***UPDATE - 7/21/2017 Returned here a few nights ago at around 10 and as a result of that visit, I've dropped my rating of this restaurant from 3 stars down to 2. They were out of some beverages, there were 2 staff standing in front of the napkin/utensil/straw dispensers gossiping away while slowly restocking those items, rather than stepping aside for customers. My partner's chicken breast on the salad he ordered had spots of blood throughout (when he returned it, they put it back on the grill for a few minutes before re-serving it to him) and during our meal we were interrupted by 3 or 4 panhandlers and people trying to sell trinkets or solicit money while we were trying to eat. Overall, not the best experience! ***Original Review - 5/10/2017 This Pollo Tropical is located on the corner of 12th and 8th Street/Calle Ocho. We came here on a Saturday afternoon for lunch and the parking lot was completely full, though there were 3 or 4 "Pay to Park" spots open on 12th. The menu and everything here - soda dispensers, condiment bar, etc. is standard Pollo Tropical. Where this place really falls short, however, is with the speed of the service and food preparation. Normally at most Pollo Tropical restaurants I've been to, you place your order and get your cup, and by the time you pour your beverage, your meal is ready. Not here! There were probably 5 people in line ahead of us and you can look up on a few screens located behind and beside the food prep area to see everyone's order, and how long they've been waiting between the time they placed their orders and the time they get their food. Our orders were relatively simple... I got the 1/4 chicken with 2 sides and my partner got the Tropi chop, and we waited nearly 10 minutes between the time we placed our orders and when our food was finally served to us. The surprising thing was the inconsistency behind the counter: They had 1 woman working the register and taking orders, but at any given time there were maybe as many as 4 or 5 people cooking and preparing food, and then plating it for the patrons. A short time later there'd be maybe only 1 person working to prepare meals. Definitely wasn't an "all hands on deck until we fill all the orders" situation and it all seemed a bit disorganized. read more

1 star for location + 1 star for best vegan food item in Miami!!! Everything else makes it the worst Pollo Tropical in Miami: a) Dirty floors and bathrooms, b) hand sanitizer by counter doesn't work, told the staff, but apparently they're understaffed and didn't care c) they do not have cups for water instead, they offer you a cone paper cup or waist $1 extra for a soda machine cup! d) they do not have their signature sauces bar like any other Pollo Tropical, forcing you to make a line to have someone providing it from a hidden fridge under the counter e) ice machine broken... Not good in the heat of Miami!! read more

Dull old food, missing souse, missing items on order, not tasty. Will NEVER order from them again! Hopefully they will go out of business or certain owners will be fired! read more

Unprofessional unorganized-Ordered catered delivery managee told me they dont deliver got there to pick up food the they said food was delivered Manager didnt care had to track down door dash calling corporate tracking down the food.. catered meaing it was for a event I called all week no answer prior to me arriving the day of read more

I wish I had seen yelp before going to this location. Now that I see it post meal I totally agree. You get a few pieces of chicken on the salad, the sliders came with just a couple pieces of meat- far from any images of their slider publications on the restaurant. Maybe instead of focusing on their high tech screen menu they could work a little more on making the food up to the expectations of their posters. I really wish I had taken a picture of my slider. It was a pork slider, but mostly bread, because even the cole slaw in it was basically missing. The dinning area is dirty and the vibe in that place is so dark. Employees seem frustrated and unhappy. I was disappointed because I was looking forward to eating there. read more

Absolutely the worst experience. Avoid this place. There is zero accountability. We were delivered food we paid for but did not order. Their apparent attitude: Too bad! They do not answer the phone. They do not respond to emails. We are disputing the charges on our credit card. and the food....forget it. poor. read more

This Pollo Tropical has only been open for 8 months morenor less. They have the normal things on the menu like one fourth of a chicken with two sides that include rice and beans and whatever other side like yuca or salad. I usually go for the Tropi chop which is normally pretty cheap for a filling Bowl. This location is always full and normally if there is a line outside in the drive thru inside normally during peak hours 5 p.m. tonight and lunch time. read more

