El Pollo Inka

I ordered the Lomo Saltado and it tasted fine and the portion was pretty big. The reason I’m giving two stars is the service. Our waitress Gaby F, which is convenient because F is the grade I would give her because she was inattentive and very rude. We told her we wanted to each pay only for what we ordered and to split the check that way, and she came back with a «per person charge» receipt that just split the entire bill into thirds. After trying for almost 10 minutes to flag her down, we told her again how we wanted to pay and she told us that she couldn’t split checks by item once they were entered. I know it’s super annoying to servers when the table asks to split the check at the last minute so that’s kind of on us, but let’s be honest, how many people remember to ask to get the check split 100% of the time? My problem is that the restaurant was pretty much empty so it wouldn’t have taken long for her to just split it for us. We went along with her not wanting to split the check for us and wrote down how much we wanted each card to be charged, accounting for tax and everything. And after waiting another several minutes for her to come around to pick up the check (again we got frustrated because the restaurant was empty and we didn’t understand what she could be doing instead of tending to one of her few tables) she told us that we had to rewrite the amounts each card was to be charged on the back of the bill even though it was perfectly legible where we had originally written everything. So we did that and waited another several minutes for her to come back. Do yourself a favor and go to Inka Wasi instead. It’s the same exact food for less money and you won’t have to deal with a Gaby.

This is where Marmalade Café use to be. They are not using their lovely enclosed patio for outside dining .
This was a Sunday evening, but there was a carnival in the shopping center so that could be why it wasn’t being used.
Lucky, no wait at 5:30p, but it did get busier and people were waiting. Room is nice and tables are spaced well. nicer than Gardena location. BAD, chairs are too heavy, unmovable on their carpeting.
Food:
Love the green sauce! Great with complimentary dinner rolls and butter.
My friend has the chicken cilantro soup and they said it was very good.
Chauffa Seafood fried rice: very good and tasty, but not enough seafood for the price. I’ve paid less elsewhere and received more seafood than here. Hence ⁴⁄₅ stars.
Steak with garlic rice, fried eggs and plantains: Excellent flavor. They didn’t ask how I wanted it cooked, but it wasn’t bad. I prefer rare, but this was medium, but very moist still. I wish it would have the chimichuri sauce (like El Rocoto –their Gardena competition), steak had great flavor. Thin side, medium portion, tender.
Device was great and he always checked on us. Kitchen staff to deliver the food, average wait time to receive main course.
Would definitely come back. At the mall, plenty of parking.

The restaurant is very well decorated and provides a pleasant atmosphere to dine in. The staff is very friendly and helpful. I can’t pronounce the menu well, but they are always very kind and help me get the pronunciation right.
The food is decent. What surprised me is that the Peruvian food also has great Wok-​Qi, which I don’t even seen commonly in Chinese cuisines. Appetizers and soups are as great as the main dishes. I’ll need to try to control my desire of food so that I can try some desserts here next time.

Glad that they opened up by my home, rather than driving off the Hill, Great food and great service like their other locations.
There some strange Unilocal reviewer that wrote me in private and gets upset if he is not The Duke of restaurants — gets upset. I don’t even know what that is. but then he said he just is bored at work and checks in to places at Random? Cray Cray… his name is Todd L.
— that is his user link. so he just makes things up. I have it in writing from him
But its worth you visit, good service and food.
I am glad that Todd does not work at the Business I own on the hill because he would loose his job.

Food was awesome!!! Very flavorful and menu had more options, than most pollo inkas.
But unfortunately we couldn’t enjoy the experience because of the service. They were so understaffed. They had two servers, a host, and a bus boy. Restaurant had a big party and many tables filled. It was so busy that the host was running around to help as well as the bus boy. We saw our server 2 times. The host and bus boy were the two that helped us the most. This really is not a reflection on the servers, but more for the management. It is their job to ensure they have enough SERVERS, to ensure that their guests receive proper SERVICE. That’s what families go out to eat for, to be served.

