Don Pollo

I loved the soup it is called aguadito. It is excellent chicken soup. The mash potatoes are made from scratch they home made. The chicken is moist and tastey

Great food, good service! Try the corn pico, and fried green beans. The green beans, when done well are amazing, crispy and buttery. Good prices, good chicken too!

This place is delicious! Parking is a bit limited, but food is amazing! Price is well worth the amount that you get. I need to go back as soon as possible… probably after writing this review.

Now that’s good Peruvian! After a long day that just kept going, my family and I were pretty hungry. We got on Unilocal to see what was in the area and we came across Don Pollo. I didn’t totally know what to expect, but to my surprise this Peruvian infused Latin restaurant has me hooked. We ordered the fiesta four. That particular meal came with a whole chicken and 4 sides. We ordered the yucca, rice and beans, Mac and cheese and the plantains. I wasn’t to fond of the Mac and cheese but everything else made up for it. The meal was very inexpensive but the quality of the food was definitely there. I can’t wait to go back!

First found Don Pollo in Bethesda. Once they opened this one I was so happy. Closer to home and it’s the same great flavor. Their chicken is awesome and love their sauce. Yucca is always perfect.

Deliciously seasoned chicken that melts in your mouth. I loved their sauces though they could be a tad hotter for my taste. Love this joint!

Food is good however this is awful, you pay $ 7.50… That’s not cheap. This is not a quarter of a chicken. This is barely a leg. Will not be coming back. Horrible

Clean, friendly staff, beautiful on the inside and most importantly, delicious food. I will becoming back :)

I like the don pollo in the twinbrook shopping center better. This place is more of a modern setting while the other one has a more rustic feel to it. Food wise, the chicken was good. The skin was crispy and the sides were good. The only thing is portions are pretty small. The one in the twinbrook center hooks you up with more food and people seem more relaxed. Eating with their hands and enjoying their food like their suppose to. Here… ehhh fork and knife. Reminds you more of Nandos peri peri

I stopped in on my way out of town, having developed an awful headache with hours left to drive. I hoped that a good meal would help, so I came in looking for a good meal.
I found one. I got the ¼ dark with two sides: corn pico and mashed potatoes (per many others’ recommendations). The chicken was excellent– moist, flavorful. Well cooked and not huge (as in, looked like the size that chicken should be if fed a natural diet). The pico was absolutely fantastic, with a wonderful fresh flavor and plenty of lime, which I love. The mashed potatoes were meh. The texture seemed off, but this is likely just a preparation with which I’m unfamiliar.
My food was on my table less than five minutes after I ordered, price was reasonable, and staff was friendly. I don’t live in the area but would return in a heartbeat if I did.

Chicken is amazing, and just as good as the Twinbrook spot which I’ve eaten for a decade. The mashed potatoes were gross, and so vastly inferior to the twinbrook spot. They’re both redskin mashed potatoes, but Twinbrook restaurants are so much better. They almost tasted… spoiled. somewhat sour. If they were the same as the twinbrook location, easy 5 star review.
Please fix.

The chicken is delicious, as are many of the sides. The «yellow» sauce is tasty, and the green adds a nice kick. My «go-​to» is ¼ white, with yucca and plantains, and I highly recommend them, along with the chaufa, fried green beans, and, OMG the mashed potatoes! Ok are the coleslaw, fries, corn pico, bean pico, kale chicken caesar salad, bread pudding. Have tried, put will pass on in the future: Mac & cheese (just not to my taste), and flan (I’m a big fan of traditional Spanish flan; this was NOT it.) portions are large. Two people can easily share the ¼ chicken and two sides. If you order sides separately, portions get even bigger!
Interesting beverage choices, including San Pellegrino sodas.
Staff is friendly, and the whole place is impeccably clean.
I happily eat here often.

Pros: Very convenient location, ample parking. The inside is clean, and spacious, and they have an outdoor seating area. They have paper towel rolls on each table, which is great if you get as messy as I do whilst eating Peruvian chicken. My order came out quickly.
Cons: Unfortunately, the chicken did not meet my expectations. I ordered ¼ white meat. It was extra dry. I expect white meat to be a little dry, but this was overly dry. The sides were good though. I ordered white rice and black beans, plantains, and a side salad. Plantains were perfectly fried. The house dressing is odd though. Almost like a thick vinaigrette. The dipping sauces were… meh. They have an orange sauce, and a green sauce. The orange sauce reminded me of the Chik-​fil-​a sauce and the green sauce was not spicy at all. If it wasn’t for the ambiance, they would have 2 stars solely for the food.

