Good food BUT no soap or paper in the bathroom. Told the cashier. Nobody made a move to correct the problem. Have the employees been working all day without soap? Not very friendly here either. read more

I hadn't eaten all day and couldn't decide. As I was driving I saw "Chicken on the Grill" & decided to go through the drive thru. Big mistake & a waste of $7+. I order the grilled chicken quesadilla wrap, fry with a mango sweet tea. The grilled chicken "quesadilla" wrap was not a quesadilla. The tortilla was not pressed and it tasted raw. It was not hot & not close to warm; the cheese was not even melted. The tomatoes inside the wrap tasted old & so did the chicken. The fries could have been cooked a little longer. And the mango sweet tea didn't taste like mango at all. I'm addition to the unimpressive food the service was blah. The young girl in drive was not pleasant & seemed uninterested. First impressions are lasting; I will not return. read more

Don't go here. Same thing every time: order is always wrong, and when you point it out to staff they give you attitude. You wait for the order to get corrected and the rest of your food gets cold. Tonight, the food they replaced my wrong order with was dried out because it had been sitting under under heat lamps forever. We're done with this location. read more

Terrible customer service. Just left their drive thru (6/20/19 8:30p). The lady was super rude didn't even look at you while handing food at the window. That's not the worst part... I order the half chicken with yellow rice, balsamic tomatoes and plantains. When I got home I only got chicken in a box and a side of plantains. Managers and corporate sorry to tell you, get your shit together at this location. Not the first time this location has crappy employees. Edit: the chickens quality was dry and looked like it was sitting out for a while. read more

Pollo Tropical - No rice. Dry chicken. - Latin American Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

I went here on Saturday night at 10:37 I pulled into the drive thru- no one was here working, they didn't close until 11pm, this was also the night before Valentine's which was extr read more

Pollo Tropical - This was taken after sitting in the drive thru waiting on someone that never came and deciding to snap a pick for a review ! - Latin American Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Was picking up a doordash catering and decided to try a few items while I waited. Order the fried plantains and the nutella empanadas. Empanadas were tastey but the dough was a tad under cooked. Plantains were a disgrace to the latin culture. They were a nice size and fried well but a shoe has more flavor . A little adobo goes a long way! May give them another shot but not rushing to spend my cash anytime soon read more

Experiences like this make me wish I could give negative stars. I pulled into the drive through lane at 3:43 pm with 3 cars between myself and the order screen. It was 4:08 when I finally reached the order screen and was asked to edit a moment. When she came back I had decided that I didn't want anything based on how long it was taking to get through the line. I looked across the street at Chipotle asking myself why I had strayed from guaranteed good food. The worst part was the design of their drive through. Because of the curbing and landscape there's no opportunity to exit. There goes 30 minutes of my life that I will never get back. Even worse, I could have been eating Chipotle. read more

Get it to go, because the inside sauce bar is a full-blown health hazard. Food was OK, I like that there are some healthy options. However, the sauce bar inside was simply gross. Instead of having the logical pumps one would expect to get the sauce into the tiny cups, there is a goofy bowl and ladle system. It takes both hands to try to ladle the sauce into the cup while reaching far under a glass sneeze guard, and is 99.999% IMPOSSIBLE to get the sauce into the cup without slopping it all over your hands. I was inside the place for approx 15 min, and during that time alone, I personally witnessed the following: 1) A man slopped sauce on his hand, licked it off his hand, then proceeded to grab the ladles for a few more sauces to fill more little cups. 2) Another woman slopped sauce on her hand, then proceeded to shake her hand off OVER the bowl of sauce, shaking as much as she could off of her hand, and back into the bowl. No way Jose, I'm not eating inside there again. In fact, I don't think I can eat there at all unless I know for certain that they don't fill the sauce cups they keep for drive through at that disgusting germ station. read more

Besides the meats, everything else seems to be low quality..which is probably how they get away charging the prices​ they do. Where can you get a 1/4 chicken, ribs with a side for $8.19 +tax? Overall it's good bang for the buck. Since they've opened I've been here 3 times. First time was good. The table we sat at was filthy, but we felt lucky we even got a seat. The place was packed! The second time I left after spending 20 minutes in line and not getting anywhere. (again, it was slammed) 3rd time wasn't a charm. They were out of a lot of items and to boot gave me a messed up order and overcharged me... ugh. Yet, the chicken and ribs have been delicious! I'm sure these are just growing pains typical of any new business. As far as being out of items it's probably not their fault considering people are standing outside their doors at 10:15 am read more

