5-Star Review for Pollo Campero - Herndon, VA (496 Elden Street) Event: My Mom's 75th Birthday Celebration 8-2-25 I cannot say enough wonderful things about Pollo Campero in Herndon, Virginia! They catered my mother's 75th birthday celebration, and it was truly exceptional. We had a guest list of 300 people, and every single one of them raved about the food! They loved it! We ordered a delicious variety including their famous fried chicken, grilled chicken, chicken nuggets for the kids, rice, Campero beans, coleslaw, and their incredibly flavorful mac & cheese. Everything was perfectly hot, fresh, and beautifully organized when it arrived. The delivery was punctual and seamless, which made such a huge difference for a large event like this. Thank you Okely for the delivery service. From the very beginning, Carlos Gonzalez from the Pollo Campero call center was absolutely phenomenal. I was nervous about coordinating such a large order, but Carlos went above and beyond to make sure every detail was handled. He patiently explained everything to me and followed up with calls just to reassure me that everything was on track. His customer service was top-notch and honestly one of the best experiences I've ever had with any company. Thanks to Carlos and the amazing Herndon team, the food was a HUGE hit and helped make my mom's birthday celebration a truly memorable day for all of us. I am so grateful and appreciative of the professionalism, care, and quality Pollo Campero provided. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Sincerely, Lorraine read more

Have previously really enjoyed food from here. Will never order again. Placed a pickup order, food wasn't ready when we got there. Staff couldn't find the order right away and had to show them on my phone to get it made. Cashier mumbled the whole time, snapping at us and rolling their eyes like it was a huge inconvenience, just generally rude. Waited another 40 minutes for our food. Staff didn't realize my friend spoke Spanish. Oops. They repeatedly referred to us using homophobic slurs. After all that, once we got our food we were in a hurry and booked it home. A large portion (5 piece chicken and dinner rolls) of our order was entirely missing. The french fries were cold and undercooked. And the kicker, one of our sandwiches was made with moldy bread that had been torn up. We contacted corporate, and was told to expect a further response and resolution. It never came. They provided poor service, used slurs, left food out, and served dangerous food. Never again. read more

Pollo Campero - How I received the chicken sandwich I ordered. Fresh out of the wrapper like this. - Latin American Near Me - Herndon, Virginia

Went by here on a Sunday night around 5:45. because I remembered how good their beans were and was hungry for a good chicken dinner What a mistake! It took at least 30 minutes to get a 3 piece dinner and sandwich. The server picked out my chicken pieces with a great deal of effort to give me the smallest pieces. The fries were cold and recooked. The beans were 3/4 full. Got no pickles or sauce on sandwich. No dinner roll with meal A horrendous experience. Very rude workers and seemed more interested in serving hispanic customers more than white customers. Will not go back again. read more

We went with the intention of eating at the restaurant. The cashier told us it would be a 10 minute wait. turned into 20 minutes. My friend had to go back to work and we couldn't stay. We ordered to go and the person in charge did not bring the food to our table after so much waiting. The bag had no cutlery and I asked for it. The service was of very poor quality. The cleanliness was very low. In the end, I was grateful not to stay to eat there because the cleanliness in general was very questionable. read more

The fried chicken was average at best, really a bit greasy. I have two problems with this fast food restaurant. First the inside of the restaurant was dirty and should be cleaned better. My biggest issue was using their coupon (which came in the mail). The coupon said buy one individual meal get one free. On the face of the coupon was NO restrictions! I asked the clerk for breast and wings in both three piece fried chicken meal. The clerk argued with me it had to be mixed. I said I would pay for the white meat upgrade if it was one I didn't want dark meat. They out and out refused to fill the order to my specifications. The clerk lied and said one of meal three piece could be breast and wing the other three wings. What did I get? One meal with a wing, breast and leg the other with two thighs and a leg. I threw away all the dark meat. My request was not unreasonable. You lost a customer! read more

I waited for more than 30 minutes, when I asked for, the food was there sitting cold. They should be clear and loud when call the numbers. Really bad service. read more

