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    El Pollo Real

    4.4 (45 reviews)
    ModerateMexican
    Closed 10:00 am - 8:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    El Pollo Real Photos

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    EL POLLO REAL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Half of chicken
    KELLY M.

    Came here for a dinner takeout. We order half of chicken with side of rice and bean soup. Let me say the chicken is delicious! I love how they made the chicken. We also order flautas which are fabulous. Crunchy and delicious. The salsa is not bad either. There are street park so you can run in to get the order.

    The best in Chicago
    Augie M.

    Second to none, El Pollo Real is not only the best place to get Pollo Asado, it is also the best Mexican restaurant in Chicago. Right off 31st between Kedzie and Pulaski, you'll find this diamond in the rough. If it helps, follow your nose and you will not struggle to find with the delicious smells of the smoke. A few other notes: An order of Arrachera (skirt steak) with a side of beans and guacamole; half chicken with two sides; whole chicken with two sides: under $50 and feeds about 6-8 easily. For takeout, 25 minutes to prepare with cebollas (grilled onions) and salsa (hot sauce). **While you're waiting, I strongly recommend grabbing some pan dulce (Mexican pastries) to go from Bakery La Paris just down the road towards Pulaski. I might be screwing myself with this review, but it is too good not to share. I hope you do not find this review cynical, just trying to help others get out of their confront and immerse in our culture. Good chicken should never be ignored. Char Broil Chicken Pollo Asado Arrachera Carne Asada Grilled Jalapeno Guacamole and Chips Adobado Grilled Chicken

    Seasoned grilled whole Pollo
    Jose C.

    El Pollo Real serves some of the best chicken in the city. You can get a whole seasoned chicken with 2 sides for only 14.99. That is a huge steal. Nowadays it's hard to feed a whole family for under $20. The seasoned chicken is of course well seasoned and grilled to perfection. I ordered rice and beans as my wife's and they give you tortillas. Some chicken rice and beans in your taco with their home made Salsa and that's all she wrote. The chicken is very juicy and they are vice welcoming in there. Can't wait to go back!

    Chicken!
    Valeria G.

    Wow! Just ordered for the first time from this place and it is absolutely amazing! So amazing, I want to come back and order again from this place to share with my friends. We ordered 2 boxes of chicken, rice, refried beans, and charros beans. It was reasonably priced, flavorful and just great! I can't rave enough on how delicious it all was. Wow!

    Pollo rostisado y adobado combo
    Señorita Rodrigue Z.

    Pollo real is located on 31st in Little Village, 2 blocks east of Pulaski Rd. On a busy work night, I can rely on Pollo Real to deliver me a delicious meal right to my home, extremely fast. I called at 8:15pm (3-25-15) and placed my order as I arrived home, my food was delivered at 8:37pm. Now thats fast delivery!! Of course, they deliver within the community but you can also dine in, they have plenty of space. They have different specials and today (wednesday) is buy a whole grilled marinated chicken and get a half chicken for free. If you order the combo, for 5.00 more, you will get huge rice and bean portion along with a pack of tortillas. The chicken is so juicy and is adobado meaning it has been marinated and spices have been added to the chicken before it is placed on the grill. If you dine in, parking is available via street parking. As of one month ago, credit cards are NO longer being accepted for deliveries. For dine in, credit cards are accepted.

    Adriana Kruzty A.

    So far the best pollo al carbon ive had around the area. Great taste ,salsas are delicious pickled onion good. reasonably price(cheap) over all good .

    Charcoal grilled chicken
    Melissa C.

    Oh my goodness this place really hit the spot. The chicken was packed with flavor, it was juicy and tender inside and the outside had a slight crisp to it. I must admit the white meat pieces were dry. I loved the salsas it came with and the rice and beans were good as well. Just thinking about this place makes me want to go back.

    Do you think I could get a seat at the grill?
    Chris C.

