Waku Chicken

I hardly ever give a 5 starts, but this place surely deserves it. I’ve been here 3 times, consistent quality and great taste at a very affordable price! That’s is VALuE!

We had the chicken with yucca, rice, green beans and red beans.
It was good but the restaurant was too cold and it smelled strongly of acetone.
There’s a nail shop behind them and the odor is very strong inside the restaurant.
I am not sure if I would return.

Had to try after seeing the raves here. Held its own for the most part. My 4 stars is a 3.5 rounded up. In the space where the old Five Guys used to flip that beef.
Had lomo saltado, while my buddies had pollo saltado. The pollo is significantly better, and when I return, I will always order that over the steak. It’s not called Waku Steak.
Ordered yuca instead of fries… but got fries, so they need to work on accuracy. Also, when I looked at it on OpenTable, it looked like there were no ‘reservations’ available until two hours later, but I don’t think they even take reservations. It’s counter-​service. I’ll be back.

My God. the portions are HUGE.
Had to finish it after three meals. So good, so spicy.
The guy in the cashier was really helpful when we told him that it was our first time going there.
Good service, good food.
It’s definitely gonna be my comfort food soon.

Hands down the best fast casual Peruvian chicken restaurant I’ve tried. In addition to the tender chicken (which is even available in boneless), they have a bunch of Peruvian dishes, like Salchimix or Bistec A Lo Pobre. Every order comes with a heaping serving of sides, which are cooked to perfection. Service is friendly (not always a guarantee with these sorts of places). I’d definitely go out of my way to go to Waku.

Came here when our regular restaurant was closed. Generous portions and very tasty. Good place to pick up dinner on the way home. Shares half a chicken and a full greek salad.

I found this place in a shopping center that I always go to and I never realized it was there! I got to say that the chicken is definitely better than the other Peruvian chicken places around the Herndon/​Reston area. They also have other dishes available and I’m definitely looking forward to try them.
The girl that was on the counter was very friendly and took the time to explain to me about their menu items and specials.

Came here after I bought a Groupon and boy was it a good decision. We went on a Sunday afternoon and it was pretty quite in the restaurant. My fiancé and I both got heaping portions of food! ½ chicken with 2 sides, I think it was 9.99. The chicken was juicy and very well seasoned. I decided on the plantains and roasted potatoes, which both were fresh and delicious. The guy behind the counter hooked us up, he threw on the food the box barely closed. And when we asked him for only yellow sauce he gave us like 10 where most places will give you about 2 – 3. And there was something in the yellow sauce that doesn’t taste like other peruvian chicken places. I really enjoyed it and don’t mind taking a drink to come back here!

Wow! Delicious food! My family of 3 ordered the whole chicken meal with green beans, plantains, rice and a side of fried yuca. Everything was savory. The chicken was tender and juicy! The alfajaro was perfect for dessert! The lady working was pleasant and the service was excellent. Food was served quickly.

Wow… Went here with some decent expectations and man was this place a let down. The best part of my meal here was unfortunately the fried rice. I guess that says it all right there. The fried yuca was luke warm. Not soggy which was good, but it barely warm and wasn’t seasoned well. The chicken was really moist and juicy, which was a huge plus. I got one right off the spitt, and it was great. Unfortunately that’s about the only good part to it. The chicken had absolutely no flavor, except that of burnt charcoal. There was virtually no seasoning to it and it was really plain. The only flavor I could get from it was charcoal, which is not something you want to dominate a chicken. Most likely will not be back here.

I think what makes this Peruvian spot different from some others is the sides. I’ve had the green beans, fried rice, black beans, and Greek salad. They are all above average (especially the rice and green beans), with the exception of the black beans (which are ok)! The green and yellow sauces are good.
Finally, the chicken is well seasoned, but unfortunately on the dry side. To me, since the chicken is the most important part of the meal at a Peruvian chicken place, I rated down a star. Service is friendly, though. With a try!

