El Pollo Norteño Santa Ana East 1st — Restaurant in Santa Ana

First time eating here would say the food here is just OK (barely OK to be more specific)...

Had the family pack with a whole chicken and 1 pound carna asada and also guac and chips.

The good:

Huge portions of carna asada, lots of salsa, so much rice and beans (most of it got tosseed though as we dont eat a lot of rice and beans) , and plenty of good quality flour tortillas. The salsa is pretty hot if you like heat but also has great flavor. The chips and guacamole were 👍 .

The bad:

The chicken we got was extremely dry and the opposite of fresh. The carna asada at first bite was pretty decent in part because it wasn't chewey and it was cooked decently, however, the second bite you notice it is extremely salty, almost like if they are using salt to cure and tenderize 'poor quality' meat and it left a terrible after taste.

Don't know if all the locations are the same but I probably would not repeat ordering from this location as both the chicken and steak...

Service was poor at El Pollo Norteno Santa Ana a manager with a flower in her hair on 2/11/25 at 4:00 pm. She made a fuss about my service animal which I have for a medical condition forced me outside until I produced the paperwork, when there was nobody in the store. Then after I produced the paperwork, I ordered refried beans with my order, then when I received the order it was regular beans and instead of switching them out I had to pay for additional beans , because I opened the top. That was after the hard time for the service animal paperwork which I produced. Seems kinda petty but the vibe was not pleasant especially when I was bringing a new customer there to show them the food. The food was good though the switch up on the new chicken was noticeable in size, being it was smaller. El Pollo Norteno in Santa Ana wasn’t always like that so I’m not sure what’s going on with the buisness, but either way my experience today...

I was attending a weekend retreat in the area and came across El Pollo Norteno. I have to say this is hands down the best chicken I have ever had! The succulent flavors of their chicken is a true achievement worthy of praise. I have had my fare share of bland, boring chickens and to have something as surprising as El Pollo Norteno chicken is something you won't easily forget. It's very obvious that they take great pride in their food, from the beans to the rice and tortillas... you can taste the love. Their staff (Luis) are very helpful and welcoming in making sure you feel right at home. If you happen to order any of their wet burritos, be sure you are hungry cause they can easily feed 2-3 people and the wet burritos pack just as much flavor as their signature chicken. After the retreat ended, I stopped by again to order a whole chicken combo to take home... so you can guess what I am having for...