Don Pollo is a solid go-to when you're looking for something quick and reliable. I'm a big fan of the Chop Chop--it's consistently good and easy to customize--and the green sauce is really good and definitely the standout. I also appreciate the drink selection, which feels a bit more interesting than your average fast-casual spot. That said, some of the side dishes fall a little flat flavor-wise. A few of them just don't have much seasoning, so I usually stick to the beans and rice, which are the safest and most satisfying options. Overall, it's a good spot with some strong highlights, especially if you know what to order. read more

If I could give minus 10 stars I would. With so many good Peruvian places in Maryland I'm not sure how this one I had high reviews or must have been a very off night. To start Service was horrible. I went on February 9th 2025 at 6:45 pm. The manager was extremely rude. The food 0/5 stars. I ordered 1/2 chicken with coleslaw and Fried Yuca. I requested for the yuca to be fried fresh and crispy. I stood in the restaurant, I did not see them drop fresh yuca. Despite my standing in the store with direct visibility of the fryers. So when I got my food in a bag I thought oh maybe they have another fryer that is not visible. Wrong‼ They served me old stale yuca. The chicken had clearly been made earlier, (they were practically empty when I walked in so I'm not sure if it's cause it's Super Bowl or what), However that's no excuse to not have fresh food. The chicken was not even warm it was room temperature. Overall none of it was edible. The atmosphere was dirty. This is the rude manager in the picture. She literally said to me " did you see them reheat it with your two eyes?" I replied well I'm standing in front of the fryer and I definitely know they didn't drop any fresh ones. She then says "why didn't you tell them too when you saw they didn't". I'm like you can't be serious when I already requested fresh yuca and no one should have to tell you to not serve stale food. read more

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Favorite restaurant every time I visit home. 10/10 chicken, sides, and sauces. Will always make sure to order when in Bethesda area

Nice atmosphere, counter service no table service. Order, pay and pick at counter area. Ordered pollo saltado - first time having it. I ususally go with lomo saltado at peruvian spots. The pollo saltado was good - thigh meat deep fried naked. It was tasty. Service was ok but not very friendly - odd for a Spanish food place. I guess because I do not speak spanish? I would return though. Place was clean and bright. read more

Don Pollo - Pollo Saltado - Latin American Near Me - Chevy Chase, Maryland

Delicious food and perfect set up for catering. Called the day before to order 30 person catering set which included 9 chickens and 6 side platters. Food was hot and ready at pickup time including serving utensils, plates, napkins and utensils. Will recommend to all friends for any catering orders! Great food and customer service! read more

Bad experience and the staff was Rude despite me giving them a non-required tip. I went to pick up lunch between shows at the Writer's Center December 2025. My half chicken meal was $16 and the system generated a way to give a tip - So I gave a tip because I always want to support staff at restaurants. I went to claim my lunch, looked in the bag and there was hardly any sauce so I asked for more. She reluctantly gave me one despite being in the very act of filling a huge bin full of pre-packaged sauce right in front of me. I explained there was not enough sauce for the 1/2 chicken meal and reminded Juan at the cash register that also gave them a tip!!! Juan Carlos said "there is a limit of two" and the girl then gave me another ". I said, "it's not enough sauce so you can just give me my tip back please, if you refuse to give me sauce upon request." Juan nodded and the girl gave me ONE more reluctantly. No apologies, No, "hey sorry, sure have some sauce". As if I am not a PAYING, TIPPING CUSTOMER. I went back to the Writer's Center and told everyone there how rude they were and how the portions were small. Small chicken. Small sauce. Bad experience.. read more

Delicious chicken, yuca, and plantains. The sauces are also fantastic. Slightly expensive to me, but for Bethesda it is competitively priced. Sometimes the rice and beans are just OK. Nice staff, but they close early! Happy to have them nearby. read more

This place has the best service (quickest and friendliest staff). The food is amazing, and the Steak Rice bowl is to die for. I do enjoy how they always have Liga MX games on, but I wish it were MLS read more

