El Pollo Guapo

Great little place for some tasty dishes. I got a couple tacos with a side of fries, and a soda. The spicy taco was excellent, the second taco was also very good, I had to add hot sauce which is available there. It's a fast food style restaurant with outdoor seating. Pretty chill vibe and the staff working were really great and efficient. Thanks for a great meal! Cheers.

All their entrees are based on rotisserie chicken, so I ordered a 1/4 chicken, but was not impressed. It seemed overcooked and was not as juicy as I was expecting. Also found the rice to be rather dry. On the other hand, my wife ordered one of the tacos, and it was very good, and huge - a meal in itself. Restaurant nterior is quite attractive.

The food is always consistent, delicious, and super filling. Portions are generous, and I always leave satisfied. Highly recommend the arroz con pollo bowl.

In addition to our family LOVING the food, my celiac wife is able to eat here without ever getting sick. When I say “our family,” I mean our family of four (two 5 year olds, two adults) and all of the out of town guests we’ve ever taken there. For my wife, we always mention celiac to the staff, and they make sure the chefs change gloves to avoid any cross contamination, which isn’t too much of a worry since empanadas and quesadillas are the only gluten containing items on the menu. Aside from those two menu categories, she can eat everything here without worry. I’ve had almost everything on the menu at this point from salads and bowls to tacos and nachos, it’s all fantastic. Plus, my kids love their simple kids menu (they always ask for salt only and no chili lime seasoning on their fries, and staff is happy to accommodate). We love El Pollo Guapo, and I’ll bet you will, too!

Never miss going here when we're in town visiting our daughter and family. Great Latin fusion cuisine in a pleasant environment adjoining Folly Beach Rd. Chicken roasted on site with multiple, inventive sides and dressings, all home made, with enough variety to satisfy both epicures, children, or the grab and gobble famished. We have celiac disease in the family, and they serve gluten free! As a plus, great fries. We never miss it, nor should you.

This place is amazing. Fresh, quick, good quality, and oh my goodness, delicious! I’ve eaten there in person and it has been wonderful and also had it delivered! Highly recommend.

I stopped by El Pollo Guapo for a late lunch and ordered “Arroz co Pollo bowl” to go. The food was amazing. Fresh chicken and plantains. Well worth the price of 14 dollars. Definitely get that again. Again: July 26. Had the arroz con pollo. Always delicious and fresh.

Great for a quick meal, but it's equally good to hang out and take your time. Upbeat but light background music. Have a fridge, half beer, and half drinks. Edmonds Oast and High Tide on tap as well as frozen margaritas. Watch out the EO Bound by Time has a kick. 2 may be 2 much. Ordered a Spent Bowl. I quickly got over that it was a cold salad. And I was amazed with the crispy brussels and roasted peppers n tomatoes. So so yummy. Will definitely be back with the family. Don't forget to try the wings....wet or dry. Nashville Hot are delicious! But spicy.

This place it great. Having only popped in twice, the service and taste was everything I remembered it to be. It's got a nice laid back feeling and the surf culture on the way to Folly is the perfect place for this. Can't wait to go back and bring some friends. The tacos are great for a quick lunch or add some chips for a heavier dinner. Nice HH specials too!

My wife and I are so glad El Pollo Guapo are on James island. We love to share their nachos; we ordered them this evening, and they were exceptional! Fresh ingredients, crispy chips, excellent portion- couldn't ask for better. Thanks El Pollo Guapo!

This is my second time at Pollo Guapo and the tacos were just as good the second round. My dad and I visited on a lunch date and found 1p on a week day to be quiet (so this is a perfect lunch spot if you're not looking for anything busy). The service was fine. The facility itself was decently? clean. There were four tables I passed up because they had a sticky surface, some weird residue, over the top. Otherwise the other half of the restaurant looked pretty clean. As I mentioned, the food was really good. The fun-gai taco has got to be my favorite with its mushrooms and Brussels sprouts but the hola guapo taco was equally scrumptious. 4 stars instead of 5 for the cleanliness

Have been wanting to try this place for a while and finally stopped in for happy hour. Very clean and friendly staff with great happy hour prices! We tried at least one each of the tacos at $3.00 each! Loved the Damn that is a spicy taco...the pickled onions were amazing! C'mon I'm a Fun-Gai taco was very good .... who would have thought mushrooms and Brussels on a taco but that hit a home run with this one. We also tried an empanada - it was packed with chicken and served with a sweet chili sauce. And the beer prices were awesome!! Tecate 16oz for $2.00!!! Great place! Sorry it took me so long to give them a try but we will be back very soon! Maybe this Friday !!