Pollo Tropical - Latin American Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Probably some of the better tasting food I've had in Sarasota, largely in part to the flavors... this town caters to the elderly with bland, processed, over cooked, gummy food... The sweet plantains were delicious, I dipped mine in the cilantro garlic sauce for a kick. The black beans had good flavor, and was generously portioned with rice to equal one side. Pork was moist and well seasoned. Grilled chicken was cooked perfectly and paired well with the guava BBQ sauce. They have several sauces to chose from for dipping/mixing as well. Having just opened, the service has a few kinks to work out, more smiles, stocked silverware, etc., nothing major. Would definitely eat here again. read more

My only complaint about this place is the customer's. They are rude and impatient to say the least. Having experienced that, I would say be leery of the yelp reviews. So many people saying "the food is great! but I had to wait 30 seconds more than I was expecting! 1 Star for poor service." -Please. a useless review. The food here is great, and cooked fresh... not processed, pre-cooked, frozen and then reheated. Logic tells me that if this is the case, there is a possibility that I may need to wait a little longer for fresh food to be cooked. We ordered chicken bites, the pork platter, fried and boiled yuca, plantains, rice and beans, and a quarter chicken through the drive-thru. After waiting about 7 whole minutes, our food came out hot and delicious. I am happy to wait for fresh hot food. After our meal, I went inside for some extra napkins and to use the restroom, and to add support for my 5 star rating, I was happy to say that the place was immaculately clean. I also witnessed the badgering of a cashier and manager by a customer. To my amazement, the cashier and manager were polite and patient throughout the whole ordeal. There is no chance I would have had that kind of patience. Summarizing, the food was delicious, the restaurant was clean, and the staff was friendly. read more

I ate here a couple weeks ago with my father in-law, and I will say that he liked this place. I had the tropichop without any meat and all the vegetables. It was mediocre at best. This is only a place I'd go to fill a void in my stomach. read more

I think they need to do undercover boss here although knowing that show, everyone would get ten thousand! The chain used to be amazing!!! I have to believe this location is not up to standard. Best thing about this place, color of paint on the building:/ read more

Below quality food. The chicken was so greasy that it made my brother and I feel sick afterwords. Truth is that the unhealthiness and grease and oil isn't worth what you pay for. read more

I made an online order for delivery and it did not arrive completed and it was not the responsibility of the driver since the bags were closed. I ordered chicken and pork family meal and was missing the pork and fried plantains. I tried to communicate with them and after several attempts I had to give up since no one answered the phone. read more

Pollo tropical has kids working in the kitchen. Burning the plantains & serving 1/2 portions. The white rice was raw & crumpled up in balls. I took a guest there last sunday for lunch & their experience was a disaster. Did I mention over priced too. I was a regular but this was my last visit there. There's lots of tropical food options in town. read more

Good food, but the cashier at the drive through was very rude. She never once smiled or exchanged pleasantries. She had a scowl on her face the entire time. read more

I love to go to Pollo Tropical when I'm in Orlando, so when I saw they were building one here in Sarasota I was very excited. Since they've opened I've made several attempts to go, but every time the line was so long I got tired of waiting and had to leave. This restaurant needs new management badly. Update: So I went on my day off and got there at exactly 10:30am when they opened the door and everything was perfect...because I was the only one there. Lol read more

Rude employees. The food is great, when it's made correctly.... but that's the whole problem, the employees don't ring in what you want correctly and when you correct them they don't fix it. It's not hard to press buttons on a computer..... hire employees that aren't lazy and rude read more

I placed my order on the spot, paid for my purchase and when I picked it up they told me they didn't have it anymore! Disappointed!

5 years ago this place was delicious, had a great ambiance, an AMAZING sauce bar and great drinks you could help yourself to. Since COVID they did away with the sauce bar and drink station and all the fun decorations that went along with that. Now the ambiance is a stark cafeteria style room, the portions are smaller and when I told the cashier I was there for the sauces and wanted "a ton" he said at most he could give me 3 or 4 tiny containers. It used to be you could pump the sauce directly onto your meal as much as you wanted. The worst part was he said he could only give me 3 or 4 and I said well I'd like as much as possible and he only gave 3. I feel bad now that I talked this place up to the guy I took there tonight because it was a terrible experience and I was embarrassed. The food was decent but nothing amazing and overpriced for 2 fast food entrees and only one drink no sides for $26. Sad to see this place losing it's sparkle and wouldn't return unless it refurbished itself. read more

