Stopped into this particular El Pollo Loco for the first time today and OMG, there's a new "Best Salad in the Whole World" in town!! :-)) You know how sometimes it's hot (ok, LOTS of times!), and you just want a nice refreshing salad for lunch? Well, my spot for that up until now has been to go visit Nicole and her gun at The Hero Factory near home here in downtown Phoenix. But NOW... Speaking first of this EPL in particular, I found a clean dining room, fast, friendly counter service from Salvador, and friendly, chatty customers as a bonus. This location doesn't offer booth seating, which I always prefer, but after one bite of this meal everything else fades into the background anyway! This chain from Mexico, already a favorite of mine since they opened their first two U.S. locations in L.A. back in '80, has recently added a bunch of big salads to their menu that include either a chicken breast or Carne Asada (marinated, sliced beef). For this first try of any of them, I went with a "Southwest Bacon Hand Carved Chicken Salad." ISYN, this was the best salad I've ever eaten anywhere, period!! :-)) - Can't wait to get back a few more times to most any EPL & try the other varieties of this amazing salad meal. ($6.99)
(5)
Ernie M.
I have to start by saying "I love Pollo Loco!" BUT I would NEVER GO BACK TO THIS ONE!! We were at GCU in Phoenix, AZ and wanted to go to a Pollo Loco because we do not have Pollo Locos in our town. In my opinion, this place DOES NOT DESERVE to be in the Pollo Loco Franchise! From the outside it is apparent that this store is run down. When we went inside, we got the same feeling. But we love Pollo Loco's food, so we were willing to go forward with our order. We ordered and sat down. The minute we sat down, we knew something was wrong. It was hot and stuffy. We got our order and took it to our table. That is when we really became uncomfortable. It was so hot in the restaurant, that we started sweating. We were trying to enjoy our food but it was just so uncomfortable. Some people next to us overheard and told us that they had complained to the manager but he told them the a/c was broken and just blew them off. I went up to tell the manager and he said the same thing. I told him that they should have put a sign on the door so people could decide whether they wanted to eat there, in those condition. He did not offer to comp the meal, not even to give us a refund so we could go to another place that had working a/c. Mind you, we were in Phoenix and it was about 110. It felt like it was over 90 degrees inside the restaurant! I got the district manager's (DM) info to call him and let him know what a terrible experience we were having in his restaurant. He explained the a/c was out, someone had been called to fix it and ok. I told him, there is another customer at the table right next to me who was also upset about how hot is was. He said "yeah, I know. I already talked to them. He just DID NOT CARE. I told him "Ok, I just wanted to let you know because the other customer and I were both going to do the survey to let the company know how bad our experience was. Then he said what can I do to make you happy. I said "nothing at this point. OK, no problem. Chalk it up to a bad experience. But then, I noticed a broken window with a wet floor pylon right next to it. And, I wondered.... Has someone also been called to fix that broken window or is this how this particular store is run - things break down and they just let them go to save money? So, I took a picture of the broken window, the dirty salsa bar, and the dirty floor behind the counter. This is where it really went south and got weird. My husband and I left the store and were driving down the road when we get a phone call from the DM that I had just spoken to. He says "I talked to you earlier and I want my manager to comp your meal". I told him it was too late because we had already left. This is when he told me "i just want you to know that this Pollo Loco is incorporated and if you write a review on trip advisor and some other review site, then you will be getting a phone call from our lawyer. I asked him if he was threatening me and he said no but my employees said you were taking pictures we have you on camera. I said "good." He said something like - if you use those pictures, you will be getting a phone call from our lawyers. I told him good-bye. I called the 877 customer service number. Told the customer service rep what had happened. About 10 minutes later I get a phone call from someone who says they are from corporate in California. He starts the conversation out well, concerned, apologetic. Then he starts to defend the situation regarding the broken down a/c and the manager and DM. Then he tells me something like, I did review the videos and saw you taking pictures in the restaurant and just want you to know that what the DM said is correct. He goes on to say something like "this is private property and you can not take pictures." I told him that I thought when they opened the door and invited guests in, they gave up their right to call something private. He explained that they had already had a case where a disgruntled customer posted a bad review along with pictures was sued by Pollo Loco because some employees in the photos were under 18 and did not want their pictures used. I understand but that was not the case in my situation. Our conversation went on and then he went back to the pictures. I stopped him and told him he did not need to repeat his threat. I ask his name and title. He told me he was Security Guest Service. Does anyone know if this is a legit position at Pollo Loco? I do not know what is going on with this Pollo Loco???? I will never return to this location. I call out the CEO of Pollo Loco to do an undercover boss at this location!!!! Hit like if you agree.