Pollo Tropical - Menu - Latin American Near Me - Miami, Florida

Placed an order on Uber Eats. Ordered 2 items. Order #1 - Tropichop with Beyond Meat, Rice and Beans. The order had only rice and beans. No Beyond Meat. Order #2 - Tropichop with Pork, Mac and Cheese, Corn and Guava Barbecue sauce. The order came with pork, rice and maybe 10 kernels of corn, and no sauce. The receipt clearly stated what was ordered. It seems as if someone just threw in whatever they wanted and called it a day. Never ordering from here again. read more

Always consistent. Chicken is always on point. Usually packed but they work very fast, try to beat the lunch rush.

just now Being waiting for more than 20 minutes and there is no line, no napkins, greasy tables, fountain machine is not working, and after more than 20 minutes they telling me that they are out of sandwiches.... . How did they know that they run out of sandwiches only after 20 minutes and I was the first in line.....horrible customer service....finally the manager got out and said to the employees to stop saying that they run out of food when they have everyting.... read more

Awful, poor customer service, very seldom is the food advertise available for purchase. Management needs to do a thorough review of customer service and ensure food availability. I won't be visiting, please make improvements to the businesses. read more

Terrible service! Anytime I visit any Pollo Tropical, the drive thru line wait is eternal, they often if not every time forget something from my order or the customer service is hideous! This happens every single time I visit any location. Please look into your logistics as it's a serious company fault! Also if you visit a little later in the evening, most of the menu is not available and they say they are out of everything! Upper management is clearly failing at running an efficient customer friendly company as you will observe for yourself. Stay away and save yourself a headache, drive, gas, patience and money. Worst location is the one on 8th street in Little Havana! Never again will I eat at their establishment! Stay far away from this business. read more

This place has the most rude service that I have experienced. A couple of employees here got extremely disrespectful and even offensive towards me. Not only they are slow and disorganized, but when I claimed for a better service they just started insulting me. I'm never returning to this place. read more

I ordered for home delivery. I asked for dark meat and got breast instead. To make it worse - all of the chicken was so dry we had to THROW IT OUT!I was surprised that the plantains were not ripe at all, so we had to pick through those. I've never had a problem at Pollo Tropical, only at this location. I'd rather go pick up elsewhere than use the delivery service to end up with this horrible meal. I called the location and the customer service number. They both asked me to leave messages. So, although I don't like writing bad reviews - I don't want anybody else to end up with such bad food. Go to the one on Miracle Mile or the one on 27th and US1, they are great. read more

I have friends that have worked here so I already knew . I ordered my food through drive through, & when I asked for a soup he said no . I said that's ridiculous it's soup all you do is add it to a cup and bring it out and add it to the tab . Then I asked let me pay for this and I'll get the soup he said no the name on my receipt was gersan 43698. I tried everything to make it easier so I can get the soup you should tell people before ordering Dont make any mistakes because we won't change it due to the computer and nobody was in the line only one person who came after we stayed in the window trying to get the soup . read more

To me, this place is the healthier more filling version of KFC. For $5.35, I got a 1/4 grilled chicken leg and white rice, the cashier was accommodating and let me substitute the beans for white rice instead. After eating a portion for lunch, I still had a portion big enough for dinner so I highly recommend. The white rice is soft and buttery, and chicken is somewhat flavorful, but what is more great is the sauce bar where you can grab BBQ, guava BBQ, salsa, cilantro garlic, among other sauces. read more

