Pollo a La Brasa Western

Flavorful, grilled chicken that will make yin wonder why you would ever go to «pollo loco.» I didn’t expect the Asian owners to be fluent in Spanish… that was a surprising shocker. Guess they really did came from Peru and brought the delicious recipe with them. I would recommend this place to any chicken lovers out there!

This is the best Chicken in Los Angeles. In California. Yes, it seriously is. If you are reading this you probably already heard. You know it has been reviewed, glowingly, in the LA Times. So, let me, a long time customer, give you some tips for your visit:
1) Parking: There is none. Sometimes you can park off 8^th street behind the place right in front of where they store the wood outside. But usually not. When I go I parallel park on 8^th street. On 8^th street heading west, just before Western there are four metered spots on the right (north) side of the street. There is almost always one or two empty. Then you just have to run across 8^th street dodging the 532 busses that seem to use this intersection constantly.
2) SOUP: They have the best chicken soup in Los Angeles! It is amazing! Get it! Get it now! Note, the chicken in the soup has the bones on, because that is how amazing chicken soup is made… so be careful. Put a little lime in it. Thank me after.
3) Salad: Their salad is not the typical after thought of some lettuce and shredded carrots. They load it up! Radishes, beets, cucumbers, etc… it changes depending on what is fresh. It is a very good deal.
A lot of people skip the soup. Don’t be like those people. They are missing out. You don’t miss out. You are smart. You get the soup!

We had a very interesting experience here. I would totally go back because the chicken truly is awesome, but I won’t be going too far out of my way for it – at least not until they finish the remodel.
First of all, there is no parking at all specifically for this location. It looks like there used to be a few spots, but they are in the middle of moving from their current very small/​old/​authentic location across the parking lot to a new renovated spot. Because all the signage is up and on the new spot but the doors are closed and dark, we actually almost didn’t go because we assumed it was closed! So just to clarify, as of right now, they are still located in the old building in front. Also, the line out the door is not the line of people waiting to eat, they are waiting for take out. You order at the counter, then you find a seat in the very small dining area. Its dingy and small, and I defs wish i had known not to wear black jeans cause the tables are all crumbly underneath and got my knees dirty, but it gets the job done.
I was reminded of Nandos Peri Peri in that you can order a ¼, ½ etc chicken and chose a side. We split a half chicken and rice and beans. The chicken is delicious — ‘bomb as hell’ is how we both described it. Easily the best rotisserie i’ve ever had. The beans and rice were blah, and we felt dumb for not getting fries. Soda’s don’t have free refills, and the green sauce is spicy but not very flavorful, the crema is really good though.
I think this would be a great take out spot, but dining in is hard logistically with no parking and little/​old seating, and overall not a great experience. Im sure when the move is over this will become a whole new experience.

Fantastic, delicious, rotisserie perfection! The seasoning is perfectly suited to complement and enhance the chicken flavor. I am a big fan of the fire roasted flavor and they perfectly execute the chicken here!
You should not even attempt to eat rotisserie chicken from anywhere else.
The spicy green sauce is muy picante!

I heard they specialized in chicken and fries here, so naturally I had to check it out.
I was starving so I got half a chicken, French fries, black beans, rice and a salad.
The best part of the meal was the black beans and rice. The two are a perfect mixture of fluffy rice seasoned with a little bit of garlic and vegetables. I could honestly just come back here for the black beans and rice and be completely satisfied.
The chicken and fries left a lot to be desired. The chicken was extremely dry and lacked flavor and the fries were soggy and flavorless. I tried to save this portion of the meal by adding their green sauce but the sauce wasn’t very good either.
I think I may give the chicken another try at some point in the future because sometimes, restaurants just have off days. The beans and rice were good enough for me to return and give a second opinion.

This is one of my favorite places to get rotisserie chicken!
I’ve been to the one in Gardena before and I didn’t appreciate the goodness of what they have going. Chicken roasted in a spit over burning wood. So freakin’ good man!
The place is usually crowded every time I’ve gone and I can’t wait for them to open up the larger location which they seemed to be building out next door. I’ve always taken my orders to go because there usually isn’t a space because the place is so popular and I can understand why.
The chicken is juicy and flavorful. The side salad I usually order with my half chicken combo for $ 11 is generous and I really enjoy the salad dressing they use which seems to be a miso dressing. The white rice isn’t just plain white rice but they mix in a few veggies like carrots, green beans and lima beans.
If you’re looking for some great rotisserie chicken, come here. If you’re not, go somewhere else. ;)

Business recently seen with a C health grade in the window, and promptly shut down for a few days. Appears to be reopened now, but makes me weary of eating there again. I love their chicken — I have daydreams about it. Always tender and just the right amount of smokiness from the open fire. I hope they clean up their act and restore some faith in me.

