Pollo Tropical

The employees are great, the place could be cleaner. Love the chicken breast and plantains!

Took three people to find the answer what comes on half a chicken all white meat. 3 people. Food just ok try other pollo tropicales much better

As the Wendy’s commercial from the 80s, «Where’s the beef?» or rather «Where’s the chicken?» — there chickens must be the scrawniest, smallest chickens I have ever eaten, they are either really young or starved
There pork is pretty tastless too and their bread (for either sandwiches or the side rolls served with chicken) needs to be heated in an oven — that kind of bread does not taste good cold
Two stars for having good sauces and good guava berry cake
@Emma — if you ever go to NY try Pio Pio or any of the chicken places on Roosevelt Avenue — OMG. you wont want to eat @ Pollo again

I’ve been to this Pollo Tropical twice now and my feeling has been consistent both times; the food is pretty tasty for «fast food», but there really is no wow factor here. I was really hoping for just a little bit more. More of what? I don’t know, I wish I could put my finger on it.
So I have tried the ¼ chicken trio platter twice now. I have had it with ribs once and with the grilled wings another time. The chicken was seasoned nicely and cooked well, not dry at all. The wings were okay; seasoned well, and cooked well, but just okay. The pulled pork was delicious, but on both occasions, sparse. I don’t think there was even an ounce of the roasted goodness. This was disconcerting, because it was truly the star of the platter. The ribs were lukewarm, but tasty. On this particular day I ended up with an end piece that was quite fatty.
For sides, I sampled the black beans with yellow rice, the mac-​n-​cheese, the boiled yuca, the plantains, and the Caesar salad. The beans and rice were spot-​on. The mac-​n-​cheese was okay — more saucy than cheesy. I did not care for the boiled yuca at all. In fact, I will probably opt for the yuca fries next time. The plantains were delicious, take heed, they are not on the inclusive side dishes menu. They are extra. Since the platter already comes with two sides, they didn’t let me substitute, so I ended up with a lot of food. The Caesar salad was pedestrian with the dressing a bit bland with a sweetness that I did not find amusing. The array of sauces is a nice touch and all of them are really good especially the cilantro-​garlic.
I think that this casual, fast food, place has some serious potential. Apply a little more caring to the preparation of dishes and this place could most certainly be a winner.

The food is good for the price. I have come here many times but my most recent visit was less than pleasant. They lost my order so it took forever and the food runner was very rude. Not sure I’m coming back…

I would give this place 4 stars because the food is good. However, they have one employee named JASMIN who works the drive through. This might be the meanest, most bitter, and rude employee I have encountered at a fast food place.
She is rude, interrupts in mid-​sentence, and then sits in silence when you finish the order. at the window she isnt any better. why would you be in service if you are just so unhappy? this woman needs professional help.

I absolutely love this place. It’s fast, fresh and always full of flavor. I especially appreciate the healthy fire-​grilled chicken and the sauce bar with authentic Caribbean toppings like cilantro-​garlic and curry-​mustard. I always stop in here when I’m in the area. I highly recommend!

I undrstand the carribean feel for chicken and pork. The food was just food. Nothing special. The floor was dirty. The tables were dirty. The staff is the only good thing about this place. Very friendly and very out going.

Does this look edible? Can anyone even identify exactly what this is or why I was served this as takeout by Pollo Tropical? After 20 mins of standing patiently waiting for an order I was given this to take back to work. The caesar salad I ordered was also missing dressing and cheese. It was basically a bowl of lettuce. This was a pickup order for someone at the office who was hesitant to order because of past issues and this is what she was served. Needless to say we won’t be returning. Shame on you Pollo Tropical this is unacceptable.

Went there for several times, for the first 2 times, they prepare the food fast even though there are many people there, but for the 3^rd time I went there at around 1pm, there are not so many people, but the food is so slow, I waited about 10−15mins to get the food, I ordered chicken ceaser salad, while when I mix the dressing, there are no chicken at all, only lettuce and bread, and I try to call a waitress, waited another 20−25mins to get a waitress to check it. Then she took the salad and add some chicken, for a fast food restaurant, it‘s not a good experience to wait so long and only get not-​qualified food, and wait so long to get it fixed.

I have lunch here at least once a week and the food is always good and well prepared. No complaints at all except that they took the short ribs off the menu and replaced it with shrimp ugh!

I give this place a thumbs up because they do something very well and its a change of pace. They really get the chicken skin crispy. I never noticed how much I liked that until I ate here. It helps that the chicken is moist as well. Its hard to mess up black beans and rice so they are decent. The bread they give you is kinda wack they could improve that some, details. The sauce bar is pretty good. I recommend this place for a quick lunch.