Don Pollo - Latin American Near Me - Chevy Chase, Maryland

This spot is inviting with a wide variety of food offerings. I decided on the quarter chicken (white meat) which came with a side of rice and corn pico salad. The chicken was juicy, flavorful and had the perfect level of spice. The arroz chaufa was savory, not too greasy and dotted with veggies. I even decided to splurge and order a can of Inca cola on the side -- the best. So sweet, but so enjoyable! The food was made quickly and tasted fresh. There were some sweet treats for sale as well including, tres leches cake, flan and alfajores. The staff who helped us were friendly and helpful. There is ample seating available, both high tops and larger tables with chairs for sitting large groups. There were a few TVs with sports on which gave the place a casual and relaxed atmosphere. read more

Don Pollo - Latin American Near Me - Chevy Chase, Maryland

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Wooooow, so amazing. Got it delivery and it was still hot. Everything was so fresh. The empanadas were incredible to say the least, crunchy, flavorful, so well seasoned. The SAUCE TOO - amazing. I loved it everything had such perfect seasoning and tasted so fresh. read more

Don Pollo - 1/4 Dark Chicken - Latin American Near Me - Chevy Chase, Maryland

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After my first visit here, then I saw Don Pollo everywhere - quite a popular chain and their food is very good. They are well-known for their Peruvian chicken. This review is based on a visit before the coronavirus lockdown. 1/4 PERUVIAN CHICKEN WITH 2 SIDES - $8.25 Chicken was very good. Got plantains and black beans & rice for my sides - also very good. The sauces are killer good - green chunky spicy sauce and the thousand island looking sauce that is very garlicky and has a nice kick too ... and addicting. Overall great spot esp. for families. Everyone enjoyed their orders, and we had enough food for leftovers :) I'm definitely requesting Don Pollo when I visit MD again. FYI street parking is available. read more

Don Pollo - Latin American Near Me - Chevy Chase, Maryland

Walked this place today and stopped in for dinner. I ordered the 1/2 chicken with mashed potatoes and Mac and cheese. The chicken was roasted with just the right amount of seasoning and the sides were good. Prices were reasonable. The place is very casual and you order at the counter. read more

Don Pollo - Menu - Latin American Near Me - Chevy Chase, Maryland

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Delicious food, clean store, friendly and quick service. Impressively deep menu that's been great no matter what you choose. However prices for portions provided are a little high. Will be returning for Lomo for sure. read more

Much better than Sardis, their food is good and well seasoned however they are inconsistent, your experience is very dependent on who is cooking the food. read more

Real good chicken big portions a lot of variety of sides I recommend you should try it out read more

Don Pollo - Hello real good chicken and sides the have a big variety will recommend - Latin American Near Me - Chevy Chase, Maryland

best chicken in Montgomery County and it has the best side dishes! Try it out if you don't believe me

Amazing food. Amazing chicken. Cooked to perfection, and a great bang for your buck. Ready incredibly fast. The sauces were amazing. Got take out, but the restaurant is casual. read more

We went with the full chicken and 4 sides. Less than $30 to feed three hungry people. In our case the chicken was moist, the skin nicely seasoned and rendered of fat, although not crisp. But if it takes hot oil to achieve crispness, I am not interested. Our yucca was more dense than it should be. It did come with a nice dipping sauce. The cucumber salad, and black bean pico were both healthy and tasty. And our last side, plantains, were more like a dessert, from a texture and sweetness perspective. Not a gourmet meal, but not at a gourmet price either. read more

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This place is consistently fantastic! I get the pollo saltado and I find it to be super flavorful and filling. Their sauces are really good too. Overall great vibes in here. Service is fantastic as well. read more