Hole in the wall and in some kind of transition with their facilities for months. I hope they figure it out because the food is great.
Amazing chicken, beans, sauce, as everyone has noted. The salad had grapes and steamed beets! Came together well.
Let’s hope the business side comes together and they make good revenue and invest in some AC and parking.

Some of the best, most tender chicken I’ve had. I don’t really remember any of the sides, but the meal is great and relatively cheap. If you’re in the area and you love chicken, it’s a must-​visit.
Good luck with parking! There’s literally less than 10 spots and it feels like it’s located on an island in the middle of the LA City traffic. I say find street parking.

Don’t let the dingy grease pit look of this place scare you off. The chicken is super flavorful and juicy and absolutely addicting. The salad is not your run of the mill salad mix out of an industrial size bag; it is really good. I always ask for extra dressing (sort of spicy french dressing). The rice and fries are also excellent.
I hope they open the new place next door eventually. They’ve been in litigation with the contractor, which has prevented they from opening the much larger and nicer new dig.

Rotisserie chicken is very good
Most of the sides are kind of crummy
There’s not much seating here and there is definitely no ambiance
4 stars if the chicken was cheaper, but it’s not. Something like $ 13 for a whole chicken.

This place lives up to the hype. I’ve had rotisserie chicken from so many places. None come even half as close to this place. The spices and seasoning are so on point! I hate a bland chicken so for me ripping apart a chicken leg that was spiced to perfection was such a surprise.
Also, the aji sauce is pretty good. However, it’s so similar to chutney (Pakistani yogurt dip) so it’s nothing I’m not familiar with. People obsessing over it makes me laugh a little.
The ambience is not one that will make me sit down and eat because the place is real shabby. Also parking is not easy in k-​town either but I was lucky to find street parking.

This is hands-​down one of the best smoked chicken places I have ever been to. Try either $ 11 lunch plate salad rice chicken salsa and a Coke super tasty.

Wow, so good. This was a new spot for us and I am very happy. Such a simple concept performed very well. We came here around 330 on a Wednesday and there was a short line. The counter where you order from is a little awkward because of the tight spacing and the fact that the menu faces the other direction away from the counter.
I ordered the half chicken with rice and French fries. The chicken is cooked on a rotisserie fired with wood which gave everything such a delicious flavor. The chicken was falling off the bone and it was so tender and juicy with the right amount of char to give it a crunch without any bitterness. It was a very decent amount of chicken. The fries were also delicious and we concocted a mix of ketchup with their spicy green sauce and it was a phenomenal combination that I highly recommend trying. The rice was kind of bland filler and I didn’t finish it but everything else was done to perfection.
This place is simple and does it right. The service was fast and friendly. Highly recommend this place.
There is metered parking and bike parking nearby. Space isn’t too big so probably a group of 4 would be ideal. They take cash and card. Will be back to try the ribeye.

Well decided to stop by since we were in the area. This location is here to serve one purpose, that is for you to enjoy their rotisserie chicken. It is on the corner, looks ghetto as soon as you walk in, the set up of the restaurant is awkward, but their food was on point. We ordered a whole chicken with salad and fries on the side. The chicken was falling off the bone, juicy, and tasty. The salad was ehhh and the fries were good. Its Peruvian style so they have several sauces and of course Inka cola.
Parking around here is tough, so you have to keep an eye out for metered parking. It looks like they are adding to the resturant which will be great because its current look is stuck in the 80s.

Can i give this 6 stars? PLEASE? Ok well…
Let’s start with the fact that I’m Peruvian. Which means everytime I see a place selling rotisserie chicken, I try it and realize that the lack of flavor takes a piece of me every single time. How sad is that!?/
Well I am happy to announce that it’s over. I found heaven. I found the holy grail of peruvian chicken. And it’s in the heart of… KTOWN.
Yep. Owne by peruvian japanese/​chinese family that had a restaurant back in Peru for many many years these guys are not new to how to get the chicken right. They also have steak and anticucho which they cook great as well. The chicha. well…it needs some work but still drinkable
Is it fancy? HELL NO! Don;t ever take a date or a very white coworker there. But who cares about others? Just go solo, go with peruvians, go with your dog. just GO.
Seriously guys, I can swim in a pool full of that chicken awesomeness.