Weird menu. Been here twice now, tostada was bad, rice has peas in it and tastes like uncle Ben's. Nachos are ok drinks are GREAT. The second time we came they forgot to put ice in our drinks but hey, more margarita for me! The more bites you take the worse it gets I had to come back to edit this review. Brussels sprouts are good and flavorful but why in the world are they on a taco.

Our party LOVED this place!!! Great outdoor seating on even a warm day. We ate the quarter chicken and the Dased and Confused. Great flavors, the chicken was incredibly tender. An awesome find on James Island!!

Very good fast casual restaurant with everything prepared to order. You go to the counter and order. A server comes to your table to delivery your food. We sat outside and had a pleasant experience. I had the Dazed and Confused Bowl, which I really enjoyed. Lots of veggies and meats so beautifully prepared. My only negative is that the prices are much higher than I would expect for a meal like this. Three people cost about $80 and we had counter service.

Wife says this is the best place to eat on James Island. Hard to argue. Food is unique and delicious, service is great, vibe is cool and relaxed.

I'm so happy with this new addition to James island! This is such a fun restaurant with plenty of menu options to choose from - their speciality is rotisserie chicken and they do it very well! I ordered their nachos and the almost legal and dazed and confused rice bowls. They were all great and affordable options. I especially liked the plantains in the almost legal rice bowl. All of there choices included their rotisserie chicken which is absolutely delicious! For drinks - they have a couple fun frozen drink options and a few beers on tap from local breweries such as low tide. The restaurant set up is order at the front then seat your self and they bring your food out. The service was quick and all the staff were friendly. I would recommend coming here for a casual dinner that can accommodate small or larger groups.

El pollo guapo is a newish addition to the Folly Road restaurant options and I have had a chance to try it out a couple of times. The concept is easy: order at the counter, grab a number and pick your table. The food items I have tried and recommend are: - Chicken bowls: I had the Almost Legal bowl which has slaw, avocado, plantains, queso fresco , and of course their delicious rotisserie chicken. It was very good, but made on the healthy side, so the chicken skin was removed. If you are like me , ask for them to keep the skin. - Chicken nachos: Very good and different combo with notes of lime on the crema and the tajin sauce. It was weird at first but could not stop eating them after - Churros: ABSOLUTELYUT MAGIC. They are filled with dulce the leche and cooked perfectly. i like that you can order a single churro for cheap and dont have to get a full order like in other places. Great chicken and great times!

Stopped here with my family for lunch. I got a green bowl (the Span-ish chop) and my husband and son got a rice bowl. Our order was taken quickly and didn't have to wait very long for the food. I loved how fresh everything tasted! And SO flavorful! Hands down the best guacamole I have ever had! And the chicken was cooked to perfection! Both my son and I took home leftovers and ate every last bite!

So exciting to have a new healthy spot on James Island! I visited this restaurant twice so far and really enjoyed both of my experiences. The first time I ordered a bowl, which was delicious, but isn't a ton of food and comes at a $15 price point. My second visit I tried the "1/4 bird" which was so delicious and a much better deal! For $14 you receive a fourth of a chicken with one side, sauce, and rice. The chicken quesadilla is absolutely delicious and includes caramelized onions. I also tried a side of fries which were good, but not the star of the show. I love how healthy and flavorful the food was! Both times I visited my food, came out within five minutes, which I thought was incredible. There is a ton of seating and it's a really kid friendly option with both indoor and outdoor seating.

