September 22, 2006
We Feel Like Chicken Pollo Tonight!
Over the years, we’ve come to think of Peruvian-style chicken, or pollo a la brasa, as the unofficial fast food of the D.C. area. Sure, we’re big fans of all the Afghan and Persian kebab joints, the numerous Vietnamese pho parlors, and the ever proliferating pupuserias, but Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken has the sort of broad cross-cultural appeal that these other equally worthy cheap eats lack.
When it comes to pollo a la brasa, Crisp & Juicy, Edy’s Chicken & Steak, and El Pollo Rico typically garner all of the local food media accolades. So we wanted to check out a couple of the lesser-known purveyors to see if something as seemingly simple as rotisserie chicken is truly a fool-proof dining option.
The amusingly redundant Chicken Pollo turns out to be a solid contender. It’s tucked along the side of Little River Turnpike out in Annandale, and features the sort of treacherous parking lot situation that is usually a harbinger of quality grub.
The menu is brief—they don’t even offer the chorizo options that are standard fare at some of the other places. And aside from the questionable inclusion of a steak and cheese sandwich, they play it safe by sticking with their rotisserie chicken expertise.
Few sights are more glorious to behold than when one of the cleaver wielding countermen pauses from his halving and quartering to check in on the slow roasting contents of the massive charcoal stoked oven: dozens of golden birds skewered along each metal limb of a massive rotisserie tree suspended just above the glowing coals.
They can be ordered as a half-chicken or quarter-chicken platter. The meat is unbelievably succulent and the marinade is just the right blend of sweet and spicy. While they offer sides ranging from plaintains to black beans, we always have a special hankering for their fried yuca. In our opinion, fried yuca is vastly superior to french fries as a medium for condiments. The fried yuca is typically double steak fry sized, and the craggy peaks of its textured surface are perfect for capturing the two sauces that are the traditional accompaniment to Peruvian-style chicken.
Those two condiments are almost as important as the chicken itself, particularly if you’re condiments junkies like we are. There’s the spicy green chili aji and the moderately spicy mayonnaise-based yellow sauce. We always ask for extras of both, as we alternate slathering each one on the chicken and dipping into each one with the yuca.
Chicken Pollo also happens to have excellent tortillas (4 fo $1.00), and their extra-thickness and irregular shape seem to suggest that they’re homemade, if not necessarily made on the premises. They’re perfect for housing a few shreds of chicken, along with a few pieces of lettuce and onion from the homely little salad that accompanies each platter, and one of the two aforementioned sauces.
As a bonus, Chicken Pollo offers a wonderfully refreshing agua fresca made from passionfruit (to avoid confusion, ask for the maracuya). And a number of tempting dulce de leche-based baked treats reside near the cash register. We’re partial to the alfajores.
While Chicken Pollo measures up to the high standards of its D.C. area forebears, the same cannot be said of Señor Chicken. Señor Chicken’s Mt. Vernon Avenue location on the border of Alexandria’s largely Salvadoran Chirilagua neighborhood has tempted us with its signage for years: a tuxedoed rooster with a cane striking a jaunty pose beckons drivers-by to take a chance on its decidedly more humble divey reality. Fittingly enough, Señor Chicken is located right across the street from a car wash called Mr. Wash.
Unfortunately, instead of the sweet and spicy marinade, the chicken tasted mostly of charcoal. Nevertheless, it was succulent within, though still underwhelming overall. This time, the yuca took a back seat to their perfectly fried plaintains. But their truly noteworthy offering turned out to not be chicken related at all.
Their chorizo sandwich is mighty: two enormous chorizo sausages split and served with grilled onions, lettuce, and tomato on a buttered and grilled roll. The chorizo is not too fatty, just a couple strings of fat might create momentary awkwardness, and, of course, one must always be wary of the inevitable rivulet of orange chorizo grease that spills out the back. Still, add in the ubiquitous green and yellow condiments and this is truly a gut-busting delight.
As far as beveraging goes, we’ve always wanted to love Inka Cola just for the name alone, but we found that the syrupy sweetness of the bubblegum flavored Kola Champagne was a better complement to our meal than the slightly drier bubble gum flavor of Inka Cola.
