El Pollo Feliz

Fantastic, smoky chicken mexican-​style barbecue. Great family plates, comes with beans, rice, tortillas, grilled jalapeños, cole slaw or macaroni salad. Family owned and operated.

Just ordered the nachos today and they were outstanding. It was busy so I was warned it would take 20 minutes. 2 tables were taken, 2 tables were filthy with used dishes so I waited in the corner. 20 mins later I had my «to go» nachos. My family really enjoyed them. Chips crispy and loaded with delicious chicken, beans, cheese and pico de gallo. If I had known how good their salsa was I would have asked for 2 containers. Highly recommend, especially if your order is «to go» because the place is rather dumpy and unfortunately not well kept up.

Ignore the haters. The food here is outstanding. They have the best BBQ chicken ever! I always order the large chicken quesadilla, but ordering the BBQ chicken on its own is a fine choice too. They also make their own salsa in house which is off the charts. Why don’t other Mexican places do this? It really shows how much they care.

We love this place! The food is amazing the service is always friendly. They are affordable and quick.

Just got of a doctors appointment. I drove by and saw the BBQ out front and thought I’d stop in. BEST DECISION EVER. The food was great! I grew up in San Jose and had a lot of Mexican BBQ. This took me right back home. The chicken was moist, the rice and whole beans were awesome and the jalapeños were grilled to perfection. The staff is also quite friendly. I will definitely come back. They also have ice cream, smoothies and milkshakes. The place could be a little cleaner.

Wonderful customer service and food is very delicious everytime!

Except for my food this was a nice place. The staff was friendly, welcoming, and helpful. The décor was fun, nothing fancy but pleasant. Pleasant is a good way to describe the place.
When the dish was served it all looked good. When I bit into the chicken it was tough and tasteless. No amount of mole could cover that. If the food is subpar the rest goes by the wayside.

Great food, great service, great prices. What more could you want? I’ll definitely be coming back.

Great food, tons of meat! Even the asada is great! It’s a must try.
If planning on getting take out I suggest you order in advance because this is fresh food not fast food and you will have to wait

Nope. Skip this place. Why are the reviews so great? The food is served in heaping portions and its chicken. Regular tasting chicken. Chicken, people. It’s not overcooked or over spiced. But it’s not anything too special. No alcohol? Again, what kind of establishment is this? It felt almost closed because it was so empty. I didn’t get the authentic vibe, just the dirty, cold one. The dilapidated building doesn’t make for a cozy dining experience.

The chicken is amazing! I eat there as often as I can and everyone I bring here loves it. You will too.

Best bbq chicken ever! You can’t go wrong!
Check first to be sure they are open, goofy hours but well worth waiting for.

I have been dying to try this place seeing as how it is so close and has good reviews. I also have found memories of Mexican bbq I used to get in LA but cant seem to find here. Deciding on an early dinner to go my boyfriend and I arrived around 5pm on a Friday. I noticed someone sleeping on the large booth in the entrance and grabbed some menu’s to look at. An employee came to the window and asked if we needed help, let him know it would be a minute and he then scolded the employee who woke up. The restaurant itself was older and was showing signs of wear and tear which I can overlook, but all the tables in front where dirty. As well as my menu I was looking thru, simply wiping these and the tables might keep one awake.
The food itself was delicious! I order a chicken breast bbq meal 12.99 w/​beans and rice. The meal also came with choice of tortilla and a grilled jalapeño. Now this was the bbq I missed from So Cal! My chicken was flavorful and moist as well as I believe I got an extra piece! The beans are whole pinto beans and the Mexican rice were standard. My boyfriend wanted ribs so we order ala carte 10.99 pork ribs and were pleasantly surprised. They were super tender and not glazed which was nice, sauce was served on the side. Again I believe we received an extra rib but I’m not complaining! He also wanted a burrito, so decided on a super burrito with carnitas. The burrito came with chips and their amazing salsa and was the size of my forearm.
Overall I am really glad I tried this place out and will difinately be ordering their bbq to go! But attention to details such as cleanliness and service go along way in fact I hope to add stars in the future if this improves.

We stopped by here the other night for some take out. Man was it HOT inside. Almost unbearable to even sit and wait for the food to go. We ordered a chicken bowl and a carnitas bowl. They were very good. I think the price was a little steep for the bowl, when comparing it to the other items on the menu. Food was definitely good. Maybe will try the chicken salad next time.

Excellent chicken that is seasoned and grilled up perfectly. Definitely the best mesquite chicken I’ve found in the Sacramento area!
I don’t know too much about the rest of their menu, but with a name like El Pollo Feliz, I think I’ll just stick to the chicken as it’s too good to pass up.
Also, caveat… they now seem to be closed on Sunday and Monday– the Unilocal hours don’t match this!

If you aren’t from the area and you actually know what good food is… stay away from this place! I stopped here simply because there was too much traffic on the way to Tahoe, and I trusted fellow Unilocaler’s. Well, they’ve finally let me down. I don’t know if it’s just that this place caters to their local area residents or what, but I was utterly disappointed. First, they ran out of carne asada at 4pm on a Friday; second, their chicken tasted burned and dry; third, everything seemed like it was just heated in the microwave and served; finally, the guacamole dip was nothing more than mashed up avocados… wtf! Don’t spend your money on this overpriced, low quality Mexican restaurant. If you don’t believe me about the dip… look at the picture! Im giving them 2 stars because their staff was friendly and attentive, otherwise it would be 1 for the food.

Late review… Ordered beef ribs with macaroni salad. The macaroni salad was ok. Not a lot of meat from the beef ribs and it has that bitter after taste. Will be back to try other items on the menu and give this place another chance.

Out of chicken 3 out of 4 times I have been there! Super frustrating to drive there and not get chicken!

Holy Taquitos is this place great!!! Tiny hole in the wall right off of Walnut and Whitney in American River College area in Sacramento. Thanks to my fellow Unilocalers, this is my new fave Mexican dive! The food here is so authentic I love it! It reminds me of my neighbor whom I used to go over to just to get fat for dinner all the time! Everything made fresh right there for you. Decently priced. The meat is slow cooked out front in the bbq, not grilled in the kitchen.
The service was amazing as well! It is rather small inside, and when you walk in there is this itty bitty window and some menus. You order and pay first, and they bring out your heaping piles of food to you. Even had complimentary chips and salsa. The cashier/​bbq chef was extremely friendly and courteous.
Let me tell ya though, the nachos! Finally! someone figured out how to make the nachos right. El Pollo Feliz doesn’t just pile all the toppings on top of the chips to make it look pretty, you eat all the good stuff, and then are left with dry chips. They layer it!!! FINALLY a place that does the nachos right! Te amo El Pollo Feliz! No puedo esperar a volver!

I used to frequent this spot years ago before the ownership changed and forgot to write a review.
I also moved out of Carmichael so I forgot about this little gem. This place has some of the best smoked/​bbq chicken I have ever had. The prices are very fair and the portions are great. Did I mention you get service with a smile?
Don’t let the outside scare you from trying this place. You know this is good because grandma is here holding it down everyday and I’m guessing she does all the cooking. Tastes like real authentic home cooked meals.
When I lived in the area and was doing the hardcore healthy eating lifestyle I was always looking for a healthy but filling place to eat. This was the spot. Light, healthy, fresh, and filling. Can’t beat it. Try this places chicken out asap!