We stopped by El Pollo Guapo today on the way to the Festical of lights and surprisingly there was no one there. This was our first time. We walked in and were immediately greeted by the person at the counter, I explained it was our first time and he dug right in explaining the menu, giving us suggestions and some of his favorites. They also have a happy hour, so certain items on the board are half price (during certain hours) and then a specials board! He let my son try the limeade before we bought him one and I think that mixed with some lq for adults would be magnificent, though they already had adult versions in store but we didn't try them this time around... Anyways, the owner is from the Northeast, (CT) so I may be a little biased lollll but GO! They need peeps to eat all this wicked awesome goodness! Everything is so fresh. Picture was the family meal- Full Bird: Served with your choice of 3 sides & 3 sauces.and a chips and queso the queso was amazing and chips made in house!

Lunch date with my adult children. We were in the mood for Latin American food. El Pollo Guapo is a fast food type restaurant featuring rotisserie chicken, tacos, fresh salads and delicious side dishes. There is plenty of parking. Outdoor and indoor seating is available. I did a carryout order. They don't take orders by phone so you need to order using the website for convenient ordering and payment. My food was ready in under 15 minutes. Inside the restaurant it is brightly colored with a picture of a big, handsome chicken...a.k.a. el pollo guapo. I ordered the span-ish chop salad. It featured Romain lettuce, corn, avocado, crispy chicken peas, marinated cucumber, Pico, queso fresco and pickled onion with white meat chicken tossed in a cilantro lime vinegrette. This was a big portion of fresh delicious veggies and tender white meat chicken tossed with a lite dressing that just brought all those flavors together. It was a little pricey, but worth it for the freshness and unique mix of veggies. I would recommend El Pollo Guapo if you are looking for a fast food Latin American influenced menu.

El Pollo Guapo recently replaced black magic cafe on Folly road. I loved black magic so I'm sad to see them go but wanted to give the new place a try. I had a quarter chicken with 2 sides (rice and fries), the food was great, chicken was cooked well and the sides were tasty and good portions! You order at the counter and they bring the food out, easy and fast. Overall really liked El Pollo Guapo and I'll be returning sometime soon!

Loved loved loved their chicken!! Did the whole chicken plus 3 sides for $30 on Thursdays deal. Great deal. PS Fries are legit!

Yes, to El Pollo Guapo! This restaurant is the real deal. It brought me back to my days in New York enjoying ethnic foods with real flavor! Don't get me wrong, I love my new life in Charleston. However, this town lacks the real ethnic food offerings until now! The chicken is amazing, the corn is great, and the Empanadas are incredible! Please do not mistake this for a Mexican restaurant, It's not. There is no shortage in Charleston for that. This is definitely something worth the trip to James Island/flavortown!

Cute spot located on James Island. It gave me beach chicken shake vibes. A good place for a quick lunch with friends. I stopped in after yoga for a healthy meal, and they did not disappoint. They have so many options, from salads to bowls to chicken plates. I ordered the 1/4 white chicken with broccoli. It tasted good. Nothing spectacular, but it hit the spot. I want to go back on one of my celebration meals to try something more indulging. The woman at the counter was very helpful, and she didn't steer me wrong with the garlic sauce. Tons of seating indoors and outdoors. Service was quick.

Really cool new place with a good laid back feel. Quick service and friendly staff. The food was super delicious, nice variety on the menu with a lot of tasty looking options. The only knock I have was that the rotisserie chicken was pretty tiny, got a 1/2 chicken to split, but a 1/2 chicken here was probably the size of 1/4 chicken anywhere else. That said it was still really delicious and the sides were good sized and amazing! The sauces you get to choose from are all really good too and add to the meal!

This was my first dining experience at El Pollo Guapo and I was very pleased!! The happy hour menu is GREAT. $5 margaritas, $3 tacos, and half off the appetizer "munchies" menu! Everything was delicious with fast service and kind employees. The outdoor patio is beautifully decorated with greenery and a comfortable atmosphere! 4/5 stars because there were a lot of flys buzzing around :(.