Saturday evening and we wanted some chicken and decided to try Pollo Campero again. Have been here previously. I should have known when I saw that this place had joined the "Now Hiring" club that things might not be that great. The person on the cash register was not easily understood, but, we got through the process and the order was placed. As they were under staffed, all the orders were taken from the people in line before any meals were prepared. Anyway, the food came out as ordered and was good (e.g., chicken was juicy and cooked properly). But, we went to look for a place to sit and all but one of the tables needed to be cleared. The staff started doing this and we were able to sit down and eat. All that said, it was faster to come here than to make a trip to Guatemala as this evening, with the Latin music playing and all the tables seemed to have large families enjoying their meals, it was like being in Guatemala! Lots of potential here that has not been realized! read more

**3.75 - 4.0 stars** I've been drooling over the thought of trying out the Peruvian chicken at Pollo Campero - and I finally got around to trying it out earlier this week for dinner. Ordered a 1/4 chicken and Yucca fries, plus a bottle of water. The chicken was moist, savory, and absolutely delicious! Mouth watering good! The Yucca fries were tasty, hot, and crisp - BUT - they were a tad on the greasy side. If they eliminate the greasiness on the fries - I'd up the rating. read more

Pollo Campero - Latin American Near Me - Herndon, Virginia

Do not waste your time/money eating at this place. I went there when they first opened, and I am sad to say that things have changed drastically. I got a two-piece chicken combo to go. Requested two thighs, and I got one leg and a thigh. I had already put ketchup on my chicken when I noticed the mistake. I brought it up to their attention and was given another free thigh, but not without the cashier/manager looking at me as if she wanted to kill me. Hey !! I was not the one who made the mistake. The french fries were not cooked properly. They do this so that they don't have to throw them away too fast. The Campero rice was nasty. It didn't taste like anything. The empanadas are eatable, not the best for a supposedly latin place. I am ashamed to report. No plastic ware in my bag, I guess I was supposed to eat the rice with my hands. We were there around 02:30 PM today. There was only one customer in the restaurant finishing his meal. So, no excuses !! The frosting on the cake was the very poor service. Pollo Campero is not cheap people in comparison to other franchises. I don't mind paying top dollar for good quality food and service. I rate them a one stas because I can't give them any less than that. I'm greatly disappointed !! Sad day for Latin America !! read more

Used to be a decent fast food place. Have not been in over a year. Went today for just a quick bite and found it just disgusting. Everything is dirty inside. We got a meal to go. My daughter opened her pack of camperitos and there was a hair. $18 went straight yo trash . Will never go back. read more

Best fried chicken in Reston area. NOT fast food. Never been here when service was any where close to competent. Constant people going to the back while orders wait. I've walked out of here often because the line was long and NOBODY filling orders. Bad management. read more

Old and poor quality. I paid $40 for 10 pieces of chicken that was cold by the time in got it home 8 minutes later while the sides were still piping hot. The flavor of this place is good but they will serve you food hours after its been cooked. This is too much to charge for heat lamp chicken read more

Food is phenomenal, I have been coming here since I was a little girl. My family is a huge fan because we enjoy supporting this business. However, the service my family and I received today was horrendous. There was a mix up with my order (the free 3 piece meal that comes after downloading the app) and took it up with host: Alvin, was incredibly rude after I let him know I had ordered fried pieces not mixed and to which his response was why I was making a "big deal" out of nothing. Verbatim. I was truly shocked as I also work in the food industry and would NEVER dream of addressing a customer like that. Especially after I made a point of being as polite as possible. I hope he never speaks to anyone like that, let alone my mother or grandmother. I am extremely disappointed in his behavior. read more

