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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Not very good! Got the pollo saltado and it was very bad used scraps from the chicken. read more

Don Pollo - Dark meat scraps - Latin American Near Me - Chevy Chase, Maryland

The cashier and manager there are very rude, they won't make eye contact with you while you order. And whenever I try to order more food they'll roll their eyes at me?!?? Like do you not want my money? The food is never consistent so the quality has gone down a lot over the years. Really terrible service. read more

Best peruvian food I have found since I moved down to the maryland area. The Lomo Saltado is just the right amount of spicy and the atmosphere is authentic. If you are in the Bethesda area check them out you won't be disappointed. The prices are pretty good too. read more

Perfectly roasted, moist, flavorful chicken. Green Salsa is homemade and spicy, probably a 7 out of 10 on my spice scale (I like spicy kim chi and jalapeño slivers baked on my nachos. I consider Taco Bell "Hot" Sauce a 3 out of 10 in heat.) If you like ot but it is a little spicy for you, try blending se into either avocado, sour cream, or even mayo (which makes a great alternative to tartar sauce with breaded fish). They currently have a reduced menu. I walked in and stood by the door after ordering. They have empanadas. I like Latin American cuisine. I am not super well bersed a out empanadas as I am with many other dishes. (I have had about 8 in my life, from fifferent sources.) But I can say, these empanadas were really delicious! The masa (corn meal) outer dumpling shell was deep fried to crisp, pillowy perfection (not unlike a gourmet corn dog wrap). They had chicken, beef, and cheese. I tried the beef and the cheese. The beef was savory steak chinks with other tasty stuff. The cheese was white and thick and melty and gooey. They were satiating, and the green salsa was a perfect tangy, spicy zing to complete a happy little meal ot large snack. Decently priced. Glad they are open for delivery and take out. Food is very fresh here. I strip the carcass and simmer the bones for 6-16 hours for a tasty bone broth. Service: We all had masks. I stood near the door. Glad I went, though. Hang in there, Everyone. read more

Agree with other reviewers that the chicken was a little dry, not as good as the Gaithersburg location. Good thing they give you those delicious sauces for the chicken - one regular one spicy. They also give you generous portion of sides - I got corn pico and cucumber salad. They are fresh and came with a lot of red onions which I like. The food came out super fast so it's good for a quick work-day lunch. It's right off of Wisconsin Ave. I usually walk there from my office. I think there's some parking in the back. read more

Don Pollo - 1/4 white with corn pico and cucumber salad - Latin American Near Me - Chevy Chase, Maryland

Not my favorite Don Pollo location. I prefer Silver Spring and Bethesda. You get less food and it isn't served the same. The pork in the tacos was stale. Very disappointed. I rather drive a few extra minutes to Silver Spring. read more

These guys just took over the much loved Chespeake Chicken and Rockin Ribs place, which was as far as I know was the only place in Bethesda where local kids actually worked. Perhaps that's why they went out of business. Anyway, came here today for lunch and was bitterly disappointed. Absolutely nowhere near the good enough standard of EPR or the completely magical standard of Sabroso Grill in Silver Spring. My chicken was dry and tasted like , well, chicken. Don't these guys marinate? Isn't the smoker supposed to imbue the chicken with the roaring flavor of the pampas? OK, I am mixing up my geography and charred flesh here but you know what i mean, Apparently their chicken gets bathed in lemon ( good) then beer ( good) then vinegar ( vingear? WTF?) and then a dry rub of cumin and other spices. Couldn't taste anything apart from dry chicken. Staff were very nice, and they sides were good and there were plenty of choices. But the chicken sucked, and it has to be all about the chicken. read more

Don Pollo does not get enough of the love and attention that it deserves. Definitely craveworthy in my book and so much so that even when it's ridiculously cold and windy, rainy or snowy, I will -still- walk here during my lunch break even though I could easily access food much closer. The chicken is always fresh & delicious and the skin is crisp and flavorful and I love the accompanying sauces (well, just the orange one). The sides are tasty (my favorite is the fried yucca) and you get a heaping portion so the price of $5.99 is more than worth it. With Don Pollo within walking distance of my home and work, it's hard to trek anywhere else for my Peruvian chicken fix. read more

So many people raved about Chicken on the Run that I had to try it out, even though it's on the other side of Bethesda from my office. The place was tiny and a little on the sketchy side, but the food was cheap, plentiful and tasty. Enter Don Pollo.... Same juicy chicken, same delicious yuca fries and side sauces, same oversized portions, same selection of weird South American sodas, only it's way closer to where I work and live, and four times bigger and cleaner. Bonus points because the orange awning reminds me of my alma mater's team, the Florida Gators. Sorry, COTR, there's a new sheriff in town. read more

