I ordered some tamales and empanadas they were really good they dont play with the sides which is good cant get enough spicy sauce took it to go can't wait to try there pollo al a brasa. read more

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Best Pollo A la brasa ! We have been customers here for a lot of years , they have amazing great chicken ! Aaron took our order he was very helpful. We have been coming here for years and they chicken is always the same and consistent, very delicious! Love the sauces they have here . They serve real French Fries , freshly made ! This place is a must try! read more

Al Carbon - Peruvian Near Me - San Mateo, California

16.99 pollo breakfast sandwich w. FF. Got there around 930am on a Sunday and it was empty, which i prefer because I've seen crowds there by Sunday afternoon. Nothing is in English. So in my best Spanglish and pointing I was able to order the chicken breakfast sandwich. Take a seat. They call the dish. You pick it up. 1st bite- Damn good! I could tell (besides a bone fragment or two) that they break down the chickens and cook it thier way. I went with chicken because thats their thing and it paid off. The amalgamation of fresh ingredients and sauces earned a second trip for a full entrée.​ While 17 seems like the top end for this dish - I was stuffed. Oh, the small cup with sauce has a tiny kick, but I'd consider it gringo hot. read more

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We ordered the whole chicken with 2 sides (yuccas & quinoa salad) and also beans. The chicken was excellent but I thought it was expensive ($45.85). We loved the yucca fries and the quinoa salad but the beans were too salty. I'd go again but not order the beans or whole chicken. read more

I ordered through DoorDash. The chicken was not fully cooked. The sauce meant for the chicken was missing, and instead they sent salad dressing by mistake. Completely unacceptable. I will not be ordering from El Carbon again. Last time the barbecue chicken was a mini me chicken. I am so upset about it . read more

Over the years, this establishment has elevated not only its service, food options, and aesthetic, but most of all the quality of food. The chicken is delicious, and I am obsessed with it. The variety of sides are a great addition to your chicken. And if you like it a little spicy, they have sauces that elevate the flavor even more. The servings are also great; I usually always end up taking the remainder of my meal to go. The breakfast is also amazing. It reminds me of being back in my country Peru. The pork chicharrón just melts in your mouth; you can tell it's cooked with care because it just shreds off seamlessly. If you want a heartwarming meal, choose the Caldo de Gallina; this chicken soup is not just any chicken soup. I definitely recommend anyone to come here by yourself or with a group. read more

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They've revamped their menu! I love pollo a la brasa here! I'm Peruvian so I know my Peruvian food very well lol Years ago they had bad quality food. Making fries that were fried with old oil. I could tell because the fries were dark dark. And they would overcook their chickens too. Once in a wild it was a hit. With their revamp menu they offer a dish that is half salchichapapa and half pollo a la brasa which I love! It's the best of both worlds. I stick with chicken because it's their specialty. Their drink offers are also great: sebada and chicha are good options. My mom really likes their gelatin pastry with two different jello flavors and flan, if I'm not mistaken. Parking is a little hard because they always have people but I have still always been able to find parking. The place is small so preferably if you leave close take it home. If you don't live close by, eat there because chicken tastes good when just made and it's hot/warm and not as good as it gets colder- if you know you know. read more

I placed an order for pick up I get there, my food is not ready. Annoying that the staff laughed at not knowing my order, I am asked what I ordered so they can prepare it. They had no idea what I ordered, had to wait 10 more minutes for food. read more

Buenazo!! Me hace recordar a las pollerias en Peru, hasta tienen 2litros de Inka Kola y aji/mayonesa con sabor peruana. Muy rapidos para preparar la comida tambien y muy amables. read more

We went to eat breakfast, we ordered botifarra, my wife wanted mustard and this is what happened. It seems that they do not provide maintenance to the equipment. And the person who assisted us did not even apologize. what a bad experience read more

