Pollo D'el Rey — Restaurant in Chamblee

I don’t usually leave reviews for places so the fact I’m leaving this here really means something. People need to know how great this place is. I came here for my boyfriend’s birthday with his family. There were 8 of us. I LOVED IT! It was amazing, the food was delicious, the service was incredible. The restaurant was set up for social distancing and staff wore masks the entire time. We came on a Tuesday and the place was almost empty so there were no concerns about being around too many people. The place was very clean. They were great at handling our group of 8. We had the ceviche, two whole chicken combos, lomo saltado, and jalea. I also had a maracuya (passion fruit) juice which is my favorite kind of juice and it came in a giant mug. Delicious. Everything was delicious. I left completely stuffed and happy and with tons of leftovers. I would 100% come back for the food and I feel like with Peruvian food it can be hard to impress because when it’s good it’s really good. This place is really good. But what really blew me away was the service! Karina was our waiter for the evening and she was awesome. She went above and beyond in every way and took care of our large group with ease. I even lost one of my gold rings and she went around the restaurant with me looking for it. She was LIFTING tables for me so I could look beneath them with a flashlight. She lifted like 6 tables and even lifted one of those big booth seats so I could look under there. She then volunteered to look around again at closing when she was cleaning everything up and I left her my phone # so she could call me. I ended up finding my ring once I got home (it had somehow ended up inside my shirt) but the fact that she spent so much time and energy trying to help me was really above and beyond. I felt bad she worked so hard trying to help me!

Anyways this place is really great. Definitely check it out for delicious Peruvian food and...

I’m Peruvian, born and raised. From there I moved to Miami, which arguably has the best Peruvian food outside of Peru. I know when a place is going to be solid just from the pictures alone. Screw the reviews. I have lived in Atlanta for the last 3.5 years and couldn’t find a restaurant that tasted remotely like home. For the first time since moving to atlanta I found my Pollería de vecindario. We ordered half a pollo with fries and salad and a jalea mixta (fried seafood). We wanted to order the picarones too but it was a big portion and with a heavy heart, we left without them… this time 👀. We drove 25 minutes from East Atlanta (albeit with no traffic) each way and plan to do so again regularly.

I’m a little confused as to the bad reviews for service. Karina, our server, was kind, friendly, prompt and attentive. Everyone working there was. I think people have to remember this is a pollería. It’s not an easy business to run. Be kind to the staff, they’re busy and trying. As a Peruvian to anyone in Atlanta who might be curious to try something new — do NOT sleep on this place. It’s seriously delicious.

Some things worth noting is they do not have a liquor license. Perhaps it’s worth calling ahead of time if...

The service was horrendous. Waitresses were rude and bothered by you especially if you need a minute to look at the menu. We met a party there and waited for 45+ mins for them to come back around and get our order. They completely skipped some of us that had asked for a minute just to be rude. If you have food allergies or are vegetarian/vegan dont set foot in this place. They use the same fryer for the yucca, fries, and platanos. They also dont know anything about the dishes like what kind of oil they use, if they use the same fryer, and they don't want to find out for you. I got a piece of someone's fish in my yucca. Luckily, I am not allergic but my friend is and that could have been devastating. And ultimately the stuff I ordered was greasy and unappealing. And the lady at the counter was picking her teeth with her nails- she's also a waitress. Oh, and if THEY get your order wrong you're going to have to wait...