El Pollo Loco — Restaurant in Santa Clarita

I've been ordering Classic Chicken Burritos since the 90s. Different locations all throughout the state. Never have I ever taken a bite and spit it out. I was served what felt like dry pork, and it was super salty. It was disgusting. I want to pretend the reason is that, because it was the end of the day, 15 minutes before their shift ended. Unfortunately, my daughter reminded me that we've been at different locations late at night and never had an issue like this before.

Beware of going to this location before they close. I know it's great, right outside the 5fwy, but the disappointment of horrible food isn't worth its.

EDIT 05/20/2024..

THIS LOCATION NEEDS TO EITHER CLOSE DOWN OR HAVE CORPORATE STEP IN AND RETRAIN.

On my husband's request, I stopped again to give them the opportunity to get things right. I've been going to the Sierra hwy location or stopping in at the Pollo Loco on Balboa if I'm coming from the SF valley. I've been happily driving out of my way to make sure I get the right food that my family is craving. Well, today, I stopped at approx 8:30 to order our usual. My order was taken, I got to the window only to be told that the Tostada maker was being cleaned, and they couldn't the double chicken tostada I ordered. I asked for comparable items, and the girl looked at me like I was speaking in another language, so I switched to Spanish just in case, and nothing. She didn't even offer me the chicken salad, which is basically the same thing minus the tostada shell. Then she offered me the tostada minus the shell, and she would add extra chips, which I said yes to. Wrong choice Those chips were STALE AF. I won't even give them to my German sheperd. That's how stale, oily, and flavorless they were. I got 4 bags of their worst chips. As for the rest of my order, the classic chicken burrito tastes like a BRC with chicken added. It's not your classic burrito that people have come to love and expect. The Pollo bowl is fine, so at least 1 item was salvaged.

That's why I'm taking my complaint to Twitter and all other social media platforms along with corporate directly. Either this location has someone from corporate come down and retrained from scratch or shut them down before they ruin the EL Pollo Loco name. As for me, I'll stop going out of my way and just take my money to a local restaurant. It's just sad to know that our family tradition will child to an end because of a horrible back of house crew that doesn't care about the customers that keep the...

I had to write a review about not only the food but the incredible service I consistently receive at this particular El Pollo Loco location! Let's start with the food! What other "fast food" restaurant can you go to that makes their food such as their chicken from SCRATCH! this also includes their salsas and fresh cilantro and onions - all available at their very clean condiment bar. I don't feel guilty that I'm sucking as a mom and not cooking dinner when I go to El Pollo Loco because the stuff is REAL and very delicious! As you can see from the photo I didn't get it home without a couple of hands going through it in the 15 minute car ride back home.

Now onto the real reason for my 5-star review I think you can expect to find the same quality of food at most locations but I can tell you that the powers that be were VERY smart picking Hernita as the manager. This lady might be small statured but she runs a tight ship but with a genuine heart and kindness and she trains these YOUNG, I mean teenagers as young as 16 HOW to actually treat customers!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is teaching our kids the valuable lessons that seems to have been forgotten since the advent of the digital age. These are amongst the new generation of self entitled youngsters whose life's mantra seems to be "what can you give me" instead of "what can I work hard for and earn"? as well as understanding respecting others etc.. So a BIG and I mean BIG hats off to a lovely lady who I can see truly takes pride in her job and if that show "Undercover Boss" ever goes there then you better give this lady her...

I do not understand why, but every time I order the keto tacos from this location and make specific note to ask for the cilantro cream sauce, they always leave it out. So many times I've had to go back in, wait in line another 5-10 minutes, and ask to get the dressing. Even then it is begrudgingly handed over, often with one small container for multiple tacos. Sometimes I am given the wrong sauce instead. Every single time without exception I order on Grubhub and write clearly in multiple places that I would really like the dressing, they still leave it out. Why? I ask again, why? Is this on purpose? Is this a concerted effort to deny the public sauce? Is it too much to ask for a taco and the sauce it is promised to come with? Does someone working there desperately hate both cilantro and humanity?

I'm begging them to start including it. There are so few tasty keto options out there, and these tacos are actually so good. I just want the sauce.

Please, El Pollo...