Al Carbon - Peruvian Near Me - San Mateo, California

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Peruvian cuisine reflects local practices and ingredients including influences mainly from the indigenous population. Al Carbon which literally translates to "to cook over coal" offers authentic Peruvian cuisine in Downtown San Mateo. They are not a fancy restaurant but a hole in the wall style casual eatery. They are famous for their roast chicken and it has won several awards. We ordered: Drinks: Marucaya Aguas Fresca - Passion Fruit drink Chicha Morada Aguas Fresca - Purple Corn drink. Food: Pollos a la Brasa - Peruvian Rotisserie Chicken - so yummy so juicy. Even the breast meat was soft & tender. Salchipapas - Traditional Peruvian dish with thin cut sausage, potatoes and eggs. This was really good. Empanadas - the meat inside had so much flavor and the pastry was flaky. They didn't have ceviche or tamales so those will be for another time. We also ordered traditional fries, sweet potato fries, yucca fries and fried plantain on the side. All the fried stuff was so good. The fried plantain was the best. Dessert: Alfajores - Shortbread sandwich cookies with Dulce de Leche - we have had these before, they are so yummy we got a box Arroz Con Leche - rice pudding with raisins - wasn't my favorite, maybe we were expecting something better. Overall Peruvian food is good. We still have to try a few other dishes so will definitely give this place another try. read more

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La verdad, mi familia y yo compramos el famoso pollo a la brasa, como peruanos que somos sabemos comerlo. En Lima ibamos a la Granja Azul y al Norky's , el pollo es riquisimo. Lamentablemente, el pollo que hacen en este lugar en San Mateo es pesimo, es simplemente un pollo frito sin sabor ni sazon ni nada y caro encima. read more

Great food I love the taste I will be back again for sure . Service was great nothing to complain about . Chill spot small but good is great that's what counts. read more

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Great food and service. The Ambiance was nice, and the sauces they gave really complemented the food. Is a good thing I don't live close by or I would be there more often. read more

Al Carbon - Salchipapa Ricky Ricon - Peruvian Near Me - San Mateo, California

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3.5 stars In all of my time in Peru, I didn't get the chance to visit a single one of the ubiquitous Pollo a la Brasa (rotisserie chicken) restaurants. Turns out there's one sitting right down the street from me right here in San Mateo! Al Carbon specializes in roast chicken, of course, along with a small selection of other Peruvian plates. I started with the butifarra, a Peruvian sandwich filled with pieces of pollo a la brasa, along with salsa criolla (marinated red onions) and a Peruvian sauce, all in a soft, chewy, yet pillowy roll! The chicken meat was juicy and moist and went really well with the slightly spicy, mustard-like sauce in the bread. There was also a yellow aji amarillo sauce that came on the side, but it was rather watery and bland. Next, I had two skewers of anticuchos, a Peruvian delicacy that I also never got to try on my recent visit there! Anticuchos are basically pieces of grilled cow heart, but aside from a slightly funky flavor, you'd never be able to tell that this was an unusual cut of beef, and the skewers went so well with the spicy, herby garlic sauce (like chimichurri) that came on the side! The anticuchos plate came with two sides--I picked the quinoa salad (with cucumber and bell pepper) and the beans, but neither one was particularly memorable. My favorite dish was the Peruvian chicken tamal from the breakfast menu. This steamed corn cake was wrapped in banana leaf and had a grainy texture very different from Mexican tamales. It contained peanuts, strips of chicken, and even pieces of dried chili, which added a really nice spice! It was served with more of the salsa criolla (marinated onions) on top, which added a refreshing, acidic crunch! read more

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The chicken was pretty good. The beans were insipid. Why does it take 15 minutes to pack up pre-made food when there's no one else waiting for an order? They made a mess of the beans as they were packing them and didn't clean it up, so we had a hassle getting our order back to our hotel. And then we discovered that instead of giving us two large sides each of rice and beans as we ordered and paid for, they gave us one large and one medium each. I really regret the large tip I put in the jar before we got our order. read more

We have ordered from this restaurant several times with no issues. Today, we placed an order through DoorDash which was confirmed and a pick up time given. We ran about 7 minutes late and the door was closed and locked upon arrival. I looked through the window and saw a lady in the kitchen. I knocked twice and was ignored. The third time, I knocked really hard and she shook her head no. I yelled DoorDash. She called a young man to help her. After some time of them looking at their register, the young man unlocked the door to let me in. I attempted to tell the staff that they could refund my money but speak limited English. For about 15 minutes, I watched 3 people frantically move around the kitchen to get my order ready. I took the food and left. Well, when we sat down to eat, we noticed the mashed potatoes were super runny. I then stuck a fork in the chicken and thought it didn't seem right. Since I stuck the fork in a leg quarter, I separated the thigh from the drumstick. Doing this revealed under cooked chicken that was bloody. Although I've enjoyed the chicken from this place in the past, I will not return. Bloody chicken is lethal!!! read more

