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    El Pollo Imperial

    4.2 (1k reviews)
    ModeratePeruvian
    Closed 9:30 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Order El Pollo Imperial Takeout or Delivery

    El Pollo Imperial Photos

    EL POLLO IMPERIAL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - El Pollo Imperial

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    Ceviche de Pescado / Fish Ceviche. Meh.
    Julio V.

    I'm not sure how this place has so many reviews and still high up there. The food here was gross, borderline disgusting. The fish was not fresh and the seasoning was awful. We could not finish the dishes at all. Extremely expensive for the area and the quality. Never will return.

    Peruvian chicken soup
    Carrie L.

    Delicious chicken soup, with a hearty chicken leg! I always get Peruvian chicken soup when I'm not well and I really needed soup today. First time order from El Pollo Imperial and I am very pleased with my order! I ordered delivery as I'm unwell and couldn't pick up order. Came on time exactly.

    Thanks for the good food and service
    Marilyn G.

    After a long day in Los Angeles eating around and my son visiting his friends, on our way back home I still wanted to have some Peruvian food since there aren't many Peruvian places to eat at in San Diego. So I searched on Yelp for some Peruvian restaurants and omg there's like a long list of selections of places to eat at for Peruvian food in the Los Angeles county . So I picked the closest one near the Freeway exit where we were at, which was EL POLLO IMPERIAL in Long Beach . Complimentary Bread and Soup was brought out to our table. We tried their bread & butter and it was just typical bread , but their SOUP was delicious, luckily for me, my Son is picky on soups and didn't eat his, so I got to eat his soup ;) We only ordered a few foods from their Menu since we just ate at another restaurant before coming here. What I ordered for us. *CHAUFA DE MARISCOS (SEAFOOD FRIED RICE) *TALLARIN SALTADO DE MARISCOS(SEAFOOD NOODLES) *SALTADO DE MARISCOS (STIR FRY SEAFOOD) The CHAUFA DE MARISCOS ( seafood fried ) rice was delicious, it had good seasoning. Same for the TALLARIN DE MARISCOS SALTADO , it was also good, I like the Savory, Sweetness and sourness from the seasoning on their TALLARIN DE MARISCOS SALTADO ( seafood noodles ) However, I was so dissapointed with the SALTADO DE MARISCOS ( stir fry seafood ) . My goodness it was way too SALTY! I would have told the server about it, but they were about to close, so I just set it aside and ate the Fried Rice and the Noodles . Also, the Cut of all their Squid on all our seafood orders were very THIN , especially the ones on our SEAFOOD FRIED RICE. Other than the issue of my SALTADO DE MARISCOS being very salty and the very THIN slices of squids on all of our orders, the 2 other foods we ordered were delicious, plus the customer service was amazing friendly here.

    Phi N.

    Wasn't very impressed with the lomo saltado and the ceviche was average. The beef was super overcooked and chewy-- really hard to enjoy. There wasn't much of the soy sauce mix to mix into the rice either. I did however like their aji verde; is one of the better ones that I've had. Without it, I probably wouldn't have been able to eat the meal. I had a bite of my co-worker's saltado de mariscos and it was definitely better than mine.

    El pollo seco y duro
    Gloris P.

    He venido varias veces antes . Hoy decidí volver y la comida muy mala Arroz con pollo :el arroz salado y el pollo seco y duro Pedí un 1/4 pollo a la brasa y el pollo es de días pasados yo creo y seco Voy seguido a lugares de pollo a la brasa y este no lo recomiendo Atención : pues que les diré Me trajeron otra pieza de pollo igual Una lastima pero no lo recomiendo !

    Fried fish with lentils and rice
    Julia W.

    Amazing food! Chicken soup is a must for those feeling under the weather! I love the fried fish with lentils and rice. We also love the chaufa (fried rice). I guess Peru has a large Chinese influence in their food.

    12. Lomo Saltado
    Frederick A.

    I've always loved this place!! Love that soup and bread!! The loma saltado was good! The fries were crunchy, and meat was good. However, the white rice was slightly undercooked on one side. Great big portion though. They definitely need to update the ceiling and some parts of the building, as the place has gotten old.

    Carlos C.

    Tried the Chicken saltado and it was very homey tasting, came with a small soup and bread and ugh so good the green salsa soooooo good. Definitely going back.

