Chicken Rico

Lima Sandwich = One of the top 5 sandwiches I have ever eaten in my life!

You can’t ask for more when you can spend less than ten dollars and get a huge amount of good food. You can order a quarter chicken, sides (salads, French fries, bananas or beans, vegetables, etc) and drink. You can eat just there without paying service fee. It’s a good choice when you are hungry.

This place… Just amazing! They had a fought start eating people trained at their new location but the food has always been excellent.

When over the weekend with some friends. We got the family meal2. (2 whole birds and 6 sides) it was delish! I would most definitely be going back soon.

One of my favorite meals will in DC! Tasty chicken! Very flavorful and affordable. Will definitely return when I’m in DC.

Really good Peruvian chicken and yucca! The sauces were pretty decent, too. It’s like a cafeteria style restaurant. You pick your food and seat yourself. Only complaint is the staff didn’t seem all that friendly, but I was too busy stuffing my face to care.

It’s no Sardi’s, but not a bad place for Peruvian chicken… in the city.
The chicken is well flavored but just doesn’t have that ummph that makes me want to come back. The fried rice has too much sauce, salty but does include chicken and egg (very rare to find that). The sides are pretty standard selection but very average tasting.
Not worth the drive, but if in the area, I wouldn’t mind a meal here.

I’m sorry, I have been in DC for 4 years and I am just now finding out about this gem. First, I was with my mom who is visiting from CA, shopping for groceries at the Walmart next door (yea, sorry about that). After her 7384 question, I realized I was hangry and decided to go to the nearest place to escape the hunger and her questions.
I walked past the chicken Rico window and it felt like fate. The line wasn’t too long, and I got the rice, black beans, ¼ chicken — dark meat — and plantains all for $ 10. Listen, when I tell you I just about DIED from the deliciousness of that meal, I did. I really did. The chicken comes with two sauces — one jalapeño and the other some sort of mayo concoction to add to the combination, which made my taste buds water. The plantains had the right amount of sweetness and love that turned my hanger to happiness. I will definitely be coming back again.

At Juan’s request my fiancé and I returned to give Chicken Rico another chance and the food was awesome. It was great the first time just had a small inconvenience. This time we got a half off chicken, rice and beans, cole slaw and plantains. Everything was perfect and the chicken is the juiciest I’ve had especially for white meat and the seasoning was perfect.

Ok, ok. I’ve never Unilocaled before but there’s a first time for everything :)
I love this place! I go to the UDC-​CC a block away & I eat at Chicken Rico at least once a week. The chicken is AMAZING, always so crunchy and seasoned well. They have a fried rice with chicken OMG!!! It’s so yummy, ordinarily I’m not a fan of black beans. But they are worth every penny. The plantains are also pretty good.
Honestly thou. Sometimes the customer service is horrible, the people who work there often rush you to make a decision or are just plain careless about your experience. Once, my container wasn’t completely closed and all my food spilled! :(overall, it’s a pretty average experience when it comes to customer service, but the food is phenomenal.

This is great Peruvian fast food. I would walk there from Chinatown when it was warm for lunch and I have ordered from them twice through Door Dash this winter. They give a good amount for the price (DC lunch prices anyway) and it’s really tasty to be fast food. If you’re not that hungry, it’s definitely something you can split. I also tasted the spinach and potatoes for the first time yesterday and it was better than I expected.

Remarkably delicious chicken. I gravitate towards the dark meat quarter with spinach and plantains for lunch. I always tell myself that I’ll save half of the chicken for tomorrow but somehow it’s all gone before the end of the day… The plantains I’m able to save, though, because they give you so many (more importantly: they are excellent).
Tip: Green sauce is very spicy, yellow tastes like some type of mayonnaise. Go green!

My dear God, it’s a Super Chicken in disguise!
There are plenty of amazing reviews below that I simply cannot top, so I will just add a few comments:
— Fans of Super Chicken may feel their loyalty slide after have their pile of fried plantains and sides, which appear bigger here on weekends.
— Get the extra side — it’s the same price as Super Chicken’s ¼ a chicken and one side, and you can always get it to go.
— I went with a native Peruvian who could not speak the entire meal because he was eating it so quickly.
With those points considered, and the close proximity to my house, I can tell you this is going to be a problem.

Overall 4.5 stars.
We were visiting family in DC and had the urge for Peruvian chicken. A quick search on Unilocal turned up Chicken Rico, which my in-​laws had never tried. My wife and sister-​in-​law drove out to run some errands and pick up the food. I tried to call an order in but the guy on the phone said that they would be able to fill our order in a few minutes in the store, so I trusted him to deliver on his promise. And he did deliver on that promise.
My wife and sister in law came back shortly with a very large tray of succulent, delicious chicken, along with a plethora of sides (rice, french fries, yuca, plantains, black beans, spinach and potatoes, steamed veggies and onion salad). The last item the owner threw in for free and it was also delicious. As promised, they were in and out of the store in a few minutes and the owner even made the plantains for them fresh, as they waited. They ended up ordering a Family Special 1 (1 whole chicken and 4 large sides), as well as a Family Special 2 (2 whole chickens and 6 large sides). That was enough food to feed four kids and three adults for three meals. Friendly staff and a quick in and out — I highly recommend Chicken Rico.
Update: came back on a rainy May Day in 2016 to get another large order (three whole chickens and 12 sides) and found the stuff as friendly and helpful as before. Our favorite go to Peruvian chicken place in DC!

