Emma’s Chicken

First time ordering from there, nice staff. Tried the Asado con frejoles blancos, fell way below my expectation, not much flavor and the meat was extra dry. May give it one more chance on another menu item but cant recommend based on my first experience.

Great chicken! Tender, moist and flavorful. The lady who is the owner, extremely nice and seemed to know all the regulars who came in, most of them appeared to be Peruvian/​south American, so the food must be authentic.
Every time I went there they were out of the house made tre leche cake dessert, so I grabbed some when I got the opportunity. Unfortunately it did not do do it for me, too sweet but people obviously seem to love it as it’s usually gone mid evening

Got an email from Unilocal today about Peruvian chicken places near my work, so I figured I’d give Emma’s a shot for lunch. I’m so glad I did! I ordered the half chicken meal combo with rice and yucca. The yucca was amazing with that green sauce! The chicken was also really tasty — that skin… BOOM. Very easy to order, the staff was friendly, and I felt for the price ($ 11 with a soda) I got some really good food.
Will return soon!

I’ve been in Alexandria for about 5 months now and I just discovered this place. It has tremendous Peruvian chicken and is at a fairly good price too. I will be going back soon to try something else on the menu. The only downside is that it’s hard to find this place unless you are walking around the shopping center. Besides that, the chicken, the rice, and the yuca was phenomenal. I’ll be back soon.

Very good food and quick service, I go here a lot and always get the same thing, haha!
This is a place you can go a couple times a week and feel like you are eating a great dinner.
They also offer some deals which they post on a sign outside or inside the shop.

Had lunch here today pretty good rotisserie chicken. I had a quarter chicken, two sides and a Peruvian tamale and a Inka cola cost $ 9.00. If you are in the area stop in.

First time on this place, waiting for my Lomo Saltado and inca kola :). I love Peruvian food …

I went in for chicken but ended up getting a cheese steak and fries. All of the ingredients were fresh and the food is made to order so it was nice and hot. Reasonably priced too.

They have great chicken; always juicy, skin pealing off the meat, skin charred just a little bit the way I like it.
The ONLY reason I’m giving it 3 ‘s instead of 4 is because they always seem to run out of CHICKEN‼Or I have to wait 20min for more chicken to be cooked.
Other wise this place is the best. Enjoy!

I just moved into the Alexandria area and had only recently dived into Peruvian cuisine. I have been here for about 2 months now and have already eaten at Emma’s 3 times. They have great chicken. The Yucca is my favorite side but all the sides I have tried so far are also very tasty. The rice is seasoned perfectly and the beans are cooked well. I have not been let down. The only down side I would say is that the woman taking my order wasn’t super friendly, but I let the food talk for this one. I’ll be back.
P. S. 1 full chicken with alotted sides can feed 3 – 4 people depending on hunger. Get out the door easily for $ 20.

Emma, I love you.
I only ever get the Lomo Saltado. I travel all the way from Fairfax to order the Lomo Saltado from here — that should tell you all something. The rice is SO good and the fries, steak, and veggies all blend so well — I barely even use any of the yellow/​green sauce on the food. It’s a little expensive either $ 12.99 or $ 14.99 but I usually have leftovers for the next day and I don’t mind the price.
Friends have ordered chicken from here as well and I tasted some and it was really good! It’s a small family owned spot with really good food. A lot of people from the Arlington/​Alexandria area know about this spot.

I never make reviews but I’m disappointed. first time here and i walk to the register ask about the chicken sandwich the lady has an attitude and says i dont know … So i order it and ask no mayo. No fries the price becomes more without the fries and i told her if it is that price ill just get it with the fries & she says u said that so i wait i get my order and there is no fries i tell her i wanted them she gives me a nasty look and said no u said no fries. I let it go and she smiles with a spiteful look and walks away. the food isnt great and is messy feels like its microwaved i even spite out a piece of chicken because it was googy and gross.

Boy, was I happy to see a Peruvian chicken place near one of our stops on the way to DC!
This is a standard strip mall serving «fast» food… and I don’t mean fast food like Wendy’s or Pollo Loco: I mean fast food in the sense that you order, and in a couple of minutes your food is ready. It’s not a fancy place
We popped in and were immediately greeted. The chicken plates are all excellent… I am not sure what exactly they’re using in the marinade for the chicken, but it was out of this world. There was a small error with my wife’s order and it was resolved immediately and courteously.
I had the lomo saltado, which will do for those of us who are in love with the dish, however the beef was a bit overcooked.
But the price is right at Emma’s and the value can’t be beat. Stick with the chicken and you’ll be happy.