    Salteado de pollo

    I have been a loyal customer since this restaurant first opened its doors over a decade ago, often recommending it to friends and family. However, following the owners' recent separation and the changes in management, the overall quality of the food and service has noticeably declined, significantly impacting the dining experience. Recently, my friend ordered four servings of pollo salteado, spending nearly $100. While the price might have been justified if the food quality had remained high, it was ultimately disappointing. The chicken pieces were excessively dry and tough, with a texture suggesting they had been sitting out for several minutes, and the meat looked slightly discolorated and old. The saltado dish contained a large portion of oily fries, but there was a very small amount of chicken--perhaps only a few thin strips--and overall, the ingredients seemed minimal and lacked freshness. The flavor was unappealing, with an unpleasant aftertaste that lingered in the mouth. I didn't even eat the chicken it was so bad. I ate the fries. Given the high prices, such quality is unreasonable; even the more affordable pollo Inka offers better-quality options with fresh ingredients. I felt completely cheated by this experience, which fell far below my expectations. As a result, I have no intention of returning to this place and would definitely like my money back.

    30. Saltado de Pollo
    Annie B.

    I wanted something today that I haven't had in a long time it was #elpolloimperial. The food is always yummy cooked to order. The cookies are the best omg once I eat one it's a wrap all the others are gone. Will definitely return sooner than later.....

    Lomo saltado lunch special serving.

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Had a big takeout order chicken was overcooked all the green sauces we got were spoiled

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    4 years ago

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    5 years ago

    Big portions. Delicious dishes. Call ahead to place your order if you don't want to wait around for takeout.

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    2 years ago

    Always great food here, no matter what you order. The green sauce is magical. Always a bit crowded but worth a little patience.

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    5 years ago

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    3 years ago

    I recommend this restaurant if you are in the mood for some amazing Peruvian ceviche. This is a great place for families!

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    3 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    14 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    3 years ago

    Really good food and super tasty. Service was good too. Definitely going back again. Got lomo salteado & tallarines de camarón. Yummy

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    12 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    2 years ago

    No podía comer carne so ordene un Pollito a la brasa y uffff. Y no se diga su caldito de pollo!! Se los recomiendo !!

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    3 years ago

    One of the best lomo saltados I've ever had. The rotisserie chicken is delicious! Perfectly fried yuca! The customer service is on point!

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    Page 3 of 26

    El Pollo Imperial Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - El Pollo Imperial

    What are your prices like for party trays for lomo saltado and saltado de pollo?

    Hello, we do have party trays to-go but we do not deliver or serve

    When is the lunch special?

    Monday to Friday 10:30-3 Except Holidays

    Do you deliver?

    No we don’t sorry

    View All 8 Questions

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    Aji Peruvian Cuisine

    Aji Peruvian Cuisine

    4.4
    (998 reviews)
    6.5 mi
    $$

    I've heard many good things about Aji, and I was glad to finally try them! They were pretty empty…read morefor Sunday lunch (which I don't mind at all!), so service was quick and kind. We tried their lomito saltado and arrocito norteno. They didn't provide any aji sauce for the lomito (surprising) but were quick to bring some when we requested it. The beef was very tender! So although definitely more expensive than more casual Peruvian spots, we could taste the quality. I also loved the arrocito norteno, as I love seafood paella, and this was basically that. The scallops and octopus were so good! This place is a bit more luxe than the other Peruvian places I've tried before, which is reflected in their price. Although we were there in the day, I could imagine this place being a cute date spot at night. Glad to try this main stay in Long Beach and would recommend for a bit more upscale meal (although no pressure to dress nice at all, just seems like that vibe).

    A serendipitous turn in fortunes found my Wife & I travelling towards "Home Sweet Home" after the…read moreoriginal Peruvian restaurant we had chosen to have dinner at was closed for a private party. Aji on 4th Streets Retro Row delivered the goods as my Wife & I had journeyed down to Peru in 2024 and from Lima, Cusco and Puno. The flavours encompassed in the dishes we'd ordered which were the Lomito Saltado and the Aji De Gallina were as authentic here as what we dined on back in 2024 which certifies them as premier purveyors of Peruvian cuisine. Drinks wise, they had Maracuya juice which is their local version of passionfruit in that region as well as Chicha Morada which is their Purple Corn beverage composed of cinnamon, cloves, fresh lime juice and when in Peru, they'll utilize pineapple husks for flavouring. It apparently is more popular in Peru than Coca-Cola and after a few sips you'll inevitably see why. Next up when I return will be the Causa trio, in the meanwhile this establishment comes heavily recommended from someone who has traveled to Peru as they hit the nail on the head with their offerings.

