Great service good greetings, and the food was impeccable The server was absolutely marvelous

First off, AMAZING! Got an early dinner here to get my chicken fix. I'm absolutely glad I did. The counter guy had great service and recommended I get my order Acapulco style and it did not disappoint. I got the individual platter which consists of 4 piece chicken, beans, rice, tortillas and a drink. Their homemade salsa also included. This individual meal can feed 2 and they also had family style platters. Jose's is located at the corner of Market and 25th St. Nice urban environment with open windows for some breeze. I will definitely be back to try their ribs. read more

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I came back for round 2, not even a week has passed. I walked in and this time the owner was in the front of the house, instead of the kitchen. He instantly recognized me and smiles a satisfying "we got another one" grin. This time we shared a conversation and he turns me on to Yoli, the Acapulco version of Sprite, tasty. I learned more about how they started and can now feel why the food tastes so good! Yep, this is "get in my belly", bomb dot com fantastic! You know it's good when you sit in the car listening to music, smacking. read more

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Dudeee. My friend told me to check this place out and I was blown away. The price to food ratio exceeded my expectation. Highly recommend the half chicken and half rib combo. Which also comes with rice, beans, salsa and tortillas. Super friendly service. Will def go back for another round when we have a family get together or hang out. read more

Jose's Pollos Estilo Acapulco - Half 1 rack ribs/ 1 Costilla - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

Hmmmm, I must admit I was a bit disappointed in the chicken. We ordered the pollo with rice beans and tortillas. The chicken was fine but I wish the skin was way crispier. The woman who took our order was lovely and helpful. The ambiance was what you would expect from a hole in the wall place. Maybe if I lived closer I'd return but with El pollo grill near me I'll stick with my hometown chicken place. This place also has an extremely limited menu. read more

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I ordered a full chicken on DoorDash 1/2 seasoned 1/2 regular and OMG this chicken is amazing. The grilled onion is top tier melts in your mouth. I called to see the spice level of the seasoned chicken and they were fast, nice, and helpful. This chicken is seasoned to perfection absolutely loved and will def be ordering again! read more

Jose's Pollos Estilo Acapulco - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

4 stars for the generous portion & value. Ordered 1/2 chicken 1/2 rib marinated. Not sure if it's the marinade or extra sauce they put on, but it was really salty today. I will come when they first open & get natural al carbon next time. Would really like to get some fresh off the grill. read more

Jose's Pollos Estilo Acapulco - 1/2 Medio Pollo y Media Costilla / Half Chicken and Half Rib. Ribs hiding under the chicken - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

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I have absolutely no idea how this place has almost a 5 star rating. I think the picture speaks for itself but the place itself is falling apart both from the outside and the inside. Clearly unkept, and just dirty looking. The service was nothing of note. No greeting at the door or upon coming up to the counter and no help in trying to explain the difference in flavor options for the chicken or the recommended sides. The chicken looked like it was all bits and pieces of multiple chickens despite ordering a whole chicken and the onion they threw in on top of the chicken had visible dirt on it. If they're going to just cut the onion in half without peeling it, at least rinse it off first. Couldn't get myself to try it so maybe the taste makes up for the presentation but I opened the box, audibly gasped and went to Pollo Loco to happily satisfy the roasted chicken craving read more

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Great food but if you look a certain way be ready for the cashier to treat you with hate.

Always fresh and taste amazing we definitely go out of our way just to go get this chicken.

Everything is delicious. Salsas are exceptional. Definitely coming here regularly. Don't sleep on this spot! read more

Jose's Pollos Estilo Acapulco - 1/2 Chicken 1/2 Ribs Medio Pollo y Media Costilla - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

Service: The gentleman who helped us was very polite and helpful. Ordering was super easy and fast. Ambiance: At most maybe enough seating for 12 (comfortably) indoor and seating for about 8 outdoor. Feels like your "mom and pops, hole in the wall" spot. There is street parking and a little private parking area just a few steps away off 25th St. Food: We did the half chicken (Acapulco marinade) and half ribs (bbq marinade) combo. It came with a whole grilled onion (cut in half), grilled jalapeños, rice, beans, tortilla, red and green hot sauce. The chicken had so much good flavor. The ribs were cooked to perfection!!! The meat was so tender. Over all everything was delicious!! I look forward to going back again!! read more

You know those places that focus on just one thing--and absolutely nail it? Think In-N-Out. Well, this is that place for Acapulco chicken. Perfectly cooked, beautifully charred, and with just the right hint of chili, it's truly one of the best pieces of chicken you'll ever taste. read more

