I've probably walked past this little shop a hundred times without noticing it, but my friend was craving breakfast burritos the other day and this place popped up on Yelp. Located in downtown, it's a small restaurant with maybe five or six tables inside. All the tables are covered in plastic tablecloths, but the chairs are made of heavy wood. You order when you first walk in, and then the server (who is also the cashier) will bring the food to you. He seems to just go by memory, which is pretty impressive. Service was mediocre, although I did notice that the cashier/server was more enthusiastic and friendly to some of the older patrons (perhaps he's had difficult experiences with young, college-ish customers in the past?). Water was self-serve, although the plastic cups provided are tiny. Breakfast burrito with a side of salsa: (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/original-pollos-berkeley-2?select=Wn8Fe_H1cxIT32Stxl840A#KGUWpPjWXd7VKd-HZ_695A) This burrito was larger than I expected, but it was composed mostly of a thick tortilla wrapping. The eggs and salsa inside were okay, but really nothing memorable.. I don't even remember what else was in it, that's how mediocre it was. I believe it was potatoes? Meat comes as an extra, and since we got a double cheeseburger, we opted for a meatless option here. The sauce was amply spicy, and that's pretty much all I tasted. I do appreciate that once the burrito was wrapped, it was set on the grill so that the tortilla was slightly toasted and crunchy on the outside. Half pound cheeseburger with a side of fries: (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/original-pollos-berkeley-2?select=Wn8Fe_H1cxIT32Stxl840A#Wn8Fe_H1cxIT32Stxl840A) This is a bigger version of a double-double at In-n-Out, and there's a sign towards the front that states they use Angus beef. I did think this burger was tasty, and I enjoyed the generous amount of lettuce and tomato within. The half-pound beef was just two patties, and while I did taste the freshness of the beef, I didn't think it was anything special. I would probably pick this over the breakfast burrito though. Overall, an okay stop to satisfy our rumbling tummies. It's interesting that this little restaurant with the name "Original Chickens" serves diner food. read more

Original Pollo - Breakfast burrito with a side of salsa. - American Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Original Pollo is a corner small diner with a low ceiling. just a small number of tables for dining in. offerings: breakfast, burgers, omlettes, sides, hot plate, BBQ, burritos, salads, falafel, etc. eats: mushroom burger(6.40) -angus beef meat with red onion, lettuce, mushroom slices, tomatos, mayo, etc. -thought it would be portobello mushroom, pleasantly surprised it was a well done burger with slight unami taste, some gristled pieces. *not dry, slightly juicy, 3.5 stars leftovers: -fast courteous service -saw a few patrons who was obviously regulars. read more

Saw this place just wandering around the city. The food was delicious, service was amazing. And the atmosphere was cool and quiet!!!

The food was always cooked to order an excellent and the service was above par. Wonderful family.

Delicious sandwiches. This is a cute place tucked away on a corner where you can really enjoy the town of berkeley. Big windows where you can watch the world go by outdoors. The man who took our order was very friendly. read more

Charge too much and then the food is tasteless and burnt. They have been there for a while but the quality is not the same the pride in food is not present and the customer service is very robotic read more

Had my first experience eating here and got the breakfast burrito with sausage and mild salsa - solid portion size, perfectly cooked eggs, pillowy potatoes. Very happy and look forward to trying some other things on their menu! read more

This place is the basic example of what you want your neighborhood diner to be like. The place was pretty clean, the service was nice, and the food arrived relatively on top. I got the breakfast burrito with chicken apples sausage, and it is one of the best breakfast burritos, I've had from outside. This place is amazing. Go check it out. read more

Best spot in Berkeley for a breakfast burrito! Really good service and great food! True staple in the Berkeley community

Incredible place! Service is phenomenal and the breakfast burritos are my favorite. Come enjoy! No regrets!

