I started coming here recently. Great value! We usually get the 8 piece meal to feed 3 people for $23. The sides that come with it are pretty big. Rice and beans are cooked well. Chicken has good flavor and juicy. Definitely a gem in expensive Pasadena! Only bad thing is that the parking lot is very tight and shared with another business and only fits around 5 cars. Not much street parking either. read more

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06/26/2021 When I arrive in California, my brother and I go to one of our favorite eating spots El Pollo Unico. I believe they opened in 1985... they're still standing and so am I, lol. Originally located next to 7 Eleven on Orange Grove Blvd and Lake Ave. Although we haven't been to the restaurant in over 15 years. The food still tastes fabulous. The best part about our blast into the past, the owner and some staff still remembered us (from over 30+ years of eating their food, lol... almost brings a tear in my eye, wait that was the LA smog). As of writing, they have limited seating because of covid. The restaurant is somewhat small, most folks order their food to go. You can order food on their website ElPolloUnicoToGo.com, if you hate waiting in line. read more

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Great local spot. Basically if you want el pollo loco go here instead. Awesome staff and small business owner. You might think that it costs more than el pollo loco but if you compare the size of the chicken pieces they are much larger here so pound for pound it's actually cheaper vs el pollo loco. It's also a great option if you are ordering delivery. read more

Best grilled chicken in town. Not the biggest place to sit down and eat so I always get it to go. All my friends and everyone in my family love El pollo unico chicken read more

Good place for chicken. The menu is simple and food is good. Loved their side dishes. Macaroni salad is the best. But Coleslaw and potato salad are delicious as well. Chicken is flavorful. read more

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Tasty and better than el pollo loco. Decent prices. Juicy dark meat. White meat is not dry but not juicy. It's nice to get once it a while. Probably will come back read more

Great food. Wonderful staff. Good prices. Beats every other grilled chicken place in Pasadena. They do get busy and it's a small space. Parking can be a challenge during peak times. There are a few negative reviews but if you look at the dates they are from two and three years ago during height of the pandemic. Most of those complaints are about business posting they'll be open until 830pm but were closed when the customer got there at 8pm. Again, small business like this can only estimate how much chicken they'll need for the day. Even if they run out by 730p it's on the customer for not checking before driving over. They're not going to fire up the grill after all the chicken that was prepped for the day is gone. Don't let the whiners ruin your impression of this wonderful family owned restaurant. read more

I've been eating at this restaurant for 23 years!!! They never let me down, quality food!! I highly recommend!

Best chicken ever love this place prices are so affordable for the delicious food you get .

So I have been going to El Pollo Unico since I was around 5 years old. The food was always good. But since they changed owners, the chicken doesn't taste the same and is a little dry, and the rice isn't the same. I miss the original owners, but running the business for over 30 years, they needed the break. read more

The food is very good, I have driven by this establishment for years. I finally decided to try it. I was not disappointed, very flavorful chicken, service was polite and efficient. Parking is problematic read more

Great tasting chicken and at a good price, you need to try this place much better than pollo loco.

My family and I really enjoyed the rotisserie chicken. It had really good flavor. We also had the bean, rice , and corn as our sides. Nothing disappointed. The meal also came with tortillas and an awesome salsa!! Definitely will be patronizing this place again! read more

This place is a hole in the wall and it's super tasty! It doesn't compare to El Pollo Loco it's just so flavorful and juicy! The owners are usually the ones taking the orders and they know most of their customers by name. They have great service and have loyal customers! They don't have much parking which is a downside and they don't have much space to eat inside either. Its definitely more of a takeout place than a dine in. They only accept CASH which can sometimes also be an issue, but they have an ATM in the restaurant. read more

El Pollo Unico - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

Slow cooked chargrilled chicken. The chicken is great, they really take their time with cooking it low and slow, so the meat always comes out flavorful and moist. Their salsas are great, both the mild and hot are the perfect condiment for the chicken. Everything else on the menu is mediocre at best. The chicken is so good it attracts all kinds of clientele, some of them are crazy. The Spanish-speaking Korean owner is the bouncer. He is curt and straight to the point. He will not put up with nonsense, when disrespectful people walk in he refuses services and kicks them out straight away. Much props to him. It is pretty impressive to watch. read more

