El Pollo Loco

I usually consider El Pollo Loco as a fast food, in and out real quick, experience. I wouldn’t normally think to leave one a review for a specific location. So I was surprised when I walked into this one and noticed immediately how well it’s really managed. I’ve been here twice since we moved to an office building nearby and compared to our old location, this one is a dream.
I always have a large order, we’re talking 10+ with a few meals having specifics like «no beans in the pollo bowl» etc. I called the order in, they meticulously read it back to me. When I arrived, they went over the order again. When the food was finished, for a third time, they took the time to go over it all with me, making sure everything was there while I checked it off my list. All the food is great, better than most El Pollos, the price is fast food sized, and the service exceeded my expectations.
Keep up the good work guys!

I love the food, and the staff is very friendly.
However, the staff is overly tolerant of allowing homeless people to hang out. I’ve come here a few times and observed things I’ve never seen in any other El Pollo Loco. A homeless man hanging out by the register line begging for money. A homeless man going from table to table begging for money from eating customers. A homeless man standing by the door (inside of the restaurant) swinging his arms and pacing in a circle while quietly muttering.

Normally come here after my shift Geraldine hope I’m spelling her name right is always happy to take care of me food is good very happy with my service

I can’t believe how gross this food was. The chicken taste like old greasy oil, reused and used over and over, even the churros taste like old chicken grease. Made me nauseous

Food was okay. Homeless people were there and asking people for money inside the restaurant. I find that very concerning and rude. Get your food to go.

Difficult to get my order right. But they were nice about it and eventually got it.

Dont go here, this place is basically a place for homeless people to use the bathroom. and sometimes right out in front of the restaurant. I saw a dirty homeless guy shoving salsa in his face from the salsa bar. the workers are not strong and just let it happen… this store should be shut down.

I have been frequenting this location for quite a while now. The reasons are simple: Good food, very friendly staff. They always ask how I am and even remember my name. The food is consistently good. It can be slow during the lunch rush, but I find it worth waiting for. As other reviewers have mentioned, there is a bit of a homeless issue at this location. But having lived in Hollywood for many years, I see this as a problem almost everywhere I go where there is no security on the property. Even my local Starbucks in Hollywood has homeless people sleeping outside. My main gripe with this location, is that homeless come in and take containers of salsa and what-​not from the salsa bar and touch everything, even the soda machines. I no longer take ANYTHING from the salsa bar. They do keep this place clean, though, which I am a stickler about..
Bottom line, this food chain understands the meaning of customer service. They really do get it. When I go to one of their competitors down the street whose name starts with an M and ends with an S, the stark contrast is amazing.. But EPL is doing something right. I love this place.

Good customer service, however very crowded during lunch hour. Sometimes you have your occasional transient that wonders in. I try to make it before noon, after that its at your own discretion. But the service is good, cashiers are very friendly.

Clean El Pollo Loco and friendly cashiers. I think they have really done a good job of improving their pace. I’ve been here a few times and the wait after you order is like a legit 10 min. Sucks for a fast food, but I came by yesterday 08/​04/​2014 and I ordered my bowl and had it in about 4 min. and it was very busy. Very happy with this place, but you know its nothing fancy.

This location used to have the worst employees. They just replaced them with the young girl in the front. She’s very professional and always asks everyone how their day is going. I honestly thinks she cares lol. If you guys are smart. You won’t lose her.

Currently Closed for Remodeling…

Even with all the craziness of Hollywood, the staff here is always really nice. Adrian is friendly, chatty, and keeps the line moving. He’s a patient guy with even the difficult to communicate with.
The Food– I’m a huge fan of the traditional burrito– chicken, rice, beans, and salsa. Just enough without being too filling.
It also tried the tortilla soup. It’s ok– flavorful and loaded with lots of corn and chicken. Good, but not great.
I know they’re a chain, but the employees here are always pretty cool.

I love this El Pollo Loco, first of all, I love the creamy cilantro sauce they have, I put it on pretty much everything I buy from here. The main thing I usually buy is the taco el carbon combo. I cannot eat those without the creamy cilantro. If you go to any other el pollo loco, the creamy cilantro is actually different, tastes more like ranch. THIS is the only place that gets it right! So please El Pollo Loco, if you’re reading this — don’t ever stop doing what you do with that sauce!
Sometimes when I really need my creamy carbons, I can not get parking. So that’s a bummer when that happens… but this is LA… And this place is quite popular so technically that’s not their fault. Other than that, food is great, workers are friendly. I recommend this place for sure!