There are alot of good Peruvian chicken restaurants in the area and two that I have recently reviewed that were outstanding, so why risk trying another when I already have two great places? I was in the area. I ordered the ½ chicken which was moist but not strongly flavored. Many of the other Peruvian places have the flavor all the way through the meat, which I think is good. So the chicken was average at best, but certainly not bad.
We also had the chicken salad, fried green beans and yucca fries. The chicken salad was at best average; very little chicken, the dressing we good but you are given about ¹⁄₃ of the dressing you need. The yucca fries were ok, but again I have had much better, bigger fries. The fried green beans were the most spectacular part of the meal. This side was one of the best green bean sides that I have ever tried.
I was surprised at the overall cost of this meal, certainly was not worth the cost. If you choose to try this place make sure you try the fried green bean side. As for me I will not be back.

Dropped a star. Love the food but I cannot even get to it!
Dealt w/​an incredibly… how to put this nicely… «not all there up there» person. Trying to order was frustrating enough. I felt my order was going to come out wrong. Last thing I needed after a long day of work is a headache. So I just left. Avoid the issue all together. I’m not the bad guy here, she could have been new. All I’m saying is ask for help if you don’t know. That’s all. Don’t misinform and confuse the customer. Ask for help.
Immediately went to the Twinbrook location. There, I was in and out in less than 10.

First time I went I was greeted quickly, placed my order and was told no subs for sauces. I don’t need the «peach colored» sauce they have here, (it’s yellow in most places). Only the hot green sauce. They would not sub a sauce but told me I could purchase extra green. What sense does this make considering another person may want the mild and no hot? Shouldn’t it all work out in the end $?
Here’s what I’ve tried :
Quarter white double fries. Chicken was dry but well seasoned. Fries were hot.
chaufa: found some bits of mysterious meat with bones and the peas and carrots were still crunchy. Way too many sprouts.
Lomo twice– having been married to a Peruvian for 14 years and trying to please his taste buds, I know my Lomo. I was not impressed the first time but wanted to double check. The meat is big chunks of cheap stew meat. The fries are not mixed in. The first try had the right mixture of tomato, peppers and onion and the right doneness but the meat was fatty. The second try had big giant chunks of almost raw green pepper, wilted barely there onion and the tomatoes were stewy and mush. It was more like a green pepper stir fry with a bit of chunky meat. The worst thing about last nights Lomo was that the rice was hard. I mean so hard it was crunchy. So crunchy I believe I saved it from the rice cake factory.
The other thing is I called my order in 20 minutes before I arrived but it was not ready. I watched as people stood in line, placed orders and paid and got their food. What’s the point of calling in an order if I have to wait another 20 when I get there.
Ok will I go back? Probably because it’s closer than Sardis and better than KFC. Do I love the food here? Not yet but since they are newly opened I’m hoping for consistency and geez Louise lay off the sauce surcharge!

Went out to lunch with some colleagues.
I love Peruvian chicken! For some reason I decided to order their chicken salad — which has chunks of grilled chicken in the salad.
The chicken was excellent! The problem was — the rest of the salad was rather ho-​hum! Not many other vegetables — and A LOT of lettuce, some avocado…
Next time I will just order succulent Peruvian chicken! I’ve learned my lesson about their salads!
Service was excellent!

Now… there’s a lot of Peruvian chicken places in the MD Burbs…
We’re actually sort of known for it. Whenever I do food trivia, I’m always like– name 5 Peruvian Chicken places in the MD Burbs. There is approximately 100.
I think that Don Pollo ranks near the top of the heap. Now, DISCLAIMER.
Don Pollo Veirs Mill: A+
Don Pollo Bethesda: C
Don Pollo Gaithersburg (new): A++
I got chicken and sides at this Don Pollo that I can guarantee you are at the top of the Peruvian Chicken Hierarchy of Restaurants.
Let’s be honest with ourselves. They are all very different, and if you can’t see the sometimes subtle nuisances of chicken, please schedule a Peruvian Chicken Tasting with me, and I’ll show you the ropes. I just looked up where that idiom comes from (apparently it refers to Old timey Operas where all of the curtains and what not backstage were controlled by Ropes). *TheMoreYouKnow
So, back to the chicken.
To quote the great and wise Mike B. «It’s almost as if they have taken the chicken skin off the chicken, fried it, and then delicately sewn it back on to the most tender meat that’ll ever caress your palate.»
Yes, that is from my review of the Don Pollo in Rockville.
The Don Pollo in Gaithersburg, lives up to this high and impeccable standard. Chicken skin was crispy and flavorful. Meat was fall off the bone tender. The sides were both fresh and well cooked. Rice could easily be separated with gentle coaxing. Black beans were flavorful and rich, and coleslaw (well it was a LITTLE saucy for my taste), but a lot of people love that.
I will pay 70 cents for 2 additional sauces, and find at this new place that the small 2 ounce cups have been swapped for what seem to be 3.5 ounce miniature bowls (monkey dishes) for the additional sauces. #Score1ForTheGoodGuys
Green Sauce– perfect (I should have gotten another one of these)
Pink Sauce– yes it’s pink here– this is equivalent to the yellow sauce at C & J. Pink sauce is gentle in it’s spiciness but carries good flavor and melds dishes as well as jazz melds the mood for relaxation.
Service is quick, if albeit a little bit cold. Drink fridges are stocked and full of variety. Menu is a little more diverse than the one in Rockville. Unless they changed the one over there too. I might have to go try this salad with Kale and Chicken.
Steven J. Karr, AIA Inc. was the architect for the restaurant and it turned out to be quite a masterpiece. Modern, comfortable, spacious, and airy. I mean… great job firm! You might be asking yourself… how in the heck does Mike B. know the architect?! We’re friends on Facebook! #Besties
All in all a great experience. Can’t wait to go back!

