Compelled by the coupon sent in our monthly flier, we decided to use the el pollo loco meal deal for $17.99. There was ample food for two. The salads were fresh and the chicken had a nice crispness to it. The rice was so so but the beans and tortillas were nice enough. We opted to dine in and we had the whole place to ourselves. This was one of the loneliest, most Hopperesque beacon of a casual fast food eatery. We were tucked away in traffic-less, dark, industrial corner of San Rafael but what the place lacked in ambiance, the servers made up for with friendliness. Decent deal for solid food that won't knock your socks off...next time (if indeed there is one) we'll probably hit the drive through on our way home. read more

El Pollo Loco - 4pc Fire-Grilled Chicken Combo 4pc Fire-Grilled Chicken Combo - Mexican Near Me - San Rafael, California

The food was okay but the service was awful when asking for our receipt the cashier refused to give it to us I told her we needed it for our records and she got upset crampled crinkled it up and threw it at us don't think I'll be going back awful that somebody could treat a customer like that with such disrespect.,,, read more

I visit this location 3-4 times a month, and my order is almost always wrong. The drive-through service during lunch is not very friendly, and they often forget items, especially the loco salad. The food is great, but the service is disappointing. read more

The three of us were pretty darn hungry when we walked in to dine at the El Pollo Loco. One of my dining companions loves this location.He eschews all other locations when possible to eat here. It's been over 20 years since I've eaten at El Pollo Loco and I literally had no memory of what the food was like. I just remember I liked it. The service and setup is similar to every other fast food chain. The one difference is that the final stage where the order is completed with the small miscellaneous items that finishes the order. There was a lot of confusion at this point. multiple people try to complete the order. There were mixups. I think they need to establish the correct workflow in order to polish this. I got the chicken, avocado salad and it was darn healthy. A balanced blend of grilled chicken, beans, rice, corn, avocado and a dab of sour cream. Not a sign of grease. Checking the nutrition information confirmed El Pollo Loco is a healthy choice. The original meal is the best nutritional choice. The portions were sized just right for a very hungry group. It was within acceptable bounds even for diabetics (assuming your blood sugar is on the low side). The food was delicious. I would've said that no matter what since I was starving. But now I remember why I'd liked El Pollo Loco in the first place. Additionally, it was nice to be able to eat a takeout meal without managing the portions to suit the diabetic requirements. This meal is literally so healthy I could skip worrying about it. This one's a keeper. read more

El Pollo Loco - Chicken Avocado Salad - Mexican Near Me - San Rafael, California

Unfriendly service every time. All the chicken items I have ordered tasted somewhat burnt and definitely flavorless. Strong chemical smell in the restaurant. No heating in the dining room. read more

Terrible customer service. No sense of hospitality, overpriced and my order was incomplete. The Mac and cheese is like a soup. Not worth it.

This location is one of the cheapest to give condiments, how am I supposed to enjoy my food without a decent amount of salsa.

Caution. Caution Caution We just ate food from the San Rafael location, and we are now sick! The chicken we purchased at this location (thru their drive thru) doesn't even taste like El Pollo Loco's recipe, and was probably prepared hours before selling it to us. The One Star rating I've assigned to this review is actually generous. Buyer beware... WON'T BE BACK, but will be calling the Marin County Health Department first thing tomorrow morning to encourage an inspection. read more

Food is usually Good but sometimes not , most other pollo loco locations have better quality control Got the new shredded beef quesadilla and it was pretty good until i bit into the 3"x3" fat blob inside , see picture Suprised the cook couldn't see what he was putting inside my quesadilla maybee hes blind Or maybe pollo loco likes to stuff giant blobs of fat inside their quesadillas ? read more

El Pollo Loco - Giant blob of fat inside my quesadilla - Mexican Near Me - San Rafael, California

FLAME GRILLED CHICKEN: Tender juicy and flavorful chicken. Need I say more. I usually get this once every few weeks for lunch. The chicken is always done right . I get it with the salad with cilantro dressing and broccoli. This still meets my Paleo eating with less effort. The line can move slow but the service is consistent. They also have a wide variety on their menu including salads. Highly recommended! read more

El Pollo Loco - Salad with cilantro - Mexican Near Me - San Rafael, California

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I've ordered food thru the drive thru, almost everyone here doesn't care about the quality of customer service they should be giving. The chicken is either undercooked or overcooked depends on your luck, salsas are given only if you ask 10 times, even if you pay for them, always check your bag, they always forget forks, salsas and or straws because they are in a rush so that the timer in their drive thru stays under 3 minute. Take your sweet time to check your stuff before you leave that drive thru. read more

I am sick now from having a lunch there around 2 pm. I never have gastric issues. It was my first time to a Pollo Loco and I had a lot of questions. Maybe they were annoyed. I couldn't get a straight answer on things due to the language barrier. First and last time visit to a pollo loco. The deal meals make no sense. The whole thing was a mess and my entire meal was rice. Never again. read more

Update: is it just me or are they really making it possible that they make the pieces even smaller??? Not really that anything changed. Pieces are small but tasty and the people in the service are nice and friendly. Make sure you get their app to scan the receipt and get rewards if you go often. If. Or you at least get a free meal piece just for signing up. read more

El Pollo Loco - No, this is not after I have eaten half of it. Lol. - Mexican Near Me - San Rafael, California

Worst service ever: got our entire order wrong after I repeated it many times. Remade our order but never apologized.