An amazing place found on the streets of Berkeley. The workers are amazing in terms of kindness and also are good at remembering the names of regular customers. The food may take some time to prepare (depending on the time of day and rush they have), but it is well worth the wait. It can get a bit pricey depending on what you get (a soda and breakfast burrito with sausage will go past $10), but the food more than makes up for it. Every time I fly into SFO, I make sure to stop by here before heading back up north. Recommend this place and certainly will continue to frequent it between journeys back home and beyond the Pacific Ocean. Thank you!!! read more

Original Pollo - American Near Me - Berkeley, California

Very good breakfast and hospitality! The gentleman in the front was very polite and helpful and the eggs were perfection! Spend yr money here for breakfast! read more

Original Pollo - Day 2. Still excellent and consistant. They do it the same quality way every time! Why is this place not packed!? Glad its not! - American Near Me - Berkeley, California

Coming from the Colorado Rockies region, I had a hard time finding a breakfast burrito I'm happy with. I guess they're kind of Denver's 'thing'. In the Bay there are often breakfast burritos with chorizo, rice, beans, etc which are fine, but I was looking everywhere for a satisfying, big, and preferably breakfast sausage, burrito. I tried many places that were alright, but I thought I might never find what I was really craving. Then I tried this burrito, and honestly it might be the best breakfast burrito I've ever had. They pay attention to the details and do it right, every time. The sausage is excellent, the cheese is perfect, and it is assembled correctly which the different elements coming together and playing off of each other just right for explosions of flavor juxtaposed properly, rather than just mashing it all up together in a skillet and putting it in a tortilla. I definitely recommend giving them a try. They're a treasure. Thank you Pollo's you really hit the spot! read more

Original Pollo - Breakfast burrito with sausage - American Near Me - Berkeley, California

One of my favorite breakfast burritos around and the owner is the nicest guy. He's even started to know me as "the one who doesn't want a [plastic] bag with my order." read more

Some mornings, we wake up and try not to decide what to do for brunch until we're ready. So this morning, we decided on this place which we've seen by Berkeley bart, but just have never tried because it's really a diner type place. I'm not against diners, just typically, I like to go to nicer places, but this morning, we didn't want to go anywhere far so we decided on this place. Surprisingly, I decided to go with an omlette and he went with a breakfast burrito. It was definitely good, but nothing too fancy for us. It's a great spot for a cheap and fast breakfast/brunch. Protip: that breakfast burrito looked damn good. read more

Original Pollo - American Near Me - Berkeley, California

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This is definitely a Berkeley staple. Its an old school diner, with a ever-growing progressive menu for unique food. My personal favorite is their giant, GIANT breakfast burritos. You can add chicken to it. But they also slam dunk burgers, as well as tuna melts, falafel, Mexican food, and really anything you can think of. Each order is made right off the grill, none of that preheated crap. The food here isn't at all cheap, but it's also not outrageous. I think it's just slightly above average, but it's always piping hot and fresh. There's also always lots and lots of seating, inside and out, even when it's busy it's easy to find a seat. Nice size TV. Generally has local games on, or the most popular sport at the time. Everybody who works here is just amazing, and patient. Even when they are busy it seems they run a tight ship. At any rate, do not let the exterior of this place fool you, it is a classy old school joint with lots of delicious food options, as well as a warm inviting ambiance. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm about to gain 10 pounds. read more

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Truly a pathetic and forlorn attempt at a patty melt. Makes me feel depressed just thinking about it -- a thin, gray meat patty and not enough cheese, on bread that's more like toasted than grilled. With a side of fries it came to over $7. Really depressing. I wanted to die right then and there. Come to think of it, all of downtown Berkeley is staring to make me feel this way. *sigh* read more

I was torn between 3 and 4 stars. This place isn't great. I mean, nobody gave it five stars, that says something. But it's solid. Reasonably priced (when they ring you up correctly) and the burritos are satisfying and healthier than some other options. It's at the end of my block, I wouldn't make a special trip for it, and yet I still get lunch there once or twice a month. 'Nuff said. read more

3.5 for me! Food was okay. The man, maybe owner, is very friendly (: My sister got the breakfast burrito with bacon - she was quite stuffed after! Mild salsa that came on the side was actually quite spicy (coming from me, who eats lots of spicy!) My mom got the chicken kabob plate - I think for a kabob plate, too much salad and too little kabob. The yogurt sauce was good, though I felt the meal lacked chicken. Came with a side of slightly sense but nice tasting pita I got the tuna salad sandwich - tasted like an ordinary tuna sandwich hahaha I thought it was a nice portion read more

