El Pollo Perucho

Yu-​ummmm!
We are slowly eating our way through all of the Latin restaurants on the west side… and there are a lot. Peruvian got the nod this week.
I may as well say that every little mom and pop place we have been on this side of town has really be outstanding– everyone is extremely nice and helpful, the food is amazeballs, and spaces are simple and clean… and did I mention cheap? El Pollo Perucho was no exception. Our server was helpful with recommendations (and conversation) and we tried a lot of the menu including the rotisserie chicken (this is their thing), two types of plantains, ocupa and papa a la huancayna (both potato dishes), and ceviche with boiled potatoes and corn.
Though the potatoes were not may favorite (nothing to do with the preparation, just don’t think they are my thing), the chicken, fish and plantains were out of this world. I was especially pleased with the ceviche, which I feel could have been a major stomach-​related risk. And our bill was $ 30 with a generous tip.
I will be back.

I’m two months pregnant and woke up craving the Peruvian Chicken place back home in VA that I used to go to. Im extremely partial to them so that may have tainted my review. That being said, this is the ONLY Peruvian chicken place in Columbus as far as I know so kudos for that!
The portions are pretty decent in the quarter chicken meal-​should be enough for anyone smaller than a linebacker. The chicken is flavorful but just a little dry. We had sides of fries and beans, which were good accompaniments but definitely could not stand alone.
All in all, it was good enough to keep this prego from crying but ive had better.

Cheap, amazing food. I ordered frijoles con seco and yucca frita. The beans had tons of flavor the meat was tender, plain white rice but tasted great. I also had a passion fruit drink that was very sweet and good. Everyone was friendly inside.

I do no like the service here, The best part about my experience here (The only good thing) was my Inca Cola, of course this is a Item that they do not have to prepare. The chicken is not that good, if you go to Kroger’s and buy a rotisserie chicken from them will be a better option for you. The service was slow, I when in for my lunch break and I took a lot longer that I was expecting. They do daily lunch special, and also a variety of Peruvian dishes over the weekend. I was very exited about this place when they open it, because the lack of Latin America food around Columbus, but unfortunate for me that was not the case, I been in here with people from Peru and they are not impressed at all. actually they said they would of be better of cooking this stuff at home. That’s why I give them one star

We came to Columbus (one of our regular quick vacation stops) over fall break this year) with several restaurants in mind. One of those was Los Galapagos, an Ecuadorian place… when we got there, it was closed, despite the hours on the door saying that it should’ve been open. So, we searched for other places nearby… a sea of Mexican places (which we had just had yesterday) and this. So this it was. We’d had Peruvian once before, in Albuquerque. It was super good so we figured it would be good here too.
It was! It was EVEN BETTER! This place was GREAT! We were a little scared that it would be kinda sketchy after driving through the neighborhoods nearby, but it was immaculately clean inside and decorated in bright Peruvian spirit. The waitress was super nice and seemed surprised that we tipped her well… do they not tip at this place?
The chicken was phenomenally juicy and yummy, even better than we had in Albuquerque. Both dark and white meat were good, but dark was better. The yucca fries were AWESOME… just how we remembered them. The two together made such a good meal… if we lived in Columbus we would definitely be regulars here and would definitely order their full size chickens to cook at home. My yellow rice was also suprisingly spectactular. don’t know what spices were in there but it was different than any I’ve had before. The food my dad had was good as well, it was some sort of pork on skewers with potatoes and corn that was halfway between regular corn and hominy.
Everything was yummy, relatively cheap, service was super, and the place was clean and bright! A+ joint

I am of Peruvian descent and was excited to see that there was a Peruvian restaurant in my area. The menu specialized in chicken, however I tried my favorite dish: Lomo Saltado. The wait time was minimal and the food was good. The meat was ok. Not as flavoursome as I’m used to. The rest of the meal was on point. I liked their Riccoto, it was very spicy (just as I liked it.).
I will definitely come back again to try there chicken dish.

We had the chicken and yucca fries and plantains All were very good. I have seen reviews that dismisses the food due to it having hotdog coins as an ingredient in certain dishes. I know hot dogs happen to be a staple of the Peruvian diet and this is a Peruvian restaurant. Odd thing to complain about then. The Ocappa was on the bland side but interesting. Everything else was great. We will be bringing friends here soon.

Este sitio me gustaba y lo recomendaba…(tiempo pasado)…pedi varias cosas para llevar… aji de gallina…(con tremendas papas abajo osea que es“papa con sabor a aji de gallina por encima”…seco…supuestamente de carne… pero fue seco de cebo… del peor cebo que se puedan imaginar… del ilegal… NO recomendable… La causa… yo la hago mejor… Uno de los pocos sitios peruanos en el area, pero no regreso… ni gratis… El personal es amable… pero de que sirve la careta cuando saben que te estan vendiendo porqueria…
Sitios como este solo sobreviven… nunca crecen…

Amazing!
Friendly staff, great food, drinks, etc.
My husband has fried fish with yellow rice and salad. The yellow rice with veggies is really good. I had ceviche and it was spicy but the right kinda spicy. I’m glad I came. The chicha and maracuya are the real drinks no artificial flavor.
A big plus they had Peruvian products for sale.

