El Pollo Kiki Riki

I have tried many Peruvian chicken spots in the DMV (Pollo Rico, Pollo Brasero, Marina’s, Sardi’s, Don Pollo, Crisp n Juicy) and this place is right up there with the best ones!
I love coleslaw and this coleslaw has perfect flavor. Not too tangy. The chicken is really good too.
Who would of thought that is little place in a hole in the wall shopping center in Wheaton would be so good.

Food is tasty and not pricey. Located in a convenient place in Wheaton by the metro and the mall. Haven’t tried this place in a while so will have to go soon.

Meh… The chicken was good. I can’t say that I’ve had «bad» pollo in the DMV. Well except maybe at crisp and juicy. But mostly, I’ve had average, and I’ve had good. The bird here is solid, but nothing to go out of the way for. The breast was juicy and flavorful, and the skin had a pleasant crispness. But none of this matters very much. In my view, the sides make or break a pollo joint. And unfortunately, these were below average. The yucca had probably been sitting out for a while, as it was dry and chewy. At 1:30, I don’t expect it to be piping fresh, but this was barely edible. The black beans tasted no better than those from a can. The rice was… Well, rice I guess.
I feel the same way about El Pollo Rico. Sure the chicken is good. But I can get good chicken all over the area. That nasty coleslaw just ruins it for me. I still think Super Chicken is the best bet, even though the consistency varies between location. Ironically, there’s a super chicken right next door to Kikki Rikki. Not sure how they are still open to be honest.

I love this place! The chicken is juicy and flavorful and the staff is friendly and welcoming! Its definitly one of my favorite restaurants in my area. Wish more people knew about it though!

I love Peruvian chicken, on my way to Super Chicken at Ennallss Ave in Wheaton, an Asian woman asked me to park in front of her next door store Kikiki and then she said I can only park there if I buy at her location, I felt very uncomfortable but I gave her the chance and tried her chicken. It was a disaster; the chicken was old and dry. I arrived home and got sick. I’ve never come back here.
The one star is because they convinced me to try it. If not zero.

Washington Post named this the best Peruvian chicken in the DMV and it took me awhile but we finally managed to try it. Honestly, I’m scratching my head. Good? Yeah, it was «good», but not «amazing» and far from the best. Another thing is that I tend to eat the leg and thigh and I was satisfied but fiancé who prefers the white meat said that the breast was very dry. Though she’s a Crisp and Juicy fan while I abhor Crisp and Juicy because I find the chicken to be almost slimy and not remotely like what you would get in Perú. For me this place was ok, better than Crisp and Juicy; for her this place was ok, but not as good as Crisp and Juicy. Overall «ok» all around but the Post must have been on something that day to call this the «best».

Great Pollo a la Brasa:
The crisp skin has an original twist in flavor to it (the chicken hangs with the top chickens around) and the sauces have rediculous depth of flavor, to me at least. BEST SAUCES great spice on rub
I’ve tried them all and love them all, but this is a new favorite.
The Yuca is spot on
Nice and clean ambiance

Best chicken soup I’ve ever had… ever! The beef soup is really good too. Everything else is just ok and the owner is kinda pushy in encouraging you to get stuff. Ambience is typical of a cheap restaurant in Wheaton. Also, bear in mind that this is Wheaton, so if you’re a white supremacist or a snob then don’t go here… it’s not Bethesda.

The one star is for the fried yucca, other than that, the chicken had no flavor and was dry. Based on the other reviews – i can only guess that folks never had chicken from Sabrosa on Colesville Ave in Silver Spring (now closed) or at the other latin chicken place on the corner of East-​West High just off Colesville in the Giant complex. Both of those places offered SEASONED chicken and frijoles con arroz.