My family and I have been going to Pollo Unico for many many years (starting when it opened across the street). I highly recommend their chicken. Rice and beans are great (but the Cole slaw not so good) This last weekend we had a small gathering at our home and a caterer cancelled at 2 pm (with an arrival time of 5). After scrambling, we decided to try Pollo Unico. Luckily they now have on line ordering. So I placed a catering order (7 full chickens, rice and beans). Not only was everything ready at the time I requested, everything was perfect! And they thanked me over and over again for my order. Our guests were very happy with the food (we ended up shredding the chicken from the bone to make it easier to make a taco without sitting down to eat). The best part??? Their hot salsa is unbeatable. Yes, I will gladly go back for another party!!! read more

That crazy chicken place has nothing on this El Pollo Unico! The chicken is always perfectly cooked and juicy. All the sides are delicious, Beans, Potato Salad and Rice are always my choice. I always get a big order because it reheats well so it's perfect for easy meal prep for the week. read more

cet endroit est vraiment bien et le service client est incroyable ainsi que le poulet qu'ils ont car c'est impeccable, pas de baguette read more

El Pollo Unico - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

Support local, similar menu to a el pollo loco but the food is better. Great chicken and service. Always get the rice and slaw. Squeeze some lemon on that chicken. read more

Much much better than Pollo Loco! This place offer the most flavorful chicken rotisserie and most helpful customer service!

This new location blows the old one out of the water. Don't we all just need a place to run in and get some to-go food that won't send us to an early grave? Well I do. I need to make a list of the some twenty places that I've tried takeout chicken from because Unico would be at the top. This is a down-home, likes it dirty joint so don't expect more and you will love it. You might grab a rag and wipe the table down if you plan on eating in. The chicken is grilled, garlicky, salty; perfect and a great alternative to fast food. The bargain that you get here is plain old crazy talk. Lunch to send your top button flying into the eye of your friends with a diet coke for around $5? Damn baby! I like the people that come through for the take out bargain, we are a colorful lot. Grilled chicken, rice, beans (whole pinto beans) crunchy carrot filled coleslaw, potato salad and your choice of corn or flour tortillas, hot or mild salsa are the only options. The options are good though. Forget about El Pollo Loco, they charge extra for the white meat now so they are dead to me! Plus, I don't know what El Pollo loco puts in that food of theirs because they won't say but I am allergic to something in there big time as a gluten intolerant girl. Now I know a lot of you people like rotisserie, but the zankou chicken and friends of this town just do not have my number. I'm a mesquite charcoal girl. Get your grilled chicken lovin ass down to this down home joint and get to grubbing down friends. The parking is a little narrow but there is an additional lot on the back. This might be the best food deal in my new home town of Pasadena. read more

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I can easily say it's the best pollo asado I've had. HANDS DOWN. The chicken is juicy, packed with flavor, just perfect. Salsas are great and they have both spicy & mild which works perfectly. The chicken alone is five stars. BUT.. I wish they had different sides though. I only enjoyed the rice & beans. No to the coleslaw and potato salad. Another thing are the tortillas. I wish they warmed them up on the grill. They are microwaved and that is a huge NOOO for pollo asado. Definitely my go to place now. Sorry PL, you've been replaced. read more

Can't believe I haven't reviewed this place. Think of this chicken as a flavorful El Pollo Loco !!! Really good, all the time. When I have people over, I love to order from here. The food is quick and on time ! No frills, to the point and good ! read more

Food was good, freshly cooked, service was average, ambiance below average, parking hard

I catered from El Pollo Unico with their party tray combo ($106) that comes with 7 whole chickens, 2 small trays of sides, 50 tortillas, and 4 large salsas. It's great food and a ton of it. In the future, I'd probably order just the Party Tray (not the combo) because while the chicken and tortillas are just the right amount, small trays of sides is total overkill in portions. I'd rather buy a large sides and have more variety. For the price, you also have to put up with quite a few inconveniences. The parking lot is totally nonexistent and parking on Lake is horrible. It's a cash only enterprise. Plus, the waits can be over an hour long because even on weekdays, you're not the only person ordering 7 chickens at 11 am..... read more

Lie about hours they have they close at 8:30 but are closed by 8. If they want to close they should state the actual hours versus people coming to Their business while they can go elsewhere. read more

Best homemade chicken hands down. It's a small business that has been in Pasadena for many years

Best OG place to get flame grilled chicken and fresh hot salsa . Sides are all good you can't go wrong. Never had a bad experience here over the 20+ years I've been eating from here read more

