El Pollo Rico — Restaurant in Arlington

When I said I was coming down to DC for a weekend, my comments were flooded with El Pollo Rico requests. What really got me was one person said Anthony Bourdain shot an episode here back in 2007. Done. Sold. That guy is on my Mount Rushmore.

I stepped out of my uber onto a freshly paved parking lot in what felt like the back of a strip center.

I opened the door and nearly fell to my knees when the unmistakable smell of Peruvian Chicken blessed my nostrils. Chemical warfare in the best way possible. This is my happy place.

The interior is the definition of no frills. It's what I imagine a classic chicken spot would look like in Peru: Chickens rotating over a fire breathing charcoal, brightly colored metal chairs and tables, a run down white tile floor straight out of the 90s, and a handful of pictures lining the walls that show love to the home land.

These types of places hold a special place in my heart, as you will see people from all walks of life. You will see some fresh off a job site and others fresh out of Capitol Hill. Everyone is just here for some S-Tier Bird. Some good chicken can truly unite the world.

I went with the half chicken, a side of rice & beans, and plantains which ran $14.99 all in. For the chicken, they use a proprietary marinade with spices from Peru, and it shows. This chicken had a ridiculous amount of motion, we may need a new word for how much motion this had. It may have caused all ring cameras within a 3 mile radius to go off. A top 5 bird I’ve ever had.

The sides were also operating at a high level, but if we are being honest that portion of rice and beans were light. Maybe the Bourdain episode got to them a bit, idk.

The sweet plantains were just as life changing as the bird. Sweet plantains have to be the most underrated side in the world.

The more data I collect, the more I am starting to see that no one does chicken better than the Peruvians. It’s like the Dagestanis in MMA right now. They just have the game on lock.

El Pollo Rico is one of those legendary chicken spots that you can't miss if you're in the area. It’s one of the few restaurants that can truly unite the world. I was so inspired I bought a shirt, hehe. THANK YOU EPR!

IG...

A local favorite of NoVA, enjoyed even by Anthony Bourdain, El Pollo Rico is known as the place to go to try Peruvian chicken.

Their Peruvian chicken is excellent, especially when dining in, since you get to eat it fresh. I will say their plantains have not been as crispy-edged as I prefer, but still delicious.

Their yuca fries are not made in-house (bought pre-made frozen) but tasty nonetheless--The crispy outside, the fluffy insides, the unique yuca potato taste...I'm making myself hungry just thinking about it again.

The one thing I wouldn't recommend ordering here is their desserts, especially their tres leches. It comes in a cup and is more like a parfait of dos leches than tres...I couldn't taste any of the soaked evaporated or condensed milk personally. Their alfajores are amazing when they're good, but they can be inconsistent in quality in my humble opinion.

Lines get long during peak hours, order online. If you order online there's a separate pickup window line, however, since this is Peruvian chicken they will prep it for you when you arrive, not before you arrive FYA.

Plenty of dining room indoors. It's fast casual. They have tap pay.

There is a parking lot for the place but not a lot of spots...

It has been a long time since last visit. I have been coming to El Pollo Rico since late 80’s. It felt like visiting an old friend. It was heart warming to see that it’s still in business and doing brisk business.

There are many Peruvian chicken options now but this is my Peruvian chicken standards. This is where I was introduced to Peruvian charcoal chicken, fried yuca and inca cola.

I stopped by during peak dinner time. While there was line but the chicken was fresh. There were times (lunch) that it served reheated chicken from the previous day but you are guaranteed to get fresh chicken during the peak dinner time.

The chickens are well seasoned and peppery. I always get both mild and hot sauce and mix them to enjoy creamy sauce with kick. Unfortunately the steak fries were soggy; its fries always have been hit or miss for me. The coleslaw was creamy as I remembered but I was disappointed that it stopped serving fried yuca. 🥲.

The whole chicken now cost $19.99 and other prices gone up but it still offers good value. (It used to be under $10 when I started come here. 😃)

4.5 stars for stop serving...