Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Poway Pollo Spot Proves Local Beats Loco

Tucked away grilled chicken restaurant overachieves

They're not selling auto parts here.
They're not selling auto parts here.

In theory, any of the thousands of strip malls paving their way across Southern California could house delicious locally-owned restaurants worthy of repeat business. In reality, they don't. Most strip malls offer a scourge of franchised stationery shops, auto parts dealers, and fast food joints. And while just about every single one features a small mom-and-pop restaurant, most of these turn out to be utterly forgettable, serving a few immediate neighbors and employees of adjacent businesses — if they're lucky.

Place

Don Pollo Grilled Chicken

13338 Poway Road, Poway

Better graphic design than we're used to seeing in a strip mall.

Don Pollo would appear to be one of these. Though centrally located by Poway standards, it's tucked away at the back of a strip mall so unremarkable that a couple of family dentists have moved in. Less than a block away, chains including Chipotle, Rubio's and Five Guys can hardly keep up with the lines of Poway residents and nearby business park lunch-breakers. Meanwhile, Don Pollo's cleverly distinctive fork and spoon chicken sign can't even be seen by cars driving past on Poway Road. If it weren't for Yelp, or the word of mouth of local teenagers, the place might already be just another a dead listing on the web, never even having earned a proper label on Google Maps.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Or, maybe it'd be forced to move closer to my corner of town, which would be just fine. Though a Mexican restaurant in most ways (I don't know whether offering a side of mashed potatoes and gravy disqualifies it a such), Don Pollo doesn't offer a typical Cali-Mex menu. It's really a grilled chicken spot that offers a small list of tacos, enchiladas, and tortas for variety's sake, and the cheesy, fajita-like dish alambres for those willing to dig deep into culinary traditions. A sign in the window even claims the place offers the best chicken soup in town, though while the hearty rice and chunky vegetable potage may be the best in Poway, I've tried a few Pozoles uptown that might have it beat.

Don't forget the salsa.

It's the grilled chicken I really want to talk about. For five dollars you get a two-piece plate with a side of rice and refried beans, plus grilled onion, jalapeño, and warm tortillas. It's a tremendous deal, but when you factor in the crispy skin and moist, flavorful meat, there's little choice but to pass it over… in favor of a three- or four-piece plate.

It's the rare strip mall find that's doing something right. For many of us, Don Pollo's offerings may most closely resemble those of a certain "loco" nationwide chicken chain. Now, I'm not here to bash on that or any other fast food joint, but I will say this: at Don Pollo you be served by people with an interest in seeing you enjoy your meal, a hope you'll tell your friends about it, and pride in knowing they're serving something tasty to people who appreciate it. Assuming said people already happen to be in Poway for some other reason.

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Three poems by Oso Guardiola

Conversation in the Cathedral, Schism, Runoff
They're not selling auto parts here.
They're not selling auto parts here.

In theory, any of the thousands of strip malls paving their way across Southern California could house delicious locally-owned restaurants worthy of repeat business. In reality, they don't. Most strip malls offer a scourge of franchised stationery shops, auto parts dealers, and fast food joints. And while just about every single one features a small mom-and-pop restaurant, most of these turn out to be utterly forgettable, serving a few immediate neighbors and employees of adjacent businesses — if they're lucky.

Place

Don Pollo Grilled Chicken

13338 Poway Road, Poway

Better graphic design than we're used to seeing in a strip mall.

Don Pollo would appear to be one of these. Though centrally located by Poway standards, it's tucked away at the back of a strip mall so unremarkable that a couple of family dentists have moved in. Less than a block away, chains including Chipotle, Rubio's and Five Guys can hardly keep up with the lines of Poway residents and nearby business park lunch-breakers. Meanwhile, Don Pollo's cleverly distinctive fork and spoon chicken sign can't even be seen by cars driving past on Poway Road. If it weren't for Yelp, or the word of mouth of local teenagers, the place might already be just another a dead listing on the web, never even having earned a proper label on Google Maps.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Or, maybe it'd be forced to move closer to my corner of town, which would be just fine. Though a Mexican restaurant in most ways (I don't know whether offering a side of mashed potatoes and gravy disqualifies it a such), Don Pollo doesn't offer a typical Cali-Mex menu. It's really a grilled chicken spot that offers a small list of tacos, enchiladas, and tortas for variety's sake, and the cheesy, fajita-like dish alambres for those willing to dig deep into culinary traditions. A sign in the window even claims the place offers the best chicken soup in town, though while the hearty rice and chunky vegetable potage may be the best in Poway, I've tried a few Pozoles uptown that might have it beat.

Don't forget the salsa.

It's the grilled chicken I really want to talk about. For five dollars you get a two-piece plate with a side of rice and refried beans, plus grilled onion, jalapeño, and warm tortillas. It's a tremendous deal, but when you factor in the crispy skin and moist, flavorful meat, there's little choice but to pass it over… in favor of a three- or four-piece plate.

It's the rare strip mall find that's doing something right. For many of us, Don Pollo's offerings may most closely resemble those of a certain "loco" nationwide chicken chain. Now, I'm not here to bash on that or any other fast food joint, but I will say this: at Don Pollo you be served by people with an interest in seeing you enjoy your meal, a hope you'll tell your friends about it, and pride in knowing they're serving something tasty to people who appreciate it. Assuming said people already happen to be in Poway for some other reason.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Larry Turner – the man who would be San Diego's mayor

Ex-Marine, cop answers the personal questions
Next Article

Prime Wheel in Tijuana cracks down on employees after worker disappears

Maquila co-workers turn on man's wife
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader