I think it's the flavoring they use that makes it soo good. Only locals know about it but its the best chicken anywhere, and its a cool place to just hang out and watch the traffic on the freeway, forget Pollo Loco Surfin' Chicken Rocks! Order the half chicken plate with the corm tortillas. I've never tried anything else.The only thing missing here is the beer. (no liquor license ..yet.)
Review Source:first of all, el pollo does not hold a candle to this place. they are not even on the same plane of existence. totally different style of food. in fact, this place does not compare to anywhere i have ever been. SO, there is a SPECIFIC way of eating surfin chicken. you order the lunch special with flour tortillas (at lunch time...). you pull apart the chicken, your hands will be greasy and its a lot of work but totally worth the price of the food and the payoff of the meal, but you get it all taken off the bone, put it in the tortilla, add the beans but strain the water, lettuce, guac and pico, wrap it all up. got a NICE TASTY LEMONY DELICIOUS burrito. hands down my favorite restaurant on the planet. hole in the wall, yes. i have never left there disappointed. i live in phoenix now and i miss surfin chicken all the time.
Review Source:I've only had the carne asada burrito here but everytime I'm driving by on the 5 I will stop in. I like how you can watch them grilling your chicken or steak right in front of you. Big fan...with that said, todays burrito was full of fat. Almost every bite. Will definately bring it up next visit. Now this is once in many, many visits sooo don't hate.
Review Source:The Atacama Desert called...they want their extreme dryness back!
Everyone who reviewed this place is smoking dope.
Chicken...dry! Â OH MY SO DRY!
Salsa...watery with a minute sludge of what I am guessing is onions, cilantro and crushed tomatoes.
Beans...obviously canned and served in their own juices which equals = WATERY!
Lettuce with guac piled on top...actually okay compared to the rest BUT...IT WAS ALSO WATERY!
UGH...gross. Â I'm never going back.
For a fresh grilled meal of chicken or tilapia with the option to make your own taco with the tortillas, beans and rice (or not) this is a wonderful fresh and not too heavy meal for a very reasonable price. Â Take out a surf n chicken dinner or surf and fish dinner, (or salmon, or ribs) and go eat as the sun goes down at North Beach and you have an ultimate SoCal dining experience.
Review Source:One of my favorite meals in San Clemente! Seriously half a chicken tortillas, guacamole, lettuce, and salsa for 6 bucks. Soaked in lime and grilled over open flame I will never eat at el polo loco again with this place in town. Food comes out fast is is pipping hot. Can't recommend enough.
Review Source:I came here for lunch for the first time. It's a little bit hidden in a strip mall near Fitness 19 and the 99 cents store. The chicken was so good! I had the lunch special with chicken, beans, guacamole, and tortillas. The fish that they had on the menu sounded good too....Everything is fresh and somewhat healthy. The seasoning/sauce that they coat the chicken with is to die for...some kind of garlic butter sauce....buut not too garlicly or buttery.yum! This place definitley gives El Pollo Loco a run for their money. I will be going back another day for lunch and trying additional menu items.
Review Source:Been coming here for over 21 years, but I should come more often. Tasty, cheap, and pretty healthy. Right in the door, you can see chicken grilling, which they slather with a garlic butter sauce, kind of a mojo de ajo - which makes it tastier than El Pollo Loco. I also recommend the fish. Â I just had the yellowtail today, also grilled al mojo de ajo. The rice is just ok, but I like it mixed with the soupy beans. I've seen them mashing the avocados for their yummy guacamole.
Not sure why Yelp categorizes it as "chicken wings." The whole plaza seems slower, especially since the Ralph's closed and the Staples came in 15(?) years ago, but Surfin-Chicken is still here.
Went to this place today just for something new for lunch. The smell alone was amazing!!!
This is a little hole in the wall place, hidden among the 99 Cent Store, a book store, the gym, Del Taco, etc. I probably wouldn't have noticed it if one of the patient's at work hadn't told me about it!
Walked in around 12:15pm, they weren't too crowded yet. There was only about 4 people waiting in line in front of me. Their menu was really small...only about 10 items listed, mostly chicken...but you could get carne asada or some fish items as well. I ordered the lunch special chicken...which was 2 pieces of chicken, tortillas, and beans with a small drink for 9 bucks. I loved how the guy was grilling the chicken on an open fire right as you walked in too! Wonderful!!!
Let me tell you, the chicken was wonderful! So much better than El Pollo Loco. It just melted in your mouth. LOVED IT!! I think I'll be coming back to check it out again someday soon when I'm in the mood for some tastey chicken.
I went to Surfin' Chicken because OC Weekly's Gustavo Arellano gave it a glowing review. Â I can't disagree with anything Gustavo wrote but I did leave Surfin' Chicken a little unimpressed.
Surfin' Chicken is definitely a no frills kind of place. Â I expected that going in and wasn't turned off by the size or the decor of the restaurant. Â The menu is small and centered around chicken but you can get carne asada and a few grilled fish items. Â But make no bones about it, the chicken is the star of this restaurant.
The chicken is marinated in lemon butter and then grilled. Â As the chicken grills it is generously sprinkled with chili powder. Â The result is a very juice and exceptionally flavorful bird. Â The accompaniment (beans, tortillas, guacamole, etc) are nothing special. Â I don't think the side are better than what you'd get at El Pollo Loco or Charo Chicken. Â But the chicken is superior to those chains and that alone makes Surfin' Chicken special.
Got the lunch special for $4.75, which came with 2 pieces of chicken, a drink, and the usual Mexican meal (watery beans, 4 tortillas, lettuce & tomatoes, and guacamole). I would prefer the carne asada instead, since you're making tacos, it's a lot easier than cutting the chicken and putting the meat inside the tortilla (especially if they give you wings).
The chicken is decently grilled, and pieces are bigger than I expected. I heard the halibut steak there is pretty good too, at $8 or $9. An OK experience, go try it for yourself.
If flame grilled chicken is your thing, then forget el pollo loco, and charo chicken... I highly recommend Surfin Chicken. Â For $4.50 the lunch special comes with 2 decent sized pieces of chicken, a big scoop of guacamole, beans, tortillas, & lettuce/tomatoes. (Enough food to make 4 soft tacos) Â I was full after i had gulped down 2.5 soft tacos, but it was so good I had to finish the 3rd one. The chicken is grilled with a spice rub, then a sort of italian/garlic dressing is added to keep it moist and add flavor. Â I've been working in San Clemente for over 5 years before I finally tried this place... but I'm sure I'll add it to the lunch time rotation.
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