Craving empanadas? Â Spicy chicken ones, maybe? Â Pollo Campero might be calling your name! Â
Aside from having delicious chicken and an awesome salsa bar, Pollo Campero also has the most delicious spicy chicken empandas. Â The outside of the empanada is perfect - not too flaky, not too greasy. Â The filling is just great, flavorful spicy shredded chicken. Â I make a point just to stop by for some of these when I'm in the 'hood. Â
They also have a black bean empanada and a citrus chicken one. Â I've never had the black bean one and the citrus one isn't appealing to me because of the cilantro. Â So, spicy chicken it is! Â If you get the meal, you pay $6 for 3 and you get a side (sweet plantains, yuca, rice and beans, fries).
Oh, and they have guava juice, ya'll. And a drive-thru. Â Best.
$2.99 for two pieces of chicken (leg & thigh), fries, two tortillas and a drink? Â What an awesome lunch deal! Â I ordered the fried chicken, which, while the pieces themselves weren't huge, were quite tasty. Â Skin was crispy & crunchy, chicken was flavorful & juicy. Â And service was very quick. Â Wish I had known enough to try some of their salsa, but there's always next time I guess!
I'd previously tried their Campero Chicken Bowls and wasn't too impressed with that. Â I guess when you're used to the chicken "bol" from another "mexican" fast food establishment (ahem *chipotle* ahem) it's difficult to not compare.
Overall great lunch spot, definitely go for the fried chicken.
The GOOD: Â The Chicken. Â Thank God right? Â My heart belongs to another charbroiled chicken establishment in Pilsen, but I really liked the chicken here. Â Had some good flavor, I appreciate that you have your choice of fried or grilled. Â I also appreciate all the different combinations one can purchase - w/or without sides, chicken strips, etc.
The Sorta GOOD: Â Salsa Bar. Â While I appreciate having multiple options for salsa and I LOVE having fresh cilantro as an option, I question how sanitary it is - just like I question the cleanliness of any salad bar. Â I tried it and am still alive so I guess the were no contaminants on the night we were there right? Â In all honesty, just to be safe, how about just putting them in the containers and just dispensing them at the counter...avoid any future outbreaks? Â Maybe I'm too paranoid.
The SO-SO: Â The sides. Â I didn't particularly like any of the sides, especially the rice. Â The beans were ok, but we bought a family sized meal, and the beans came in a bowl that 1- wasn't filled and 2 - was mostly soup? Â hmmmm. Â But alas, the star is the chicken right? Â Well, I'm sorry - I believe that the supporting cast should also be as strong as the star as they add to the overall performance! Â
The big question, will I return? Â Maybe...if I happen to be in that neighborhood and there is nothing else worth eating, I may go back, but I would ONLY get the chicken, and I would probably get it to go as the tortillas were pretty weak too!
I think their Chicken IS FAR SUPERIORER than KFC, Popeyes and just about any other place that serves Fried Chicken I have been to. I don't eat fried Chicken often, but I must admit this is really excellent! And their  grilled chicken is just as good. Â
The Campero Rice and coleslaw are both EXCELLENT as well!!
Very good food and excellent, friendly service! Not sure where the mediocre ratings are coming from - this place is great and I wish they had more franchises around because this place is not that close to where I live.
Wow, the menu changes are great! Â We stopped in here last night for a quick dinner and for $13 and some change, were FULL! Â We got those new chicken rollup things - 4 are only $2.99 and they are HUGE. Â Yummy chicken diced up and mixed with tomato and onion and deep fried in a torttilla - and the avocado ranch sauce that comes with them is delish! Â
We then got black beans andrice, fries and plaintains (all single serving size) and some drinks. Â There is something a little "off" on the plaintains, but the fries and beans/rice are always good. Â And service is super fast.
They were out of the grilled chicken when we got there and I opted to not wait 20 minutes so I got fried instead. Â
The chicken was quite tasty, moist and flavorful. Â We had a side of taro fries which were really yummy! Â And also a side of sweet plaintains.
I don't think I've ever rated a fast food place above 3 stars before...
What led me into this facility this past Friday was a coupon I received to my email address to receive a free caramel flan for my birthday. I decided to use it. I received great customer service from friendly employees who did not speak my language (yeah), and were glad to serve me, thank me, and invite me back. Now that's what I like.
