Mario's Peruvian Chicken

This was my first time trying Mario’s. I was so excited they had Arroz Chaufa and I added chicken. They made it quickly and you get a good amount for the price. But I’m really disappointed in the rice. It barely has any flavor. The chicken tastes great. The rice taste like white rice cooked in chicken or beef broth. It’s definitely lighter in color than pics in reviews. I’m hoping it’s a one off.

Mario’s Peruvian Chicken is a hidden gem in Mount Pleasant! I had the 1/4 chicken with coleslaw and yuca root fries, and everything was absolutely delicious. The chicken was perfectly seasoned and juicy, with that signature Peruvian flavor that’s hard to beat. The coleslaw was crisp and refreshing, and the yuca fries—wow—crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and seriously addictive. The staff was friendly, and the service was quick. If you’re looking for bold flavors and a great meal, Mario’s is the spot!

Delicious well-seasoned half chicken, huge and crispy yucca fries, lots of coleslaw, all for $16.50! Great portion for the price and easy to share

They were out of American fries when I visited. Half chicken with dark meat and a double order of yucca fries was enough for 2 people. It came with 2 great sauces. There is a self order kiosk inside.

This place is good, the chicken falls from the bones, tasty and tender. The only thing this place is missing is a chicken soup, steamed vegetables, or spicy salsa like those in Mr. Pollo in Chicago,

I order delivery when I take in house call and am at the hospital for 24h+. This place is incredible. Chicken was still hot when it got to me downtown from MTP. Hugely flavorful cooked to perfection and while the delivery window was long, it arrived basically on time. 10/10 will order again.

Decided to try this restaurant while vacationing and staying at a hotel within walking distance. So delicious! It was our first time trying Peruvian food and it was a hit for us all (including two preschoolers). A whole chicken with 3 sides was plenty for our family of 2 adults, 2 kids.

I paid extra for the Peruvian rice, but this is all I got for almost $30 including a 20% tip for to go... now it is too far go back and get it corrected.

Simple menu, no table service, beautifully cooked chickens in plain sight, and quick. What more can you ask for. We ate in but I can easily see this as a take-out option. I think many do. We over-ordered but nothing went to waste because I ate the leftovers the following day. The Yuka fries were my favorite dipped in a hot sauce. We had 3 people so got the whole chicken with 3 sides. Our other 2 sides were a garlic rice(decent) and green beans(very good). We ordered plantains as well which were delicious. We ordered something else that I can't remember what it was called but it consisted of potatoes, boiled egg, and a sauce. Decent but I could have done without. 3 primary options are quarter chicken(white or dark meat), half chicken, or whole. So easy to figure out what to buy based on the amount of folks you are ordering for. Overall impression was great. No real ambiance to speak of although there were a good amount of outside tables that might be nice on a clear day with good conditions. Not a lot of reason to eat here though. I am sure the delicious chicken tastes good when you get it home or to your destination. I will be back.

The chicken was moist, and the Peruvian sauce was exactly as I remember from our trip to Peru!!

They were out of chicken when I went. Owner was matter of fact and definitely overly friendly. Food was just ok. Won't be back

Although this might be a chain, if the others are anything like this one I will NOT stop by them. We stopped by before heading out of the area and this was open. Now I enjoy a good spit roasted chicken, like at Alpaca and Viva Chicken but this was not in their league. I ordered 1/2 chicken with yucca fries and rice and a side of Maduros (sweet plantain). All of the food was cool, not warm and unfortunately I am not a person to send food back because I'm not sure what I'll get back. When I asked about the two sauces, yellow and green, there was a $0.50 charge for another sauce cup that wasn't even filled up. I told them I just wanted the yellow sauce and they gave me attitude. At first glance you only see the first menu screen and when we walked in the girl motioned us to the counter that didn't show a full menu which made it hard to see what was there. I was looking for the fried plantain ( Tostones) but it was a challenge to ask what they had as well as get a ton of attitude. I did ask for a military discount and again I was give a sarcastic look and she responded NO. The inside was terrible, and you need a Bathroom code 0818 to take a leak. Nothing like heading there then back track to get a code. We sat down to eat and midway they started cleaning up and sweeping while we ate. Nothing like kicking up dirt and dust into your food. Even the drink area was a mess. Will not be returning. Sorry, need better attitude and customer attention

Food taste was good. Food temp of some of the sides was not. Green beans and plantains are better when hot. Fries and rotisserie chicken were excellent. Service was friendly and helpful. Place is clean and was comfortable eating there. Easy walk from hotel across street. I'll probably try it again on next visit.