Pretty good food.
THE FOOD
My favs — ceviche, yucca fries, cilantro rice and the purple corn drink. The chicken is pretty good too.
THE ATMOSPHERE
Cheery bright, basic new immigrant digs.
THE SERVICE
Sweet and cheerful.

Peruvian chicken is justifiably lauded worldwide. Honestly, the same could be said for Peruvian food in general. Visit any major city, and even many minor ones, and you’re like to discover that Peruvian cuisine is having a moment.
Our options for such food in Columbus are limited however. Indeed, at the moment the only restaurant in town offering a full complement of Peruvian dishes is El Pollo Perucho. Although Peruvian chicken is the nominal focus, the restaurant also offers a variety of other traditional dishes. A few of them (arroz con pollo for example) are offered only on weekends.
On a recent trip to the restaurant, we did our best to sample a variety of things. The staff was friendly and welcoming when we arrived and were patient as we decided what to order.
The chicken was quite flavorful, highlighting one of the reasons that the dish has gained such worldwide renown. It was, however, a bit dry. The dryness was helpfully off set by the table hot sauce. (Which actually wasn’t that hot, I’ve had much hotter elsewhere.) As is the case with most pollo a la brasa, the chicken was served with fries. While nothing out of the ordinary, they were hot and crispy. The accompanying salad was primarily shredded iceberg lettuce, but had a tasty dressing. (You can also substitute any of their other sides for the fries for a slight up charge.)
The papa la huancaina, which is cold potatoes with a huancaina sauce (and an olive and hard boiled egg), was fairly bland. The huancaina sauce didn’t really stand out. I’d say that you could fairly skip this one.
Finally, we had ceviche. The ceviche was well done, and while not the best I’ve ever had, is probably your best current option for Peruvian style ceviche in Columbus. It was served in a traditional style with sweet potato, dried corn kernels, and the oft seen Peruvian style big kerneled corn. The latter is always terrible and weird. I recommend you leave it on the plate.
Overall, I’d say that El Pollo Perucho is a good, but not great example of Peruvian cuisine. Things are done well enough that if you’re itching for some of the dishes you already love, then this will help scratch that itch. But if you want to see what all the fuss is about, it may or may not do the trick. I gave it four stars, but if 3.5 were an option, that’s probably what I’d give it instead.
El Pollo Perucho also offers a wide selection of Peruvian staples for sale. So if you say, pick up Chef Gaston Acurio’s new cookbook and need to find yellow aji peppers, this is the place for you.

I’ve been informed that I didn’t follow Unilocal content submission guidelines, so let me give you the full story which only further paints dim picture of El Pollo Loco.
Our boss wanted to go try El Pollo Loco out so three of us headed out for lunch one day back last February. On entering the que to order i took a nice long look at the menu and the food on the plates of those already eating while my co-​workers attempted to place orders with a confused employee.
MMMMM french fries with… sliced up hot dog coins? What? Welcome to crazy chicken I guess. I wasn’t impressed with this place at all. The rotisserie chicken smelled great but small portions on the plates of those already eating (and later my co-​workers) plus the relatively expensive prices destroy any appeal Loco could have had for me. The staff has a hard time handling more then two people in line at a time and with straight up disgusting menu items (like hotdog coins and fries) the shortcoming of the chicken becomes more of an issue.
As I quickly became frustrated with the very slow ordering process for a line of three people. I asked the woman behind the counter if it was OK if I brought food in from next door. She considered it for a moment then said yes at which point I left and went next door and got a burrito from La Super Torta while my co-​workers finished ordering.
When I came back with my burrito i walked up to the now empty counter so I could order a drink and a side because I’m well aware that eating food in a dining room from another restaurant is a scum bag move and I wanted to make sure i patronized Pollo Loco to some degree. The same woman who had said it was ok stood there in the kitchen doing nothing but looking at me as i waited for her at the cash register with money and a bottle of coke for about two minutes before finally coming over. At that point I decided I was going to pass on the side and stick to purchasing just a drink.
I sat down with my coworkers and about half way through my burrito their food finally came out. Both had gone with the above mentioned rotisserie chicken and the infamous sliced up hot dog appetizer. Both generously offered a some of their food and while I couldn’t bring myself to dig into the hot dog french fry dish (the fries were bag frozen with nothing remarkable about them except soaking up hotdog juices), I did try some of the chicken. Amazingly It tasted like chicken! Albeit somewhat expensive for the portion size. I’m familiar with SaRea S’s review that cites it being crisp, well seasoned candy from Jesus and as juicy as the rumors at a drag convention, however my personal experience with the product failed to replicate either of those properties.
We got to enjoy our fine dining experience under the scornful eye of the cashier who helped me kill two minutes of my life waiting to buy a soda as we played the staring game. After finishing his meal, a co-​worker admitted he wished he had gone next door as well and cited complaints regarding the food and the wait times that mirrored my concerns listed above.
I cleaned up my mess, bagged it and decided to toss it out back at our office as to not inconvenience the staff with a mess not composed of their products. Based on my customer service experience while ordering a simple beverage, combined with the entrée chicken I tried I will not be returning to Pollo Loco.