Al Carbon - Bloody undercooked Quarter Chicken - Peruvian Near Me - San Mateo, California

Ive eaten there almost all my life my family likes to go there and theyve really grown with adding more peruvian dishes and even boba peruvian style the owner is nice very talkative but very down to earth. read more

** 2.5 stars *** We were driving around downtown on New Years Day and were surprised at how many places were closed :( We happened to pass by this establishment and it was open, so thought new year, try something new. Very small place, has 3-4 tables. This is definitely a family run business as there were kids running around in the kitchen. I ordered a quarter dark chicken with mac and cheese and plantain fries. Part of my meal was heated up in a microwave and the chicken came from the buffet pans up front. Let's start with the chicken, it was juicy and had flavor. The plantain fries did not look like the picture, it was sliced as normal plantains would be and they were much drier than normal plantains; they really tasted like fries though, but really dry. The mac and cheese is a do NOT order item, really watery. Service was friendly. It was a bit chilly in there waiting for food, so bring a jacket. Parking was pretty easy, but nothing was open downtown, so parking was really easy everywhere that night. read more

Al Carbon - Menu - Peruvian Near Me - San Mateo, California

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My first time trying this place and food was horrible! Im a peruvian food lover and unfortunately cant give this place any credit. I ordered the chicken for my sided I picked rice which was very plain. No flavor at all. And the beans which was super hard to chew. They charge $2.50 for the three sauces which I have no Problem on paying for it but I got one chimichurri (very limely btw) and two of a white sauce that couldn't even tell what it was due to the lack of flavor. Also got the salchipapas that wasn't that bad I mean its fries and sausage, so not really hard to make it. But the fries were very cold and soggy. Never ordering from this place ever again. read more

Best Pollo a La Brasa near South Bay Area. Wish the sides that came with the whole chicken were a little bigger.

Really good Pollo a la Brasa, plenty of flavor just like the one from Peru, they also serve the dish with the "salsas" like the aji pollero and chimichurri. I try to go there with my family the most I can. Delicioso!!! read more

Love this place! Food is so good, pretty authentic and the French fries are to die for!!! The place is a bit small but I see it as cozy. read more

I went in there with my son because I got great recommendations from friends, I walk in and asked in English if they have lunch specials and she answers me in Spanish. And said " if you want to order something you have to speak to me in Spanish because we don't speak English here". I was shocked almost wanted to laugh. Yes I speak Spanish but I'm more comfortable with English. Im also a business owner to shop down the street and this kind of service is very bad for business. I suggest owner should get involved. read more

man I am really loving the come up of Peruvian restaurants in the area lately. This one is pretty good, more of a take out type place but I dig it. They have a lot of sides and tons of desserts. The fried calamari rings are really good. I loved the empanada de carne and the purple corn pudding. The workers were really nice. Its one of those great meals that make you sleepy afterwards. I am definitely feeling this place. Everything tastes soo fresh here. I love the sauces. read more

Take out hole in wall joint with 4 - 5 small tables in a small store front location. Average food, most items are with fries, (way too many). Beef heart screwers were good, rotisserie chicken somewhat moist but not up to par, whole stack BBR's average but taste was oK. Aji and chimichuri sauces acceptable in a pinch, I have had much better. Calamari was really bad, do not even think about it. Quinoa salad - well it takes care and experience to prepare, neither of which influenced a lower than average poor result. Fries both FF and SPF were soggy and limp. Worst part is owner was absentee and staff know nothing about Peruvian Cuisine. Its a shame. Not good value and questionable presentation. Lucuma Ice Cream was excellent. Its by others but well stored and a pleasant surprise. Inca Kola, 2 liter bottles available. We tried this place because it was six minutes drive away. Best to drive further next time. Full disclosure my wife is Peruvian. Perhaps for inexperienced with Peruvian cuisine might knock it up it up a star. read more