I came in during lunch hour so I knew that it would be extremely busy. There were a lot of guest waiting and they seemed aggravated so I was worried that I would waiting for a long time -- not! I placed my order, 1/2 chicken with rice and beans and plantains and the guy who took my order washed his hands and began help out the crew. Literally knocked out about 8 orders, including mine, in 4 minutes! I was so pleased! I previously had their food at an event at work so I knew the quality of the food was out of this world and it exceeded my expectations. So flavorful, so juicy, authentic, and they were VERY generous with the serving of food. This place really reminds me of Pollo Tropical that's located in a Central Florida, except without the sauce bar. Overall I was very pleased with my food and the customer service that was provided. Will definitely be returning! read more

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This one has a wayyyyyy better menu than the one in Germantown and wayyyyy better respect for the customer especially when they assume you do not speak Spanish read more

Came here today and ordered around 4:30pm. Chicken and plantains were both old and sitting around for idk how long. Why would you serve people dry chicken? Waste of money for sure and would not recommend this place to anyone based on this experience. Yuca tasted fresh read more

I've upgraded my review to 4 stars because I've had a couple better experiences, and I just love the food when it's on. It pains me to give don pollo a 3. When they're on, it's the best Peruvian chicken anywhere. I used to work nearby and ate there all the time. I now stop in when I'm in the neighborhood, but too often I'm disappointed. The chicken is frequently dried out, the fries cold and limp. It's really gone downhill in quality. Makes me very sad. read more

Terrible customer service that doesn't reply to concerns. They'll gladly take your money and not correct anything if there are any problems.

My son and I needed to take a break from the Playseum for lunch and Don Pollo is right across the street. There are a few restaurants across the street but from Yelp reviews, Don Pollo looked the most promising. Don Pollo is casual Peruvian chicken. Order at the counter and your number is called. There is a cooler of drinks and self-serve water. They have silverware and napkins on the tables already plus there are to-go containers at the register,saving you the step of asking because portions are very large. I ordered a half chicken with two sides (roasted vegetables and sweet plantains). This was enough to split with my 13 month old. The roasted veggies were delicious-carrots,yellow squash,zucchini ,broccoli . I loved the chargrilled flavor! The sweet plantains were also tasty although could have been warmer. My son loved them! The chicken itself was well-seasoned and juicy. The green sauce was quite spicy but I loved the tangy flavor of the pinkish sauce.Also of importance to note is the fact they have several high chairs. I'd happily return if I was in the area again. read more

Don Pollo - 1/2 Chicken With 2 Sides- roasted veggies and sweet plantains - Latin American Near Me - Chevy Chase, Maryland

I placed a delivery order a few weeks ago. I've been here quite a few times and the food has always been great. Unfortunately, my last order was very disappointing. I ordered the fiesta for 4, which comes with a whole chicken and 4 sides. The app I used did not let me select the 4 sides, so I had to manually type them out. When I received my order... I got charged $15 more. For sides they say are included with the order. Most of my food arrived cold and stale. The rice and beans were the only part of my meal that were steaming hot. The yuca, the plantains, and the chicken tasted like they were old! Not a hint of warmth in them- and even after reheating in the microwave the food was stale. I know some restaurants use yesterday's food in the mornings, so maybe that's why 90% of my food tasted old. I'll probably give them one more try, but will be sure to come in the afternoon to hopefully not be served stale food again. read more

Every time this restaurant deliveries good meals, good value, and helpful/friendly staff.

This food is incredible! I ordered the 1/4 white chicken meal with white rice, black beans and roasted vegetables. OMG, the roasted veggies were phenomenal. Anyway, the food was well seasoned Ave freshly made. The service was good and quick. And was a complete win from the beginning to the end of my experience. read more

The chicken - love The mashed potatoes - love Yucca fries - love The sauce - love read more

The worse Peruvian food i've ever had. And i visit a LOT of Peruvian spots. The food was DRY. The chicken was OK. The plantains tasted like they were DRY like stiff and dry... and flavorless. So disappointed because I love plantains... and these were a fail and disappointment. The fried rice was bland. The person at the registered wasn't super friendly. read more