    Photos
    Welcome to Ají Peruvian Cuisine, Long Beach, CA
    Welcome to Ají Peruvian Cuisine, Long Beach, CA
    PERUCHA BURGER 100% Angus beef on grilled brioche bun, Munster cheese, fried egg, fried bananas, shoestring fries, onions, lettuce $18
    PERUCHA BURGER 100% Angus beef on grilled brioche bun, Munster cheese, fried egg, fried bananas, shoestring fries, onions, lettuce $18
    Conchitas a la Parmesana - Peruvian scallops in the half shell, broiled with Parmesan cheese, butter and Pisco

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    Conchitas a la Parmesana - Peruvian scallops in the half shell, broiled with Parmesan cheese, butter and Pisco
    Casa Chaskis

    Casa Chaskis

    4.4
    (330 reviews)
    4.7 mi
    $$

    This restaurant blew me away!! I hope they get the due they deserve because our experience was a…read more10/10! Parking was easy and ample. The first thing I noticed was the lush garden where they're literally growing the food! Dining area is intimate and theres a lovely patio option. Service was super attentive without being bothersome. The server was bilingual and easily answered our questions about the menu. There are some traditional options if you don't have an adventurous palate, but the Peruvian dishes we tried were OUTSTANDING! We also tried a hand batched passionfruit drink that was unique and delicious! We honestly didn't have room for dessert but we are going back again as soon as we can. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!

    A local Peruvian restaurant in Long Beach. We went here on a Saturday around 2pm before a festival…read moreand it hit the spot for quality and quantity of food. We got the beef empanada and chicken empanadas. Those were pretty nice portions for $4 each and had generous fillings. I liked the beef one more. The lomo saltado was okay - the beef was cooked to medium but only a little juicy and a bit tough. The fries felt like they were frozen as some had weird texture and the rice is undercooked. I've had better so I was a little disappointed. The tallarine verde con pollo is a pesto pasta with chicken, Peruvian style. I love the creaminess and very flavorful and hearty pesto sauce in the dish. Noodles were of good texture despite it being very hot in temperature. The sangrias were excellent. For $7 it is fair for a nice cocktail drink. I liked the red sangria more. It was fairly strong. Service is good as expected since we were the only table and they made sure we got everything we wanted, on request. Prices were a bit high (my first impression from menus a year ago was like, wow nice value for good portions at good quality, but prices have almost doubled plus 4% extra which makes it hard to justify casually going here unless for a nice meal out, minus the ambience, which is where I took off a star)

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Tallarin verde with pescado frito. Very well cooked and delicious
    Tallarin verde with pescado frito. Very well cooked and delicious
    Outdoor patio area

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    Outdoor patio area
    Azúcar Peruvian Bistro

    Azúcar Peruvian Bistro

    4.1
    (91 reviews)
    5.9 mi
    $$

    Avoid. They are closed even though their hours say…read moredifferently. We drove 2 hrs to try this place because it has 4.0 stars. It was closed. Online in several sites it says they should be open. Read the bad reviews first. Know what you are getting into. Then if for some reason you are still curious, look at the good reviews, see their profiles, so many are fake accounts and staff taking photos from their kitchen acting like they are regular customers. I saw online they say yuca is $6 but charged $7.20 THEN charge you tax AGAIN. PLUS 4% surcharge. Yikes. Please fix these issues. Some ppl say y'all's food is decent, why mess that up with random hours, crazy charges, and blaming the neighbors for cockroaches you have in your restaurant. Just say we will do better and actually do better and then y'all will have tons of ppl traveling to eat at your restaurant. I want Peruvian restaurants to succeed and give good service because Peruvian food is excellent. So there's so much opportunity. I guess I'll never know because they weren't open

    I didn't eat anything here because there was only one vegetarian dish. But my husband loved the…read morefood here , we visited this place twice on the same day. For lunch, he got the tri colored fish ceviche which he loved and for dinner he got Arroz a la chiclayana con Pollo. Both the dishes looked amazing. I even tasted the coriander rice and it delicious. Though the food takes some time to be served , everything was amazing , and service was also great. They have a few reserved spots for parking adjacent to the building which is convenient.

    Photos
    Delish
    Delish
    Panorama picture
    Panorama picture
    Very cozy inside

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    Very cozy inside
    Selva

    Selva

    4.5
    (528 reviews)
    6.1 mi
    $$$

    Selva was a great dinner experience! I came in for date…read morenight with my boyfriend and we loved everything. My family is Colombian so I was happy to see that they had refrajo on the drink menu. ( it's Colombian beer mixed with Colombian soda - it's amazing!) We ordered the arepas with chicharron, steak, and ceviche. Everything was super flavorful and delicious. The butter that came with the steak has sooo much flavor, I put that on everything. Our server Jake ( I believe that was his name) was super friendly and informative. Overall great experience, and will be back.

