Recommended by a friend, I finally tried El Dorado Pollos A La Brasa, a small Peruvian restaurant just north of the 210 in Pasadena, CA. I really cannot recommend this place enough. Fair prices, large portion sizes, and fresh tasty food. Seating: both indoor and outdoor Parking: small parking lot outside, free Takeout: available, many people were picking up phone orders Here's what we ordered: Pollo Saltado: Tender boneless chicken breast fit perfectly with the stir fry. The rice was accented perfectly with the flavorful broth. Chicken combo: The chicken skin had a nice crunch, while the meat was juicy and tender. I chose rice and fried plantains for sides. The plantains were golden brown, with a rich flavor. read more

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What amazing food they have here and such great service. My wife, sister-in-law, and I got 2 plates of the Lomo Saltado, which was excellent. It had huge chunks of meat and was more than enough to fill all 3 of us up. My son and nephew ate the rotisserie chicken. This was also good, but not as good as the Lomo Saltado. Anyway, we'll definitely be going back here. They even offer free small bottles of water and free coffee, and they didn't hesitate to give us as much dipping sauces as we needed. This is definitely a must place to go if you're looking for excellent food with kind service. read more

Came across this place on Yelp and decided to give it a try. Everything we ordered was fantastic! The lomo saltado was delicious, the 1/4 chicken was perfectly cooked, the yuca is a must, and the shrimp ceviche was incredibly fresh. It's family-owned, and you can definitely feel it. Everyone was so warm, friendly, and welcoming, which made the experience even better. The only thing I would change is that I wish all of the food came out at the same time instead of being spread out throughout the meal. Other than that, we had a great experience. Can't wait to come back and try more! read more

If you want delicious and authentic Peruvian food in a beautiful, casual atmosphere, look no further. El Dorado is the place to be. The owner, Jonah, is an incredibly nice person. It was great being able to chat with him, and he was extremely hospitable. He made sure to give me plenty of water on such a hot day, as I had my pug with me and we were sitting on the patio on a hot summer day. The lomo saltado was perfect. Tender, juicy beef, delicious fries and sauce, white rice, red onions, and roasted red peppers. The Pollo à la Brasa was off the hook. We got a half chicken with fried plantains and Peruvian beans. Absolutely delectable. Chicken was juicy and tender with perfectly crisp skin. Seasoning was just right. Fried plantains were best I've ever had. Lightly fried with a moist and lightly sweet interior. We also tried an order of Papas Huancaina. The potatoes were perfectly tender, and the sauce had a nice little kick without being too much. Service was impeccable. People constantly checked on us on the patio. The World Cup was playing on two flatscreen TVs on the patio and two flatscreen TVs inside. Everyone here is happy! Restrooms are incredibly clean and surprisingly lovely with scented candles and plants. El Dorado exceeded my expectations and I'll definitely be back. If you're a fan of Peruvian cuisine in a casual but lovely and comfy atmosphere, you must come. El Dorado Pollos a la Brasa is authentic and friendly and delicious and perfect. read more

El Dorado Pollos A La Brasa - Jonah, the very nice owner-- great guy, very hospitable - Peruvian Near Me - Pasadena, California

The food is solid. I got the Mini Pollo Saltado which was ok but become amazing after adding the sauces and salsa! We also got the Chicharron Fried Rice and large plantains. Both were solid dishes. The food came really quick. You order via the self ordering kiosk or in person at the counter. There's bench tables outside with umbrellas and is really cute. I would definitely come back here again! read more

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I've been here a couple times now and I have to say this is a pretty solid Peruvian spot in Pasadena. These days I honestly come here mainly for the lomo saltado. The beef is tender and juicy with onions and tomatoes and that slightly tangy flavor. What really brings everything together is the green aji sauce. You definitely need it. They also have the rotisserie style chicken which is juicy with a nice smoky aroma and good sides. It's good, but for me the lomo is really the reason I keep coming back. The ladies working here are always really nice and the food comes out super quick which I appreciate. The only funny thing is if you ask for water they give you a tiny little bottle that definitely does not quench my thirst lol. Overall a really good place for Peruvian food, especially if you're craving lomo saltado. I'll definitely be back. read more

