El Pollo Loco has a shocking amount of vegan options, including many basics such as some of their Rices & Beans, tortillas, salsas, and guacamole among other vegan goodies.
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They still aren’t a fantastic place for us Vegans to go to, but they’re far better than their name suggests they would be, and you can build a pretty good meal as a Vegan at their restaurants.
Don’t get me wrong though — I wouldn’t have an issue eating at El Pollo Loco, all I’m saying is it wouldn’t be my first option for Mexican/Tex-Mex style food. I’d much rather go to Chipotle or Qdoba than El Pollo Loco.
Vegan Main Meal Options at El Pollo Loco:
- Beans, Rice, and Cheese Burrito (Specify no Cheese)
- Double Chicken Burrito (Swap Chicken for Avocado, specify no Cheese)
- Fajita Burrito (Swap Chicken for Avocado, Specify No Cheese or Sour Cream)
- Pollo Bowl (Swap Chicken for Avocado for free to make it vegan)
- Chicken Black Bean Bowl (Swap Chicken for Avacado for free to make it vegan)
- Avocado Bacon Tostada Salad (Sub Chicken & Bacon for Avocado)
Personally I’d opt for one of the bowls or get the last option (salad) with the Citrus Vinaigrette and get a few sides. Or I’d just build my own meal by ordering many sides, which is what I generally have done in the past when I’ve ate at El Pollo Loco since being vegan.
Vegan Side Dishes at El Pollo Loco:
- Black Beans
- Pinto Beans
- Corn Tortillas
- Wheat Tortillas
- Hard Taco Shells
- (“Mexican”) Rice
- Broccoli (Confirm no butter)
- Corn (Confirm no butter)
- Guacamole
- “Homemade” Chips
- Citrus Vinaigrette
- Pico De Gallo
They may also have a hot sauce, but the brand varies — you can look it up specifically on our home-page to see if we have an article on it, but generally hot sauces are always vegan-friendly. El Pollo Loco also has a few other sides, including Mashed Potatoes, but they’re not vegan-friendly as they apparently always contain dairy and can’t be ordered without it in them.
El Pollo Loco Vegan Dessert Options:
- Generally None (See Below)
Unfortunately El Pollo Loco doesn’t have a vegan-friendly dessert at this time. Usually they only have Churros, but from what we’ve been told by numerous El Pollo Loco employees they are not vegan-friendly.
Some locations may have apple slices or spiced apples as a kids dessert, but they’re not always at every location, so don’t count on them being available — but hey ask if you want a healthy vegan-friendly dessert.
