Carlito’s Chicken

I am giving a neutral 3-​star rating just so I can write this review and let folks know that this restaurant is temporarily closed. I’ll update my review when I have a chance to actually eat there.

Rotisserie Peruvian chicken is my favorite thing to eat. The one at Carlito’s was severely underwelming. It did not look like the picture. The skin was not nice and crispy – but rather wet and plain. I’m not sure what is needed to define something as Peruvian, but it was missing all the essential seasonings. I felt the chicken was bland and I could gotten it at any 7 – 11 for half the price and twice the Peruvian.
At least the sauce was good. But I didn’t come to Carlito’s «CHICKEN» for their sauce if you know what I mean.

Don’t go there for Pollo a brasa !!! No good if you really want Pollo a LA brasa go to jess place in San Jose !!! Very bad service

I rarely ever give out 1 star reviews, however, for such a disappointing experience with so many things gone wrong, I had to do it. It’s a shame because their rotisserie chicken had some good flavors.
When my coworkers and I were seated, we were not given menu’s, but rather told that we could only order 1 of the 3 lunch specials: grilled chicken, rotisserie chicken, or chicken tacos. Apparently, you can’t order anything else off the menu until 2PM. Well, nowhere on the website does it state this. Even worse, other people who came in after us were given full menus. I’ve never heard of this at ANY restaurant that I’ve been to in my life and I can tell you that I’ve eaten at MANY MANY restaurants. So we all put in our orders and after about half an hour of waiting, our food still hasn’t come out and everyone is starving. Another 20 minutes go by and finally our food shows up.
The rotisserie chicken plate had a dinky ass piece of chicken, a very very sad salad with about two pieces of avocado and some rice. I’m thinking. «umm, this looks nothing like what I saw on the Unilocal photos.» This ¼ of a chicken looks about the size of my fist, if not smaller. The one thing they had going for them is that the rotisserie chicken was quite tasty, but other than that, the rice was not even fully cooked and the salad was just… sad. Huge disappointment and the portions seemed a lot smaller than what I’ve heard/​seen through the reviews.
A lady that was dining here at another table told us that they changed management about a month ago, so that probably explains the skimpy ass portions and weird ass rules.
Anyway, so we get up to go pay and I think it was about 1:15pm-ish by then. Well, here comes a plate of the lomos saltado and guess where it’s going? TO SOMEONE’S TABLE. That made me a little more upset because how much more obvious do you need to be. Apparently, the full menu was only not available to our table and our table only because it sure looked like other people were getting all sorts of items off the main menu. Now I’m really confused.
While I was paying, my chicken lunch special that was $ 6.95, came out to $ 8.69 with tax? I asked the lady about it and she told me it was tax. Sorry, but tax here is 8.75%, not 12.5%. It’s only a few cents more and really not a big deal, but after this experience, this just added to the list of negatives!
I don’t think after having an experience where we were blatantly lied to, waited almost an hour for our food, all to have skimpy ass portions that left us still hungry, is really worth a tip in my opinion.
Don’t think I will be back unless they get their shiz together and I don’t recommend this place to anyone. I am embarassed to even have suggested this place to my coworkers for lunch. So sad because I definitely was looking forward to dining here since there aren’t very many peruvian restaurants in SJ :(.

Service is the worst here. They didn’t have any rotisserie chicken due to some «issues.»
Woman taking the order had the worse attitude even though she was nice to other customers who she seemed to know.
It was clear she didn’t want to help us and when we asked if they could hurry up the order because it was taking so long she blamed us for coming when they opened at noon.

This was our first visit and the food and salads were GREAT and extra Fresh! Prices were very reasonable and the staff very friendly and attentive. We will return!

Carlito’s Chicken just ruined our family dinner tonight.
Our toddlers ate dinner at the restaurant and we placed a to-​go order for three adults (my husband, mother and myself). I waited at the restaurant for the food with my oldest child and the waitress decides to tell us when she hands us the bag of food that two items we ordered (chicken kebabs) were not available. She said she didn’t charge us for them — so she clearly knew they were not available as I had paid 10 minutes before she brought out the food. She then goes on to say that she «forgot» to tell us that the items were not available. Thanks for nothing, you’ve just ruined dinner as those items were for my mother and me.
Not only do we go somewhere else for dinner, Carlito’s has lost a customer for good.
When I came back to ask for the manager, the waitress tells me he’s not there and she’ll give me a number to call. This negative Unilocal review will suffice for now.