Horrible experience! Eight months ago I posted a great review about what it means to eat Pollo Campero. This time I have to post this review to let people know how horrible was my experience at this location last Saturday afternoon. My wife and I went into the store and had to wait for the three teenagers working at the front to stop horse-playing and to make a decision on who will take our order. My wife asked for a 12 piece meal and she was never offer any alternatives or options. She did say that she wanted everything fresh and hot. As we waited for the food, i went to the front and asked the cashier for sauces. She told me that the only sauce available is ketchup and it was on the table. I have had in the past other sauces at other restaurants but I wasn't in the mood to argue (see picture). A few minutes later the food arrived. The chicken wasn't hot so my wife told the girl that had just served it. She called the manager (Jose) a man with 60's glasses and unhappy personality. To our surprise the manager said without talking to her; "you have been BOTHERING us from the moment you came in". He didn't try for a moment to make it better and only wanted to returned us the money. He didn't apologize once or attempted to change the chicken. We drove 16 miles to the store in Sudley Rd to find among other things that: 1. The 12 piece meal was $30.49 and not $31.50. 2.. They have different sauces to accompany your chicken. 3. The receipt has a section where the franchise wants your feedback. The manager at the Elden street location has taken that out. Never again! Do not go to that store read more

Pollo Campero - One of the many sauces not offered at the store - Latin American Near Me - Herndon, Virginia

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Just got back from lunch at this place. I hadn't had Guatemalan-style fried chicken before, and I was intrigued when my coworker had a coupon for it. We ventured out to Herndon, and it was pretty hilarious at first when we walked in as clearly newbies and studied the lit menu for 5 minutes. The locals eating there got a kick out of watching us read the menu line by line, and eventually a nice man from behind the counter took the time to approach us and explain the menu to us. By then, we had actually picked out what we wanted, but it was nice to see the effort. The staff here is super friendly, and the owner/manager is great! I had actually not been served my Horchata, and upon finding out, the manager personally went and whipped up a large cup for me. He also gave us an order of sweet plantains on the house for us to try. The food itself? Delicious! The fried chicken was crispy and juicy, and the flavor was distinctly different from Southern, Asian, Cajun, KFC or any other kind of fried chicken I've ever had. The yucca fries were amazing! Absolutely tops my list as my new favorite place for yucca fries. The plantains were also perfectly cooked and sweet, and then the beans. Ah, the beans. My coworker had read rave reviews about the beans, and boy were they right. Coming from someone like me that dislikes beans in general, these were probably some of the best beans I'd ever eaten. Fantastically flavorful, rich, not-heavy, not gooey beans with a hint of bacon and many many other deeply rich flavors. Definitely restaurant grade, not fast food quality! Between the food and the fantastic owners and staff, I'll definitely be back! read more

Now THIS is the juicy, flavorful fried chicken I came to love while traveling in Central America! My first visit to a North American Pollo Campero left me somewhat disappointed but when Pollo Campero appeared at the table on a recent visit to the hinterlands, I couldn't have been happier. The smell alone was enough to transport me back to Guatemala! I highly recommend rolling pieces of fried chicken along with beans and rice inside their warm tortillas for maximum taste satisfaction! read more

This quaint latin sensation is very inviting and apparently always busy-- so if you want to get a good seat and the freshest selection, I recommend Sunday morning at 10a. Seriously. Unfortunately, I think it's a little over priced for the product. You can get 8 pieces of fried chicken and 2 sides for $17.99.... but at many Peruvian chicken places you can get a WHOLE chicken and two sides for much less... Heck, even my favourite Korean fried chicken place offers 10 pieces more for around the same price. Maybe it's so pricey because of the service-- once our order was ready, it was brought to us on a tray with large plastic side plates and the chicken on a plastic plate itself. On to the food itself... the Beau and I ordered the 8 piece chicken only, a single side of mashed potatoes and 2 drinks, for just under $17. The skin was very crispy and spiced nice-- the meat inside tender and juicy. Added table salt really brought out the flavour. The mashed potatoes were standard chicken place mash potatoes, but the gravy had maybe a kick to it... or some sort of weird spice. The staff there are very friendly-- the manager stopped by our table to ask us how the food was and to thank us for coming in, and the woman behind the counter who took our order brought over a carry out box when she noticed I had slowed my scarf. Overall, it was good. I wouldn't make a special trip, but if in the area (and not at a local Thai hot spot) I'd probably eat it again. read more

