El Rico Pollo

Authentic Peruvian Food. Because of it being authentic and well prepared, it takes time to prep your meal. I can honestly say you'll be satisfied with your meal, a mixture of flavors that awakens your taste buds. From Appetizers to Entrees and there delicious dessert! You'll for sure leave satisfied and will want to return. These are a few of the plates I absolutely love and believe you will to. Recommendations: For starters they'll give you cancha and green sauce absolutely delicious, the green sauce will taste so good with steamed rice if you order an entree with it and french fries. They have a yummy Peruvian only "Agua Fresca" called Maracuya, Ceviche Mixto(Photo 1), Anticucho(Photo 2), chicharron de calmares(Photo 3), papa a la huancaina, Pollo a la Pobre, Pescado a lo Macho, Chupe de Camaron and last but not least Picarrones.....

My Shrimp Ceviche was good but the appetizer includes much carbs and only a few shrimp, maybe 7 small shrimp for $17, not a great value for the price. However, the Pesto Pasta with Sirloin was delicious and a very good value at $14.50. They also had a very good IPA on tap which was a bonus! The one disappointment was that my entree arrived within 2 minutes of my appetizer. I only had time for 1 bite of shrimp and 1 bite of potato from my appetizer when my steak and pasta arrived. The waiter, needs some training so that he knows when to submit orders so they come out at the right time, the right interval!

Anticuchos $8: these are made from beef heart, marinated overnight in a mix of vinegar, spices, salt and pepper? and I am sure a couple of other ingredients. When done properly they are very tasty, the come with grilled potato and a savory sauce to dip them in. They are supposedly cooked on fire till the edges are crunchy or very close to it. We liked them a lot. 4 Stars. Ceviche Mixto $12: the most popular of peruvian dishes. There are countless varieties of ceviche, and it does take skill to make a good one, let alone an excellent one. Fish, Calamari, Shrimp, Octopus, this is a Ceviche Mixto. Comes with a leaf of lettuce, sweet potato, corn or hominy, and depending on the person they can make it very hot (spicy) or mildly so. This one we also liked, and the price was a little more benign than in most peruvian places. 4 Stars. Fried Fish $13?: Fried fish, did not determine what kind, but it was nicely spiced to where it had abundant flavor. Came with white rice and a fresh salad, plus a traditional onion salsa. Did not disappoint. 4 Stars. Picarones $6: a traditional deep fried like doughnut, very fluffy and crispy, made mostly with butter squash or pumpkin batter, and served with a traditional syrup that is very popular in Peru, Chancaca? (hope this is spelled correctly). When done properly this dessert is delicious and this version did not disappoint. 4 Stars. Service was mostly adequate. 3.5 Stars.Total Bill: $55+, plus gratuity, we felt it had been expensive for a lunch engagement, but then again peruvian places always squeeze the wallets, some more than others, though. 4 Stars. Today, 5-8-2019, made the blunder of returning to this wore out establishment. Last time was around 2 years ago? We wanted Peruvian, and we broke our decision not to return. We chose this place again because of the driving distance. The place is nicely decorated, Peruvian motifs and well chosen music. First, they should change their name from El Rico Pollo (the tasty chicken) to El Pollo Seco (the dry chicken), for it required gulps of their distasteful water 💦 just to swallow the overcooked, badly marinated, Peruvian style chicken. A total embarrassment to the very tasty chicken sold in Peru. We ordered one whole chicken w rice/fries for almost $25. Rice was mediocre. You want good Peruvian white rice? Go to Panca in Oceanside. Fries from the frozen bag were a lot more appetizing. 1.5 Stars. 2 Ceviches Mixto (mixed ceviche) for almost $30. Mine had more red onions than seafood, total rip off, and word to the wise, the citrus juice that supposedly cooks the raw seafood, comes in a bottle. The other ceviche was loaded w seafood compared to mine, made me slightly envious. Still, it was edible. 3 Stars. Chicken Causa, $8? Told it was very nice. 4 Stars. Anticuchos, $10+ Decent. 3 Stars. Picarones, $6.50. Peruvian dessert, we like it a lot. Deep fried like donuts made with squash/pumpkin? with a unique syrup. Place was empty at 7 PM, very bad sign indicating that this place does not attract customers. We have eaten here over the years, and it steadily has lost what was good once. Cutting corners, overcharging, sending mediocre food to the table, Peruvian restaurants are well known, among other cultures, to charge a lot but give you a little. At least in Peru they deliver high quality, but here it is rare to get a decent meal. I am not referring to one or two dishes that are acceptable, but to the whole menu. Service was lacking any enthusiasm whatsoever, who knows? Lackadaisical attitude can get contagious 😷 so watch out. A group arrives in a festive mood, ready to spend hard earned money, and in 5 minutes of being in the place, the gloomy behavior of the staff, vanquishes all smiles. Maybe a little neurotic to add to the disappointing overall effect. Next time chicken from Costco, a lot cheaper and tastier. El Seco Pollo looses respect and certainly we will shy away from visiting again. 2 Stars.