Peruvian restaurant in the mall!
The décor was amazing!
They served complimentary chicken rice soup and some breads.
We ordered «Aji de gallina», «Ceviche Mixto» and «Sampler». It was not busy time but we waited 30min for first meal.
The server brought different meal witch we didn’t order. And she didn’t fix our check. And one more meal didn’t go through our order…
The service was not that good.
The food was great! Very flavorful.

The first time I came here was with my mother, this past summer. Our first experience here wasn’t that great. It was during the fair, it was busy and we weren’t really attended to. Our server never brought out bread nor sauce. Finally, we had to tell her several times. The bread didn’t seem all the fresh. My mother got the combo inka and somehow they had messed up her order (one of the sides), but they fixed it. I got the chicken picante which was okay. The experience was really just eh.
I did come again, and my experience was WAYYYYYY better. I usually get their lunch special saltada con pollo with soup. My only issue is the inconsistency — on several occasions my food had been bland and just underwhelming, and others times, like my most recent visit it has been FANATASTIC.
Overall good spot to dine (especially during lunch).

I went for dinner on a Wednesday night. It was not very crowded and was easy to get a table. We were a large group of about 15 or so people and service was good, despite the fact that we were a large and demanding group. (Note that we did make prior reservations)
The ambiance was very much like a Peruvian El Torito Grill. It was not kitchy, but definitely had it’s American touch on the culture. Nothing very special or standout about the interior. On the flip-​side, that means I have no complaints either.
I ordered: Beef Vainitas and subbed out the Chicken Aguadito for the Aguadito Mariscos.
They brought us bread and a green sauce for starters. They didn’t tell us what it was but that sauce was SO good. At first bite, it was cool and fresh with some jalapeño heat. The more you ate of it, the more addicting it got. The bread rolls were flavorless and lack luster without the sauce.
The Aguadito was very good. It was a fresh and light soup, and green from the massive amount of cilantro they use to make the soup. The seafood in it was cooked very well and I liked the variety of types of seafood in the dish. The squid was tender and soft, the scallop was so tender it was comparable to the fall-​of-​the-​bone tenderness of a rib. Additionally, there was a shrimp or two in there and some slices of squid (also very tender).
By the time the Vainitas arrived, I was full. The portion size of the Vainitas was huge. Enough to split. I barely touched it. The rice was buttery and flavorful. The beef was a little dry. The flavor of the beef was good, but the dryness meant I needed to drench it in the amazing green sauce from earlier, so I didn’t complain. (If I didn’t like that green sauce, I would be very unhappy my meat was dry though.) I liked that there was a significant amount of meat to green bean ratio. It was about a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ ratio but since there was so much on the plate, you really couldn’t be disappointed if you wanted more of one over the other. Chances are you will still leave with your belly full.

I have never been to el pollo inka. I have to say it is very nice. Very friendly staff and great ambience. The food is delicious and filling. I am not sure how to describe Peruvian food. It is unique in itself with healthy doses of herbs. I thoroughly enjoy the meal. The fish and chicken was fantastic.

It’s «All Right». We visited this Peruvian restaurant after watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Dad wanted to eat here and the other eatery we considered (Eat Good Food) was packed for lunch.
The interior is fancier than I expected. We were seated in a curved booth. Our server was friendly and helpful. I got a half order of the Rotisserie Chicken, which was a lot of food. The rice wasn’t cooked all the way through… inside was slightly starchy. The flavors on the chicken were good. Citrus notes, herbs, pretty tasty. Texture was really tender, artificially so, like the rotisserie chicken from Costco. It was leaner than expected. Prices were very reasonable given the quantity of food.
DH got a Lomo Saltado, which is a onion, beef stir fry. It was better than expected. Quite savory and salty, it hit the spot. Sadly, his rice was also undercooked. DH says, «It was salty, but tasty. I’d probably try something else next time.»
Mom got the quarter chicken, which is the right size for just one person. Her dish came with a chicken soup. My dish came with a simple salad with an Italian-​like dressing. Bread looks freshly baked, but kinda bland. Can’t complain too much, since it was free.
Dad got a seafood fried rice, which he enjoyed. Peruvian cuisine is notable for Asian influences.
Overall, not a bad place to eat, but not something worth going out of the way for.