Nobody comes onto Unilocal to decide whether or not to go to a fastfood place, let’s be honest. But I feel like I should mention the good and bad for the sake of managment.
Okay, I love myself some El Pollo Loco. It’s a great way to eat somewhat healthy food. This location suffers from a couple of things, so let’s get the bad out of the way first.
1 — No drive-​thru. I know, wahhhh, but the thought of coming here is one where you know it’s going to be a 15 – 20 minute process.
2 — Sketchy area/​plaza. Most of Hollywood is getting a much-​needed facelift. This plaza, where this EPL is, is at the tail end of that facelift.
3 — Homeless people. They’re all over the place, waiting for you as you enter, sitting in the restaurant, begging for change as you wait. This drives me nuts, I’m just waiting for my food and I’m not walking so I can’t leave so these guys stand there begging people for money and getting somewhat aggressive. The employees really need to stay on this.
4 — Homeless people eating out of the salsa bar! Never again will I ever use the salsa bar after I saw a homeless guy scooping the chunkier tomato salsa into his mouth. I told the workers about it and they were grossed out too, so hopefully they changed the batch but it’s not worth the risk.
5 — Slow lines. Sometimes it’s not bad but at lunch or dinner, it’s a brutal wait. Long to wait to order… long for your order to be announced. It’s about 7 – 10 minutes to wait for your food, with or without a crowd.
Now. .the good.
1 — Friendly workers. These guys are soooo friendly, they go out of their way to greet you, ask you about your day, etc.
2 Consistent food. Some EPLs are wildly different, where one day it’s fine, the next day it’s charred chicken and thin serving sizes. The food here’s always been good, never burnt and usually pretty generous serving sizes.
The good thing is that it’s the only El Pollo Loco in the area and I’ll still go if I want my fix but it’s just to sketchy and gross for me to go out of my way to go there.

It’s El Pollo Loco, so there is nothing spectacular here but you get a good, solid meal for under $ 10 and that is pretty hard to come by in Hollywood!
The food is always properly cooked. The staff is friendly and works hard to keep the lines moving fast and the condiment bar stocked. The only real knock is the occasional homeless person that comes into the restaurant and makes a scene, but the staff is always quick to deal with that in a conscientious and considerate manner.
Parking in a large stripmall lot. Recommended for a decent cheap lunch in Hollywood.

I know. It’s an el pollo loco. But the service is fantastic here! People here care about the customers and the products they provide. I never care to go to fast foods joints but the workers here have me coming back for more. Always friendly, always generous, always clean and well stocked. I moved away from the neighborhood and this is one of the places that I will miss.

This place wins for the «Worst El Pollo Loco I’ve ever been to» award.
It’s seriously sketchy, dirty, and just ghetto.
It took about 30 minutes to get my order (WTF?) which was just a tostada salad.
So I just stood around and waited… and waited… and waited.
The salsa bar was just a complete disgusting mess.
No thanks!
And the customers were just a hodgepodge of freakazoids.
I’m never coming back!

2 stars is because I saw a homeless guy dressed like the drummer from Lynard Skynard out front, and the staff was cool.
The food here tastes like a few disgruntled Taco bell employees decided to start a restaurant where the food was more expensive, but tasted substantially shittier.
Listen, I wouldn’t eat food from a place called «the crazy chicken» anyway, but the fact that it tastes like burnt hot pockets dipped in Orange degreaser doesn’t help.
Good luck.

My major complaint is the homeless guy whom no one stopped from sticking his hand into the condiments. Mind you, he used a cup, but he was sucking down salsa over the bar. The day after, I ended up with a terrible head cold and sore throat. Not sure if there’s a correlation, maybe it’s just psychological, but I’m still sick as I write this, and I just don’t think it’s sanitary for homeless people to be hovering over the condiment display and sticking their hands in sauces meant for customers.
Now, I realize there are plenty of unsavory non homeless people, but this culprit was conspicuously dirty and probably hasn’t seen the inside of a shower in a month. Know what I mean? It’s simply G R O S S and an employee should have the good sense to lead him away from the bar.
Otherwise, the food at this particular location is way better than the one in Phoenix on Bell Road (I cite that because it’s the only other one I’ve been to). Also, some nice man eating across from me offered to bag my food to go. The employees are nice, too, but slack when it comes to remedying the aforementioned situation at hand. Perhaps a letter to Corporate will help lead the way.