My all time favorite Peruvian food. When you come you have to order ceviche mixto, pollo a la brasa, jalea. For dessert you can't go wrong with flan or fried cheescake wonton. My family has been coming here for decades. When COVID happened this business took a big hit. I'm glad they are back up on their feet. They get a lot more take out orders than they used to. That being said could they upgrade the dining ambiance-YES. Are they serving great quality food-YES. -A very humble Peruana read more

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Friendly service, good Peruvian food with a classic style rarely found in Peru nowadays, and flavors that brings me back to my childhood memories, clean and quite location with plenty of room for large parties. Full bar also available! read more

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The customer service was awful . our waiter was very forgetful and messed up a lot of our orders. we sent back our ceviche for not being fresh as i went into the bathroom someone was throwing up the food saying it made them sick. the aroz choufa was very good . that's what i got. i would not come back here read more

Pollos El Chevere - pescado - Peruvian Near Me - Passaic, New Jersey

The place looks a little run down and dark. Picked up some food to go at this Location. The staff was not rude but not super friendly. No eye contact was made just seemed busy doing something else. They do not have indoor dining due to Covid. We ordered the Rotisserie Chicken, Fries, and a Salad. The Chicken was perfect, nice, tender, and juicy. The fries were nice and crunchy and hot. The salad was horrible. Iceberg Lettuce with minimal dressing, and get this....for 6 bucks. Thats ridiculous. A small fountain soda for $2.50. It was all ice too. While I was standing there I heard one of the cash register guys ask a young lady if she was going to give him a tip. I felt that was unacceptable. Yes servers should be tipped nicely but they should never ask and they weren't all that friendly either, also not for nothing the food is taken to go. They are not serving. Its one of those things where you tip if you want to and based on Professionalism. I will def be back for the Chicken. Its the best I had in a long time maybe because it seemed to be a busy day so it tasted fresh. The green sauce is everything. They charge $1 each for extra. One star is removed for the salad and overpriced soda, another is removed for lack of pleasantry. Ps. They threw in an extra order of fries as if I ordered that. I was prob charged for it. Lol. I didn't check. read more

Excellent peruvian restaurant large portions layered flavors makes all food taste outstanding. I enjoyed every bite.

Old run down place that sells unflavored, unseasoned rotisserie chicken not a la brasa, chicken is cook to perfection, moist and tender but flavorless read more

I'm a pollo a La brasa freak and El Chevere did not disappoint at all. The chicken.. it's good. It's cooked correctly and doesn't really disappoint. But...... the thing that makes this place ajd this chicken so damn amazing .... Is ...... the........ salsa verde (green sauce)! O dios mio. Jesus Cristo. That green sauce is so damn amazing and perfect for everything on ur plate that the entire greatness of this meal really comes down to the sauce. I got Maduros too (sweet plantains) and they also went perfectly like a marriage together with that salsa. Amazing price btw! Love this place. It's a staple in northern NJ. read more

Very kind to service dogs the food excellent the service amazing my family always enjoyed Peruvian food

The Peruvian style ceviche is the standard to how ceviche is made around the world. El Chevere's Ceviche de Pescado is full of life and unique. The combination of fresh fish, lime and various traditional Peruvian spices brings a unique, distinctive flavor only found at this restaurant. I highly recommend getting this dish as a main course with a side of rice to soak up the fresh lime juices of the ceviche. read more

Pollos El Chevere - Ceviche - Peruvian Near Me - Passaic, New Jersey

This place you used to be so nice and spotless now you come is super filthy and it smells here nothing because you would smell the fresh over chicken now is just blah read more

Pollos El Chevere - Peruvian Near Me - Passaic, New Jersey

My friends and I are big fans of Peruvian food. Having been to Lima, Peru a few times I was amazed with the complexity and quality of the cuisine. There were plenty of five star spots there. In the US, not so much. There are a few things from my perspective that will distinguish the real thing from the fakers. 1) Pollo La Brasa: Peruvians rock out a rotisserie chicken like nobodies business. In Lima, even the most average chicken spot surpasses 95% of the fakers here in the states. There is a specific spice and roasting component that makes the bird particularly tasty and succulent. Always moist (even the breast which is often a bit dry). It is served with a side of a spicy thick green sauce that almost looks like avocado. It is to me what makes this dish. SLAMMIN! (A bit spicy for those sensitive to peppers). 2) Lomo Saltado: This is a great example of chinese influence on latin cooking. tender beef tenderloins sauteed with red onions, tomatoes, soy and other sauces, served over rice and fries (a lot of double starches in Peru). I am not a fan of such dishes personally but this one knocked me on my ass. VERY GOOD, smoky juicy flavors. El Chevere delivered the goods here for us and I have been back a few times. I was very pleased with the consistency of the quality of the food. It will be a permanent option in my repertoire of food spots. The location may be an issue for some but i am not hood squeamish so for me its GREAT! Daddy Like... read more