Wow this place is all time! My chica is in town and when she asked me to get dinner she had one place in mind - El Pollo Guapo. One thing I love about my friend- She is dedicated to her passions, and she is dedicated to El Pollo Guapo's chicken on the bone. I think it's a popular dish because when we got there they told us they RAN OUT!! We were so devastated, it took my gal pal an extra 5 MINUTES to order. The employee was so patient with my gal pal but eventually we narrowed it down to the nachos and a salad because ~balance~ The nachos were phenomenal, they had all the right spice and fixin's. I especially loved the green onions on the nachos- that was "chef's kiss" (as they say) for me. El Pollo Guapo reminds me of my bestie-reliable, vibrant, and zesty. The restaurant allowed for a good girl gab catch-up: we got to enjoy the nice weather outside, the yummo nachos, and all life's happenings.

EVERYTHING was ate was delicious. The chicken is fall off the bone tender. The sauces yummy. The portions, nice. Food is ordered and then brought to your table by a server. Doesn't take too long. Many tables to chose from and options outside. There is parking too. The vibe was very friendly and relaxed.

Got to try out this spot today. The interior is simplistic and the design is very clean. Nice modern beach vibes with a painted surfboard hanging on the wall. We were given the option to order at the counter or use a QR code at the table to place our orders. There are no servers, so if you are looking to go somewhere and be waited on, this is not the place for you, but it did not bother me. The food was good! I got the almost legal bowl. The star was definitely the chicken and was very moist and tender. I went in the late morning, so I didn't have a chance to get a drink. Will definitely go back again and try one of their frozen alcoholic beverages!

Delicious new spot on JI! We popped in for lunch. This is in the old Black Magic spot - they've done a nice little remodel and paint upgrade to keep it very bright and breezy inside. You have a few choices in ordering your food. A counter to place your order with a human, online take out, or you can plop down at a table and scan the QR code to enter your order and table number! Super convenient. Water station to serve yourself and there's two cases of canned and bottled drinks as well. Few boozy options and some CBD seltzer in addition to Boylan's sodas and Joe tea. We opted to order at the counter to ask some questions about the food. Ended up with the tostada, sweet potato wedges, and a dazed and confused rice bowl. We got a garlic lime aioli sauce on the side as well. Service was pretty dang quick. I think from ordering to food arrival was maybe 8ish minutes. Everything arrived piping hot! The food was mouth watering delicious. My photo may have a couple bites taken from it because the phone doesn't eat first when the food smells this good! Tostada was piled high with deliciousness. Chicken, pico, lettuce, corn, avocado, and some sort of yummy citrus crema. The dazed and confused is a mish mash of veggies and rice, we got it with chicken! If you're super hungry or just want more protein, I'd suggest adding extra chicken to the bowls. The sweet potato wedges had crispy skin and buttery soft insides. They toss them in some sort of lime salt. A little kick of acid was amazing with these! All in all, super fresh tasting food. Very colorful dishes. Big fan- can't wait to head back and try more!

This place is going to be dangerous recently opened on JI (where black magic used to be). The bowls are hefty and so flavorful. Mine had rice, chicken, plantains and a bunch of veggies. I ate half for dinner and had the rest for lunch the following day. Felt the price point was fair for the size of the portions and quality of food. We ordered online & picked up. No issues with our order or it being ready on time.

Do yourself a favor and RUN to James Island's Pollo Guapo at the old Black Magic Cafe. Love the decor, vibe, and THE FOOD!! Delicious, healthy options with fresh veggies made my stomach so happy after enjoying lunch here. Would recommend carpooling if possible as parking is a bit tight.