Good: I saw a poster on the window that said 2 pieces of fried chicken (thigh and leg), fries, and soda for under $4. What a deal! The chicken is the best fried chicken I've had. The marinating really makes a difference, the meat is moist, and the skin is crispy. This is also the best yucca that I've had. It's fried and so fluffy inside. They let me substitute yucca for the fries. Definitely will come back to try something else. :) read more

Poor quality cold food. Note, I emailed the company at the email listed in their comment and they did NOT respond

I love Latino style chicken specially Peruvian,charbroiled I came to this place everything is Mediocre from the manager and down food is horrible so is the service the waiter dripped the food on his try and put it back in the plate and didn't even ask if we accepted it witch we did since it didn't drip in the floor they fry was clean so we didn't complain the add in yelp said you will get a free piece of chicken if you download up we did the manager said No you can't have it that was so funny an other thing the cashier gave me too receipts one for the food and one for the drinks he said he forgot I can't believe it I never comeback to this place I still gave two stars for the decoration nice colors in the dinning room . read more

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We found this place near our hotel and it looked different from your regular KFC. So, we stopped inside and found a microcosm of Hispanic friends and families who got together for good home-cooked chicken as well as burritos. This little hidden treasure in the outskirts of DC can be found by the distinctive chicken with the Mexican hat. Once inside, you can tell this is good food by the traffic of people in and out. This type of fried chicken like I mentioned is different and I prefer this over the traditional extra crispy KFC. There is light coating of flour and has just the right spice to give it a slight kick. Don't worry if you want some extra kick since there is a salsa bar at the end. Just ask for the extra hot sauce for some real kick. For the chicken grande burrito, it is a huge generous size stuffed tortilla with all sorts of spices, fried rice, black bean, and chicken. It's much better than Taco Bello or any other places like Baja Fresh and Chipotle. Also, try out the many types of sauce since I found the red salsa and green one pretty good. read more

Disappointed, I must say this has been the worst eating place on a 50 mile radius from our rental home since we moved to Northern Virginia. Poor customer service (not mean) just unprofessional. Disgusting beans. Chicken was okay but way too greasy compared to other fried chicken establishments like KFC, Churches chicken, etc. Their jamaica, mango and horchata tasted old and flavorless. I firmly believe my family and I will not visit this location again. read more

If could give the Falls Church VA location zero stars I would however in order to shed light on this location I had to give them 1 star. On 4 occasions I went to this location, and they never have "Grilled Chicken" each time I had to wait 25-35 minutes. The Fried chicken is over cooked, and they cook way too much. The staff is rude and unhelpful. After experiencing this repeatedly you would think the Manager would apologize, reduce my price, or add a free item, but she just gave me a blank stare, told me 25 minutes and lead me to the cash register and rang me up. They specialize in getting your Money. I purchased the 12 piece which is supposed to come with 3 Breast to only get home and find no Breast and when I brought this to the Managers attention, she offered no apology nor refund. You may wonder, why did I keep going back and the answer is My first experience was Great! The FOOD was Fantastic but After that it has been downhill and in hopes that the horrible experience was a one off, I would return hoping for the best and after 4 time and nearly $60.00 dollars a visit I deserve better service. I will never go back again. Oh, and they never answer the Phone. The female cashiers have attitudes and clearly do not want to be there. read more

This isn't super convenient for me, but I am willing to go here, because I think it's the best chicken around. I love it more than any other fast food or restaurant chicken. The batter is not heavy or greasy, and it's very tasty. Leftovers stay crunchy even overnight in the fridge and make great sliced chicken sandwiches. I loved the service here (I don't speak a word of Spanish) which was efficient and professional, and the sides are generous. Overall, I highly recommend. read more

no acostumbro a quejarme pero esta vez lo are en muchas ocasiones he visitado el local de herndon va sobre la Elden street estuve ahí. el 14 de agosto 2023 ordene 8 piezas de pollo en el parque Abrí la caja el pollo estaba súper frío y unas piezas súper viejas solo era el puro hueso read more