FOOD:
The chicken here is really good! Super tender and moist! I love love how they cook it with wood, it just gives it more flavor! Their aji sauce is deliciously HOT! Lol I’m not kidding its very very very spicy! But I like it tho, pairs perfectly with the chicken! Their fries are not bad. I think their tortillas are good too!
The chicken still taste pretty good even after 2 days! Currently I am eating dinner having their chicken with some rice! plain and simple and still delicious and moist even after microwaving lol
PRICE:
Pretty good price for everything… If I remember correctly a whole chicken itself is $ 13 and whole combo is $ 18 – 19? Its definitely cheaper than El Pollo Loco… LOL? Yes i’m comparing only because I really think el pollo loco is honestly not worth the price and it taste ehh hit or miss
ATMOSPHERE/​DECOR:
So it’s pretty GHETTO… not gonna lie! I was like uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh… WHAT? The time I dined in there was an old Mexican gentleman with a guitar singing in the restaurant… like in your face type of thing and I’m guessing he’s hoping to be tipped? In my mind I was like CAN YOU PLEASE STOP SINGING SO I CAN ENJOY MY FOOD! Hahaha it was pretty annoying.
PARKING:
Lol if you’re hoping for a LOT… well too bad lol as you know LA esp Ktown is always street parking
CONCLUSION:
Very good food here and its worth try if you’re in the area!

The hype… is not real.
My friend and I came here after hearing so much praise about it. I love my nice, sit-​down bougie restaurants, but we all know LA has some great cheap eats as well. But unfortunately, this didn’t really live up.
Yes, it’s cheap. You get a whole chicken for $ 12. We added some sides and paid about $ 20 for everything. The salad was whatever (though I appreciated how it had beets. Beets is such an underrated vegetable. More people should eat beets) and the fries tasted like they were previously frozen. But that’s ok because the star of the show is the chicken… riiight? Unfortunately, the chicken was pretty bland. Sure, it was juicy and cooked well but it was missing some serious flavor. I felt like I was basically eating those whole roasted chickens you can buy at the grocery store. The green sauce definitely helped, though I think I like Mario’s more… This is more watery, whereas Mario’s is creamier. It’s all preference though.
It’s an ok meal, but hardly anything I would go out of my way for, especially in Ktown, where there are so many other spots.

OH… MY…CHICKEN. Nope, I’m not gonna talk about the crappy seating, the crappy ventilation, the funny live mariachi music playing over the radio mariachi music. This place does one thing right and that is getting the chicken.
-=-Whole Chicken for 2, with 2 sides-​=- Munch munch munch. My first remark. «I’ve never in my life had a chicken this juicy.» NEVER. Definitely not for the faint of heart because that chicken drips. Also not for the burnt styrofoam nazis, because that chicken will be burning on through. Fries are in huge portion, also beans were beany I guess. But really it’s about that chicken and you gotta dip each bite in the…
-=-Aji-=-Interestingly surprisingly spicy. Eat here and bring a bottle back to your table. Every bite will have this sauce in it. More spicier than other places, and that’s what makes it goooooooooooood.

I was expecting the best juiciest rotisserie chicken ever. Much to my disappointment, it fell short of my expectations. The chicken was somewhat juicy, the skin had the charcoal taste but it was slightly dry and certainly did not leave me wanting more. I drenched my chicken in aji sauce to make it more enjoyable.
Salad and fries were ok at most.
I ordered a whole chicken with two sides for about $ 20. The amount of food is barely enough for 4 people. Maybe 3 or 2 very hungry people.
The dining area is also really dirty with flies inside … making it «hole in the wall?»
Maybe it’s a step up from el pollo loco but nothing to go crazy about.

El pollo es riquisimo, asado con brasa frente a ti. El lugar esta pequeno, pero ya estan construyendo al lado un lugar mucho mas grande. Les recomiendo este lugar,. Tienen un menu riquisimo… Es un espacio reducido, pero estoy segura que cuando abran el nuevo local, tendran para grupos, etc…