Pollos Asados al Carbon, Zona Norte, Tijuana grilled chicken

Are you one of those folks that are memory-challenged by a restaurant with a long name? Try this one on for size: "Pollos Asados al Carbon, Con el sabor unico de la voz del pueblo." Whew! That's a mouthfull! Actually, to distill it all down to the basics, the name of the place is really just Pollos Asados al Carbon, which very loosely translates to "Barbecued Chicken." The "al carbon" refers to the fact that the chicken is grilled over wood coals, and in the case of Pollos Asados, we're talking real mesquite, wood-fired coals.

Before you walk in to place your order, you know what to expect, as the outside of the restaurant is plastered with hand-lettered signs which announce their menu, the very reasonable prices and their specials. Their specialty is mesquite-grilled chicken, but they also serve tortas, burritos, hamburgesas, tacos, desayunos and more. Yes, I almost always advise against a restaurant in Mexico that serves hamburgers, a.k.a., hamburgesas, but this place is the exception.

Left: Pollos Asados al Carbon, at the corner of Av. Revolucion and Calle Coahuila. Right: Their handwritten menu is posted outside, so you know how much you're going to pay for your delicious meal.

Pollos Asados al Carbon is different from many small Mexican restaurants in that it is not open to the street, and is totally enclosed, albeit with many windows that open to the street. The building is painted a sort of Forrest, maybe Gump, green, and it is located at the corner of Av. Revolucion and Calle Coahuila, not far from the famous Adelita's honky tonk, and La Tropa bar. So if you choose to sit at a table that faces Calle Coahuila, you will be treated to an endless parade of beautiful women who work at La Tropa and are coming and going and going about their daily business. If you're lucky, one of them will pay Pollos Asados a visit for lunch and your people-watching experience will be rewarded. Oh to be 21 and single again...

Photos: Autustine cooks his chicken over his grill, and keeps his big pot of beans warm.

When you walk into the place, the friendly owner, Augustine, will greet you, as he stands behind the counter, which also includes a mesquite-fired grill and a griddle, flanked by a huge pot that contains some of the most delicious cowboy beans that you can imagine. You place your order, how does a half, mesquite-grilled chicken, tortillas, salsa, rice and beans sound for $40.00 (a little over $3.00 in U.S. dollars at the time of this writing)? For me, good-to-go! So you sit at your table and within mere seconds, the tortillas and salsa appear, followed shortly by a delicious lunch of mesquite-grilled chicken, cowboy beans and Mexican rice. While you're munching on your delicious lunch, you can watch all of the people going about their business on Calle Coahuilia and the "chicas" from La Tropa, as they come and go.

Like most small restaurants in Mexico, Pollos Asados is a family-owned business. Augustine, the man behind the counter, cooks, cleans, chats with customers and does whatever it takes to keep the business running. He has a couple of sons that help with the business, and his wife does bookeeping and kitchen duty as needed. When you place your order, he'll greet you with a smile and in mere moments, you'll be rewarded with the best lunch that you can imagine. To me, that's a winning combination.

Left: The best grilled chicken, salsa, tortillas rice and beans that you can imagine. Right: Looking from the dining room towards the kitchen at Pollos Asados. As you can see from the bicycle that rests against the counter, things are quite informal.

Pollos Asados al Carbon on Calle Coahuila features mouth-watering mesquite-grilled chicken at a price that you can't even think about north of the border. When you're checking out Tijuana's famous Zona Norte and you acquire an apetite, Pools Asados is the place to head for. You won't be disappointed.

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