Al Carbón

The all great and mighty Al Carbon what has happened! You introduced me to Peruvian food and it was simply amazing! The store on 29 from the small take out operation to the train store. All gone now just this location and the food is wonderful but it’s just falling off. It’s lost the local charm but is still a nice gateway to your wonderful cuisine. I had the burrito and my wife had the tacos. The chicken and chorizo are wonderful.

Great spot for a family-style meal! The whole chicken with three sides was fantastic—juicy, flavorful, and perfect for sharing. The street corn is a must-try, full of flavor and perfectly seasoned. Don’t skip the hot salsa either—it pairs beautifully with the chicken and really rounds out the meal. If you’re looking for a protein-packed, delicious lunch, this is the place to go.

The food was good, we ordered a family meal, while chicken with yellow rice, yuca frita and Elote. The portion was small for almost $40, if you have a family of 4 it's now worth buying.

A must visit- the food was absolutely delicious: all the tacos, burritos, and roast chicken . The place gets very busy especially at lunch. Fantastic and friendly staff.

RECOMMEND!! Excellent food, friendly staff. We live in Australia and never get the chance to eat proper Peruvian-style chicken. The whole family was very excited and the food turned out great. It was a bit slow, but maybe just seemed that way because we were starving. What came out was amazing - especially the fantastic salsas. Go support this place - you don’t know how lucky we are to have it in our community!!

Food was good but not great. Price was a bit high for the amount of food we got. They took a while and when we got it the food wasn’t even hot. The elote is not worth it. This plate which is a whole chicken, 3 sides and one drink was $38 after tax.

My favorite gluten free lunch in Charlottesville! Just be sure to order corn tortillas. Love the new location!

After the owners split ways, the Al Carbon on 5th street is no longer the same. Service takes longer, food is given in smaller portions for the same price. New cooks, new staff. It ain’t working. I strongly suggest you save time and appetite and visit El Tizón (new name) on Seminole Trail. You’ll thank me!

A good spot to get food. It's fast and casual dining which was perfect for what we were looking for. A quick dinner after a long day of driving. The chicken was tender and it went so well with the different sauces they had for us. I loved the cilantro sauce. That was my favorite one. I loved the ribs. The ribs had a very sweet and delicious sauce. The meat was so tender and fell of the bone. The sides were good too! We got the yucca fries, rice and elotes. We got the horchata which alcohol and without alcohol. My daughter chugged the horchata and the horchata with alcohol came with churros. The churros was a nice way to end our meal.

I had Al Carbon delivered to me back in April as a first time "visit" - so I can't review the service or the location. However, I can review the food. All I ordered was their chicken burrito and the first thing that threw me off was that there was a random hair stuck to the side of the burrito once I unwrapped it. I didn't feel like tossing the whole burrito away for the sake of a hair, so I cut off the piece of the burrito it was stuck to and started eating it. Off the bat, the chicken was extremely greasy and the seasoning just tasted off. It wasn't delicious so I ended up eating about half of it before I stopped. I ended up getting sick later that day. I'm not sure if it was related to the meal or not - but either way, I was super disappointed in the quality of the food since everyone highly recommended Al Carbon to me. I'm open to giving it another try - maybe their non burrito options and the actual chicken options since those seem to be the most popular. What I do know is that I'm never trying the burritos at this place ever again.

Credit where credit is due - their chicken is great. Their burritos are huge. Their service is fast. We love their take out - super fresh, quick, affordable. Folks are always friendly and hard working.

Great chicken and fries..order the quarter white and fries, beans rice and the tequila drink is so good too

Excellent chicken , reasonably priced , always fresh and very tasty . I usually order the Peruvian chicken with the poblano rice . Always an A+!

I don't think Al Carbon gets enough credit for being absolutely great at what it is: a casual dining spot with no frills, fast service and absolutely great chicken. I love it so much that I've eaten here three times in the last week. I'll probably go one more time just to get a nice even number. First of all, the chicken is juicy and the portions are generous. Now, is it the most flavorful chicken on the planet? No, but its pretty close and there are plenty of salsas to gussy it up. I love the mediium and hot salsas, along with the chipotle crema, they really made it taste great. Second the sides. The Mac and Cheese is creamy and rich, the esquites extremely flavorful (though I got mine without mayo). The rice is actually pretty great, too. I love that there are a lot of tables and that the food comes out within a reasonable amount of time. This is a new location for Al Carbon--I first went to their old one years ago, and I was a little worried when coming back to C-ville that the new spot wouldn't be quite as good. Happy to be proven wrong. Fastest five stars I've given in a while.