Wow. This was the worst dining experience I have ever had. After just returning from an early morning flight from the west coast we stopped in here for a bite. The chicken was decent, the skin was amazing! Crisp and flavorful, the meat was a little on the dry side but was also flavorful. Good stuff. The plantains were TERRIBLE. I love friend plantains and I couldn’t actually eat these, they were so dried out and like cardboard. Blech! The yucca was good but seemed like it was dipped in flour or something before being deep fried.
I wouldn’t waste a meal here again. Ever!

My family and I just enjoyed a scrumptious dinner during our 2^nd visit to waku chicken, in great part with the help of Gustavo who greeted us and suggested their daily specials!
We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner of #4 half chicken (flavorful and juicy) with roast potatoes and black beans, #10 grilled lamb chops (absolutely the best succulent lamb chops around!) with yuca and green beans and the daily special, seco de rios (tender beef stew with cilantro gravy and rice with Peruvian beans and onion salad)! Our food was served hot and the yuca was perfectly fried to a crispy crunch!
This is a casual establishment serving absolutely delicious food with an easy going fun ambiance and with a very helpful staff. We’re definitely returning soon to try «all the items on the menu» as my husband declared!
Thank you, Gustavo and staff!

Really really great chicken that I think is just as good as the chicken you could find in well known places in Manhattan like Pio Pio. The chicken comes with yellow and green sauces, I’m not sure what it’s made with but they are both excellent. The green is a bit spicier, but to me it is still on the mild side. You can also order from a number of sides; I got the yucca fries (excellent and made fresh when I ordered) and sweet corn (it’s the giant Peruvian style corn). I came with the $ 20 value groupon, and to me for that value you can order enough food to serve about three people. I would come definitely again in the future, without the groupon.

About a 1 – 1.5: I was pretty excited in trying out Waku Chicken, as I’d heard that they serve up some really good Peruvian-​style chicken. Besides the rotisserie style, they also have salads, pork chops, carne asada, parrillero, sandwiches, saltados, sides, and desserts. I tried the ¼ Chicken (they offer either white or dark meat; I opted for the white), which comes with your choice of 2 sides; I chose the plantains and the red potatoes. I was really disappointed with the chicken, as while the skin was seasoned somewhat, the meat itself was so so so dry! I don’t mind when meats are slightly overcooked, but the chicken meat was more of a choking hazard, as any swallowing of it could really cause such a situation! There was no juiciness, tenderness, or any flavor that had permeated from the seasonings. T_​_​_​T The aji sauce was mayo-​based, but it was a little off, as it was more on the sweeter end. I did like how the staff were not stingy with the little cups of sauces, though, so don’t be shy in asking for more. The sides, which were plentiful and generous in portions, were pretty okay, and definitely better than the chicken. The plantains were cut largely and sweet, and the red potatoes, while more on the bland side, were cooked thoroughly. The seating area in front of the serving section is cooler, as the area in the back have no air. I’m glad I was able to finally check out Waku, but I won’t be back!
+overly dry and unflavorful chicken T_​_​_​T
+sweeter aji sauce
+generous side portions
+cooler seating in front of the serving area; no air in the back

I went here based off the Unilocal reviews because I love Peruvian chicken. This time I think the local Unilocalers let me down. The chicken itself was ok, but not great and the sides everyone was talking about was nothing to rave about. King Pollo in Sterling is much better on all fronts and they don’t nickel and dime you for extra sauces either.
Overall this place was ok, but I wouldn’t go out of my way at all to get back there.

I’ve had this place on my radar for a long time, due to Unilocal friends checking-​in or reviewing this spot. Finally got to try it after a major chicken craving after I got off work today.
Came around dinnertime, and no one was inside but someone for take-​out. I was a little nervous at this, but don’t be alarmed. This place is DELICIOUS!
Ordered the ½ chicken (white meat) for $ 9.99 and it came with two sides. The chicken amount was fair, and the size of the sides were better than expected, so hooray. Got the chaufa rice (fried rice), and the yuca for sides.
The chicken was moist! I was super happy about this, since a lot of places have a hard time getting white meat cooked without drying it out. The chaufa rice portion was HUGE and I was able to split this platter with my boyfriend. I was stuffed. The yuca was also VERY delicious. Super crisp, and not stale like some places.
The yellow sauce looked interesting, and was medium but not spicy at all. The green sauce was a little more flavorful, but not overwhelmingly spicy either. Overall, I recommend trying Waku Chicken once because the service was fast, food was a good portion, and the quality was great. I’ll put them on my rotation for peruvian chicken in this area.
Solid 4 stars!

