Pollo Campero

I really love the food. But the service was horrible. Diana treat us really bad. Really we are paying. We are not asking for free food. They should have a better customer service.

After a half hour in line, my expectations were high. However, when my grilled chicken order showed up at the table, it was almost cold, and clearly had been grilled a few hours earlier… The two sides (red beans and cole slaw) were good though… The chicken has potential, if served just cooked.

It was a mid-​afternoon Sunday and the restaurant was extremely crowded. The idea of grilled, lime, fire-​roasted chicken was too powerful a thought to pass up. I had high hopes for Pollo Campero. However, this restaurant, on this day, at this time … just didn’t live up to expectations.
Let me start with the cashier. They only had one and there were at least 20 people in line. There were two other cash registers and a crew of at least six front line workers. All of them were running around like they didn’t have a clue as to how to handle a front line. The sad thing was that the manager was seemingly just as clueless and incompetent.
Nevertheless, I ordered the grilled chicken, coleslaw, a empanada and tamarindo.
I must say, the chicken was good, very nicely-​flavored, moist and the pieces were pretty big. The chicken had a nice char and was helped just slightly with some good olé Chalula hot sauce.
I cannot say the same about the rest of the sides. The coleslaw seemed like it was made only of diced cabbage and mayonnaise. I am used to sweet or even slightly vinegary coleslaw, but this was just, meh. The corn tortillas were hot and moist, but certainly not homemade. The chicken empanadas had an interesting filling (cheesy with adequate chunks of chicken), but at $ 1.59 each, they didn’t seem worth it as they were greasy.
The tamarindo was authentic, sweet and a bit tangy.
So, in my quest for good meals at decent prices, this establishment didn’t fit the bill. At $ 26.00 for two people it wasn’t the cheapest or most expensive, but also not the best at any price range.

Horrible speed of service, waiting almost 20 minutes in drive. There is no enough parking either

Started off Disappointed. At 11:45 am I ordered grilled chicken and was told they only have fried. There are pictures all over the place of grilled entrée’s and I can ONLY have fried… I accepted the fried chicken and it was ok…
But the mgr walked by and asked how my chicken tasted. So I asked him why would they run out of grilled chicken so early in the lunch rush. We had a nice talk, the next thing I know, he brought me a fresh grilled chicken Breast. And it was amazing! He said this item had just launched recently and they can’t seem to cook it fast enough.
My suggestion would be to better train the staff to better communicate to the customer that there will be a wait, but that it will be prepared and brought to the table. I will be back for sure. The manager changed my 1 star to 4.

I had a taste for chicken and didn’t want to drive more than 2 miles. Read the reviews and decided to try the fried chicken here. I had a 2 piece fried chicken combo. Fries weren’t all that good, but the chicken was good. It was a different taste. But good. The employees were very professional and friendly.

1. Order grilled chicken
2. Squeeze the lime onto the chicken
3. ???
4. PROFIT!
(Side note: This is one of the few chains that I feel comfortable giving 4 stars, because it’s unique enough like that. It’s like what would have happened if Colonel Sanders grew up in South America.)

This place is spot on for some good fried chicken! It’s moist and juicy and the perfect amount of crispness in the outside. You can really compare it to KFC and POPEYES because it’s a different kind of batter (not overly breaded).
The staff is consistently super friendly and checks on the tables to see of they need anything. When have you received that kind of attention from American fast food joints?
Don’t be afraid to try something new, give this place a chance and you can thank me later.
Oh and skip the dinner rolls, nothing to write home about. Do try the plantains and the yuca fries as sides!

The grilled chicken is so good! Moist and full of flavor. My favorite side are definitely the yucca fries with their dipping sauce. The drive thru is quick and friendly also.

The drive through line was very quick to go through, the people at take the order are very nice and food is great.

The chicken is among the best in fried chicken options.
You must try the YUCCA FRIES and the ORCHATA drink.
However they have little options for those on a diet régime, and what they offer grilled does not have any flavor!

Best fried chicken ever! When I want fried chicken, this is where I send my hubby. Get the yuca fries, they’re delicious!
The other side dishes are only OK. I would give it 5 stars, if they had better sides. I like to get the black beans and rice, charro beans (they’re spicy), and camper rice.

What brought me to Pollo Campero was that I was hungry and had to eat on the road and didn’t feel like picking up a burger. Also, it was empanada national day, or something like that, and I had read somewhere on Facebook that Pollo Campero was offering a free empanada. I had the citrus chicken empanada and it was pretty good. The only complaint is that it’s kind of greasy. If you want a baked empanada, Pollo Campero is not the place to go. Also, I got some fried plantains and the portion was pretty generous, though I got a small one. This place is a good alternative to burger drive-​thrus.

Nice staff they’re really good keeping the place clean I have been there three times and the first time I sign up for their rewards cards and it took me two visits to earn a free family meal… Now I love free stuff and these guys really surprise me, good job team

I was hoping for chicken and tortillas, somewhat like I’ve had in cali.
Chicken was small, it was dry, it was expensive.
Not worth it.
At least I did not get diarrhea.
Go to HEB, get one of their roasted chickens, buy some limes, cilantro, jicama, tomatoes, onions, and fresh tortillas made in the grocery store. Cheaper and better.

