Tried El Pollo Loco in Albuquerque and honestly had a really good experience! I ordered one of their chicken bowls loaded with grilled chicken, corn, pico, guac, and all the toppings, plus extra sauces and salsa on the side. Everything tasted fresh, flavorful, and the chicken was juicy with that signature fire-grilled flavor they're known for. Their citrus-marinated fire-grilled chicken is definitely what makes the place stand out. The sauces were a great addition and made it easy to customize every bite. I also grabbed a lemonade, and it made for the perfect quick lunch. The portions were solid, the food came out fast, and everything looked just as good as it tasted. Definitely a great option when you want fast food that still feels fresh and filling! read more

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The drive-thru was not working, so I walked inside to place my order. I was honestly shocked by the condition of the place. It was filthy--papers were all over the floor, and every table had spilled drinks, crumbs, and crumpled papers on it. What surprised me most was that no one appeared to be making any attempt to clean things up. There were only two other customers besides me, so it certainly wasn't a situation where the staff was overwhelmed by a crowd. A friend of mine owns two coffee houses--one here in Albuquerque and another in NYC. Never, not once, have I seen either location in anything remotely close to this condition. WOW. I decided to go next door to Chick-fil-A instead. I hope things improve in the future. Good luck. read more

I heard the craziest thing today which I haven't heard yet from a chicken spot. They said they're running low on chicken so they couldn't give me what I wanted.. Crazy times I guess read more

Stopped in quick for an afternoon late lunch just to hold us over till dinner time. It was pretty busy, but the line moved fast and the staff was friendly and courteous. I have to give the kid credit because I'm always a pain in the butt and ask lots of questions but he was patient with me and it worked out. First aid them up with the creamy chipotle quesadilla which was really good. The only issue I would say is the outside could've been left on the grill just a little bit longer. Chicken tenders. Ordered the chicken tortilla soup, which was edible but not what you'd expect from a decent chicken tortilla soup. I ordered a 4 piece loco tenders and the young man was nice enough to give me two classic and two spicy. They were OK tenders but if you see the pictures they're small and For I think what was about $11. It didn't seem as though it was worth it.. if they were spectacular, I wouldn't feel as bad. I'll try them again some other time because the regular chicken looks pretty good. I've yet to have it. read more

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Ordered on 8/27/26 around 7:15pm. Don't even consider coming here. Chicken was dry. Crunchy tacos had no meat whatsoever along with being drenched in grease. Mac and cheese was mediocre. read more

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It's opening week. I came for a take out for 1 at 5pm on Sunday 11/16. Nearly no parking and the drive up had traffic into the street. The place is small with few seats. Plenty of people standing waitng for their orders. I have never had food from this franchise - and I don't do fast food often. But, I had read an article ranking chicken franchises across the US and EPL came in above Church's and Kentucky Fried. So I wanted to try it. I perused the menu ahead of time and glad I did. They have self-serve kiosks but they are fairly easy ot see and navigate. This is what I had / prices / and my comments. 1. chicken tortilla soup $5.99 for a nice sized bowl. I was disappointed there were no fried tortilla strips or avocado toppings. But it was hearty and good. I would get it again. 2. chicken avocado taco. $3.49 on a flour tortilla - normal sized. I wish I could have swapped the flour for corn but did not see an option to do that. It was very delicious and had a bit of a spicy kick. I would get it again. 3. chicken taco al carbon. $2.99 on 2 street sized corn tortillas that were NOT CRUNCHY as described in the description. And why? Barely no contents. I felt cheated and I hate feeling cheated. I will NOT order that again. I still want to try their chicken alone so I will go again. The crew was hopping and the crew manager seemed to be in control. I was impressed at the overall caliber of the crew and their synchronized method of filling orders. Their grand opening is Nov 25th I believe. I'll steer clear until December when things die down a bit. Overall, for my $$ I think I prefer Chipolte. You get a lot for your money - but again, they are not a chicken place pe se. read more