Beautiful interior, decent chicken, not enough sauce.
Let me start with my major pet peeve on chicken places that charge you extra for sauce. First, I just paid $ 10.55 for half a chicken, if I want extra sauce I should get it. Second, extra sauce is 35 cents which isn’t the issue. The issue is I don’t know if I’ll need more sauce or not until I start eating. So, halfway through my meal when I run out of sauce I don’t want to have to get back in line to purchase some. That’s stupid. If you want to charge for to-​go orders, fine, but for people eating in the restaurant let the waiters bring it out as needed.
They said my ½ chicken comes with 2 mild sauces and 1 hot. I said I wanted all hot (green) so I got 1 large sauce and 1 very small sauce. I saw on other plates it was served the same way. Larger container of mild and a small container of the green. Seems cheap to me and the sauce wasn’t anything special or particularly spicy.
On to the chicken!!! The chicken skin was cooked perfectly. My white meat was dry. My dark meat was pretty good. My issue with the chicken is it was extremely salty, particularly the dark meat (maybe that came from a different chicken). I don’t mind salty food, but this was distractingly salty. You could taste a bit of the herb (oregano I think) and lots of salt. The chicken was not as good as a Sardi’s or Picca Chicken.
The sides were large. Green beans were mixed with some sort of a sesame condiment and were pretty good. The rice and beans were surprisingly very bland. I usually like to put some of the mild or green sauce on my beans, but since I only had two containers there wasn’t enough to go around.
The interior is very nice. Warm, airy and comfortable. You order at one counter, they give you a number, and a waiter brings the food to you. Everyone was very friendly. My food came without any silverware and it seemed difficult to communicate this need to my waitress. She did bring out a plastic fork and knife. Most everyone else had metal utensils. Odd.
Other food I saw was the soup which looked good, a couple fried rice dishes and was pleased to see they have an alcohol license. A beer would certainly be nice with the chicken.
One caution is this strip mall is AWFUL to get out of when there is any traffic. You have opposing traffic coming out of the home depot mall and folks coming out next to you from the neighboring strip mall. There is additionally a good bit of traffic coming at you from both sides. It’s a challenge.
I would go back to Don Pollo if I were in the area or someone else wanted to try it. But otherwise I’d just go to Sardis or Picca. Better chicken. Unlimited sauces. Similar prices.

One of my FAVORITE Peruvian chicken spots!
First, they just opened this location. I had known about the location in Bethesda, so when my fiancé and I found out they were opening near us, we were pressed for it open! So of course, I went on the day of their grand opening!
This location is spacious, modern and has plenty of seating. You order, get a number and seat yourself. Easy enough. The service is always pretty good and prompt. Even when they are pretty busy.
The chicken is ON POINT. Great flavor and cooked to perfection. I always get the yucca and house salad. I love that their yucca is extra crispy and not too greasy. I also love that their house salad is more than lettuce. They change it up every so often, so sometimes the salad will have raw beets, other days radishes or a cucumber mix. The salad dressing is always the same but simple enough to use for any of the salad combinations.
Their mac and cheese here is decent. Much better at the Bethesda location.
Both sauces are also on point here. They have days where the yellow sauce is more orange, and that’s when it’s the tastiest. Their more yellow days are not so good. Keep in mind though, this is another place where they charge you for extra sauce!
Parking is easy and never really full, even during lunch rushes.
Good spot!