    Whenever we visit family in Chicago, we like to try new places. If I would make one wish, I think I would wish to be Peter Pan so I could never grow up and could spend my life finding more wonderful places to eat like El Pollo Real. Let me tell you I have been eating chicken for a long time and have had chicken prepared all sorts of ways. This may be the BEST chicken I have ever had. This chicken was amazing! We had done our typical research for locations on Yelp and this one sounded interesting so we loaded up the vehicles and made the drive to El Pollo Real. El Pollo Real is located on the south side of Chicago not far from Cicero. Some of you may be unsure of the south side but hey, you're going to eat amazing chicken not going to an art gallery. Not that there's anything wrong with an art gallery except that they don't serve the best chicken around. So we went with my wife, brother and his wife and my 10 year old nephew. One of best parts about going with a group of us is we order lots of food so we can all share and try everything. The other part about going with us is we order lots of food and usually have lots of leftovers. As we were getting closer you could smell the charcoal in the air. We parked on the street and went inside. They were quite busy with lots of take out orders going out. We elected to eat in. Their menu is pretty simple. They have seasoned or natural chicken or flank steak. All their meals come with tortillas, beans, rice and potatoes. They also had guacamole and chips. So we ordered 3 chickens (yes for 4 adults) some flank steak and guacamole and chips as we love that. While we waited for our food the smells in the restaurant made us even more hungry. From where you order you can look into their kitchen and see the pit of coals burning where they are grilling their chickens. When I die, I want to be buried right there.When our food came out, it actually came out with several severs. I think we ordered the whole coop. Our table was full of chickens, steak and food. We all started on the chicken. This chicken was so flavorful, so juicy. It was just perfect, The seasoned had a perfect blend of seasonings. It was not spicy but savory and smoky from the charcoal. The natural had just the great flavor from their charcoal. I noticed while I watched they grilling the chickens that they basted them with something. I wonder if could get a gallon of that to go? This food was so good. We did a lot of damage this evening and ate way more that we should of. It was that good. The kicker of the meal was their potatoes. They grill/smoke these whole potatoes that they serve with their meals. Crazy good. I made sure we didn't have any left over potatoes. Their beans were creamy and excellent but really were a side order to that chicken, We found out after we ordered that they have a special during the week that when you order a chicken dinner you get a half a chicken for free. So with some help from their deal we ended up with a nice bag of left overs that will probably be eaten as a late night snack. You have try this is place. If you like chicken, you will love El Pollo Real. If you don't like chicken you will love El Pollo Real. Easily the best chicken I have ever had!

    flour tortilla, salsa, marinated grilled chicken goodness

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    7 years ago

    The chicken is some of the best I've ever had, moist and delicious. Friendly staff, this place is worth the drive.

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    9 years ago

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    8 years ago

    Amazing food!! Highly recommended. Great place to take your family & enjoy some pollo! ‍‍‍

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    12 years ago

    This place is good a little price on the weekend but if you come on Tuesday Wednesday or Thursday price is good

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    13 years ago

    One of the best Char-broil Chicken spots that Chicago has to offer.... Go hungry!

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    El Xangarrito

    (216 reviews)

    Lincoln Square, Ravenswood

    Thanks to Yelp El Xangarrito has been on my list for sometime, and I was not disappointed. It is a…read morevery small family-owned Mexican restaurant but the seating does not make you feel cramped. We did make reservations/wait list and was seated immediately. We started off with chips and salsa, and the salsa was a bit too spicy for me, but everyone else enjoyed it. We started with the Chicken Poblano - a savory dish with creamy poblano sauce mixed with chicken and sliced poblano peppers topped with corn. We all enjoyed it. Most of the reviews recommended the enchiladas and we ordered a variety of them. The Enchiladas Poblanos stuffed with chicken and cheese. The poblano sauce was rich and smoky. We also had the Enchiladas Morita. They were filled with shrimp and cheese. It was so flavorful and the morita chile added so much flavor. Each dish was served with a side jicama salad. Their special was a shrimp pasta with lobster. It came with full lobster tail. The sauce was creamy and flavorful. It is also BYOB, which is a nice option. Service was excellent, friendly offered recommendations. This is probably one of my favorite Mexican restaurants and highly recommend.

    Xangaritto continues to be a beacon of delicious food and friendly hospitality. They switched…read moreowners about a year ago and the beginning was a little rocky but today was an amazing experience. I love coming here for the tampiquena and the enchiladas. The tamipquena is marinated in something delicious, pretty sure it includes adobo chiles, making the tamipquena flavorful and tender. The enchiladas have some of the best sauces. We especially love then poblano sauce on the chicken enchiladas. The enchiladas have some tender chicken and the sauce is slightly spicy and creamy. Everyone is super friendly, the waiting staff and chef take pride in their work and it shows. I continue to strongly recommend this place for a delicious dinner out. This is not your typical Mexican restaurant. It s a cozy elevated escape.

    5 Rabanitos - Chilaquiles verdes

    5 Rabanitos

    (828 reviews)

    $$

    Pilsen

    We're from LA, and this is our daughter's favorite Mexican restaurant near the loop after her four…read moreyears at SAIC. She was very excited for us to try it out. We arrived around 7:30 on a Friday night and the place was packed. We only had to wait 10-15 minutes, which passed quickly with the live Mariachi music. The food came out pretty quickly considering how busy it was. We got: - Margaritas -- piña mezcal, passion fruit and pepino. They were good but a little small for the price. - Pozole Pipian -- It has a verde base that's very light. Something that makes it unique is chicharrones on top. My daughter prefers pork over the chicken. - Carnitas Huarache -- good flavors but probably my least favorite of the meal. - Asada Torta -- this was my favorite dish of the night. The bread was really light and the meat wasn't tough at all. For dessert we got the churritos and Mexican bread pudding. Both were good but nothing special. All in all a great meal.