Been here in Albuquerque for about two years. Moved from LA so you know I had to head up El Pollo Loco. I should've assumed that there'd be a crazy long line their second day of opening. Employees were genuinely nice and polite, despite being overwhelmed with the amount of customers. I got a chipotle burrito, two avocado chicken burritos, and a chicken quesadilla two orders of churros, large mac & cheese, small beans, and a small side of rice. Everything is great until I realize that they forgot my chicken quesadillas, I will say that them getting orde wrong reminds me of El Pollo Loco back in LA. Food was good, just wish that they didn't mess up my order. To be honest churro from el pollo loco are always stale but this was the first time they were crunchy and warm. Parking was a disaster, I would recommend just going through the drive-through. read more

El Pollo Loco - Mac and cheese - Mexican Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Hubby and I are huge El Pollo Loco fans , so when we found out about the soft opening today we were so happy. We got one of the meal packages--grilled chicken, rice, beans and Mac & cheese. We love it. I'm writing this review in the car because hubby insisted we go back for chicken, rice and bean burritos. I think I need to download the app so we can get rewards or something. read more

Have never had an experience like we did today. Walked into have lunch. Went to order, when the cashier asked what we wanted to order, she yelled out 12 piece mixed, the cook/ manager started yelling back Nope, nope, nope . She literally was telling us we could not have what we ordered. Because she had 3 sixteen piece orders ahead of us. When we asked how long for the wait all they kept telling us was a long time. Worst experience. and didn't even get to order. Need a better manager and more cooks. It won't be long before they go out of business I predict. read more

I'm sad to say I probably won't be returning to El Pollo Loco Albuquerque. The food is tasty, but there are a few issues. I've tried returning a few times to give them a chance because I do love this restaurant in California. Unfortunately the service is horrible, employees are rude, and the store is understaffed. To avoid waiting I have ordered online a few times, but every online order I placed was wrong, or missing multiple items. Today I visited and went through the drive thru. I ended up waiting 50 minutes, and that is completely unacceptable. If you can fix those things it'd be a great start. read more

Moved to ABQ from Los Angeles so we are very familiar with El Pollo. This is not NEW MEXICAN food and really not Mexican. But if you want flavorful chicken with a few sides this is the place. We use to eat at El Pollo once a month before moving here. Give it a try a couple of times- they are unique in flavor for the chicken and we always get beans, Cole slaw and rice. They offer a BRC (beans, rice and cheese) burrito that is simple and not too spicy which I would recommend for the Kiddos. If you are looking for hot/spicy/red chile New Mexico food then this is not the place. Their salsa is on the medium level so you can add your spice level. I only give it three stars as it is chicken fast food, not at a sit down restaurant. read more

Doesn't resemble the El Pollo Loco I remember. Forced to order from a kiosk and the salsa bar is gone? Food was okay, nothing special. But getting rid of the salsa bar is a deal breaker for me, back to Taco Cabana and El Taco Tote. read more

My experience was excellent. Went in about 3. Service was quick and polite. Question answered with a smile. Got the 5.99 bowl combo and was pleasantly surprised at its size. Totally shocked when halfway thru i was asked if I'd like more tortillas. Personally I would like it to get the cherry limeade drink as it's my favorite. If they continue to keep up high standards of service and cleanliness this will be a thriving business. read more

9:30 pm Monday stopped for a quick bite after traveling, door was locked, need to use facilities while waiting, but no. Went around to order at dt, he said order when ready, I star ordering and he doesn't answer back. Pay for the order asked for HOT sauce or salsa, I got 3 pico and 3 guacamole. No hot sauce no salsa, not what I asked for, and no napkins, of course. Your teenagers need a brush up on customer service and what goes in the bag, like napkins ffs! Maybe a thank you come again? Never eating there again, paid too much for crap. read more

El Pollo Loco - Chipotle burrito, quesadillas. - Mexican Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