Kind of disappointed with my salad from here. I frequent Fish Taco a lot which is a restaurant two doors down from Don Pollo. I decided to give this place a try for a change and ordered their chicken salad. Given that this place is a Peruvian chicken place, I was expecting Peruvian chicken in my salad. Nope, I was wrong. To my surprise, I actually had the SAME EXACT chicken from Fish Taco. Same flavor, same style, even the containers. Are these two places owned by the same person?! Like what the hell was the point of coming here if I'm getting the same exact salad :( I wasn't mad because I actually love the adobo chicken salad from Fish Taco but I couldn't be more disappointed when I was looking for a change lol. read more

Don Pollo - Same style chicken as Fish Taco :( - Latin American Near Me - Chevy Chase, Maryland

*Still 3.5 stars* Went to Don Pollo today with a couple of co-workers. We go there at about noon, and although there was a line, it moved quickly enough. When I ordered they were out of white meat, so I got 1/4 dark with sides of French fries and rice and beans. With a bottle of water my total was about $7.20. The chicken was not quite as good as it had been on my previous visit, but my sides were better. My co-workers were both happy with the chicken and the sides. What I do like is the large portions -- the piles of fries or yucca are such that they are practically falling off your plate. Overall assessment: A solid choice in Bethesda. A big negative, however, is the parking situation - the lot behind this row of buildings fills up around lunchtime, and as do the spots on Wisconsin Ave. read more

Tried this place for the first time after work on a Friday around 4:30pm it was very quiet . I Had whole chicken to go with side French fries and rice. The chicken was okay, had a lot better in other places loaded with flavor and freshness. The fries were not fresh, very soggy, it was obvious they were sitting there end they put them back in the fryer . The rice was so bland zero effort. The restaurant looked clean, customer service was neither bad or good, and I'll not come back. read more

Is it really gross that what I love most is the skin of the chicken? Yeah. read more

For as long as I've lived in DC, La Brasa in Rockville has been my go-to chicken place. And yes, it is the best that I've sampled to date (added points in that it's actually a restaurant with a menu). But finding Don Pollo was a lovely surprise - it's really cheap, really tasty, and much closer to my house. The menu is fairly straightforward- there is chicken, and there are sides (plantain, fries, black beans & rice, pico de gallo, black bean pico de gallo, yuca, etc); all of this to say, DP is not a good place to bring your vegetarian friends. For me, 1/4 chicken and two sides is more food than I could ever finish -- the chicken is perfectly juicy, and really flavorful, served with small packets of sauce - a tongue-burning coriander salsa, and a less tongue-burning, but still sharp, chipotle mayo. True, this is not a place to bring a date (it has slightly better ambiance than Moby Dick next door; at Don Pollo the decor is mainly slightly too-loud music and two competing television screens - one showing soccer, and one a telenovela, but on a lovely summer evening, you can enjoy your chicken at their outdoor tables). But, when dinner for 2 comes to $18, and you have leftovers, and you've had some really good food, who needs ambiance? read more

This is my absolute favorite place to eat in Bethesda. I get takeout at least once a week. It's pretty simple inside but the food is outstanding. The chicken portion is large, perfectly cooked (crispy skin outside and juicy inside), and you get generous portions of the sides. My favorites are the yucca, plantains, and side salad. The food is ready within minutes of your order. The price is about $7 a plate, so it's a perfect weeknight meal if you don't feel like cooking or spending a lot of money on eating out. read more

Don Pollo - 1/4 white with yucca and side salad - Latin American Near Me - Chevy Chase, Maryland

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Good chicken and good portions at a good price. This is my favorite place in Bethesda for a quick meal. Been here loads of times and the chicken has always been moist and tasty with delicious spices on the skin. Sides are always heaped - the Yuca and the Pico de Gallo are my standards. Aside from that I like the restaurant itself. Bright and cheery decoration, always busy. Workers are friendly enough. In the summer outdoor seating is very pleasant as well. Highly recommended. read more

