Spoiler alert: my Pollo Tropical experience was GREAT. Affordable, big portions, and relatively healthy to its fast food competitors – Pollo Tropical is a highly recommended option for travelers who want good, filling food on a budget.
On a recent trip to Florida, Papi Fattoush and I visited the famous South Florida-based ‘fast casual food’ restaurant Pollo Tropical. Let me tell you, it was completely not what we expected.
As a Latina who grew up in the Niagara region of Canada, the food blew my mind. Rice, beans, fried plantains can be a thing at a fast food restaurant?’ YES. In Florida, they can be and it can be done well!
It was a delicious experience and I can’t wait to go back for more. Pollo Tropical is a great option for travelers who want good, filling food on a budget. Especially if you’re dealing with a weaker currency, you want to be sure you’re getting the most out of your dollar!
WHAT IS POLLO TROPICAL?
Pollo Tropical (pronounced ‘po-yo trop-ee-cal’) is a restaurant chain that is mainly based in Southern Florida that serves Latin-Caribbean inspired food. It has about 140 locations in Florida and 32 other locations throughout the Caribbean, Central America, South America, and Puerto Rico.
WHAT KIND OF FOOD IS POLLO TROPICAL?
The restaurant chain specializes in Latin-Caribbean inspired food. Pollo Tropical is known for its citrus-marinated, flame-grilled chicken, and various sides including its slow-cooked black beans, mojo roast pork, fried yucca, fried plantains, and island-inspired sauces.
I’ll admit that when I visited for the first time, I didn’t know any of this. Spoiler alert – the Pollo Tropical experience was amazing.
WHY POLLO TROPICAL?
Papi Fattoush wanted to check it out, as it had been a suggestion by a Reddit thread he found. It was a restaurant choice in the back of his mind.
The opportunity came when we stopped at a Dunkin Donuts in downtown Miami to access their WIFI for traffic updates. We were stuck in Friday evening rush hour. We were hungry, tired, and noticed there was a Pollo Tropical in the same plaza. So at the moment, it was a very easy (and convenient) choice.
LOCATION
INFO | FIRST VISIT | SECOND VISIT |
ADDRESS | 2710 S. Dixie Highway Miami, FL 33133, United States | 1780 Sheridan St, Hollywood, FL 33020, United States |
TIME OF VISIT | 6PM on a Friday | 11AM on a Saturday |
ORDER & COST
Notes: (1) Product descriptions from Pollo Tropical’s online ordering website are italicized.
(2) Currency conversion: $1 USD = 1.34995 CAD on December 01 & 02, 2023 according to www.exchange-rates.org.
FIRST VISIT
- 1/2 fire grilled chicken (dark), white rice and black beans meal ($8.89 USD = $12.00 CAD)
Fresh marinated in citrus juices and spices for 24 hours, then fire grilled to perfection. - Side of individual fried plantains ($4.89 USD = $6.60 CAD)
Perfectly ripe, sweet plantains, cooked to a golden caramelized finish - Medium pineapple lemonade ($3.59 USD = $4.85 CAD) (not pictured)
This is what you get when you add refreshing pineapple to a classic lemonade.
BILL: Subtotal $17.37 USD, Total w/ tax $18.59 USD ($25.10 CAD)
SECOND VISIT
- ¼ fire grilled chicken (dark) & mojo roast pork duo with individual white rice and black beans, with cilantro garlic sauce and bun ($10.29 USD = $13.89 CAD)
Fresh marinated chicken in citrus juices and spices for 24 hours, then fire grilled to perfection with our slow roasted Mojo Roast Pork.
[On the Mojo Roast Pork] slow roasted in a mojo juice blend, our pork is a moist and tender marvel crowned with sautéed onions. - ½ fire grilled chicken (dark) with individual white rice and black beans meal ($9.39 USD = $12.68 CAD) (same meal as previous day).
BILL: Subtotal $19.68 USD, Total w/ tax $21.06 USD ($28.43 CAD)
TASTE
Note: For both visits, the same dishes we ordered were consistent in taste and appearance.
FIRE-ROASTED, 24 HR CITRUS-MARINATED CHICKEN – We chose dark meat. Had to wait for a second to jump right in because it was fresh off the grill. It was SUCCULENT. DELICIOUS. Juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside. The taste of the citrus was faint but definitely came through and complimented the flame-crisped skin. I was thinking the whole time that this chain has chicken cooking PERFECTED.
BLACK BEANS – GREAT. Savory and soft. Salty and seasoned – a personally very familiar taste to my Honduran roots.
FRIED PLANTAINS – On the smaller side, not ripe enough to be super soft and sweet. In my opinion, definitely not worth $5 USD.
WHITE RICE – plain, but had a super-satisfying soft, chewy mouthfeel. It wonderfully complimented the entire plate. Pouring beans over the white rice was *chef’s kiss*.