Wow! We've all tried the other grilled chicken joints but Único is the benchmark of them all. So juicy, tender, and flavorful. The way the flavors are all the way through meat, even the chicken breast is nothing like I've tried before. The sides? All amazing. Especially love the coleslaw. And at a price you can't find during these tough times. Highly recommended! read more

I've eaten chicken three times in one-week last time I ate there the chicken was extremely dry. I asked if they could replace my plate. I was told only if I were to give an additional $10 for the meal. The woman behind the counter was very abrasive and I decided not to get another plate and get my money back. I was told to never come back here again. The whole time I was very respectful but I was treated like garbage. read more

I ordered a 4 piece combo meal to share, and the chicken was very juicy and flavorful. The meat was tender, even the breast piece was enjoyable. The spicy salsa is one of the best I've experienced and combos well with the tortilla. The sides -- which I got corn, rice, and mac salad -- were ok in my opinion, with my favorite being the corn. The staff is very nice. The lady at the cash register was helpful with suggestions such as sides and salsa options. Overall, the customer service and food quality were fantasic. There are also two touch screen ordering systems on the wall inside if you're not feeling social that day. It's been 20 plus years since I've gone to El Pollo Loco. With mom and pops shops like Unico, there is no need for crazy chickens in my diet. read more

Been eating here since it opened in 1985 and it's delish!!! Straight. Cheaper and better then El Pollo Loco!!!! read more

El Pollo Unico - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

Impressive chicken, beans, rice and slaw... I know there's a lot of grilled chicken on earth these days, but it's nice to discover a place that does an excellent job at preparing it, along with their side dishes: tasty beans, Spanish rice (not as good as moms) and lovely cole slaw. I'll be back. Oh, and it was $5.49 with a drink. Unheard of! Adrian read more

Best chicken in Pasadena! They not accept online orders and have 2 kiosks on the side to place an order and pay with credit/debit cards. Orders can be placed on their website which makes it super convenient. The macaroni salad is my favorite it is very creamy and flavorful. The chicken is always fresh, hot and juicy! The parking lot is tiny and shares spaces with another business on property. There are about 3 spaces on the street available for 20 min parking. Inside seating is limited, there are about 6 tables available. read more

Very well juicy chicken with a very good dinner special price can feed 2 would highly suggest big rider eats read more

El Pollo Unico - Dinner special - Mexican Near Me - Pasadena, California

Man, I used to go to this place many many years ago, I mean it has been a REALLY long time since I haven't gone to this place for chicken. Their chicken used to be really soggy and I never liked the way it was prepared, it looked unpleasant and to me it didn't taste that great. But, recently I went here by accident only because Pollo Puebla didn't have any potatoe salad so I went to Pollo Unico. My goodness what a surprise! Their chicken blew me away and it taste soooo much better and it is definitely more juicier than Pollo Puebla's. The whole family was really surprised and we loved the way this chicken is made now. Fantastic job El Pollo Unico! :-) read more

Bomb, they recently implemented a kiosk where you can order make it convenient. The chicken is always good and super consistent. I love this spot and try to go a couple times a month. Highly recommend. read more

This is by far the tastiest chicken I've had better than Pollo Loco. I will definitely be coming back to this location again.

This is rating is for the chicken only. I did not order any sides. And i am not bashing the parking situation or the ambience. The food is excellent enough to walk a block so unless you're disabled, maybe don't balk about the limited parking. And I think there's more parking in back. The ambience is a little chaotic. You can find their menu online so if you're unfamiliar with it, best to go there first. I've been driving by this place for years but it always seems to be at peak times so I never stopped. Yesterday (Saturday, 3/23), I got there around 3pm. I waited for about 15 minutes for my order of 12 pieces of chicken. There were several orders ahead of me, with some of those orders being pretty large. The staff isn't super friendly but they get you in and out quickly. And as I left, the older lady who I think is a co-owner with her husband was very friendly in telling me and other customers to enjoy our food, with a big smile. Okay. The chicken. Moist and tender; even the white meat. Excellent flavor, crispy skin. Nice sized pieces. Compared to El Pollo Loco - a) Cost - Unico about 20% cheaper. b) Flavor - Unico beat Pollo Loco easily. c) Size of pieces - Unico wins here too. NOTE: they do not take credit cards. CASH ONLY. But there is a cash machine inside. read more

Waaay better than El Pollo Loco. Flavorful, quality chicken, twice as much meat as others. Tasty beans and rice, delicious slaw and great salsa. Love the spicy one. read more