I have been a customer for this location for many years and have unfortunately seen the quality of the food and service decline. Today was unbelievable! I was there around 2:30-3:00 pm and as I was halfway through my meal, a cockroach ran across the table almost jumping into my plate!!! I was startled and the waitress (young lady with curly hair) asked what was happening? She saw the roach and grabbed a napkin and tried to kill it but was unsuccessful. I was appalled and asked to speak with the manager. An older man wearing a light blue shirt comes over in a condescending manner and said that it's never happened before and all he could do was give me fifty percent off the bill, after all I had eaten half the meal already!!! I was not looking to get a free meal. I wanted to enjoy a meal without any rodents running across the table. I will never return to this place. Don't know how this place has an A ranking. Clearly the Department of Public Health has not visited this place in a while. read more

Service was bad, food was not that great. Sat down and was ignored for 15 minutes despite many servers walking around. One and done.

Service is horrible. I went on a Friday night; it was packed and understaffed. Security sat us down and it seemed like there was only one waiter and busboy serving everyone. It took 20 minutes to order our food. We received cold bread, they brought the wrong appetizer and our food took another 20ish minutes and it was cold. Skip this location and go to Torrance location better or go across a street and go to the other Peruvian spot. I will say they had a DJ and people were dancing but the food and service was not good. read more

Ridiculously slow service, even for online ordering. C health rating since July 25, 2025. Food is ok but they need to get their act together. read more

I don't see how they're in business with a grade this low. I messed up and placed an online order that was prepaid. I just threw the food away read more

El Pollo Inka - They have a letter C! I don't even want to imagine how dirty and unsanitary they are - Latin American Near Me - Gardena, California

First time having Peruvian food. Hmmm and what is my verdict?!! I would say a 4 stars for now. It may change if i visit the restaurant in person. I work for a very diverse and food adventurous company. Which means that i got to try different awesome LA restaurants all the time. Awhile back, someone from the office suggested El Pollo Inka. I ordered a BISTECK MONTADO. Breaded steak, veggie, served with fried plantains and garlic steamed rice. First thing first, i have to mention the portion. It doesnt look that big but you are planning to finish the whole plate while working, make sure you have some caffeine ready. This meal will guaratee giving some food coma. Overall, it is an interesting combination. I like the sauce, the steak and the fried plantains Hopefully i would visit the restaurant in person too and give that extra star later. read more

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

Sat down, ordered, waited 30 minutes then told they were out of the ingredients for the plates we ordered. Were not even given a courtesy discount for having to change 4 out of the 5 plates we ordered. Service was horrible, I had to stand up multiple times to get my own water. Servers were more interested in talking to each other than helping the customers. read more

They really need to fix how they give out tables and call out names. Like how are you going to forget I waited since 6pm and didn't get a table till 9:36 and complete separated when they told me they'll give us the back table when they just gave it to another family... then the security is really rude.. this has happen a couple of times and at times they "can" be nice. But today they are super rude! And yet here we are still Buying lots of food and trying to smile yet they want to act that way.now that we wanted to dance they said no yet we paid and still waited after a whole talk they said okay read more

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

Only reason I come back is the food!! And I stopped coming in because the service takes so long and the service is alright. The ambiance is nice they have these cool mural artwork on the walls with blue light. The employees aren't that friendly but the Lomo saltado is the best meal to order and it comes with the sopita and make sure you eat it with the green sauce. I get the lomo saltado with the beans instead of French fries. Hits the spot ever single time! read more

El Pollo Inka - Lomo Saltado with beans instead of fries - Latin American Near Me - Gardena, California

I went with my girlfriend. We were looking for some Peruvian food and stumbled across el pollo Inka in Gardena. Vibe was amazing and servers were quick to serve us. Food was excellent and drinks even better! Would recommend this spot to my friends and more!! read more

Stopped by her the other day for lunch, food was as good as any of the other El Pollo Inka's in the area, the prices have gone up quite a bit lately, one thing that was missed was my boss got a menu where everything was $1 more than the menu I got. Seems that when they raised prices they missed a menu... Anyway we got charged the higher of the two prices. $20 for Lomo Saltada and a much smaller portion than on past visits. Food was OK, service was OK nothing special, but the prices are getting a bit high in relation to the portion sizes. read more

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

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Ordered online, I got a ready for pickup message, I go to the restaurant and they said it was not ready. I wait, and it was finally ready one hour after the "Ready for Pickup message". I won't order from this location again, I do not recommend. We understand you might get busy, but don't tell us it's ready when it's not, us customers would rather know the truth. read more

If I could give them a 0 stars I would !!! Made me wait to be seated and once inside had to wait again while people came after me didn't have to wait and were helped an orders taken before me !!! What a shame it's my own people . read more

