've just hit the tip of the iceberg (or whatever the Mexican food equivalent would be) on El Regio, and I'll definitely be back, sooner than later. And if it's possible to wax nostalgic at a place I've only hit a few times, I will. read more

This is a great place for those of you that can never make your mind up about what to order. All they have at El Regio's is Roasted Chicken and it is delicous. The only choice you have to make is half a chicken($6) or a whole one ($12). if you have problems deciding then get the whole chicken; you can eat the rest tomorrow. Chicken comes with tortillas, salsa, a grilled onion, rice, beans and avocado sauce. They have carne asada as well but don't let that confuse you. Stick with the chicken. This is basically just a drive thru; however, there is a picnic table that you can eat at if you really want to. Stasney & First is kinda a busy intersection so you probably are better off eating your chicken in car if you can't wait until you get home. read more

(This is where a function that bumped your addendum to the top would be nice.) I was too quick to judge in my initial thoughts on El Regio. It's becoming a staple. It's easy, good and low point. These are things I need when I'm at a loss as to what to eat for dinner. I've now been back a few times, and while the skin is not crisp (it doesn't matter, I shouldn't be eating it anyway) and the breast is dry, it's still a winner for ease and cost. I get a half chicken and no rice, replaced with extra beans. $7 and I've got two meals. I make tacos with the wing, thigh and leg (appx. 3pts each!) and save the breast for the next day. I make a salad with that and yay. Two meals, $7, no cooking. Beautiful. ---------------------------- Sorry to bring down the rating y'all, but I wasn't as impressed as others. Maybe I built it up too much in my head? Maybe it's because my roast chicken has made me famous in some circles.* Whatever it is, I wasn't impressed with the chicken at El Regio. First, the chicken was dry. Even the dark meat, and that, my friends, is an issue for me. I love chicken skin. Crisp, salty, perfectly golden, it's a beautiful, beautiful thing. Imagine my disappointment to find soggy skin. The flavor was good though. Sadly, it was the only flavor on this non-premium bird. The beans were great, mostly due to the huge chunks of salt pork. It is my personal motto that there's nothing in life so bad that a little pork fat can't make it better. So true for these beans. The onion that comes with it was pure brilliance too. It was cooked perfectly and had a nice flavor. Adding a little lime and salt to it was a stroke of genius. When I put the beans, chicken (dark meat) and onion on one of the corn tortillas, I had a decent taco. In the future though, I'll just make my own chicken and eat it with these fixin's. It's a great price, and easy enough, but in the end, I can make my own much better. And I'll even give you the recipe if you ask. *Seriously, you'll never eat another roast chicken again after you've tasted mine. I started a revolution in certain blog circles with this chicken. And obviously, I'm super humble about it. read more

Well, color me impressed. My husband and I have passed by this place a billion times and always wondered what the food was like, but were afraid to try it. After reading all of the good reviews here on Yelp, we finally took the plunge. It's no longer called El Regio, but from what I understand the food is exactly the same. The chicken is just as tasty as the sides, and the salsa has a nice little kick to it. Add in a few Dos XX on the side and you've got a nice, cheap Mexican meal. I also love that the location is very near Fiesta, where I can stop by to get my fix of crack cookies (aka pan de polvo) for my dessert. Yum! Don't let the looks of El Regio fool you. It's definitely worth a try. read more

I have to admit, I have only had one item from this restaurant. But if it ain't broke don't fix it. This place has the best breakfast tacos I have ever had! I grew up in southern California and have lived in Austin for a while, so I know a thing or two about breakfast tacos. I get my tacos with eggs, cheese, bacon, sausage, and chorizo. The ingredient that makes theirs the best ever is the chorizo. It's so flavorful, spicy and when the grease starts running down your elbow you know its really good. read more

El Pollo Rico - Breakfast taco w/ eggs, cheese, sausage, bacon, and chorizo...so good! - Fast Food Near Me - Austin, Texas