I am so upset with the service at the Herndon Location in Va. My co-workers and I placed online orders for pick-up, after ordering and paying the extra money for all white meat on all 3 platters, the order was totally incorrect. They still insisted on packing up and handing over whatever they wanted to. A thigh and a drum , anyone that knows me knows that I do not eat thighs at all. When contacting the service number to explain about the disservice , I was told that I could go to the location and pick-up the correct order, I explained that we were on lunch and there was no way we could do that. They then offered some sort of credit for a future meal, I politely declined and stated that I will never patronize this establishment ever again so there is no need to offer me a credit. I mean that in all honesty, I will never buy here again, 1st time and this was a complete turn-off. I can't even tell you what the food taste like because I didn't even bother eating something I don't like or did not pay for. So after all of that, I was offered a full refund for my entire order, because all 3 orders was wrong.. I will never , I mean never ever order here again. It would truly help if the staff that is preparing the orders could understand what a wing and breast looks like. And I am now kicking myself in the behind because I should have read reviews before ordering here, now after reading the review looks like this specific location has had issues since 2017, surprise it's still open!!! NEVER AGAIN WILL I SUPPORT THE HERNDON LOCATION!!!! Thanks L. Clark read more

Bad service employees care more about talking than about giving ice to customers.restaurant dirty

I grew up eating Campero, so whenever I see a joint I like to have some, but the last time I was taken aback cause their prices are out of control, I paid 12 dollars for 3 pieces of chicken and 2 sides. I think they need to realize that with such prices they will never compete with American fried chicken I for one, won't be coming back there anytime soon read more

Why do I love fried chicken? Because it fried of course. Can you really go wrong with fried foods? Nope, not in my opinion =) Located hear the K Mart shopping center on Elden Street is my 2nd favorite fried chicken house. My first is chain with spicy Cajun flavors =) A couple nights ago on the way home I drove past this place. I haven't fried chicken in a while so I thought I go in and have a go. I order a 3 piece dark special with rice and a dinner roll. I like how you have 3 choices, a roll, tortillas, or biscuits. There are a lot of choices for sides, but I stuck with the fries. Must eat fried foods!! I got my order and started to dig in. The chicken was golden brown and hot. I just love the spices, it's not your normal type of spices for fried chicken, but whatever they use, it works. I think since the pressure fry the chicken, the skin comes out crispier. The fries were spiced and nice and crunchy, you can go wrong with that. The roll, was ok, nothing too exciting. While I was eating the manager came along and asked how everything was doing. Décor wise, nothing exciting. I like this place, they could do some things better, but I'm not going to complain. This place use to be booming with business. I remember when they first opened up. I had to wait over 3 months before I could get in. The lines were wrapped around the building and people would wait in rain for it. The rumors were they sold $40k of food the first day. That's good enough for me. Man, now I want so chicken. read more

My sister-in-law used to work as a custom's agent, and had to confiscate bucket after bucket of Pollo Campero every time a plane came in from Central America. They inject the chicken with a spicy marinade...yum-tastic. Apparently it's so good that it's worth trying to smuggle across international borders! One note, their Horchata is peanut based rather than almond based, so beware if you have allergies. read more

I was so excited to see this food chain here, I grew up with it in El Salvador. I placed an order online and had a friend pick it up. The chicken tasted just how I remember it back in my country but it was just a tad salty. The sides weren't that great. I got the mash potatoes and coleslaw, they were edible but not the best. I would order again as the flavor of the fried chicken is good. read more

Finally got around to trying this place, and it didn't disappoint. It's a little pricey, and it's not really a nice place to eat (even compared to Guapo's), so that's the only reason it's not a 5-star review. I can't say I've had better fried chicken than this. Maybe once or twice, but it really was incredible. Juicier than you can imagine, delectably seasoned, and it was totally fresh. Yucca fries were good, orange mayo sauce was on point, and my horchata was tasty. Are all of these things better at other Latin chicken joints? Maybe, but the taste/texture of the fried chicken is pretty special. Will definitely be going back, and soon. read more