Bro this is the place if you need quick but delicious. The chicken tenders are bomb ash! Yea so i come here 1-2x a week! And the quesadillas are awesome. The environment is quiet but you can hear the chicken cooking.. i highly recommend read more

The food is really good. The quality is that of all the times we have been to an El Pollo Loco previously in Arizona. There was some hiccups with getting our order correct, however the problems were fixed right away. The manager of the restaurant is extremely nice and was doing an excellent job running the show. We will definitely be back. We are so happy that there is finally an El Pollo Loco in Albuquerque! read more

...got the order wrong - omitted a Side and said nothing, sealed the bag. The chicken was small & dry. Wishing we had Baja Fresh here in Abq. read more

Pico looked and tasted like it had been sitting out unrefridgerated for hours. The quesadilla was sloppily thrown together. Not a lot of flavor either. And the chicken inside was chewy and rubbery. The spicy salsa was the only thing that tasted decent. It was edible but I'll probably never go back. read more

Bad Bad Bad. Drive thru experience 1. Poor customer service, almost mean 2. Ordered 3 tacos, only got two???? 3. No napkins with DRIVE THRU order. 4. Super long wait Never been here before and I think I will just stick to my other spots. Too much competition for this low level of service. read more

So freaking awesomeness this chicken off the hook. Perfect it tasted perfect so good and the customer service fast and it was great if your actually hungry go eat the chicken filled with protein healthy and great for your frequency. People who love to make there food and put a smile on your face means you will eat very good and be happy. Thank you so much and the salsas were great they have one with avocado and it's green and red one and pico de gallo. Go try at least once. I'm sure they have daily specials for those trying get on a better vibe for a great life. read more

I was avoiding this place because of the bad reviews. Recently, I tried a location in Phoenix and really liked it so I finally went into this one. The food and serving size were all fine. The food was not as flavorful as what I had eaten in Arizona, but it was still very good. The customer service lacked a bit. I think they just need better management and training, but I would go here again for the food. read more

Ordered a meal for two and didn't get that. Instead gave us a mangled up 3 piece meal. The only thing that came out well is the drinks, salads, and the churros. I was excited for this. But sadly disappointed read more

El Pollo Loco - One half. Supposed to be thigh and a leg - Mexican Near Me - Albuquerque, New Mexico

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It wasn't the nostalgic meal I was expecting from my youth in SoCal. Dry would be my assessment.

Went Thursday night after work, had to do the drive trough because for some reason the lobby closes at 8pm. Ordered the half chicken and Chipotle chicken quesadilla. Finally got to the drive up window to pay and a guy with face tattoos took my money and gave me my change but no receipt because out of 4 employees standing there, none of them could figure out how to change the paper. Was finally giving my food and headed home. Took my food out of the bag and had 3 pieces of chicken, only one side and no quesadilla. Put an adult in to work at night and get this place to the quality service it's supposed to have. read more

Have to order by kiosk. Staff looks at you no greeting. Tables are filthy and it's only 5:30pm on Sunday. Kiosk skips and not user friendly. So different from experience in California. Never will go back. Way overpriced for Chicken Church's, KFC, and Popeyes. read more

I waited in a long line for them to just tell em that they don't have anything other than corn, chicken and beans. Now I'm stuck in a drive thru for over 30 minutes without food. read more

We have been waiting for the newness to go down to try this place. We have been eating at this place in Phoenix for a long time and it is awesome. We decided to get dinner there last night. We got the 4pc dinner for 2. The pieces of chicken were sooooooo small. The 4 pcs were barely enough for 1 person. It came with 2 legs and 2 thighs. They were overcooked and dry. We will not be going back!!!!!! If I could give a negative star I would but that's not an option read more

Visited for the first time. Even though there were only 5 cars in the lane, it took about 30 min to get the order. The chicken order, in short, for the price of $12, was like eating cardboard, imagining it's chicken. Absolute waste of time and money. The tasteless chick was cooked earlier, then rewarmed, totally dry to the point of problem eating it, which we couldn't. Service was also at best 2 stars. read more

