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When I patronize a fast food restaurant, I expect reasonably fast service, but I don't mind if I have to wait a few minutes for my order, as long as my food is hot, fresh and delicious. I have to admit if I'm sitting in my car, in the drive-through, my patience quota is a little less, unless there's a good George Strait song playing on my favorite country radio station. At El Pollo Loco in Citrus Heights, CA, receiving your order quickly isn't a worry, as your order is delivered at warp-drive speed!
Left: El Pollo Loco, is located at the busy intersection of Greenback Lane and Mariposa Ave, in Citrus Heights, Ca. Right: The spacious and squeaky-clean dining room, as I face the order counter in the background. This photo was shot around 1430 in the afternoon, a slow time, and there were only a handful of diners present. My review is about the El Pollo on Greenback Lane in Citrus Heights, CA, which is an incorporated city just east of Sacramento, it's close enough to Sacramento to be included into the reviews of various restaurants that feature Mexican cuisine in the greater Sacramento area. I normally don't review fast-food restaurants, nor do I review national chains, but El Pollo Loco is too good to pass up. I'm also not in the habit of driving 10 miles each way from my home to a restaurant in rush hour traffic, but El Pollo Loco is worth it. I guess that you could say that I'm just plain loco for pollo. El Pollo Loco is a chain of fast food restaurants that stretch across the west and southwest, into the Midwest. They've made their mark on the fast food map by serving chicken, and chicken only, but with a twist: The chicken is marinated and then its grilled, not fried. It's served with entrées such as pinto beans, refried beans, coleslaw and more, and you get a stack of either flour or corn tortillas with your meal. As an added bonus, they feature a self-serve salsa bar, that features several kinds of salsa, made in-house and very fresh. In addition to being fresh, their salsas taste good! To label Pollo a fast-food restaurant is true, since they deliver their meals within seconds, but to lump them in with the typical stereotype of a fast-food restaurant would be doing them a disservice, as their food is healthy, fresh, delicious, and tastes like real, grilled chicken, much like some of the chicken I've eaten in my travels to Mexico. Plus, their food is low in calories and you don't take in a ton of fat when you eat one of their delicious meals. If I seem to be enthusiastic about their food, its because I am. I chose to visit El Pollo Loco in mid-afternoon, so I could avoid the crowds in the restaurant and much of the traffic on the street. As I walked in the door, there were a half dozen employees behind the counter, cleaning, grilling chicken, making salsa, and all seemed to be very busy, but there were only a couple of patrons enjoying their fine chicken, unless you count the U.P.S. guy that exited as I walked in. Maybe he was late for a delivery? Anyway, I walked up to the counter and placed my order to-go with the very friendly girl, and within 30 seconds, I was handed my order, by a smiling you guy, who looked like he was just out of high school. I chuckled as he said, "Here's your order seņor," with a very heavy Russian accent. My order was ready in only 30 seconds! Now that's fast, warp-drive fast!
Left: After you enter the restaurant, here's the order counter. The staff was busy elsewhere, yet a friendly girl greeted me in only a few seconds to take my order. Right: El Pollo's delicious, self-serve salad bar, composed of fresh ingredients. You'll definitely want to load up your plate at the Salsa Garden. Pollo features a self-serve salsa bar, with freshly made salsa in many varieties, including avocado, pico de gallo, chipotle, in-house and more. Their salsa is made in-house, using only fresh ingredients, and its taste reflects the origin of the salsa. In fact, all of the food served at El Pollo Loco is fresh, as they do not utilize food obtained from contractors who specialize in supplying institutional food, as many fast food chains do. I only eat institution food when I have no other alternative. These guys are in a class all by themselves, when it comes to Mexican fast food. Don't even think of comparing them to the bell guys, or other national taco chains, as Pollo has seemed to come up with the magic formula that includes fresh ingredients, super-fast service, healthy choices, and taste of delicious, authentic Mexican food. I chose to take my food home, as I wanted to beat the holiday shopping crowds and the Friday afternoon traffic, and enjoy a quiet meal at home. But if you prefer to dine in the restaurant, El Pollo Loco features an attractive, spacious dining room, which is clean and decorated in a very contemporary style, reflecting Latin tastes, which seem fitting to me, considering the genre of food they serve. I can't say that Pollo is cheap, as my meal of two pieces of chicken, consisting of breast and leg, and two sides of pinto beans and coleslaw, plus a stack of corn tortillas, and a small, all-you-can-drink, drink, came to $6.99. Nor did the 60-minute round-trip drive in traffic, including the migraine headache come cheap, either. But, if the price of the meal and the inconvenience of the drive didn't add up to a delicious, quality, low calorie meal, would I have bothered to dine at El Pollo Loco? The answer is a resounding YES, as El Pollo Loco is worth every penny of the price of their meal, and the cost of whatever it takes to get there. Pollo gets an "A" in my book.
Left: A peek into El Pollo Loco's grill, where you can actually see the chicken cooking, as you place your order. Right: I chose to eat my meal at home, and I placed it on a platter to afford an attractive presentation. From left to right: Two pieces of chicken, assorted salsa, from their salsa bar, coleslaw, pinto beans, and a stack of corn tortillas. This is a delicious, healthy, low-calorie meal at a reasonable price. Highly recommended! El Pollo Loco combines the best of everything, including superb service, fresh, delicious food, healthy, low-calorie meals, friendly service, reasonable prices, and attractive, spacious, in-house dining. Not to mention, their all-you-can-eat salsa bar will put a smile on your face. I HIGHLY recommend you dine at El Pollo Loco located at Mariposa Ave. and Greenback Lane in Citrus Heights, CA. El
Pollo Loco
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