    Arrived at 7pm tonight with a party of 2, without a reservation. The hostess tells us they're…read morecompletely booked for the night, but offers to put us on the waitlist just in case there's a cancellation, but can't guarantee we'll be seated. Ok, completely understandable, we wait at the bar for a bit. While waiting, I get curious and decide to check the online reservations, and see that there are actually a bunch of time slots open (7:00, 7:30, 8:00, etc etc). I reserve for 7:30 and let the hostess know, and she says "oh ok, I was going to give you that table anyway." A little weird that we were told they were completely booked? But ok, at least she was nice about it and we're happy to have a table. We sit down and the server tells us they're out of a few different things, including the chicken we want. Ok, fine, we settle on 4 plates that they still have available. 2 of the plates arrive pretty quickly and are pretty good. But at some point a large group comes in and the restaurant gets busier, and the rest of the food doesn't arrive. We finish the first 2 plates (including an entire whole fish, which took a while to eat), they clear the plates away, and we keep waiting for a long time after that. They eventually come check on us and ask if we need anything else, and I said we're still waiting for the other 2 items. They come back and tell us that those items somehow got put in out of order (?) and ended up behind the large group that came in after us (Clearly the order had just gotten lost). Eventually, we finally get the rest of our food, even though it's been like an hour since we ordered and we're not even hungry anymore. I thought they would at least offer to comp something as an apology for the insane wait (as most restaurants would), but no, they still charge us for everything. On top of everything else, as we're leaving, I walk past the large group that came in after us, and see that they're eating SEVERAL plates of the chicken that we were told they were out of before that group even arrived. I can understand honest mistakes or delays on a busy night. But never in my life has a restaurant made me feel so lied to and gaslit at every turn, whether it be about reservation availability, what dishes they were out of, or what happened to our order. And then not take accountability for anything. A truly one-of-a-kind bizarre experience. It's a shame because the food was actually pretty decent (and the only reason I'm giving more than 1 star). But it wasn't exceptional enough to make up for the service, or to give me any reason to come back.

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Scallop Crudo. So good!
    Scallop Crudo. So good!
    Smoked Pollo Half plate. Delicious!

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    Smoked Pollo Half plate. Delicious!
    Sushi Nikkei - Bixby Knolls

    Sushi Nikkei - Bixby Knolls

    4.5
    (396 reviews)
    2.5 mi
    $$$

    My boyfriends's brother treated me and my boyfriend out for lunch here. I was so excited because of…read morehow different and unique this experience would be. My boyfriend's brother did the ordering since he's been here a lot. He ordered: Peruvian Cebiche: which was the catch of the day, tiger milk, ahi Amarillo, concha, and sweet potato. It was so delicious! I believe the catch of the day was either scallop or white fish which was in the tiger milk and ahi Amarillo sauce which was a sour like sauce which pairs well with the fish. It was also a great dipping sauce for the other sushi we got. If I could, I would have slurped the whole thing (the sauce) lol. Blue Fin Sashimi: with kizami wasabi and special soy sauce. If you have tried blue fin you are missing out. The sashimi just melts in your mouth and has such an easy chew to it. Sushi Nikkei Tasting (8 pc sushi): consists of 2 pcs of sweet salmon (parrillera sauce), tuna power (parrillera sauce, aji Amarillo, and chalaquita), Parmesan scallops, and Asian shiromi (white fish, Asian sauce, quinoa pop, and lemon). My boyfriend and I had 1 pc each. The salmon and Parmesan scallops were my favorite. My boyfriend's favorite was the Asian shiromi and tuna power. All the toppings complimented each other so well. Who knew?! Acebichado: which was a specialty roll with crispy shrimp, avocado topped with tuna, acebicado sauce, togarashi, and green onion Dusty roll: which was another specialty roll with crispy shrimp, avocado topped with octopus in ninja sauce, Parmesan, and tare OBA roll: which was another specialty roll that had crispy salmon, avocado topped with salmon , parrillera, jalapeno sauce, and chalaquita All the rolls were good and the different sauces complimented each other and the fish. We got there when it was lunch time so it wasn't too busy or too loud. The service was great as the servers always checked up on us. Definitely a must try and we'll be coming back to try the other menu items!

    The three of us came here on a Friday night and thankfully we were seated right away. A bit busy…read morebut glad we were able to just pop right in! First time experiencing sushi Peruvian style. Sounded like an interesting twist. Both kinds of food are respectfully delicious in their own ways. For starters, we shared most of the appetizers, so we did the hamachi tostada. Super fresh and a nice flavorful bite. We also shared the jalapeño yellowtail and octopus fire. Both were really good but just a bit too much sauce. That's the only thing that separated the finish, aside from that, the fish was fresh. For sushi we did, salmon belly, blue fin tuna, and yellow tail belly. Def enjoyed these three pieces. Wife and I ordered blue crab hand roll, delicious. We were still hungry and ordered a couple of rolls. Nothing too spectacular, again a bit too much sauce in my opinion. Service was kinda slow here, ordered our foods, dropped off our foods, didn't really come back to check in. No refill on waters or drinks. Other than that, solid place. Would I come back? Maybe!

    Photos
    Interior
    Interior
    Sushi Nikkei Tasting.
    Sushi Nikkei Tasting.
    BIXBY ROLL

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    BIXBY ROLL

    El Pollo Imperial - peruvian - Updated June 2026

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