Place opened two months ago and I just saw it for the first time. I love Peruvian rotisserie chicken and have had it everywhere so I had to try it. We ordered a half chicken and the causa . Chicken was moist and had very good flavor. The yuca fries were creamy and delicious. Causa was fresh and just ok. The aji sauce while good should be delicious because it by itself should bring in people. Most of the good Peruvian restaurants in the area have amazing sauces using aji Amarillo, rocoto and hucatay and I'd love to see them highlight it here too. Overall we were happy and are definitely coming back. read more

Al Carbon - Chicken and fries! - Peruvian Near Me - San Mateo, California

I really wanted to like this place as I'm Peruvian and it would have been great to have close to home. I saw the promotion on the back of my Safeway receipt for $5 off $35 or a $31.95 family meal so I called and ordered the pollo a la brasa with 2 sides. Over the phone I asked if this counted as the family meal and she gave me some vague explanation about having to add $10 extra to that price (so not a deal then??). When I arrived they seemed almost upset that I tried to use a coupon and even said it was probably expired which it wasn't. Then they came up with some lame excuse about the price now being $41 so I asked if this was a $4 tax fee and they said the price is now $5 more than what is listed on the board (their way of not giving me the discount). For this same deal I've paid $25-$30 everywhere else in the bay so clearly they are upcharging. The actual chicken was okay, the sauces were TERRIBLE though. It was a chimichurri sauce (not Peruvian) and a runny yellow sauce (awful) and NO AJI VERDE which is the standard sauce that all pollos a la brasa come with. Overall, I won't be coming back here instead when I'm craving pollo a la brasa I'll be going to Brother's Chicken in Concord where they charge a fair price and have amazing sauces. read more

A hidden gem! You get a barbeque chicken and 2 delicious sides. I recommend the plantains and yucca fries. The quinoa salad is also delicious. We usually also get the chicha to drink, so good! read more

I was walking to Caltrain the other day and saw this place. Being a huge fan of rotisserie chicken and Peruvian chicken in particular I had to give it a try. A few people mentioned the staff not being friendly or polite. I fortunately didn't have that experience. They were nice when I ordered. The chicken was very juicy and the skin was nice and crisp. Quite tasty really. The yucca fries are also good, but I wish I'd gotten something else instead of the plantain fries. There's nothing wrong with them just I thought I was getting the fried sweet ones which these aren't. My only reason for 3 stars is it's pretty expensive. My lunch of half chicken and a juice was $20. While I enjoyed it I'm not sure how often I could come to spend that much on lunch. As a side note: a whole chicken meal is $29, while a half chicken meal is $15. You get two sides with both. If I were going for a whole chicken I would probably order two halves so I could get more sides but that's just me Bc I'm a sides fiend. read more

Al Carbon - Half chicken with yucca fries and plantain fries. Added a mango juice and it was $19 (including tax) - Peruvian Near Me - San Mateo, California

Awesome spot. My husband and I went to dinner there on a Wednesday around 7pm and split a half chicken with fries and yuca. The chicken was good, flavorful - maybe a bit dry but that can be easily remedied with their delicious spicy sauce and mayo. The best part is that it came on a what could only be described as a mountain of french fries. The fries were excellent - crisp on the outside, soft and hot inside. The yuca fries were just ok. Could have been cooked more. Overall - nothing fancy. Just a chill place with good food, and I look forward to eating here again. read more

Al Carbon - Medio pollo, papas fritas, ensalada - Peruvian Near Me - San Mateo, California

I didn't eat any food here yet but I did get ice cream de lucuma in a cone and got 3 of them . The cones where loaded with ice cream. The ice cream was very good and sometimes hard to come across. I would come back here and tell friends about this place. read more

The juicy, flavorful rotisserie chicken here is the real deal. Super tasty with the chimichurri sauce; their spicy sauce is barely spicy at all. Potato salad and cole slaw are standard issue but friendly service and yummy chicken make this a winner. read more

Al Carbon - Whole chicken with potato salad and Cole slaw - Peruvian Near Me - San Mateo, California

The test of the chicken is really good. Is not dry. Very tasty. And with salad and good fries a perfect combination.