If I could put zero stars I would!!! This Pollo Tropical is the worst!!!!!! Employees are careless and they always manage to mess up every order, on top of that they have an attitude problem.To put the icing on the cake they tried to KILL ME & MY KIDS TODAY!!! So, this is how horrible experience started, (which its not the first time....) As I was ordering the food I had to explain to the employee about 6 times over on how I wanted the Chicken BLT sandwich. Simple, crispy Chicken BLT no lettuce or tomato and no sauce with just cheese and bacon. I also ordered 8 pollo bites. Once I get to the window, I kindly ask for sauce which she told me that there is no sauce, I ask are you sure.... she comes and gives me 1 miserable half full sauce. Then I questioned her again asking if inside is there anymore sauce she says no with a really bad attitude. Once I get home to eat the food the order is a complete mess. To begin with they gave me the sandwiches plain with just the chipotle sauce. The pollo bites were barely even cooked. I had to go back and tell them to remake my order. GUESS WHAT??? Once inside it was SAUCE GALORE!!! They gave me what they are suppose to be pollo bites after the remake. I get home to eat what I thought were going to be perfectly made sandwiches. Oh boy was I wrong! Cue the horror music.... thats when I saw the PINK UNCOOKED CHICKEN! Please dont come to this Pollo Tropical! Horrible service and they really dont care about no one. They give you pink chicken which I hope is not contaminated with salmonella because my children took a couple bites before I noticed it. read more

Pollo Tropical - Chicken Blt - Latin American Near Me - Miami, Florida

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Sauces bonanza. Love the curry mustard they got. The burgers were alright. Their chicken is very good. Especially, for a fast food restaurant it's great food... would come back here again. Prices are very cheap, compared to The fact that it's in center of little Havana. read more

Pollo Tropical - Chicken burger with waffle fries - Latin American Near Me - Miami, Florida

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I wish we had a Pollo tropical in the DMV. Even though the food they serve is so simple, I got nothing but good things to say about this place. I had the Chipotle chicken sandwich with waffle fries and the Jamaican chicken soup. They have so many choice of sauces, i got greedy and had to try them all out. The Curry mustard is amazing, i never tried a sauce like that before. Communication wise I had a hard time because everyone spoke spanish, but that just motivates me to learn it too. Overall I had a great experience. read more

Pollo Tropical - Chipottle chicken burger - Latin American Near Me - Miami, Florida

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Over an hour to get food at the drive through on a Saturday. This place is obviously poorly managed or understaffed.

Went tonight for food and had a terrible experience! My order was wrong and half of the things I wanted were not available so I had to change the order about 5 times. Still then when I got home my order was wrong and missing items. Last time! read more

Don't go to this Pollo if your in a rush especially the drive thru or if your expecting a clean well stocked dining room or working fountain machine. read more

You know the food. Simple and good. But this location takes your money then you wait for 30 minutes. I told the cashier today I had a comment for the manager about the excessive wait. He rolled his eyes like he's heard it all before. Anyway if you want fast good that's not fast come to this location. Two stars are for good not service. read more

Excelente servicio personal muy amable la comida deliciosa. Buen precio gracias pollo tropical

Imagine ordering 2 Boneless Chicken Breasts and they just give you one cut in half. I chuckled when I first saw it, but then remembered this won't keep me full tonight read more

Pollo Tropical - Latin American Near Me - Miami, Florida

1 Star because the food is delicious and my kids love it, but it's the same in all locations. Would have given more stars but I had the worst moment at this particular location in Calle 8. Inside the restaurant I had a homeless person beg me for money and food. I had left over to take home for my son in law and was stopped again by a different homeless begging for my food. I wish I had all the money in the world to feed them all but I don't. As I am walking out with my 5 year old and 7 year old, near the entrance there were at least 4 more homeless screaming and cursing between each other. My kids were in shock and scared at this sight. I don't know why Pollo Tropical allows such activities at their location! Will not go again!! read more

Very convenient and easy to get from in Brickell. And the only option for late night Pollo Tropical because the downtown Miami location closes shamefully early. Quite surprising that it took Pollo so long to open a location in such an important location in Miami, Little Havana. But now that it's open, it is great. Note to Management and Customers: Many times I have encountered Pollo running out of chicken breasts late. This is unacceptable and has happened many times recently. So if you go, don't go too late, they may very well be out of their top selling product. read more