With a help of my Peruvian co-worker, I've been introduced to one of my favorite south american cuisine ever, Peruvian cuisine. I've been to several peruvian restaurants around Passaic including the different Chevere branches. Every Chevere restaurants have their signature dishes but I find myself coming back to Pollos El Chevere more often than not. My favorite dishes to order here are as follows. Pollo a la brasa with white rice Papa a la huancaina Ceviche Mixto are usually the 3 main things I order when I'm there with either a friend or 2. Their chicken is superb and the aji sauce just works so well. The Papa a la Huancaina could be a little bit more spicy and prefer the one over at Monroe St more, I still enjoy it here as well. The Ceviche at this branch I think is the best out of the other branches. I love mixing the ceviche juice with the huancaina sauce and some aji with rice. yum! The restaurant is spacious, not too loud, amazing service as well. You have to pay for parking but after 8 is free parking i believe. I take all of my friends here to Pollos El Chevere if they haven't tried Peruvian food! read more

Pollos El Chevere - Papa a la Huancaina - Peruvian Near Me - Passaic, New Jersey

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This review is mostly for the service. The guys who take your order and ring you up are very rude. When you are paying they ask you if you would like to leave tip? Umm excuse that is so rude and unprofessional. Tip is optional and should not be demanded or requested especially if it's just take out. I hope management reads this comment and addresses their staff because this is not ok. Food continues to be good and fairly priced. read more

I'd come back here only a weekend where the turn over of food is fresher. Stick to the roasted chicken. Don't be a fool and order the cilantro seafood soup like I did. The green base/broth is not fresh. They do take CC. read more

After the 2010 Peruvian parade, I came here with my family on a Sunday. The place was packed. Nonetheless, the wait was not so bad. The waiters were attentive. The chaufa (fried rice) that we ordered was very good. My father raves about this place. The steaks look good. My son ate almost an entire plate of tallerines verde (green spagetti). A great hole in the wall for authentic food. I would recommend. read more

Pollos El Chevere - Pic from menu - Peruvian Near Me - Passaic, New Jersey

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The food had great taste & also great portion of food for price. The food time from when you order to when it comes out was above average that other places & the green sauce was just perfect read more

The quality and service has gone down!!!!!! My wife and I went in, ordered some chicken and lomo saltado. Her food came in 5 minutes, it took my food around 15 more minutes to come out. She was more than half done with her food. When my food came out the beef tasted frozen not fresh, the food was hot but it was topped with raw onion, every time I took a bite the taste of the onion over powered the taste of the food. I was looking for our waiter and I spotted him eating in the dining area with other costumers. Really??? Don't you guys have a lunch room for employees? Now I feel like an A** hole for bothering the waiter in his lunch time, it took 20 min to get another drink. When we paid and left the waiter asked if I was gonna leave a tip? Really? Your service sucked and you're asking for a tip? read more

I really like the place . The food is great I specially enjoy the camarones en salsa blanca and the Jalea . The sangria is very good too!

I ordered anticuchos, but meat was not fresh, it has a funny taste. Green Sauce was in bad condition as well. On the other hand, alfajores were fresh and delicious. Not coming back though. read more

I went here today since my preferred chicken place was closed. Decided to order at the front and wait for my food. Wait time was quite quick at under 10 minutes for the amount of food I ordered. Not sure if that was a good thing, considering quality of the food perspective. Now once we were getting billed, the lady asked us "How much tip?" I was a bit taken aback, maybe she thought we dined in. So I told her, we ordered out. "Noooo..... TIP, HOW MUCH? Is it yes or no?" NO! rude lady. I'm not tipping for something that I picked up myself and given an attitude. (By the way, her name was Clara I believe) The food was decent. We had 2x Chaufa Mixto, Pork w/onions, 2x Roast whole chicken.Chicken tasted a bit dry. Chaufa felt like it was just seasoned with soy sauce and nothing else. Pork was alright. Now a lot of people do go here and buy food. I've been here before and was served quite nicely. But from my experience, the quality of the food isn't consistent. They serve large portions but for some reason, you feel cheated somehow. As being served with more french fries on your Lomo Saltado. read more

