El Pollo Real

This place looks like a hole in the wall in a strip mall in not a great area — however — step inside and find yourself in a spotless Columbian environment. Tables have real white tablecloths and clean. Food of is awesome — plantains, empanadas, yucca — all perfectly done and their mixed meat platters give you a sampler of true Columbian food. Even their coconut flan was sooo good… You will not be disappointed. Although other reviews mentioned slow service we did not experience neither poor nor slow service. Come try this place out — well worth it.

One star… yes, one. Why? Because I’ve been looking forward to come here for a month after leaving California… Only to arrive and see a sign saying that they are closed for a few days. Wth? Nice consistency. Not.

Unilocalers were right on with how tasty la comida at El Pollo Real is, but you set the bar low for speed of service. So, I was blown away when our food starting coming out quickly. I ordered jugo de tomate de arbol off of their specials menu. Tasted like a cross between a banana and a tomato, but sweet. Two of us shared un quarto pollo plate with plantains, rice, and an arepa, a (two) beef empanada appetizer, and side of yuca frita. The chicken was delicious. A little salty, but crispy and so tasty. The plantains were a nice contrast; sweet and soft. The arepa was a little bland in comparison – good, but not particularly noteworthy. The empanadas came out five minutes after the pollo and yucca five minutes after that. Not the order of operations that I expected, but who cares? The empanadas were golden brown fried deliciousness. The yucca wasn’t extraordinary, but thoroughly enjoyable. All of that for less than $ 14! Only two other tables were occupied during our visit on a Saturday evening at 6:30, sadly – this place is a gem. Service was attentive and accommodating with zero attitude; not your typical american wham bam thank you m’aam like a fine-​tuned machine. More of a sweet, innocent, you’re hungry? We serve good food. Would you like some? type of thing. Again, Unilocalers set the bar low for décor. I was expecting a smaller, dingier place where the kitchen heat overtakes the whole space. In actuality, it is two store-​fronts-​wide, bright, clean, and cool enough with the overhead fans. I will definitely be back, and realize I might need to reset the bar if our experience with the service was as atypical as it sounds. Worth the trip, regardless, in my opinion.

When the chicken is fresh off the grill, it is outstanding. I have eaten at the restaurant 3 times, a long wait but very good. Twice I took food to go and the chicken was old & dried out. Even before leaving the second time I cautioned them of my last take out experience & was reassured it was fresh — NOT, extremely disappointing, dried out old chicken twice on take out, never again.

Delicious rotisserie chicken! the empanadas were really good and savory… the lemonada was so refreshing with the meal… the sides was scrumptious… wish there was a similar place in the Bay Area

It’s easy to get into a New Mexican food rut while in ABQ so having other types of Latin food available is always a good thing. El Pollo Real serves authentic Columbian food and there are lots of great choices on their menu.
I always start with empanada (beef). These are just the right size for a snack and I love the sauce that comes with it. I typically order the ropa vieja (shredded beef in creole sauce) with plaintain — it’s a good amount of food and the beef is cooked properly (not overly string or dry). If you want a good sampling of food, then the Bandeja Montanera (rice, beans, sausage, pork skin, plantain, arepa, egg, meat and avocado) is for you. Also a large portion, but it has all the best of what you would want here.
Service is attentive, but yes, it can be slow because they are making it fresh for you. I’m never going to complain about that. I really enjoy coming here and highly recommend it for those wanting something unique in ABQ.

Take it from a Colombiana, this place is authentic. I grew up on Colombian food so I know what I’m talking about. While it isn’t the best Colombian food, nothing compares to eating in Bogota with your family, but it is the best and only restaurant you can get in this area. We came accross this place on our travels and it was enjoyable. It is family runned and the staff is friendly. The food is well seasoned and tasty. So if you feel like trying a bit of Colombian food please give this place a chance.

This place is a great family Columbian place, with simple, delicious food. The proprietors are friendly and the environment is relaxing.
A lot of ambiance is what contributes to a food experience. I am convinced that this is why pizza is never as good as in Manhattan or Naples. In Central or South America, you won’t find the air conditioning blasting. You won’t get a huge menu.…there might be no menu. You might get a clean table cloth, maybe not.
It’s easy to believe you are in South America at a modest family restaurant. It’s kind of stuffy, overlit, cluttered and has satellite futbol on the TV, all of which transport me back to trips I’ve made abroad.
The food is affordable for a family and kids are cherished rather than seen as a nuisance.
Nice work.

