We were seated as soon as we walked in on a Friday night! The place was packed but the waiter was attentive! I haven't had Peruvian food in forever and this satisfied my craving!! read more

El Pollo Inka - Latin American Near Me - Gardena, California

We ordered chicken picante. It was not good. It was very salty and we got more boiled potatoes than chicken. It tasted nothing like the one we get at the Lawndale location. We only went here because they were open late. Will most likely not come back to this location. read more

Juan Escobar, Maneger Pollo Inka horrible customer service. I had a gift card for this location and their machine was down and they didn't know when it was gonna be been down for a few days so they're just selling gift cards and basically is fraud. Don't come to this location. You can't even use the gift cards read more

El Pollo Inka - Latin American Near Me - Gardena, California

The service sucks really bad here. If you order from kiosk there is no way to get refunded your money. I wouldn't say they are racist but I was sitting in the front for awhile and no one came to help me far as if I am dining in or ordering to go . There is a huge sign that states to wait to be seated. Soon as a couple came in they were seated immediately , should we guess the ethnicity ?!? So I'm sitting here like wtf , the manager stated oh they seen the order and you sitting there so , sir that could've been me or the couple that came in because they were literally at the kiosk ... can't eat here again , lost $21 bucks because apparently they can't refund from kiosk ... he gave me chicken breast for my troubles ... no I want my $21 dollars. I don't even like chicken this is for a family member ... this place was a let down ... for sure , horrible service with a dash of racism ... even after I said your service is horrible he acted like oh sorry just to fan me off so yes I said wow still bitchin' very unfortunate. Will never come here to this establishment again. I wanted to do my part and write a review because this was my first time coming here and it was horrible. Then I'm like so what if I'm alone ... people can't dine in alone ?!? ... just very confusing interaction. The woman who approached me very rude. read more

El Pollo Inka - No red onions, no bell peppers, no tomatoes not even the right color. This is the chicken and bean plate ... just a waste. - Latin American Near Me - Gardena, California

El Pollo Inka's food is good and I love their green sauce. However, their service is sadly not up to par. I ordered over the phone for pick up and when I arrived not only did they get my order wrong they also (after remaking the order) repacked it wrong so I had to go back and get a dish they left out of my order. I never have problems with their service when dinning in but I do think their dishes can be a little inconsistent in seasoning & taste. When trying the same chicken dish between me & my sister I could tell one was different in seasoning then the other. Overall, I think this location is operated alittle messy and is due for a bit of a remanagement! Excited to try it again and hopefully get a better overalll feel of it all! read more

El Pollo Inka - Latin American Near Me - Gardena, California

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My girl and I came in, sat down, and waited 2 minutes to be seated. One girl walked by and looked at us but didn't say anything. A security guard randomly came, and I thought he was gonna tell us something, like if we needed any help or to call customer service. We decided to leave and go elsewhere. Bad service. read more

Ordered arroz con pollo to go . Rice was crunchy and one piece leg and thigh was not good I won't be back these guys put no live into the food . read more

Wow !!! a 2.7 on Yelp feels generous. It should honestly be a 0. We went out for Peruvian food at the "famous" El Pollo Inka and, looking back, we should have paid attention to all the warning signs. Between the Yelp reviews and the big "C" posted on the door (which my wife immediately pointed out), we already had doubts. I gave them the benefit of the doubt, thinking they were probably working hard to earn back an A. Our parents are Peruvian, so we know what good Peruvian food should taste like. I ordered Ají de Gallina, my wife ordered anticuchos, and my son ordered Lomo Saltado. As soon as I took my first bite, the chicken tasted spoiled. I asked my wife to try it, and she agreed. To avoid any risk of food poisoning, we asked for the bill and left immediately. Needless to say, we won't be returning. Lesson learned ! we should never have ignored the signs. Good Luck & Eat at your own risk. Good luck, foodies. read more

The service was excellent, the food was good but not great, the portions were large and the sauces were very spicy. read more