I have tried this place before and I came back to visit and it wasn't the same. The only thing I liked was the fried plantain but the chicken was too greasy and no flavor. read more

Had some concerns the last time I went here but Alvin Gaitan the GM was very kind and took care of my concerns. Assured me it won't happen ever again and since then didn't have a problem here. Overall the food is great and friendly place to dine in. read more

I was at this place on 12-28-18 around 8:pm. I was very disappointed this place smell bad. Like something discomposed. I hope that the food does poison me. And the food is very expensive. I think next time I will go to Popeyes is much batter. read more

Looking at the other reviews for this place makes me think that I just caught them on an off night, but until I'm shown otherwise, I can only comment on the single experience I had, which, to put it lightly, sucked. I'm not a huge fried chicken guy, but when it's done properly I love it as much as the next person. Pollo Campero, however, does not qualify in the least. What was sold to me as the best chicken joint in town turned out to be a greasy, totally unlikeable meal. KFC and Popeye's both outdo Campero by a mile, and that's saying a lot coming from me. Both of those fried chicken eateries manage to cook chicken that, while greasy (it being impossible to make it otherwise), is also juicy, tender, and flavorful. When I have chicken from either of those places, I usually just peel off a good portion of the skin and enjoy the meat underneath- which, because it's fried, is perfectly juicy. Pollo Campero is the exact opposite. Instead of juicy, flavorful chicken, you get overcooked, ultra-greasy, completely unappetizing chicken. The skin isn't crispy like it should be, instead feeling like it was cooked yesterday then thrown into a microwave right before it's popped into a box and handed to you. Even if you peel off the skin, the chicken underneath is just as bad. There's no flavor, the texture is rubbery and chewy, and it's drier than the Sahara. We also ordered some fries to go along with it, and those were even worse! They were perhaps the greasiest things I've ever tried before, and there was zero potato flavor. My coworkers and I joked that they were probably pieces of string thrown into the deep fryer then seasoned with a dash of salt. I cannot think of fries I hated more, at least not off the top of my head. Want real french fries? Go to Jackson's instead: those are amazing, perfectly cooked fries. Now keep in mind, when I criticize the chicken and fries for being greasy, I'm not trying to say that I expect them to be totally grease-free. Not at all- the grease factor is important in foods such as these. But there's grease as a result of frying, then there's grease as a result of improper cooking. I'd bet my pinkie that Pollo Campero didn't have their deep fryers set at a high enough temperature, and this is the result. I know I'll never go back there myself, but if I ever try it again when someone else already got it and enjoy it, I'll come back and change my rating. But until then, I will remember Pollo Campero as possibly the worst meal I've had in recent memory. read more

The Most RUBBERY chicken I've ever had. Not sure if it was just undercooked, but very rubbery. This is usually a sign of low-quality chickens. I won't be back. read more

I ordered the fried chicken sandwich and it was partially raw so I know I ingested part of the raw portion. Since sure enough I was feeling the unpleasant after effects. I can't believe the quality of care and food control at this location to allow such a mishap to occur to both sandwiches. read more

Pollo Campero - Undercooked chicken - Latin American Near Me - Herndon, Virginia

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I was very excited to go and get some campero right before work , i checked on line and it says they open at night , I have to drive 25 minutes farther to make it , and I found this .... They actually are opening at 10...Seriously , they just "make like this "... So disappointed read more

Pollo Campero - Latin American Near Me - Herndon, Virginia

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I downloaded an app on my phone that says you get a free 3 peice meal for signing up as long as you purchase a drink. I literally downloaded the app went to the store in Elden street and they told me no and the manager was rude about it. He stated I must of already used it before. I showed him the app says I have no history on the app whatsoever but he didn't care and dismissed me. read more