Pollo Tropical

The employee who takes the orders outside with his tablet is the sweetest employee and very efficient at his job. Hispanic tan guy with a black hat. I come here pretty often and he is always in a good mood. Hard to find employees like this these days. The food as well is always great. First place that actually gets my order correct.

Elizabeth provided amazing service during my visit to Pollo Tropical. She was welcoming, attentive, and made sure everything with my order was perfect. Her friendly attitude and professionalism really stood out and made the experience even better. Employees like Elizabeth truly make a difference—I’ll definitely be coming back thanks to her excellent service!

There’s a girl here that works at night always with an attitude… today she took orders but wasn’t at window… but she prepped the order while a guy took payment and handed order… I ordered quesadilla wrap combo with a large coke… She’s there with window person and another guy with glasses laughing….. and somehow she managed to sound unapproachable and forget my fries… idc if you have fun at work but get the orders right!!!!!!!! I only like going here when the lady with curly hair works the drive thru window And to add, I open the wrap it’s not even pressed… tortilla is cold

Went for lunch yesterday through the drive though and was attended by Elizabeth and Daniela. Amazing service from both of them, amazing food quality would definitely recommend coming here. This is close to my job and it's one of the best serving Pollos in the area anyways. Both employees go out of their way to provide their best customer service. Thank you Elizabeth and Daniela.

I moved to Miami 5 months ago and began visiting this location in January, 2025. I come here late afternoons or evenings about 5x weekly. The skinless chicken breast plate with brown rice and black beans is the best quality of food for price option I've found in town. This location has replaced Chipotle for me. The place is always clean, bright and cheerful. The line moves quickly and I've never waited long for my food. Staff members treat me like family. They are always warm and smile, which really adds to the experience. These little niceties mean a lot at my stage of life. Thank you to Management for running a great place. It's a bright spot in my day whenever I visit!

One would think the Customer is always right. Especially when I'm paying for service. It seems you get what you get. I suggest corporate take a look at this establishment, & send in Secret Shoppers so they can see them selves the "supposedly" great service. The soda machine does not work, soda is flat. They would not offer me any other drink. She says, it cost more. You have to pay. So I went across the street, and bought myself a Coke. Last time I'll come here 😡

I come here pretty often but lately everything I come the chicken is under cooked and I have to end up throwing it away and the fried yuca would be over fried and filled with burnt crumbs. I haven’t wanted to leave a review since I under stand a mistake could happen once but it’s happening consecutively now

I genuinely wish I had something positive to say about this Pollo Tropical location, but every visit has consistently been a disappointment. The customer service is consistently poor — staff often come across as uninterested or unprofessional, and interactions feel more like a burden than a service. What makes it more frustrating is that I’ve visited other Pollo Tropical locations and had a completely different (and much better) experience, so I know the brand is capable of quality food and respectful service. Unfortunately, this location doesn’t reflect that standard at all. Every time I come here — usually out of necessity, not choice — I end up regretting it. The food is subpar, and the entire experience leaves me feeling frustrated and unwelcome. I sincerely hope management takes the time to address the ongoing issues here, because this location is doing serious damage to the brand’s reputation.

I went to this Pollo Tropical this Tuesday and from the moment I walked in, the atmosphere was horrible and unacceptable. The issue wasn't with the front counter staff but with the employees in the kitchen, near the grill. Loud laughter, constant joking, and excessive noise made the experience extremely unpleasant. I sat in the lobby for about 45 minutes, and the noise was unbearable. It wasn't just a relaxed work environment--it was complete chaos, like being in the middle of a rowdy crowd. It felt more like a noisy carnival than a restaurant. What's worse, this all happened in the presence of the manager, which makes the lack of professionalism even more concerning. If you're looking for a calm place to enjoy your meal, this is not it. Hopefully, they improve efficiency and staff control so customers can have a better experience