(1)
Farisa A.
I am lovin' El Pollo Loco. Muuuuuch better than the local colonel imho. All of their salads are very good. My food has always been fresh, including the salads. Service could have been a little tighter at times, but it seems like most people like working there and working with each other which shows in the quality of the food. Overall I am pleased with this restaurant.
(5)
Greg F.
My girlfriend and I were hungry and wanted to do something different than the usual. We had passed by El Pollo Loco many times and had agreed we'd try it, but that kept getting put off. That finally just changed, and now I wish we hadn't waited so long. Seriously, we are the perfect combination of full and satisfied at this very moment. We took a look at the menu and weren't sure of how much to order. Eventually, we based it on cost, assuming that around $15 worth of food would be enough (it ended up being almost $18). What can I say, we're both good eaters. She ordered the chicken avocado quesadilla and a side of mashed potatoes - yes it's a strange combo but she loves mashed potatoes so why not. I opted for the chicken avocado burrito and a crunchy taco. The understanding was, of course, we'd try a bite of each other's food. The quesadilla and burrito were both stuffed full of tasty goodness. She's not big on beans but admitted she actually liked the burrito. I don't think I've ever tasted a quesadilla that had such an explosion of flavor, at least not in the fast food world. The quality of the ingredients was far superior to what I expected. That goes for the whole meal as a matter of fact. We've both eaten enough fast food in our lives to know better so I feel confident in saying that. The crunchy taco was a huge hit as well. It reminded me of the kind of taco I'd get at a sit-down Mexican restaurant. Even the mashed potatoes rivaled KFC so no complaints here! The service was fine. They confirmed the order before and after we got our food. I'd say we waited no more than 2 minutes in the drive thru to get it. I wouldn't hesitate to go back, and again, wish I'd tried it sooner. It's tough to put your finger on how good a place like this is going to be when you don't know how big the portions are and they have a variety of sides to choose from. I can't wait to try a different combination next time!
(5)
Scott W.
This isn't even where I started out to go for lunch today. I was driving down the road and it caught my eye. I have eaten from here several times but this is the first time I have been in one of their restaurants. Even though I like their chicken it seems like the order gets screwed up about half the time and I don't go back for a while. Like many fast food places the order seems to be correct most of the time when eating in. I had a breast with macaroni and cheese and cole slaw. It comes with a couple of tortillas (flour or corn). I tried the salsa and spicy avocado from their salsa bar, neither was great but both edible. I have had better Horchata but again it was ok. For $8.20 total with drink I was happy. The restaurant inside was clean and the staff friendly. Being a beautiful day outside I would liked to have sat on the patio. Here is where they lost a star, the tables looked liked they had not been cleaned in several days and the patio trash bin was way too full. I am sure I will eat here again.
(2)
Brad T.
Not a very friendly menu for a person with gluten intolerance but the chicken was *very* good although practically the only thing I can eat. The reason for the low rating was this location had horrible AC and bad AC in the dead of the Phoenix monsoon season is not a place to enjoy a good meal. The "atmosphere" was positiviely soupy between the kitchen and what seemed like a swamp cooler.
(1)
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Address :4325 W Bethany Home Rd
Glendale, AZ, 85301
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : No Outdoor Seating : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : No Drive-Thru : Yes Caters : Yes
If you enjoy Taco Tuesday, then you have officially fallen in love with the Mexican Food. The main grain of Mexican cuisine is maize. Also known as corn, maize is grown for the past 9000 years after the crop was discovered by the people in Mayan civilization. Mexican empire flourished when they started growing beans, tomatoes, chili pepper, sweet potato and cactus. Till this date these ingredients are used in cooking authentic Mexican dishes and drinks.
Great use of spices, fresh chili pepper dishes like fajitas, tortilla chips, corn chips, salsa, chimichangas, burritos, nachos and quesadillas are invented in America. But when you are looking for authentic Mexican food then you must find a restaurant in the city that serves Rajas con Queso, Garbanzo in a Guajillo Chile Sauce, Pork Filled Chiles Rellenos, Chiles en Nogada, Molcajete Salsa, Pico de Gallo and Frijoles de la Olla. An eye-opening fact – Mexican don't like their food hot. They use fresh chili and other spices to create a flavor that lingers in your mouth.
