It was really good. A bit of a line and all, but tasty chicken no doubt.

El Pollo Unico is pretty good for flame broiled chicken. The chicken is juicy and flavorful and the salsa is fresh and tasty. This place is a great alternative to El Pollo Loco if you're looking for a mom and pop place with a basic chicken menu. They have good lunch combos which are a bargain. The service is pleasant and efficient and the place is nice and clean. The only complaint I'd have is parking here sucks. You might try just parking on the street and walking half a block. read more

Love the chicken here ...chicken is flame grilled similar to "pollo loco" ..however the price is perfect... the only negative is that there it's really difficult to find parking ..that is the only reason I did not give 5 stars. but otherwise friendly service ... always cooked to perfection... read more

I'm from Miami where we're lucky enough to have Pollo Tropical and Chicken Kitchen. I missed those places until I found this family owned, hidden little gem in Pasadena. This place is great. The chicken is delicious and they have tasty sides like yellow rice, beans, and fab salsas that give it an added kick. Excellent service! I'm so happy I found them. The parking lot is tiny and they only accept cash but they have an Atm inside. Love this place! read more

I love the chicken here, it is very, very good, the parking is tight and its small but its worth it, I go in sometimes at 8 and they actually run out of chicken. read more

Good fresh food... The owner never smiles so don't take it personal ;) takes only cash though.. All the sides taste good too

Best bang for your buck in Pasadena!!!! Chicken is delicious and better seasoned than pollo loco. Two piece combo thigh and a wing, rice, beans, tortillas, potato salad, and a pop for 6.25, tax included. What a country! read more

This chicken has got to be one of the best Chicken I have ever tasted in my entire life. Definitely better than pollo loco and they serve you a large portion of food. The place Is a bit small and few tables but the food definitely makes up for that tiny issue. I recommend this place for anyone who loves chicken. My new favorite chicken place :) read more

Very affordable and it is the best tasting grilled chicken. El Pollo Loco got nothing on them.

I had to laugh at the reviewer who compared this place to a strip joint. I am the wife (not his) who winces and grimaces about Pollo Unico, but we've been eating there for years. My husband LOVES this place. Any time we need to-go food, it's where he wants to go. I like it OK--and it fits in with my diet (lean chicken, plain beans) so I usually say OK. My kids love it also--they're always happy when we get it. The chicken is in the same genre as Pollo Loco, but we haven't been to P.L. for prolly 8 years since we found P.U. The chickens here are really small--nearly pigeon-size--but quite tasty--I think they use the same kind of subtle citrus marinade as other Mexican chicken joints. The owner cracks me up--she's a little (filipino?) lady who works like a mini-tornado behind the counter. I patronize the place 'cause I like to support local businesses, and she definitely is the real deal. Sides are ho-hum--cole slaw edible, beans ok, rice--I don't eat it, but my daugher loves it--the only icky thing is that they microwave the tortillas so my hubby tells them to leave them alone and we heat them up on the stove at home. Microwaved tortilas are gummy and weird. All in all, a fine quick to-go dinner place. I hope the Baskin Robbins location is big enough for them--it seems kind of small with very little parking, so I hope it is a good move. The lady told us the stupid landlord had tried to raise the rent, so that's the reason they moved--I bet the landlord is kicking himself since that 7-11 strip mall is not exactly an attractive retail location. And did I mention that it's super cheap? Yay! read more

The food in this restaurant is very simple, i didn't like it, because they don't have a variety of dishes , is only chicken, rice beans and a few side dishes. . The chicken isn't better than El Pollo Loco. I love el Pollo Loco specially for the variety of dishes, so this small tiny fast food restaurant isn' something i lik to visit. I return to EL Pollo Loco. read more

Pretty good chicked..recommed by a friend. Better then pollo loco...AAAA++++

Best chicken in pasadena in my opinion. Similar in style to what el pollo loco tries to do, but this really has flavor. Worth the trip for sure. Also, it's super cheap for the amount of food you get. read more

Purely a chicken joint. Not a great exterior presence, but do not be fooled, the chicken is all time. 2-24 piece combos available (large party orders also available). Chicken is grilled hot and fresh. Flavor is on point. The sides are also great (rice, beans, corn, potato salad etc). read more

Best chicken I ever had !! Love coming here. I totally recommend this place if you never been !