What happened to you Pollo Tropical??? I visited your establishment a month ago and the floors and tables were dirty. It truly showed disrespect towards your customers and lack of management. Is it that your clientele isn't worthy of proper restaurant services that other restaurants offer???? What message are you giving? When it came to the food, the chicken was fine but black beans we're awful. YUK! Please realize that there are Latin people eating at your restaurant and know how the food should taste! Shame on you! read more

Hello, I would like to say that over the past year and a half my wife and I have been eating at the Sarasota, FL store #202 and have never once had one problem when it came to food quality control. After my last three visits I felt that I needed to say something. Each time the chicken has been either cold, had large quantities of blood on them and been either undercooked or raw. The balsamic tomatoes were often rotten in each batch and the black beans are usually filled with water and 1/3 actual beans. Please look into this because when I spoke with the manager Miguel he admitted that something is not quite right and that the young employees are not learning how to cook or prepare the food properly and monitor the quality of it. I am including pictures so you can see what is actually happening. We love Pollo Tropical and my wife in particular because in the last year and half it has always been delicious and a place we can rely on. Not only that but not once did we ever have the chicken raw or bloody red. I am deeply concerned with the severe drop in food quality and believe people will start getting sick if this is not corrected soon. We do not want to get sick by eating at the Sarasota #202 store. read more

Pollo Tropical - Bloody chicken has been the norm the past three visits. - Latin American Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

I came all the way from Boston to spend some time at the beach and found this place to eat before hitting the beach. Me and my family ate some chicken and bowls here. I must say they are following the COVID policies strictly!! Everyone was wearing masks , no dining in, and the employees were not letting people in if they did not have masks. The food was excellent! The food was fresh, and NOT EXPENSIVE. Highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a CLEAN, SAFE, and INEXPENSIVE place to eat. The food is VERY GOOD!!! read more

Pollo Tropical - Tropichop Bowl with Chicken, Brown Rice, Chopped tomatoes, corn, and beans. - Latin American Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

I took my daughter here to dine inside for an early dinner. The customer service at the register is poor at best. The salsa/ sauce bar was a disaster and very disgusting. I was afraid to take any of the sauces since the entire area was a giant sticky mess. We walked the entire restaurant and only one table was remotely clean. Almost every table was dirty and one table was piled with trash. None of the employees were in a hurry to clean anything the entire time we were in the restaurant. I'm afraid to think of what the kitchen looked like. When you think of a chicken place, imagine the opposite of chic-fil-a and this is what you get. read more

Good local. Not far from 75 and the food is pretty good.. I enjoy the bowl. Tasty and u get a lot.. chicken is very fresh... Staff is nice and helpful. It is fresher then others I have tried and like.. def worthy of stopping by. I am happy to have one of these close by read more

See all

We are big fans of Pollo Tropical. So sad to not have it when we moved from Florida. Came to this location on a vacation and so excited to visit Pollo Tropical. Unfortunately it was SO bad. They were out of everything including all sauces. The order was all wrong. Items missing. Dinning room closed so couldn't return without a 30-45 min wait in the drive through again. The staff was indifferent and not getting along. They seemed very stressed and probably not getting management support. What a mess!! read more

3 months later I went back for lunch today. First time back since my last review 1 star. There was plenty of help, no wait, fast service and very tasty food. I'm not picking on you guys but today there was no straws, forks etc at self help station. In the half hour I was there. No one cleaned a table as it was clean your own. The sauce station looked like a mess, trash and trays piled up at that station. When I got my food the tray was dripping wet??? The place was dirty and no one concerned I guess. Don't know how this place will survive. So I give you one more star. read more

Food is delicious. We waiting over a half hour for our food. No apologies! My husbands plate was full! My plate looked like someone's left overs. Stay away from this location...it's just not worth the hassle! read more

Pollo Tropical - This is what they actually served me! A roll that looks like a kid picked the top off of it and I waited 32 minutes for this. No thanks! - Latin American Near Me - Sarasota, Florida

Ordered today for lunch to go a week after it open because I know they are going to be packed. They are fast! spicy sauce from the bar is great for dipping my chicken. OMG the chicken is FANTASTIC! I will come back and order again. I don't know why people giving you guys a bad reps but you guys are doing GREAT! read more