I felt that the chicken, salad, and fries were all fresh and savory! Especially for their lunch special of only around 7 bucks it was a really worth meal :)

This is not original peruvian chicken, the chicken is not rotisserie, the spicy dip is not peruvian. The only original in the inka cola

I can seriously not say enough great things about my first experience here. The service was great, the food was amazing and I plan on coming back very often. I highly recommend it.

Was there last night for some take out and got the roasted chicken, rice, fries and flan for the first time.
I will definitely be coming back! Everything was on point and I love their sauces. I will come back for their lunch specials later next week.
The wife gave the flan two big thumbs up!

Me and my husband and daughter are regulars here and have been since the place opened, the food is so good, I’m
Obsessed with their chips and salsa/​chicken a la brass salad and popusas! The service is ok at times, depends on who you get, one girl in particular is always so nice to us, but others need more improvement with making guests feel appreciated. Last time I went I was glad to see one girl not there she was the WORST server I have ever met, and I eat out a lot and work in a restaurant so I know when someone needs to go, I hope I never have to get her again, but other than service the place is amazingly delicious everyone must try.

I have to disagree with the negative reviews about the service. My friend and I ate at carlito’s around 4:30 in the afternoon. We were the only customers there so we were given much attention. Our glasses of water were constantly being refilled – a good
Factor I key in as far as attention and service goes!
We also received house salsa and tortilla chips. I have had better salsa elsewhere, but it was still enjoyable.
what I did enjoy the most were our entrées. We ordered chicken with beans and rice, combo pupusa, and beef empanadas.
The chicken was barbecued really well. I enjoyed the spicy mayo and spicy green salsa that brought extra flavor to the chicken. The rice and beans were one of the best I’ve tried. Ooooo delicious!
The combo pupusa consisted of pork, beef, and cheese. Oooo delicious. It was paired with pickled cabbage.
Lastly, the empanadas were hot and ready to devour. I recommend those the most!
Also, we took great advantage of the free glass of wine with a Unilocal checkin. Wine was subpar, but still alright.
I’ll definitely be back for plantains next!

Sorry Carlito’s. When my Dad noticed he added another $ 12.00 to the 15% gratuity you already added (which he had not noticed initially) the otherwise wonderful gal who served us and did the transaction at the cash register said ‘not to worry’ she would scratch out the $ 12.00 (credit transaction). Dad checked his account just now and she failed to do as she promised. $ 12.00 is not a make or break amount of money. But, unfortunately… She did not do as she said she would which has caused my kind and typically generous Dad feels taken advantage of. He is not happy and has sighed again.
I wish this had not happened. I liked your convenient location and focus on real food.
***update***
My Dad walked over with his receipt and his story. A phone call was made to the owner and Dad left promptly with a $ 12.00 gift card and apology.
You have earned your Fifth Star.
I’m so pleased. !!!

Short Version:
They decorate the outside patio and tables with ugly, poorly maintained plants that you’d expect to see in your grandparents’ side yard or balcony, they don’t clean the outside tables and floor as well as they should, and they don’t put fried eggs on their lomo saltado… but when you taste their food, you won’t give a s**t about any of that!
Just make sure you keep your guard up because there are some aggressive flies out there that’ll be fighting you for a bite of your food.
Glad I found this little «HITW»… I’ll be back for more of their rotisserie, some other Peruvian dishes, and their pupusas
Extended Version:
Complimentary Chips and Salsa — 4 stars
— Chips were fresh, and the Salsa had a nice amount of heat
Sautéed Beef (Lomo Saltado) — 3 ½ stars
— The beef, rice, and fries were all good, but like I said, what was missing was fried eggs on top
¼ Peruvian Rotisserie Chicken — 4 stars
— I didn’t expect much from rotisserie chicken, but god damn!
— Came w/​two sides — Avocado Salad (4 stars) and French Fries (4 stars)
— They didn’t have the Rocoto Salsa, but they brought out some of the Verde (3 stars), and Aji Amarillo (5 stars). Both were kind’a spicy, but the Aji Amarillo was one of the best «salsas» I’ve ever had… I think it’s just mayo and habaneros, but I’m not sure. Next time, I’ve gotta try to buy a jar of this from them to take home w/​me