The chicken was dry and the sauce was not all that tasty. The skin had good flavor but that's where it ended. I love Peruvian chicken and this place misses the mark. The dining room was quite dirty so I ended up doing takeout. They have a cicha morada machine that is broken and it looks like the remaining liquid has been sitting in the machine for days. The yuca fries were decent. The rice was very dry. Perhaps I went at a bad time because the other reviews seem quite positive?

We took a shot on Mario's and we're glad we did. For $100, you can feed 4 dudes two whole chickens, a few sides, a mountain of fries, and some bonus plantains. We appreciate Mario's making the packing/unpacking easy while we were watching some hoops and catching up. What sets Mario's chicken apart is their sauces. Yes, the chicken is rotisserie style and delicious, especially the skin. However, when you take the chicken and rice for a spin in the (very unique) rocoto and/or amarillo (our fave) sauce, you're in for a treat. We're writing this review because the young man (didn't get his name) working the register and ovens was an impressive brand ambassador. He championed the brand, complimented our choices, and asked how we heard about Mario's. Always a good sign, it's nice when employees are enthusiastic (and even passionate) about their product. We look forward to our next chicken run, plantains, and saucy sides.

I'm half Peruvian, but born in the US and grew up in a home where we ate Peruvian food all the time. I lived in Peru off and on growing up, which I think allows me some latitude to critique. This place is LEGIT. Excellent food! Perfect execution of Peruvian cuisine. Got the pollo a la brasa (Peruvian style rotisserie) and the rest of the family went with lomo saltado (beef stir fry). Bang bang bang! Five stars all day!

Absolutely delicious fast causal resturant! Holy cow this food was soooo good. We got the half chicken, white rice, fries and plantains. These were the best plantains I've had in charleston and don't even get me started on the sauces they were AMAZING! Everything we had was fresh and delicious! Highly recommend this place!! They have awesome dine in and take out and look forward to coming back!

Delicious food! I stop here to grab dinner at least once every other week. A 1/4 chicken with some yucca fries and green beans is the way to go.

It's a small fast casual spot where you order at the counter and grab one of the few tables inside or a few more outside. I love the eats at Mario's! The Chicken is so flavorful and I've been wanting to try the lomo saltado but they were out of it last time. I did try the rice and added chicken which was delicious as well. The chicken in it wasn't as good as when you get it off the bone, but it's still a great dish. You have to get the sauce too which adds even more flavor. You get a small amount though so when I I went to order more I ended up having to buy a container of it because they wouldn't take a card for less than $5 even though I just spent $50 a few minutes before. I feel like they could make an exception. This leads me to my issue with the place which is the service. They aren't very friendly and I've noticed this multiple times. You ask questions and get one word answers... no thank you's or hellos which is just common courtesy. I don't understand. That being said, I'm not coming here for ambiance am I? I'll still stop in for chicken and am looking forward to checking out the one they open in North Charleston... maybe they'll be a bit friendlier in there.

I've had Peruvian food in Peru so I was excited to try this place. The place is small, with limited seating and at the time only one person working so it took a bit longer but he was very nice. I was surprised they didn't have any huancaina sauce which is a staple in Peru. I ordered the lomo saltado (steak stir fried with onions and tomatoes over rice and papa Fritos aka steak cut fries) and hubby got the 1/2 chicken with 2 sides. Chicken was very tender and seasoned well, Fries were good but very disappointed with the green beans. Totally over cooked and lacked anh flavor or even just salt. It's like they've been sitting in a pot for too long and got watery. Looked better in the advertisement. The steak was good but you didn't get very much for being a $20 dish, sauce was nice and savory. If you want extra sauce it's .75cents for each ramekin. They're a creamy Mayo based sauce which you do get with the chicken dish. The Fries reheated the next day are no good, I would recommend air frying them instead. A couple things here and there could've made it better but we still enjoyed our lunch.