Really upset with customers service!! My orders were two half chickens for the family to go. What I got was two chickens with a decay smell. We used to eat in and order out from here often, so this was a first. When my mother and I went back to question the cashier about our food we were received with nasty attitudes and insults. In the end we got insulted, kicked out, and are no longer welcomed to the restaurant. read more

Came here with my friends family and it was very good. We ordered: Pollo a la Brasa (with tostones and fries) - which was very good but a little dry. Chaufa de pollo y chaufa de carne - I only tasted the chicken one, this is like stir fried rice, but it was very good, not too oily. lomo salteado - which is my favorite its steak frites, fries, tomatoes, and onions tossed in one dish with great sauce. It needed a little salt but with the green sauce it was perfect. We had a sangria for the table which I wasnt expecting to be that greatm but it was surprisingly tasty and the had fruits i like to enjoy at the end. Theyre green sauce is not as flavorful as in some places, like Pio Pio...but for Paterson, this place is really good. read more

Los empleados del counter son muy groseros y arrogantes. I went here with my co-workers on our lunch break after ordering our food ahead of time over the phone. The idea was to eat inside the restaurant and have our food already prepared when we got there but apparently you are not allowed to eat inside the restaurant if you order your food over the phone. The obnoxious, stuck up people who work at the counter told us we had to take our lunch and eat it elsewhere, even though the restaurant was completely empty. It was extremely confusing and frustrating. It just didn't make any sense. Horrible service. The food is actually pretty good, but there are better Peruvian restaurants in the area by far, and there isn't any reason for me to want to go back and give this place another try. The food is also a bit over priced. I was charged $20 for breaded shrimp with white rice. Outrageous. read more

This place has fallen! I haven't been here in awhile ! The seafood dishes are lacking seafood. They everything with squid rings to make it look like a lot of food! The lomo has more fries then seafood or beef! I WONT BE COMING HERE AGAIN! read more

Pollos El Chevere - Lomo de seafood! - Peruvian Near Me - Passaic, New Jersey

#Bisteca I'll preface this by saying I am by no means an expert on Peruvian food. I've only tried it like 3 times. But, I know what I like, and I was able to find some of it here. I'll start with the good- server was super sweet and helpful. Restaurant was surprisingly busy for a random Tuesday so that was a good sign. I was overwhelmed by the menu so I went with what my friends had which was the steak with onions. For the price, it was a massive, juicy steak topped with onions and tomatoes and served alongside a mountain of white rice. I'll get 2-3 meals out of it for sure. The green aji sauce was pretty good too. Not spicy, just kind of green. If I were Peruvian, I'd put that ish on everything. Now, on to the not so good. See my disclaimer above, but I was not feeling the huancaina sauce on the potatoes and yuca we started out with. It seemed a little artificial and not like it was just whipped up in a blender. We also had white sangria, and I'm not exaggerating, the fruit in it was fruit cocktail. Like, grapes, pears, and whatever else in syrup. Next time I'm in Passaic (for God knows what), I'll stop by. read more

Good, down to earth Peruvian food. Do not try to bring friends or impress your girlfriend here. The place is like a palace if you consider it's in downtown Passaic. Nevertheless, I would eat here any day. The meals are great and authentic Peruvian. The green hot sauce is delicious, albeit an acquired taste. I usually order "Chuleta a lo pobre" translation = "Pork Chop a la peasant." It's a generous serving of thinly sliced pork chops served with a volcano of rice with a fried egg bursting a it's summit. french fries, sweet fried plantains and a miniscule salad serve as side-kicks to this delightful hunger killing meal. read more

The chicken is Moist and the skin crispy! Super fast serving in and out . Will def be going back to eat there ! The vegetables chaufa was great as well read more

A go to spot for sure. I just wish they served pink or red beans. They only have white beans. Service is good. Prices are right. The food is tasty and fresh read more

Friendly people, lightning fast service, reasonable prices, generous portions, good beer selection -- too bad the food sucks. You know what "lightning fast" means -- everything is pre-cooked and sitting in trays in the kitchen. My carne asada came last, which probably means they actually cooked it to order; but it was over-cooked and over-salted. The seafood salad came smothered in a scary, fluorescent-orange sauce, and turned out to be more potatoes than seafood. The chicken was indistinguishable from any cooked bird that you can buy in any supermarket. The ceviche was good, as was the fried yucca. While I normally have an iron stomach, I spent the night racing to the bathroom -- suggesting that something (the ceviche?) included a generous helping of bacteria. In short, don't bother unless you're really hungry and really in a hurry and everything else (including supermarkets) are closed. read more