From the chicken, sides, to even the dessert, Don Pollo had us in culinary bliss as high as the Andes! The first time my dining companion truly enjoyed food from a Peruvian rotisserie, what more could I ask for :-D Today, we were in the mood for some chicken, and we remembered a few times watching people enjoying Don Pollo's chicken through the window from our table at next door Persimmon. It certainly didn't hurt that the satisfied patrons included a Peruvian friend of ours and his two sons :) We decided to head over early on a Sunday morning for take-out. Although it was our first time trying Don Pollo, we went within the first 15 minutes of opening on a Sunday morning so everything (particularly the fried yuca and chicken) may have been extra fresh! We ordered a whole chicken plus fried yuca and plantains. When we walked in to pick up our order, my dining companion's attention was caught by the bread pudding in a display case. When we asked about it, the friendly cashier spoke with such sincere enthusiasm that we had to have one. On the way back, we nibbled on the yuca and noticed that it was fried to a tender-crunchy-crisp, noticeably superior and fresher tasting (particularly the oil) than at other El Pollo Rico, Crisp & Juicy, and Super Chicken. When we dove into the chicken, we immediately noticed how wonderfully prepared it was, particularly how well they seasoned the meat throughout (brining?), how well they cooked the skin crisp and thin, and how well they render the fat from beneath the skin--clearly better than EPR, C&J, and SC. The salsa verde was spicier than the competitors' versions and the fried plantains provided a sweet n' starchy cooling contrast to the heat of the salsa verde. I read some gripes about charging $0.25/extra sauce. However, we happened to get EIGHT of them with our order (specifically requested only salsa verde). I am not sure how we got so many, but they packed a stronger punch than the other places so we only needed two cups instead of the usual four to six. Oh, and the bread pudding... the cashier was so right! My dining companion described it as "better than Balducci's." Indeed it was moist, not-too-sweet, satisfying, and scrumptious--a wonderful blend of eggs, bread, citrus, cinnamon, raisins, nuts, etc. We had ordered bread pudding at fancier restaurants (never before at a casual place like Don Pollo), but come to think of it, we never had one that was very memorable. On the other hand, Don Pollo's was such a pleasant surprise, at only a third of the price as those of more upscale restaurants, and so satisfying that we shared half (leaving the other half to savor later). Combined with bright, clean, and colorful ambiance (outdoor seating is popular during the recent sunny weather we are having), friendly service, and ample portions, Don Pollo has us hooked since day one! This is the first time my dining companion really enjoyed Peruvian chicken, so much so I was hearing "5 Stars! 5 Stars!" immediately after the first bite of dessert! :-D Next time, we have to try the Aguaditos (a chicken soup with cilantro, ginger, and garlic) which also sounded tempting! read more

Let me preface this with: I'm comparing this Don Pollo to the one in Rockville off of Veirs Mill. And though they stand as separate restaurants... I will not call them equal. The chicken is just not as good. The chicken wasn't as fresh. Yeah, there is more space and all, but Don Pollo is all about the chicken and it just didn't live up to my expectations. The corn pico that I ordered literally had no seasoning or sauce on it. I might as well opened a can of corn and forked it into my mouth. They got my chicken order wrong and gave me dark meat instead of white meat. When, I brought this up, they quickly gave me a piece of white meat and let me keep both pieces. Which was really nice. The customer service was good. The chicken was just not what I am used to with Don Pollo. Maybe I came in at the wrong time... I will tell you though, the mashed potatoes were AMAZING. I could have had a plate of those for dinner. This will definitely be my mashed potato spot. Who need a mashed potato spot? Well, just taste their mashed potatoes, then you'll understand why you need a MP spot. :) read more

Pollo Saltado is so good I haven't tried anything else yet....so this review is for this dish only. I always order for lunch during the week, and they are very fast. read more

This is a small Peruvian chicken place that is perfect for a quick lunch/dinner. The chicken meals are a solid deal for meals under $10, and I also appreciate the wide variety in sides. I got a 1/4 dark meat with generous portions of potato salad and macaroni salad and enjoyed everything. I only wish that additional sauce for the chicken were free, as the tiny containers that you get don't seem like enough to me. There's a metered parking lot right behind the restaurants with plenty of spots. read more