Traveled down to Charleston specifically so my parter could show me this place. He was a big fan when he went last time, and absolutely loved their chicken. Even when we came in so late (8pm), the service was quick and easy (though their rotating menu made it a bit hard to pick what I wanted). Our food was still nice and warm even after about 30+ minutes of driving around and running an errand, so I know it would have been piping hot when eaten fresh. We got the small fried plantains ($5.50), lomo saltado ($20.25), 1/2 chicken (with green beans and garlic rice - $15.50), pinono ($?), and 2 maracuyas ($3.99 ea). We split the fried plantains and the pinono on our drive over to our errands before we ate our entrees. The fried plantains were very sweet, and tasted even better with the aji amarillo sauce. They tasted alright with the rocoto, but the aji amarillo was the better pairing in our opinion. The pinono.. we were not as impressed by. It was cold, dry, and very dense. It almost tasted flavorless to me, but my partner said he could taste the sweetness. It kind of just tasted like old pound cake minus the icing in my opinion. The lomo saltado was a new flavor profile for me, and I quite enjoyed it. The tomato slices and the red onions paired with the steak wonderfully, and the fries soaked in the steak juice were delicious. My only issues were that the steak was a bit too tough for my liking and the rice was a little too sweet. However, I was pleased with the meal as a whole and only didn't finish the rice. My partner got the 1/2 chicken meal. He said that the chicken was very tender; the rice was soft, savory, and satisfying to eat; and the green beans were a little soft for his taste, but had a fantastic flavor that paired excellently with the rice. He also added the rocoto sauce to his rice to add some flavor. From what I could taste of the chicken when I tried it, I thought it had a very cumin-heavy seasoning, but otherwise it was a pretty decent flavor. We both absolutely loved the passion fruit juice (maracuya) and were craving it before we went down to Charleston. It had a good flavor and wasn't too overly sweet. It paired well with the meal. Additionally, their to-go packaging was sturdy and kept our food warm. My only (small) criticism would be that napkins, straws, and utensils were not put in the bag. Had I not grabbed them in the restaurant just in case, we would have been SOL. Makes sense if we were taking it home, but in this case we were eating it by the beach. Not really a problem, but something to keep in mind when you order. ---------------------- Over all: My ratings: **Fried plantains: 7/10 (with sauce 7.5/10) **Pinono: 3/10 **Lomo saltado: 8.4/10 **Maracuya: 8.5/10 Partner's ratings: **Chicken (white & dark): 8.5/10 **Rice: 8/10 **Green beans: 7/10 **Pinono: 5/10 **Maracuya: 9.5/10 Total rating: 7.16/10 (or 3.58/5 rounded to 4/5) Total paid: ~$55+

Solid spot in Mt Pleasant town center. The half chicken was delicious, but the fries were a bit dry. Also wish they were more generous with their sauces - you get 2 very small sauce containers and have to pay extra for more. Really liked the plantains. Overall a comforting food and I'll be back to try the lomo saltado.

Went for take out based on recent visit to a Peruvian chicken restaurant in London.Unfortunately did not meet our expectations. Service was good chicken dry, little flavor, sides were acceptable

My husband and I split the 1/2 chicken, coleslaw, yuca fries, and plantains. Plenty of food for 2 people! I appreciated that the coleslaw wasn't sweet and it did have great savory spices. Plantains are not commonly seen around charleston so we loved that! The chicken was seriously amazing. So much flavor throughout!! The atmosphere is no frills but there was a cool touch screen counter service ordering system that I thought was neat. We will absolutely be back here especially for the chicken!! So good!!!

Great food! They are really busy with to go orders. Please keep that in mind when going. Some people ordered online before arriving to eat. I don't get frustrated when restaurants are busy with to go orders. Glad they are thriving in this economy. Chicken was great with lots of flavor, you don't need any sauce. It is yummy just like it is. Everything I ate was really good. We ordered the whole chicken. Cole slaw, Yuka, rice and beans. I have no complaints at all. The waitress was very sweet. They have outside seating, great if you are traveling with your pet. Not fine dining (which i like) but taste like fine dining.

Succulent, perfectly marinated rotisserie chicken, tender and juicy, paired with the most delicious yucca fries, garlic white rice, fresh slaw and their authentic (ADDICTIVE) sauces. Don't forget to wash it all down with a refreshing Chicha Morada drink....lunch doesn't get more authentic and fulfilling than this! .....the only thing I wish they had was the legendary "salsa criolla" from Peru, it would go really well over their delicious rice and would help balance and contrast the other flavors. Allison was a great server, friendly and quick, we will be back soon to try items from their specials menu, which is not available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

We chose this place to have lunch, however we were disappointed. We had been standing waiting at the counter for the woman who should acknowledge your presence, but after five minutes of waiting for her I seen an order kiosk. I went ahead and placed my order, which took a while and I had to keep checking to see if it was ready. The food was just alright. Not very cozy nor inviting. It's a fast food place so not much is expected.

The food is incredible and the service is too! Don't overlook this hidden gem in Mt Pleasant! Flavorful, fresh and fantastic!

