Sardi's Pollo A La Brasa - Bowie — Restaurant in Bowie

I have been dining at different Sardi's locations for about a decade now. It started when an old coworker and I would pick a new restaurant to experience every Wednesday. After a few months, we made our way to the Sardi's located at Capitol Heights and fell in love with the food so much that our weekly adventure to try out the new suddenly became a committed "Sardis Wednesday" instead.

One week, we were busy with work and couldn't take the hour to eat out. Rather than forego our favorite meal of the week, we got our orders "to go." Our other co-workers saw us eating our meals and they smelled/looked so good that they asked to be included the next week. Sardi's Wednesday suddenly became a big hit and week after week, it continued to grow and grow. Over time, it became a whole process that left me placing $200-300 orders over the phone and then retrieving them and having to develop a whole system to get them to where they needed to go at our office.

Luckily, that Sardi's was a well oiled machine and there was a young man that helped with my order every week and was so on top of it that, honestly, the toughest part about Sardi's Wednesday shockingly had nothing to do with Sardi's, but on my side with the logistics. He was fantastic, somehow never messing up these complicated and lengthy orders and having them done in a very timely manner! He helped every week until my career took me elsewhere in 2016.

Well, a few weeks ago, my fiancée and I joined her sorority sister from college and her new fiancé at the Bowie Town Center and, hungry after a fun escape room, we made our way into the Sardi's there. It was the nicest location we had been to yet! They even had an ice cream shop!

After placing our orders, we got to the cash register and sure enough, there was a recognizable face manning the point of sale machine. He said I looked familiar and within moments, we pieced it together. That young man that was a godsend helping with those crazy orders a decade ago at the Capitol Heights location was now running the show at the Bowie location! As cheery and pleasant as ever, he shared with my fiancée his perspective of the "Sardi's Wednesday" phenomena and she absolutely loved hearing about his recollection.

We came to find out that "the young man", JC, is the founder's son and has been working his way up ever since. They could not have found a better champion and ambassador for their brand!

After the pleasantries ended, the 4 of us sat to enjoy our food. As much as I had hyped up Sardi's and how much we love their food, our friends, being introduced to Sardi's for the first time, told us that we somehow undersold it. Their minds were blown and they loved it just as much as we did!

We wrapped up with a trip to the Sardi's Ice Cream window, which was serving Bruster's Ice Cream - another favorite of mine having lived in Annapolis for almost 10 years at one point. What a great idea to combine the two!

Suffice it to say, the Bowie Sardi's is our new favorite location for one of our favorite restaurant experiences and they have loyal, life-long customers in us.

If you are in the mood for great Peruvian Chicken, some great Ice Cream, unparalleled customer service, and an absolutely wonderful dining experience, please do yourself a favor and make your way over to Sardi's Bowie! Maybe you'll get lucky and JC will...

Today we went to Sardi's in the Town Center and had the worst experience. We asked the cashier what was in the Horacha drink and she said rice milk and cinnamon. My daughter, who is allergic to peanuts, got a sample of the "rice milk and cinnamon." A short time later her throat started to close up. I asked the cashier for water and asked her again what is in the drink, she didn't answer and continued to pack orders instead of getting the water. She finally gave me a cup, and pointed to the water in the drink, fountain machine behind me. My daughter still concerned about her throat told me to ask, again, about the drink. I did, and the cashier finally brought out the drink mix so I could read the ingredients. And sure enough peanut in the list of ingredients in the powdered mix for the Horacha drink. It was not rice milk and cinnamon afterall. My daughter is fine, after a trip the ER and administration of steroids to prevent the anaphylaxis shock triggered by the "rice milk and cinnamon" drink.

After the ER, I returned to Sardi's to speak to the manager, who had no idea what was in the Horacha. He did not apologize, did not offer to refund my money, or offer a gift card. The two cashiers that served us seemed apologetic, but the male cashier said, "We did not know what was in the drink." In fact he kept telling me there was no peanuts even after I told him the ingredient list stated plainly peanuts. I demanded that the manager post a label on the drink so that other customers know that this drink is made with peanuts. He nodded, but did not seem to appreciate the harm to customers with life threatening peanut allergies.

Please beware that fountain drinks in these establishments are not safe for people with food allergies. And, who would think that a drink would have peanuts! I want to share this, so that no one has the experience my...

I placed an order by phone on Saturday September 6 2025 at 9:15 PM for two meals: lamb chops with black beans and Brussels sprouts, and salmon with white rice and black beans. When I arrived at 9:20 PM, the restaurant door was locked even though closing time was not until 10:00 PM. After calling, the staff let me in, acting confused about why the doors were locked.

I paid for my order at 9:28 PM, but every customer who came in after me received their food first while I was still waiting. When I asked about my order, I was told my salmon had been given to someone else and they were remaking it. By then it was already 9:58 PM, and the staff was breaking down the food line for closing even though I still had no food.

In the restaurant business you should not be breaking anything down before closing. You should be serving fresh food and giving full service all the way up until the time of closing. No exceptions.

Throughout the wait, I was offered a free drink and even half a chicken as a substitute, but I declined since I just wanted the meals I ordered. The manager Norina apologized multiple times, and the staff also told me the kitchen staff do not speak English and do not understand anything. I found that comment unprofessional and inappropriate to share with a customer.

At 10:05 PM, I was asked if I would accept plantains instead of rice (again, I said no). Finally, at 10:12 PM nearly an hour after I paid, I walked out with my order. Unfortunately, the food was terrible: the salmon was dry, the rice and Brussels sprouts tasted old and burnt, and the lamb chops were clearly reheated and not fresh.

This was one of the worst dining experiences I have ever had. The service was disorganized, the communication was unprofessional, and the food was inedible. I would not recommend this place to...