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Food no taste, nothint peruvian about this place. I just went there and food was bad !!! Even the drink like chicha morada and maracuya was horrible too much water. No good dont go ull waste ur money!!! Go the one in torrance thats better for sure!!!! 4/16/26. read more

Jonathan Beatrice and Mina -- god bless you three Came here on a rainy day and this place brought me back to life. Best chicken I've ever had. The cilantro dressing is a show stopper. This place is a national treasure read more

El Pollo Inka - Latin American Near Me - Gardena, California

Haven't been to el pollo inka for some time. This was my first time at this location. The atmosphere was much different than the one in Hermosa and Hawthorne. The place is nice but the service was not very good. We had two menus with different prices. Also after receiving our meal we were never asked if we wanted more water or how was the food. I had to flag down the waitress to get my bill. My food was barely acceptable. The arozzo con pollo look like it was cooked last night and the rice was mushy. The price with tax and tip came out to $23.00. If the food was good it would have been ok. I don't think i will be coming back to this location. read more

El Pollo Inka - Latin American Near Me - Gardena, California

This place is a joke. Worst service we've ever experienced. Juan (the owner) was very unprofessional and rude. Food was garbage and the restaurant smells like sewage. read more

No offense, change your hours. It says you're open till 1:30am when you aren't. Horrible service. Go somewhere else.

El peor servicio que tuve el.dia de hoy la mesera Eva. Nos trató terrible no nos quiso ayudar nos tomo la order de mala gana mi iso nada por ayúdanos tuvo que venir otro mesero Luis que el.si fue atento y muy servicial read more

DO NOT EAT HERE. We got to the restaurant at 4:50 we only got a lomo to eat just ONE and we watched multiple people come in and get their plates before us. I went up to our waitress this girl wearing a gold chain and she literally said "oh yeah you're in the corner there huh, it'll be out" I WATCHED HER PUT IN OUR ORDER ALMOST AN HOUR LATE.. i told the manager about her and he wanted me to wait but we left. This place needs new management and servers. I wouldn't be shocked if this place shuts down. read more

the food is not good at all, chicken under cook my whole family got food poison, service is not the best, is been 2 days that we still not be able to handle regular food this was the only place we eat, i will never recommend , this place , think before you eat in this POLLO INKA read more

I should've trusted the Grade C rating before walking in. The food was served cold, the service was slow and unprofessional, and the biggest issue there were three roaches crawling around. That alone is a dealbreaker. Definitely not a place I'd recommend to anyone. read more

really bad service horrible service do not go here. Trust me it sucks the waiters don't acknowledge you. Some kids sat us in our table and completely forgot about us. We waited almost 45 minutes for aour food and I had to call another waiter to refill my drink and the place was empty for a Saturday night read more

This El Pollo Inka is in a strip mall in Gardena and is part of the chain that has other locations, including the one on Hawthorne in Torrance. As a whole, the chain has declined over the last decade. Particularly at the Gardena location, in addition to a decline in food quality, some of the staff is openly racist. Other staff here are really friendly even if u are not the same ethnicity as them and do not speak their language. The lot is good sized and although it can get full, you can usually find parking. Probably their most famous dishes are the chicken fried rice, chicken on fries, and roasted chicken. All come served with soup, rolls, and the famous green sauce. If u get it to go or have leftovers they will now charge u for extra green sauce to go. The noise level varies depending on the time of day but can get quite loud during peak hours, especially on weekends. Even though the quality of the food has declined over the years, it is still quite good and worth a visit, especially if u have not tried them before. It's worth putting up with any racism if u get a bad server to dine in because the take out quality is generally worse than the dine in food. The take out food on the whole seems greasier, mushier, and less flavorful than the dine in food. Despite these criticisms, this is still a good place to eat even for take out. read more

Every Pollo Inka is NOT the same. Take the extra 5-10 minutes of your day to drive to their Carson location on Avalon instead. TRUST ME. This location charges the same as the others but the quality of the food here is terrible. You can taste the difference in quality down to their aji verde sauce even. Thank me later. read more