So...I think I might be in love with Don Pollo (get that mind out of the gutter!). Yes, it is just fast food Peruvian/Latin, yet how can you go wrong with that?! I will take Don Pollo over Mickey D's any day! It's a quick and easy Latin fix when you're in jam or just too lazy to soak those beans over night, hack at that yuca root for an hour, or throw a whole chicken on a spit. The sides: maduros (sweet fried plantains), rice and beans, yuca frita (fried yuca, very much like potatoes in that it is starchy but gives your standard french fry a run for its money), cole slaw (nice and creamy but not like a mayo pudding--a mistake more common than you think), black bean salad (fresh tasting, but the beans are a little crisp for my taste--seem a bit undercooked), and mac and cheese (which I can't wait to try). The sides are all pretty big and are about $3.50 a piece. They also have delicious sauces (spicy mayo & chimichurri). Dip the plantains in the spicy mayo and the yuca in the chimicurri. Ask for extra sauce (the cups are tiny!)--they guard it like gold but will begrudgingly give you more. And yes, this "vegetarian" (quickly becoming a flexitarian, however refuse to go by that title as it just sounds like something very pretentious meets hipster meets jack***) did try the pollo (the white meat to be exact) and it was tender and flavorful. To drink wash it all down with a Tamarindo Jarritos and follow it up with some fluffy cake-like alfajores! read more

Love this place for carry out that pleases all, even those on various diets! Great sauces and perfectly cooked chicken

A great pollo a la brasa place. Pollo a la brasa is basically roasted chicken, but the most moist and delicious roasted chicken. The service was quick; there was parking on the street. As others have mentioned, they were a bit stingy with sauces. Also, be aware that the green sauce is very spicy- even my husband who normally doesn't bat an eye was surprised. The fried yuca was excellent while the plaintains were a bit charred. Highly recommend going here. read more

Don Pollos provides a good, fast cheap meal without decor or table service. Their chicken is consistently good and the black beans , rice and plalntain side dishes are large and also very good. For what it is it serves the purpose as a reliable inexpensive meal. I am a fan read more

Unimpressed. Worse than merely unremarkable, the chicken was too salty. The sides didn't distinguish themselves either. On the plus side my daughters thought very highly of the traditional luminescent drink accompaniment, Inca Cola, which in our household is now known as "Candy Juice". I also agree that staff is very friendly. read more

Absolute favorite chicken place to go to. AMAZING chicken and delicious sides. Great special mayonnaise sauce that they make too. Everyone I bring their loves it. 10/10 read more

This restaurant mainly serves peruvian chicken. In typical style you order the chicken by quarter, half or whole then you pick your sides. Yuca is probably one of my fav I like that they cut it into smaller bite size piece before frying giving it a nice crunch. The plaintain is ok. The pico de gallo is this bean salad it's lighter if you want to be healthy. The chicken is just not as juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside as Senor Chicken. The restaurant is much nicely decorated and clean compared to most of these Peruvian joints. So the green hot sauce situation - similar to the Junior's chicken in old town gaithersburg - they charge you for extra sauce other than the ones they give you. They do give you a generous portion but they were nice about exchanging the creamy sauce for more green sauce. So that's worth an extra star! read more

Get the fried yucca !!! Amazing food !! The chicken is melt in your mouth and amazingly spiced. read more

The food here is good, but nothing to die for. I think the portions are nice and big, so you for sure will be satisfied, but you won't be counting the days until your next visit. It simply does the job when you are hungry for something other than something wrapped in some type of bread. You can never go wrong with some sweet plantains, rice and beans and chicken. I am not particularly a fan of fried yuca anywhere. I am more a "yuca al mojo" type of person and there are not many places here that serve that. So, I won't be fair reviewing their yuca. I like the ambiance of the place. Colorful, and clean. If you go during lunch time, you can expect a crowd. But on weekends and night time, I've never seen much of a crowd. read more

Cute little restaurant in Bethesda. Ordered 1/4 dark with a side of black beans and rice and plantains...very tasty! Good food, great price, and friendly workers who taught me how to order my food in spanish! read more

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

I havent tried their location in Gauthersburg but I have to agree with other reviewers: their chicken at this location left much to be desired. The meat was dry and a bit salty. Even parts of their dark meat was dry. However, their mashed potatoes was off the hook! (If you're the type that likes mash potatoes with potatoe skin in it). It's a shame because I work 5 minutes away. Would only come back when I'm craving mashed potatoes. read more

I was disappointed with my quarter white with yucca and salad meal. All of the yucca was soggy in the middle, and lacked flavor. The quarter white chicken didn't taste right and lacked flavor. The whole meal actually tasted a little off. Like someone sprinkled dirt on it and left it out for a few hours before serving it. Was this because my meal was served at 8 pm? Hoping that they will improve on quality next time, because they are usually good. read more