I think I'm the only chinese person that comes order food here. I think Peruvians have some asian blood mixed in them cause the staff certainly look like it. I order from here once in a while when I'm too lazy to cook and have a craving for some peruvian food. The Good: Large Portions. I feel that only certain things on the menu are made well. Their rotisserie chicken with garlic sauce is delicious. My favorite thing to eat is their Chupe de Pescado (fish). They also have Chupe de Camaron (Shrimp) and Mariscos (Seafood). It's a very good chowder. Very rich, creamy, and hearty. So this is where all my stars are going to. I usually order the chowder, rotisserie chicken with rice and beans and I have enough food to eat for days! The counter people that take my take out order are always pleasant to me. I never had a problem with them. Other things I've tried: Bisteck con Selecion: The steak was overcooked and tough to eat Ensalada de Pulpo: Octopus salad - It tastes okay. nothing to write home about Chaufa de Carne: beef fried rice - average, nothing special Pescado Frito: Fried fish - just a piece of fried white fish, boring. Cameron al Ajillo: Shrimp with garlic,butter, and lemon sauce - tastes like what it sounds. Nothing special. read more

I've been to this place many times and it never fails. I've had almost everything from their menu! I always order their jalea especial, chuleta en salsa de ajo, and the tallarin verde con bistek! It's so good and I really recommend this place! read more

My favorite local Peruvian restuarant. The Pollo A La Brasa is the signature dish here, but their Chaufa, Llomo Saltado, and Jalea are also good. Ceviche's are good but not the best I've ever had. Pricing is good and service is very fast. As mentioned in some other reviews, every once in a while you may get a "dry" chicken but I go here every week and only happens about once ever few months. The Aji and salad dressing are so good you can almost drink them lol read more

Excellent chicken (pollo) dishes & soups. Chibcha Morada purple corn drink reminds us of Peru. read more

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This was my first time eating at a Peruvian place. As I walked in, the host started speaking in Spanish and I just stood there. My lunch companion spoke Spanish and took care of it and we were seated in no time. The evidence of Sunday lunch hour rush was around us. Our server again spoke in Spanish and despite me telling him that I do not understand Spanish, he made no effort to switch to English and just spoke solely to my companion again. Anyway about the food and drink - I was pretty excited about trying a traditional Peruvian drink called Chicha Limena - Chicha Morada Drink and I liked it. It is bottled so it is not made in the restaurant. We ordered the Jalea Especial - which is a huge serving of batter fried sea food - prawns, squid, fish etc. I liked it. read more

Just as all the other Cheveres I love coming here for their lunch specials. How can you go wrong with an app an entree a drink and desert for $8?! They are very friendly and their service is extremely quick which is great when I only had 30 minutes to basically inhale my food. The only reason why I give them 4 stars instead of 5 is because unlike the other two Cheveres which are legit blocks away from eachother this one lacks in taste. It's still good but the other two are great. read more

Went to a bday dinner here.. I ordered the quarter chicken with rice and beans and spence b and i split maduros - we tried to get an avocado salad but apparently they don't sell them there.. Over all the food was decent - the chicken was pretty good, i didn't like the beans though.. I'm not sure what they were but they weren't kidney nor black beans.. Good service. If you're in the area its a good place to get some ok peruvian food, but i wouldn't troop from outside the area. read more

So there are multiple Chevere locations, this location is the only one that serves Ceviche. My fiancée & I came here for that reason, not expecting everything else to be awesome too. It's a large restaurant and even on a warm Monday evening it was still 40% full, so that's a good sign. We ordered 2 purple corn sodas, super sweet and refreshing; the Ceviche Mixto, great flavor and freshness, enough for 4 people to share; Chaufa de Carne fried rice, perfect texture, not too oily, great flavors; the Bistek a la Chorrillana, but instead of beef we got chicken, great flavor and texture, the chicken was perfectly cooked that came with a choice of side, so we got the sweet plantains, AWESOME!!! Overall great place to eat. The service is great, everyone is very helpful and attentive. The food came out within 15 mins after we ordered, which was awesome. We will most likely have leftovers for the next few days, which is even better! read more

Food is always consistently good and well priced . Never have had a bad meal there . Great local Peruvian !

Good service. Great food. Peruvian dishes galore. Daily specials. Usually get it to go but sometimes go for the lunch specials. Make sure you use the green sauce, especially if you like spicy. read more

Pollos El Chevere - Llomo with chaufa - Peruvian Near Me - Passaic, New Jersey

Food poisoning alert from the Chupe De camerones...I used to be a regular but honestly never again it's expensive wnd there many more Peruvian restaurants with better prices and better quality and the customer service is horrible no manners what so ever read more