Maybe I'm being petty, but I just left this location insulted and do not plan to return. Before today, I visited this location every weekday for lunch for some time. During a typical visit I ordered the same platter with a Large soft drink. I ate in the dining area & had 2 refills of a Large (30oz) Diet Coke, for a total of 90 fluid ounces. I'm certain of this because I track my fluid intake. I Visited this evening for dinner instead of lunch & was given either a small or medium beverage instead of the Large that I ordered. I made a quip about this when retrieving my food tray, but was ignored. Because of the smaller serving size, I asked for one more refill than I ordinarily do for the walk home. This would've made for 3 refills, or 4 fills in total. My request was denied rather bluntly. I asked why and was told curtly that they limit customers to 3 total fills on Fountain Drinks. The statement was delivered with low-level derision, in the manner a bartender would use when cutting off an over-served drunk at a pub. Had they corrected their error, made a "one time exception" for a daily customer, or even denied my refill in a pleasant, respectful way, then I simply would've let it go & remained a regular customer, albeit one that assertively makes sure he gets precisely what he orders before leaving the counter with and seating himself. Due to this insulting experience I've decided to take my daily business to Chipotle, Wendy's, Burger King, or other places. Fountain drinks cost $3+ and refills in the same cup cost a business between 5 and 10 cents, so policies that limit refills are not often used to save money, but rather to discourage customers from "camping out" in restaurants. The dining area was almost empty when this happened and I was on my way out, so this end was not immediately served by bluntly denying me a refill. Before departing, I tried to explain to both the counter person and Manager that I was requesting the same number of refill ounces I consume there every visit, that the "extra" refill was needed only because the Cashier erred and gave me a smaller sized cup than the one I ordered. They acted like they didn't understand me. I was treated like some kind of hanger-on that was trying to "get over" on a business. Perhaps this was intentional. They may view me as a dining area "camper" they wish to be rid of. If that's the case, they succeeded, as I will not be back. Admittedly, this is not a major issue like food poisoning or glass in food or something, but it's enough to motivate me to change my routine and take my business elsewhere.

This location #10150 is a disgrace. A complete failure. I ordered delivery of several family packs for a group of 12. The delivery arrived cold, delivered via open-air scooter. Additionally, 1/3 of the order was missing. When I called Pollo Tropical I was told they could not deliver the missing food. They only offered a credit on my Pollo account.... meaning I would have to endure another disappointment of cold food and poor customer service from Pollo Tropical in the future. Never again! The Pollo Tropical brand presented a failure, and that brand reputation has been destroyed. Pollo Tropical now means bad food and terrible customer service. What a poorly run company! Do better, Pollo Tropical.

I wasn't mad at the experience. Seems like a lot of people were happy, but everything from the chicken to the sides were on point. I will definitely be returning. It's basically fast Caribbean food, but gives you plenty of solid and healthy options with the beans, salads, bananas, and more. Gonna try some other items next time around

Horrible horrible service. Got a salad. The leaves were dead and the corn and beans were frozen together. When I talked to the manager he told me he give more cheese and I would have to eat the frozen bean and corn. First time having pollo tropical and I'm never coming back.

Suffice to say that I will never order this ever again. The pork tropic chop is actually a black Beans and rice tropi-chop with a hint of pork. It has happened to me before and it happened to me again first time, shame on Pollo tropical, second time shame on me. I have been to this establishment in other cities in northern Florida and the serving is generous. You order certain foods here in Miami and they want a bigger profit so they serve you is A fraction of the actual meal. The only thing there's plenty of is rice....the black beans you can see that there isn't even all that much of and yes, plenty of onions if you asked for it, but the pork... Good luck with that. I have a complained about this before and here I am again. Stick to the chicken because if you say half a chicken, then they have to give you half a chicken. Maybe they'll start giving you half of a half grown chicken or half of a baby chicken?, I don't know. Why is it up north in Stuart, Florida for example, it's generous and plentiful? Because obviously they want a bigger profit margin so they use these little tweezers to pick the pork that they lightly throw over your rice and beans. Don't eat here don't eat here. Don't eat here.