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Service and ambience outside was nice but the actual food was very low quality. We tried the beef,shrimp,and chicken soltado plates and the protein tasted like freezer burn and the fries are dry. We all got very bad stomach aches including the kids. read more

Incredible food!!! Cant get enough great drinks great chicken + delicious sauces. Second time here this week

I'm writing this review about an hour after trying this place for the first time. I'm honestly shocked El Dorado has not gone viral yet. As of 2025, I can confidently say this is the best chicken spot in SoCal. Here are the top lines: 1. The chicken is perfectly cooked over wood, and you can taste it. Crispy skin, juicy meat, and smoky taste. 2. The seasoning is perfect, and not just on the skin - the whole chicken is seasoned. 3. The sauces all hit. No exaggeration - TheBestChicken read more

El Dorado Pollos A La Brasa - 1/4 Chicken W/2 Sides - Peruvian Near Me - Pasadena, California

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Excellent food, excellent vibe, excellent service, excellent sauces/salsas. Had the lunch special and it was so satisfying. Made with whole unprocessed ingredients. Both the chicha Mirada and the maracuya drinks are so delicious. Plan on making this a weekly lunch spot read more

I work in Pasadena and discovered this gem about 5 yrs ago. Food is good but what takes it to another universe is the AMAZING "green sauce!" Roasted chicken is moist. Rib eye is tender. Tallatin w any protein is delicious. Maria, the owner, helped me order a large lunch order for my team meeting which included lunch for a couple vegans. The team LOVED the lunch so I will be coming back again! read more

Chicken was very tender but wayyyyyy too salty. Lomo saltado had good flavors but the meat pieces are tough and dry. I was so excited to try based on the reviews, and wish I had better things to say, but it was quite disappointing. Staff was friendly and helpful, and the place had a fun casual ambience. read more

More like 3.5 stars. Cool place with a nice outdoor patio and a chill vibe. The chicken is tasty but a little on the dry side, and the pieces are mingy (small) as well; the pasta portions look bigger. We split the two-piece combo for a quick lunch and the beans were delicious; the "maduros" were super-good as well, but only 3 of them??? Kinda stingy, c'mon. The accompanying sauces are really, really good... Service is friendly and attentive and they have beer and wine, too. We'll probably go again, but more than likely it'll be takeout. If you're in the area give them a try. read more

The pollo saltado was great. I'll have to come back to try the pollo a la brasa. The chicken was very tender. The aji verde sauce had a spicy kick to it. The fries, tomatoes and onions added very well to the flavor and the rice absorbed all of it..the staff was super nice and cleaned out tables when needed. Theres free coffee and water which was such a nice amenity. The outdoor patio and indoor seating was such a nice choice to pick from. We also got the shrimp ceviche which was also excellent and a very dog friendly patio area. read more

El Dorado Pollos A La Brasa - Pollo saltado & chicha drink - Peruvian Near Me - Pasadena, California

Dang, I'm so happy that this restaurant is nearby my home because I now know where to get the best shrimp ceviche and Peruvian chicken! I've never had Peruvian chicken before but it kinda just taste like a very good rotisserie chicken with special Peruvian sauces on the side. I can't believe that a 1/4 chicken meal comes with two sides and I picked a very comforting and hearty chicken rice soup as one, while the other side are nicely fried yucca fries. Also got me a shrimp ceviche to-go and they do not skimp on the shrimp! The prices here are very reasonable especially for Pasadena. I can't wait to come back and I think they are able to do a vegan-friendly mushroom or tofu saltado for my husband which is a big plus. read more

