El Pollo Rico #2 — Restaurant in Austin

This was my second visit here.

My first visit I was hesitant to even enter through the doors as the first thing I noticed was a sign smack in the middle of their front door reading that their latest food inspection is available on request. Things that make you go hmmmm...

But I was in a gambling type mood and took my chances. The first visit did not leave me ill or anything so I decided to come back again.

This trip, I had walked over here to grab a couple tacos. I ordered the beef and the chicken taco on corn tortilla. I forgot the chicken taco comes with lettuce but that was my bad - typically I am not a fan of lettuce on my chicken tacos. The beef taco comes with cilantro and onion which I requested no onion.

They do have a salsa bar here. I asked for salsa to go with my Tacos, as this was a To Go order. I was surprised that I was not asked what salsa I wanted. I see the salsa bar boasting a few varieties and the website shows red and salsa. Perhaps the standard is green for these types of tacos.

When I get home I started to dig in. I tried the green salsa as I have never had it here. It was like so many other restaurants green salsa that is more typically geared towards Mexican cuisine rather than Tex-Mex. I found it to be bland in flavor and all heat. I am not a fan of these types of green salsas at all - and was more disappointed I was not asked what type of salsa I wanted. Too late now...

The chicken taco is pretty good, they double the corn tortilla - which in the past I would have loved but due to recent dietary changes, I prefer the single corn tortilla. The meat is the star of this taco and deservingly so. I must try their whole chicken some time...

The beef taco was OK. Nothing to write home about. The meat was diced up and reminded me a bit of dog food without the gravy - but it did taste better than that. Just an odd way to dice it up so uniform like that. There was cilantro on it which I love and no onions as requested.

To sum it up, this IS a Fast Food chain restaurant but gives more variety than the boring ole burger - all though they do have a burger here that looks intriguing.

The salsa bar was messy, maybe no one got to it after lunch rush - though their lunch rush never looks too rushed when I pass by here...

The service was just OK. The place was not very clean. Not sure if I will be back or try a different location for that chicken I do...

From here there's a few things we at work like to get, the baked potato that is delicious or the hole chicken that is also great, the potato feeds a fatty like me very well, I like the green salsa to go with it, all there food is great but in my opinion there barbacoa tacos are to to dry, ant this is something that needs to change, it's a good thing because there isn't any fat in it ( which is very bad for y'all) but for the Mexicans like me that grow up eatting it every Sunday we need that, still food is great and will not stop going...

Stood at the front counter for about 5 minutes while the employees walked around going in and out of the kitchen. Many times they were a couple feet away from me. No one acknowledged I was there at the counter or even took my order. They did take the guy in front of me. who came in after me, however they ignored just me.

Why that happened? I have no idea. I hate to bring it up but maybe the employees were not liking how I looked or something. The man they helped looked like them unlike me. I'll go elsewhere...