Prepare to be ignored... I have been coming here for years, probably because the food is good. Well, at least most of the time it's good. But one thing that happens most of the time is...getting IGNORED Waiting to be seated when nobody else is even waiting...IGNORED Waiting to be seated when you put your name on the list and nobody else is ahead of your...IGNORED After sitting down at the table...IGNORED After getting your order taken and nothing shows up. Not even your drinks...IGNORED After you get your food...IGNORED Drink refills...IGNORED Waiting for the check...IGNORED Waiting for them to pick up your payment...IGNORED Waiting for your change...IGNORED Some massive combination of the above is the norm, but I wanted some take-out so I figured if I ordered online and picked it up, I could bypass all of this irritation. Har! Har! Joke's on me!! I go in to the pickup counter area five minutes before my order is estimated to be ready (according to the confirmation email). I figure it might be ready, or I can just wait a bit longer which won't be a problem. I notice like six takeout bags ready to go and figure mine might be one of them, but I'll ask. Two other people are waiting away from the counter so I walk all the way up to it and project a, "I have something to say" kind of demeanor. The two girls behind the counter fully ignore me and one even comes right up to the register right in front of me and guess what? IGNORED! They HAVE to know I'm standing there and am dying to interface with another human, but they are pretty damn good at putting me on IGNORE. This one is now poking at the screen on the register right there and pretends I'm not there. This goes on for literally two minutes which is a pretty freaking long time in the universe of real transpiration. Okay, maybe she has to finish that thing first and then she'll talk to me. Nope! Walks away and even comes back for some more rounds of IGNORE mode. Now some no class Uber driver barges in behind me and asks for her pickup order. They help her but still IGNORE me. Finally I got pissed and said that I was there first and where is my order. They are surprised at this revelation and turn of events. They now realize there are like eight take out bags there, and suddenly pass off two of them to drivers who apparently were waiting there for like fifteen minutes already, and their food to be picked up was already ready to go. Not my problem though, I just want my food and to get the fucking hell out of there. They make up some names and ask if those are my orders, and I'm like, nope, nope. Then they finally find my ticket and tell me it's not ready. Ok well that's not a constructive response or update at this point. I ask how much longer it will be and she barks back that it will be five minutes. Twenty minutes later, still nothing and I get to stand there like a dumbass. Lucky me. Finally my food is apparently done and they put it in a bag and give me a dirty look with a HERE YOU GO stare. Not a word from them and they just shove it across the counter at me. Nice. Ok so at least I got my food, but I get home which is probably four minutes and the soup is completely cold. The saltado dish has seven sorry ass pieces of meat in it. How does this happen??? And the real reason that drove me to write this is that I just spent a lot of my hard earned money on what???? After about ten seconds of thought, I realize what causes all of the above. THEY JUST DON'T CARE! That would be cool if it didn't cost me significant TIME and especially significant MONEY, but that's not what just happened. Oh yeah, they're super friendly and extra helpful if you speak Spanish, so do that if you can. read more

The food is so good, no complaints. The service on the other hand... horrible, EVERY.SINGLE.TIME. I keep going even knowing this, but it's humorous at this point it's like the waiters compete to do the worst. If you go, expect to have to get up to ask for someone to attend you, to get a refill, to get ANYTHING. Lead does not care. No one cares. The only people who do a good jobs are the busboys, they usually have to pick up the slack for the waitresses. I recommend the food, but maybe just for pick up. Or another location. If this is your first time, you'll definitely leave angry. I went Friday, and "Clarita" was my waitress. I only saw her when she asked us what we wanted to eat. We had to ask the bussers and the bartender for the rest of our drinks, the food, the bill. The bartender was irritated and asked for lead to speak with her and have her attend us and she still refused to. I'm finally saying goodbye to this restaurant. Lead has to hold their servers accountable I know they are losing a lot of loyal clientele because of this. I hope they can do better soon. read more

Popular restaurant on a Friday (7 PM) with a sign-in wait list at entrance. After getting seated the waitress brought us menus and took our drink order. Since it was our first visit to this restaurant, it took some time to read all the menu selections. I ordered the rotisserie chicken (dark meat) combo (beans and salad) with chicken soup. The rotisserie chicken was flavorful but a bit dry for leg and thigh meat. The pinto beans were barely warm and watery. The garden salad was fine but half floated on top of the watery beans. Servers were quick and efficient for a busy evening. read more

This chicken still hits! After two decades, I finally returned just to see if the food still stands and it sure does. We came on a Friday, 6p and were seated immediately. The vibe is cozy and busy. The servers are nice - not super warm vibes - but bastante. They are busy and they have the operation down to a science. We ordered pilla a la brasa and it was divine- perfectly seasoned, the skin is the best, and the meat falls off the bone. They could do better with the iceberg salad but overall a decent meal. read more