1/2 Chicken w/FF & Cuke salad Chix Quesadilla Beef Taco of the Day Pork Belly Taco Grilled Broccoli Sw Potato Wedges Churro Apple Empanada Firstly, we received amazing service from Brittany who took our order at the front counter!!! I would rate her a 5 for menu knowledge and personality!!! The male floor manager, female food runner, and chef were also very personable and professional!!! We decided to dine here due to Cinco de Mayo...you know I miss my West Coast Mexican!!! Guess what? Floor manager quickly corrected me that his establishment was not Mexican but more grilled chicken and Latino; not Mexican. The decor looks in the style of coastal Baja-surfer restaurant with both Mexican and Latino food, so you need to decide. Anyways, anything is better than the former restaurant that was here. We ordered a lot because we like to try every thing and have leftovers. The Churro was EPIC!!!! Make sure to order two!!! The FF and Swt potato wedges are insanely good!!! The chicken was dry. No seasoning goodness/love for the grilled broccoli and cucumber salad. $5 beef taco was bland and $6.50 pork belly was tough(had I had dentures, they were coming out)-should have been more tender or chopped. Apple empanada was homemade but apples were way sour. I've never had Latino cuisine, so this might be why I'm indifferent and not satisfied. Mixed message with serving containers. Sustainable metal trays for plates and cutlery. Plastic fountain cups instead of paper, plastic containers for grilled broccoli and cucumber salad---paper trays for fries. Waxed paper bakery bags for desserts. Paper boxes for leftovers and plastic bags for carrying-not the reusable kind. Lunch was $72 plus $20 tip upfront....keep it all paper, I'm okay with paying more to keep the supplies sustainable. Don't park in the back, it's May and the flies covered the vehicle due to the dumpster. Plus it was Friday at 1:00pm and a beer truck blocked the one-way exit with his deliveries. Moving on. Brittany was super nice!!!!

This place is the BEST!! My fiancé and I go just about every week. The staff are super friendly and helpful, you can't go wrong with anything on the menu, and it's the perfect casual dinner and drinks spot. I always get 1/4 chicken with slaw and it never disappoints!

LOVE this place! Tony is so sweet & we came here down from the Glastonbury location (our hometown) while visiting Charleston! LOVE LOVE LOVE pollo!!!!

We were hoping to split a 1/2 chicken for 2 people with sides and sauces. The sides were great as was the chicken, but I would say we definitely got a hen, not a chicken. The sauces were super tasty as were the potatoes and plantains. It's a bit expensive for a small piece of meat, but the service was good, the restaurant is clean and the staff are friendly!

Can't say enough about how great this restaurant is. They have probably some of the best baked chicken. I love getting their bowls. And the chili con Queso is so good.

Why did I forget to take pics? I went to El Pollo Guapo to get dinner to go. I ordered the Dazed and Confused bowl and enjoyed a margarita while waiting. The place is bright and spacious and the menu has a variety of offerings for everyone-including vegetarian options! The prices are very reasonable. The bowl was absolutely delicious. It was fresh and very tasty. The food came out quickly and the service was excellent. I would recommend this for everyone and their families!

Positives - Upbeat atmosphere , very clean, fresh ingredients, fair prices, quick service Negatives - Brussels and sweet potatoes over cooked unless you enjoy extra crispy.

We were visiting Charleston, and our family has a number of food allergies - milk, egg, peanuts, tree nuts, plus I'm gluten-free. We are accustomed to limited options, being disappointed, and risking allergic reactions when eating out. So, we were unexpectedly blown away by how delicious the food was. There were so many options that we could enjoy. The crispy brussel sprouts and arroz con pollo was milk, nut and gluten free. My kiddos with milk, egg, and nut allergies loved their quesadillas, tacos, and sweet potato fries. The food was fresh with quality ingredients, bursting with flavor AND no one got sick after eating there. Win! Win! Win! It was so nice not to have to sacrifice flavor for safe food. I look forward to eating here again the next time we visit Charleston!

I was sad to see Black Magic close, and wanted to give EPG a chance. Unfortunately, the chicken I purchased lacked any kind of flavor or spice. Yes, they came with sauces, but even these were underwhelming. I was so disappointed that I went to the store, bought my own whole chicken (for 1/3 the price), marinated it Pollo Asado style, and BBQ'd it. It was head and shoulders above EPG's. If they would like the recipe, I'd gladly give it to them. I might give them another chance, but not soon.

Amazing. So healthy and fresh! White meat chicken was juicy. Staff was helpful. Highly recommend!

Locally owned and operated by a GREAT family. Got take out on the first day open for 12 people and they nailed it. Kids and adults were thrilled with the food choices. Vibe inside is awesome as well. Looking forward to our next visit

Tried the a rice bowl called the Dazed and Confused. We ate in and liked the laid back atmosphere. It was late lunch and our food came out quickly. The chicken was good with all the sides in the bowl. My parents liked the Brussel sprouts, i though they had great flavor and paired well with the chicken. I kind of wish there was more rice but there were so many sides it was super filling. I didn't get the typical afternoon crash I get after eating a big meal, must have been all the delicious veggies on the bowl.

