Order El Pollo Rey Takeout or Delivery
El Pollo Rey Photos
El Pollo Rey Popular Dishes
EL POLLO REY ATMOSPHERE
You might also consider
Recommended Reviews - El Pollo Rey
Start your review...
Reviews With Photos
4.5 stars $13 for super burrito. Picked asada. It was: very solid and cheap. The salsa was nice and spicy but had a "weird" wheatgrass like flavor. I loved it because it just felt like it came out of someone's backyard. But be warned for wheat grass haters. If this was in my neighborhood, I'd be regular
This place was AMAZING! Go the Burrito Rey with Asada meat and this burrito was a monster! The burrito and salsa they give is tasty. My husband got Chicken burrito and it was also delicious! They are friendly and fast with service. Looking forward to coming back and trying other items!
Good friend recommended this new place to us, and I wish he would've done so sooner! Service was great and very chill place to have dinner at. Steak had the best flavor and not dry at all. Loved their salsas and side of Chiles they give with the order. Will definitely be coming back soon
They always day it never judge a book by its cover... I would say that mentality is old... because if the cover of that book is clearly a mom and pop Mexican chicken joint then judge away and do not sleep on this spot. Nothing else I can say can be more honest than this place is a 10/10 and you should not skip it.
Years ago I remember being caught off guard when picking up some absolutely delicious chicken in Monterey. I have planned to go back to that place since then and was excited to be heading back to Monterey to get it. This was before my Yelp Elite days so I didn't have the place bookmarked or previously reviewed. So when I looked back to find it this came up and I thought this was it. But after trying it, I can't imagine that this was the place I was raving about in my head. I parked on the street and headed on in. The lady at the register was super sweet and helpful. I ordered a half chicken which came with sides and tortillas. It was out quickly then as I picked it up, I saw that they had elote too. So I order that as well. That actually took a little bit longer to come out. I got the food back to our hotel and served up everyone. We all started eating, and I was waiting for the nostalgia to hit. But there was nothing. Nothing had any flavor or excitement for us. Believe it or not, the pickled and grilled onions were the best part. Everything else was just bland. I don't know if it's because I hyped it up so much in my brain. But we were disappointed to say the least. It is a reasonable value though. My husband I were able to get off of the meal with a salad of our own on the side.
Took my wife here for her first time. 5 years later and this place is still amazingly good.
Ok. This is not your first date place to go. If you want to go to Mexico without actually going this is your spot. A basic layout for this taqueria, order at counter, take out or eat at home. About 5 tables. Mostly soft drinks, water, no Beer. Quick service and most dishes about $15 and up to double if you go overboard. Good size portions or chicken, carne asada in variations of burritos, asada/chicken plates or tacos. Food is very good and fresh. The front door is always open and at night it gets a bit chilly inside. Folks in there working hard and probably appreciate the breeze. Nice place. Will go back for lunch.
Stopped here for lunch. When we got here the restaurant was empty but a steady stream of people would come in for take out. The place was clean and it is an open kitchen so you can watch them grill the chicken. We ordered the half chicken with rice and beans. There is a choice of refried or charro beans. Ordered the charro beans on the recommendation of the employee. Also got one carne asada taco. After the order was placed I read some reviews of how the chicken came without the grilled onion and the taco was so greasy it fell apart. Time to worry? The chicken arrived with the grilled onion. The white meat was moist and not dried out had a good grilled taste to it. Charro beans were good. Glad I went with the recommendation. The taco was also good. Not greasy at all and the tortilla stayed in one piece. Overall 4 stars and worth eating here again.
The grill is fired up and lined with red onions and jalapeños. Got the $10.99 steak plate and $14.99 chicken plate. Free rainbow tortilla chips for the table when you dine in along with 2 spicy salsas and picked onion. Bursting with flavor, the chicken is so moist and tender with the perfect amount of char flavor. The steak is so tender also equally as flavorful. Tortillas are fresh and we opted for corn and flour.
Our first meal stop in Monterey! We had El Pollo Rey in our itinerary as a "best chicken" place, and it was pretty solid! Upon walking in, we notice that it's a more intimate establishment with the counters, cooking spaces, and dining tables all at the same height with essentially no separation from the kitchen - seeing your food cook right in front of you felt very authentic. The service was great, very kind workers. We ordered the Half Chicken Combo with refried beans and also got some chips and salsas. The food was really good, we enjoyed the tenderness of the chicken, the spices of the salsas, and the overall flavors of the combo. Would come back again!!
