Mr. Pollo Returns to Homewood

Oh, happy day! My husband was driving home from work last night and saw someone in a chicken suit hopping up and down in front of Mr. Pollo. Even though I was just about to start making a chicken dinner for my family, the kids insisted we put everything back in the fridge and go.

Last year, Mr. Pollo opened its doors in Homewood. I was thrilled, as I am a big fan of marinated, roasted chicken. We went on opening day and were immediately hooked. They started us out with a complimentary cup of chicken broth with fresh vegetables and small pieces of chicken. A really delicious broth, we slurped it down quickly. The chicken was great -- moist, deliciously seasoned, and came with two sides, which were o.k., nothing really special and in some cases (like the potato salad) pretty crappy. But the real reason to go to Mr. Pollo is for the chicken, and I figured I would live with the sides. After about four months, the restaurant mysteriously closed its doors. I was quite surprised, since the owner told me he and his brother-in-law (owner of Mr. Pollo in Chicago) purchased the building and gutted the kitchen and dining room to make it a place people would be happy to dine in (considering the condition of the dining room previously, they made a good choice). After asking around, someone said the two owners had an argument and closed the doors.

Last night we went back to Mr. Pollo. The previous owner was nowhere in sight, which leads me to believe the owner of the original Mr. Pollo in Chicago is now in charge. If anything, I think the food was even better than before. The side dishes we had were definitely better the second time around, although I admit we only tried the plantains, fried yucca and black beans. The dish of fresh salsa on the table really zipped up the yucca and the chicken, plus at $5.25 per person for the quarter chicken dinner (which comes with the aforementioned soup and two sides), is a real bargain.

I freely admit that while there is good food to be had in the south suburbs, there generally isn't as much as other places in the city (unless you count ice cream ) I'm happy to have Mr. Pollo within walking distance of my home.

Suzy

Thanks for sharing the good news, Suzy! What is the location? Perhaps it will be an option when I'm in Flossmoor visiting my mother.

I knew I forgot something.

Mr. Pollo
17932 Dixie Highway
Homewood, IL 60430
(708) 647-7677
Hours: 11:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Closed on Tuesdays

Mr. Pollo is directly across from the Homewood Library.