It’s not every day that you get your mind blown by a chain restaurant with a drive-through window. But Pollo Regio, located at 2035 Airline Drive in Bossier City (housed in the former Backyard Burgers), just plain rocked my world. Pollo Regio is a fast food restaurant that serves Mexican fare, ranging from tacos and quesadillas to whole roasted chickens and soups. The Papa Regio (pictured) is a huge, grilled potato stuffed with carne asada, sour cream, jalapenos, mantequilla (butter), and queso (cheese). While I didn’t personally eat this big fella, I spotted it heading to a customer’s table and had to get a photo. I tried the Mole Poblano ($7.31 plus tax), just to satisfy my curiosity about what the National Dish of Mexico would be like as served by a fast food restaurant. The answer: truly, surprisingly good.
While I am a comfort food junkie, I love it when a restaurant surprises me as Pollo Regio has. When you pay $6 for lunch, you don’t expect a good mole sauce, or to find two whole, roasted poblano chile peppers wrapped in foil in your to-go bag. You don’t expect to step inside and find a fresh salsa bar (no salsa packets!), or to see customers literally walking from table to table admiring one another’s food. The food I saw (and ate) looked and tasted fresh and hand-prepared. In short, I think Pollo Regio qualifies as “fast food” in appearance only. Even their hamburger sounds awesome: “1/2 lb. of lean charbroiled beef, sliced ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and fresh avocado.” I’ll definitely be returning.
P.S. Dear Bossier City: Keep adding awesome ethnic eateries at a rate of about one a week, please and thank you!