I love Pollo Tropical, the flavor profile of their food is really good. I find their APP very cumbersome and hard to navigate. So I always go inside and order at the counter, this time right on Calle Ocho, we split a TropiChop. The restaurant was pretty busy, so it took a bit to get to the counter and to order. The bowl itself was good and tasty...I don't have a problem with the quality of the food.... It's the service issue that I struggle with....I had my QR code ready to give to the lady behind the counter, but she said, she would not take it and for me to enter the receipt code afterwards...well in the past that has not worked, but I did not want to argue nor to slow down the line. Staff at most Pollo Tropicals like this one are either overworked or unhappy with their pay or benefits, because their attitude is not the best. The food is good, but the service....is not.....

Great actually go to it I'm hiding bars about of extra and free charge free pretty. Also rev

I ordered fried yucca and when I bit into it there was something hard and i spit the food. When i go look i see glass inside the yucca.

Good food lousy service. No napkins and handed a few ketchup packets for two orders of fries. Won't be back - out of ice tea. Not well organized or maintained to say the least.

I received my food cold. The chicken breast was cold the rice was cold. I did not receive the correct items when I ordered. They did not provide me with the sauces either.

Top notch in my view tasty, healthy and delish and all in a drive through convenience at its finest!!! Yummy!!!

Well this was my second time in over 20 yrs. I went when it first opened and I went again today with my mother for a quick meal... It's all hype- terrible Cuban food and the service was even worse. When I went to complain to the mgr- he just stared at me with no response. I spent $25 plus and did not eat most of it. I should have demanded my money back. The chicken dry was super dry. The rice was from the bottom of the barrel. The beans & bread were hard. We attempted to eat one of the meals left the other in its entirety. We brought it home, maybe the dog will enjoy it.

Three nights in a row I ordered food , every night the order was 80 percent wrong . Tonight all meat forgot all sides ? How dumb can these people be honestly Deserve less than zero

Got a quarter chicken with rice,beans and fries and I kid you not, I literally got 10 soggy fries

It was a very satisfying dining experience. Our food was delicious, good portions, appealing presentation. Tropichillers were awesome good. Clean tables, friendly and happy employees. I'm coming back!

This is the worst location. Orders are never complete and I guess the employees must be drinking the sauces because they NEVER put them in the bag.

so good, we door dashed and it came so quick and was delicious ! the quesadilla wrap was so juicy and fresh would totally recommend this to anyone staying in miami the cuban sandwich is also good and the french fries!

I hood fast food like service, Cuban style. As a New Yorker. I appreciate that they were open late. Their white rice, black beans, grill chicken and avocado with sauce. A tap too much sauce. But over all it was good.

Ever go somewhere and just see chaos EVERYWHERE?! That's this place. From the parking lot, to the staff, to the inside dining area, it's chaos. Parking lot alone is so tiny it's not worth the time almost to try and park to eat here. The line for drive through was out the parking lot and onto a side street (this should have been my first clue). This was about 3ish in the afternoon so not even actual lunch time or dinner time, so I can't imagine what it would be like at the actual dinner or lunch rush times. Inside the cashier was brusque, and definitely overworked. There was a plexiglass between us and the cashier though. The menu options are the same as any other Pollo tropical I've been to. We ended up ordering a bowl and the crispy chicken Cuban. There are no fountain machines in the lobby to get your own drinks, the employees do it for you. My Cuban was delicious and my friend enjoyed her bowl. However we waited 20-25 minutes for our food, got no utensils (for my friends bowl), had to remind the staff for a drink they kept forgetting, and by the time we got back to the hotel we stayed at 5-10 minutes away, our food was cold. You could tell the poor kitchen staff were overwhelmed even with it being a fully staffed kitchen from the looks of it. If I ever return to Miami and needed a place to eat, I'd recommend looking elsewhere during afternoon and evening meal times. The food was good even though it was cold, but just took too much time to get food for being a fast food restaurant.

Pass by Calle ocho finding a place for rapido dinner. And this one was the only with parking and almost empty. Cons: no lettuce For saladas. Can't believe. No station for The dips like all the others same kind. Limonadw was terrible. Pros: tropichop was ok!

Service here is always pretty fast. There's usually a line out the driveway, but it moves surprisingly quickly. The servers can be a little curt but I guess that's how they keep the lines moving. The food quality is always good and we've never had something that's been inconsistent for Pollo tropical. The half off for healthcare workers is also a huge plus that I really appreciate. We definitely made use of this during their promotion for COVID. This is our go to spot when we need to drive through Pollo tropical. No bones, quick service and good food.