This place I beyond disgusting The place is dirty and the food portions are non existent it's literally all tortilla not to mention there was a sharp object in the one and only bite I ate Chipotle is a million times better The people are rude and clue less I tried to show them and they just said it's the way it is. I have to say this is the most disgusting place I have eaten at in years! read more

The food is fine. You know what to expect. But the customer service here sucks. I work in retail and also own a small business, so I am typically very courteous and patient with employees everywhere and anywhere but they really tested my patience at this El Pollo Loco. A while back I went to the location in Napa and they were super friendly and amazing. So it's a problem with the San Rafael location, not the whole company. It wasn't busy at all and me and another customer that came in around the same time were completely ignored. I attempted to politely make contact with the many employees behind the counter and was ignored. Finally the other customer somewhat rudely got someones attention and they gave him his order before acknowledging my existence even though I saw my order sitting there ready the whole time. It's simple, though, I'll just take my existence somewhere else and they won't have to worry about it. Bummer because the food is fine and cheap-ish, and I like the convenience of ordering through the app. read more

Chicken is usually good, often shorted though. Ordered this week and got such bad food poisoning I had to go to the hospital. Would not recommend. read more

I would just give this location three stars... and the ONLY reason is because the quality and flavor of the food has been the ONLY consistent thing at this location. There have been countless times where my order was wrong. plenty of times where I am standing there for at least 15 minutes before someone takes my order. Just overall, not the greatest experience ... I also wanted to add that they just updated their hours because of the new restrictions since we are back in the red tier for Corona... On the door it says: "due to California curfew order, our hours of operation have changed to 10:00 a.m. through 9:00 p.m. until 12/21/20!!! So just keep in mind if you're planning to come, they are no longer open until 11:00 until December 21st!!!!! read more

El Pollo Loco - HOURS OF OPERATION HAVE CHANGED FROM 9:00 A.M.-11:00 P.M. TO 10:00 A.M. - 9:00 P.M. UNTIL DECEMBER 21ST!!!!!!! - Mexican Near Me - San Rafael, California

Fast food thst is Healthy and quick .. reliable take out food if you're bringing home food after a long hectic day to your family that That is a cut above the run of a mill , heavily processed, artificial stuff of ,,, say a McDonalds read more

You cannot go wrong with grilled bone in chicken.... moist and smokey. I truly love their dark meat. The breast are a bit more on the dry side.. but its still pretty moist. Side dish of choice: CORN!!! I always mix it into some rice. Very sweet and the rice absorbs much of the moisture from the corn. Flour tortilla: hot and fresh. Spread a bit of butter on it, roll it up....take bite of chicken then a bite of buttered tortilla...yummmmm Due to Covid the salsa bar is no more... they do pack little containers of salsa... avocado salsa... wet spicy guacamole...really good. read more

I had a great experience.This was my second time coming. I got the chicken shredded nachos and the chicken was fresh and juicy. The cashier answered any question I had. read more

I had a good experience and my meal was delicious.Service was good as always. I will be coming back

This place was ok. Nothing special but given the lack of other things open on July 3rd while we were road tripping up to Point Reyes, I was just glad to have a halfway decent lunch before we started hiking. Order: Burrito Grande Chicken Bowl Quesadilla Mac and Cheese side Pros: * Bless this place for being one of the only eateries open in this area on July 3rd. * People working the drive thru were conscientious about PPE and being sanitary. Props to them for this and working on that long weekend. It has a drive thru. These things are like gold in restaurant real estate these days. * Convenient location near highway. Cons: * It's El Pollo Loco. This is fine. Nothing to get excited about. The bowl was ok, the burrito was ok, the quesadilla was ok, the mac n cheese was terrible but my kid still wanted it, nothing to write home about. But there was nothing else open and we were tired of setting different places in Google Maps, getting on a wild goose chase by car, and finding the place was closed for one reason or another. * No utensils when the order clearly had 2 items that couldn't really be eaten by hand. Check before you leave the drive thru. read more

I've come to embrace El Pollo Loco, much fresher and healthier than what used to be Wendy's at this location. The staff are friendly and get my orders correct at the drive-thru. I'm in love with their double avocado chicken salad, and their avocado chicken burrito is quite tasty. Everything is decently priced, especially the combo family meal deal, a great option after working a long day. It's also healthier than KFC and Taco Bell. This place really does the business during lunchtime, super quick and accessible. Andersen is a mad house during the day. I'm sure all the local businesses welcome this new addition to the neighborhood! read more