I had to get out of my usual take out choices ... Mexican, Chinese and Pizza ... then I remembered a business that I'd been meaning to check out and voila ... it was worth the trip. Mario's Peruvian chicken is a no frills, limited menu establishment in the Sweetgrass Shopping Center on HWy 17N near the IOP Connector. There's a few tables to eat outside but I recommend takeout. The star is Peruvian chicken, marinated, seasoned and roasted crispy to perfection. I opted for the 1/4 chicken and paid an up charge for all white meat (breast and wing). The plate comes with a choice of 2 sides ... I chose Peruvian string beans and Cole slaw. Also included were two wonderful sauces for dipping ... Peruvian Hot Pepper and Peruvian Mild Yellow Pepper. The spice is heavy on cumin which I love. Also available is marinated sirloin steak, yuca fries, Peruvian style fried rice (which looked fabulous), steak fries and white rice. The portions are very generous and delicious. The chicken was tender and moist. The sides were oh, so tasty. If you're on this side of town and want something different and delicious, bookmark Mario's Peruvian Grill. You'll thank me.

It's mediocre Peruvian... now Viva Chicken in Nexton...... (Summerville) The best .. the customer service is top tier and the food as well

At the end of our trip to Charleston, we were looking for a local place that served something different. Yelp helped us find Mario's. This is a must eat place in Charleston. It's very small and located in a shopping complex. Don't t let that deter you. The chicken is the best I've ever had.. anywhere. It is slow roasted on a spit over charcoal. The meat is tender and tasty from marinating and the spices on the skin are flavorful and delicious. Then there are the sides.... The yucca fries are an abode must. Fried golden and paired with either a mild or spicy sauce. I mixed them together. The garlic rice is also very delicious as is the slaw. We saw several people with the green beans and wished we had gotten them. Fountain or bottled drinks. No alcohol. Great food at a good price!

A really unique place but well worth seeking out. The rotisserie chicken is chopped right in front of you and it so darn delicious, the special spices I just can't get enough of. The fries and green beans are solid as well, only knock is that the best part of this place is their two different pepper sauces that you want to cover every bite in, but you'll have to spend a lot to do so, as each sauce costs extra and they're in tiny portion cups. Definitely worth coming here though!

First time here, ordered the Lomo Saltado and it was absolutely delicious. Flavorful, hot and fresh. It came with steak fries and garlic white rice, also delicious! I would go back here.

Delicious chicken. Yuca is great too. Their policies however keep changing and they are insane. If you want a whole chicken, you get to pick three sides. But you can't repeat a side - this is new/ since we always got two orders yuca and one order steak fries - I hope they change it. The guy taking our order gave us a "one time" option to get two of the same side ( but again this is such a petty demand) Picking a side means you literally get to "pick"

Food is very tasty food! I was craving it the next day! The spice is perfect across the chicken, slaw, and green beans.

Customer service was pretty bad. The chicken was dry. The bathroom has a combination which it is an inconvenience

I had Mario's with friends a couple months ago and decided to order on Uber eats this evening. The food is absolutely delicious and well priced. I ordered the 1/4 chicken with coleslaw and rice. The serving sizes are generous. I also ordered the fried plantains which are perfectly fried. I chose the white meat and it was very tender. The coleslaw is really good and flavorful. They have me side of the spicy and regular sauce and both compliment the chicken perfectly. I preferred the less spicy version, but if you like a kick, to for the spicy. I will definitely order Mario's again soon!

Called on. Tuesday about 11:30am for take out lunch . They were out of yucca fries. Ordered the 1/2 chicken with rice & string beans. Did not receive these incredible sauces I read about in the Yelp reviews. Its not calling me back.

Mom and pop Peruvian chicken spot. The chicken is delicious and moist with flavor that's out of this world. Yuca is very tasty.

Awesome place! I tried the purple corn juice which was unique and tasted great and had the Peruvian fried rice dish that had an awesome ginger flavor.

This is the best Peruvian Chicken rotisserie in Mount Pleasant with fantastic side items for a perfect price for you beachside dinner. Every time we are in Isle of Palms SC we get carry out.

Having been to Peruvian restaurants before, this one is definitely stellar. While the menu is limited (basically chicken with a choice of various sides plus a cookie like dessert), everything I tried was completely delicious and pleasantly different than other places I've tried. I recommend the chicken with green beans and rice as both are really flavorful and not like the typical American versions. The owners (Mario from Peru and his wife from Colombia) are genuinely down to earth and readily assist you with any questions about the menu or Peru.

Every time I go somewhere new, I have to find a Peruvian restaurant. The chicken had a lot of flavor and reminded me of my home country, however it was dry. It could be because they have the chicken already prepared and under a light and probably that makes it dry. We also ordered a pionono that we couldn't finish and it tasted old. I would probably go back if I know the chicken will be fresh,

The food here is good and is a great place for new flavor from the other kinds of food in Charleston! They're known for their roasted chicken and sides. This place is also a great lunch spot, and I've always ordered ahead just in case!