Second time I order something here for deliveryand they forget something I PAID FOR! Gave me two lousy sauces for two family meals and the food was cold! I call to tell them this and they tell me to contact Doordash... Doordash is just the delivery service. Double check your damn orders. DO BETTER! read more

Horrible experience. First of all, the soap pumps in the bathroom don't work. Then I had to wait inside 10 minutes for them to tell me that I would have to wait another 20 minutes for the quarter dark I ordered, so I settled for white meat. How does a chicken place run out of chicken like that? Then as I was trying to leave, I came to find the delivery truck parked behind my car. So I was stuck waiting another 15 minutes. read more

Pollo Tropical - Stuck until the delivery truck makes its delivery - Latin American Near Me - Miami, Florida

Man I was soooo excited that this place opened up so close to home. I went yesterday and not only was the food good, the place was clean,new and staff was friendly. I will be coming here until the staff get comfortable and start slacking. The rolls were fresh , chicken was actually cooked and I really enjoyed my meal!!!! read more

This Pollo place is always on point. However, please way too much salt on the yellow rice and veggies. Please minimize the salt.

We came out with a stomach pain so horrible. It was so weird even our back and spine hurt so much. The guy that cuts the chicken with runny nose, cleaning his nose with a blue tissue. Why if an employee is sick you let them work like that? And on top of that they were talking so much not paying attention to the customers and orders. read more

I went last night and it was raining and I saw only one car, I forgot to stop by the speaker to order and went directly to the window and an angry person and very unprofessional that seems to be the Manager of the store took it on me, very mad, saying that wasn't the first time I do it. How she's referring to a Customer like that? She was finger me, and with the worse manner, I left without order and I will never go again to that Pollo Tropical on 8 Streef and 14 Ave. Never. They shouldn't have the most unprofessional Manager working there. It's a shame. read more

They do not offer as advertised. There is no curbside pickup available. And they don't pick up the phone.

On vacation from California the place is way better then pollo loco back home. This place has pork,ribs chicken say what yeah. And prices are cheap I love eating local foods. Plus you get get in with the locals and I can ask other good eating spots. But they have these sauces curry mustard and cilantro garlic. I ate it this location 2 times. It was always pack inside and the drive thru. They have them all over Florida. A must try you won't be disappointed. Get the tropical trio with white rice and black beans. So much food for under $12 bucks. And you could even share this meal it's doable. read more

The food is fantastic!! We came during a rush so they had their A-game on. Food was fast, fresh and DELISH! Only thing I'd recommend is taking it to go. People with bad eating manners & even worse BAD KIDS are just not what we wanted. Otherwise everything was great! I'd highly recommend this delicious food at a reasonable price to anyone. read more

Pollo Tropical - Latin American Near Me - Miami, Florida

Very unhappy with the atención of personal, not willing to make my request of all dark meat went ordering hole chicken, I am a very fan of this restaurant but this was the first and last time I order from this location. This is the first time I encountered this issue in the years that Pollo Tropical been on business. read more

The drive thru is a mess. If be waiting in the line for half and hour. Really bad service. What a shame

When visiting Miami, my husband and I always stop at Pollo Tropical on Calle Ocho for our first meal. Quick, easy, reasonable (they even offer a Senior discount of 10%) and the food is very tasty. We each get the half chicken with rice and beans, and a side of balsamic tomatoes. A half chicken is a generous portion, with enough left over for a chicken sandwich the next day. The place is usually clean enough.... they even have nice tropical desserts, like flan.... read more

I've come here 3 times and everytime they tell me they don't have half chicken and that I have to wait 20 and 40mins for dark meat only. Like they didn't want to sell me any chicken. Why call it pollo tropical when you never don't sell pollo. read more