Solid place in San Jose. The restaurant closest to the Egyptian Museum didn’t open for another hour and a half, so my boyfriend and I decided to venture .4 miles away to this place. It’s a nice place, very quiet for lunch. They have seating inside, but it was beautiful that day, so we opted to sit outside.
The service was good. Our waiter was very sweet and made sure we had everything we needed at all times. She gave us some chips and salsa to start. The chips were very crispy and delicious and the salsa is fantastic. Very spicy though, so beware! As for the main dish, I ordered the ¼ rotisserie chicken, which came with avocado salad and fries. The rotisserie chicken is good, but it was just a tad bit dry. The fries were just disgusting. I usually eat all of my fries, but these were really bad. Just soggy and oily. The avocado salad was amazing, but it looked like something I could easily put together at home. My boyfriend got a dish with pancake-​like pita bread with chicken, beans and vegetables. He really enjoyed his dish.
Overall, the salsa is phenomenal. I would come back just for that. Food is not too bad, though the fries really brought down a 3.5 I initially had to a 3.

An average Peruvian restaurant… nothing impressive. I know that their forte is the Pollo a la Brasa (Roasted Chicken) but I wanted to eat another peruvian dishes. I’ve got excited when I saw «Tacu Tacu» (rice with beans panfried with garlic) in the menu… so I asked the waitress if I could have TacuTacu with Lomo Saltado over it, they were going to charge me an extra $ 3 but it was ok for me.
My disappointment came when the I noticed that the TacuTacu was made with black beans instead of canary beans… so it really taste more Mexican or Puerto RIcan than Peruvian. The Lomo Saltado was ok.
One of the things that it bothered me was the music/​videos, it seems that they are streaming a music videos channel… it was annoying because the signal was not good and you can listen the music stopping every 5 seconds.
They have Inca Kola and Peruvian beers (Cristal and Cusquena).
Next time I’ll try another Peruvian restaurant.

Came here twice, both times with a groupon coupon. Pretty decent deal. With $ 30, my bf and I shared the lomo saltado, pulpusa platter, and I believe a chicken dish. I enjoyed the pulpusa. The lomo saltado was a bit disappointing. This was my go-​to dish in Peru so I was excited to try this but it was very bland. Their chicken, however, is very moist. And I enjoyed the sides sauces.
This last time we returned we both a combo #1 (chicken and pork ribes) and Combo #2 (chicken and pork ribs and chorizo). Instead of fries, they were able to substitute us for black and pinto beans.
Once again the chicken was very moist and delicious. I could do without the ribs. The chorizo was very tasty however. And I really enjoy their avocado salad.
Service has been pretty up to par both times. I don’t mind dining here with a groupon deal, probably wouldn’t pay full price for the meal, however.

We went to Peru a few years ago, so we wanted to try this place.
Verdict: Good food and large portions at Carlito’s Chicken. Every table received a complimentary bowl of chips and salsa. The salsa was spicy but it tasted like it was from a jar.
The main entrees were a lot better. My husband ordered the combo #2 with ¼ rotisserie chicken, pork ribs, and pork chorizo. My husband said that the pork ribs were so delicious and tender, and he doesn’t like ribs. The other items were okay. Dish came with four different sauces, fries, and an avocado salad. I had the tacu tacu with the grilled fish which came with a rice and bean pancake and sweet plantains. The fish was grilled perfectly. The pancake was pretty heavy with the beans, but cooked nicely. We had leftovers for the next day.
Décor was lacking but a decent amount of seating inside or outside on the patio.
We had good service throughout the night. We were the last customer at the restaurant and they didn’t rush us to leave. It was around 8:30pm when we left the restaurant.
Parking: Small parking lot in front of the restaurant, but plenty of street parking.
Note: We had a Groupon deal, but there are coupons on Carito’s website (
) The coupon is «Buy 1, get 1 half off» from Monday — Thursday lunch or dinner.

I like this place and my kids like this place. I love that the staff is so so friendly and so willing to talk about their food and how it is made. Food isnt greasy and always fresh.
Every time I’ve come and wanted to order the flan they have been out of it. Apparently they have a lady that makes it twice a week, special… and when its gone, its gone. I NEED TO TRY IT.
I need to go back.
Ohhhh and they have Unilocal check in offers!

El pollo a la brasa que tienes no es del dia, ademas afuera en uno de sus anuncios dice que el pollo es orgánico.
Les diría que tengan mucho cuidado con lo que anuncia por que USDA no se juga con esos anuncios, se pueden meter en problemas.
Le pregunte a la mesera si el pollo que usan en realidad es organico y me aseguro que si.
Lo único que puedo decir es que ese pollo no sabe o parece ser fresco.
Ojala mejoren para el bien de ellos mismos.