Do the people who work here know that churros are supposed to have cinnamon sugar on them? It doesn't seem so. My boss occasionally gets me churros when he goes for lunch and not once have they had more than a scant sprinkle of sugar on them. read more

Pitiful garbage Mexican food. Embarrassing to say the least. Uncooked cabbage on a burrito? WHO does that? Unchewable! Both under cooked and dry chicken that had been sitting out for any hours! Soggy tacos. Burrito fall apart immediately. Forgotten items that were paid for, had to go back and request them. By far the worst Mexican food I have had in 50 years. 27 dollars wasted, and had to leave half of it behind because it was inedible. read more

They totally messed up my curb side pickup order and there is no avenue to get the charges adjusted except to dispute the entire charge with my bank. Uggg! read more

I got to the Pollo Loco I loved the food it was delicious, everything was fresh, there is a variety of healthy food

Their chicken have no taste make short very bad food and expensive. I would recommend this food to any one

Possibly the worst food I have ever had. the chicken taco was soaked in cold grease it looks like it was setting out for a long time and my chicken wings the same saturated in cold grease management needs to check this unit it is out of control and will lead to potential litigation if anyone gets sick. My next email is to the health department. &18.00 1 taco and 4 wings read more

I come here every once in a while for an under 500 calorie meal or the keto burrito. I appreciate they have choices for people like me that count calories, but still love fast food. The prices are reasonable and the service is always friendly. I like their salsas and sauces too. I need an El Pollo Loco fix soon! read more

El Pollo Loco - Tasty holiday tamales! - Mexican Near Me - San Rafael, California

I just got this burned chicken. They do not give any extra tortillas you have to pay if you need more than 3 tortillas. The San Pablo ave in Richmond is much better. I was so happy when they opened this Pollo Loco. But this is really bad. Good location, nice place. Bad service and burnt chicken. read more

El Pollo Loco - I just got this burned chicken. They do not give any extra tortillas you have to pay if you need more than 3 tortillas. - Mexican Near Me - San Rafael, California

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I rarely write reviews but I had to say something about this place. We ordered food to go through the drive thru. Not only did they leave out food from our order, when my husband drove back to get it, they still didn't give us the correct order. Then after I finished drinking my iced tea I find a big in my drink. I try to give places the benefit of the doubt. But this is not the first time they have forgotten food in an order of mine. I am never going back. This place is unsanitary and doesn't even give you the food you ordered! read more

El Pollo Loco - That is a bug in my drink. Thanks el Pollo. Do yourself a favor and never go here. - Mexican Near Me - San Rafael, California

I am a regular customer at this location. I always get great service from Gloria the manager. And Maurice that takes my order. The food is excellent I have never had any complaints. I would highly recommend this location for a lunch or a dinner. read more

BEWARE...pretty sure my credit card number got jacked from this place. I got a fraudulent charge for a Papa John's online order which I did not order. The only place I had physically used my card was at the drive thru on March 17th. Oh yeah...and she forgot the salad dressing. Other than that...I LOVE the chicken & sides. Never disappoints. Good value & food quality. Guess I'll have to go to the one in San Pablo in the future. read more

Ordered an 8 piece family meal...horrible. I didn't receive 8 pieces, I received 4 okay pieces to eat. Nothing that was said on my order was done. What a FUN rip off of $40. Thank you. . Not my first time having a Messed up order from this place. I want my damn $ back. read more

I ordered the 8 piece meal (mixed) and it was so bad that after a few bites, we threw it into the garbage. I ordered from here once before, last year, and the chicken was really dry. Way overcooked. Decided to try it again tonight hoping the last time was just a lone bad experience, but I instantly regretted that decision. Same situation - chicken way overcooked, dry as a bone. I don't understand how anyone who's ever eaten chicken could cook that mess and think it was worth serving to people. A day old sandwich from a gas station would be preferred to eating there again. read more

I have been a fan of Pollo Loco since the 80's in Los Angeles. Sadly, I just had the worse meal there. Everything was over salted and barely edible. I felt bad because I'd talked my friend into having it after singing it's praises. I'm still apologizing. That's it for me. Adios, El Pollo Loco! read more

The crazy chicken has come to Marin County. Didn't think El Pollo Loco would come here, but glad we have more options for decent fast food. Came here on a Wednesday night and it wasn't too busy for opening week. The service was great and they had all the normal menu options that you would normally see at the El Pollo Loco. The only downside is the parking when it gets busy. If you decide to go in, don't park in the spaces next to the drive through line. By the time you come out the drive through line of cars will block you in. Looking forward to going back when we're in the mood for some crazy chicken! read more

El Pollo Loco - Best part of the Pollo Loco! Chicken grilled fresh. - Mexican Near Me - San Rafael, California

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I've been coming here consistently since my last review 4 years ago and I haven't had any of the bad experiences described in the negative posts for this restaurant. Food continues to be consistently fresh and delicious. Staff always friendly and I've not one time experienced my order being wrong. I do go to the restaurant to pick up rather than having it delivered. read more