Charo Chicken

My favorite placed for grilled chicken now that El Pollo Loco has become bland make sure to get the flavor marinade (lemon butter?) they offer its the best now! Friendly service. Spoke with Franchise owner who is usually on site nice guy. I try to support Small businesses whenever I can.

My favorite part about Charo Chicken is the quality is always the same. And that quality is great! The menu is simple and has a ton of variety and everything I have tried is awesome!

For delicious savory grilled chicken that is a slight step above El Pollo Loco, this hole in the wall has a great selection of salsas to go with their plates. It’s a quick, friendly place to eat.

Very poor customer service. The girls at the register didn’t greet customers as they approached the register, not one smile from any of them. They did not look happy to be there. On to the food, i ordered the chicken burrito which comes with chips, i asked for all white meat and got dark. The chicken was very salty and the chips that come with it were stale. Overall all a very unpleasant experience. Won’t be coming back.

I was looking for a quick, semi-​healthy lunch while in Costa Mesa and didn’t feel like doing anything too crazy. I was going to omit solid food and go straight for another intake of coffee at Starbucks, but saw this chicken spot and decided to give them a try.
There was a pretty good lunch crowd enjoying food when I arrived and a lot of people were taking advantage of the warm weather and sitting at the plaza’s communal tables outside. The menu is a little daunting because there’s so many choices, but I ultimately settled on their chicken bowl with a drink combo that came out to about $ 8 and some change. Not too shabby.
The food came out super fast, probably because they had the beans and rice already prepared on the side, and the chickens were continuously being grilled in the background. I was expecting a small sized meal for the price, but was surprised when it was a pretty big heaping of food.
The shop has a salsa bar with a variety of different temperatures and blends. I went for the spiciest one I could find and doused my food in it before I even tasted it. I like to live dangerously I guess when it comes to eating. I probably added a tad too much, cause it was pretty damn spicy, but I don’t regret my actions. There was more rice and beans in the bowl than chicken, but they didn’t skimp on the protein whatsoever. It was just a lot.
I left full and satisfied. I’d definitely come back for another quick bite to eat. The guy’s quesadilla at the table next to me looked pretty delicious — so maybe I’ll get cheesy on my next visit.

Love this place! Best chicken in my opinion! Eat here quite often. Dennis Rodman comes here all the time too which is funny!

Terrible Service. Management here obviously is not caring of there customers. Exyremely Bad overall and food is overatef.

The food was dry and overly salty. The front counter girl was unfriendly and not even slightly helpful. I asked about catering and she just pointed to a menu. Awesome… thats exactly how you attract business. Highly disappointed in this establishment! I definitely recommend you go elsewhere!

I came here on a weeknight for a quick dinner and I should have gotten the hint when I saw an empty restaurant and didn’t immediately check Unilocal.First off, the girl that took my order was biting her finger nails the entire time she was taking my order. I was hoping and praying she was not the one that was also prepping my food.
I ordered the half chicken with guac (extra $ 1) and corn tortillas with their butter sauce. The chicken was pretty overdone, and hard to eat at times. I found myself choking the chicken down just so I could have the protein. The butter sauce added a different flavor to the skin which was a nice change from El Pollo Loco. But all things considered, I would not return.
I was reading Ashley’s food poisoning review of this place while I was eating my chicken. I’m so glad I did not get sick!

The food is great & the owner is a great guy but he needs to re-​evaluate his register staff.
I was a regular until one of his workers thanked me for not tipping. I’m sorry you work a cash register… Maybe if you did something more than ring up my order you would be more deserving of a tip…
Here is a tip for you young lady. Get a better job

I don’t come here for the service, I come for the food.
The chicken here is AMAZING. El Pollo Loco has nothing on them! Super moist chicken, decent salsa, and delicious sides… what more can you ask for? Oh, and they top off the chicken with lemon garlic sauce. So good.
The service is alright. The man who seems to be the owner is pleasant enough but some of the other workers seem a bit… snippy.
Chicken: Infinite stars
Service: 1.5 stars

Love the chicken, but the girl running this store has no problem giving you backs instead of thighs. She also runs to the door and locks it at closing as you’re walking up to it, so she doesnt have to serve you. A good business person would allow you in and lock it behind you, not in your face. I’ll never go to this store again.