Some of the best chicken I've ever had. It was extremely juicy and flavorful the marinade it's in was explosive! Rice was fluffy the beans weren't anything special but the chicken was out of this world. My friend got the carne asada quesadilla and it was a huge portion! Really yummy Smokey flavor perfect char on them and the asada was soft and not chewy. It pulled apart perfectly and they were generous with the guac! Have to come back. And it was super affordable!!
4 months ago
In a very Mexican part of town in Seaside near Monterey. I don't live in this area but I knew, as when I was driving looking for this storefront, most of the surrounding businesses were all Hispanic based. I kinda had a feeling I was gonna like the digs here. They grill here. Over this massive open charcoal/wood grill. 2 cooks back there, engulfed in a waft of smoke and fire. They must have put a fresh batch of meat on that grill as that grill top was covered every square inch. They only grill 2 meats: chicken on the bone and carne asada. They also grill whole red onions and serrano peppers to go with those char grilled meats. 1/2 Chicken Combo ($15/4*) Upon receiving, it almost looks burnt. But upon tasting no bitter burnt notes just extremely well manufactured char. The chicken is marinated in something. Probably a seasoning salt and maybe a touch of lime. Nothing is spicy or peppery just a salty, charred chicken flavor. I liked it but I think I like El Pollo Locos version a tad more. As that is more slowly rendered where the skin gets crisp and there's more of a buttery nuance in El Pollo Locos version. I hate saying I'm siding with a big corporate but chicken-wise they've got the edge. Now where this place beats any chain are in the sides and details. First the freshly charred onions and serranos that go with most meat orders are damn perfect. Soft and easy to break apart, inherent flavors intensified from the grilling and the char-y notes that you can control cuz you can add as much of the burnt layer or as little. And the rice, beans and salsas here are real Mexican cooking, nothing fast and ready made. Fresh from scratch with ethnic soul. Carne Asada Combo ($27/5*) This is a full pound of freshly grilled Carne Asada (thin and marinaded meat), no rice or beans just warm corn tortillas, salsas, pickled onions and those charred onions and peppers. Upon receiving I felt like a kid who got his first gift from Santa. First they gave me the warm tortilla holder and all the condiments. I could have made a meal with those alone. Then the biggest pile of freshly grilled steak I've ever seen get served to me at one time. The aroma was intoxicating and was superseded by getting a taste. A little heavy handed on the seasoning but damn did that grilled meat flavor hit you like a bat. Slightly smoky with charred hits and THE most juicy and tender carne asada I've ever had. Usually the preparation can yield tough and overcooked meat but not here, there is some wizardry involved. I was putting whole pieces of meat in a rustic cowboy taco and you could still bite through the taco effortlessly. That's some serious mojo they are messin' with. I actually found a combo for the perfect steak taco here. Warm tortilla base; cut up and throw some charred peppers and onions; throw enough carne asada on there to your heart's intent; a few dabs of their tomato salsa with the charred flecks; then finally a generous sprinkling of their pickled red onions to gild the lily. THE BEST carne asada taco I've ever had. And I've had hundreds if not thousands. Trust. We just finished a substantial hike and was on route to a camping weekend. Had enough leftovers that we didn't have to cook on the first night, just heated things in foil over camp fire. They conveniently catered and we relished and feasted. A fiver relationship if I ever heard of one. read more
6 months ago
Food was excellent and fresh. The service was quick as it takes for you to order. Ambiance was a clean place with a few tables. The take out orders were many. We will be back. read more
We've gotten take-out from this place several times already. It's consistently good! It does take about 15-20 minutes to package the food, so you'll want to call it in before. We usually get the Whole Chicken Combo. It is not possible to get only white or dark meat. The chicken is "slick" enough that even the white meat is good. There is some char on the outside and the skin is cooked nicely. It comes with a few tortillas (can pick flour or corn), 2 kinds of salsa (spicy red and chipotle based), and pickled onions. Roasted hot peppers (yes, they have some heat!!) and onions are a nice touch. The whole chicken isn't too large. Sides are Spanish Rice (great flavor, but seemed a bit hard), seasoned whole beans (tender and flavorful). It's enough for a family of 4 with little kids. But you might think about ordering more if you have more adults or older kids. We also got a guacamole (loaded with onions, tomatoes) and chips. Guacamole is fresh and creamy. You'll love it if you like the style with extra stuff added. Chips are thin and oh-so-greasy, in a good way. Kids loved the extra colors. Portion size isn't too big, could probably have ordered an extra one, because you won't want to stop eating them! Overall, a great place to grab a quick dinner. Can't go wrong with this spot! read more