Ordered the half chicken, side of rice and beans and side of fried plantains. Like almost every pollo establishment, limited menu = good food. Actually, this restaurant has a larger selection of sides than most (12, I believe). You can buy additional sauce, but I found the amount that came with my meal was more than enough. read more

Great little spot for Peruvian chicken in Bethesda. Good size portions. Prices are decent. Quick to get food after placing order. Easy to carry out. Constant stream of people coming in to get food. Seemed empty at first but most people seemed to carry out o. A Monday night. Metered parking found behind the restaurant. Would definitely come back for a quick bite. read more

The food was okay. The chicken left something to be desired for me. It wasn't horrible it was just okay and for that reason, I don't think I will come back. I guess my expectations are a little high because of my favorite Peruvian chicken place that will go unnamed due to respect. So I am always a little biased when it comes to good Peruvian chicken. Like I said earlier it's not bad and if I had a few drinks prior, I'm sure it would have been better. Also I didn't like the yellow sauce. It was too watery. It is supposed to be a thick consistency sort of like mayo. read more

One of my favorite go-to family take out joints! We all have different tastes in sides but that is not a problem here, nor will it break the bank. My preference in the family meal is white meat chicken (with the mild orange sauce cause it's delicious) and the coleslaw. You won't find peas and carrots in the slaw which I like. The Mac&Cheese is also good. Service is quick which is fine. Overall everyone had a happy belly at the end of the meal! read more

A pretty solid La Brasa joint, as always looking for the ultimate numerous Peruvian chicken which there is luckily in abundance in the DC area to try. Straight forward, not the best chicken as some of the tips and legs got a little too much time and dried out. Decently seasoned as well. The sides here are also solid, with the real winner being the cucumber salad which is an excellent addition. They get the fries and the yucca right as well nicely done. They don't give you enough yellow or green sauce though, they're a bit stingy on this which sucks. Other than that it's a soild pollo la brasa joint and has a nice sunny and warming interior as well for eating in too. read more

The line moves quickly, even during the lunch rush. Great selection of drinks, their chicken is always crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, and their steak is unbelievable. The sides are all soft and kid friendly and the prices can't be beat. There is parking in the public lot behind the actual restaurant, as well as street parking in the front and on either side. This place is wheelchair accessible and there is enough room for a large wheelchair to sit at multiple of the tables. The ambience is noisy, but not overwhelming. There are also 2 TVs which play football (aka soccer). But there is no captioning on them :( read more

Don Pollo - Lunch rush on a Wednesday at Don pollo. 1pm now - Latin American Near Me - Chevy Chase, Maryland

I love this place!! The food is great, the prices are reasonable, and the people are very friendly. This is my go to "fast food" place. I also love they always have soccer on! My fiancee and I get the half chicken with fried yucca. Even with drinks it never runs us more than $15 for tasty dinner. I also like their plantains and pico de gallo. My only wish is they would be a little more generous with the sauce...the dinners only come with two tiny sauces then you have to pay .25 for each additional sauce. For a sauce lover like me, that adds up. read more

We live the neighborhood and have been eating in and carry out for several years. Lately we've been disappointed. My wife used to love the side salad which had beets but they've changed it and they've changed the salad dressing which now has cilantro which she doesn't like at all. Today the quarter dark meat meal the leg and thigh were half the normal size. Sorry to go but we'll be trying someplace else. read more

Spicey sauce + salsa music + chicken = heaven! Clean and affordable. Two thumbs up. read more

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

Next time I'm back in DC, this will be the first place I head off the plane. As a newly indoctrinated Gringo, I can't recommend the Peruvian chicken at Don Pollo enough. The food is very cheap, the half chicken portion is heaping with tender perfectly seasoned white and dark meat with deliciously crispy skin. The sides I tried were the plantains, a favorite of mine, and some of the better ones I've had, and the mac and cheese (I know, it doesn't really fit, should have got yucca). Both were delicious like the chicken. Throw in the cool beverage selections you don't get at your local grocer (unless you live in NYC near an ethnic bodega) and this is a winning dinner spot for a casual dinner with friends (think cafeteria trays and lots of napkins). read more

This place is amazing, I went yesterday and Byron (the guy at the cashier) gave me an excellent service? He knew the menu to perfection and understood what I wanted it right away. The service was excellent and the food super delicious. Definitely coming back. Place is cute and look super clean and neat. The staff is friendly and welcoming. read more