Okay I’ve stuffed my face at least four times here so it’s time I wrote a review. If I were a sleazy car salesman who decided to stop selling cars and begin promoting chicken, my rant for chicken Rico would go something like this:
(Enter plaid sports coat wearing person with thick bobs burger mustache): why should youuuu come to chicken Rico?! For its low low pricesssssssss
For 25.29 (22.99 + tax) you get a whole chicken made in the Peruvian fashion with so much flavor you could die a happy person!!! Wow you say? But that’s not all! You also get four, COUNT THEM, FOUR largeeeee sides! We’ve got Yuca, fries, mashed potatoes, corn, beans, rice, and so much more to choose from! Yuca-​an count on us for delicious food always! Try our spicy green sauce or smoldering yellow sauce with any of these items !!
Order by phone or online at eat24. You won’t regret it!
(Women begin singing) chicken Rico… we are Chicken… donee rightttt
***end sleazy commercial***
But luckily for the American people, I don’t do commercials or even play any role in advertising businesses outside of Unilocal.
I’m just good at eating the food.
Come here. Walk or run. Don’t hold scissors. There is street parking. It’s by a Walmart so bring your shopping bags for AFTER dinner at ricos.

I can’t count the number of times that I walked past this place on my way to Walmart. Time and time again, I promised to stop by and, finally, when I saw someone I know post a glowing review, I knew it was time for me to stop in.
The restaurant is setup in a similar fashion to Chipotle, so I admit that I was rather taken aback by the politeness of the workers. Everyone was cheerful and helpful and one of the employees even let me try a sauce to help me make up my mind as to which one I wanted.
As for the food, I thought that the menu seemed a little bare. I opted for the ¼ white meat chicken, plantains, and rice.
Now, I didn’t realize that the rice had chicken in it. (Vegetarians, beware!) I was admittedly a little disappointed because it tasted like my meal had way too much starch in it. That’s probably my fault, but I wish the rice had come with it, so you could use your two sides for vegetables and plantains. The chicken was well seasoned and not too dry. I felt that it could have been a little more moist, but it wasn’t anything to complain about.
Now, the plantains are where they deserve all of the accolade. As someone from the Caribbean, I am very particular about my plantains. They were sweet, a little crispy, and just right. Even if the rest of the food was mediocre, I would come back from for the plantains. Do yourself a favor and pick some up.
Overall, the meal was too much for me to eat and I wish I’d gotten some vegetables, but their service was great and the plantains were phenomenal.

Decided to go all out with chicken rico and ordered a family meal to share with a friend. Whole chicken with four sides — opted for the house salad, plantains, spinach and potatoes, and fried rice.
Really, the only decent items were the plantains and the chicken. Everything else was pretty horrible. Worst fried rice I’ve ever tasted, house salad was basically shredded lettuce, and spinach and potatoes was extremely watery.
The chicken is juicy and flavorful, but also very greasy. The entire set up of the place kind of grossed me out. All of the food is just sitting there in the open, didn’t get the impression that they make sure it’s all fresh. The staff didn’t have my order ready when I arrived, and they were just carelessly putting it together.
Plantains were very good, I’d come back just for those.

This is a solid new lunch option in the NoMa/​Union Station neighborhood for Peruvian chicken lovers. The ¼ white meat chicken ($ 8.09) is a good size meal portion that that comes with your choice of 2 sides. I got white meat and chose plantains and spinach. I really liked the spinach side and the chicken flavor. I wish they gave more sauce than the 2 small sauce containers included — the mild sauce was really delicious. I also had the chicken from my friend’s salad (Note: vegetarian options are slim here) and thought it was juicier than the ¼ bone, so I would try the sandwiches or something else next time.
The place gets pretty crowded during weekday lunch rush, but there is a decent amount of seating. A large group of us managed to get a few tables next to each other without much of an issue. Also, the food is served in styrofoam plates and cups, so don’t expect anything fancy. Lastly, while it’s not far to a lot of big landmarks, there’s not much immediately closeby except the adjacent Walmart and Starbucks.

Finally a food place close to work. Don’t be afraid of the line when you first walk in, it goes by pretty quick. It reminds me of a chipotle food style. Where it moves through a line.
Got the ¼ dark meat with white rice and chickpeas. Not a fan of the chickpeas, doesn’t have as much flavor as I would like. The rice was good, but it’s just white rice. The chicken was seasoned beautifully. I am very impressed. Overall, good place, nice staff and plenty of space to sit and eat because most people take the food back to their office.

All hail the Peruvian chicken prince!!!
There is something innately satisfying about tearing into a charcoal chicken with your bare hands. The mere act itself has me channeling my inner prehistoric hominid (although I’m pretty sure yucca fries are not paleo). Thankfully, after much anticipation, the poultry dynasty behind Super Pollo and Super Chicken have brought their unique brand of bird to H Street in DC.
True to name, chicken is the star here. It arrives on your plate straight from a charcoal fire that makes grocery store rotisseries look like easy bake ovens. First impressions are that the chickens are huge. Unlike Nando’s Peri Peri, whose chickens seem to be stricken with eating disorders, a quarter is more than enough for a filling meal (although I recommend getting a ½ to sample the white and dark meat). The marinade permeates the meat completely but really settles on the skin, making a good thing greater. If getting a plate of only chicken skin ever becomes an option, please contact me.
The sides range from the traditional (rice, black beans, fries), to the unexpected (chickpeas, creamed spinach), to the curious (onion salad, chicken fried rice). Then, there are the yucca fries, which stand alone as one of man’s greatest contributions to the universe.
The owners are two brothers who are ridiculously handsome and have really nice hair.
After finishing my meal, I wondered: How much has humankind really changed over the millennia? Our most basic desire to throw meat on fire and eat it with green and yellow sauces has remained untouched. So where do we go from here?
We go home, and go to sleep.