CHARCOAL CHICKEN Pollo A La Brasa — Restaurant in Virginia Beach

Charcoal Chicken? Something I never tried before, why not? We got a group together (5 of us) and met up here to try out something new. The young lady behind the counter (you order at the counter, not at the table) gave us plenty of time to look over the menu and answered all of our questions. And made some suggestions when she found out this was our first visit. I got the marinaded shrimp but asked if they could do it without tomatoes (tomatoes aren't my thing). She said yes, they could.....but I would be missing out on the authentic experience of the dish. I've been asking for food without tomatoes for a couple of decades, this is the first time that anybody has ever brought up a fact I hadn't considered. So yea, include the tomatoes, let's see how it goes.

After our group ordered the chef came out to check over our order and help out with getting the drinks to the table.

Service is a 10/10.

Perfect. The food was absolutely perfect. My only problem was that I couldn't finish the generous portion that was provided. Everyone else at the table had something different so we could theoretically sample from other plates. But we were all focused on what was in front of us, it was that good. I did manage to nab a bite of chicken from the plate next to me, that is what I order next time. Charcoal Chicken is off the chain good, worth a return trip for sure.

Food is a 10/10.

The group of us ate well with a few extra sides for under $20 per person.

Price is a 10/10.

The room was clean and inviting, a great open space that invited conversation and lingering. I think that they do a fair amount of takeout service here but hanging out with friends and catching up over some off the chain food is very much a viable option.

Atmosphere is a 10/10.

The staff was downright friendly and helpful at each step of this food journey, they could not have been more helpful if they came to the table and lifted the fork into your mouth. Not that they would, just putting into context what a fantastic experience this was,

Vibe is a 10/10.

So if Mrs. Wessels 3rd Grade Math class taught me anything it is that Pollo A La Brasa gets a score of 50.

But because the people that run the Googleverse have so decreed, the top of the scale is 5.

So 5 stars it is. And a promise to return many many times.

Seriously 'must do' if you are in Virginia Beach looking for...

I visited Charcoal Chicken while on vacation and had a disappointing experience with a refund. I ordered a $12 drink that was unavailable, so I chose a different item around $3. The owner, Arturo, assured me he would refund me the difference (about $9) the next day and took my name and number. I trusted him.

The following day, I called and spoke with a different employee who brought Arturo to the phone. He again promised the refund was being processed and would show up in a few days. A whole week passed, and I still saw nothing. I called again, and another employee took down all my details — my name, check number, total paid, and refund amount. Despite all that, I still have not received the refund.

It’s disappointing, especially because I like supporting small businesses and Arturo seemed like an honest person. Unfortunately, this experience has made me lose trust. I hope they make this right, but as of now, I feel like I was robbed of $9 — not a lot of money, but a matter of principle.

Update 08/15: I got a response back from Charcoal Chicken stating that the manager takes two weeks to process refunds. Yesterday officially marked 3 weeks since I visited this restaurant, and I still haven’t received anything. I’m also wondering why you went out of your way to delete your response?

At this point, I’m 99% sure I will not be getting my money back. It’s such a shame to see customers treated this way. If you plan on eating here, please make sure you do not leave without getting your refund immediately, or at least order something else that matches the refund amount. This is unprofessional and honestly sad coming from a small business.

Like I said before, it’s not a large amount of money—but it’s still $9 that I could have used somewhere else to a business who actually treats their...

Not really impressed for the following reasons:

1. We ordered our food at 8:11 p.m. and didn't get it until 8:43 p.m. There were only 2 people ahead of us, and our food was lukewarm when it came out.
2. I ordered 1/4 chicken with black beans and salad. The chicken consisted of a chicken wing and chicken back, which had NO meat on it whatsoever. The salad was a Styrofoam cup of LETTUCE - no tomatoes, not cucumbers, just lettuce. I had to ask for dressing for it too.
3. The Styrofoam plates were cheap and flimsy with shallow dividers that let the juices from the food run together.
4. The trash can was overflowing with trash, spilling out onto the counter and floor.
5. And last, but not least, as I was finishing my lettuce, one of the guys from the back came out. He was asking very loudly, "Did ya'll like it? It was good, right?" He said this several times as he proceeded to start TURNING OUT THE LIGHTS and closing the shades to the store. Although I understand it was 8:50 p.m., and they close at 9:00 p.m., this made me lose my desire to eat anymore lettuce. We got up, took our tray over to the counter of trash, and set it beside it.

For $26.00 and change for two meals, (one of which was chicken back and lettuce), we did not find it worth the...