El Dorado Pollos A La Brasa - Ceviche De Camaron - Peruvian Near Me - Pasadena, California

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I recently cheated on El Dorado's with Loli Farms. El Dorado's is still the best Peruvian food in Pasadena. They have excellent food here from the lomo saltado to the chicken and sides are delicious as well. They have good service and self service options. Cool atmosphere, moderate noise, music, plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Love this spot and recommend for comfort food. read more

El Dorado Pollos A La Brasa - Half chicken, beans and plantains. Super delicious. - Peruvian Near Me - Pasadena, California

We came in on a Monday and it was pretty busy! I've never had Peruvian food, so I was excited, but kinda nervous since I'm vegetarian. To my very pleasant surprise, they had lots of vegetarian friendly options!!! I had the Tallarin Verde with mushrooms and it was divine! My bf had the lomo saltado and he devoured it. I can't wait to come back and try a vegetarian version of the saltado too!! I also want to check and see if the beans are vegetarian friendly read more

El Dorado Pollos A La Brasa - Lomo saltado and Tallarin Verde Con hongos (mushrooms) - Peruvian Near Me - Pasadena, California

The most amazing Peruvian chicken you will ever find. Game day specials. $3 beers for happy hour every day. Friendly staff. Coffee and water on the house. Truly a homey business that care about the people. December special is buy 1 whole chicken get another one free. So worth it. Playing the football game inside with 2 tvs. Such a clean restaurant. Make sure you get green sauce and pickled onions. Parking can be limited. My go to chicken place!! I recommend it to everyone read more

This is the second time I came to this place for lomo saltado. There is a small parking lot, and street parking is also available. Staff was friendly, and kind. They offer customers with free bottle water and hot coffee. The decoration was very clean and minimal. There are a few tables indoor and some tables in the patio. The food was freshly made, so we waited for a while. They offered 3 dipping sauce. I remember the yellow one is my favorite. The pink and green ones were too spicy to me. The meat was very tender, and not overcooked. The dipping sauce and the meat were the perfect combination. I also dipped the fries with the dipping sauce. This is how much I love it. Will come back for more lomo saltado. read more

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The food tastes great at El Dorado. But, here's the thing: the portion size leaves much to be desired. For example, the whole chicken with 2 sides (French fries and about 6 plantains) comes in at $35 currently. But the chicken is the size of a Cornish hen. A $5 rotisserie chicken from Costco is literally more than double the meat. If the smallish sides are worth $10 then the "whole" chicken is $25? Naw. That's just not right value-wise. Again, it tastes great but I could have gotten five $5 chickens from Costco and I'm pretty sure if I just bought the Peruvian sauces, I would have felt more satisfied with the Costco chickens. The Lomo Saltado was also very tasty, but for more than $22, there was maybe 3-4 oz of beef in it. It was mainly fries and some peppers with a sparse amount of beef. The chaufa de lomo (beef fried rice) again, delicious but for $22 I felt like there should have been more of it. Compound that with delivery fees, taxes and tip from Uber eats and the bill for these 3 dishes came to $115. Peruvian food from El Dorado is delicious and taste alone makes me want to become a regular but I simply cannot unless the value proposition is more favorable for my entire family to eat there at a more reasonable price. read more

Great customer service, the ceviche was fresh and very delicious! Highly recommend the ceviche and the lomo saltado. read more

El Dorado Pollos A La Brasa - Peruvian Near Me - Pasadena, California

Overall I really like this place! The smell of the wood burning as you approach is mesmerizing. The pollo a La brasa is pretty good(especially with the red onions/sauces.) Both times I got the quarter chicken; the wing is very small like very little meat or skin you can pull off of it. The breast is plentiful though so it still fills me up. I like the array of condiments/sauces they give you. The salad dressing is delicious and I looove the lemony red onions. The fries always come up super fresh and warm. They definitely taste home cut/made. The salad is fresh and colorful. The alfajores are sooooo good... Everyone working is very nice and they hook you up with as much sauce as you need and free little water bottles or coffee. I definitely look forward to coming back and trying more items on their menu! read more