My brother and my friend from Philly love this place. when i use to eat chicken i loved this place. so to 'rap' this up: awe you chicken you smell so good i remember your smoke driftin in my hood salivatin' as i the thought of my tounge lickin' regio chicken fly vixen you give me heart disease but need you in my kitchen got wings but you cant fly away from me as i go through the drive thru in my bucket seats dont know what part of you i like best your legs or your breast we never had friction regio chicken you were my addiction! read more

First half of the taco was delicious, second half tasted like soap. Now i am pooping my brains out and writing this review in the grip of sharp belly pain stabs. Just a thought, but would somebody think they could use soap to wash the stench from rancid chicken? read more

This was one of my favorite places to eat. It was inexpensive and fast and delicious. But unfortunately in the past couple of years the service has gone down while the prices have gone up by at least 50%. Special orders (like which sides you order) are often wrong and even the size of the sides has decreased. It is still delicious, but it's no longer inexpensive. read more

Holy pollo asada, that was good! This review should really just be a long list of nouns, expletives, and satisfied sounds. That was some of the best chicken and Mexican food I've ever eaten. Super simple to be sure, but I love simple things. Everything I had was awesome, and especially appreciates their little secret sauce hot sauce. Can't recommend enough for good fast food. Excellent! read more

If you're looking for a Mexican restaurant that has that Mexican taste, this is it. Authentic, authentic Mexican food. It doesn't get any better than this. Price is also very reasonable. I had the torta combo and a pastor taco and it was amazing! You will NOT be disappointment with this place! read more

In MBA speak, the cost benefit analysis reveals that this drive through provides fast and yummy huge portions of good for very little $. That's why it has 112 reviews and a 4.5 out of 5.0 rating. read more

Where to begin?! Pollo Rico takes me back to being in college and needing something cheap, fast and delicious. The only thing is that I have continued to indulge in this finger-licking chicken even after college. My husband and i have a joke about this place. We will only eat it when no one else can watch because you can't help but get it all over your hands and your face. haha The chicken is always juicy, full of flavor and is sold cut up already. Their green salsa is our favorite and I seriously only ask for that one, i don't bother with the red. It is a great meal because it includes the chicken, the salsa, tortillas, one whole grilled onion, rice and beans. WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED?! I also highly recommend their baked potato with fajitas in it. It may not be the healthiest but it is so good. They also offer a wide variety of Mexican sodas and their service is always fast and efficient. Enjoy. read more

In Austin and this is my first food experience. EXCELLENT!!!! EVERYTHING was fire. Coming from Cali, I kept hearing that the Hispanic food was not going to stand up, well this place did a more than decent job. We got the whole chix with plantains and refried beans as sides. I got "their" version of a taco (flour tortilla), it was good but i'm partial to street tacos, and surprisingly they had those also, (secretly hidden under the name taquitos...). They were bomb !!! The guacamole, salsa, and some avocado creme sauce were all good. It has a drive-through also. Oh the reason I pulled over is because I saw the smoke from the grill high in the air. Can't beat that!!! Will DEFINITELY be back!!! read more

Everything about this place scares me. For real. I have driven by for years, wondering - who would eat chicken out of this little scary box? Curious one day, I looked it up on Yelp. It took me a few more weeks to give it a shot. What the heck - can try anything once, right? Holy Moly. Looks can be deceiving. This little box in the parking lot can make some crazy good tasting food! I've tried both the chicken and the carne asada. Both are packed with flavor and deliciousness. My husband doesn't like the carne so much (a little gristly and fatty) - and while I'm a bit weird when it comes to meat, I actually could overlook the gristle because it tastes so damn good. Everything that comes in the meal is packed with flavor - the onion, meat, and the green sauce (Almost as good as Taco Deli's dona sauce). And CHEAP!!! read more