A great hole in a wall place for Acapulco chicken. You can smell the mouthwatering bbq smoke coming from the grills as you approach the restaurant. I ordered the half chicken/half rib with the marinade and bbq sauce on the side. The combo came with onions, peppers, rice, beans, corn tortillas and 2 salsas. The chicken was fantastic, juicy and well marinated with a rich smoke flavor. Didn't even need to add the salsa or bbq sauce to flavor it. The ribs were great as well, marinated in the same sauce and was fall off the bone. I counted 6 bones which is a steal with half a chicken. Service was great, seating is limited inside with a couple of small tables outside. Pretty limited parking but the chicken is worth the trip. read more

Jose's Pollos Estilo Acapulco - 1/2 Chicken 1/2 Ribs Medio Pollo y Media Costilla - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

Absolutely delicious! We were visiting from out of town and this place was right down the street from the house we rented. We ordered the chicken family meal. We got half regular and half marinated chicken, rice, beans, tortillas, and salsa. This was a great dinner for our family! read more

Wow I love this place. Been here three times in the past few months. The Marinated chicken is the only way to go here. The flavor is amazing and spicy!! A whole chicken plate is about $27. It's enough for 2-3 people. It's enough for me and my wife for two meals. The grilled onions is great as well along with the rice! I want to try ribs next! The gentlemen that works the counter is very nice and the food comes out fast. They even have Yoli! We've always got lucky with parking down the hill. We will be back for sure!! read more

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I wrote some long detailed review... hit post and it just disappeared. I was all descriptive and stuff. Now I've spent all my good words and all I got left is hunger pains and a faint memory of a yummy marinated chicken lunch with rice that was tasty AF... a heap Of steaming beans made a showing... a pile of tortillas and salsas. Man.. that review was almost as good as the food... and it's gone.. at least I've got some leftovers. read more

Jose's Pollos Estilo Acapulco - 1/2&1/2 - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

I've been several times and the chicken is consistently good. It's great to make tacos with the onion, sauces, pepper, and chicken. I think the onion could be cooked a little bit more. Delicious overall. read more

Jose's Pollos Estilo Acapulco - Natural chicken with sauces on the side - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

Food was delicious and generous. I love the Bar B Que ribs and chicken. However the rice and beans are worth going there just for that!! You gotta try it!! read more

Do not eat here. Service is terrible. Be ready to wait for a long time. Unless you tip very well or know Spanish . If you don't , you will be treated poorly. Waited an hr. And watched ppl who ordered after me get their food before me. 1 by 1. Finally asked about my order. Took another 20 min. Ribs are trash . Chicken is alright . DO NOT EAT HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Had to give it one star but this place needs negative 3 stars . read more

A true gem, this place's chicken slaps & is one of the most satisfying meals you can get if you're picking up food on a weeknight. Their Acapulco marinade is Smokey, spicy, and delicious & well balanced by the grilled onions. The green salsa is wonderful, but the red is the real star & very, very spicy. I always look forward to eating here, especially when they have their Tuesday special! read more

I was so excited to try this place. Man I was disappointed in the taste of the marinade on the chicken and ribs. Ughh but the rice was good.. read more

Jose's Pollos Estilo Acapulco - 66.00 of saddness - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

This chicken it's super good, the salsas are off the hook. I'm a San Diego local and very familiar with Mexican food this spot definitely is an under dog/ hole on the wall fire. read more

such a random, un-assuming place that just packs pure flavor with the food... the good food is always in the hood. If you actually come for the food only, you will no be disappointed .. We always order to-go, since I love to pig out in private (lol) .. but the delivery orders have always been consistent. Huge portions, We always order the half rib, half chicken combo and lately have ditched the Acapulco marinade and go "natural" since the "asado" flavor cant be beat. .. Be sure to order extra tortillas, rice and beans since that will go quick as you make your own customized tacos .. The combos include a whole grilled ionion and that goes well with the meal. read more

Jose's Pollos Estilo Acapulco - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

Had the chicken and ribs. Natural with the sauces on the side. Chicken was nice and tender. The ribs were nice and tasty as well. I would definitely return read more