PINEAPPLE LEMONADE DRINK – VERY sweet (ahem, too sweet). I tasted sugar more than fruit flavors. But it quenched my thirst and cooled me down. My body was grateful for it (and the electrolytes) after an afternoon of hiking in the Everglades.
MOJO ROAST PORK – SO moist and flavorful. Tender AF, melts in the mouth, and the sauteed onions topping … my goodness. I am drooling just thinking of it all together. The onions were soft and naturally sweet tasting (no sharp, raw taste at all). It complimented the mojo pork beautifully. I’d recommend eating this quickly when it’s still hot, because as it cools, the meat becomes chewy.
CILANTRO GARLIC SAUCE – Very garlicky, VERY GOOD. It was creamy and extremely flavorful. They gave me 4 little containers of it, which I thought was way too much. ALAS, IT WAS NOT.
PORTIONS
For the first visit, we only ordered one dish to share (½ chicken with beans and rice) which ended up being enough to fill us both. We still had 40 minutes of bumper to bumper driving to do to get back to our hotel, so we didn’t want to overdo it.
On the second visit, we went full out and ordered separate dishes. We had leftovers which we packed into our carry-ons on the flight home and devoured in the evening. We joked that next time, we’ll bring a few full meals worth so we can enjoy the Pollo Tropical experience at home (…not joking).
ATMOSPHERE
When you’re sitting there, it is quite obvious that it’s a popular casual dinner choice for the Latino community. The target demographic is clearly the Hispanic population.
I also wouldn’t call the actual food ‘fast food’ but the restaurant itself is set up like a fast food joint.
The first physical location in Miami, FL featured a large, spacious dining area with simple wooden tables and chairs. Nothing special but I did appreciate its openness and high ceilings. Probably designed that way to accommodate high traffic hours.
The second location in Hollywood, FL did not have high ceilings, was definitely smaller than the first location, but did look pretty much the same in terms of tables, chairs, floors, etc.
WAIT TIME
During both visits, we ordered when there were only 2 or so other guests. Our orders were taken nearly immediately at the counter. After ordering, we did not wait more than 5 minutes to get our food.
As we ate, and by the time we left, there was a lineup of people waiting to order. Some negative Google reviews stated that the wait time can be frustrating (especially for online orders), but lucky for us, we came in right before the wave of lunch & dinner guests (6pm of a Friday, 11AM on a Saturday).
SERVICE
The service wasn’t overly friendly at both locations. Just straight to the point. Efficient.
Except in the second location, one employee was super nice in letting me know ALL their sauce options (I think it was clear that it was my first time there lol).
In the first location my order was taken in English. But then my order number got called out in Spanish. The second spot, it was all in English, except I got a friendly wave from the counter when my order was ready.
DISCUSSION
These were by far my favorite meals of the trip.
I will admit though, that I am very biased to this cuisine. Was it the nostalgia of a ‘proper’ Latino meal that made it a superb experience?
I’d say yes and no. Living in Niagara, there are a couple restaurants that serve Latino food. And that food is decent but not mind blowing. I remember going to one as a teen with some friends and thinking ‘why am I paying for this, I had this literally two days ago at home’.
In Toronto, Canada, there are a tonne of Latino restaurants. But it’s hit or miss. Either it’s really good but pricey, or you wait a century to get your food served, OR you show up at the restaurant and it’s closed (although the operating hours state that it should be open…)
But Pollo Tropical wow’d me. I do think we lucked out on having zero wait time. It was the delicious food experience that was the greatest impression of all.
Another point: when you see the locals frequenting the spot, it is a great sign! And on our second visit, we saw many workers (e.g. construction, landscaping, etc) stopping in and ordering food. Clearly, if you’re looking for a meal during a long hot work day, you want something hearty to continue powering your day but also healthy-ish so you still feel good after.
ONE ‘WEIRD’ THING
The only ‘weird’ thing about Pollo Tropical was that the pricing seems to be different between locations and what was stated on the online/in-restaurant menus. I ordered the same ½ chicken, rice and beans meal at both places but the second location was $0.40 more expensive.
As well, the prices I was charged on my receipt did not match the amount that was on the menu. I didn’t get a picture of this though – I was way too in-love with the food as I ate it to care enough to wipe my hands, take my camera out, and awkwardly take a picture of the counter lol.
SHOULD I TRY POLLO TROPICAL?
Pollo Tropical is not a typical fast food restaurant, although it can appear as one when ordering at the counter. But once you get your food that ‘fast-food’ feel disappears. Then you’re just enjoying an authentic South Florida meal.
I 100% recommend to anyone traveling to South Florida to embark on their own Pollo Tropical experience. You get the flavors inspired by Latin and Caribbean cuisine and enjoy a franchise that is loved by many of its own residents. My only regret is not having tried it sooner!