This place is great. Blows el pollo loco out the water no comparison. The chicken is seasoned to perfection and the chicken is juicy through out every piece. Parking sucks eating in is a hit or miss if there are tables open. The food is by far the winner with this spot. Highly recommended! read more

Responding to Janet's review: "The chicken lady is da bomb!! I read some of the 1 and 2 stars down below and I noticed who posted them wanna be conniseurs with no taste." Hahaha, you need to stop assuming things about people. People are entitled to their own opinions and then when they get bad experiences, it's time to call them "wannabe conniseurs." (BTW, spelled wrong." "Keep it real...if you want el pollo loco I suggest you learn how to read...its says UNICO lol... There really is NO comparison and if you want a vegetarian option, like one post says, then what the H*** you eatin chicken for... it does say el Pollo!" Whatever, you just proved our point. The name is El Pollo UNICO, but it's still close to EPL save the last word. And even the four and five star reviewers compare it to EPL. There are only so many places that serve chicken in this style around here. EPL happens to be the biggest one. I've always thought they were influenced to create their own biz as an alternative to EPL. Also, EPL has a more extensive menu. If we're comparing it to EPL, they've got churros and salads. They've got desserts. Obviously, someone has been eating them 'cause they're still in good business. I don't know if she's still checking this after three years. I still think it's kinda idiotic to assume things and say rude things about people when they don't agree with you. Someone doesn't like your biz? Get over it and move on. Anyway, I'm not a fan. I've tried this place and I prefer Pollo's Puebla not too far away. read more

Bad customer service especially wait time they lied, I originally placed my order online and it was so supposed be ready in 20mins. And as myself I'm never on time anywhere I'm being honest I arrived 28 mins later to pick up my food and the lady ask me what's your order # from online order. I showed her my cell phone order# and she ask me how would like you paid & automatically charge my card, " thinking my food would be given right away"...NOOOOOOooooo I had to wait 30 mins later as I continusly keep asking her is my order ready, she says due to people not cooking at home because of the weather it's to HOT obviously in my mind thinking duhhhh and then she says chickens are cooking it takes one hour. So, I told her well in the case then you should be more affirmative about the time wise at least knowing what time to pick up my order and due to COVID-19 you don't want to be among each other in the store waiting for so long!!! Annnnnd because people are not cooking due to the weather NOW she judging other's & I pay for my food nothing is free, I work hard to pay my own things thank our Lord Jesusand that was not right for what she was saying out loud not a good look for herself & business. And just keep common courtesy no matter how long it takes just keep it real. I hope this help to anyone to better & safe environment. I'm very upset & annoyed from having this staffs memebers in this restaurant with so much negatively, cruel behavior and again to give you guys heads anyone ordering online you will wait 45mins to a hour if you don't speak up!!!!! I'm just saying. By the way I got proof of my receipt's from Online & the store checkout. Please everyone be safe & healthy. read more

Yum!! This place is sooo good! Bring cash as that's all they accept. I love chicken but am very picky with how it's prepared and this place got it right! Me and my friend got the chicken breast and wing combo that also comes with rice, beans, tortillas and an extra side, we got the corn on the cob so good! And it comes with a drink, our total... under $14 for both meals!! We were both shocked. Oh and it comes with salsa, get the hot salsa and if it's too hot just add a lemon wedge and it makes it the perfect amount of spice (mostly flavor). We were going to go to roscoes which was right across the street but so glad we tried this spot out and I will be back. read more

El Pollo Unico has been around for many years, and the food is great. Beats El Pollo Loco hands down. Bigger tastier chickens Best for take out. Not really a true "Mexican" place. They just moved across the street and up a few door-where the old Baskin Robbins used to be on the east side of Lake. Parking is a bit tight in the lot, but there is some street parking. 1/2 chicken, 2 large sides, tortillas, salsa and a 20 oz. drink is about $7. read more

El Pollo Unico reminds me of what El Pollo Loco tasted like in the early 80's, before Denny's bought and sold it and their formula changed for the worse. Al Pollo Unico, for $3.80, I enjoy two pieces, breast and wing, with salsa and tortillas. A great deal, and an effective time machine. read more

Maybe my expectations were too high b/c of all the praise-worthy reviews this place has gotten, but I just thought the chicken was good, not great, but solidly good and flavorful. The sides were fine; my favorite one was the coleslaw--tasted fresh and crisp. The staff there are super friendly, the parking sucks, the wait can be annoyingly long b/c of its popularity, but I'd likely go back again. read more

Customer service was poor, & you are treated as if THEY are doing you a favor. But that is part of the charm that you have to put up with as the food has improved dramatically since my last visit 18 months ago. The chicken was not a great as before and The Crazy Chicken was still better. New location, same owners & staff. and they have looked at reviews obviously and worked to improve. Parking lot is too small, but the food is back to par and the price is excellent. They till need to modernize completely and accept plastic!!! Plus need to stay open later, I think they'd really benefit from 9 or 10PM close. I don't get off until 8:30 & when I get hhome to Dena, they are already closed & I crave it some times read more

This place is a gold mine for locals. Can't ever justify visiting El Pollo Loco after discovering this little treasure. Chicken is phenomenal and the prices surpass anything any other grilled chicken restaurant can ever hope to offer. read more