Going to see Star Wars, and found out this place had replaced the location that was «Marm» Café. Was really pleased with that, not that I don’t miss Marm, but I love El Pollo Inka’s other locations. The food is great and this location is big and new. Staff was nice and like always the food was real good. This location does not seem to have a place for live music, like the Torrance location, but other than that this location is great. We got the same great food we expect from Inka. Chicken was very tasty, bread, and my Fav Calamari, really good !!
They even had some good beers on tap, red ale was so good. I think they had a full bar, but I would have to look again to be sure. They have good outside seating area, with fire pits etc. and new outdoor patio furniture, looks nice, cant wait to eat outside at some point when its warmer.
Big parking lot for the mall and movies. Cant go wrong with this location, ill be back!!!

This place is located in a nice looking outdoor mall. However, the place itself seems quiescent since my friend and I were the only customers on a weekday night. At Peruvian places, you gotta try out the green sauce. I really love Peruvian fried rice and this place delivered superbly. At first, it didn’t look like they gave us much, but it definitely filled me up; the chicken soup it came with was pretty tasty as well. We got excellent service but then again, we were the only ones in the restaurant.

I don’t think that a better soup has ever been made.
I just love this place. Great family environment, and incredibly awesome service.
The food is so yummy and priced just right. I had a steak meal that was served over fries and with grilled onion and tomatoes. At least 6 to 8 ozs of excellent yummy, tender steak.
We are now coming back next week for a fix.

I came here with my wife on a Saturday evening expecting it to be more full of people than what I saw. We got seated right away and literally waited 15 minutes more than we should before they brought us our water. I honestly don’t think they meant to do that on purpose and they were sincerely apologetic about making us wait.
I ordered the Lomo Saltado as it seemed like that was the signature dish. The food here was a little bit salty to my taste but my wife wasn’t complaining. At first glance the price looks to be quite expensive but compared to the amount of meat they give you I think it was quite reasonable. I’m no expert on Peruvian food but it tasted pretty good to my standards.
If they paid a little more attention to service I think they would get 5 stars from me. If you’re ever out in this area this place is worth a try.

I love El Pollo Inka, and this location is particularly lovely, given that it is considered their «Fine Dining Location». While this is great, it also bothers me in respect to the fact that I can’t exactly distinguish the difference in the food between this location and their fast food locations. With the price increase and the dedication to it being more of a fine dining experience, I would expect the food to have some added «oomph», but I did not find that. Instead, I don’t see the reason as to why I would go here instead of the fast-​food version unless I was trying to impress a date with décor.
Albeit the food is great, and perhaps my experience with other El Pollo Inka locations makes me biased. Nonetheless, I recommend this location for the great service and lengthened menu.
Try the calamari, it comes with a Peruvian tartar sauce and pickled salad that is absolutely delicious.

This Promenade has gone worse lately, were here on a Saturday night and it was empty. They opened this restaurant in hopes to revive SOMETHING here and it works, at least for them. This place was packed with large families and all the big tables were taken, Since we were a party of 2 it was really easy to find a small table (the bar area was deserted, not sure why no one was there, this might change in the future). They work hard to make this place worthy of your attention, great service from the moment you enter till you leave. Also the place looks elegant and the big Machu-​Picchu picture is cool touch. Food is good and the cilantro spicy sauce is my favorite Peruvian food, I put a ton on my buttered bread! Kidding, but close, my favorite is the breaded beef on green pasta (you’ll find the picture in the menu, plus no one remembers the name anyway) but they have many other tempting choices. And it goes well with a Pisco Sour or a Mojito.

