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    Pollo Tropical

    1.9 (74 reviews)
    Closed 10:30 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)
    Updated 3 months ago

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    a sign for a restaurant
    Heather M.

    When visiting Florida every trip I am told the same thing you need to try this place Pollo tropical this last visit I was finally able to see what the hype is about they advertised citrus grilled chicken as their main dish They actually grill the chicken right in front of you and chop it to order which is unique The menu also offers chorizo and pork chop as well as rice and beans and desserts I got the variety powder and it was very delicious they also have different sauces to try that are very unique I like the pineapple rum the best However this location needs some attention the bathroom was horrible they were literally missing the toilet seat and it was very dirty the staff seemed overwhelmed but we're doing their best to make sure the orders went out properly the trash is overflowing and the tables were very clean you can tell that staffing is an issue here overall it was a good experience and I will try them again hopefully they can fix the concerns

    Avocado Chicken Salad Grilled

    Being from Los Angeles, I'm pretty picky when it comes to food spots, but Pollo Tropical really impressed me. The food is fresh, flavorful, and different from anything back home. Jeimy, the cashier, was super friendly and made the experience even better with her great attitude and attention to detail. It's always nice when you find a place that delivers good food and great service. Definitely worth checking out.

    Overcooked dried out chicken

    Usually good but the last three times chicken has been super overcooked and dry get someone else on the grill !!!

    Half chicken special
    Boon C.

    Today I am using their drive through for ordering. It was rain cat and dog. I am happy to see the kiosk order cover section at their drive through without get wet while order. It was without delay at the pick up window to paid and received the order. I order the half chicken special. It was well cook with good marinated sauce. The marinated went to skin deep. But flavorful. The rice and bean also good to have. The order was well conducted. Food is good for the drive through and accurate with the order.

    Reen K.

    Picked up lunch today for my family. I don't eat chicken, but Pollo Tropical is one of their favorite restaurants. They really enjoyed their lunch today.

    Barely there protein with burned onions. It was basically an onion sandwich.
    Betty A.

    Once again this franchise disappoints. The pork was nothing but gummy fat and a large order of plantains which they charge $4 for, is scarce. Also whe I wS in drive thru, the wait was terribly and ridiculously long. As I waited, I looked inside and where they stack the rice, there was a bag open just sitting there. I sure hope they close it at night. They seriously need new management.

    two plates of food on a table
    Melissa O.

    The cashier and the manager was ghetto as hell. I asked for pineapple sauce and she told me that they didn't have it. The next customer asked for it and she gave it to her. They are unprofessional. The dining room is dirty and so are the workers. No one looked neat. None of the guys had haircuts or were clean shaven. One of the workers had her kids there while she was working and they were running around being loud. The cover was not on the soup and the cashier had an attitude when I asked to purchase more rice. I will never come here again and I love Pollo Tropical. This location is thrash and the entire staff need to be fired! The only good thing is that the food was good!

    1/4 Chicken Platter With Kernel Corn and Caesar Salad
    Allie S.

    Props to Pollo Tropical for always appreciating their veterans and community. I went in today for their monthly Military Appreciation Day - free 1/4 chicken platter with 2 sides for active duty and veterans. There was nobody else in the drive-thru when I went, so the service was very fast. I received my food quickly with no problems. The food wasn't bad but definitely nothing to go crazy about. Can't really complain though when the whole meal was free. Thanks again!

    Fried chicken pressed cuban! Yummy delicious!!!!!

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    1 year ago

    Very bad service very rude too no one was at the window would not recommend WE HAD TOO WAIT OVER 20 MINUTE'S LIKE WHY!??!!?!!!?

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    5 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Chicken was dry, place seemed dirty and the service was horrendous. I'd rather eat a slim Jim than pay for this nasty food

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    3 years ago

    Worst customer service ever, will never come here again definitely don't recommend this location

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    Review Highlights - Pollo Tropical

    I've been in many different Pollo Tropical restaurants in Florida and I can tell you that (5101 Fowler Ave) is the best one I've tried.