Great friendly staff .. great service.. many options to try still working g my way thru menu .. Friday Saturday I think they still have dancing salsa style read more

El Pollo Inka - #42 seafood Saltado de Camarones - Latin American Near Me - Gardena, California

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I enjoy their food: fried fishes with white rice, salad and their drink, chicha morada. Service is acceptable. The place is always clean and comfortable. read more

The Pollo Inka in Gardena is no longer a great place to eat. I'm not sure if it changed ownership or did people just stop caring. The last time we were there the rice was too mushy and the soup was not hot enough . The place needs a thorough cleaning with hot, hot soapy water.. I also noticed they got a C grade from the health department what changed? :( read more

I come to conclusion that this location has gone downhill. The service and giving us the wrong order for the 3rd time gets frustrating. read more

El Pollo Inka - I come to conclusion that this location has gone downhill. The service and giving us the wrong order for the 3rd time gets frustrating. - Latin American Near Me - Gardena, California

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Review is regarding service. Came in to order lunch to go and Blanca working the register would not acknowledge me for several minutes while she continued to close out tickets. I am reasonable to understand people are busy but a simple acknowledgement that they will soon help is enough. I had to ask if this was the right place to place an order to go. She still had me wait until she was finished. The attitude is unwarranted workin in the service industry. Needless to say I will not patronize this business again due to the lack of effort in trying to provide good service. read more

This restaurant sorry to say but is the most disgusting place that I ever been, Dirty" floors all sticky bathrooms dirty bad smells if every single corner was dirty i can not imagine how the kitchen is, I have no idea how the department of health and sanitation have had not checked this place, needs much improvement or a lot sorry to give this review but is my opinion owner you have to do something about it. read more

El Pollo Inka was delicious back in the days. I came today and the service was bad. I had to call another server for a refill and my server never stopped to see if I was good. The restaurant was empty on a Sunday at 5pm. The food was cold, and they stopped serving bread with butter. In my opinion, if bread was available I would buy it. Next time I will try Roccotto down the street. read more

People say that things don't taste like they used to. Think it's that we evolve, while chefs and food prep change as years go by. Food at Pollo Inka has evolved. Our delicate palate changes as the years roll by. Our preferences shift seeking flavors, textures, and levels of spice that we were not used to. Yes, food does change, but so do we. Pollo Inka... what can I say? Food is good here. Service is extremely lacking. Food gets 4 stars, server gets 0 stars. It's hit or miss with the customer service at Pollo Inka. I got a dry and unfriendly server. Service wasn't bad enough for us to get up, walk out, and leave, but we all were think about booking it before the food was served. Come eat here. Look for a hospitable server. Follow me on Yelp. Jordan read more

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ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE SERVICE! I ordered my food online through THEIR website and was told that my order would be ready in 20 minutes. When I arrived a gentleman who I assume is the owner asked the name for the order. After I gave it to him he walked off, and I stood there for five minutes without anyone bringing my food or saying anything to me. That same gentleman that initially spoke to me, was sitting at a table on the phone so I went to another server and asked her about my order. She asked me what website I used to place my order. I informed her that I placed my order through THEIR company website. She then proceeds to tell me that "she" did not input my order. I'm not sure who she is and why my order was not input when they definitely took my money as soon as the order was placed. This caused me to wait ANOTHER 20 minutes for my food to be prepared. I was given a "sorry" by the woman that was helping me. I find it weird that the gentleman that initially asked to help me didn't come back and tell me my order was not put in or I had to wait or communicate with me in any type of way. He just sat down at a table and took a personal phone call. Very unprofessional! Terrible customer service, no way to run a business. As for my order not being put in I was confused as to why so many employees walked past me, looked at me and no one bothered to help me or ask me if I even needed help. I was just standing there. When my order was finally ready, it was wrong! Like are you serious? Now I have missing items after I had to wait 45 minutes for my food!?! I have frequent in this establishment for YEARS!!! with this being only the second time of placing an order for pick up. After this debacle, I'm not sure how likely I will be to patronize this location again SMH. Do better! read more

I use to have lunch once a week when I lived near them! When I'm close I still go have some delicious Peruvian food! Staff is kind and fun!

