Pollo Express

Freezing in Chicago, warned up to some spicy wonderful Mexican food… It was well worth our time, can’t wait to go again before we leave, where here to eat

Like their name, they only sell char broiled chicken. I would say they’re good at what they do.
I have ordered a half chicken without ant extra add on. As a lunch the meal was extremely satisfying. The chicken was charred to perfection not a single burned bitter bit. The skin was crispy and the chicken was marinated well, though I felt that chicken was slightly under seasoned. Like any other grilling the whole bird scenario, it has drawbacks. The thigh and the drumsticks were cooked to perfection and on the other hand the breast was dry. The tortillas were warm and soft. The staff were pretty friendly and helpful. Oh make sure you have cash on you as they only accepts cash. There us an ATM, but you gotta pay extra 2.50 dollar.
If you are around Pilson, check em out. Highly recommended!

Best Chicken I’ve had in my entire life! Why 4 stars? Their sit down service is super slow! Had to wait over 40 minutes to get half a chicken! It seems like they’re more interested in taking care of pick ups and deliverie orders first! I get it! is Pollo Express! but really? Im going to recommend this spot to everyone 100%, but I will definitely tell them to make sure they do it the express way!

Enter into Pollo Express, and you’ll feel like you’re entering into any random chicken place. The brightly colored walls, the sneezeguard, and the small television mounted on the back wall broadcasting a telenovela were all familiar to me, so I prepared myself for standard fare. Fortunately, this Pollo Express is above average. For me, the only thing lacking was flavor in the chips and salsa, but hey that was free.
My group of three ordered a full chicken with the choice of two sides. The menu only offers three sides, and two of them are beans, so we chose rice and charro beans. The body of the chicken was quartered plus the wings and legs. The rice and beans came out in small containers, and the tortillas were delivered in a covered dish. This meal was more than enough for us and very good. The rice was warm, soft, and not too chewy. The charro beans were just okay, but the chicken was juicy and flavorful. The char on the chicken skin was great. The tortillas were thin and stuck to each other, but somehow still delicious. The menu is by no means extensive, but they do what they do well at this Pollo Express. Great food for an excellent price!

I heard about this place from a co-​worker and decided to check it out. This place is the BOMB!!! The chicken was fresh and perfectly seasoned and GRILLED!!! The rice was cooked to perfection and the pinto beans left me thinking MY GRANDMOTHER was back there in the kitchen.
I have been on a path to eliminate fried food from my diet starting with my favorite which is fried chicken. If you are on this same quest then switch to a healthier option like grilled chicken, and if you want the best marinated and grilled chicken in the Pilsen/​University Village area then don’t pass this place up.
Now, if you’re driving fast you might pass by it without knowing so slow down. Going East, it’s on the South side of 18^th street next to an alley, and right before you reach the intersection of 18^th and Racine where [in my opinion only the out of place] Honkey Tonk Barbecue Restaurant is located]. If you’re heading West on 18^th, then you will go through the intersection of 18^th and Racine and it will be on your left.
I had my Christmas party catered from here and everyone LOVED IT!!! I will be going back as well as my colleagues.

Pollo Express is greasy, delicious, goodness. My husband and I went for a quick n dirty dinner before seeing a show at Thalia Hall. We ordered some guacamole, a half chicken, and beans. The meal is served with tortillas, salsas, chips, and cabbage (I think). You pile everything together and create the most delicious chicken tortilla wrap thing ever. The chicken itself was totally amazing – perfect spices, grilled and charry, moist and delicious.
YUM.

Grilled char chicken, one of my favorite things to eat and I love coming to Pollo Express — I tend to get the whole adobe spiced chicken combo to go which comes with a cup of re-​fried beans and tomato rice and a pack of flour tortilla.
Tip: Every Tuesday and Thursday, if you order a whole chicken combo, you get and extra half chicken.

Excellent food. Perfectly seasoned and cooked grilled chicken, along with roast onions and beans. Lots of food at a reasonable price. We split a flan to finish our meal and it was creamy, sweet, and delicious.
I recommend this unassuming restaurant in Pilsen.

This place is really great. The marinated chicken comes straight off the grill, gets hacked up, and then served to you in a styrofoam container hot and tasty. The only reason why it doesn’t get five stars is that it is a madhouse on Tuesdays and Thursdays where the restaurant offers a free ½ chicken when you order a meal. Still, Pollo Express delivers big time on both flavor and value.
Don’t forget, cash only.

Good chicken!
Very simple grilled whole chicken, but moist and flavorful and reasonably priced.
My friend lives nearby and immediately raved about her recent dining experience here, so we went to give it a try. It’s honestly probably nothing I would go out of my way for if I weren’t passing by the area, and I don’t think it’s so unique that I would seek out pollo express because I craved roast chicken or something. But it definitely was solid food and worth a try.
The tues/​thurs take out deal is awesome! A heavy box of 1.5 chickens, a big mound of rice and beans, and a generous serving of fixings for BYO tacos. I asked for charro beans but I think I still got refried, and beans are not very good. 2 sides of rice is an option, and the rice is very much seasoned and flavored, and go well with the chicken. The tortillas were alright. We warmed them right on the burner of our stove top for just a couple of seconds.
Best part is… since they’re constantly grilling and cutting chickens to order, it’s like 5 minutes from ordering, paying, and getting the food.
Would come again if hungry and craving chicken in the area, for sure.