This place is excellent. Who would have known that amidst the rough surroundings, there would be a diamond hidden in plain sight? BB and I have been here several times for take out. A small hole in the wall, its best to call in for take out, as it can get busy. They do have a limited amount of tables inside. Their speciality is Acapulco marinated chicken and ribs, cooked on a smoker. I like the Acapulco style (spicy) marinade, but BB prefers the ribs plain. You can choose from Acapulco, plain, or BBQ for both the ribs and chicken. When you order the complete meal, you get rice, beans, and about ten or more tortillas, grilled onion, and 4 sauces (2 red and 2 green). You can really taste the smoke flavor on the meat, which is a huge plus. Make yourself a couple of tacos and you will be one happy camper. The red sauce taste is off the chart, and the spiciness level of it is off the charts as well , so be forewarned. I actually like that its nuclear hot, because I don't need to ask for 10 sauces. They sell an additional 4 sauces for 1.50, and I always get 4 more. Great place for smoked chicken and ribs with all the traditional Mexican style fixings! Small parking lot in back, the area isn't too bad traffic wise. read more

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Jose's pollos estillo Acapulco what more can I say other that is the best BBQ Chicken in SAN DIEGO Try it out the red side sauce its perfectly spicy the green sauce is amazing as well . Service is phenomenal Im personally really happy this building has a business that's serving up the best BBQ grilled chicken and ribs ever. #bbq #bbq chicken #prokribs #san Diego #bestfood #yelp read more

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This place is absolutely fire. Killer ribs and chicken both plain and Acapulco style (saucy and messy and just exactly perfect). Don't sleep on Jose's! read more

Great family style whole and half chickens and ribs, served with rice and beans and very spicy (but good!) salsas. The food was made quickly and it was a good value at around $30 that fed 2 adults 2 meals each! I got the Acapulco style chicken and it had some extra marinade on it which was flavorful, but I think I'll try the natural bbq next time. Service was quick and friendly, seems like they might do a lot of takeout as the inside is small and not much for dining in. But we will be back! read more

Food is delicious! I go to San Diego from LA just to have the chicken and ribs! Must try!!!

Came on a weekend as they opened and got the half chicken and half ribs meal (1/2 pollo 1/2 costilla) got the Marinado as it was touted as the most popular. I was unsure of that consisted of just the chicken or both the ribs and the chicken. It came with tortillas, beans and rice and a grilled onion. Both the chicken and ribs were tasty with a thick marinade but I thought it could have been more tender. I haven't had Acapulco style chicken before but you should give it a try its different than the whole roasted Mexican style chicken that im used to. The beans and rice were pretty standard, the salsa gave somewhat of a kick so be careful with it to start. The grilled onion had a char on the outside while the rest of it was soft and tender and added a nice sweetness when you ate it with the chicken and ribs. You just needed a knife to break open the onion. This new location is in golden hill where El Barbecue was (some of the old reviews are for the previous location). They have their own parking lot in a gravel lot next to the place but you can also find parking on the street if you prefer. The place is painted bright yellow so you cant miss it. Theres a few tables inside and also outside seating on the patio. read more

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Jose's Pollos Estilo Acapulco has now taken over this corner shack in the Golden Hill neighborhood which has seen several businesses rotate through over the past few years. Yellow paint was added to brighten the premises. The inside only had seating for ten customers. There were some stools under the awnings on the sides of the building if you wanted to dine al fresco. A bonus was that the property had a dedicated parking lot to the south of the structure. Barbeque smokers were placed there to cook the meats. The first time I visited was a failure because they had sold out of their inventory for the day. We returned for lunch less than a week later near the opening time, and it got busy quickly. The menu was simple with a 1/2 chicken plate or 1/2 pork rib plate that could feed 1-2 people for $15. The other options were a whole chicken, an entire rack of pork ribs, and a split of 1/2 chicken and 1/2 ribs. These choices could feed 3-4 people for $25 or $26. Pinto beans, Mexican rice, grilled white onions, tortillas, and two kinds of salsa came with the order. We chose the split and sat at one of the two-top tables inside. The chicken, ribs, and grilled onions came inside a styrofoam takeout container about 10 minutes later. The tortillas were wrapped in tin foil while the beans and rice were in separate foam cups. I don't know if there was sufficient quantity to feed a group of four as the two of us managed to finish everything. The meats were coated with barbeque sauce which we selected over the natural flavoring or the Acapulco style marinade. I thought the products were overcooked, especially the ribs. Some chicken pieces were better than others. The smokiness on the skin was nice. The green salsa was definitely too hot as the chili peppers produced a latent heat that hit the back of the palate. The beans, rice, and tortillas were ordinary. The price was fair for the amount of food, however my rating of our experience at Jose's Pollos Estilo Acapulco was 3.5 stars. read more