I'm such a whimp though. Even though I received a freebie, and great customer service, I didn't even think of purchasing anything to go with my free flan, which was very delicious btw. Next time, if not this month then next, I will make sure that I return to PC and spend some Washingtons, or whomever's on those $5 and $10 bills.
This is seriously good fast food! I stopped by yesterday to pick up dinner to take home. Got grilled chicken, black beans and rice, cole slaw, tortillas and salsa. (Other sides offered were yucca fries, plantains, Campero rice (?),).
The chicken was so good! I sort of expected it to be dry, but it was like chicken right off the backyard grill - hot, juicy and delicious. Black beans and rice were also delicious. Cole slaw was just ok - next time I'll try the plantains. (Don't know why I didn't!) Even the tortillas were great. I reheated them at home in the microwave and they were still soft .
I eat chicken 3-4 times a week and Pollo Campero is second only to Fogo 2 Go for great take-out grilled chicken.
Where else in Chicago can you go to a DRIVE-THRU and get a bowl of rice, black beans, fried plantains, fried chicken, and mango-pineapple salsa. Â That's right, only at Pollo Campero. Â I ordered the Caribbean Bowl and it wasn't bad. Â The chicken was DELICIOUS, and I'd be tempted to order that again by itself--think Fried Chicken with latin/caribbean seasonings. Â The bowl itself had some GREAT bites, but I found it kind of bland over all. Â It probably could have used a bit more of the plantain and more salsa.
Overall, very solid fast food, and I'd definitely give it another try.
Surprised the ratings are so low, but I see three 1-star reviews from people who all felt unwelcome there because they're not hispanic.
I'm not hispanic, but I eat here all the time and I've never had a bad experience. Sure, service is a bit slow compared to most fast-food places. The drive-through is pretty useless, to be honest, but counter service is plenty fast, I've never had to wait more than a few minutes.
For regular fast-food fried chicken, I actually prefer Popeye's, but Pollo Campero is all about the garnishes and sides. If you go in there getting a chicken dinner with a biscuit and mashed potatoes, why did you even bother? Try a tortilla (tor-TEE-ya!) and some of the various salsas and garnishes and their awesome rice and meat-tastic beans and plantains and you'll see why it's so great. I bet the people giving this place one star are the type of people who go to Europe and eat at McDonalds.
Only other gripe is they never have the fried plantains. The sweet ones are good, but not as good as the fried, ha.
I like it but I don't.
The chicken is pretty good this place doesn't rank extremely high on the richter. Good flavor overall but a little too much salt.
This place is good for curing your plantain craving as they actually serve up maduros platanos quite nicely for a fast food joint.
It's kind of weird that they offer tortillas because the type of "cuisine" they have isn't normally served with tortillas but hey when in Rome, right? :)
Black beans and rice is flavorful but they can keep the stale gross "dinner roll" that they throw in with the chicken.
In Chicago, Brown's/Dell Rhea's/White Fence Farm, made up the gold standard in fried chicken casual dining', (am i missing any if so please contact). Â Every place has their own nuances and side dishes, but the nucleus was the same no matter where you went. Â PC does a very nice job injecting mexican culture into the fast fried chicken meal adding a few orbitals to that recognizable core.
The salsas are enjoyable and not at all too spicy for your average taste. Â Flavorful and perfectly cooked chicken are why PC gets a seat at the ol' fried cluck bucket table, if you are searching high and low for a new way to enjoy the staple of Soul Food look no further.
PC is great at what it does, for that they deserve a ribbon. Â A simple take (from a cultured angle) on a simple dish, that is not simply executed. Â One can tell they take care and pride in the plates of food they serve, that is why they would be on the winner's podium for Chicagoland fried chicken joints. Â
Fried Plantains are a must; after that just stuff a tortilla with rice, beans, chicken (off the bone) and salsa to enjoy your newfound appreciation for the dish you've experimented with before, but never observed a flavor reaction like this. Â PC does not dress in your standard issue lab coat, but they definitely earn for best twist on the 'baking soda volcano' at the science fair!
yelp system = 4 Stars out of 5 for execution of the dish.