Mexican food is great for those who are Gluten Intolerant as they use Corn instead of wheat in most of their dishes. Also, you can easily find many beans based Mexican dishes. Another dish which didn't get similar glory as tacos or nachos is the Mexican hot chocolate. If you love something hot on a chilly day, then go for Mexican Hot Chocolate. On merry days, you can enjoy the authentic Mexican Drinks like Tequila, Mezcal, Tecuí, Sotol, Bacanora, Charanda, Posh O Pox, Puebla and Pulque. Mexican Cuisine is for people who enjoy strong drinks and hearty meals.
Rand H.
Stopped into this particular El Pollo Loco for the first time today and OMG, there's a new "Best Salad in the Whole World" in town!! :-)) You know how sometimes it's hot (ok, LOTS of times!), and you just want a nice refreshing salad for lunch? Well, my spot for that up until now has been to go visit Nicole and her gun at The Hero Factory near home here in downtown Phoenix. But NOW... Speaking first of this EPL in particular, I found a clean dining room, fast, friendly counter service from Salvador, and friendly, chatty customers as a bonus. This location doesn't offer booth seating, which I always prefer, but after one bite of this meal everything else fades into the background anyway! This chain from Mexico, already a favorite of mine since they opened their first two U.S. locations in L.A. back in '80, has recently added a bunch of big salads to their menu that include either a chicken breast or Carne Asada (marinated, sliced beef). For this first try of any of them, I went with a "Southwest Bacon Hand Carved Chicken Salad." ISYN, this was the best salad I've ever eaten anywhere, period!! :-)) - Can't wait to get back a few more times to most any EPL & try the other varieties of this amazing salad meal. ($6.99)
(5)Ernie M.
I have to start by saying "I love Pollo Loco!" BUT I would NEVER GO BACK TO THIS ONE!! We were at GCU in Phoenix, AZ and wanted to go to a Pollo Loco because we do not have Pollo Locos in our town. In my opinion, this place DOES NOT DESERVE to be in the Pollo Loco Franchise! From the outside it is apparent that this store is run down. When we went inside, we got the same feeling. But we love Pollo Loco's food, so we were willing to go forward with our order. We ordered and sat down. The minute we sat down, we knew something was wrong. It was hot and stuffy. We got our order and took it to our table. That is when we really became uncomfortable. It was so hot in the restaurant, that we started sweating. We were trying to enjoy our food but it was just so uncomfortable. Some people next to us overheard and told us that they had complained to the manager but he told them the a/c was broken and just blew them off. I went up to tell the manager and he said the same thing. I told him that they should have put a sign on the door so people could decide whether they wanted to eat there, in those condition. He did not offer to comp the meal, not even to give us a refund so we could go to another place that had working a/c. Mind you, we were in Phoenix and it was about 110. It felt like it was over 90 degrees inside the restaurant! I got the district manager's (DM) info to call him and let him know what a terrible experience we were having in his restaurant. He explained the a/c was out, someone had been called to fix it and ok. I told him, there is another customer at the table right next to me who was also upset about how hot is was. He said "yeah, I know. I already talked to them. He just DID NOT CARE. I told him "Ok, I just wanted to let you know because the other customer and I were both going to do the survey to let the company know how bad our experience was. Then he said what can I do to make you happy. I said "nothing at this point. OK, no problem. Chalk it up to a bad experience. But then, I noticed a broken window with a wet floor pylon right next to it. And, I wondered.... Has someone also been called to fix that broken window or is this how this particular store is run - things break down and they just let them go to save money? So, I took a picture of the broken window, the dirty salsa bar, and the dirty floor behind the counter. This is where it really went south and got weird. My husband and I left the store and were driving down the road when we get a phone call from the DM that I had just spoken to. He says "I talked to you earlier and I want my manager to comp your meal". I told him it was too late because we had already left. This is when he told me "i just want you to know that this Pollo Loco is incorporated and if you write a review on trip advisor and some other review site, then you will be getting a phone call from our lawyer. I asked him if he was threatening me and he said no but my employees said you were taking pictures we have you on camera. I said "good." He said something like - if you use those pictures, you will be getting a phone call from our lawyers. I told him good-bye. I called the 877 customer service number. Told the customer service rep what had happened. About 10 minutes later I get a phone call from someone who says they are from corporate in California. He starts the conversation out well, concerned, apologetic. Then he starts to defend the situation regarding the broken down a/c and the manager and DM. Then he tells me something like, I did review the videos and saw you taking pictures in the restaurant and just want you to know that what the DM said is correct. He goes on to say something like "this is private property and you can not take pictures." I told him that I thought when they opened the door and invited guests in, they gave up their right to call something private. He explained that they had already had a case where a disgruntled customer posted a bad review along with pictures was sued by Pollo Loco because some employees in the photos were under 18 and did not want their pictures used. I understand but that was not the case in my situation. Our conversation went on and then he went back to the pictures. I stopped him and told him he did not need to repeat his threat. I ask his name and title. He told me he was Security Guest Service. Does anyone know if this is a legit position at Pollo Loco? I do not know what is going on with this Pollo Loco???? I will never return to this location. I call out the CEO of Pollo Loco to do an undercover boss at this location!!!! Hit like if you agree.
