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 The aroma was intoxicating and was superseded by getting a taste.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

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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

El Pollo Rey - Half Chicken order with rice and beans and roasted onions and jalapeños peppers - Mexican Near Me - Seaside, California

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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

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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

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Great place for takeout Mexican food (they have some tables, too.) Affordably priced, friendly service, helpful service and good grub - we favor the half chicken to go. Very Seaside. Highly recommended. 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

El Pollo Rey - Asada Super Burrito with complimentary chips and salsa. - Mexican Near Me - Seaside, California

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

El Pollo Rey - Micro Bowl, Chicken Taco, Burrito El Rey, and their Mango Habanero Wings - Mexican Near Me - Seaside, California

The best burrito I've had in this area, and fresh! I will definitely be back to order again. We had the super chicken and nopales salad. read more

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

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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

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It pains me to say this but today was the worst food I've ever had in a Mexican restaurant. For the amount we paid vs the food we got was way off. The meats were completely dry. There were stacks of chicken all over the grill all drying off to the side we got the chicken and carne asada tacos. Half of the carne asada was chewy cheap meat. Grizzle and fat. The guacamole was over spicy for some reason. The chicken was dried out from being on the grill for so long. As we walked out they were just throwing a whole metal container of carne asada on the grill and more steak on the side warming. Just so disappointed. It must have been the lunch rush of a weekday in July. Maybe it was my families fault for romanticizing how good the food would be when we got there. Sorry guys. We won't be coming back. I can't imagine the disappointment from the people who got delivery. read more

Took my wife here for her first time. 5 years later and this place is still amazingly good. read more

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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

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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

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Everything was fresh and delicious. Simple but great tasting grilled chicken, generous portion size.

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

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If you like pollo loco this place is 10 times better there carne asada also really good we eat here once a week delicious!!! read more

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

El Pollo Rey - Half Chicken Combo - Mexican Near Me - Seaside, California

Whole chicken combo- comes with rice, beans, salsa, tortillas, pickled onions, grilled jalapenos and onions. Side of guacamole and chips. Chicken was a bit dry but was still good read more

Sooooo delicious! I found this place through door dash as they had an awesome special. My boyfriend and I usually get the carne asada or pollo burrito and it comes with half a grilled onion, jalapeño + salsa. Meat is grilled well and you really taste that Smokey bbq flavor and super fulfilling def recommend!!! 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

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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

El Pollo Rey - Half Chicken Combo - Mexican Near Me - Seaside, California

Smaller, cozy eatery with great tasting food. Limited meat selection, but great flavors nonetheless. Fast service, nice staff. We got the super burritos, both in chicken and beef. You get free chips and salsa when you dine in. Would go again! read more

This is a great local hole in the wall spot. They're simple menu creates some of the best food. They offer the most authentic Carne Asada in town. It is full of flavor it really embraces the grill. Their burritos are great and they come with a grilled pepper and grilled onions which I feel like is a great add-on to a burrito. There's salsa are homemade and fresh. They also offer family packs of the grill meats, which is rare to find and great options. Quick service! read more

What a nice bargain. You get a large bowl for a decent price. I really liked the salsas and flavor of this bowl. The line wasn't too long. I will definitely return to try more items. read more

El Pollo Rey - Super Bowl - Mexican Near Me - Seaside, California

Best chicken in Monterey County, Huge portions, great salsas and for a solid price. Got chicken plate, chicken quesadilla and tacos all under $30 out the door. One of the better food spots in general around this area read more

Such a local gem. Chicken grilled over an open flame with the best char unlike anything you can find anywhere else. They offer burritos, bowls, family meals, nachos, tacos, and even wings. The value is amazing with a chicken meal for two about $20. Comes with beans, rice, salsas, tortillas, and charred peppers and onions. The consistency here has been excellent since day one. Service is always quick and friendly. A few tables and bar seating inside but this food travels well so don't be afraid to get it to go and enjoy at home. read more

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

El Pollo Rey - Whole Chicken Combo - Mexican Near Me - Seaside, California

The chicken here is grilled to perfection. Excellent chips, salsa, pickled onions, plus a grilled half onion and grilled chili pepper of some sort...all included with a substantial order. They have two salsas so ask for mild or mas picante depending on your preference...the chicken anything is the specialty (Pollo Rey is the name after all). I tend towards the super burrito. Absolutely top notch. Great guacamole too! read more

The meal filled me up, service was friendly, atmosphere casual. Flavors were mild, so three stars feels right. read more

El Pollo Rey - Mexican Near Me - Seaside, California

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

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I've been a loyal customer for a while and usually pick up food about once a week. We've always enjoyed the food and typically get very friendly service. I especially love the convenience of walking there. After a recent experience I won't be coming back. A front of house staff member I hadn't dealt with before was really rude. I understand how hectic public facing roles can be since I've worked in restaurants for 18 years but that does not excuse being disrespectful. When I got home, items were missing from my order. Normally I would have gone back to pick them up but the interaction with that staff member was so off putting I did not want to deal with her again. Im disappointed and will not be spending our hard earned money there again. I will drive the 15 minutes to our second favorite place rather than walking two blocks. read more

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

El Pollo Rey - Half Chicken Combo - Mexican Near Me - Seaside, California

Came here and tried the tacos and they were disappointing to say the least. There was oil dripping from the tacos and they were virtually sitting in a lake of it when I picked them up and had them fall apart on me,just 1 corn tortilla had no chance of holding it together. To top it off the meat was chopped into small pieces most of which was burned to a crisp. I told the cashier and she said that's just the way they are. No refund or offer to make it right. I also emailed the owner with no reply so I'm taking it here. If you want good customer service and better tacos there are plenty of other options in Seaside. read more

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

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One of the best restaurants in the Monterey Bay. I eat here once a week, and it always hits the spot. Chicken is unbelievable, Carne Asada is unbelievable, portions are very generous, and there's such a great variety of sides, salsas, etc. Service is fast, the restaurant is clean, with plenty of seating. I think this is the best Mexican food in Seaside. Order a chicken plate with charro beans and I dare you to tell me I'm wrong. read more

I would give this place 6 stars if I could. For the money, this is the best restaurant in Monterey County. I've probably eaten here over 100 times since they opened and they never miss. Absolutely world class chicken. Order the whole chicken. $32 with rice, beans, tortillas, fresh salsas, grilled onions, pickled onions and grilled peppers. More than enough food for 2 people if not 3. You can't find a quality meal for this price anywhere and I can't say that I've ever had better chicken anywhere. It would be cool if their steak was as good their chicken but the place is called El Pollo Rey not El Bistec Rey. Order the whole chicken and another chicken to go. This place is an absolute home run. read more

The family pollo & carne very delicious. Everyone is very nice. Highly recommend this spot for authentic pollo asado.

I tried the grilled chicken for the first time at everybody loves it at work. He comes with sauce and big grilled onions. I even tried one piece the following day straight from the fridge without even heating it up and guess what, even cold it was good. I'm definitely coming back. Location seems easy read more

The chicken and salsas were so delicious, the smoky flavor! Yum! The size of the asada burrito was incredibly big and so good. Service was good and fast. read more

El Pollo Rey - whole chicken - Mexican Near Me - Seaside, California

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