On an even playing field  -
Food 12.5/20 Ambience/decor 10.5/20 $$$ 12/20 Â Execution of Concept 18/20 Â Pleasure of the experience 19/20
Overall PC = 70 = Worth Visiting
The food we got here was pretty good. Â And being able to get flan and plantains at a fast food joint is pretty cool.
Except that we waited 22 minutes for our food. Â Not because something was wrong with our particular order; everyone in the joint looked hungry. Â Maybe they actually kill and pluck the chickens in the back?
Hello, Pollo Campero. Hello! My brother discovered this place awhile back, before they started expanding their Chicago locations. Â And, without a second thought, either of us would drive the 15 minutes just to come home with a crispy, steaming, delicious box of chicken. This chicken is not cheap (it's significantly pricier than KFC or Popeye's) but it is absolutely flavorful and delicious (even the white meat, which I tend to stay away from). My mom, who will not eat after she's full, will proceed to eat a Pollo Campero wing even if she's full. Haha. And most people that I've introduced this to think it's the best chicken they've ever had. Yes, it's that good. I didn't give it five stars, though, because it's not homemade and it's from a chain-- but it's really darn close to five stars. AND they have my beloved sweet plaintains! Ahhh! I have no other words. Only drool.
Review Source:The fried chicken at Pollo Campero is pretty damn good. There's no denying that. The skin has plenty of crunch and crisp with a really good, distinguishable flavor. Heck, if this place were closer, it would probably be THE go to place for fried chicken.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not giving it just three stars because it isn't close. But the food is just lacking a little something that would motivate me to come here more often. Maybe it's portion size. I can eat with the best of 'em, and even after a 3 piece meal, I wasn't completely satisfied. Not starving, just not full enough. The sides of beans and campero rice were kind of weak too. Maybe I should have ordered fries instead. The salsa they have available are just OK. I actually prefer the salsa bar at El Pollo Loco to this one.
Not a bad place. It's just missing something. Despite the excellent fried chicken flavor, Pollo Campero doesn't really offer anything that Brown's or even Popeyes can't. Unless you like mediocre flan.
This place is awful! Omigod.
My family members recommended this place stating that it had the best chicken that will have you licking the bone and your fingers. So, I gave this place a shot cause my doctor's office is a block away from this location. I had just come from a checkup and I was curious about the place.
1. Cole slaw with lime is NASTY
2. Mashed potatoes are bland
3. The chicken is real greasy... it's not breaded... just thrown into the fryer.
4. The biscuit sucks
The food is not tasty. I ate once and had severe heartburn for 2 days. Never again.
Their mascot is a muscular tweety bird knockoff in border patrol gear. Why??????? Â Strange.
The food is pretty good, 4 star quality good, but service? .AY CARUMBA!
If you are ever in a hurry, don't use their drive thru.
If you think that you have half an hour to kill, don't use their drive thru!
I was in the area, and needed to pick up a quick snack for my son to nibble on after school. I had actually 35 minutes to kill, and school was only about 10 minutes away. Â I thought that I allotted myself enough time to not only order the food, but would have ample time to pull over and eat something myself before school let out.
I ordered a Caribbean Rice bowl, chicken strips, plantains, fries and a chocolate milk. Â The guy who took my order repeatedly asked me what I would like for a side. Â I had already told him that I would like fries and plantains! Â When it came time to pay, my bill came to $17.16! Â What???
Upon looking at the receipt, it turns out that he had charged me for someone else's order! Â I could see my bowl of rice waiting to be packed. Â They instead insisted that I had ordered the 8pc family pack. Â There were 6 people behind the window working. Â SLOW AS MOLASSES! Â It took 3 people to figure out what went wrong and to figure out how much money they actually owed me. Â After I was reimbursed, they all of the sudden remembered that I never received any food. Â So again, I had to wait. And wait.
22 minutes total in a drive through, Â all the while, the cars behind me drove past giving me the stink eye.
I never had time to pull over and eat. Â In fact, the whole ordeal caused me to be a few minutes late picking up my son, which totally pissed me off. Â I felt like the neglectful mother.