    Got delivery and it was a mixed bag…read more Tacos - 4.5/5. Al pastor, pibil and and chicken tinga all great. Flavorful and juicy. Would be incredible live. Empanadas Camaron - 3.5/5. Unusual with shrimp. Crispy shell. Better without the spicy sauce. Enchiladas mole rojo - 3/5. Decent mole sauce and flavors, but not distinctive. Veg pozole - 2/5. Overly spicy. Solid roasted veggies. But lacked flavor. Pescado à la Talla - 1.5/5. Way overcooked fish. Sauces were either bland or just spice. FYI gluten free by default due to the use of corn

    Manchamanteles Restaurant - Enchiladas Potosina

    Manchamanteles Restaurant

    (142 reviews)

    $$

    Bucktown

    Came here on Valentine's Day with a reservation, there were three of us, one kid. It was full of…read morefamilies, some couples. The had a tasting menu but we opted out of it. They give you a complimentary spicy trail mix. We started with the guacamole, it was okay. Then I got a traditional margarita, my partner got a pina colada with strawberries, and my kid got a pink lemonade (Marz Brewing made). The margarita was good, not strong but not too watery. For dinner I got the chicken fajitas, the waiter asked if I wanted just chicken which I though was odd because I ordered the chicken fajitas and I wasn't sure what he meant or if he meant no veggies, it came with veggies luckily. It also came with tortilla, corn, and a side of refried black beans with cojita, and rice. It was all okay. My partner got the lamb mole, it was sweet and savory, not spicy. And it came with tortillas. They have a lot of mole options, so if you're into that definitely come here to try! Overall it was just okay.

    Chef Geno Bahena is back in business, and his world famous moles are as complex and satisfying as…read moreever. I had the rack of lamb in mole negro, and it was delicious. Get it medium rare. Kelly had steak fajitas and deemed them amazing. The sopa Azteca is spicy and loaded with complex flavors. Huge portion, too, enough to share or take home. For dessert, the chocolate mole tart and the strawberry ice cream are superb. Palomas and margaritas are good, and the wine list is all very affordable. Get the Rioja or the Cotes du Rhone.

    Frontera Grill - Trio Ceviche

    Frontera Grill

    (2.8k reviews)

    $$

    Near North Side

    Delicious food, friendly waiter, militant hostess…read more We came to dinner before a standup performance downtown (Mateo Lane was hilarious, by the way). I arrived at the restaurant on time (4:30) and checked in with the hostess, who said I could only be seated when the entire group of three arrived. This seemed weird given the restaurant was pretty empty at this time, and ordinarily I'd order a drink while waiting at the table. Regardless, I went to Starbucks instead because I knew the other two were a few minutes behind. When I got back to the restaurant, my friend said the hostess told him we absolutely had to leave within 1.5 hours because we were late... which seemed odd because he may have checked in 15 minutes after our reservation, to an empty restaurant, that already refused to seat me on time. Regardless, the food was delicious. I had the Pollo in ChiChilo-- the mole was delicious, and I loved the chicken and sweet potato. I ordered the mole on the side, which seemed like a nice balance. Since the hostess wouldn't previously seat me, I had a lovely iced matcha latte with oat milk and half a pump of vanilla from Starbucks, which was a nice pairing. The waiter did ask if I wanted a shot of something with it, which seemed odd. Ambiance was cute, probably due for a renovation but seemed appropriate for most dining out occasions- dates, families, a day out in town. Note: the restaurant charges an automatic 20% gratuity which may explain the service. Keep this in mind to avoid tipping more than you intend. Overall, I would definitely come back, and the food and wait staff made up for the abrasive welcome.

    Food - pork tacos - excellent execution of tender pork belly. Every piece was so succulent and…read morefull of crisy pork goodness. Warm, homemade tortillas added to the perfect bite on top of flavor town green tomatillo salsa. The black beans was a good balance the rich pork flavors. Also, if the standard salsa was room tamed for.your liking; they have a good habanero salsa for the asking. Maybe too much foe most. Dessert- ice cream with fudge.. Great tasting of vanilla and chocolate, but wasnt quite over the top. The ice cream was nice and thick, but was a bit gritty for ice cream at an upscale place. Partly why I couldnt give it a perfect score. Service - attentive and intuitive. The waiter seems to know what we like and need without asking too much. Spicy pineapple Cocktail- good, strong, but not great. Couldn't really taste any pineapple. Cleanliness- clean and organized. Cost - affordable for special occasion. Restroom - fancy and clean. Ambiance - warm and relaxing, but a bit cheap with the vinyl or cheap wood veneer tables.

    El Pollo Real - mexican - Updated May 2026

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