Avoid. Unless, of course, you want to have to call in sick the next day because you're in bed with the chills and nausea, are vomiting, and can't eat anything except for crackers and Sprite. We'd been here several times without incident and were happy enough with the food. Sure, it was shady - food simply shouldn't be that cheap - but the green sauce...Never again! We grabbed our usual half chicken dinner last night, headed home to eat, and my hubby woke up at 6am because he felt so awful. He had all the usual signs of food poisoning (described above, but known to many!); we used to travel/backpack a ton and are low-level experts on the aftermath of bad food, and this was a clear case. The only saving grace is that I didn't get sick (must've been a piece he got). I say this not because I'm evil and selfish, but because I'm pregnant and that would've been awful for multiple reasons. We'll never be back. read more

I ordered the chicken soup (large which I found out means a gallon) which came with enough homeade corn tortillas to feed an army, a side of wonderful rice, spicy quac, salsa, and lime. Wonderful...tasted like soup that had been stewing for days. If you think you are getting chicken tortilla soup...nope, more like veggie chicken soup. Husband got the 1/2 chicken combo which was mesquite grilled. Came with all the fixin's mine had plus a side of beans. He dug in and didn't speak for a solid five minutes which, while always a blessing, also spoke about how good the chicken was. We will be back. read more

Some of the best food you'll ever experience. Everything on the menu is excellent and the green sauce is out of this world

Best. Chicken. Ever. Take into account the price - under $10 including onions and a fantastic green salsa. You can't get a better deal. Seriously, you have to try it. Your taste buds and your friends will thank you for it. read more

Ok, this is going to be a strange review. The fact is that I have never personally eaten the chicken here as I am a vegetarian, for the most part (occasional fish). Mind you, i'm not anti-meat, I just prefer not to eat it. That being said, my family loves this place. Truly loves it. My main reason for going here is when we have family parties or a group friends comes to the house, I will pick up some Pollo Rico and feed some folks! Usually a whole chicken or two, which comes with the rice, beans, green sauce, tortillas, etc. All for an amazing price. Bring this to my place, throw it down on some butcher paper and watch as it disappears, and everyone sits back happy and satisfied. Throw in some beer and you will have people hanging out at your place non-stop. It would be nice, though, if there were some kind of option for those of us who don't eat the pollo though. Maybe some fish tacos or some such. But the again, it is called Pollo Rico. Anyway, if you like chicken, go here...it will change your life. so they say. read more

I got the whole chicken and ate almost the whole thing. If they gave you more food this might be a 5 star place. However, all of the food was delicious: chicken, rice (very good), beans, and the sauces were top notch. Perhaps I just eat too much. read more

Great pollos asados. The price is about 3-5 dollars more for a whole chicken combo than I would like to have paid, but considering I'm comparing it to San Antonio's Pollos Asados Norteños (see my review from there), I guess it's relative. The combo easily feeds 3-4, depending on how hungry you are; (I can easily eat half a chicken by myself). The combo comes with rice, beans, tortillas, salsa, lime and half a grilled onion. Very delicious. Very fast service. read more

I am quite a fan of El Pollo Rico. The chicken is always juicy and seasoned perfectly with magical seasonings that I wish I could replicate in my own kitchen. I'm also quite fond of their carne asada. It comes both in a combo with rice and beans or on top of a baked potato. Yeah, that's right. On top of a baked potato. It's crazy delicious! I like to get double rice because I'm not a huge fan of pinto beans, but they do season theirs well with all kinds of meaty goodness. (They're definitely not vegetarian beans!) Pollo Rico consistently supplies me with their expertly-seasoned food and it makes for a great meal if you're feeding a crowd. It may be named Pollo Rico (rich chicken), but it's nice that you don't have to be rico to eat a satisfying meal. read more