Ordered delivery and food is always pretty fresh, however its not as good as it used to be. Rice and beans lack flavor. The grilled chicken is good and so are the cheesy yuca bites. They're often out of the sauces but when they do have them they're really good

If I could i would put 0 stars today I went to get some food by the drive thru and they were sending their employees to take orders under the rain. That's absolutely ridiculous instead why doesn't the manager goes and take the order under the rain i bet she wouldn't do that so why send the other employees? Is dumb asf because if they get sick pollo tropical wont pay the medical bills and either is going to pay them the days that they missed. I wonder if Human Resources is aware of this acts

What is better than one free tropichop? It is two free tropichop! My friend and I were here for their anniversary celebration where they made a long line of tropichop for world's record! I have always been a big fan of pollo tropical, but it was my first time visiting this store. Their grilled chicken is amazing! I usually order the LARGE tropichop with ALL the toppings! Yes get them ALL! You can even request for additional topping if you ask the staff nicely. The meal was very filling. The chicken is flavorful and yellow rice goes perfectly with it. I tried a little bit of the pulled pork and unfortunately, I do not recommend it. But I am not deducting a point because you can just order chicken, duh. There's also a sauce bar and my to-go sauce is always cilantro garlic. It is mind-blowing! Some of friends love the spicy poyo-poyo sauce. The employee are nice and friendly. The store itself is not very clean, it is located in Calle Ocho so do expect some homeless around.

This is my second time getting this food in this place and i didn't like the way they pack the food, it was a really bad experience. I ordered a family meal in the drive-thru but when I got home everything was messed up, the juicy from black beans was all over and didn't close the container of the black beans.

This place just keeps getting worse every time.... I literally have a bad experience every time I go here... I have never been to a place where they have people who literally work like they hate their lives and don't want to be there... iI placed a mobile order since I know this place is the worst when it comes to serving... we got there and we literally waited 30 minutes to get our food... when we got there this guy by the name of "iris" was at the desk and my boyfriend let him know we were waiting for our order and he completely ignored my boyfriend just called out some name and made us wait 30 minutes without even telling the person in charge of making the online orders, what was even more annoying is that when we arrived it wasn't even packed I understand if a place is super jammed, I understand if that's not your area but at least have the decency to help us out... if a girl named Natalie never came to do the orders we would have been there waiting until he felt like it was important to acknowledge us, all the online orders where just sitting there, if your team cannot deal with online orders, drive thru and in person orders just remove that service... I hate complaining about stupid stuff but that guy was a dick, please don't have people working like that in a place that's supposed to have "excellent" customer service... every time someone asked him for something he sighed like if he's not suppose to cater to the customer... there was this one guy who kept calling him to get his attention and he kept ignoring him.... There is nothing more I hate then people with disgusting attitudes working in a place where there is supposed to be customer service. And no I don't want you to send me a message to my inbox offering me a 5 dollar rewards "to make it better"... I want you to actually do something about it.. because 1 year later after my original review and this place is worse..

It is not difficult to read sweet plantains on my order. I got fried and very greasy yuca. Reason: No one speaks or reads English. Or they are texting or talking on their phone. It is like a third-world country.

This place was awesome! It reminded me of 'El Pollo Loco' in California. Grilled chicken with great sides. They also offered plantains and various Cuban drinks. Their citrus lime chicken was so tender and juicy I had to get another piece. Their yellow rice with veggies and Ceasar salad were good as well. Not all cashiers spoke English, but there was always someone nearby if the customer didn't know Spanish. The workers were patient, friendly and very helpful with great smiles. They were happy to see us. This place is very popular. Thankfully we came before the dinner rush started.

Affordable, tasty and good price! Drive thru line kind of slow but worth the wait. Must try

always when you order the food in drive true , you never get what you order, specially at night shift.