Good chicken. Don't like how they charge extra for dark meat, but good quality chicken. :)

By far some of the best pollo asado I have ever tasted. The parking is not a good situation and place looks kind of shabby, otherwise it would be perfect. read more

Pleasantly surprised at how good this restaurant is. Think hole in the wall pollo loco. The chicken is moist and the skin is the right amount of salty. The choice if sides are great. Mac and cheese, cole slaw. Parking is tight. Inside is not a place to eat but solid for takeout. read more

So Much Better Than Pollo Loco In My Opinion The Parking Is Very Difficult, The Wait Is Sometimes Really Bad But Other Than That I Love The Macaroni Salad read more

Cash only location. They hv an atm there inside of the store; however, the atm charges $2 and ur bank may charge u a $2-3 fee for using that atm. If u tally ur lunch $8 and $5 ur looking at $13 lunch. I passed and went to Pollo Loco. Cheap owners! read more

Lately this place is a HIT & MISS! Only 1 out of 4 recent visits were good. The chicken was tasteless & dry. The rice dry. The (hot) salsa taste like it was sour & they no longer have cherry soda. I was very disappointed today. Oh, and the cashier seemed to be extremely irritated that I was asking about the cherry soda. My grandson said she was rude and I guess I would have to agree with him. The only good thing that happened on this visit is that it only cost me $10.00. I will not be going back any time soon if ever. I think the years of giving this establishment my business is finally over. Thanks for the memories. read more

It seems people give this place stars because it's cheap. Dog food is also cheap. And maybe better for you. While you get a ton for the money, but every ingredient is the lowest grade possible. If you're this desperate for value then cook at home. The place is small and filthy, the employees not very pleased to be there. Who could blame them though. I took a lunch there with coworkers and had to stop eating after a few bites it was that sickening. And after twenty minutes of chatting I looked down and there was a line of ants trooping onto my plate. I'm not making this up, we all stood up in shock. And look at all the good reviews: better than El Pollo Loco? That's meaningless. It's better than a lot of things. Dirt. Head lice. A punch in the nose. But that doesn't make it good. read more

I love this chicken I got to say it's the best in the Pasadena area. It is very juicy and and has a great taste. Their sides are delicious as well and prices are very reasonable. They even have "party packages" at great prices. Parking can be a bit hectic and this place is cash only (they do have an ATM inside where you can withdraw cash). read more

El pollo unico has really flavorful chicken, good salsa (the hot is actually hot so I get mild), and for some reason, I really like their sides too! read more

This place has been around for a long time though they moved across the street many years ago. The chicken and there salsa is something to talk about let me tell you. read more

This is much better than El Pollo Loco for the fact that their half chicken is better, he portions of the sides are bigger, and the price is sweet. If there's one turn off from my dining experience was it took 15 minutes to get my meal but overall a great hole in a wall spot. read more

If you are going to grab food from here be sure to bring a good book. Waited an hour for an 8-piece order of chicken...and not once did the workers apologize for the long wait. Worst of all, the chicken tastes practically the same as El Pollo Loco. I bet if we did a blind taste test of the two, 90% of all you Yelpers would not be able to tell the difference. Save yourself the time and just hit up El Pollo Loco if you are craving chicken. read more

oh boy oh boy oh boy. This place was amazing! I don't think you can beat the price and the flavor of the food. I stopped in to get dinner for 3 people. We ordered 2 of the dinner specials and that was even too much food for 3 people! We had leftovers for lunch the next day, which was amazing. The dinner special has 1/2 chicken, rice, beans, tortillas, salsa, a side dish that you choose, and a medium drink for about $8.50. The flavor of the chicken is amazing. I personally don't like rotisserie chicken from the grocery stores because it has an awkward flavor and an almost greasy texture. This chicken is the almost complete opposite. The skin on the outside was crispy and so flavorful and the chicken inside felt like chicken should feel. I put the chicken in a flour tortilla and tried the salsa on it. I personally thought the flavor of the chicken was so good I didn't like masking it with the salsa. The beans, rice, macaroni salad, and potato salad were very good as well. To say the least, I will definitely be coming back and recommending it to others for a quick, wholesome meal. read more

underwhelmed. salty chicken. bland rice and beans. frozen corn on the cob. won't be back!!

Every one should come here instead of the big chain el pollo loco. Their chicken is better, more delicious and tastier, more juicy. And the price . Inexpensive. I keep coming back to this place and will always do. I would invest in it if the owner offers and decides to open other locations. read more

The chicken was fine, nothing special, but not bad either. Sides were also fairly mediocre. I guess I would rather pay a little more and go to Zankou. Also, I went at dinner time and they were very slow, took about 20 minutes to get the chicken dinner combo. read more