Feel free to tip us to your pollo a la brasa finds in the comments.
Chicken Pollo
7320 Little River Turnpike
Annandale, Va.
(703) 914-5775
Señor Chicken
3410 Mt. Vernon Avenue
Alexandria, Va.
(703) 836-7150
7970 New Hampshire Ave.
Hyattsville, Md.
(301) 445-5399
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What a great topic!
Chicken on the Run (4933 St. Elmo Ave, Bethesda, MD) makes my day. For $5.99 you get a quarter chicken with two sides (I recommend the yuca). No chorizo though.
Don't forget about Chicken Tortilla Restaurant on 8th St. SE. Their chicken is great and they have Trump-tight burritos.
Search no more: Go to El Pollo Sabroso, Mt. Pleasant Street.
I know this his come up on DCist before, but is there currently anywhere to get a German-style doener kebab in the District?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doener_kebab
Have you tried Cafe Mozart?
Pollo Campero on Columbia Pike in Arlington. It's basically a Guatamalan KFC, but damn, is it good...
The best is The Chicken Place right on Route 7 past the Skyline mall and before Baileys Crossroads (in front of Chili's). Small place always packed - I drive from upper DC all the time just to eat there!
yea, not to hijack the comments-- but perhaps a future installment for where to get a decent döner around here?? mmmm, döner.
The best I've found so far (and had approved by Peruvian friends) is Super Pollo in Ballston. The chicked is seasoned to perfection.
I second the Doner Kebab idea. I have searched high and low in the area and can't seem to find anything like it.
Alguien dijo "Pollo Campero"?????
Wordsmith, where exactly is it, and can you get there by Metro?
They have one of those places in the Guatemala City airport, and - I shit you not - people will go there and order like a 20-piece meal to bring with them on the plane. It's insane. I haven't had that stuff since, well, the Guatemala City airport ('02).
If its not Pollo Rico, IT AINT WORTH EATIN
come on, tortillas on the menu? Steak sandwich? What is this, Ruby Tuesdays?
5 Peruvian Chicken places either linked to or reviewed, and not one in DC?
I caught the Mt. Pleasant/El Pollo Sabroso comment, are there other worthy options?
granja de oro (god help me, i can't spell it) on columbia rd across from perry's. yum, Yum, and YUM! i love th super spicy green chile sauce. at first i was like, what's with the mini size? now i know better.
Having lived in both Mount Pleasant and Adams Morgan, I have to say that El Pollo Granjero (on Columbia Road across from the Safeway) kicks El Pollo Sabroso's tushie any day. The "Campero Combo", basically a sub sandwich with both steak and chicken, is phenomenal.
Reid, I've never been to Cafe Mozart, but just checked out the menu online, and it doesn't look promising. Have you seen doener there or were you just throwing it out there as a possibility? And even if they do have it, doener is best when it comes from a total hole in the wall or a street vendor. None of this tables and utensils stuff.
Dear DCist-
Can you review a restaurant that is actually located IN DC for once? Just once?!
Thank you.
It is all about El Pollo Rico...everything else is a pretender. I miss the original location.....
'Pio Pio' on Wilson Blvd in Arlington is amazing. And probably the most affordable place for pollo a la brasa in Arlington. Their yuca is delicious, too.
For those in search of the Doner Kebab, the topic has been addressed.
Jason-
Pollo Campero is all over DC now (thank goodness)! Now people don't have to bring it on the airplane any more. I'm going to have to have some for lunch now. :)
Here's their website w/ the addresses
http://www.campero.com/restaurantes/listado_estadosunidos.php
Pollo Campero in Baily's is my twice-annual guilty pleasure. There's a place in my Alexandria hood, but it's hit/miss and I haven't been in awhile. BTW, I made "beer can chicken" on my grill last weekend for the first time, and wow it was delicious.
As for the complaints that all the suggested restaurants in the comments are not in DC, there's a simple reason for that. New immigrants come to the suburbs because housing is cheaper, commercial space is cheaper, they have better schools for their kids to attend, and that's where their friends and family already live.