Came here on Sunday around 2:30; place was dead but the food was amazing. It was our first time, and the guy behind the counter gave us a quick spiel about what they do. They’re a mix of peruvian and greek foods, but not fusion — I’m not usually a fan of fusion foods. I like how they make the fries and yucca on the spot, so it’s hot and fresh when you get them, unlike other places where they leave them under the heat lamp all day.
I got a whole chicken with two sides. This was probably meant to feed a small family because it was definitely a lot of food for only the two of us. The yucca was easily the best yucca I’ve ever had at a peruvian chicken. I could have eaten a box of it as a meal itself. It was crispy outside and moist inside — the same way the chicken was too. Pass on the coleslaw though — it was the weakest link in the combo meal. I should have gotten the rice, or maybe the fresh fries.
This restaurant is easily the cleanest, most sanitary chicken house I’ve been to. Most other places are pretty dingy and dirty, but this place felt really clean. I will definitely be coming back next time I’m in the area.

I hate to do this but, I must. I’m going to be the naysayer here.
After all the great reviews, I bookmarked this place and finally got a chance to give it a try. What pushed us to do so was the envelope filled with coupons that regularly comes in the mail. The very first coupon in the stack was for Waku.
We were here on a Saturday around 5:30 p.m. Already, there was a large party of about 15 people who were dining in.
Before ordering, we both grabbed cans of Inca Kola out of the refrigerated case. Then we went to the register with coupon in hand. From reading the reviews, it appeared that if you dine in, you were given a number to take to your table and the food would be brought out to you. Apparently, this is no longer the case. Instead, you are given a plate of food on a tray, cafeteria style.
So…I ordered ¼ chicken with white meat. For my sides I tried to order fried plantains and chaufa rice. I say «tried» because they were out of plantains which was a big disappointment — and not a good first impression. Still, I would have overlooked that if the meal had been good. I ended up choosing coleslaw. My husband ordered the same thing. With the coupon, the meal cost just over $ 14.
I eagerly dug into the chicken… and…it was incredibly dry with the only flavoring appearing on the skin. Not even the yellow sauce could help this piece of chicken as the chicken was dry beyond repair and probably over cooked.
The chaufa rice was «meh». Certainly, it was edible but it was clumped together. Even the chicken in it was dry. The coleslaw was okay but nothing to write home about.
I give them props for the friendly staff. However, the meal was a huge disappointment. First impressions are lasting ones so I seriously doubt we will return as there is far better pollo a la brasa in the area.

Yikes has it really been this long since a visit. Probably as my other half isn’t fond of chicken so when out we tend to avoid chicken focused places. But decided it was time to visit as I was really wanting some chicken and I knew they had other options.
His choice was the carne asada. While it is marinated nicely note that the meat comes well done. He expected that from his experience touring. My comment is this is a chicken place GET CHICKEN! He also got fries and the greeksalad. Salad was a great choice. Fries were a dissapointment. Should have ordered the roasted potatoes I saw but he said fries…
I ordered the quarter dark meat. The skin was roasted to perfection. My plantains were carmalized perfection. The coleslaw added a nice crunch. The green sauce added the perfect hot touch! Yep my tummy happy.
So if I was the only one eating it would be a 5 star review… but I have to review on everything don’t I?
Reminder to self… Ignore hubby and get here more often for chicken. Tasty!

De verdad que la mejor comida peruana que he probado en toda el área metropolitana. El pollo a la brasa es jugoso y de piel crocante, el ceviche de campeonato, el lomo saltado es un sueño, las empanadas y los dulces peruanos parachuparse los dedos. En fin lo recomiendo 100%