Canastas Chicken — Restaurant in Virginia

Canastas has a Peruvian flavor profile that is unique and something I can't duplicate in my home kitchen. So I look forward to my visits to Canastas.

I first discovered the Canastas restaurant out on Laburnum near the airport. I was a fan after my first visit. The food is deserving of a higher end dining experience, but is served with the most basic styrofoam plates and plastic forks/knives/spoons.

I was pleased to see on my most recent trip to the Short Pump location that the food was served on a proper dinner plate. Still had the plastic forks however! No matter, the food is what is important.

The chicken is probably their main featured menu item and it comes prepared in a few different ways. I recommend the Pollo Ever meal which is a Peruvian seasoned chicken thigh that has been pounded flat and cooked over an open flame. The chicken skewers are seasoned and cooked in the same way. Delicious! There are a few sauces that also complement the flavor of meats and are definitely worth grabbing a few extras.

My absolute favorite dish is the lamb chops. Those are a bit pricey but absolutely a treat for the taste buds. The sides are also excellent. I recommend the plantains, green beans and the potatoes. Those simple sides perfectly compliment the meats.

I'm not going to question Canastas business model, but if the same food was served in something like a steak house type restaurant with real plates, glasses, and silverware it would work just as...

I've seen this place by the walmart for a long time, and I was intrigued, but cautious because the windows are tinted from the outside, and I wasn't sure what was going on inside. Today, I said, "ya know what? I'm going to just go in and see what's up." SO. GLAD. I. DID!!! Yes, I was still a bit intimidated because I wasn't sure about the food. I've never had Peruvian food before, but I said to myself, it's chicken. Who's gonna mess up chicken? So I looked over the menu, and I picked the antichucho (?) That's prob wrong, but it was grilled chicken thighs on a stick with rice and beans and fried plantains. Honeyyyyyy! When I tell you it was good, it was amazing! And I'm not really a sauce kinda gal, but the sweet lady working there not only helped me pronounce what i was ordering after akwardly pointing at it (lol) she offered me this green sauce and this creamy white sauce. I was feeling a bit adventurous, so I said okay why not?"" That was really good too! The chicken was moist and seasoned well, but not overpowering. The rice was cooked perfectly, and the black beans on top were seasoned and cooked perfectly, too. The plantains just tied the whole meal together. The portion was huge, so i have lunch and dinner, and for about 15 bucks or so, that's definitely a win. They serve lamb and seafood options too, but like I said, you can't really mess up chicken, especially not here. Anyway, 10 out of 10 HIGHLY RECOMMEND!...

This is my first experience here and it blew me away. I was told it was similar to chicken fiesta but personally I think this is better. I had the lamb chops with fried rice, halved potatoes and a side salad. The lamb was cooked and seasoned to perfection just as advertised. The halved potatoes were so good I wanted more even though they give you a healthy amount. My side salad was as good as any salad you would make at home but the dressing was the icing on the cake. My fried rice could’ve been cooked a little more for a personal preference but I can’t take points away for that because they had the taste down to a science. The fried rice had small bits of chicken and egg in it and the flavor was bussin with each bite. The service here was better than I had expected. They were attentive to what I was saying and made sure to repeat back to me my order 2-3 times while going through the line to make sure I was paying for the right thing. Speaking of price, if you want to try exactly what I got it’s going to run you about $40. When I saw that my mouth dropped wide open and stayed that way until I got my food but overall it was worth it if you take todays economy into consideration. I’m giving this restaurant 5 stars because I think they deserve it and I’m encouraging people to go check this place out if you...