Cozy place for breakfast and solid if you don't need anything fancy. From the regulars that wandered in, this place is a Berkeley institution. Come in - have a coffee, pucker up to some fresh squeezed orange juice and power up with some sausage (or bacon) and eggs cooked the way you like 'em - you'll need it if you want to explore everything Berkeley has to offer. read more

Original Pollo - American Near Me - Berkeley, California

No fuss family run place that has a lot of character inside-- feels like you walked into your grandparent's house who don't like to throw away things so just hangs them everywhere, and who like to overfeed you with simple, warm, homey things. It is right next to the BART stop and my go to place for a small coffee (they actually come in SMALL cups so you are not wasting coffee!) and their Breakfast Sandwich ($2.50) which is basically a big fluffy omelette and cheese on perfectly toasted English Muffin (or toast, you pick). The guy in the morning is super nice. Stereotypical family owned spot that their neighborhood loves. read more

Original Pollo - Breakfast sandwich is overflowing with a generous omelette. Perfect at 7 am when you are bitter about the BART strike - American Near Me - Berkeley, California

The guy who runs this place is a jerk. He's always nice to female customers but treats males like trash. It's really like night and day and in this kind of neighborhood I really don't have to put up with that sort of discrimination. I ordered the "fish and chips" which is really just a couple of frozen sandwich-style pre-made fish strips like you'd find at a big box store. Both the fish and the french fries that they call "chips" (nothing like what you're expecting to be served with fish and chips) were bland and tasteless. The fries were stale and soggy. Both items were freezer burned from being in a freezer that is opened and closed many of times per day. All of their stuff is frozen, they don't have any fresh food on hand. They have two giant freezers and when you order they pull it out of the freezer, dump it into the deep fry and serve it up. The manager kept staring at me while I was eating. I felt like he really wanted me to leave, so I didn't finish my food and I granted his wish. He won't have to worry about seeing me in his shop again. read more

Original Pollo - Fish n chips - American Near Me - Berkeley, California

This place makes absolute best gyros sandwiches! I love gyros sandwiches, and have been all over the bay eating them, but this place makes the absolute best one. Tasty, fresh and not dry. read more

Original Pollo is absolutely fantastic! OMG you can not go wrong with the salmon burger there....the salmon is fresh, as well as the lettuce and tomato. i took a bite off of a friend's steak burger---it was super-tasty too! this is my new lunch spot! the folk that work there are very friendly, and it gives me a "home" feeling--the coziness of the place, the open kitchen, the coffee pots right there on the counter, etc. they are the best restaurant on the block, hands down! read more

Original Pollo - the salmon burger....delicious!!!!!! - American Near Me - Berkeley, California

Try their delicious and perfect breakfast burrito, so many places get this wrong but not at Pollo. Friendly service, will definitely go back! read more

Seldom do I have the opportunity to enjoy a cozy and comforting breakfast in Berkeley--more broadly, the San Francisco Bay Area. Original Pollo offers a variety of flavor as diverse as the diner's name. I will be coming back for more of those home fries. Also, I loved how carefully cooked my over easy eggs were. I will definitely be coming back and intend to recommend to my both my friends and family. read more

Original Pollo - Special breakfast - American Near Me - Berkeley, California

This is the best place to have a no- frills meal in downtown Berkeley, bar none. Friendly staff, laid back vibe and truly fresh food. Some very inflation-proof items that don't skimp on quality. read more

I honestly feel like Original Pollo is super underrated. It has a very unassuming exterior and the interior isn't super fancy either. However, the food is always great and the service is pretty good for the most part. I've gone back a bunch of times just to have the quesadillas and burritos. The burrito portions are ginormous; so much so that my friend and I still had a piece left after we tried to demolish it together. Also, the salsa that comes with the quesadillas is just mouthwateringly good. I would highly recommend checking this place out, especially if you want a quick bite to eat around BART. read more