I really enjoyed the chicken bowl, and their citrus chicken empanadas! I went two days in a row when I discovered this place! Much better than the typical fast food chain. Never tried their fried chicken, there are plenty of other places for that. When in doubt, go grilled!

This place was ok. I’m Guatemalan and have eaten Pollo Campero in the Capital of Guatemala. The chicken was edible and juicy but lacked something. I’m not sure what it was but I remember in Guatemala it tasted better. It was a bit too greasy for me and a few hours later my stomach agreed. The only thing I really enjoyed was the yucca fries. That made the trip worth it.

This was another stop on my search for great fried chicken after a recent talk thread brought it to my attention. Seeing that I wanted a repeat visit at La Paletera for a new flavor afterwards, I headed to the Gulfton location and was richly rewarded.
Brightly colored outside and inside in yellows and oranges, the format is very much like your standard KFC chain store. Menus are in both English and Spanish — and I like to practice my rusty college Spanish skills by reading the menu en Espanol. Notice I said «read» — after a bit of a debacle using my high school French in Montréal, I’ve been hesitant in trotting out the blunt instrument of my foreign languages skills. (Okay, my accent was laughingly called «country bumpkin» or whatever the translated words are in French. I’m not saying it for you. I’m traumatized enough.)
I ordered the 2-​piece meal ($ 4.99) which consists of a leg and thigh. A breast substitution will cost 80 cents more and I swapped out the thigh for it. It comes with a choice of 2 tortillas, a dinner roll, or a biscuit, along with one side. Having read up on the options, I knew I wanted to sample the starchy yucca fries.
The young lady then asked if I’d like the tortillas or the dinner roll — no mention of the biscuit. Strange but I didn’t bother pressing her on the missing option. Choosing the dinner roll, I was disheartened when she reached behind her to an open box of pre-​bagged dinner rolls and slapped one on the tray. Nothing says «love» like a pre-​bagged dinner roll, right?
But, my heart rose up from the floor when she placed the chicken pieces on the tray: golden brown with crispy skin, they urged me to hurry up and find a seat to start eating. A salsa bar stocked with diced onions, limes, pico de gallo, a tomatillo sauce, and a roja mocajete allowed you to choose your accompaniment. Ketchup was banned to a separate counter but available. The pico de gallo was fresh and tasty with mouthfuls of the moist chicken — the roja mocajete sauce was a better salve for the crisped skin instead of ketchup, which I quickly removed from my tray.
The chicken was really quite lovely — crisped skin but significantly less greasy than normal fried chicken due to its special rotisserie recipe. The meat was flavorful and juicy — the breast meat was a shade of white which was disturbing for its luminosity but also made for some really good eating. All in all, some really good fried chicken. The yucca fries were surprisingly good, too; dipped in the red sauce and ketchup in turn, it was good either way to have your fries «exotic» or «traditional».
This gustatory Latin American trip turned out to be a satisfying discovery of Guatemalan-​style fried chicken without a Brazilian churrascaria-​style price. Granted, the store layout screams chain fast food but the food whispers «special fried chicken» but it’s the food voice you should listen to and follow. If you have another voice telling you to do other things, I’d suggest putting them on hold. At least, until after the fried chicken. More importantly, after I put some distance from you. Another 3.5 star example.

When they first opened this store in Houston they made headline news. This place was packed and with cars in line waiting on the streets! It was a Latin craze.
The best way to describe their chicken is «Crispy outside and juicy inside.» The only fat from these chickens are the skin, so even though they claim there is no grease their still will be a little grease from the fat from the skin. Their chicken is delicious and it is not too fatty. It has a spicy, herbal flavor to it from their batter. I love the crispy texture skin.
What makes Pollo Campero chicken special is how they make it. These look like fried chickens but they are not. They are actually rotisserie baked with their secret batter. So by baking it and slowly rotating it they can make the chicken crispy outside and yet moist and juicy inside.
I have heard from many friends that the original Pollo Campero form the South American countries is a family dine in restaurant unlike the ones in USA, which are fast food joints. I think that is the downfall in their presentation. A 3 piece meal with 2 sides will run you $ 5.99, which is pricey for an establishment like this.
Pollo Campero has evolved through their years. Offering more varieties on their sides. Their yucca fries are awesome with their special dip! I strongly recommend trying these with their special dip. I just couldn’t get enough of it! Their rolls are dry and seemed to be processed or not made fresh at this joint. They also offer tortilla as a side of choice, which I think is awkward.
I think the biggest downfall to this place is how they present the restaurant and some of the premade items that they offer as their sides. If they would completely renovate this place to family dine in place this place would make a lot more money and would attract more customers.
I think the address is wrong on Unilocal.I am pretty sure the address is 5616 Bellaire.