Really great and tasty food with quick, friendly service. The owner is super kind The yucca fries are perfect Green beans are very flavorful Chicken is also perfect 100% recommend & will be back!!!

This local spot is our family's go to take out on a weekly basis!!! We love Mario's! Get the yuca fries with yellow sauce! Also, I don't know what they put in their rice but it's amazing!

Out of ths world delicious chicken, and what they do with green beans is amazing. I enjoyed, really enjoyed my first ever Yuca root fries, and to drink, i got this purple drink that is Wonderful, unlike anything I've had. It's made from blue corn juice with cinnamon and clove spices. Totally Peruvian, immensely fantastic food. And the women who run this new eatery hail from different countries in Latin and South America, and each contributing delights and delicious food from their cultures. Warm and wonderful. And they'll be serving ceviche on select weekends. Bon apetit, indeed. LP

Way overrated! Chicken was solid to good - think grocery store rotisserie chicken with better spices and really bad sides. Yuca fries were way way way overcooked. They were wooden (think Jenga blocks) and a couple only had a thick hard shell with just a dry core. The green beans were soggy and limp from a can with a decent flavoring. The savior of the meal was the plantains - super tasty gooey and good caramelization. Can't get as one of the sides with the meal. So here my pro tip skip the meal just get an order of plantains. Disclaimer: we didn't get any sauces. My daughter when there the next day and loved it because of the sauces.

I found this location tucked away on the side of Town Centre. The parking was very convenient and close to the restaurant. The food here was great. The food was very flavorful and quickly prepared. The portions are great and the takeout was packaged perfectly for transport. It is must try location

The vegetables and Yucca fries delicious! But the Chicken! oh my goodness. It has to be the best roasted chicken out there. Definitely a great little place to stop in for a quick bite to eat! Don't forget your sodas and your sauces! I can drink them with a straw!

I went with great expectations, the truth is that I was not disappointed, the food is really good, the atmosphere is good, the service is fast... what I liked the most was that they had inka cola, a typical Peruvian soft drink.

A pleasant surprise when needing a quick dinner. Reasonably priced for a fantastic meal and decent portions. Had to complement Mario on the taste of the meal as it was superb. Next time back in this area we will visit again

Good food! We were looking for something quick & easy for dinner and we chose Mario's after viewing the profile on Yelp. The chicken was delicious and the sides topped it off. We had the whole chicken with a side of green beans, coleslaw, and the steak fries. The food was prepared quickly and we took it home and devoured it! If you're long for yummy roasted chicken with some delicious seasoning, this is where you need to go.

This place is really good. I've had several different menu items and it's all tasty. They are stingy with the sauce and it gets expensive if you want to buy additional sauce but besides that A+. With that said the sauces are both really good and worth it to buy extra if you're a sauce guy or gal.

Wonderful establishment with great peruvian chicken as the main feature for your pleasure. Located just off hwy 17 is where you'll find this hidden gem, the staff is very friendly and patient . Options are 1/4 1/2 chicken portions which are very good sizes depending on your appetite . Also the yuca fries and the cole slaw are definitely worth checking out. This place is very clean and professional , also the decor reflects the owners culture. The manner in which your food is prepared is very quick , and the staff pays attention to detail , so your order is prepared correctly. The peruvian chicken is prepared with a very special sauce / seasoning that's tasty for sure . This place is very authentic and genuine at the same time, you'll feel welcomed and embraced when you enter the building . I highly recommend this place !!!!

Definitely worth a try! It is not your typical type of food! I am a fan of Viva Chicken which we don't have here, but it is similar, it is Peruvian food. But this chicken was better. It was moist and flavorful. The yellow rice, served on the weekends was amazing. It had great flavor. We opted for the whole chicken with three sides for the family. It was cheaper to go that route. We walked out with a box of food. The coleslaw was good. I did not care much for the fries. They needed to be cooked longer and did not have any seasoning. I wish we would of ordered the green beans. They looked tasty. The sauces were delish as well. The staff was very friendly and helpful.

The people working (I think they are the owners) were rude which surprised me. We ordered chicken plates and Lomo Saltado. The Lomo Saltado was literally rancid meat. I asked myself if they did it on purpose but I felt too worried to make them angrier by telling them. So I just threw $20 out in the trash which is frustrating. The chicken is really good. They don't serve any beans except green beans which is a little bit of a disappointment since this is South American food. The Yuka was hard but edible I guess. Just so put off by the lack of courteousness and rotten steak. Do NOT order that!