My partner was craving for lomo saltado, and they found this on Yelp. I mentioned to them that we had ordered this via Seamless before, but nonetheless we decided to check out this place in person. They actually have 2 locations near us: either in Astoria or in Sunnyside. The trains towards Astoria are just atrocious on weekends in that there’s like a 15 minute delay between trains. Going on the 7 train would have netted us better towards Sunnyside.
Ambiance
The restaurant decor is very mom & pops with some Peru banners hanging around.
The service was pretty fast and easy. For sit down and if paying by credit card, the server brings the card machine to your table. Tip is calculated pre-tax.
Food
They gave complimentary peruvian corn and aji sauce. The aji sauce was surprisingly not spicy at all and a very mild pepper kick.
The passion fruit juice ($5 - left) came as a 16 oz and tasted pretty decent. It was not overly sweet nor too sour.
The chicha morada ($5 - right) came as a 16 oz and was also pretty decent. Chicha Morada is basically purple corn juice with some fruit flavors and spices.
The Lomo Saltado ($19) came with rice and sauteed beef, tomatoes, onions, and fries. The flavors of the sauce were surprisingly good. Some places in NYC tend to add cumin seasoning, but this one either didn’t have any or had very little. It reminded me a bit of Mario’s in Los Angeles. The steak itself was dry and not tender though. Basically the flavors are there, but the quality of the meat could be better.
The Nazca Combo ($16) came with a half chicken, maduros (+$1), and french fries. The chicken was very tender and juicy, but it was obvious this was not a normal chicken as it was super plump. Regardless, it was very filling, and the white meat was quite tender. The maduros, basically sweet plantains, were decent. The french fries were pretty good in that they were nice thick cuts of potato. Overall, this met my expectations and does not cost too much.
Final Verdict
Don Pollo is a decent Peruvian restaurant in Queens, but I don’t think people should make a special trek out to this. If you are in the area, it should satisfy those that are hungry for lomo saltado or rotisserie chicken.
Yelp Jabs
When ordering the jalea I requested that they put less of the calamari and shrimp and substitute with more fish instead … Upon review of the check they had the AUDACITY to charge us for the extra fish they gave us
This Yelper was very upset when the cook didn’t adjust their portions. Unfortunately, most restaurants don’t allow substitutions in this way unless you have a decent rapport with them. For a small restaurant like this one, I can’t fathom them giving more fish (which is more expensive) in lieu of calamari and shrimp. The unfortunate interaction here was that the Yelper did not set their expectations up correctly, so they were left disappointed. I would avoid ordering jalea from small restaurants if you have specific portion preferences.
It’s so good that I come from a long distance to enjoy their food. The chicken is very moist, yuca fries are amazing and everything I’ve tried has been really great.
Another place that has decent if not better chicken is Caravan Chicken.
Revisions
- Sep 10, 2022 - Initial revision.