4.5 stars $13 for super burrito. Picked asada. It was: very solid and cheap. The salsa was nice and spicy but had a "weird" wheatgrass like flavor. I loved it because it just felt like it came out of someone's backyard. But be warned for wheat grass haters. If this was in my neighborhood, I'd be regular read more
24 days ago
29 days ago
2 months ago
This place was AMAZING! Go the Burrito Rey with Asada meat and this burrito was a monster! The burrito and salsa they give is tasty. My husband got Chicken burrito and it was also delicious! They are friendly and fast with service. Looking forward to coming back and trying other items! read more
19 days ago
3 months ago
Good friend recommended this new place to us, and I wish he would've done so sooner! Service was great and very chill place to have dinner at. Steak had the best flavor and not dry at all. Loved their salsas and side of Chiles they give with the order. Will definitely be coming back soon read more
1 year ago
They always day it never judge a book by its cover... I would say that mentality is old... because if the cover of that book is clearly a mom and pop Mexican chicken joint then judge away and do not sleep on this spot. Nothing else I can say can be more honest than this place is a 10/10 and you should not skip it. read more
Years ago I remember being caught off guard when picking up some absolutely delicious chicken in Monterey. I have planned to go back to that place since then and was excited to be heading back to Monterey to get it. This was before my Yelp Elite days so I didn't have the place bookmarked or previously reviewed. So when I looked back to find it this came up and I thought this was it. But after trying it, I can't imagine that this was the place I was raving about in my head. I parked on the street and headed on in. The lady at the register was super sweet and helpful. I ordered a half chicken which came with sides and tortillas. It was out quickly then as I picked it up, I saw that they had elote too. So I order that as well. That actually took a little bit longer to come out. I got the food back to our hotel and served up everyone. We all started eating, and I was waiting for the nostalgia to hit. But there was nothing. Nothing had any flavor or excitement for us. Believe it or not, the pickled and grilled onions were the best part. Everything else was just bland. I don't know if it's because I hyped it up so much in my brain. But we were disappointed to say the least. It is a reasonable value though. My husband I were able to get off of the meal with a salad of our own on the side. read more
Ok. This is not your first date place to go. If you want to go to Mexico without actually going this is your spot. A basic layout for this taqueria, order at counter, take out or eat at home. About 5 tables. Mostly soft drinks, water, no Beer. Quick service and most dishes about $15 and up to double if you go overboard. Good size portions or chicken, carne asada in variations of burritos, asada/chicken plates or tacos. Food is very good and fresh. The front door is always open and at night it gets a bit chilly inside. Folks in there working hard and probably appreciate the breeze. Nice place. Will go back for lunch. read more
3 months ago
Stopped here for lunch. When we got here the restaurant was empty but a steady stream of people would come in for take out. The place was clean and it is an open kitchen so you can watch them grill the chicken. We ordered the half chicken with rice and beans. There is a choice of refried or charro beans. Ordered the charro beans on the recommendation of the employee. Also got one carne asada taco. After the order was placed I read some reviews of how the chicken came without the grilled onion and the taco was so greasy it fell apart. Time to worry? The chicken arrived with the grilled onion. The white meat was moist and not dried out had a good grilled taste to it. Charro beans were good. Glad I went with the recommendation. The taco was also good. Not greasy at all and the tortilla stayed in one piece. Overall 4 stars and worth eating here again. read more
2 months ago
The grill is fired up and lined with red onions and jalapeños. Got the $10.99 steak plate and $14.99 chicken plate. Free rainbow tortilla chips for the table when you dine in along with 2 spicy salsas and picked onion. Bursting with flavor, the chicken is so moist and tender with the perfect amount of char flavor. The steak is so tender also equally as flavorful. Tortillas are fresh and we opted for corn and flour. read more
3 months ago
1 year ago
Our first meal stop in Monterey! We had El Pollo Rey in our itinerary as a "best chicken" place, and it was pretty solid! Upon walking in, we notice that it's a more intimate establishment with the counters, cooking spaces, and dining tables all at the same height with essentially no separation from the kitchen - seeing your food cook right in front of you felt very authentic. The service was great, very kind workers. We ordered the Half Chicken Combo with refried beans and also got some chips and salsas. The food was really good, we enjoyed the tenderness of the chicken, the spices of the salsas, and the overall flavors of the combo. Would come back again!! read more