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    The Red Bird - Platter

    The Red Bird

    4.5(32 reviews)
    0.4 mi

    Hands down best chicken sandwich spot- consistent, straight forward and fairly priced…read more Service is great and you can get 2 chicken sandwiches and fries for like 13 bucks AND it's delicious. I get hot and extra hot- perfectly spicy without regret. The building is modern and the vibe is clean and comfy room for groups or just yourself. I love this place HIGHLY RECOMMEND! Any time I'm in temple terrace I come here.

    I used to eat here often when The Red Bird was brand new. Back then, the portion sizes were…read moreactually fit for a human and left me feeling full, but now they are seriously lacking. I went there today to pick up an order I placed through Uber Eats. Usually, when you pick up an Uber Eats order yourself, they don't require a verification code. However, when I went to the front and gave my name to the cashier, she asked if I had proof of the order. I told her no, as I had ordered on my computer and didn't have a code. She insisted she needed verification. My phone wasn't working at the moment, which I don't blame her for, but the way she handled the situation was incredibly frustrating. I waited 20 minutes before I actually got my food. The cashier stood there talking on her phone, claiming she needed to ask her manager, but she never actually did. I didn't hear her explain the situation or ask anyone for help. Instead, she just stayed on her phone and eventually slid the food over to me. There was no apology for the wait, no "here you go," and no "have a nice day." She just slid it over with a smile while still chatting on her phone. It felt like she was purposely inconveniencing me. As soon as I mentioned that I had my ID to prove who I was, it was suddenly no issue, and she handed it over without ever checking with a manager. Very disappointing experience. While the food itself still tastes good, it is simply no longer worth the money or the poor treatment. I never expected over the top, bubbly customer service, the staff that used to work here would just get the job done without the fake enthusiasm, and that was perfectly fine. But there is a massive difference between a worker just trying to get through their shift and one who actively goes out of their way to keep you waiting while talking on the phone. Between the disrespectful service and the shrinking portions, this place just isn't what it used to be.

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    The Red Bird
    The Red Bird - Hot Chicken Sandwich.

    Hot Chicken Sandwich.

    The Red Bird - Cashier Station and Unlimited Sauce

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    Cashier Station and Unlimited Sauce

    The Fry'n Wok

    The Fry'n Wok

    4.1(14 reviews)
    1.5 mi

    I love the Fryer House, so I've been wanting to give this place a shot. It's going to be on my…read morenormal rotation now! The service was friendly. The restaurant was clean, bright, and had ample seating and parking. I loved everything that I tried. All the food is prepared fresh, so everything came out piping hot. The firecracker chicken bowl was my favorite. I got it medium spice. It was absolutely delicious. It was hot, crispy, spicy, and a touch of sweet. The fried rice was super flavorful, and this is something I typically miss at typical Chinese food restaurants as I cannot eat pork. Of course, no pork in this fried rice. My partner got the sesame chicken, and I presume it was amazing because he wolfed it down so fast, I didn't have to even sneak a bite. The Japanese fried chicken was a 10 out of 10! It was lightly breaded, flavorful, and crispy. This place is a gem. I seriously recommend it and may even go back today. When we were eating, someone came in and ordered a mango matcha. It looked so good that I have to go back to try it.

