Review of Loncheria El Pollito Loquito

When I stay in a small Mexican town, I like to get out and walk, as that's the best way to see the town, take lots of photos, capture the "essence" of the town, and meet the people. You just don't get the same experience if you're in your car, as you don't get to experience the personality of the town, and everything just seems cold and impersonal. As I was hiking down the unnamed main street, which is also Mexico Federal Highway 1, in the small town of El Rosario, Baja California, I did a double-take when I saw Loncheria El Pollito Loquito, as the restaurant is housed in a shell of a former school bus! I noticed from the sign that the loncheria is only open for breakfast and lunch, so I made a date with myself to come back the next morning for breakfast.

As with all restaurant reviews I publish, I have no affiliation with the restaurant reviewed, and there is no monetary gain on my part, as I am simply a person who likes to eat, and I love to write-up, and publish my dining experiences.

Photo: Have you ever eaten in a restaurant that's housed in a retired school bus? Notice the flimsy cover and the plastic tables and chairs. The restaurant is set above the ground on concrete blocks, and you have to negotiate a couple of steps to enter the restaurant, but this restaurant is as "unique" as it gets. The staff is friendly and the food is delicious!

How could anybody, including the author of this article, resist eating in a restaurant that's housed in an old school bus? Saturday morning, October 6, 2007, I arrived at Loncheria El Pollito Loquito at about 08:00, and I was happy to see that they were open for business. I happily walked up the three steps, at the rear of the restaurant, guided by the sign that reads "Food Service Inside" and was immediately greeted by a young girl who was busily engaged in mopping the floor. I sat down at a booth, and her mother waked up to me, and greeted me with a cheery "Buenos Dias," and asked me if I was ready to order. You bet I was ready to order, as I was quite hungry!

Photo: You enter the restaurant, and after passing through the compact kitchen, you enter the "dining room," so to speak. Actually there are a few compact "booths" for your dining pleasure. On this Saturday morning, I was the only customer, as everybody else was family members. Considering the small size of this loncheria, I imagine it can get quite busy during peak dining ours.

Photo: Staff and family members relax and enjoy the lovely Saturday morning, as business seems to be slow. In Mexico, breakfast isn't a "big thing" so frequently breakfast restaurants are slow. Don't you love the "old school" television, right out of the 1970's?

Photo: The hand printed menu is posted on the wall of the "dining room," and features everything a "comfort food" person could hope for. Note that two varieties of menudo are offered: white and red. Both varieties are delicious, but I always go with the "rojo..."

Loncheria El Pollito Loquito is a diner, serving "Mexican comfort food, " and is open for breakfast and lunch, and their menu features a very limited choice of entrées. The menu for breakfast, "Desayunos," features eggs, with your choice of chorizo, ham, bacon, or quite oddly, hot dogs. Of course huevos rancheros are on the menu, and menudo, either white or red, is served on weekends. Lunch includes the usual tacos, tortas, burritos and quesadillas. Since I was visiting on a Saturday morning, menudo was on the menu, and when asked my choice of red or white, I ordered red, which is my favorite.

Photo: The kitchen is very compact, and the friendly staff wear many hats. In this case, my talented chef is performing dishwashing chores.

Have you ever had the pleasure to eat a bowl of menudo in a small loncheria that's housed in an old school bus? Well, this was a first for me. I was surprised that the thing didn't "jiggle" when people walked around inside, but the bus seemed to be anchored to the ground just fine, as it was solid as a rock. Of course all doors are open to the elements, as are most of the windows, so the restaurant gets good natural air conditioning. The interior features small booths, and when I say small, imagine dining in a school bus... but the electricity works, as a TV was on, tuned to a soap opera, which are very popular in Mexico. Loncheria El Pollito Loquito is owned and operated by a husband and wife, so during my visit the whole family was there, including the children, who were watching TV, pestering mom, who was getting my order ready, and running around the restaurant. Quite interesting!

Photo: My breakfast of menudo is heating in a pot on the stove, and it includes the calf foot. The roasted peppers and tomato slices appear to be left over from the previous day. I never found out what their purpose was, and they weren't included with my breakfast.

Like most small restaurants in Mexico, you're free to walk into the kitchen, if you choose to do so. Since El Pollito is housed in a 35-foot school bus, the kitchen is quite compact, and it occupies the first 10 feet or so of the restaurant. The small, 4-burner range and storage occupy the left side of the kitchen, and the right side is occupied by a compact sink, work area, and storage for utensils, plates, pots and pans. If you were wanting to describe the kitchen in a single word, "compact" comes to mind. Here's the part that I found interesting, in that after I ordered menudo, I followed the girl to the kitchen, and she reached into a big pot that was sitting next to the stove with a ladle, and ladled menudo into a pan. Next, she lighted the burner and started to heat the menudo. As I was watching this operation, I wondered what had I gotten myself into? I decided the best thing to do was to return to my booth, watch the kids play, and talk to husband.

Photo: The talented chef is working to prepare my breakfast of menudo. Actually, the menudo was already made and stored in the refrigerator, so all she had to do was to heat it up. I asked her what was in the large pot on the back burner, and she told me it was beans. Ah... El Rosario...

Photo: Looking from the kitchen bulkhead into the "dining room" at El Pollito. You can see that the dining room is quite compact, and the family members are enjoying a Mexican soap opera, as I snap the photo.

The menudo was good, not great, but it arrived steaming hot in a gigantic bowl, and it was brick-red in color. Diced white onions, lime quarters and cilantro were offered on the side, along with a surprise: a bollilo! Normally, menudo is served with either corn or flour tortillas, but at Loncheria El Pollito Loquito, my breakfast featured a toasted bollilo, cut in half, which was quite a new experience for me.

Photo: My bowl of delicious menudo, along with the sliced bollilo is in the basket. I have already applied lime juice, chopped cilantro and diced onions to my menudo when I snapped this photo.

I was truly surprised to be served a bollilo, as corn tortillas are the usual side dish in Baja California. Nevertheless, it was an amazing side to the delicious menudo, and made for great dipping into the savory broth.

The menudo was obviously left over from the previous day, but that's not a bad thing, as like wine, fine menudo gets better with age. The large bowl of menudo was delivered to me steaming hot, loaded with tender tripe, Mexican hominy, and I scored the jackpot, as the cow's hoof was included. Picture all of that goodness in a savory broth, and you'll realize this was a great bowl of menudo. Alright... have you ever enjoyed a breakfast of menudo, served from a restaurant, located inside the shell of a former school bus?

Great menudo! The husband and wife who own the restaurant, along with their children kept me company, and added to the enjoyment of this fine breakfast.

When you find yourself in El Rosario, and you're in the mood for a unique dining experience - can you say ex school bus? - and great Mexican "comfort food," head over to Loncheria El Pollito Loquito.

Loncheria El Pollito Loquito
Federal Highway 1
El Rosario, BC