Please. Teach your cash register people how to treat those who are standing in line (yesterday) at 6:00 for a lengthy period of time. You don't start to take their order, then pick up the phone and proceed to take a long order in Spanish when the person staring at you has driven to Al Carbon, parked in that horribly busy lot, stood in line for 20 minutes and started ordering only to be "beat" by someone calling in. This is busines etiquette 101. First, have SOMEONE else other than the very busy young woman take phone orders. I counted at least 12 employees working behind her. Any one of them could be taking phone orders. Second, tell her to tell the person calling in "Sorry, There are others ahead of you in line here so I'm putting you on hold". You don't make ten people in line wait.

The best mexican food on Cville! I recommended this place is so good. The service was great.

The food here is pretty solid! We ordered the chicken along with the esquite with mayo, poblano rice, Mac and cheese, and salad with the jalapeño cilantro, aji, and chipotle crema sauces for takeout. The chicken was super juicy, and the jalapeño cilantro sauce went really well with it. The other sauces were good as well, but I would probably opt to try other sauces instead. The Mac and cheese was solid, and I really liked the esquite. However, the rice was a little disappointing, and I wish it had more flavor. We also ordered three tacos. I thought they were okay, but I would probably just stick to getting the chicken and sides next time. I would definitely come back and try some of the different sides and sauces!

Food is just fine. The service sucks. Came in and made a to go order and it took them 40+ minutes. No communication either.

Food is amazing! Flavorful and delicious. Chicken , roast veggies, charro beans, yellow rice, and nopalitos con chorizo. All good stuff.

"Bring the whole family together with La familia!" The menu boasts. Uh, no. The "side" of street corn is exactly one cob even though I've paid for an entire chicken. What am I supppisdd to do? Cut the single cob into 4, 5, 6 pieces? (And, no, I just checked - no where on the menu died it sat that the family pack gives you a single ear of corn. The fries were just a blob - not "crunchy on the outside, soft inside" as promised. Threw them out. And - like others have complained here - the man at the counter simply doesn't care about his work and my order filled by him was wrong. The point of Peruvian chicken are the sauces, no? The "La Familia" comes with a choice of two and I selected jalapeño cilantro and the mayo based yellow sauce. It was so important to me to get the sauces that I asked the man (husband is my witness) if the sauces were included when he handed me my order (no 160) tonight. He says "yes". Well, I get home and no sauces. I guess I'm the invisible woman over 60 to him and not worth his time to either get the order right or to respond properly when I ask a question. What do I need to do? Dismantle the entire order tied up in plastic to check every time before I leave? Won't be back.

Delicious authentic Mexican food, the street corn is great and the Carnita tacos were stuffed and homemade corn tortillas

Pretty standard food. Reasonable value for dinner for two. Chicken is very good - sides okay. Atmosphere is what you'd expect for restaurant in a strip mall. Perfectly reasonable meal for a Friday night not-sure-what-to-do-for-dinner kind of night.

I think I may prefer this location of Al Carbon in Charlottesville! Got a handful of small tables for two person seating. They also have outdoor seating in this location. Ordered para papa with esquites and fried plantains for sides w/ Aji sauce. Chicken, as always, was extremely good: soft, tender, juicy, and the meat easily came off the bone. The chicken skin was neither too rubbery nor too crispy. Just right. First time trying esquites, and it wasn't too bad. Good blend of sweet and salty with this premium side. Fried plantains in this location seemed much more "full"? Not as burnt looking. The plantain sauce (which I highly recommend), that comes as extra cost, came in a bigger container too: very good news. I don't know of any other Peruvian styled chicken restaurant in Charlottesville, so this place is definitely worth hitting up. TIP for first timers: I recommend fried plantains, green rice, or Mac & cheese for your sides. These are my top three, I usually get one of these three every time I pay a visit. The Fried Yucca here is also great, eat it before it gets cold!