Delicious! Visited family and wanted Peruvian food so I went on Yelp and found this restaurant. We ordered a few different dishes and each was perfect! The beef was so tender and the sauces were on point! I definitely recommend this restaurant if you want good authentic Peruvian food. read more

Dropped in to pick up a quick bite to eat for lunch. Service was fast, friendly, and they keep it nice and clean. Ordered the pollo bowl and it came with a bunch of sauces to give it all sorts of flavor! Super yummy! Smelt so good I started tearing into before I snapped the photo lol! They blast the A/C for indoor seating or they have outdoor seating with umbrellas as well. Would definitely come back again! read more

El Dorado Pollos A La Brasa - Chicken Bowl - Peruvian Near Me - Pasadena, California

I don't even remember where I first heard about El Dorado, but I know it's been on my list for a while. I love Peruvian chicken, and I had high expectations going in. We ordered through Uber Eats and didn't realize it takes about an hour and a half for the chicken to be ready, but let me tell you, it was absolutely worth the wait. They happened to have a special for a free whole chicken, which made it even better. The chicken was delicious, juicy, perfectly seasoned, and full of flavor. The beans were comforting and tasty, and the Chaufa, Peruvian fried rice, was incredible, rich, smoky, and deeply satisfying. It also came with sweet plantains, cooked exactly how I like them, sweet, not too thick, crispy on the edges, and gooey and soft in the center. Just writing this review is making me hungry all over again. I'm so glad I finally tried this place. My family and I will be eating El Dorado for years to come. It might just be the best roast chicken I've had in Los Angeles. An amazing, flavorful experience from start to finish. read more

Food is amazing. Chicken had so much flavor. I love that they offer half size for lomo saltado, Super fresh and the little green sauce is amazing. I love the casual lunch style of the restaurant. Food is amazing and staff is friendly. read more

A quick snack to eat was very enjoyable. Loved the rice and beans. . Will be back for more.

the chicken is incredibly tender and juicy! i wish there were a couple more options veggie options for the sides, but the fries and rice were good. i ordered online for pickup and the food was ready quickly and pickup was an easy process. i scheduled the food for pickup by a specific time, but it was ready 15 minutes earlier than pickup time so my food was a little colder than i wanted. read more

Everything here is SO GOOD. Sat on the patio, the service was excellent. A big plus is this place has their own parking lot. read more

The food was pretty good and flavorful. It was pretty authentic. It's a cute little spot, not too large. I didn't even know that it was in my neighborhood. My mom had half a chicken, which was still juicy and full of flavor. My dad had the steak bowl, which he enjoyed. It tasted kind of like a carne asada beef bowl. I had their specialty, which was tenderloin beef with slices of potato. The dish was made well, I could taste all the fresh ingredients. And the steak was tender. The slices of potato absorbed a lot of the sauce, so it tasted great. They ran out of the pesto fettuccine dish, which I wanted to get. The staff was friendly, and I was able to pick up my food quickly because it was a to-go order. read more

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Is the best Peruvian restaurant and family owned.. amazing service .been coming for years and food is always good !

You're food is very good, but I receive text messages with specials used to be spend $40 get a free whole chicken now it says spend $50 get a free whole chicken. So basically now it's not free anymore. read more

I love Peruvian food and I'm always looking for a spot. I like Rosty's, Mario's and now this place too! I thought the service was nice, kind and caring. You can tell they have community support as people come in to eat and chat at the counter which I love to see!! It's easy to be there too. The food and flavors are great. It really hits the spot. Portions are big too!!! Parking is great! Totally recommend. We always get the pollo saltado juicy 1/2 a chicken with beans and plantains! read more

El Dorado Pollos A La Brasa - Half eaten Pollo Saltado - Peruvian Near Me - Pasadena, California