What a piece of crap ! Please don't order from this place it's very poorly managed . My order was tossed all over the place and I spoke to the manger , I was totally ignored . I told her my sauces were missing . She just grabbed a few without even asking which ones did I want . The people here really don't care about preparing what is advertised ! What a shame ! Calle ocho ! Especially in a tourist district you should have your best personnel manning the counter !

First, I want to specify that this review pertains solely to this location. I ordered delivery directly from the "Pollo Tropical" website. The great issue arising here is that when my food arrived items were missing. Mainly half a chicken I ordered, and all the sauces requested. This being an issue considering you order pollo from Pollo to eat it and you order a certain amount because that is what you need. Upon discovering the missing items I called the location and received no answer. I then called door dash (whom they partner with to deliver the food even when ordered directly from Pollo Tropical's website) and they also tried contacting the restaurant and received no answer. I then called the restaurant again, and left a message - of which I still have not ever heard back from nearly a month later. I then proceeded to call Pollo Tropical's guest services which answered, stated they would send it "up the chain for me to receive a refund" which also never occurred. Essentially, I paid for food I never got and was never able to contact anyone to even give me any type of refund. Further, the food that was actually delivered was just ok, the rice and chicken (the chicken that did arrive) were over salted, the tostones were soggy. Overall, I will never order nor recommend this. Also, it seems that this type of service is a trend from the other reviews below and responses that the issues would be rectified, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

I don't understand why this Pollo Tropical can't get it together. Everytime I come for lunch, they are always out of sauces, or they mess up my order, take forever through the drive-thru, nor ever have pollo bites ready to serve. Everytime I come here it's some sort of happening. Now After waiting the long line I have to park just to get my order completed. Still waiting no order. I just don't understand why it's so difficult? It's a busy area, they should be better equipped, trained, or stocked.

The line does get quite congested but honestly it's for a reason. Nothing should be eaten unless accompanied by the cilantro dipping sauce mixed with the pineapple rum one. One is the few spots that has guava bbq available in a drive through. I love their fried yucca bites on the side as the perfect accompaniment to any combo. The kids meal is actually super legit with white rice or a side Caesar. I ordered the unsweetened mango tea and was able to pull over and it eat calmly before heading out into rush hour traffic. I wish they included Materva as one of the drink options for the combos. If only they served breakfast! The Caesar wrap is the perfect portion for a satisfying lunch; it's one of my favorite options. Even tourists should visit this location as it's one of the originating fast food restaurants founded in Miami offering a plethora of our favorite latin dishes.

Dull old food, missing souse, missing items on order, not tasty. Will NEVER order from them again! Hopefully they will go out of business or certain owners will be fired!

I went there today at 12:01 and passed by the drive thru the lady with iPad was super unhelpful. I order the new chicken item that brings pineapple sauce and I asked her if the sauce could be put on the side and she's like no ? But it has never been an issue before. We asked her if we could go to the window and ask there and she said no we couldn't go there. The girl was rude and the moment we drove up she got in her phone.

Worst worst worst worst drive through experience. 22 min in line to then start the order? Please get two people working the drive thru OR CLOSE IT! It is absolutely UNACCEPTABLE!!!!

***UPDATE - 7/21/2017 Returned here a few nights ago at around 10 and as a result of that visit, I've dropped my rating of this restaurant from 3 stars down to 2. They were out of some beverages, there were 2 staff standing in front of the napkin/utensil/straw dispensers gossiping away while slowly restocking those items, rather than stepping aside for customers. My partner's chicken breast on the salad he ordered had spots of blood throughout (when he returned it, they put it back on the grill for a few minutes before re-serving it to him) and during our meal we were interrupted by 3 or 4 panhandlers and people trying to sell trinkets or solicit money while we were trying to eat. Overall, not the best experience! ***Original Review - 5/10/2017 This Pollo Tropical is located on the corner of 12th and 8th Street/Calle Ocho. We came here on a Saturday afternoon for lunch and the parking lot was completely full, though there were 3 or 4 "Pay to Park" spots open on 12th. The menu and everything here - soda dispensers, condiment bar, etc. is standard Pollo Tropical. Where this place really falls short, however, is with the speed of the service and food preparation. Normally at most Pollo Tropical restaurants I've been to, you place your order and get your cup, and by the time you pour your beverage, your meal is ready. Not here! There were probably 5 people in line ahead of us and you can look up on a few screens located behind and beside the food prep area to see everyone's order, and how long they've been waiting between the time they placed their orders and the time they get their food. Our orders were relatively simple... I got the 1/4 chicken with 2 sides and my partner got the Tropi chop, and we waited nearly 10 minutes between the time we placed our orders and when our food was finally served to us. The surprising thing was the inconsistency behind the counter: They had 1 woman working the register and taking orders, but at any given time there were maybe as many as 4 or 5 people cooking and preparing food, and then plating it for the patrons. A short time later there'd be maybe only 1 person working to prepare meals. Definitely wasn't an "all hands on deck until we fill all the orders" situation and it all seemed a bit disorganized.

