El Pollo Grill - Lemon Grove — Restaurant in Lemon Grove

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I’m all about hot sauce—and let me tell you, El Pollo Grill in Lemon Grove is a go-to spot for serious flavor lovers. We went all out and ordered the Sy Mikey Fries, California burritos, shrimp burritos, chicken quesadillas, and bean & cheese burritos—and every single bite was 🔥.

Let’s talk about the Sy Mikey Fries—hands down my favorite. They were absolutely stacked with carne asada, pollo asado, chorizo, shrimp, bacon, jack and cheddar cheese, rice, guacamole, and sour cream. Then I topped it off with the Beatriz Orange Extra Hot Sauce, and let me tell you... it was the bee’s knees. Smoky, bold, and packed with just the right amount of heat to keep you coming back for more.

The sauces here are on another level. The green sauce paired perfectly with the bean and cheese burrito—it added a bright, spicy kick that elevated every bite. The red sauce, a little more mild but still super flavorful, was a perfect match for the pollo quesadilla, complementing the juicy grilled chicken without overpowering it.

Every dish was loaded with flavor. The carne asada in the California burrito was tender and rich, the bean and cheese burrito might be one of my absolute favorites in East County, and the chicken quesadilla? To. Die. For.

Everything was hot, fresh, and made with care—and the staff was friendly and welcoming. If you're anywhere near Lemon Grove and craving something bold, satisfying, and full of flavor, El Pollo Grill is...

Been eating here for years. The food is consistently delicious. Friday's chili relleno special is delicious. The beans are lard free which is great for vegans. The rice is yummy. They are happy to make it your way and don't give you a hard time about it. The salsa bar is amazing. Not crazy about their breakfast menu but that's ok because I'm usually going there for lunch or dinner anyway although the breakfast items are just as tasty as the rest of the menu. Great for dining in or taking it to go. They have a pac man machine in the back which my fiancé is a huge fan of. They will always try to fix any errors with your food which has happened rarely and has been rectified beyond what I expected. Whether you order online, on the phone or in person the food is delicious. Ordering by phone e is a great way to minimize wait time because it does get extremely busy. Taco Tuesday has 1.99 tacos and $3 beers. Dundas they close early at 5pm which is my only gripe but they work hard all the time so I can't really hold it against them and once I took my clan there for Sunday dinner and forgot they closed early and they didn't hound us as we lingered unknowingly. Appreciate that big time! Great service, great food, every time!!

Edit to add: The grilled chicken is amazing!!!!! My favorite place to grab chicken before I went vegetarian 10 years ago. I'm always tempted by the fantastic aroma of flame...

We ordered three full chickens with sides and the total was around 110.00 dollars. I thought that was very expensive, considering in Los Angeles you could get the same for a fraction of that price. The chicken and sides were very good, I have no complaints about that. The location is in a small shopping center and the signage is behind a tree, which makes it easy to miss. The locale isn't much to brag about as it resembles a truck stop dinner but gets very busy around lunch time, indicative of the quality of the food. We were on vacation in San Diego and wanted something similar to a Mexican home cooked meal. This place had good reviews on yelp, so we gave it a shot. Overall, I would say good food but the pricing is a head scratcher. I would probably try to find some place a bit more affordable...