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Today I stop by before going to work and let me tell you. The food was amazing, order the chicken and rib combo. A lot of food and the prices are spot on for the value. The hostess explain my options and recommendations with a smile. Great service, it wasn't too busy while I waited for my food to go. Once I got my food you can smell the greatness and my car smell great until I arrived to work and shared with my coworkers. I'm so glad I found a new spot that makes quality food before I go to work. The chicken and ribs were tender and juicy. I enjoy making tacos with the rice and beans. I will be back for more. read more

This place has some hype in foodie groups. This mirage turned out to be real. I remember seeing posts about this place opening and it having Acapulco style chicken. I've never had that style, so I do not have the ability to compare things. This place is really good but has a specific and limited menu. It would be easy to make the mistake of thinking this is a full Mexican restaurant. I say that because I did from a quick search. They had chicken, ribs, combo plates of the two, sides and drinks. That might be a knock for some, but that worked for me. Smelled good from outside when I got out the car and I love ribs. The guy taking the order said they have a combo not on the menu 1/4 rib and 1/4 chicken. It came with rice, beans, tortillas. For that and two waters it was $18 bucks and that ended up being a lot of food. The chicken was good but the ribs were better. Careful with the hot sauces, that red caught me by surprise. I like spicy and rarely warm people about hot sauces. This place is small and it's street parking. I say that because that's been the challenge of places that had this restaurant's spot previously. I dined in for a very casual experience on the outside patio. It's small and good for like 4 people outside. This will be a great togo spot. It's inexpensive and quick. This is not a BBQ spot. It's just ribs and chicken. I highlight that because good bbq options are lacking in SD. I try not to review places off just one try, unless I taste most of the menu. Well I tried ribs and chicken, 100% menu completed. I'll be back read more

Jose's Pollos Estilo Acapulco - Mexican Near Me - San Diego, California

The service is amazing very kind and respectful. Let's start with the food the gentleman was so nice he brought us a sample of the chicken and ribs. The sauce on the chicken omg is to die for. It's so delicious and the meats are so tender. Great atmosphere was great I love this spot. read more

Honestly this place is BOMB! I've always passed by it never tried it and then one day my sister told me that she accidentally stumbled across it on one of the delivery apps and she was saying how good it is and I had made some sauce that I wanted chicken for so I said let's go check that place out and it did not disappoint. I did ask for a sample of all three varieties which they have natural Acapulco style and barbecue and the chicken that I received was so juicy and delicious but the chicken that I ordered was not so if there was anything that I would complain about it would be that it's a bit too dry for me but otherwise I think you get the most bang for your buck it's really really good It's super casual so don't expect any bells and whistles but it's definitely a must try. Personally I like the natural flavor but I did get the ribs with the Acapulco style sauce marinade and then I dipped it in barbecue sauce which was so good to me They do also give you two different kind of salsas and the red one was really flavorful but a bit too spicy for me And the green one was absolutely fantastic super flavorful and not so hot but so good read more

Great taste and super clean. Our go to for something quick and delicious . Plus there is always parking in the back

This place is a legit version of El Pollo Loco that hasn't been commercialized. Delicious chicken with large sides makes it a great spot to dine in or take to go. Parking is literally the street and the area isn't the safest but I'll say, it's worth the risk. Slashed tired or stabbing... Jk It's as safe as my work laptop since it uses Microsoft. The small staff work hard to get orders out quickly and sweat really bad even with fans on blast. It might be the secret ingredient lol. Be sure to give them a try when in the area. read more

Let's get one thing out of the way. This is your true hole in the wall place. Could use some tlc both in and out However I didn't come for a Instagrammable moment . I came for the food and it did not disappoint! Try it out. Staff was nice. Took the time to explain the menu and made recommendations. read more

I've been wanting to try this place for a while, and today I finally did! It's Pollo Tuesday Special, and from the moment I stepped in, Erick, a friendly young gentleman taking orders, greeted me with a warm smile. Erick was incredibly polite and patient, answering all my questions with enthusiasm and a smile, which made me feel right at home. The aroma of the place was irresistible, with the delicious scent of food grilling over mesquite charcoal filling the air. I was unsure whether to get their ribs with Jose's house marinade or BBQ sauce, but I chose the house marinade. I ordered the Tuesday special--two chickens, one marinated with house seasoning and one grilled plain. The meal came with rice, beans, tortillas, and a vibrant green salsa. I took it to go, and the moment I got in my car, I could still smell that mouthwatering aroma of course the aroma was coming out from the to-go bags. I want to get home and start eating. To cut to the chase--the food was absolutely finger-licking delicious! I can't wait and tell my friends they HAVE to try it. read more

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