Came here for dinner with a friend. Not the best Peruvian chicken place I've ever had but it's a still a tasty, affordable, and different meal that provides a change of pace from other casual food options in Charlottesville.   I tried the Para Para-- Half Chicken (dark meat only) with Plantains and Yucca, and Jalapeño Cilantro Sauce. I also tried the Taco Same-- Carne Asada with Mac ń Cheese.   The half chicken was really good. I liked that they have the option to order dark meat only. The chicken was prepared well and tasted delicious in the Jalapeño Cilantro Sauce. The plantains were decent but not amazing. I love plantains but I found that the ones in my order were overcooked and chewy. The Yucca was good, but the texture was not as super crispy on the outside and soft on the inside as orders of fried yucca from my favorite places outside of Charlottesville.   The Carne Asada Tacos were good. Simple yet delicious flavors combined with the sauces and lime. The Mac n Cheese was underwhelming. It was refrigerated and overcooked, and I would not order it as a side again considering the other better options such as Yucca and Plantains.   Overall, Al Carbon is a great spot for Peruvian chicken in Charlottesville. It's a great portion for the price. And I'm so glad they opened another location closer to me on 5th Street. I'll definitely come back when I'm craving Peruvian chicken here.

We put an online order in for pickup. 40 minutes after pickup time order came out of the back and when i got home it was incomplete with two of the three sides missing. The food that came home smells good, the staff, while overwhelmed was polite but this is an unsatisfactory dining experience.

Please don't skimp out on the most underrated item on their menu... the burrito. I ordered a carne asada burrito this time around for ~$10, and the value was a 10/10. It was so big and so worth your money. I am never disappointed when I order any of their burritos because of how much meat and ingredients you get in it. It's so chewy and decadent, and it doesn't make you feel like crap either. Matter of fact, this place felt better than their OG location off of 29. Please go here because it is so good.

We had an excellent meal to go from here during a recent bachelorette stay. We ordered a ton of food, and it was all amazing. Our 43+ item order was also accurate, they didn't miss or mess up anything! The sides are all delicious (especially the mac n cheese) and all of our tacos were tasty. Also very affordable. We will definitely try again.

I ordered online and some of my order was wrong. I ordered 3 mixed taco meals (4tacos) unfortunately they were not correct. The white quarter chicken was bland and had no flavor which was very surprising because it looked like it would be delicious. The staff at pickup were very nice and the restaurant looked clean and well kept inside. I wish our food would've been correct and more flavorful.

We love the north location and finally decided to give this one a shot. This location is MUCH smaller than the other one, but the food is just as amazing. As always, the chicken was moist and delicious and the sides were great.

I go to this location of Al carbon every week for the most scrumptious rotisserie chicken with a side of Yuccas and the Aji sauce. The rotisserie chicken always slaps hard and is the definition of addicting. Their yuccas are always crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside (just the way I like them!). It is especially delicious with any of their homemade sauces. I crave this side on a daily basis although I have heard all of their sides are great. All in all, this is truly a fantastic, clean and friendly hole-in-the-wall that is beloved by locals of all backgrounds and ages from all over Charlottesville.

I wanted to love it after years of hype. I think prices are very reasonable. Each side we got was underwhelming and surprisingly under seasoned, maybe it was what we picked. The chicken seemed greasy. Maybe it was an off day? Service was quick enough. No frills inside.

Fantastic chicken, rice, veggie sides. Warm, friendly staff. Definitely in the rotation for family favorite meals. Too many plastic dishes to be sustainable for takeout, which is why it's only 4 stars.

Yum! What a good take out meal to serve 2-3 people. We got the family size dish (whole chicken, 3 sides). I also made rice at home and we were all happily full! I can't wait to come back and try more of their sides. This time we had yucca, mac n cheese, and friend plantains.

Steak tacos had no flavor, dry and cold. Man at the counter did not greet me, zero personality and he was just as cold as the tasteless tacos. Will not be returning to this spot. The other store up near Wegmans is much better.