The Caribbean rice bowl is super yummy as well as their chicken strips. Â The fries however are a bit stale and I do not understand why they put them in a paper bag then seal it in a plastic one. Â We do not like our fries steamed. Â I have ordered their chicken in the past and though flavorful, the size of the pieces reminded me of a Cornish hen.
So this was a visit on a Sunday afternoon, with low expectations. I mean, fast food chicken? I'm thinking it's gonna be a Latino Popeye's with a twist.
(A trend you will realize soon) I was wrong.
This place is amazing.
We walk in and I don't know what I want. I mean, 2 piece meal, 3 piece meal, half chicken, whole chicken, or whatever (they also have strips). So we're the only ones in line and with my classic 'wtf' face on, the cashier/manager (as evidenced by the darker dress shirt) 'helped' us figure out what we want.Essentially when I said I wanted the 3 piece white, he was on my feet about sides and all. With a smile. But I felt rushed, no bigs.
We got our number and sat down at a booth. She got some sauces as I was busy in a text war. She came back with the freshest pico de guyo I have ever had. Let me stop right there. Ever since W. Garden was ripped up, I haven't had fresh tomatos. Fuck that noise. If I could, I would walk into this place and eat the pico de guyo as often as possible. Â Anyway, like five minutes our waitress delivers us our food and looked pretty delicious.
THIS CHICKEN THUMPS EVERYBODY ELSE'S.
It's not that salty, but it's crunchy and the actual chicken meat is so juicy. Â Fuck Yes is all I was thinking.
I got the fried banana slices I think and they were pretty thumbs up.
I don't care where I am, when I get in the mood, this is the joint for me.
You never forget your first Pollo.
I'd heard very little about Pollo Campero until this drive-thru / spacious restaurant opened on the Northwest side. Yet even the whiff of good fried chicken was lure enough to bring me to out my South Side home to taste something different.
It was definitely worth the trip.
The chicken is excellent. The variety of sides is impressive. And the dining environment (super-bright colors) is friendly to families and singles/couples and welcoming to mono-linguists.
The Pollo Campero experience led me to the view that every restaurant should offer horchata. It's my drink of choice.
This is the only reason I know Chicago has a street called "Narraganset." Â I stalked the interwebs for months before they came here and once they finally did I had to maquest it.
Me to my boyfriend in the car: "No, it's still west."
"Yeah, it's west of Cicero, too."
"Just keep going west..."
Just really, really good fried chicken, really good mashed potatoes and really good gravy. Â Not the world's best, but fills the need and makes the tum-tum smile inside - very good for fast food. And the best selection of drinks at any fast food place ever - punch, horchata, fruity sodas, everything.
And they work the Central American flair in there, with salsa or maybe Guatemalan pop playing, sides like plantains (really good) and tostones (eh, not so much so) and desserts like wiggly-jiggly flan. Â
I also LOVE that they bring your food to you on real plates when you eat there. Great salsa bar, too, and the people are usually pretty nice.
I frequently drive here from the far south side of the city and relate everything else to it's proximity  to Pollo Campero.  For example, anything on Narraganset is next to Pollo Campero.  Also anything west, like Brookfield Zoo, is near Pollo Campero.  Also anything north, like Evanston, is pretty much next to Pollo Campero - especially since there is now a Pollo Campero off up Pulaski up there, too.
And as a side note: This chicken does not have crack in it. Â Crack is wack! Crack is cheap! Pollo Campero is too good for crack. Â But Pollo Campero might just have straight, pure cocaine in it. Â Which might be why it costs me so much damn money - My family eats a $50 chicken hole out of my bank account every fricking time we're here. Â Hell, I can rack up $20 solo. Â I'm just saying, I wouldn't pig out on this the day before a pee-pee test.
Really good fried chicken: Score! Maybe literally? Excellent.
When this location first opened up there were mile long lines. I waited until all the hype had gone down and decided to give it a try. Â If people were lining up in the heat to try this place, it had to be good.
The chicken was just okay.. not as good as I was expecting it to be and the prices seems higher than any other chicken place around. Â
I went there once and haven't gone back.. don't think I will any time soon.
