Pollo Riko

Good chicken at a good price. It’s not the fanciest place to eat at and be prepared with cash since they don’t take any cards. I also recommend el riko montañero!

I went in there with my friend, wanting some Mexican food. Upon entering around lunch time, no one was dining in at all (a major red flag). I looked at the menu on the wall, and my advice is this. Do not fall for the picture! I saw a big bowl of beef ribs soup, and paid close to $ 6 for it, not including tax. All I got was a tiny bowl of soup (about 1 US Cup size). Within the bowl, it had two fatty ribs, one chopped up potato, and the rest is watered down soup. Plus, we had to wait for about 20 minutes for them to prepare the soup.
The soup is really not all that tasty, as they didn’t cook the soup long enough at all. Shouldn’t they be cooking this over night? I guess not from this place.
To be honest, if you want some great Mexican food, Pollo Riko is not it. This place is more like a Pollo Pobre. If they don’t charge you an arm or a leg, it is still a major rip off.
Bring enough cash with you, as they don’t accept any credit cards. It is a cash only with you getting the tiniest bang for the buck.

Was craving this place but they don’t take credit/​debit cards. Only cash. What is this the 1880’s?

this food sucks… service poor… not worth to spend money in here…

This Pollo Rico is located in a sketchy shopping center, if you can get over this fact then you will be pleasantly surprised. I always order ½ chicken mixed with dark and white meat, white rice, and the mashed potatoes. The chicken has good flavor, and the rice is simple yet perfect. I would give this establishment 5 stars but the location is in a terrible area.

It’s like a mexican Rudys that focuses on chicken. Its cheap, delicious, and the food came out quickly. I’d give this place a five star, but this place is usually empty and the workers aren’t the friendliest people you’d meet.

Customer service very RUDE. This guy is yelling and hitting cash register. Treating ppl like we owed him money, BTW I can file law suite against this place for what this man said to me, discrimination on race and color. Trust me, you not the only one can speak Spanish.

I was there yesterday at 6p.m. and it was empty. The service was okay, he wasn’t the friendliest helper you are going to talk.
Anyhow the food is okay and if you come visit here are my suggestions.
1. Bring Cash
2. Speak small Spanish

my first hispanic charcoal chicken experience. and it was better than expected! coming from a background of regular Boston Market rotisserie chicken lover. the chicken here might surpass Boston Market’s!
when entering, you can feel the heat from the open charcoal pit that’s roasting the chicken as it «dance» around. orders were taken up front. they had lunch special which consist of ¼ chicken (thigh-​dark meat or breast-​white meat), 2 sides, corn tortilla or arepa for $ 4 – 5.
i order the thigh with mash potatoes, potato salad, and arepa. the thigh was very moist and delicious, chicken skin was very crispy. well flavored. mash potatoes were ok… no gravy. potato salad is alright also. their side dishes are nothing to rave about. i wasn’t sure what arepa was. coworker said that it’s corn dough with cheese. if you want a cheese-​y taste, get the large arepa. my small one didn’t have cheese in it. Comes with house made hot sauce that’s a bit sour and spicy for the extra flavor you’re wanting.
they also have other side dishes that’s more hispanic cuisine like fried yuca, fried plantains, rice, beans, etc. etc.
i saw a poster of their chicken super combo that gives you, what looks like to me a whole chicken chopped separately with 5 side dishes for nearly $ 20. and from that looks of it, it’s a lot of food!
I enjoyed my stuffed lunch for $ 4.50. Manager there was nice and patient. will definitely come back to try their chicken super combo!

I can’t believe I’ve never reviewed this place! It’s my favorite pick-​up and go food joint. The family pack is perfect. Enough for 3 – 4 or even better left overs for later. The chicken soup is also a favorite of mine. No complaints.

As small as the chicken pieces were I thought I was eating a Cornish Hen. You’d do better going inside Fiesta next to them and getting a real whole rotisserie chicken for half the price and twice the size.

This is the place to go if you’re looking for a place that serves simple, authentic, affordable and delicious food. I ordered my food to-​go and I was in and out within 5 minutes. I ordered the lunch special, specifically dark meat chicken with the salted potatoes and beans, along with a side order of fried plantains. The special came with 2 tortillas and the delicious spicy green sauce. I agree with a previous reviewer when it comes to the roasted potatoes; they were a bit lackluster and could use a bit more seasoning. However, the chicken and fried plantains make up for it. I highly recommend this place!

Moist, succulent, tender, crispy, and authentic are few words to describe the chicken and the food at Pollo Riko. I am an absolute fan of how the chicken is prepared — slowly cooked and rotated over a charcoal grill. The flavor the chicken absorbs and develops is nicely done and the crisp, yet slightly charred skin just adds the right balance for a perfect «pollo».
As for the sides, the roasted potatoes were great, fork-​tender and cooked perfectly. The only criticism about the potatoes would be the seasoning, it could have used a touch more of salt but nonetheless, it was still appetizing. The fried plantains was a great side although I could not determine it’s purpose between being a savory side dish or a dessert item. Also, as a recommendation, I wouldn’t order it to go because it can get soggy and lose its texture very quickly.
Last but not least, I must mention the «green sauce/​salsa», it is tangy with a bit of subtle spice that compliments chicken perfectly. Also, the arepas here were decent, I’ve had better ones due to the fact that it was a little greasy and soggy.
If you want authentic yet simple food for a really affordable price, then this is the place for you. I’m actually quite surprised that more people aren’t writing about or trying this place. Do yourself and the restaurant a favor and try it out!
Friendly reminder:
**CASH ONLY**

Situated next to the Fiesta, me and a co-​worker come in and come to the smell of charcoal chicken. I guess it was due to the overcast weather that day, but for lunch time, the place was maybe a quarter full.
I bought the quarter white chicken plate special, with 2 chicken empanadas for about $ 6 bucks. My co-​worker got the same thing, but instead of the corn tortillas, he got the arepas, (apparently a more South American thing where corn tortillas are more Mexican)
Anyways, I’ve been here a few times already, and as usual the chicken was dead on. Nice and crispy skin, fairly juicy while not being too fatty. The little cup of green salsa they give really gives the chicken a good kick as I usually will dip it with some chicken wrapped in the tortillas they give. The salted potatoes were great, those small red potatoes with coarse salt rubbed on it. A side salad to promote healthiness with the small cup of green dressing was a nice light compliment to the meal. Empanadas were muy pequeno, but a nice fried side item.
I enjoy eating a good meal that won’t make me feel too heavy after I’ve eaten it, and this place does the trick, without the deep fried feeling you get from eating fried chicken. Despite the lack of a crowd, the chicken is one of the best in Houston, and a favorite fast food place of mine in Houston. This place epitomizes good cheap food.

Your choices are roasted chicken or roasted chicken, which is very good. Actually, the chicken is rotisserie chicken cooked over an open fire. You get to choose corn tortilias or arepa and side orders. The sides vary from red beans & rice (a little watery) to plantains (very good), fried yuca (very good and similar to fried potatoes), coleslaw (O.K.), salted new potatoes (O.K.), salads, corn, potatoe salad and mashed potatoes, but the star is the chicken. Rating on a 10 point system:
Food 8
Service Counter
Ambience 2
Value 7
Price $
Rated by Ben Koshkin