Don Pollo - 1/4 dark meat with potato salad and mac and cheese - $7.95 - Latin American Near Me - Chevy Chase, Maryland

I received my chicken today, which I normally love and the breast was very small. I asked the general manager if it seemed small to him and despite the fact that it was clear that whoever cut the 1/4 chicken cut more off than normal he said, "No." I said I disagree. He did NOT offer to replace it. Poor customer service. read more

Don Pollo - Chicken breast - Latin American Near Me - Chevy Chase, Maryland

Had dinner here today and left satisfied. Chicken - not as flavorful as I'm used to and parts of the chicken were dry (not too much, but still). The green hot sauce was tasty, as it always is at Peruvian places. I didn't try the white/cream sauce. *Drawback: I asked for an extra green sauce when my order was ready and they said it was 35 cents. Grr Plantains - sweet and tasty Coleslaw - crunchy, fresh tasting, and not too much mayo read more

After living in Peru for a while, anytime I see a Peruvian restaurant while traveling I give it a shot. And I'm so glad I did! It was delicious and reminded me of Peru! The chicken was juicy, and the chaufa was amazing. Even the Inca cola made it all come together authentically. I almost cleaned my plate, and there was quite a bit of food. I will definitely be back next time!! read more

I LOVE Peruvian Chicken. It deserves to be its own food group. We order takeout from here quite often as it's been consistently reliable. We order usually order a whole chicken and a bunch of sides. The Cucumber Salad is delicious, as are the green beans. The mashed potatoes are generally meh and the rice and beans are rice and beans, pretty much the same as everywhere else. I will say the plantains, when cooked enough, are about the best I've tasted. I can't speak towards their other sides as I've never tried them before. The chicken itself is pretty good. Not the best I've ever had- the white meat is a tad dry, but it is seasoned very well. Now lets talk about the green sauce. I don't know it's name so it will henceforth be known as wasabi-colored-crack-sauce. I put it on everything. If I could I'd fill a water bottle with it and let it nourish me throughout the day. It makes the (pretty consistently) dry chicken taste amazing. The staff are usually friendly but at times can be a bit standoffish. I always order extra wasabi-colored-crack-sauce and they always remember to include it with my order. I wish they included more sauce with your regular order, as it is the only thing that makes the white meat chicken taste good but it's Bethesda so I understand. I look forward to coming back here....I'm getting hungry just writing this. read more

WARNING: Stay away from this restaurant. First off, I live extremely close and have tried to give this place the benefit of the doubt on multiple occasions. However, after my experience with Don Pollo today, I am recommending stay away. Today (4/29/2021 1:05pm) I went in for chicken and when I got home (1 block away) I open my container of food and was presented with UNDER-COOKED BLOODY chicken, that was sitting inside running blood juices [SEE PICTURES]! I was completely disgusted, and promptly went back to return it. Now, I'm offered a replacement meal from the cashier who initially rang me up which, of course, I decline. The cashier retrieves the manager to give me a refund. The Manager comes over, doesn't acknowledge me in the slightest, says nothing to me and hands me a refund receipt, without making eye contact, without an apology or anything else. This type of poor customer service is intolerable and the level of food safety is apparent. There are kids who eat here and during a pandemic you should be paying extra attention to the INTERNAL temperature of your chicken. Bloody chicken can lead to many illnesses some FATAL to people with weak immune systems. Im glad I knew the difference between uncooked chicken, but think of a KID who will just eat whats placed in front of them not knowing the difference. The only place I recommend Don Pollo (Bethesda) to- the Montgomery County Health Department. Where I will be writing to after this review (which will hopefully help others). read more

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This is a terrific lunch spot. It only takes a quarter of a chicken and some meringue to brighten up a tough day at work. Their chicken is tender and seasoned perfectly. I was excited to see that they offer platanos maduros as a side. Unfortunately, the plantain that ended up on my plate wasn't ripe and I prefer my maduros very sweet and soft. read more