The food is amazing! Happy hour is 2:30−6p daily which is perfect so you can try all the food lol las conchitas de la parmesana are one of my favorites!
My server Jonathan was knowledgable and made perfect suggestions. The staff here are very friendly! Love the vibe. All authentic and most the staff are Peruvian… doesn’t get better than that :)

El Pollo Inka is the new restaurant at the Promenade on the Peninsula. Having opened on May 3, 2015, it took up the HUGE space that once housed Marmalade Café. The patio looks largely the same — white stone, metal tables and fire pits — but the inside décor has been totally changed. The floor plate is the same — bar on the right and same divider walls. But, the tables are now wood with heavy wooden chairs. There are still booths along the edges, but there is a ton of Peruvian artwork. It is a really attractive space. The restaurant is casual but still «nice» — to tablecloths but cloth napkins and nice flatware/​plating. On a Thursday night, the restaurant was not crowded and was well staffed. There was a very nice host, a manager checking in on everyone, a busser, and 3 – 4 servers.
We were seated immediately and the host brought over a high chair for the LO. The waiter immediately asked whether I would like something to drink before the other in my party arrived. The waiter was, throughout the meal, very attentive and kept beverages flowing. DM ordered a glass of wine — only $ 4.95 for the house Malbec (Trapaiche — $ 12 for the bottle). It was very good — a little smoky on the finish. I ordered my signature beverage — water without ice. LOL!
We decided to share a few plates to try as much as we could. We started with the cilantro soup, which is the included side of the Vainitas de Pollo. The soup is excellent — a warm broth with disintegrated rice, bits of carrot, corn and potato, torn pieces of chicken and oodles of minced cilantro combine for a warm, comforting bowl. Excellent.
Next up, we had ordered the Yucquita con Salsa appetizer ($ 9). Seven yucca fries are topped with a aji sauce and an amarillo sauce and are OUTSTANDING. The amarillo sauce is surprisingly chilled and is flavored with turmeric, nuts and cream. Very rich and flavorful with a little heat on the back end. The aji sauce is green with tons of cilantro and is served warm. This was definitely my favorite, but I loved them both. A must order dish.
Then, we shared the Ceviche Pescado ($ 12) appetizer. A beautiful plate with a mound of white fish that was marinating in a generous amount of citrus lime vinaigrette with cilantro and topped with slivered red onion and bits of red bell pepper. There are two cubes of peruvian purple potatoes and two cubes of yams and a little pile of Inka corn. The fish is SUPER fresh (no smell here) and marinated perfectly. The other elements bring welcome textural components to an otherwise «slippery» dish. Delicious and recommended for fish lovers.
For our entrée, we shares the Vainitas de Pollo ($ 13). A square plate arrives with a cup of the garlic steamed rice (which I skip but DM ate and enjoyed half of it) with slivered green beans (on the bias) that were sauteed with sliced red onions, hunks of tomato and marinated dark meat chicken (boneless skinless chicken thighs that are super moist — white meat is available on request). Outstanding — my fave Peruvian entrée. The veggies are a little caramelized, and the chicken is moist and generous.
We were full so we skipped dessert. Overall, it was an excellent experience, and I would definitely come back. $ 48 for dinner for two with two glasses of wine is not bad. We enjoyed a leisurely meal — almost two hours. The restaurant is clean (much cleaner than the Torrance location) and suited for a weeknight dinner or a special occasion (whereas the nearby Inka Wasi is definitely fast food). Check out the newest addition to the Hill!

WARNING: Anyone who knows El Pollo Inka’s Food… this is not the same. We arrive for lunch and received no rolls. Waiter told us the cooks were here late and did not make them. The prices are much higher we considered leaving. We should have. We usually go to the one at pch and hawthorne and have never had a problem. We are there maybe twice a month so we know the menu.
I ordered my normal papa Rellena and it had no meat no egg and whole olives. The Lomo Saltado was ½ the size and my husband ordered something that was supposed the be sausage, fries, and sauces and came out looking like it was made for a 2 year old with hot dogs and cold fries drenched in the green sauce and some yellow one bo th foreign to us.

This is a fun restaurant. It took over the space that used to house Marmalade Café so it is a large, expansive, airy environment. They pretty much kept the same seating arrangement and décor as Marmalade but added some Peruvian influenced artwork.
The best thing about El Pollo Inka is the food. It has a truly unique flavor, providing an uncommon dining experience.
Recommended.