Kat K.
Yelp
We got hungry while running errands and didn't know what to eat, so when we passed by Peruvian, we decided to give Don Pollo a shot!
I believe there are multiple locations, but we went to the one by Metropolitan Avenue. There is dine-in available as well as takeout.
We ordered: chicken soup, the Don Pollo Combo, and the Tallarin Verde (Peruvian Steak and pasta). The Don Pollo Combo is $33 and includes one whole chicken, a salad, Peruvian fried rice, maduros (sweet plantains), and salchipapas (french fries with cut up slivers of hot dogs).
Peruvian restaurants are of course known for their chicken and their sauces--and they did not disappoint! Their green sauce was good, not too spicy, there was a honey-mustardy sauce, as well as a garlic sauce dressing to go with the salad. All the sauces are great if you guys love sauce.
The chicken fried rice was flavorful, and distinctly Peruvian--with notes of ginger (?) And other spices that give it a unique taste. The chicken was juicy and flavorful on its own, as well as with the paired green sauce. The salad was plentiful, with iceberg lettuce, broccoli, shaved carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, and half an avocado.
I was not fond of how soggy the french fries and hot dogs were, but this was for takeout so if you have this in the restaurant it might be different. I crisped them as well as the maduros up in my air fryer and we were good to go!
The major cons were with the chicken soup and the steak. My mother in-law is an amazing cook but since she was sick--we wanted to get her chicken soup. But as a seasoned chef, she had noticed that the chicken was store bought instead of from a vivero (like, live chicken farms, which they do have sprinkled around the city) and where other Peruvian restaurants have given us before. They did not cut the chicken so it was all one big piece, and it was too salty.
The steak was seasoned very well, albeit looking nothing like the photo! As you can see from my photos, its a very small thin piece, it was a wonder why they asked how we would like it cooked. Keep in mind, at restaurants like these (non-steakhouses) you are going to get well done steaks EVERY time! Then again for $15, you kind of get what you pay for, so it's understandable. The green pasta that came with the steak--the special sauce here is just pesto guys xD Not sure why it's advertised as something Peruvian haha. But it was plentiful and tasty.
The desserts were tasty as well, their tres leches cake was good, as well as their passion fruit cheesecake. Eating the cheesecake alone, it kind of didn't taste like cheesecake, but together it tasted pretty good.
Overall a good experience, with a couple of needed improvements. Try it out and see what you guys think! :) If I could give it 3.5 stars I would!