One of my go to takeout places. The chicken is always flavorful, juicy, and perfectly cooked. My favorite sides are the fries and the fried rice. The sauces are amazing with the aji verde one being the best. Also they are always so nice here. The first time I went I told them it was my first time and they took the time to explain all the sauces and what goes well with everything. I've never actually eaten there as I always get takeout but it's a nice space and they have complimentary hot coffee. read more

My favorite Peruvian restaurant in the area. Very authentic dishes. I have been here several times and always consistently great. The lomo saltado was flavorful and the beef was tender and juicy. My first time having papas alla huancaina. I will order that every time i come back. The potatoes are tender and the sauce is thick and rich. 10/10! read more

Known for their woodfire rotisserie chicken and overall, excellent Peruvian classics - we tried the chicken, perfection. Interesting array of sauces, service was excellent, and just the fact that I got myself a delicious steak and pasta plate for $18 in 2024 automatically elevates this joint in the top 5 restaurant experiences for the year. 5 big stars. read more

El Dorado Pollos A La Brasa - The spread - Peruvian Near Me - Pasadena, California

The Smoky Rotisserie Chicken is perhaps the best tasting Chicken of its style in the Los Angeles area! It is just amazing and never fails to impress. I have eaten at this establishment well over 100 times and is just incredible. To add, the manner in which the plantons are cooked and prepared is outstanding. Other dishes are excellent as well. Including the Loma Soltado. The restaurant also has $3.00 beer specials all the time which is excellent and other specials periodically that are pretty good deals as well, especially if you have signed up for their frequent visitor program. Things to be aware of Sunday to Wednesday only open 11 - 7.00pm and Thursday to Saturday 8.00pm. If you do not come at least and hour prior to closing, there is a good chance that the excellent Chicken Flagstaff menu option may already be sold out. Also the facility will only let you get the order to go, which can be problematic if one wants to sit and eat. I have discussed with the owner having longer opening hours which would allow me personally to eat there even more, but so far no changes in that area. Also when the place is busy, which it often is due to the great quality of the food, wait times to receive the food can be long 20 - 30mins, so that is a consideration to be aware of. There is an inside and outside area to sit. Inside is air-conditioned which is great for hot summer days, but the units are quite loud, so can make it difficult to talk if in a group. Both inside and out have big screen TV's which typically have sports games on, normally Baseball or American Football, but also sometimes soccer, which I personally enjoy. The staff overall are good and helpful, and the owner and his wife are fantastic. The seating is solid and basic, but casual dining for sure. Parking can be busy, but normally a space can be found. I have also had the restaurant prepare a large order for my office which excellent. Truly a great way to highlight some of the best of Peruvian cuisine in a simple and functional setting. Now if only the hours of opening were longer. Perhaps that will happen in the future read more

The most delicious Peruvian chicken in the Pasadena area. The FLAVOR is out of this world and with the sauces, beans, and arroz chaufa it is the perfect dinner. Lots of sauces to choose from, when we had never tried any they let us sample all of the sauces. Super sweet of them and it's always great service here. My favorite is the Aji Amarillo. I'm super happy to have found this place and after trying a couple other spots, this one definitely takes the local crown! read more

Delicious!!! We ordered the ceviche de camarón, the chicken with sides, and the steak bowl. The ceviche had a generous amount of shrimp and was packed with citrusy flavor. Totally forgot to take photos of the other two dishes, but the chicken was amazing. Crispy skin, juicy meat, so good. I only had a bite of the steak bowl, but it was flavorful and tender. Staff were very friendly too. Definitely want to come back and try more! read more

El Dorado Pollos A La Brasa - Ceviche De Camaron - Peruvian Near Me - Pasadena, California

Kudos to María and her team! Ordering was a breeze, and we loved sitting outside with the music and Pasadena air. The chicken was incredible--I'll be back for a whole bird next time! read more

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