Stopped in for lunch on a Saturday. It was busy but they were well staffed on the registers and on the grill. In less than three minutes from walking in the door I had my order placed and in my hands no more then five minutes later. My to-go order was perfect. The restaurant itself looked older from the outside but on the inside it was new, fresh looking and absolutely spotless clean. I cannot tell you about the bathrooms, but the bar for sauces and the self service station for plasticware and napkins was equally clean and fully stocked. Staff was friendly and FAST! Whoever is managing this place deserves a gold star IMO. That being said, the food sucked. JUST KIDDING!!! I ordered the quarter chicken dark with rice and beans, balsamic tomatoes, and a side order of sweet plantains. I swear Sweet Plaintain's deserve their own national holiday. The chicken could have been a little more plump for my liking, but overall it was an incredibly delicious lunch that will bring me back the next time I am in town. read more

I love this place but offer a couple of caveats. Never, under any circumstances, go through the drive in. I cannot imagine why they have one, because this is not fast food. Also, I advise going sometime other than peak meal times because it is often packed then. I also see no reason to eat there, we always take out. The food itself has been uniformly good. They had trouble with service in the beginning, but I believe that the snags have been worked out at this point. read more

Food very good but lines long and crew unprepared for the volume condiments counter filthy , seems like no mgr on duty to check anything, but good very good I ll have to give hem time to get it together would gladly give 5 stars except for mass confusion by staff definitely will come back food very tasty just disappointed in up keep of open air condiment counter n messy tables read more

See all

My wife & I stopped-in mid afternoon on a Tuesday for lunch. The chicken is tasty and done enough which is hard to find at other chicken joints. The employees were in the "who cares" mode and we had to ask for plastic forks & knives and straws since the area where there you go for that was completely wiped-out. I mentioned it to the girl that took our order and she gave us 2 to go packages. About 10 minutes later, somebody came out to refill everything. A couple next to us got their food and half of it was cold. The manager gave them a slice of complimentary pie to make up for it. Just not impressed at all and won't be back. read more

Horrible. It's so sad that this location can't be good like other Pollo Tropicals I've been to in Miami. I have given this location more than one chance and have been very disappointed in the poor quality of food each time. I decided to try again after a year of not going there and it is exactly as bad as it was before. The manger had replied to my prior review as they did to many other poor reviews stating they would make improvements but sadly they did not. It's sad because as a working person, I really hoped this would be one good place I could get a quick meal on the way home from work as I had many times in Miami. Unbelievable that they can not even get something that should be simple and good right. They manage to serve horribly dried burnt and shrived up chicken with barely any meat on the bones, dried up rice and tasteless beans. I ordered a half chicken meal and was still hungry cause there was hardly any meat, it was mostly burnt skin, bones and the little bit of meat was dry and barely edible. If the management is reading this, please talk to the managers in Miami and let them teach you how to make the food so it's good, you guys do not know what you're doing and I wish you'd learn so I can have a night off from cooking once in a while. I can't believe you guys can even stay in business as bad as the food is. Unbelievably poor quality food and over priced for what you get. Seriously, how can you screw up something so simple like chicken and rice? You obviously do not care about your customers or your business. Very disappointed. read more

Went for the first time today. The gal at the register spoke very little English. We tried to communicate the order by pointing to body parts. The chicken was Soooo dry and charred, it was inconceivable that they could allow it to be served. But... at $9/hr... they didn't care. Such promise, what a let down. Good franchise, poorly run. read more

One of the most poorly operated food joints, I have ever experienced. This isn't just a one time thing. It's almost every time I visit. And it's a shame because they have great food. Save yourself a trip. Go somewhere else. read more

Was just here it is Saturday evening at 6:20, walked I. The door and stood checking out the menu, there were 4 employees at the drive thru, after a couple of minutes a young man that was taking out the trash spoke up and said there were customers waiting to order, the four employees at the drive thru then preceded to argue about who should take my order, after listening to this for several minutes, we decided to leave and got to chipotle's across the street, which was packed but we waited because they were at least paying attention. To the customers read more

The order summary said the meal would be ready by 6:34PM - we got it at 7:30PM. Manager in the back kept on yelling. At least 10 people got their food before us. Terrible! read more

Very disappointing. I just went through the drive-through at Pollo tropical. Almost everything was covered in sauce and mashed potatoes. The fried yuca was so dry I could not even eat it and the pork had so much fat on it. If I was able to, I would go and get my money back. I try to eat there once every couple of months and I am always disappointed. I guess I finally learned my lesson. read more