Reverse discrimination is still discrimination. I'm actually not sure how the food here is but I assume it's as good as others have said. I walked in with my wife today - our first time here. The menus aren't posted but there a pile of of them in plastic covers in front of the cash register. We picked them up and began to read them as a worker came up from behind the counter and began to ask us what we wanted just as a young man walked in behind us. The worker looked at him past us and nodded. They exchanged a few words in Spanish and the worker started to take his order while we were standing right there in front of him. I moved to the side and they continued to speak in Spanish so I told my wife we should leave. Now, I'm not white (my wife is) but I've had a few such 'uncomfortable experiences'. I seldom regard these incidents as racism. But, I guess you know it when you see it. Like the time I was trying to order something at the train station in Munich GER and was continually ignored by the lady behind the counter for white, German-speaking patrons. It was like I was invisible. After being passed over 3 times, I took out my phone and snapped a picture of the lady behind the counter and the German patron who stepped next to me. Wonders! They suddenly took notice of me and began speaking in very good English (how did they know I didn't speak German but English?). "Hey, what are you doing? You can't take pictures of us! What are you doing??" I said something like, "I thought I might post about how Nazism is alive and well in Munich". I guess Munich is not the only place you might find racism. Now, I don't believe in boycotting retailers because of posts like this. Its just what happened to me. It's your choice where you spend your money.

Needless to say the food is excellent. The staff is very friendly. So now the important stuff, get the plantains with sweet sauce, omg. The chicken and sandwiches are very good as is the elote. In short, eat here!!!!

Cemitas are always A-1. One of the best sandwiches I've had and highly consistent too. Couldn't recommended more.

The chicken burrito was poorly made. It had BONES in the burrito. What kind of burrito has BONES in it? Recommend others to go elsewhere

I was not disappointed by the hype surrounding Al Carbón! I ordered the quarter chicken meal with the yucca fries and jalapeño cilantro sauce. The flavors were immaculate! The quarter size was perfect for me and the chicken was so tender and juicy. My yucca fries were the perfect texture and don't even get me started on that sauce. My friends got the tacos and raved about them. Am looking forward to trying more things from their menus. I will say that there is limited seating inside but more seating outside of the restaurant.

Uh - HELLO, deliciousness! Fried plantains, green rice and the street corn! Fantastic. Chicken was moist and flavorful, perfectly cooked. The staff is friendly, and the food is prepared quickly so it's a perfect stop for lunch on a busy day. 5th Street Stion has a number of very good restaurant options, so there's some tough competition, but it's hard to beat Al Carbon. We eat here at least twice a month. YUM!

Delicious charcoal grilled chicken. Great service and low prices in the otherwise expensive Charlottesville area. They have cute cone ice creams too!!

The food is some of the best in Charlottesville. The burritos and the jalapeño cilantro sauce are to die for. With that being said I was the first person in here this morning and I have been waiting for more then a half an hour for my carry out order. If you come here be ready to wait for a while...

Always a great day when we can come here. Fantastic food and fast/ friendly service. Stopped twice this weekend - it's that good!

This place has some of the best food in Charlottesville. Chicken, tacos, sides and sauces are unique and delicious. I remember when this place was tiny spot in 29. It's so good they had to expand that one and open this one. If you haven't been, highly recommend...

Ordered food for pick up at the Seminole location and came to 5th street like a putz. They made it for me anyway, even though it was ready at the other location. Always nice service with amazing food. Extremely reasonable prices and really consistent quality. Faves: street corn, al pastor tacos with jalapeño cilantro sauce

Foods amazing but staff is grumpy at 5th street. Example: Ordered 2 * ice cream cones for end our meal, and they closed machine before we could get it. No apology, No refund. No cone :-(

The best Peruvian food in C'ville. Best soup, best chicken dishes, great portions at reasonable prices.

Tasty, well-seasoned chicken and the plantains were very good. Good portion for a fair price.

Great food and great customer service and quick as well. Their burrito is amazing so big and heavy and imo cheaply priced

Highly recommend this place for a carryout dinner at a great price. Decided to grab a soft serve lime margarita at the last minute--DELICIOUS! My favorite dish was the sweet plantains. My husband's was the chicken. Just go, you won't regret it!

Went for buttitos after a hike, and was put into a delightful food coma on the ride home. The nopales were great too!

This place is great. Maybe our favorite in C-ville. It's hard to imagine how rotisserie type chicken could be any better than how they make it. The yucca fries with sweet sauce are so good and something new. And, for what you get, the price is very very reasonable.

Best food I have had since moving to Virginia 4 months ago. Tortillas seemed to be made in house; full of flavor, soft, hot. Food came quickly and was served with a smile. The meat was cooked perfectly. I tried the horchata and was nervous but it was GOOD. You get one free refill on it and I made sure to take it home with me. Definitely recommend.

Very good food but the staff can be a bit rude... and not helpful at times. Despite that it's still really good and the prices are low!