It is an open and relaxing venue New to James Island. it is not a Mexican food restaurant. Many of the menu items capture some of the Mexican flavors. The menu is rotisserie-based chicken. There are tacos and side dishes like fries, potatoes, coleslaw etc. and various "Rice bowls". The "Green Bowls" combine chicken with various veggies. We chose the "Almost Legal" and the "Dazed and Confused". Both had the base chicken with various veggie and additions like corn, avocado, pickled onion and Picco de Gallo.We found them delicious and plenty filling. Desserts include Empanadas, brownies or chocolate chip cookies. Additionally you could enjoy a churro. The space was well kept, the staff was vary gracious. The price I thought was a little high. The amount of chicken was probably limited to only an ounce In each serving. For the price, more chicken would have increased my positive evaluation. As an aside, they do give a veteran discount!

Wanted to leave an honest review - giving it a 2 because the quesadilla was fine but would have been a 1 if I had only gotten the almost legal bowl. I've added a photo below - it was completely inedible. I ordered it on Uber eats and cannot get a refund so beware to anyone ordering off of there. The whole bowl was drenched I mean drenched in a siracha cream sauce, just soaking wet, and the plantains were absolute rubber and inedible , like they had been sitting for hours under a heat lamp - the chicken itself was actually really good. I think this is just a consistency and quality issue. Whoever made this bowl needs to TAKE IT EASY on the sauce, or they need to give you a sauce on the side option. Anyway, had to trash the whole thing, and Uber eats doesn't consider this a refundable issue so just a waste of money and disappointing

It's a really great place especially if you like to eat clean healthy clean food that was prepared that same day. Not really anywhere else like it on Folly or nearby so definitely swing by if you're around! -Avery

The food is just ok. Chicken is not seasoned, really not authentic Peruvian chicken with proper herbs and spices. Rice is generic Spanish rice with peas. The chicken is dry and absolutely needs a sauce. The chicken fat potatoes are the best thing I tried. After seeing reviews, I was really looking forward to this, but it's expensive and bland so we most likely will not be back.

Fresh & delicious!!!! I was in the need for a quick and easy lunch and was so happy with my decision! You order at the counter - with a simple, but del ious menu - about 3 salad options, 3 bowl options and a few tacos. The food came out within 10 minutes and it was so yummy! I loved the flavor from the roasted corn paired with the pickled onions. The rotisserie chicken was delicious and all white meat which I prefer. Will definitely go back for dine in or pick up. They have an order ahead option which would be great for pickup before headed to folly beach!

Great food and atmosphere. Got the chicken charred broccoli and the handsome rice! Will be back

Just had lunch there for the first time with my bestie Sarah. The chicken was perfection. I really enjoyed the simple and tasty flavors of the cucumber salad with tomato and pickled red onion. The roasted corn was good. The lime something sauce set the chicken off even more. I'll definitely be back! Cute place that had the music turned up just enough to have a fun and beach vibe, but we could still hear each other talk. Really good experience.

Great food, service and cute ambiance. We went for happy hour food last night and the portions were great and my husband said it was his favorite quesadilla ever!

Got a takeout for a half-chicken for my wife and I because we already had the sides, we are not big eaters, it was very tasty but was disappointed with its size, more like a Cornish hen, wing was not even intact. Will definitely need to get a whole chicken next time, but probably won't at that price point!

I ordered 1/2 chicken with 2 sides via Uber Eats and the amount of chicken you get looked like 1/4 chicken. It was so not flavorful and super plain. The lime aoli did not go well with the chicken at all was way to citrus tasting. I ordered slaw and cucumber salad and both sides were also too citrusy and not good. It all lacked flavor and was way overpriced for what you get. Not authentic Peruvian chicken at all. Would not suggest wasting your money here. Much better places to get chicken from.

First time here. Almost everything is GF! I had a delicious bowl with the tastiest chicken I've had in a long time!