Two stars is perhaps too low, but it’s honest: I have experienced better.
When the Washingtonian named this the best pollo a la brasa in the region it made long time pollo fiends like myself sit up and take notice. It’s not too unusual at this point to try and knock Pollo Rico, but what the hell was Pollo Kiki Riki?
I went there today and found more tables than I expected. It’s located right next to where the old Pollo Rico used to be before the fire temporarily shut it down and forced them to move to their current location. The place was clean, staff friendly and the clientele an equal mix of Hispanic and Asian, which is sort’ve symbolic given that this is a Peruvian chicken joint that also sells empanadas and tamales and is owned by Koreans. I did a half-​chicken, yuca, and rice and beans. With bottled water the whole thing came to a little over $ 8, which makes it a slightly better deal than Pollo Rico.
The yuca was not all that spectacular. Maybe it’s because I had just eaten the best fried yuca of my life at La Caraquena last night, but this just seemed really run of the mill and underwhelming. The beans and rice also had nothing going for them. You want killer beans and rice? Go to Sabroso. I may catch some flack for this, but I honestly think the pintos at Pollo Rico are quite good and I would definitely put them over the beans at Kiki Riki.
Still, the bird is the main attraction, and I’ll agree with the others who have praised the moistness — assuming all their birds are like this, Kiki Riki turns out a wonderfully moist bird. Even the thick chunks of white meat (which can often be dry) were deliciously juicy. HOWEVER, I think that as far as pollo a la brasa goes, this was somewhat bland. Oh sure, the chicken tasted nice and «chicken-​y» but the marinade was a bit underwhelming. That could be forgiven, but what was really missing was the smoky taste that is a hallmark of the birds at Pollo Rico. The missing hint of smoke is what really sunk this for me and while it’s certainly a delicious bird, it just doesn’t have enough «oomph» to topple Pollo Rico in my pantheon of Peruvian chicken. I was also a bit underwhelmed by the sauces. The mayo sauce was standard, but the green was disappointingly milder than Pollo Rico, whose green sauce seems to be little more than finely minced jalapeño with a touch of salt and lime.
Folks up here in MoCo can be a bit obsessive about our Peruvian chicken, and loyalty to one place or another can often trump objectivity, but I’m pretty confident in saying that the Washingtonian got this one wrong. Pollo Rico’s chickens may be a bit less moist, but they are still the more flavorful bird and thus still my top pick for pollo around here, with Sabroso right up there with them.

I just moved to the area and my brother and I were debating what to eat. While searching for a place, we found this little resturant and was curious to try peruvian chicken for the first time. We thought it would taste the same as rotissarie chicken, but it was different. What a pleasant surprise! We ordered a whole chicken with two sides for $ 13.99. The chicken was juicy and moist, even the white meat. The seasoning flavored the chicken very well and the skin was crispy. I never experienced such well blend of spices and will come back for more for sure! We had yucca and black beans as our sides with rice. I never had Yucca or knew what it was before and it was great! Very crispy and the sauces were amazing. Especially the green chillie sauce. We love spicy food and the sauce hit the spot. We gulfed the food down with Inca Cola (recommended by the worker) which was tip of the icing.
I would definitely recommand the place to my friends and coworkers. The place is cozy, clean and warm and the service is friendly. Food came out fast but didnt have the grease (unhealthy fat) that comes with fast food. I think we found our favorite place to eat out in Wheaton.

Why did I doubt the Meat God of Unilocal,Lester K? That’s sort of like doubting Su K’s math skillz, or Tony P’s baller status, or Jake K’s ability to rile up an entire table in 5 words or less. Actually, why do I make any life decision without Unilocalers giving me input? They have never steered me wrong on food… which is about 70% of my existence. Hmmm… Dear Unilocal DC, will you be my life coach?
I digress. We were in Wheaton, near some of our old haunts that we hadn’t visited in far too long. We were desperately craving some El Pollo Rico, but we knew it had burned down (and the new Pollo Rico wasn’t as fabulous as the original). We were going to substitute with some Super Chicken, but then we spied El Pollo Kiki Riki practically next door. A quick glance on Unilocal (yes, I check before I dine anywhere), told me that it had 4.5 stars… but Lester K had given this place a decent, but unspectacular 3 stars. Hmmm. What is a girl to do?
As I was debating faking some new weird allergy to convince my husband that we shouldn’t eat at El Pollo Kiki Riki (his trust of Unilocal isn’t absolute and all consuming like mine), he was already inside. Darn it. Well, if I’m going to eat here, then I wanted the full experience.
We ordered a half chicken, the yucca, a side of coleslaw, a cheese papusa, and a chicken tamale. The chicken was juicy and well seasoned, but as Lester noted, lacking in smoke. I was disappointed in the green and yellow sauces, they were pretty bland and didn’t add the zest that I was looking for. The yucca was crispy, but otherwise unremarkable. To me, the coleslaw was severely underseasoned and was watery. The cheese papusa however, was *delicious*. It was not too greasy, had a nice crisp crust, but a marvelously oozy inside, and the papusa was just… marvelous. The chicken tamale was also delicious, however, there were tons of bones (and not just tiny slivers that may have been missed — like an entire joint was in there!), which made eating a little interesting — but conversely made it touch tastier to me (seemed more homey!).
All in all, the meal was good. It hit the spot, we were full, but it wasn’t magical… it wasn’t memorable. However, the service was nice, the food came out fast, and the place was clean.