Original Pollo - Quesadillas :D - American Near Me - Berkeley, California

Nice spot for some good ole diner food. Friendly customer service. There's a good amount of sitting inside for a peaceful breakfast. Prices are inexpensive compared to other Berkeley restaurants in the area. read more

Omelette is ok, the hashbrown so good, tasty and well cooked. I would come back just to have hashbrown. Friendly service. read more

Original Pollo - Denver Omelette with Hashbrown - American Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Got the breakfast burrito, and it was quite good. Pretty big portions for the price, so good for a hungry college student.

I've been coming here for the breakfast burritos over the years. They are very reasonably priced ($9 & change), a good size, and super delicious. read more

U get what u pay for, in this case its more. I passed it bc of its lackluster interior but I regret not coming in sooner. Their rice was perfectly cooked and fries were fried crispy. Every customer after me talked to the owner with familiar friendliness and respect, a sure sign that this restaurant is good. 10/10 ball on a budget here! read more

Moe and Mostafa Hallaji are the most welcoming hosts in all of Downtown Berkeley. They've been serving wholesome and affordable meals in the same location for over 30 years--an amazing feat in this trendy town. This is an unpretentious and homey diner with delicious food. The chicken kabob salad is the best, healthiest meal around. Highly recommended!! read more

Ordered the gyro today, which is usually good. Saw that the cook made it with no gloves and no mask. I asked him about it and he said his mask was in the back room. I pushed the gyro back across the counter and left. Keep my money. Never coming back. read more

I love this restaurant! A few old men work here, and they're so sweet. The interior looks like a classic diner, and the furniture is very clean. This place is quiet, and it looks like they don't get too many customers, but the food here is great! I've come here for brunch a few times, and i like their breakfast menu. Their burgers are great too. Downside to the burgers is that fries aren't part of the order. There doesn't seem to be free wifi here. I definitely think this place deserves more attention! I'll keep coming by. read more

I ordered a breakfast burrito w/sausage ($9.25 post-tax). I received a large portion that I barely finished (others with more reasonable appetites may feel hard-pressed to finish this), and everything tasted as expected for the price. No ingredient seemed deficient, and the burrito tastes like sausage and egg scramble stuffed in a burrito. The hot salsa had some kick, but don't expect habanero-level spiciness. read more

After moving from UCSD, I have been looking everywhere for a good breakfast burrito. I have had plenty and they've always disappointed. But then I was told to try Original Pollo. WOW. As other posts on yelp have stated, these breakfast burritos are HUGE! HUGE! I cannot stress that enough. It also taste delicious. Maybe I will ask for more salsa next time. How it works/the place: You order at the cash register (you can do to-go) and then sit down. The staff was super nice and its a really cozy atmosphere. Its right on Shattuck so its super central. 10/10 recommend for everyone. read more

I work in downtown Berkeley and this place is just a short walk down the block from my office, so I've tried it a few times now. Inna & I called in to-go orders today and I followed her lead and tried the gyro. Pretty good and filling, but doesn't leave you stuffed. They have good fries too. When I Bart in to work, I walk past this place and they're always jam packed for breakfast. I've been meaning to try a breakfast item, but haven't the chance yet. During the beginning of cold season, I tried two different soups which didn't impress me much, so I probably won't be back for soup. Also, they only accept cash which isn't convenient, but at least Wells is just down the street. read more

I came here because I heard the breakfast burritos were good and I told myself that I gotta have one. I went up to the counter and looked at the menu. There were no specifics as to what was in the breakfast burrito but it did come with a choice of meat. I chose the chicken apple sausage. The reason why I gave this place a 3 was because it took a long time for the burritos to come out. I want to say like 20-25 minutes before the chef came out with them. The burritos were just average. They were ginormous but it was just your normal breakfast burrito. The salsa that came with them was super spicy. It added a good amount of flavor to the burrito. I might come back to this place if I am super hungry one day because the amount of food for the price was unreal but I would want to make sure that I had a lot of time on my hands. read more