Great grilled chicken. The grilled onions are a must. Beans are so-​so. Very nice people. Come for the chicken, no ambiance.

Can’t say enough good things about this place… First off, you HAVE to go on Tuesday or Thursday for the special. My roommate and I ordered the special (one whole & one half chicken + rice & beans + corn tortillas + picked onions + salsa) as well as the chips and guac which came out to be around $ 22. We were stuffed and had plenty of leftovers for the next day.
Now for the chicken — I don’t know if it’s how they char it but it’s AMAZING. Packed with flavor & not dry at ALL. It was great how we could assemble little tacos for ourselves or eat it on its own. The guac is super fresh too. Anyway, if you’re in a rut to decide on a place to eat, definitely give this place a try! You won’t regret it!

Complimentary chips and salsa. Great grilled chicken, guacamole and arroz!
P. s. Name of restaurant isn’t exactly on point. It ain’t express.

Yes, it hit the spot! Great tasting chicken.
Highlights: Chicken & Guac was delicious, Huge portions for the price, Friendly staff, Clean with an Open kitchen.
Can improve: AC? It was very warm to dine in, especially since they have a huge open grill right in the front to make all the chicken. Provide a plate option that includes some chicken with guac. Ordering a half chicken is the smallest option.
Benchmark: Can’t really compare them since they specialize in just chicken.
Dined in Aug 2015 and will return if I visit that area in Chicago.

Los Pollos Hermanos… oops I mean Pollo Express is a Mexican restaurant in the heart of Pilsen that manages to stand out because they do one thing very well: cooking chickens, al carbon style. Ya’ll should be lucky Mark Geezy is alive to ask very important questions like: did Al Capone eat Al Carbon?
They also give you a good deal on said chickens, giving you half of one free when you buy one, on Tuesdays and Thursday’s. Not to mention it comes with rice, beans, tortillas and salsa. I’m surprised I don’t take my broke ass to Gus Frings’ drug front restaurant more often.
So if you happen to be on 18^th St and smell chicken, whether you’re a degenerate alcoholic Mexican drinking Bud Light in front of a liquor store, or a white hipster who can’t even, don’t resist the urge to check this place out.

Just stopped in for a quick bite. I was with my wife. And to my surprise the food was excellent. We ordered a half chicken adobo grilled to perfection. Or came with rice and a choice of beans. We chose the charro frijoles. The homemade salsa was great! Will most definitely be back.

We had been using Nuevo Leon as our default Pilsen spot until we happenstanced upon Pollo Express, an absolute gem of a hole in the wall and a bit closer to South Loop on 18^th, to boot. Walk in and get a waft of the adobo chicken grilling, and don’t tell me your mouth didn’t just exude a little drool.
Seriously, a whole chicken from Pollo Express is one of the best values around. It includes salsa, but I strongly recommend adding two sides and an order of guacamole. The latter is made fresh to order and is just a ridiculously big pile of green goodness. As for the sides, I love their Mexican rice, and though the charro beans gets a lot of love on Unilocal,their regular refried is also tasty.
Calling your order ahead is preferable, though if you ordered guac, they won’t make it until you get there anyway. If you order there, there is a small wait, particularly during peak times when they’re throwing chickens into to-go’s like nobody’s business.

This place is the king of all chicken goodness. I’ve been here a couple of times, and there’s a reason I keep coming back. If you come on a Tuesday or Thursday, they have a deal where you get 1 and a half chickens, rice, beans, and tortillas for $ 15. $ 15! The chicken is deliciously seasoned and thoroughly juicy. I’m never a big fan of white meat on chicken since dark meat is so much more juicy, but I enjoyed every bite of the white meat from my bird feast. The bean were tasty, and is it wrong to say that the rice was my favorite part of the meal? Oh so good.

CASH ONLY– Atm inside.
I cant help but to eat here once a week.
Tues & Thursday is their Special Deal– whole chicken with rice & beans and you get another half chicken.
Call ahead! Tue & Thu you will be waiting for a long time if you dont.
Its totally the best deal but you have to get it for take out.
I always get Guacamole, Cebollitas & the special deal. About $ 25
It always more than enough for 2 people, We make 2 meals out of it,
We always take the leftover chicken and shred it to make other things.

If you give anything less than 5 stars for Pollo Express, you’re dead to me. Dead!
Pollo Express excels at pollo, and that’s basically all you’re going to get here. On Tuesdays and Thursdays you can get a ½ order of chicken for free with a whole order. FOR FREE! I feel like I’m stealing from them. For $ 15 and some change you get 1.5 chickens, rice, beans (your choice of refried or charro) and a pack of Atotonilco tortillas. AN ENTIRE PACK. They also throw in their two salsas and some pickled red onions, at least I think they’re pickled. I’m not sure, but they’re delicious and despite my best efforts to hog the container, I begrudgingly share.
I don’t know where you’re going to find better chicken than this, especially in this area. I’m not saying other businesses don’t know how to make delicious chicken, but Pollo Express has set a very high bar. Cash only place and seating is limited. Most times there’s a wait, so I suggest calling ahead when possible.