If I wanted dry tasteless chicken  I would have gotten on a plane and headed to Guatemala where I could have gotten the whole experience  with the chickens running loose and the locals giving me strange looks.  This place is horrible.  The help is NOT friendly and the food was simply bad. Obviously there are no chickens running loose in the place but the help sure did give me strange looks like I was some kind of foreigner in THEIR land.  Umm hello people, last time I checked I was in the United States.  They made me feel very unwelcome and needless to say, I will NOT be going back..  Stay away.
Review Source:The people who work in this joint are racist. If you are not Hispanic, they basically ignore you and provide you with bad service. Hell.... the people at the register  barely speak any English. They give you this dumb stare if you  place an order in English.
This is American, Dammit!!!
Learn the freaking language!!!!!!!!
I heard this is the Kentucy fried Chicken of Guatemala so I had to give it a try. The chicken is very good and has good latin spice. Crisy outside and tender and juicy inside. You can get good fried chicken just about anywhere and I'm not the kind of guy to go out of the way for it but what makes this place different is the sides. Rice beans, yucca, plantains, and a salsa bar! Good stuff even though a fair portion of it seemed to be fried. Definitely worth a visit .
Review Source:I only come here on Sundays. Church is on Sundays not so far from here and though they serve food after the services, I still have room for some pollo campero.
Drive thru for the drive home as its not in my hood, but do get extra napkins as crotch crumbs can occur. Stick with the spanish sides, as the typical american sides are nothing so great or different, hell except for the plantains, skip the sides all together and just get more chicken instead.
Mas Pollo! Â Mas Pollo! Â Mas Pollo! ;-p
PC is like... some kind of fast service restaurant that my mom cooked up. It's fried chicken with actual flavorful seasonings. Since it IS fried chicken, it can get a bit greasy, but you're not tasting grease.
The breading is crispy and crunchy every time I get it. It goes great with their sides. Sometimes their biscuits can be a bit on the hard side. Perhaps they sell more of their tortillas instead.
I guess they have a big breakfast menu, but I never get any. Not sure how it is.
Try their other drinks like horchata and tamarindo, etc.
It's located at a strip mall, so parking is great. You can drive thru it, too.
Because I'm such a gringo, I didn't really know the right way to approach the Pollo Campero experience. Â I was baffled why fried chicken came with a side of tortillas (they offer biscuits and rolls if you prefer) and why they had a salsa bar but no chips. Â Fortunately a nice Guatemalan-American lady showed us the way. Â First, don't pick up the chicken with your hands, silly. Â Cut it up with the nice silver cutlery and then put the chicken meat in the tortilla. Â Add salsa, and eat fajita-style. Â OK, I get it now. Â The chicken is tender, flavorful, not too spicy or breaded. Try the plantains, they're sweet and yummy -- a side dish you can eat for dessert!
Review Source:Wow was it awesome to eat here. Â I'm so glad there's a Pollo Campero here in Chicago. Â Every time I would go to Guatemala I Â would beg my uncle to take me to Pollo Campero..... and yes I would bring some back to Chicago. Â
Nonetheless this Pollo Campero was everything I expected. Â The chicken is DELICIOUS. Â The rice and beans are perfectly done. Â The beans have lil' bacon bits in them which makes them yummy. Â The fried plantains are great. Â And of course I had to have the flan for dessert.... and boy was it yummy. Â
My mom was so glad that I brought her here.  She was excited to see and speak to  her native peeps.  Since there aren't many Guatemalans that I know of that live in Pilsen.  The employees are extremely nice and polite and the restaurant is extremely clean.
KFC and Popeyes eat your heart out because Pollo Campero can't compare to you!
All the goodness of fried chicken done well , along with a little Latin flavor. Went here twice (it's not very close to me) but if I'm in the area , it has warranted a stop by. I got it with the rice and beans (way better than Popeye's) and the mashed potato's (good , didn't really stand out.). I really liked the chicken , very different than KFC and Browns , The breading wasn't as heavy as the rest.Oddly enough , it came with tortillas , though I heard you can get biscuits (not a huge fan of biscuits anyway). Best part was that I was able to get a huge Horchata (sweetened rice water , if you've never tried it , do so.) , bitchin! I was kind of in a hurry both times I was there , I never even saw the plantains and the yucca they offered (it's on the website). I have to get back here , the sooner the better.
