Rosa De Lima (Was Pollo Salvaje) - Peruvian chicken

I have been searching for some good Peruvian rotisserie chicken since I moved here from DC a couple months ago (for those familiar with DC, I'm talking about something similar to El Pollo Rico). I have finally found it:

Rosa De Lima (was Pollo Salvaje)
2013-15 N Western Av
Chicago, IL 60647
773-342-4557

It is a hard place to find since there is no sign out front and the big sign on the building says "Cancun Restaurant". I asked the waitress about it and she said they've only been open 3 months and they are still working on getting a sign. If you're going, it's on the east side of Western Av, just before Armitage. There is a mexican restaurant on the northeast corner, it is the next place north of that.

I went there specfically for the deliciously seasoned and marinated rotisserie chicken and it did not disappoint. If you've never had it before, I can't exactly describe the flavor since it uses some spices that I don't know if (I've never been able to get anyone that works at the chicken places I've been to to divulge the info); I'm sure it's got some black pepper, oregano, garlic, maybe cumin and a few other spices. It's also served with a spicy jalepeno sauce. It's just a perfect combination, definitely give it a shot, you will not be disappointed. Me and my buddy were the only people in there and the waitress said business has been slow; I'm a lttle worried about this place not making it so I'm trying to spread the word.

They also serve coke from mexico out of the tall glass bottle, which is also a plus.

Name Edit

will have to check out.

for your chicken query, just curious if you've tried Papa's Cashe sabrosa (or papa's cache, or pollo chon, depending on who is speaking), just a wee bit south of there on Division, west of western... it's Puerto Rican, but it sounds like the two are very, very similar, and you might find it's close to what you want, minus maybe the sauce to dip

Thanks for the heads up, BigT. It sounds well worth checking out.

Can you tell us what kind of side dishes they have? Does the chicken come with any sides? Thanks.

Don't think it's Peruvian but Mr. Pollo on Belmont and I think Sacramento has great rot. Chx. Prices are great too. Me and two others went when they move into the neighborhood and walked out totaly satisified under $20. You have to try the Yucca fries.

I actually went to Mr. Pollo in my search for suitable rotisserie chicken in the area; it's at Belmont and Cali. I will say that it is decent but really does not compare to the chicken at Pollo Salvaje. I'd guess that if you like Mr. Pollo, you will love Pollo Salvaje.

I grabbed the menu for Salvaje, the chicken prices are:

1/4 & 2 sides: $5.75
1/2 & 2 dies: $7.75
whole chicken & 2 sides: $12.75

sides options:
french fries
fried plantains
pinto beans
friend green plantains
white rice
fried yucca
house salad
tortillas

I had the fried yucca and rice. I really liked the fried yucca but I am far from an expert on that issue. They also brought out some soup and bread before our meal. You really get a lot of bang for your buck. They also have a variety of drinks (inca kola, jarritos, chicha morada).

I have not tried Papa's Casha Sabrosa, I may have to put that on the list. I am sort of addicted to the Peruvian style (the flavor/seasoning is just perfect); so it's hard not to get it when I'm in the mood for chicken.

Another one you might check out is Gloria's. I will definitely try to check out Pollo Salvaje, even though I generally try not to eat salvaged chicken...

FWIW-
Mr. Pollo-
Diego's fine Pollo Brasa Restaurant is of Ecuadorian descent.
Gloria's on Fullerton is Columbian

and - it's ALLL good!

Mike G wrote:Another one you might check out is Gloria's. I will definitely try to check out Pollo Salvaje, even though I generally try not to eat salvaged chicken...

Technically, it's savage or wild chicken.

BigT, thanks again for posting about this place. We got a take out chicken tonight and thought it was very good: great flavor, moist, dark caramelization on the skin. We forgot to take a picture!

By the way, the restaurant has changed its name. It is now Rosa de Lima, with an expanded menu of about 60 Peruvian dishes. Plus they have a full bar. There was only one person eating in when I picked up our order this evening, so this place definitely needs some publicity.

(Note: they have a fairly big parking lot in back, entrance on Armitage.)

Rosa de Lima
2015 N. Western Ave.
773 342-4557

I tried the chicken and was very impressed with Rosa De Lima.



A half chicken with two sides is now $8 but the meal starts with a cup of pleasant soup plus bread. A couple Peruvian beers are available.



Chicken was dark and delicious, heavily marinated and thoroughly roasted. Even though it's not listed on the current menu I'd recommend getting the surprisingly large and tasty salad as one side. Maduros were very good.



I look forward to exploring their ambitious new menu.

Rosa De Lima (was Pollo Salvaje, sign says Cancun)
2013-15 N Western Av
Chicago
773-342-4557

Just dropped by for a late lunch. Extremely friendly service. The lemonade was very fresh tasty and very light--almost like a lemon water. I had the 1/2 chicken with fried yucca and the side salad. The salad was great for an included side--very pretty with slices of avocado. The chicken was very flavorful and while I liked it better than many of the Latin chicken places about town I didn't find it superior to say the chicken at Semiramis. The whole thing cost me $9.92 plus tip and I have enough leftovers for another small meal.

I hope they are busy at night because the place is huge and I was the sole customer during my lunch. I'll definitely be back to try some of the other things.

--Dirk--

The Wife and I had a bunch of stuff tonight. I liked the parihuela, a soup of steamed seafood in a broth of tomato, onion and panca red pepper cream. The shrimp, mussels and white fish in this savory bowl were perfectly done, the vegetables crispy, the flavor full.



There were several "pepper creams" on the menu; the yellow pepper cream was put on the table with garlic bread, and it was really good.

Thank you BigT and LTH!!!

