Pardo's Peruvian Cuisine

• Cuisine(s): Peruvian
  Hours: Sun 12pm-10pm, Mon-Thu 11:30am-10pm, Fri 11:30am-11pm, Sat 12pm-11pm
  Price: $$ $$
  Payment Types: All Major Credit Cards
• Attire: Casual
  Features: Smoking, Patio/Sidewalk Dining, Takeout, Delivery, Wheelchair Accessible, Kid Friendly, Vegetarian Friendly
  Serving: Dinner, Lunch
  Alcohol: Beer/Wine
• Reservations: Accepted
  Parking: Meters

Description

That incredible smell wafting out into the street is undeniably coming from Pardo's, a small eatery tucked in a corner you might otherwise never notice. But after devouring a platter of marinated, slow-roasted chicken with tacu tacu (beans blended with rice, bacon, garlic, onions, and aji amarillo) and sweet plantains ($8.90 to $12.50), you'll be able to find this place blindfolded. Lunch specials start at an embarrassingly low $3.90 for a takeout chicken sandwich with salad. A manager told us the chain is famous in Peru, Mexico, Colombia, and Chile, but this little sit-down and takeout joint is its only American outlet. But don't come in expecting some fancy-white-tablecloth deal - the only things that visually differentiate Pardo's from Boston Market are tableside service and moodier décor. The last incorporates brown pleather booths, ceiling fans, exposed pipes, and red walls. But the flavors and prices make this place worthy of a visit. Though rotisserie chicken is Pardo's signature dish, we recommend letting your palate roam within the realm of more adventurous offerings such as lomo saltado clasico (beef sautéed with onions and tomatoes, $12.90) and brasa chaufa (Chinese fried rice with bits of bacon and chicken, $9.50). Heck, even the steamed beet, carrot, and green bean salad topped with avocado is extraordinary in its simplicity. Wash it all down with a glass of chica morada, made with purple corn, pineapple, and aromatic spices ($2.30), and toast us for letting you in on this secret.