...
Stopped by and got the plantains and the Yuca , both were very good. The spices are really good for the chicken and the chicken is about the most moist I've ever had fried chicken be. When you eat inside the restaurant , you also have a variety of salsa's , pico de gallo , limes and cilantro. I'm sure I'll make more of an effort to visit here more often.
Great-flavored, juicy fried chicken. Â Will be back soon after recommending this place to a few friends. Â In terms of fried chicken chain's, it's the most similar to KFC, but definitely a step above without the extra grease and excessive salt. Â So if you love Harold's, J&J, or Popeye's this is not a substitute. Â It is definitely worth trying though. Â I went there this afternoon at about 11:30 a.m. Â There was only 1 person in line and 3 guests seated and eating.
There was much to be desired with their sides though. Â Two sides came with my 2-piece meal (leg, thigh, 2 sides, and tortillas or biscuits) for $4.79. Â They were out of yucca at the time. Â I chose the beans and cole slaw. Â Beans were a little watery, but nicely flavored with pork, onions, cilantro, and some other ingredients -- I don't know my Latin ingredients too well. Â I ate the beans with the 3 tortillas that also came with my meal. Â The cole slaw was very bad to me. Â It was a little sour. Â The texture of the minced vegetable and lack of color (white with green specks of probably picked vegetable) was unique though. Â Maybe I should try the "sweet" cole slaw listed on the nutrition facts section of their web site. Â Too bad I didn't read the reviews of their plantains sooner. Â I will have to try them some time, as I'm a huge fan of the plantains served at Irazu on Milwaukee Ave.
Overall, good chicken. Â Steer clear of the cole slaw. Â You should try the plantains... I guess.
One day a few summers ago, I drove over to the local strip mall to take a quick visit to Target on my lunch break. While driving through the parking lot I saw a big tent looking thing and crowds of people waiting outside what I know now to be Pollo Campero. Its was upwards of 90 degrees that day and I figured if that many people would stand outside on the opening day of a fast food place, it HAD to be good.
Pollo Campero really is absolutely delicious. The buiscuits leave a bit to be deseired but who cares! The chicken is flavorful and fresh, the plantains are the BEST (they converted me to a plantain lover, I used to hate them), Â and the staff is always super nice. I no longer work or live anywhere near Pollo Campero, but every once in a while i get a hungering and take that long drive west. Its always worth it.
I drove an hour from my house just to get take out from Pollo Campero. Â I heard that people used to fly this stuff back from Guatemala, and re-sell it in the US. If you try it, you'll understand why. Â It's spiced up just right & blows the competition out of the water. Â
The only other fried chicken place that even comes close is "Lee's Famous Recipe"--which you won't find in this area.
My experience with this place has been pretty good so far. Â The inside of the restaurant is VERY clean and the staff is pretty friendly. Â When you see a lot of latinos eating here, you know it's gotta be good!
Their chicken strips were very good and their plantains were the best I've ever had so far! Â My cousin had the mashed potatoes and she said it wasn't really anything special. Â
They had a nice juicy picture by the menu of a plate of flan and we couldnt help but order one. Â Turns out... the flan was much smaller than we imagined.
Either way, I'd love to come back here again. Â I love the whole concept of this fast food restaurant and I'm down for trying some more things off their menu!
Believe it! The perfectly spiced chicken truly is good enough to smuggle through Customs, or to brave a trip into deepest, darkest Bungalow Belt for. Sure, it's enveloped by a cheesy Anywhere, USA strip mall (although not quite: look for the giant red wagon!), but once inside you'll find spotless and cheery decor, smiling staff, fried plantain dished out multiple ways, smooth horchata, and a salsa bar without all those pointless "mild" options.
Review Source:I am not really a fan of fast food but after hearing about Pollo Campero on NPR I had to give it a try. Â They make a spicy crispy fried chicken that is more than worth the long wait in lie to even place your order. Also on the menu are yummy side dishes such as fried sweet plantains, tostones, spicy rice and pinto beans. Food is delivered to you table on real (plastic) plates . . .an interesting concept for a fast food joint.
Give it a try . . . it is way better than any fast food that has its origins in the USA.
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