Maemi’s Chicken

OK — its not 5 stars… but its 4 stars for the chicken for sure. We just finished a whole chicken with the special sauce and its DELICIOUS. We didn’t sit in the restaurant or eat the fries, but the chicken was worth the drive. Don’t let this down home location slip by !

Disappointing after being so excited for a Pollo a la Brasa spot. Don’t come in before 1PM, or you may be served the previous day’s leftovers.
I had the highest hopes when I saw that an honest to goodness Peruvian chicken place was going to open up right down the road from my work. I couldn’t wait to try it out, so I stopped in at 11:30 am for lunch. I was quite surprised to be seated by a young man wearing a ball cap that said «Classy Mother F***er»; but I was not too concerned about it since I was there for good pollo a la brasa, not fancy dressed waitstaff. For a first impression though, I was a bit taken aback all the same. As a previous reviewer stated, there was no smell of roasting chicken in the place whatsoever, which was a little more concerning to me.
The ambiance was fairly unsettling as I was the only person seated in the echoing space, with absolutely no background music or noise of any kind, save the hum of some appliances behind a counter. Every movement and chair creak/​scrape was amplified by the hard surfaces everywhere. Still I thought, «Who cares about all that, if I can get high-​quality Peruvian chicken and aji amarillo sauce». I sat there in silence for a while until I could get the attention of the waiter to turn on a TV hanging on the wall. He put on a soccer game, which improved the awkwardness somewhat.
When the food arrived, I was most disappointed that I had sat there in 10 minutes of awkward silence for what seemed to be reheated food from the day before. The ½ chicken had obviously been microwaved as the wing and leg were smoldering hot, while the inside of the breast was cool to the touch. At this point the owner came over and asked how it was, to which I responded «Eh, it’s ok I suppose, but what can I do to get a fresh roasted chicken next time as opposed to one that’s reheated?» She looked like she’d been caught with her hand in the cookie jar and sheepishly said «Well, we don’t get in here until 11 or so, so the today’s chickens are just beginning to be cooked. If you want one right off the rotisserie, you need to call ahead and plan on coming in after 12:30 or 1PM.» This was unsettling to me to say the least, as I would have expected them to get in and start the chicken in time to give anyone who comes in the door a freshly roasted piece.
After being called out on the chicken, the owner offered me my meal for free. This makes me kind of sorry to write this review, but the fact remains that I was there for top quality Peruvian chicken, not a free meal or any other thing. So while I feel kind of bad writing this, I can only hope that they will see this and get their act together by starting work early enough to give every customer who walks in the door a freshly roasted chicken.

I stopped in to get a chicken from Maemi’s, and my review is mixed. The restaurant itself is pretty sparse, but I don’t hold that against a place if the food is good. I ordered a whole chicken, and was quite surprised at the price, nearly $ 25.00. They brought my chicken out from the back room, and it bothered me that at a roasted chicken place, there was zero smell of chicken cooking, which leads me to believe they are bringing in prepared food from another place. The attendant handed me a stack of three Styrofoam containers, which I thought was strange. I got it home and opened it up and found the chicken, which was expected, but then there was about a whole POUND of limp french fries, which I didn’t order, and a pathetic salad, which I didn’t order. The chicken was actually pretty good, even if it was likely reheated. It came with a mildly spicy green sauce which was good.
However, Maemi’s did one of the things I hate the most in restaurants. They over charge for the main item, then throw in «free» extras to make the bill seem less outlandish. I paid 25 bucks for a pretty good chicken, plus two things I didn’t order and threw away. Seeing as how a Publix chicken is 8 bucks and just as good, I do not see myself returning to Maemi’s again.
Edit:
So, I got curious and tried the salad, and I have to say that I actually love their salad dressing. I love spicy food, and somehow they have made a seriously spicy salad dressing that tastes great. I would buy the salad dressing in a bottle if I could. Bump to three stars for the salad dressing, but I still think $ 25 for a chicken to go is too much even if it comes with a sald.

Amazing food and friendly service. The chicken is very flavorful and the Lomo Saltado is to die for. I recommend this place to everyone.