New Caribbean fast food concept… not bad
Health wise. pretty good as long as u don’t get any of the buffet of sauces pollo tropical has. They have alotta homemade unique sauces
I tried the chicken meal with rice and beans and cup of homemade Mac n cheese… not really a Wow factor but was definitely decent for around $ 7.50
Chicken is moist n tender
Good place to try at least once

Not sure why this place gets so much hate on here! Having grown up a Cuban in Miami and then relocated to the West Coast for 17 years where there is no real Cuban food, I am pleased as punch to find this location so close to our new digs. The food is consistent with what I expect from these restaurants and if I’m to be honest, their rice and beans are better than at any of the sit down Cuban places I’ve been to in Seattle or San Francisco. Hell, their rice and beans are as good as Papi’s if not better.* I have been here three times already and eaten in all times. Here’s our experience so far.
Service: Friendly enough. They always get our order right, and we can be a PIA ordering items with no sauce or with a different meat etc. The gal who brings our food to the table is always nice enough as well.
Food: It tastes like Pollo Tropical should, delicious. I always order the ¼ white meat chicken and it’s always moist and flavorful, like I expect from having eaten at many Pollo Tropicals. We also ordered the black beans and rice (both brown and white), yuca con mojo and maduros. All of these were good and the flavor profile is what I expect from these foods.
Ambiance: This is a fast food joint and it looks like it, all be it nice and clean. I have never had an issue with a table being gross or anything like that. Not even when it’s been busy. It’s one of the few fast food places I enjoy eating at.
Final note: I would like to take a minute here and say, I have never had their mashed potatoes, their corn bread thingy, their mac and cheese or any other non Cuban dish. Why? Because well, that’s not what I come here for and I wouldn’t expect them to do that very well if I’m to be honest. I come for Cuban food I grew up eating at Pollo Tropicals in Miami and which they do quite well/​as expected.
*I judge a Cuban restaurant by their black beans and rice. If your beans and rice are no good, I don’t come back.

Pleasantly surprised as it was cheap and tasty and I’m a sucka for a sauce bar. However I quickly ate my food and was looking at the menu to see what else I could order.

Bumping Pollo Tropical to three stars. The convenience of a non-​standard meat and two through the world’s fastest drive thru is not to be ignored…
3^rd star — Drive thru convenience and customer service
I dunno that I’ll ever sit down and eat in Pollo Tropical again, but I’ll damn sure use the drive thru.
The experience is pretty awesome. It’s quick, it’s efficient, and the folks in the drive thru are nicer than the ones at the counter indoors.
Also — there’s like 20 – 30 sauces to choose from in the drive thru. Something that’s not immediately apparent while dining indoors.
I highly recommend Pollo Tropical if you’re in a hurry and need a $ 15 or less meal for two (2) on the go.

This is my second trip to a Pollo Tropical and I think it’s just ok. They still have good sauces and great yucca fries. As far as the entrees go, I still think it’s a good place to go when you’re in a pinch.
This particular Pollo Tropical seems friendlier and cleaner than the other ones I’ve visited. The food is about the same though.

Had a dreadful lunch experience here today. This was my fourth visit here in the last 2 – 3 months, and this one put the nail in the coffin. This «fast Caribbean food in a nice, clean place» idea is a good one, but this chain’s execution of that idea, at least at this location, is an abomination.
The counter staff was callous (as always), the wait was interminable, and the food was poorly prepared. The place just has no class, and combined with the other negatives, this is no recipe for success in an already crowded restaurant market.

It has been about a month since my first visit and last review here. I wanted to come back and give it another try.
I ordered the same meat trio I had last time. (¼ chicken (white), wings and guava BBQ riblets). As last time, the chicken was the best, then the riblets (which I ordered without sauce) and wings. The riblets were seasoned good, the wings were dry and too black for me to enjoy.
I wish plantains were considered a side item and not an appetizer. Also, this location does not serve Caribbean Ribs (which is listed on the website as «available in some markets»).
This time for side items I selected brown rice, red beans and corn soufflé. (the rice and beans count as one side item).
Unlike the black beans I had from my first visit, the red beans were much better. The brown rice was good and so was the corn soufflé.
Besides the wings, the side items were better this time!

This is a pretty fast paced environment during lunch time. Although the line may seem endless with no place to sit, things move pretty rapidly. Prices are decent as well. You can most definitely find a meal approximately around $ 7 to $ 9.
I had the chicken wrap combo: chicken wrap, drink, and choice of a side. The portion size was perfect for me, but it was a bit quaint (see my picture). My friend had the 9 or 10 piece wing combo, of which she said she fairly enjoyed with her sides (choice of either 1 or 2 sides) and a roll.
I would perhaps give this place another try as they have lots of other good dishes to try. The most popular item seems to be the chicken. The location is convenient as it is located near North Point Mall and very close to other shopping/​business centers.