I’ve heard lots of things about Senor Pollo – Famous Latin Chicken, a sister restaurant of El Chupacabra and Mexicali. Their first branch was located in the Tomas Morato area, more specifically at the F7 Building in Scout Rallos. I finally got a chance to visit when Irene and I was doing some errands in the Quezon City area and decided to stop over there for lunch. It took us forever to visit because we did not think Lauren nor my Dad would enjoy going there.
We arrived so early at Senor Pollo that they were not even open yet so we waited for about 15 minutes in the car until their opening at 11:30am. There’s a few paid parking slots in the building complex which also has a branch of Kanin Club and Purple Oven.
The first floor area is non air conditioned and houses the kitchen, stock area and an L shaped bar table with a few chairs. You do your ordering here and then proceed to the 2nd floor air contioned seating area.
The seating area on the 2nd floor is pretty big with wooden chairs amidst a rustic environ reminiscent of a Mexican cantina. Brick walls and wooden furniture with funky murals and a bar that dominates the room. Air conditioned during lunch hour was pretty strong and kept us cool. Go to the toilet for a surprise you won’t forget.
Grilled Chicken Street Tacos (P100). This one is from the El Chupacabra (I really have to schedule a trip over there soon) menu. Two tortillas with grilled chicken that was on the dry side with onions and a squeeze of what I think was guacamole. Pretty small and will only serve to make you want to eat more.
They had 2 main chicken dishes on the menu, the Senor Pollo Roast and Fried Chicken. What do you do when you can’t decide, get both.
We got a Senor Pollo Roast Quarter (P199 with 2 sides), I picked Patatas Bravas and Colombian Beans for the sides. 2 pieces of roast chicken with a golden hue from that was enticing against the aluminum plate it was served in. The chicken was dry with the meat sticking really bad to the bones, too bad because the sweet and spicy flavors were really addictive. Feel it’s too spicy then smear the chimichurri sauce on it to temper the kick. I got the sides right though except I had expected the Colombian beans to be beans instead of having a thick soup consistency.
We also got Fried Chicken (P115/2 pieces). Two big pieces of fried chicken with golden crispy skin and a saucer of gravy. There’s a satisfying crunch to the minute taste we had of the skin while the meat was flavorful to the bone. This is a great deal for the price, similar to what you’d pay in a fast food joint.
Feeling a bit “bitin” because we did not finish the roast chicken anymore so we looked for something else to order. We decided to get a plate of Lechon Asado (P200). A plate of gorgeous roasted pork belly, served with plain rice and a dipping sauce reminiscent of toyo (soy sauce ) and sili (chili). There’s a nice char and crunch to the skin with just the right amount of fat to meat ratio. Dip it into the sauce and this will taste really familiar.
I missed the sign that said I could make additional orders in the 2nd floor and went down to order the lechon asado. Service was pretty good with our glasses being filled with water periodically and any needs fulfilled.
Senor Pollo gets really packed so better get there early to get a table. We enjoyed the fried chicken, sidings and the lechon asado. We have to give the roast chicken another try since this may have been an outlier. They’ve opened a 2nd branch in Makati, which makes it much nearer to us so another visit should be in the works soon.
Senor Pollo – Famous Latin Chicken
F7 Building, Scout Rallos (bet. Tomas Morato and Sct. Tuason)Tomas Morato, Quezon City, Philippines Contact No.: (0977) 142-9273 Operating Hours: 11:30am to 12am daily