1 star for location + 1 star for best vegan food item in Miami!!! Everything else makes it the worst Pollo Tropical in Miami: a) Dirty floors and bathrooms, b) hand sanitizer by counter doesn't work, told the staff, but apparently they're understaffed and didn't care c) they do not have cups for water instead, they offer you a cone paper cup or waist $1 extra for a soda machine cup! d) they do not have their signature sauces bar like any other Pollo Tropical, forcing you to make a line to have someone providing it from a hidden fridge under the counter e) ice machine broken... Not good in the heat of Miami!!

Unprofessional unorganized-Ordered catered delivery managee told me they dont deliver got there to pick up food the they said food was delivered Manager didnt care had to track down door dash calling corporate tracking down the food.. catered meaing it was for a event I called all week no answer prior to me arriving the day of

I wish I had seen yelp before going to this location. Now that I see it post meal I totally agree. You get a few pieces of chicken on the salad, the sliders came with just a couple pieces of meat- far from any images of their slider publications on the restaurant. Maybe instead of focusing on their high tech screen menu they could work a little more on making the food up to the expectations of their posters. I really wish I had taken a picture of my slider. It was a pork slider, but mostly bread, because even the cole slaw in it was basically missing. The dinning area is dirty and the vibe in that place is so dark. Employees seem frustrated and unhappy. I was disappointed because I was looking forward to eating there.

Placed an order on Uber Eats. Ordered 2 items. Order #1 - Tropichop with Beyond Meat, Rice and Beans. The order had only rice and beans. No Beyond Meat. Order #2 - Tropichop with Pork, Mac and Cheese, Corn and Guava Barbecue sauce. The order came with pork, rice and maybe 10 kernels of corn, and no sauce. The receipt clearly stated what was ordered. It seems as if someone just threw in whatever they wanted and called it a day. Never ordering from here again.

This place has the most rude service that I have experienced. A couple of employees here got extremely disrespectful and even offensive towards me. Not only they are slow and disorganized, but when I claimed for a better service they just started insulting me. I'm never returning to this place.

Absolutely the worst experience. Avoid this place. There is zero accountability. We were delivered food we paid for but did not order. Their apparent attitude: Too bad! They do not answer the phone. They do not respond to emails. We are disputing the charges on our credit card. and the food....forget it. poor.

Always consistent. Chicken is always on point. Usually packed but they work very fast, try to beat the lunch rush.

This Pollo Tropical has only been open for 8 months morenor less. They have the normal things on the menu like one fourth of a chicken with two sides that include rice and beans and whatever other side like yuca or salad. I usually go for the Tropi chop which is normally pretty cheap for a filling Bowl. This location is always full and normally if there is a line outside in the drive thru inside normally during peak hours 5 p.m. tonight and lunch time.

just now Being waiting for more than 20 minutes and there is no line, no napkins, greasy tables, fountain machine is not working, and after more than 20 minutes they telling me that they are out of sandwiches.... . How did they know that they run out of sandwiches only after 20 minutes and I was the first in line.....horrible customer service....finally the manager got out and said to the employees to stop saying that they run out of food when they have everyting....

Awful, poor customer service, very seldom is the food advertise available for purchase. Management needs to do a thorough review of customer service and ensure food availability. I won't be visiting, please make improvements to the businesses.