If you want true diversity of ethnicity, income, nationality, and cuisine- you need to venture outside of the district.
afb -
All over DC? Their site says they have one in Falls Church and one in Herndon, with a Columbia Heights location coming soon. Has the CH one opened? Or are there others?
I saw people applying for jobs at the CH one this weekend.
Bill:
Your reading of the above comments and your analysis are off.
First, no one complained that *all* of DCist's suggested restaurants were not in DC. I complained that *none* of them were. Second, 3 of the restaurants suggested *in the reader comments* are in DC. Not none of them. Third, I don't know what areas of DC you're familiar with, but many parts are as or more diverse as anything the burbs have to offer. Lastly, I'll note that in 10 minutes I can walk or bike to any of the reader-suggested DC pollo places. Have fun asphaulting over God's green earth, and then driving in traffic to grab your carry-out.
I haven't had it yet, but i noticed when I was down there yesterday that Inca Chicken just opened on 11th and U.
la casa blanca on vermont ave downtown has pretty good pollo a la brasa ... also try la villa on 14th and about P street (can't remember) .. IMO the best deal for lunch
I second Super Pollo in Ballston.
NOVA sucks. 'NUFF SAID!
Thanks for the head's up, Hillrat.
NOVA sucks. 'NUFF SAID!
[29] Posted by: WORD | September 22, 2006 1:58 PM
Hey, we all know your mom sucks too, but we don't go shoutin' it in public forums.
Pollo Campero: It's about two blocks west of the Columbia Pike Rt. 7 interchange. No convenient metro access, sorry. As an aside, also check out the Full Kee there in the best buy shopping center (Rt. 7/columbia pike) for the best Chinese food in Arlington.
n
Since we're on the topic of chicken, can we remind everyone not to drop their chicken bones all over the sidewalk? (Actually, I doubt DCist readers are the culprits.)
i went to inca chicken randomly the day after it opened. it actually has a pretty nice upstairs dining room, so it beats a lot of the take out joints on U in that respect. my roommate got the chicken sandwich with the fried yuca, both were very good. the chicken sandwich was on nicely toasted bread, and the yucca was crispy but not mushy. I got the half chicken. It came with a nice salad and four really good sauces. All in all it was a great place, and I’ll go back soon. The only complaint is that it was sort of slow. that might have to do with it being only their second day, but you might want to call in advance.
Yummmmmm, chickennnnn.
Jason-
Sorry to get your hopes up- I should have said all over the DC area. It seems like one is opening up in Columbia Heights but they don't say when. There's one in Wheaton and one in Gaithersburg (Lakeforest Mall), and maybe one more but I just don't remember.
The other Maryland 'burb Pollo Campero is in Langley Park, on University Boulevard right near the intersection with New Hampshire Avenue.
I heartily endorse Super Pollo in Ballston, as well as the Wheaton outpost of El Pollo Rico which is no longer affiliated with the NoVa El Pollo Rico. I've seen the line at Super Pollo grow to 20 people or more at lunchtime, and their sides are particularly good, as is their Chicken Sub made from big chunks of the rotisserie chicken cooked up on the grill with onions, peppers, cheese, etc. The reason there aren't very many choices listed from in the District is simply that most of these places just aren't in the District.
I second CHICKEN TORTILLA! By far THE BEST. They were able to make their chicken and sauces PERFECT right off the bat, which has allowed them to expand into other areas. Something for everyone in this joint. Great burritos! (made with the rotisserie chicken itself) It is by the Navy Yard on 8th Street.
I could agree more! Chicken tortilla's fresh chicken and meat is taken straight out of the rotisserie/charcoal oven. Unlike other rotisserie chicken places, Chicken Tortilla is unique becuase it combines peruvian and mexican flavors, sauces, and spices. I can't wait untile they open more in and around DC!
It would appear that astroturfing in DCist comments is not simply limited to political campaigns . . .
Nate, you are correct sir!! But I just got done eating my first meal from Chicken Tortilla and I guarantee that it won't be my last. Food was damn tasty and unlike many area takeout joints, service was fast, fast, fast.