After getting out of an extra late day at work, I was craving the comfort that only a roast chicken can deliver. I went straight to Feed from work, only to find them away on a three day vacation(sunday-wednesday).

Having Rosa da Lima(formerly Pollo Salvaje) catalogued as a place I need to check out, I stopped by for some rotisserie to go. It may be the most succulent rotisserie I've ever had. The spices were slightly hot, and very unique. The creamy green mystery sauce was super kicky, and good enough to drink like a thick malt. The tostones were fried to perfection, and not at all greasy.

The place was empty and deserves more business. Check it out...three doors up from the northeast corner of Armitage and Western.

This looks like an interesting place to check out, is there a marked difference between peruvian chicken and colombian variants?

So I tried Rosa de Lima for lunch today and I have yet another place to add to the rotation! the 1/2 chicken meal was an incredible value for $8.50. Meal started with soup and bread. My comments about the chicken mirror those above -- juicy and flavorful, among the best I've had. For sides, I chose the maduros and an onion salad. The maduros were a little firm and not very sweet... not ripe enough. the salad, which was basically sliced onion and some cilantro doused with lime juice was amazing. Highly recommended.

I just hope the place lasts... I was in there around 12:45 and there was just one other table with customers.

I'm usually a troller on this board but, that chicken is so addictive it has made me pop my board cherry! 3 times in 2 weeks and still can't get enough.

ps. and when i went to get my pick up and it was kinda busy which was nice to see!

This is one of the places that made my list of "must tries" while I've been gone. Took me a wk back to get here but will say this... most excellent.

Started with the soup which was a clean chicken broth nearly overflowing with meat and vegetables. Split a whole chicken with Mr. Tilapia which was perfect. Due to some silly health concerns, he does white, no skin. Me, I do dark (with his skin in addition. Jackpot) As I was liberating said discarded skin off his plate, he remarked how moist the meat was naked. I can only agree that the chicken was moist and absolutely delectable. The most apparent herbs/seasoning being garlic, black pepper and thyme with an slightly more pronounced oregano flavor. I thought I detected a citrus note, but was told it was beer. Or maybe it's in addition to, which I suspect.

A little insight into the previously mentioned mystery sauce. It's a puree of Jalapeno, garlic and cheese, which is what makes it creamy in texture. A great condiment. We went through 3 and each took one home as well.

Sides were all outstanding. The aforementioned salad of mixed greens (not your bagged variety mix) included carrot, avocado, cucumber and tomatoes and was large, fresh and light. The fried yucca contained zero residual grease, just crisp starchy perfection, especially when dipped in the salsa/mystery sauce. It was a match made in heaven, if heaven was in Lima. I suppose the Andes are close enough. Maduros were on the money. Washed it down with a Maracuya and a lemonade, both again, perfect with the food.

The dessert menu contains all sorts of interesting Latin fruits, but they were not prepared to serve most of them. Our waitress said they always have them for the wkends though.

We were the only people in the place @ lunch. A shame. This is a place that deserves some LTH love. I look forward to future trips with the usual suspects in tow to sample the large menu with the ordering power to do it justice.

Do yourself a favor and make a point to get there.

I had really looked forward to my Friday Night Office Dinner Outing at Rosa De Lima based upon what I read here. We entered the nearly empty dining room at around 6:30 on Halloween night and promptly placed an order for two whole chickens, fried yucca, a double order of tostones, and the onion salsa.

We sat, we waited, we drank a few beers. About an hour after we placed our order, one of our two chickens and the yucca hit our table. A few minutes later, chicken #2, the tostones and onion salsa hit the table.

Our experience was quite disappointing. All of the chicken we had was extremely dry. Dry to the point that it crumbled when cut with a fork. I went for the dark meat leg and thigh and was very disappointed in both the texture and flavor of what was served to us. As dry as the thigh and leg were, I can only imagine how dry the breasts must have been.

The fried yucca was absolutely wonderful. Crisp, not at all starchy and perfectly fried. It was the star of a less than stellar meal.

The tostones were an abomination of sorts. Overfried, hard and flavorless. They looked like and had the texture of poker chips.

The onion salsa would have been interesting and notable had the large majority of the rest of the meal not been so lacking.

Our bill for 3 people came to $81 for two chickens, three side and six beers. It seems a bit steep in comparison to $20-$30 bills at La Brasa Roja for a stellar meal for three people. Granted, we BYOB at La Brasa Roja, so it is not a complete Apples to Apples comparison.

Upon leaving, we all agreed that our meal was so bad that we would have a hard time giving Rosa de Lima a second chance.

We went here for lunch today. Word to the wise: the service is leisurely in the extreme. Our food took an hour and fifteen minutes to arrive, and the place was nearly empty. Funnily enough, I had order the walnut-sauce chicken, but the waitress had told me it wouldn't be ready for about forty-five minutes, so I picked ceviche instead. Ha.

We both enjoyed the garlic bread and the green sauce served with it, and my husband's roasted pork with a side of mashed potatoes and rice was really good. The potatoes were outstanding. My ceviche was just fine, light and refreshing. Still, I don't know that I'd go back, mostly because I usually don't have two hours to devote to a meal.

We have only eaten in the restaurant once, and it was quite good, but we most often just call up and order a half chicken to take home and have for a meal for two. The chicken has always been very flavorful, moist, and the sides we have tried have all been good.

The place is still usually fairly empty though, and I continue to worry that they're not going to make it, which would be a shame. The Mexican twin terrors of gross food you can only eat when you're drunk right next door are almost always busy. Perhaps the marginally higher price point is keeping people away, and I don't think the lack of a proper sign helps them either.