Customer service was amazing! Food was delicious. Nice and clean feeling. They also ink read more

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This is one of my favorite restaurants. My wife and I love the food here. The chicken is what keeps us coming back for years.

I was there yesterday, Sunday 09/14/2025. That being said, I ordered their HALF CHICKEN ONLY. 3 pieces ONLY!!! 1 large sized Breast, 1 large sized thigh, and 1 teeny weeny Wing still attatched to the large breast. WTH!!!! THAT IS NOT 1/2 a chicken!!!! Come on EL POLLO INKA, I understand times are tough, BUT the Customers are having a tough time also!!!! 3 pieces of chicken and you call THAT A HALF A CHICKEN!!!! I won't be patronizing this place again anytime soon!!!! Yeah EL POLLO INKA get angry at this Review, but it's the TRUTH!!!! Quit ripping your Customers off!!!!! Half a chicken, and ONLY 2 pieces of chicken, I'm NOT counting that PATHETIC WING you gave me!!!! read more

I'm not so sure how this spot has such a low star rating. I've been dining at this location for years as well as their other locations across the South Bay. Always hits the spot. In fact, I was here twice this week for client visits and they also said this was awesome Peruvian food. Our service was fast and attentive for both visits this week. I'll be back for sure read more

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Came with a group of coworkers for lunch recently. The place was pretty empty, so we were seated right away. The servers were friendly and attentive. I ordered the Saltado de Pollo. I've gotten the Lomo Saltado in the past. The dish was great and a decent portion. Everything was cooked well, and checken was well marinated/seasoned. Everyone else also seemed to enjoy their food. Overall, it's a pretty good spot if you're craving Peruvian, and I've never had any issues. There are other locations and they are all usually similar quality to me. I typically don't dine in, but food is the same either way. If you're near one, I recommend checking it out. Enjoy! read more

Peruvian food cravings, stopped by here for dinner. The staff is super nice, welcoming and helpful. Indoor seating only, lots of tables available and there's even a dance floor! We tried the following: ** Arroz con Pollo - The chicken was flavorful and the aji verde salsa they have is delicious! The cilantro rice was a yummy addition to the plate. ** Filete de Pescado Encebollado - a bit too much onions on this plate. Hence the name of the dish ... encebollado - the onions & dish all together was lacking that flavor. Lots of parking available. read more

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Had lunch here today, I thought of eating healthy by ordering the rotisserie chicken plate and there wasn't any flavor at all. I don't think the marination worked on mine ... We were seated right away though which I appreciated but from the ordering to getting our food and requesting bread was quite a wait. I've been to other Peruvian restaurants in the area and they can definitely improve to keep up with the competition. read more

La comida aquí no está buena!!!! La papa a la huancaina nada que ver! El chicharrón de calamar horrible!!! La maracuyá sin celo y nada de sabor!!! Y el servicio peor!!!!!! Te ignora, no te preguntas, si necesitas algo más, si todo está bien nada!!! Nunca más !!!! read more

My boyfriend recommended El Pollo Inka and was super excited to take us there. I have to say, it definitely lived up to the hype! When we arrived, we were seated immediately, and I was impressed by how spacious the restaurant was--plenty of room, with dim lighting that gave it an authentic, cozy vibe. We all ordered the Saltado de Lomo, and of course, I couldn't pass up an Inka Kola to complete the Peruvian experience. Before our meals arrived, we were given a small cup of chicken soup, which I thought was such a thoughtful touch--it really set the tone for the meal. The Saltado de Lomo was absolutely delicious, perfectly cooked, and full of flavor. The whole dining experience was fantastic, and I can definitely see us coming back if we're ever in the area again! Highly recommend El Pollo Inka if you're looking for great Peruvian food and a warm atmosphere. read more

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