I called several times yesterday and today to ask if my party of five would have any problem getting dine-in seating on a weekday around 11:30am. No one ever answered the phone. Drove by in the evening to ask in-person but was stuck out on Juan Tabo behind a line of cars blocking traffic trying to get in the parking lot. It was all I could do to manage to get out from the cars and go home. I read David F's review and cracked up. It was so true. My group won't be going there any time soon. read more

Went to this new El Pollo Loco. We are familiar with this place since we lived in CA. First. When we ordered, they were out of the sides that we wanted. 2nd, they do not serve any drinks good for a diabetic, except water, like my 82-year-old mother, who wanted Unsweetened Tea but doesn't serve it. Even though they serve Gold Peak sweet tea. So she got a Vitamin water that was Pink water, no flavor. Even my Coke was also watered down. Food came out hot. But I had ordered 12 12-piece meals. In the drive-through. They gave me everything in one small plastic bag, just thrown in it. All the sides were upside down and and 2 lids came off. DON'T throw big orders in one bag. #rd I wanted salsa, what I got was watered-down avocado juice, no flavor. SEE VIDEO. I gave this place a chance, and I will not go there again. Terrible for a brand new place. read more

Man, it really sucks to leave a review like this because I had such high hopes. I've heard so much about this place but Jesus it's so fucking basic. I got the quesadilla which 75% of it had literally nothing in between the tortilla. The burrito is just so underwhelming. Like, I wish this was just hyperbole but literally 90% of the burritos that you get from anywhere else in Albuquerque are 100% better than theirs. A burrito from chipotle looks like a Ruth's Chris tomahawk steak compared to this place. I'm going to give it one more shot because someone else told me just to get the chicken meals instead of the tacos and burritos and quesadillas which clearly are just awful compared to what we have available to us, especially when it comes to the price because that shit is ridiculous. ‍ read more

Chicken was good, burrito was decent. Why 1 star? Atmosphere sucks! Place is tiny with poor ventilation. That didn't stop the cashier for YELLING every number that was up, and yes that took some time for that number to be up. Went to go get a drink only to find out the Diet Coke was out of order and it splashed all over my arm. Sat down to eat but had to get back in line because they forgot to give me my tortillas. Homeless guy came to my table asking for his share at the end only to walk out slamming the door when I declined. read more

Ordered taco Carbon food was cold, my babe ordered 2 piece breast/wing,small pieces were served, also cold mashed potatoes and he didn't touch the beans , ordered chips and Guac ,they were out of guacamole asked for red salsa ,also out and green as well , they offered queso the only thing that was warm,very disappointed, for being in our city finally, we thought we would get the good taste of El Pollo Loco but very unsatisfying.. read more

Nothing in my order was correct, had to go back through just to get my burrito. There were like 4 cars and it took like 30 minutes, guy working the window seemed high. read more

The place still has a few issues to work through but it shows promise. I pass this way often, so I see there are times of the day when there is more parking (as opposed to no parking last time I came). I see from the reviews that someone else had the same issue with me, with an extremely slow drive-through line. This time, there were a few places to park though so ate here. They have a kiosk screen to order from ... which I really don't like ... but someone helped me with that, so it wasn't so bad. They are continuously chopping chicken, so it is quite noisy inside. But that doesn't bother me much. You wouldn't be able to talk to anyone though while you were eating. The pinto beans were barely luke warm, but they were tasty. I guess they hadn't turned on the heating pots early enough before they opened. The rice was good. I only got two pieces, when I paid for three pieces, last time. This time the order was correct though. However, I think "3 piece chicken" means 1 breast cut into two pieces plus one wing. But ... that was OK. Someone stopped by the table to ask if I wanted some sauces, which was nice. They, for some reason, were out of corn tortillas, which was odd. Those are healthier than flour ones so I always order that. The chicken was tasty. I think they'll get better as they are open longer. Other options, that I don't usually order, looked promising, so I'll try this place again. read more