Have now visited this «take out» restaurant (there is a small dining area with several tables) 4 times and each time the service and food were excellent. The Korean owner greets with a beautiful smile. The food is organized quickly and correctly.
Food quality: excellent — the pollo (chicken) is tasty and juicy — the marinade is very good; The yucca properly prepared; The cole slaw is very good (you must like mayo); The rice and beans very good; Haven’t yet tried the fried rice or the small pieces of «fried» chicken — but look good.
Compares favorably with Crisp and Juicy in Rockville and better that Pollo WOW on New Hampshire (Langly).
Very clean. They gave me 1 small cup of mild sauce and 1 small cup of medium/​spicy sauce. I would have preferred being asked my preference.
I paid with credit card. .. and there was no option for tip. Most of the customers will like this, but I prefer to give a small tip to the staff.
Will definitely return.

***Tuesday — Dinner — In 2 parts
1. El Pollo Kiki Riki
Koreans have invaded the Peruvian Chicken territory and it’s really not a bad thing.
So I was reading another food related site (I cheated on Unilocal.Sue me) and read a discussion on what may possibly be the best Peruvian Chicken place in Wheaton after the demise of the original El Pollo Rico burned down. Having plotted my adventure to do a taste comparision of El Pollo Kiki Riki and the new El Pollo Rico brought me here. This done for the sake of Unilocalers.
Location is a few doors down from the old El Pollo Rico location, situated, actually, right next door to Super Pollo. Observation: Super Pollo was almost empty around 6:30 when I went. Conversly, El Pollo Kiki Riki was filled almost to capacity. Upon entering, I notice a Korean looking lady manning the register. Place my order for half chicken + yuca + coleslaw + Inca Kola and it’s served immediately. Without shame, I ask her in Korean if she’s Korean and what do you know, my Asian distinction skillz have once again proven itself to be totally awesome. It’s like I was born with 2 super skills:
* Detecting Asian nationalities
* Ridiculous chopstick skills (yes, Jonathan H. I’m pointing at you. I’ve gotten so good with my right hand, I’m working on my left handed chopstick skills to become an ambidexterous chopsticker and kick my eating efficiency up a few notches)
Chicken: Good. Pretty friggin good. I was impressed. To this day, I have not found a single Peruvian chicken place that matches the smokiness of that of the original El Pollo Rico and this place wasn’t different in that regard. As for the flavor, it was good, not very heavy. Kind of more along the lines of Chicken on the Run (review forthcoming) with less cumin. Chicken was juicy. Let me repeat, chicken was juicy, at least mine was.
Sides: Coleslaw was coleslawy. Mayonaisey without being overly mayonaisey and had good crunch. I like. As for the yuca, I’m not qualified enough to judge the 1.5 pieces I ate. I don’t really like yuca, or potatoes very much. I just ordered it just to say I ordered it. Kinda like how the cool kids do it.
Sauces: Yellow sauce was good. Kinda mayonaisey and had a slight amount if tartness. I wasn’t much of a fan of the green sauce to be honest. Not spicy and very salty. I mentioned this to the lady and she said she may have dropped too much salt in it when she made it earlier.
Overall, I’d love to come back to make sure that I wasn’t delusional from hunger the first time around. Service was really really good not only to me, but to the other patrons there, which consisted of 95% Latinos.
3.5 stars.