3 months ago
8 months ago
Some of the best chicken I've ever had. It was extremely juicy and flavorful the marinade it's in was explosive! Rice was fluffy the beans weren't anything special but the chicken was out of this world. My friend got the carne asada quesadilla and it was a huge portion! Really yummy Smokey flavor perfect char on them and the asada was soft and not chewy. It pulled apart perfectly and they were generous with the guac! Have to come back. And it was super affordable!! read more
WOW HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!! My bf and I shared the half chicken combo which comes with rice, beans, tortillas, and a grilled onion and this was more than enough food for the both of us. This is one of the best chicken spots I ever had hands down. Service was great and quick and it's a very casual spot! We were one our way to Big Sur and we got recommended by this spot from someone back in LA so we had to make the stop and it was completely worth it. Ready to make the trip back to order this again read more
3 months ago
5 months ago
6 months ago
2 years ago
yum yum yum 5/5 this was one of my favorite restaurants on our trip to big sur. we ordered the full chicken combo and it came with beans, rice, chips, and tortillas! it was all super delicious and hidden gem were the grilled onions. they were so flavorful. would definitely recommend checking out if you're in the area! read more
6 months ago
10 months ago
The meal filled me up, service was friendly, atmosphere casual. Flavors were mild, so three stars feels right. read more
We went around 1pm on. Sunday, plenty of street parking. We ordered at the register and then sat down. The staff was nice. We got the super quesadila and the regular burrito with carne asada. They give you chips and salsa while you wait. The salsa was watering and not our favorite however the darker was less water down than the lighter one. There wasn't a lot of people and our food came out fast enough. The meat was tasty however the rice on the burrito was a bit hard. The quesadila was also okay, again I think the chicken had flavor and well cooked but we were disappointed. The 3 start rating is for the staff and the seasoned meat other than that I would have given a 2. read more
2 years ago
My husband LOVES the grilled chicken here, so when we come to Monterey/ Carmel area, we make a stop here. Today we had an inexpensive lunch for two: $14.99-the grilled chicken combo. It comes with rice, beans, and onions. This place is fast casual and is not fancy by any means, but the taste is excellent. Chicken is not dry. Very flavorful. The rice is good too. Service was quick. We took the food to go and ate by the beach. read more
7 months ago
6 months ago
We were trying to find some dinner to take back to the hotel. We resorted to Yelp and stumbled upon El Pollo Rey's. The place was a bit difficult to find at night. The only thing that helped us find the place was the illuminated Open Sign. Upon entering we were greeted by a nice lady. The place was very clean and smelled really good. We had a few questions, and the lady at the front was very helpful. We ended up getting the whole chicken combo with flour tortilla and the carne asada plate. Whole Chicken Combo: The chicken itself was very flavorful and not dry. The grill marks made the chicken taste that much better. This combo also came with Mexican rice and beans and flour tortillas. It was a good portion for a family of 4 to share. I saw the cooks in the back freshly grilling the tortillas, which was a nice touch. The tortilla got off the grill with a bit of burnt parts is so good haha. The jalapeño was pretty spicy which added a kick to the whole meal. We really enjoyed this whole chicken combo and highly recommend it. Carne Asada Plate: We already had a whole chicken combo, but since we're not from the area, we wanted to at least try the carne asada. The cook was grilling it right after we ordered, so it's nice and fresh. The flavor was spot on. It also came with tortilla, rice and beans. Very good dish that I would get again when I'm in town. Overall, the place is highly recommend if you're craving some grilled chicken or grilled carne asada. read more
11 months ago
9 months ago
6 months ago
5 months ago
Page 1 of 10
More info about El Pollo Rey
1188 Broadway Ave
Seaside, CA 93955
Directions
(831) 717-4744
Call Now
Order Takeout or Delivery
Start Order
Full menu
Hours
Payment methods
Food & Alcohol
Indoor Amenities
Outdoor Amenities
Other Amenities
From the Business
El Pollo Rey Reviews in Other Languages
Ask the Community - El Pollo Rey
Do the serve margaritas?
No it's mostly take out and it's the best chicken on the peninsula! They do have beer....
You might also consider
Why does Yelp recommend reviews?
23 reviews that are not currently recommended
The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.
1 year ago
4 years ago
7 years ago
1 year ago
7 years ago
5 years ago
6 years ago
8 years ago
9 years ago
10 years ago
7 years ago
5 years ago
8 years ago
7 years ago
7 years ago
5 years ago
5 years ago
1 year ago
9 years ago
5 years ago