(1)Farisa A.
I am lovin' El Pollo Loco. Muuuuuch better than the local colonel imho. All of their salads are very good. My food has always been fresh, including the salads. Service could have been a little tighter at times, but it seems like most people like working there and working with each other which shows in the quality of the food. Overall I am pleased with this restaurant.
(5)Greg F.
My girlfriend and I were hungry and wanted to do something different than the usual. We had passed by El Pollo Loco many times and had agreed we'd try it, but that kept getting put off. That finally just changed, and now I wish we hadn't waited so long. Seriously, we are the perfect combination of full and satisfied at this very moment. We took a look at the menu and weren't sure of how much to order. Eventually, we based it on cost, assuming that around $15 worth of food would be enough (it ended up being almost $18). What can I say, we're both good eaters. She ordered the chicken avocado quesadilla and a side of mashed potatoes - yes it's a strange combo but she loves mashed potatoes so why not. I opted for the chicken avocado burrito and a crunchy taco. The understanding was, of course, we'd try a bite of each other's food. The quesadilla and burrito were both stuffed full of tasty goodness. She's not big on beans but admitted she actually liked the burrito. I don't think I've ever tasted a quesadilla that had such an explosion of flavor, at least not in the fast food world. The quality of the ingredients was far superior to what I expected. That goes for the whole meal as a matter of fact. We've both eaten enough fast food in our lives to know better so I feel confident in saying that. The crunchy taco was a huge hit as well. It reminded me of the kind of taco I'd get at a sit-down Mexican restaurant. Even the mashed potatoes rivaled KFC so no complaints here! The service was fine. They confirmed the order before and after we got our food. I'd say we waited no more than 2 minutes in the drive thru to get it. I wouldn't hesitate to go back, and again, wish I'd tried it sooner. It's tough to put your finger on how good a place like this is going to be when you don't know how big the portions are and they have a variety of sides to choose from. I can't wait to try a different combination next time!
(5)Scott W.
This isn't even where I started out to go for lunch today. I was driving down the road and it caught my eye. I have eaten from here several times but this is the first time I have been in one of their restaurants. Even though I like their chicken it seems like the order gets screwed up about half the time and I don't go back for a while. Like many fast food places the order seems to be correct most of the time when eating in. I had a breast with macaroni and cheese and cole slaw. It comes with a couple of tortillas (flour or corn). I tried the salsa and spicy avocado from their salsa bar, neither was great but both edible. I have had better Horchata but again it was ok. For $8.20 total with drink I was happy. The restaurant inside was clean and the staff friendly. Being a beautiful day outside I would liked to have sat on the patio. Here is where they lost a star, the tables looked liked they had not been cleaned in several days and the patio trash bin was way too full. I am sure I will eat here again.
(2)Brad T.
Not a very friendly menu for a person with gluten intolerance but the chicken was *very* good although practically the only thing I can eat. The reason for the low rating was this location had horrible AC and bad AC in the dead of the Phoenix monsoon season is not a place to enjoy a good meal. The "atmosphere" was positiviely soupy between the kitchen and what seemed like a swamp cooler.
(1)