LOVE the drinks… we had the Chicha Morada, the bottled Malta, and the Inca Cola; each was unique and delicious. The grilled chicken was so tender and juicy, the fried Yuccas EXCELLENT, and the sweet Plantains really good, too.
Small place, but enough room for my husband’s wheelchair to get in and out.
No room left for dessert, which will happen next time. Friendly, too.
Fast and DELICIOUS!

Great place I will come back. Service was good and everyone was friendly. The wait wasn’t long either

Do yourself and a favor and check this place out. Who knew fried Yucca fries and room temperature mayo would bring me so much joy. I echo the positive reviews, this is some damn good chicken. Bring a group of friends, grab some Inca colas and a full rotisserie chicken you will walk out completely satisfied! Oh and if you speak Spanish, great Colombian and Venezuelan Telenovelas :)

Try this place.
The rotisserie chicken is delicious and the staff is super friendly. Get a sample of the Chicha Morada (purple corn drink) if you like Chai, as it has a similar flavor (to me).

It was redamndiculous. The rotisserie chicken in particular. The skin was like crisp well seasoned candy from Jesus. And the flesh was as juicy as the rumors at a drag convention.
The grilled chicken was ok, and the potato sides were interesting. I think I would’ve preferred them warm.
Salad was crisp and vinegary and added a nice bright punch.
We will definitely be back for that fabulous chicken :)

!!! I lived in Lima, Peru for 6 months until December 2013 and I had been looking for authentic Peruvian food since returning. I couldn’t believe they had a Peruvian restaurant in Columbus. The food was good but not exactly the same quality compared to some of the restaurants I would frequent while living in Peru. They had all the spices though (aji, huacaina) which was great! They also had chicha morada, inca kola, ceviche and anticuchos! (Along with other authentic dishes) I give it 5 stars as the food, price and authenticity were all good. The owners themselves are from Lima, Peru as well which was great! They also had Peruvian television which was awesome. For anyone from Peru or has been to Peru, they had «Esto es Guerra» on the television which made me laugh because I would always watch «Combate» with my housemates.
One thing I wish they had was Pisco Sour and Pilsen. I assume, as they are a somewhat new restaurant, that they just don’t have their liquor license yet.
I recommend this to anyone who has even the slightest interest in trying Peruvian food! GO! GO! GO!
I will definitely be making frequent trips to this restaurant!

I don’t care much for chicken but had to try what they’re best known for. The chicken was moist and flavorful with a clear coal barbecue flavor. Sides with this particular meal weren’t extraordinary; just basic fries and an iceberg salad with radish and cucumber under a peppery vinaigrette dressing.
As I said I’m not a big chicken eater, but it was better than most so I gave four stars. I’m much more interested in coming back to try some beef options.

Finally, a Peruvian rotisserie joint in Columbus! I came here Tuesday around 12:30 and it was a bit quiet. Just one other patron waiting for their to-​go item. From an ambiance perspective, it’s nothing to write home about, sparse décor, just a tv playing Hispanic music and an array of tables and chairs.
To note, from 11 – 3, each quarter of rotisserie chicken is only $ 5, which is about 2 bucks cheaper than if you buy it outside these hours. I got a half chicken with fries and salad. Their drinks are all canned except their passion fruit drink and their purple corn based drink. Canned items are Inca Colas, Jarritos varieties, and mexican sprite/​coke, which I assume has real sugar in them. I had the purple corn drink and it was SUPER SWEET. Definitely too sweet for me, but if you like sweet, then definitely an option for others. Service took a while, I probably waited a good 10 minutes or more for my food, but wasn’t a huge deal, but just know that you have to wait a while for food.
I’ve had my share of awesome Peruvian Rotisserie Chicken in DC (El Pollo Loco and Super Pollo, both in Arlington, VA) and while this one has similar spices, it was good, but not the same awesome spice mix or as juicy. The fries seemed a little undercooked and the side salad was just iceberg lettuce, 2 slices of cucumber and some slices of radishes.
While not the best, it certainly is a ‘decent’ representation of Peruvian rotisserie chicken. probably won’t make the drive out here again unless i’m already at the casino and have a hankerin’ for Peruvian rotisserie chicken.

I was thrilled to hear a new Peruvian place finally opened in Cbus :)
It is one of my favorite cuisines!
This place serves up VERY authentic Peruvian dishes.
My favorites were a must to try!
–Ceviche (so fresh, served with sweet potato & corn)
–Lomo Salatado (one of my favorite dishes, is a traditional Peruvian dish made with sliced beef, hot chiles, and French fries. They serve it with an amazing hot sauce, I could eat by the gallon :)
…and I had to wash it all down with an Inca Cola!
This place will be a weekly visit I’m sure!