It’s sad to see so many negative reviews for this place, especially when you see what people’s complaints are. I saw a number of people bothered by what they perceived as long waits for food. I will acknowledge that when we arrived yesterday, there were no other customers and our food still arrived after a long wait, HOWEVER, I was more than happy to wait because 1) I could smell the food grilling in the back and knew I was in for a treat, 2) I actually went and peeked into the kitchen and saw the owner put fresh pieces of chicken on the grill for us — this is the real deal!, 3) I knew I was in a restaurant and NOT a fast food establishment and thus accepted that a good meal can take time.
And a good meal did come, after our wait (which when all was said and done, was about 20 minutes). Thankfully, this place had empanadas to hold us over until our main dish came. They were delicious and cheap ($ 1.50) and just like the empanadas I’d eaten in Jackson Heights, Elizabeth, and other parts of the tri-​state area back east (sadly I’ve never been to Colombia so can’t speak to how closely it mirrors the food there, but my best friend is Colombian and he served as my tour guide out east).
Anyhow, get the empanadas to start. You won’t be disappointed.
Now normally I’d get the bandeja paisa in a Colombian restaurant, what with the two tons of food that arrive. However, the picada para dos caught my eye and seemed perfect for my wife and me. In a lot of ways it’s kind of like the bandeja paisa, just doubled to feed two like the name suggests.
This proved to be a wise choice for us. A large plate arrived with every delicious meat you can imagine: morcilla (blood sausage), salchichon, steak, pollo al carbon (their delicious grilled chicken) and chicharron. To top it all off, there were maduros (sweet fried plantains) and yuca frita (fried cassava), the latter of which is to die for and will make you reconsider ever eating french fries again.
Everything on the plate was delicious, so much so that despite being perhaps more aptly named picada para tres o cuatro, my wife and I nearly polished off everything. We literally couldn’t stop eating.
As we ate, my wife and I kept excitedly remarking how wonderful it was to have Colombian food in Albuquerque; it’s really cool to see how multicultural ABQ has become. However, it is discouraging when you see people come in and disparage a place like this, as one fears the negative reviews may scare people away and we’ll lose a good restaurant and a different choice for food.
This place is awesome and it better succeed. Go in and try those empanadas and the picada. And be patient!!!

We went here for the first time with a group of girlfriends. It’s got great food with lots of choice. Maybe a little heavy, but you just have to figure out what to order that suits your taste. The service was very friendly… the atmosphere is cool because its authentic… believe me, when you go into a restaurant like this in Columbia, there will be no air conditioning. i loved it!

I’ve been a couple of times prior to my Colombian wife arriving a year ago and it was fine-​both the ropa vieja and the bandeja piasa did the job. And we did do a little party here when she came that went OK but the service was really slow. BTW, the place is absentee owned by a gringo married to a Colombian and it is completely in the hands of her Colombian mom and pop.
Finally, went back recently after a year on a Saturday at 5:30 and there was only one table there and they were about to cash out. There were 4 of us and we were the only table in the whole place when the fiasco began.
We ordered morcilla sausage as an appetizer and it took almost 25 mins. to arrive. Again, we were the only table in the restaurant and I guarantee you they were not making the morcilla right after we ordered it. It took 4 of us 5 mins. to dispense of the morcilla. Well, another 20 mins. ensued before we got our entrees. So we were there almost an hour before finally getting our entrees. Now, this is Colombian food-​beans, rice, salad, plaintains and something grilled or fried. There is no way, from the time we put in the order for entrees at the same time as the morcilla, that it would take 45 mins. to cook 4 of these types of meals if there is no one else in the restaurant! In short, I was peeved especially as my steak tasted funny and the flavor was off. The waiter claimed the delay was the pork chuleta which was a total joke as it is similar to chicken fried steak-​it can be cooked in 10 mins. easy.
After this, I will not go back. My wife can do it much better and faster at home.

I really wish we would have chosen to eat Cuban the night we went to El Pollo Real than came here… our experience here really showed that we can’t always trust Unilocal when searching for new restaurants to dine at…
First off, it was blazingly HOT in there as there was no AC and only a couple of fans…
Second, the service was REALLY bad. The server was more interested in either standing around staring into space or serving a big group of d-​bags first who came in after us. We had to ask to have our WATER refilled. He NEVER brought out our arepas although he said he was going to. He gave the group of d-​bags their check before us and they were out the door before he even brought ours out and we were done BEFORE them. He started closing up shop and locking doors when a table of guests hadn’t even ordered… this place just sucks.
Third, and the most important — the food was pretty crappy. The chicken was full of bones and DRY. This place is called El POLLO Real. If you have chicken in your restaurant’s name, shouldn’t your chicken be GOOD? I’ve eaten Colombian before and granted it was like a 5-​star restaurant where people would travel upwards of 300 miles to eat there, but this crappy restaurant is NOTHING like any Colombian I’ve ever eaten. The only thing good here was the horchata, plantains and the sausage. I can’t say if the arepas were good as he NEVER brought them out!
Avoid this place like the plague.

Food is quite good and they have several authentic Colombian dishes. I have spent some time in Colombia, the Bandeja Paisa they have is quite good and similar to what I had in Colombia. The serving size for that is generous, you will be full. Empanadas were good, they are cheap and a good appetizer. The «signature» dish (since it is the name of the restaurant), the roasted chicken, is great, They have some interesting Colombian desserts. The owner and the staff are quite friendly. Check it out!!! After my first visit I was immediately a huge fan, and went back every time I was in the area. As far as I know this is the only Colombian restaurant in New Mexico.

This place is very delicious! The staff was very friendly and very helpful! I offered the quick tip for appetizers (tostones and empanadas)… As for the main course, order the bandeja paisa to experience a little bit of everything… Very good!

Great food and prices. The staff is very friendly and the portions are large.
I highly recommend the bandeja paisa. If you like Cuban/​Puerto Rican food or just want to try something new, you’ve got to check out this restaurant.

Enjoyed the very flavorful ropa vieja plate and a pineapple agua fresca. Lots of interesting menu choices but mostly for serious carnivores. Waitress was very friendly and gladly alternated speaking English and Spanish with me. Wanna get back to try some of their other dishes!