My new favorite Peruvian restaurant! Homey and unassuming little restaurant. Clean interiors and bathroom. Came here to satisfy a craving for some empanadas. When I got here, they were out. But it’s okay. I decided to order my all time favorite Peruvian food lomo saltado. Had to wait abt 45 minutes. When the lady finally delivered it to me, by golly it smelled delicious! Definitely worth the wait! Can’t wait to go back and try their other dishes.

Recently relocated to the area, I chose this place based on Unilocal reviews. I dined in today. The food was very good, but the customer service is what will warrant my return visit. My order was filled very quickly and so were the orders of those that came after mines. Walk-​ins had their orders filled and were in and out in no more than 15 minutes. Impressive considering it was the dinner rush time. Ill definitely be visiting this little spot again soon.

First visit to this place on 4÷10÷15
First Impressions:
–I agree this is not a fancy place BUT is a clean place.
–Tables are clean and are clean often.
–Their staff is very attentive and took her time to explaining the dishes to me.
–Bottom line… the food here is GREAT and the prices are on point.
Food:
I ordered the «Lomo Saltado» and for dessert «Alfajores»
Lomo Saltado– $ 11.99
The smell of this dish is amazing.
The flavors are on point. It comes with rice and have a very good flavor. The meat is very tender cook in its own juices so you don’t see any grease on the plate just seasoned good juices. The onions retrain their own flavors and texture, they are not wilted. Underneath have fries (not to many), somehow it’s works!
The combination of all this make this a dish to remember. The amount you get is a good amount. (see photo), you better be hungry or take the rest home, it reheat well (micro.15 seconds on a ⁵⁄₆ level turn around and again 15 seconds on a ⁵⁄₆ level).
Dessert:
Alfajores– $ 1.75
Is a sweet cookie sandwich topped with little powder sugar. The two cookies are really soft and sweet. In the middle is a creamy caramelized «dulce de leche» (sweet milk). This will melt in your mouth. Be aware, this is a very sweet dessert.
Tip:
–If you want empanadas… you better come earlier, they are gone very quickly.
After my meal I felt satisfied not overstuffed. Definitely, will come back.
Highly recommended 5*

To start off, I would like to put it out there that I am not a Peruvian chicken expert. I tend to avoid such places because I’m too lazy to pick apart a whole chicken to get some meat off of the bone. However, this place has such good reviews, so I couldn’t wait to try it. Plus, it seems like everyone around me is obsessed with Peruvian chicken!
Two of us came here last week and got the following: a half chicken, fries, rice, chicken empanada, and tres leches cake. Everything was so well-​priced! I couldn’t believe it. And everything tasted pretty good as well!
The chicken was super soft and wasn’t hard to get off of the bone. It was tender and juicy and had a great flavor. The fries and rice weren’t anything special but helped to ground the meal. The green sauce is spicy and much better than the white sauce. The empanada was really tasty and filling — it had chicken, olives, and egg — something that strikes me as being authentic. The tres leches cake was also delicious and a great sweet ending to the meal.
Bottom line: if you want a decent chicken meal, come here! The price is right, the options are great, and you will be full for sure.

I’m starting to fall in love with small Peruvian style diners. Emma’s kitchen certainly didn’t disappoint.
There are a few options on the menu, three styles of empanada, roasted chicken (quarters, half, or whole). The chickens come with choice of rice, fries, salad or yucca.
I went with the half chicken, rice and yucca. The chicken is done perfect and comes with a choice of a white (queso?) Sauce and then a Verde sauce that had a little more kick. I decided the mix the Verde sauce into my rice and eat my yucca with the white sauce.
If I didn’t have to fight Van Dorn traffic to get to Emmas, I would certainly become a regular. The half chicken with a 20oz coke was 9 $. Not too bad for one of the more delicious chicken meals I’ve had. They also do take out. Small atmosphere so if you font feel comfortable in a small counter style place, you can enjoy at home.

Can’t go wrong with Peruvian Chicken. This one was juicy and flavorful. I like the green sauce, has more of a kick then the others.
I don’t have anything I can say is outstanding, but I want to come back and give the other sides a try (plantains or sweet potato). I was fairly hung over, but this place brought me back to life. I scarfed down my quarter chicken like I hadn’t eaten in days.
The breast meat was juicy and it was a good sized portion.
I’ll be back :) Just for the green sauce: P

Good service, nice environment, and great food!!! Today was my first time and I plan to go back ASAP! The food was hot and the flavors of the chicken was amazing. I am impressed!