El Pollo Loco vs McDonald's: Which Is Better Value?
El Pollo Loco vs McDonald's, compared on real prices and published nutrition — not vibes. Every figure is the median across the items we track at each chain.
🏆 McDonald's edges it on overall value
Head-to-head
| Metric | El Pollo Loco | McDonald's |
|---|---|---|
| Median price | $3.99 ✓ | $6.00 |
| Protein per $ (median) | 2.3g | 5.2g ✓ |
| Value score (median) | 51 | 82 ✓ |
| Health score (median) | 56 ✓ | 54 |
| Items with a real price | 24 | 3 |
Each chain’s best pick
🏆 El Pollo Loco: 3 Tacos al Carbon Combo (value 88) 🏆 McDonald's: McValue, The McDouble $5 Meal Deal (value 84) 💪 El Pollo Loco cheapest 20g+ protein: 3 Tacos al Carbon Combo ($6.99) 💪 McDonald's cheapest 20g+ protein: McValue, The McChicken $5 Meal Deal ($5.00)
See the full menus: El Pollo Loco · McDonald's. Or rank every chain by value.
More chain match-ups
El Pollo Loco vs Arby's
El Pollo Loco vs Buffalo Wild Wings
El Pollo Loco vs Burger King
El Pollo Loco vs Carl's Jr.
El Pollo Loco vs Chick-fil-A
El Pollo Loco vs Chipotle Mexican Grill
El Pollo Loco vs Costco Food Court
El Pollo Loco vs Culver's
McDonald's vs Arby's
McDonald's vs Buffalo Wild Wings
McDonald's vs Burger King
McDonald's vs Carl's Jr.