    Pros: Clean ,…read moreappealing space with orange theme. For Muslims, there is no pork in the fried rice. The Orange Chicken has some sauce in the bowl not just on the meat pieces itself. Cons: Prices are a bit expensive for what you get. Most dishes are in the $17-19 range. I was expecting either a lot more food quantity or a knockout taste. I know this is an independent restaurant,but it seems excessive. The meal I had is almost equivalent to a meal from the rank and file Chinese restaurants all around Tampa or Panda Express. The Orange Chicken had minimal spice. It's supposed to be sweet AND spicy. Pandas is just sweet and I'm afraid Fry and Wok follows the same beats. Liangs Asian bistro in New Tampa has OC that is sweet and spicy. It seems odd to me to do your own take on Americanized Chinese and not improve on it. No one asked me about spice level when I ordered FYI. I asked for tap water and I got hot tap water with no ice. I looked at the menu and all their drinks are $6-7 boba drinks but no canned or bottled soda . In this economy, they should serve some thing cheap as you're getting into $23/24 for one meal. Overall: It's a serviceable place to get Americanized Chinese but the prices and lack of spice make it redundant when there are so many similar and cheaper places.

    Photos
    The Fry'n Wok
    The Fry'n Wok
    The Fry'n Wok - Orange Chicken ($17)

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    Orange Chicken ($17)

    The Fryer House - Them grilled lemon pepper wings with grated lemon on top

    The Fryer House

    4.5(56 reviews)
    4.5 miSeminole Heights
    $$

    Haven't wrote a review in a hot minute but this place was so good it inspired me to write again…read more The owners are so kind they treat you like family here. If they are able to they accommodate to large groups. There are so many different things on the menu including the classic chicken and waffles that we indulged in, churros, Mac and cheese, wings, burgers, shawarma, whatever you could crave with a variety of sauces and seasonings. Definitely come check them out if you're in the Tampa Bay Area. They have parking available in the front and the back.

    We tried this place today and are extremely disappointed with the service, the food, and the…read moreatmosphere. We tried this place about a year ago, and we had a completely different experience than before. I can honestly say, I won't be back. Not ever. Not even a chance. This place is filthy. The floors, the tables, the bathrooms (the worst I have ever seen), and even the napkin holders. I had immediate regrets upon stepping in based on the lack of cleanliness. The amount of flies swarming was alarming. The service was a zero. The girl working watched us order at the kiosk, the kiosk wouldn't let us pay, we tell her, and she says "oh it doesn't work." So we ordered with her even though she sat around watching us waste our time. I ordered a wing meal, told her I wanted the wings injected, and she said "we don't inject them. I will give you sauce on the side." The menu clearly says they inject wings, social media videos always show it, and also, my last visit there was also injected wings but she would give me no explanation other than "I will give you the sauce on the side." It was bizarre and I couldn't even get a "we don't do that anymore" from her. We ordered a chicken sando. The quality was horrible. Chicken tasted overly processed with bad texture. We also ordered a wing combo. The wings were flavorless. Absolutely flavorless. I ordered medium and there was zero spice. Not even a tad. Apparently they don't inject their wings anymore so there was no flavor in the wings. The quality was pretty bad. Also, the "sauce on the side" that the girl working promised me was not the sauce I ordered, it was the sauce she chose. The whole ordering experience was odd. Definitely seemed like someone who did not care about providing good service, good food, or a sanitary environment. We waited about 25 minutes for our food. About 3 people came in to get pickup orders while we waited and no one else. So we sat and waited while the flys swarmed our heads. The cashier never once tried to come out and clean the filthy tables. She even paused doing nothing for a restroom break, used the filthy restroom, came out with WET hands, and grabbed a napkin from the dusty napkin holder on the filthy table to dry her hands. Then still never wiped down the table caked with food debris. Absolute terrible level of cleanliness, care, and service. It ruined my appetite. After waiting that long, the Mac n cheese was ice cold. 25 minutes for Mac n cheese with a chill to it and no heat. I'm convinced they pulled it out of the refrigerator and forgot to heat it up. This place just had too many misses: a lack of quality, a lack of good service, and a lack of any sanitation standards. Never again. We didn't finish our food. We threw it away outside.

    Photos
    The Fryer House
    The Fryer House - Peri peri wings

    Peri peri wings

    The Fryer House

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    Pollo Tropical - latin - Updated June 2026

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