Loved it. Wish I had found it sooner for easy weeknight meal. Wonderful roasted chicken. read more

First time eating inside their location and the place was very clean so definitely a cute little location to grab food at. I ordered the chicken and it was delicious as usual and so were the sides and drinks. I took a good friend here and he was in heaven - the whole time we ate he complimented everything :) He thought This has was one of the best chicken he's ever had and I agree with him. Their sauces are also awesome. I love their spicy sauce with their fries. Yum! read more

I remembered I used to like this place so I gave 5 starts before but now I am sure I will never be back here. The last wednesday I went with my husband to order a whole chicken with salad and rice plus French fries and a salchipapa too. The cashier she never make suggestions even when I asked about the sides or how big is the salchipapa. It is better to have a tablet there and order than a human being that doesn't care about explaining you anything. We were waiting for 20 min and I saw the chicken was already made but they were just reheating it and she gave me everything to go with a soda ( because she said the whole chicken comes with a big soda) then I told her it was to eat here. So I have to stand up again and ask for plastic dishes. Then she told me I have to give the soda back because I was gonna eat there and I was like ok I didn't care about a big soda. But girl you messed up my order: -waiting for 20 to 25min when we were the only customers - my order wasn't to go and I got to go - asked me to give the soda back when it was your fault. - I didn't get the side of rice . Instead I had a big mount of French fries because I ordered a salchipapa as well and I asked about if the size was big and she didn't answer. So she prefers to give me salad and french fries plus my order of salchipapa. - after all this mess I ask to exchange the French fries for rice she deny and the cooker came out to say it too. -she never repeat my order to confirm if everything was fine . I was the one who told her two time what I ordered. But she pick up 2 times the phone to get delivery orders. If you are gonna do two things at the same time do it well. After it other coworker came to the cashier and my husband explain the situation and the girl made a sign with her hand like saying " I am not gonna deal with it ". We were very respectful with all you guys so that is not something that somebody wanna see. And you can call me picky but is not the same to get a whole chicken in a box then in a big dish. Anyway my husband was mad so he asked for his tip back and he explained he has never done that because it is not about the money .But after nobody apologize or try to fix it not even this guy he was just smiling the whole time that's why he did it . And the chicken was all dry. For sure we won't be back again. We used to drive 30 min just because I like here but not anymore. Now I understand why a guy one day was complaining a lot with the same cashier with this girl . It is not about making mistakes it is about how she behave as well. Anyway better to get a tablet and make your order than asking her. This is how you lose costumers. I was so embarrassed about how you were dealing with this problem because I am Peruvian too and this is a Peruvian restaurant. Other places at least will apologize. read more

This is an awesome place to go and have a good plate of food, the prices are really good for the amount of food that they give you and the people there are really friendly and if you order to pick up they have everything I'm ready in the time period that they give read more

Too expensive. Menu in photo says 15.95 for half chicken, but called and was being charged 18.95 (same as the bumped-up DoorDash prices). A decent jump up, and past the tipping point for me. read more

Aw man {sigh}. This was one of those specialty, kinda hidden places that you think you will be your secret little motherlode of delicious, out-of-the-ordinary food. After delaying dropping in for months, finally my expectations dropped down to reality too. For me Peruvian food leaves all other Latin cuisine in the dust in terms of both variety and richness of flavor. Even the classic rotisserie chicken, Pollo a la brasa, which is the basis for a restaurant empire or two in Lima, has a special marination and other seasoning that is distinctive and addictive when done well. Here? Not quite. It was good if a bit dry but a notch short of "Oh I'm definitely coming back for this bird." The bigger issue is the supporting cast of side dishes. Again, the classic side for Pollo a la brasa is french fries, featuring a spicy dipping sauce (ají), usually two. Both the fries and the sauce missed the mark significantly. The fried yucca was better in that it was actually crispy on the outside, almost fluffy inside but the sauce was the same so getting to "wow, this is so freakin' delicious!" didn't happen. And the plantains weren't really even in the passable category. The Crema Volteada, which for as many times as I've tried it in Peru and here in the States is identical to Spanish Flan, did at least end the experience on an tasty note. Sadly though, with other solid Peruvian restaurants sprinkled around the Bay Area, that dish and this bright and friendly place is likely going to become just a footnote in my personal restaurant guide. read more