When I first came upon the humble «Clark Kent» outer appearance, I was skeptic … but don’t judge a book by its cover because the superman quickly came out! Hubba hubba.
Let me get some of the logistics out of the way. It’s in a busy shopping center with a lot of parking on the corner of Fairview and Baker. There’s outdoor seating (for dog lovers) and indoor seating as well.
The inside is so cute and festive! Drinks were free refill, and they had so many options too! Sodas, Horchatas, teas, oh my! There was a salsa bar too, which was delish.
I had the chicken, beet salad minus the chicken (because I like chikens to live) and minus the cheese (because of damn GERD), and it was delish! The vegetables were so fresh! Yummy!
My friend had the chicken and rice, and I tried her rice, and it was so flavorful!
The price was very reasonable, and the service was great! I noticed that the last few people to give this place less than 3 stars had about a 0 – 5 friends. Perhaps these people are having a hard time making friends, so they’re taking it out on a Unilocal review? Just saying … Anyways, I thought the service was great. I know this place is a chain, but we forget that it’s actually franchised by mom and pop people, so I support my local mom and pop stores, and you should too!

Yummy and the lady who took my order was not so nice with glasses made me wait ??? 1 star for her but 5 star for the food? Manger can you please ask your workers in the back to wear gloves and not wipe their hands on this apron and their nose while they prepare the PuBLic good thanks???

This is like an upgraded Juan Pollo, King Pollo, El Pollo Loco. Except here their chicken is extremely delicious and grilled or however they cook it moist and flavorful.
I never understood the beauty of Charo Chicken and was an avid King Pollo fan until I tried this place. Now I realize all other chicken places aren’t even comparable to Charo.
First off, I have to say their chips and salsa are THE BEST, and their BBQ chicken salad amazed me to say the least. I know this isn’t a super fancy restaurant or doesn’t have anything new or creative, but for that lunch break hunger Charo will definitely satisfy you.
Their portions are generous and one meal could last you two if you have a small stomach like me :)
Overall, you should definitely try this place, but I can’t promise you won’t be addicted to Charo…

I used to like the Charo Chicken in Redondo Beach so I was pleased to discover there was a Charo Chicken so close to my home and place of employment. I began coming here for lunch, then I realized I could place my order online or over the phone which made things so much easier and quicker. My husband works from home some days and on occasion I take him lunch. He’s super picky and always finds something wrong with places but he loved Charo Chicken’s food. He now goes there on his own and we even got take out for dinner one night. It makes me so happy when he also likes a place that I like!
I’ve used Charo Chicken to cater a work meeting and they delivered. Most of the employees are super friendly. There is one girl who is my favorite. She just brightens my day whenever I go in and she’s working, but there’s another girl that I dread interacting with because her attitude stinks. You can just tell she doesn’t want to be there, but I’ll deal with her because the food is THAT good!

Let me just describe the Charo Chicken burrito: the first bite of course is dry but because they melt cheese all the way to the end of the tortilla it tastes more like a quesadilla. Every bite after that is filled with more and more juicy fire grilled chicken, guacamole, tomato & cheese. Im a big sauce guy, i almost always drench my burritos or tacos in sauce but i have yet to have to modify this burrito. That is all

I’ve been to other Charo Chicken restaurants, but I don’t remember them being this bad. First thing I noticed when I walked in was the odor. It smelled sort of like bathroom cleaners and disinfectants. I ordered a Moe’s Famous Potato and the guacamole appeared nearly brown from being left out, or left over, for so long. It definitely didn’t look fresh so I didn’t bother trying it. Even the cinnamon crisps were stale. Maybe that’s why this place had no customers during our visit.
I don’t think we’ll be back.

Seriously, idk how this spot doesn’t have more locations. I love their chicken here. Totally beats out el pollo loco in my book. The chicken is marinated to perfection. So juicy and flavorful! I always get the two piece leg and thigh w/​their coleslaw and side salad w/​creamy cilantro dressing. Yummmm.
Don’t be fooled. This place isn’t just limited to chicken, they also have fish, shrimp and steak options here.
Delicious food that’s fast and affordable. Sounds like a winner to me!

My husband and I like Charo Chicken mucho. There isn’t a Charo Chicken near where we currently live, so we make an effort to swing by here whenever we’re visiting my husband’s old stomping grounds.
My favorite item to order is the Fiesta Ensalada Plate with Cilantro Dressing on the side. It comes with lettuce, cheese, tomato, grilled chicken strips and tortilla strips. It’s seriously about a billion calories, but it’s muy delicioso so who cares. The salsa bar always appears well-​stocked and fresh.
Consistently good quality ingredients. Fast and friendly service. Great location (several doors down from French’s Bakery). The best of Mexican fast food.