Bam! This chicken is a definitely an in your face yummy experience! I'm not sure if you call it charcoal grilled or charbroiled but let's not get hung up on technicalities here. All you need to know is that it's super savory, cheap, and pretty healthy. Routinely, I by a whole chicken, two grilled onions, which comes with both red and green salsa and cook some rice and mix veggies at home and Walla... a meal for to or more under $8! Pollo Rico gives a couple of complementary wedges of lime to squeeze on the chicken but it's not enough for me as I love to marinade my chicken and grilled onions with lime. Beware that the creamy green avocado salsa is painfully spice but so damn good that you just can't stop. Have lots of extra napkins on hand cause your nose will for sure be running. Share this little treasure with friends and keep local Austin restaurants in business. read more

I love this place! They are always super fast at getting out our order. I get burnt out on typical fast food places around my house. So it's nice to have a drive thru spot that's always on point with their flavor, service, and just getting me in an out pretty much. Comes in handy when I do not want to cook dinner, or I am short on time. Whatever the case it's always great. Their taco plate is a good option, You can choose how many tacos 1-3, rice, beans and a drink for a great price which is around $8 for the full meal, The whole chicken deal is great too. You get the chicken, torts, rice,beans, and an onion. read more

The lines are long but the wait time is not bad. It's worth it. Pastor is delicious, barbacoa is delicious, and the chicken is good too, although I'm partial to pollo regio on William cannon. I very much prefer this location over the one on Oltorf - the stassney location always has a line but that's how you know it's good. read more

Yeah, this is good stuff. Not perfect because the chicken's not always consistent: occasionally dry, sometimes a bit over-charred. For me it's all about that famous green sauce! Super hot, meaning really really hot, but so so good. Pollo Rico is a bargain. A pollo medio will feed two light to moderate eaters for $7. And, it's an adventure. You'll eat chicken parts that you didn't know existed, like the back. The texture's disconcerting at first, but the green sauce is so good that you'll just slather it on and not care at all. read more

I went there this morning Saturday 1/31/14 as i do most Saturday mornings to get a few breakfast tacos... Usually the service is great, polite and friendly. Today it was RUDE, nasty and almost aggressive!! I can't remember the last time I was spoken to like that. I won't be returning to this location again and I also won't be recommending my friends to.. DISGUSTING customer service!! read more

LOVE this place. Chicken is always good, rice and beans are amazing. I could live off the beans alone. And we always get a quesadilla--they are A-mazing! I bought three whole chicken combo's for my daughter's 4th bday at our house and everyone was amazed. When its my turn to cook Pollo Rico is always on my list. Need to try the one by my work--it has indoor seating! read more

For the money, this place is awesome! We're talking uber tasty! Be prepared to lick your fingers clean as it gets messy, but in a good way ;) Now I've only had the half and whole chicken meals, but that's all I need to try because the flavor and price point are great. And is the key reason I'm giving 5 stars considering this is fast food with quality that's hard to find. As for what I've had, the chicken meals, you get rice, beans, tortillas, limes, roasted onions, fricking amazing green salsa, and of course the chicken. Once you pull the bag into your car be ready to savor the aroma. It's gonna be hard not to eat it then. Also, as I hinted at earlier, the green salsa is killer!! You'll probably end up drinking it from the cup if you're a salsa loving freak like me. Enjoy! - Cheers! read more

In this place is delicious the Chicken and the sauce is the best in the city I recommend the whole chicken because you will eat three times without problem read more

Cheap Eats is what works for me. Especially when the food is this good! The green sauce is addictive and delicious. The chicken is always tender, spicy, and even better with that heavenly hot green sauce over it between a corn tortilla! The restaurant looks kinda sketchy. I passed by it a few times and never thought twice about it. The smell of charcoal barbecue is intoxicating. After digging a bit deeper into the mystery behind the long lines of cars, and investigating even further into the Yelp reviews, I finally broke down and purchased a whole chicken combo. OMG! You just cannot beat the flavor and quality of the food for the value. Cheap, tasty, and there is leftovers for late night snacking! Nom nom nom! The food is not for everyone. For those of you who dare, you might be pleasantly surprised! read more