El Pollo Inka - Pollo a la Brasa - Latin American Near Me - Gardena, California

If I could give ZERO stars I would. I have dined in once at this location and my order was forgotten. The server realized after waiting 30 minutes my order was never put in to the kitchen. All I got were apologies, management did not make it right. Second time I call in and order for pick up, giving them a second chance hoping it would be better. My order was not ready at the 20 minute pick up time. Additionally had to wait 30 minutes to be acknowledged. Again my order was never cooked. A manager then came out and helped me and I received my order after 1 hour, fries not cooked. Go elsewhere. I recommend El Rocoto Peruivan restaurant down the street, around the same price, better service, better quality. This location needs better employees and better management. read more

El Pollo Inka - Un cooked fries - Latin American Near Me - Gardena, California

Visited on New Year's Eve for dinner. Took a little while to be seated even though it wasnt busy and no one else was waiting. Once we sat down and the server came we ordered our drinks and food right away. People have had bad experiences with the service but ours was ok. They brought our drinks and then the bread and soups came. We ordered the Chaufa de Pollo and Lomo Saltado. Chaufa de Pollo - We preferred this dish over the Lomo Saltado. It was very flavorful and was delicious with the green sauce. Lomo Saltado - We substituted the rice for more fries. The server asked if we wanted the extra fries mixed in with the rest or on the side. We asked for them to be mixed in, but when the food came they were on a separate plate. Not a big deal but the side fries were soggy, had no seasoning, and werent very hot. The dish was ok, I have had much better Lomo Saltado. It seemed like there was not enough sauce/seasoning. Our experience wasnt terrible, but probably wouldn't come back as there are some much better options for Peruvian food. read more

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First time trying Peruvian food and it was pretty solid. I got the Vainitas de pollo which came with chicken, green beans, onions, and rice along with a chicken soup that was decent. The order took a while to arrive but it came out nice and hot. I enjoyed the chicken and loved the cilantro sauce provided at the table which gave the dish a great spiciness. Overall a solid Peruvian restaurant with good chicken dishes. read more

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

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I have to agree with a reviewer, the food quality has gone down. To top it off, when looking over my bill I noticed the server charged me for a soda we didn't order $3.75. When she returned, she deducted the soda but then the price of a dish went up from $20 to $22. The manager, returned saying that it was $22 but on the menu it was $20. He stated that the price was subject to change. But in less than 5 minutes from the first bill?! Then when the bill was given the third time, they discounted $2 but the tax didn't change. When I calculated with the state tax & subtotal, with the lower price of the dish should have also lowered the tax. Also, they should do what most restaurants do. Update the menu prices if they raised the prices! If they can't afford to re-do menu then do what restaurants do and cross out the old price & put current price. read more

We've tried this place several times. I used to really like it many years ago but I the recent years, I have found the food just ok. It was not awful but I found the flavor and the dishes underwhelming. I've tried the chicken and the lomo saltado. This trip we tried: Papa La conhuaica con bisteck Ceviche pescado Alfa Korea Plantains My favorites were the chicken soup (served with the entree), plantains and the Alfajores. The ceviche used a tad too much lime for my taste. We finished it but I would've preferred less citrus. The bisteck dish was good and I liked the sauce. However, I kept thinking the dish was lacking a component. It was not well balanced. Perhaps your experience will be different. Try the resto and find out! There were a lot of patrons the night we visited. It was a Tuesday night and that says something. Enjoy! read more

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Here today for lunch at about 1pm. There was about a little bit of a wait, 10-15 minutes. Not bad for a Sunday afternoon. The ambiance was inviting. Today, we had Lomo Salado and Salado de Pollo which are mixed with onions, tomato, and french fries, and very tasty seasonings. These entries were served with white rice. FYI: BE cautious with the green sauce on the table, because it has a little bit of a kick to it. We were served some bread, but I have to say that they dry and hard. So we didn't eat them. Busy restaurant, but who am I kidding, it's a sunny Sunday. I observed the waiters and servers all smiling, even though they were Busy busy busy. Thank you for your service today. We enjoyed our lunch. When we are back in Gardena again, we will gladly stop by. Thanks again for the good eats... read more

Food was delicious, hot and ready to go. Service was great. They had our order done on time. The place is well kept clean. I read the reviews and although I've been here a couple of times, I've thankfully had great service and food. I was apprehensive to order from this location because of the reviews but I came and was not disappointed with the great service we received. read more

I came in around 830, there was two servers who were busy and more concerned about closing up than providing service. The green soup lacked flavor, the dinner roll was hard and they only gave one per person. The aji de gallina was warm and more on the colder side. There was two potatoes that were cold and compared to aji de gallina that I've had in other places it lacked a lot of flavor. My rice was also mushy mess. We had to flag down a server for a refill on coke and for boxes. read more

El Pollo Inka - Aji de gallina - Latin American Near Me - Gardena, California

This place use to be a really good place to go sit down and have dinner but ever since they got rid of the waitress and added the monitors it just your basic fast food place now read more

I had eaten here for lunch at 2 pm in January with a few choir members (10). We had excellent service and food. So I took my friend here for early dinner. What a difference a month and two hours make!!! We were seated and left for more than 15 minutes. I tried to catch two or three waiters and was ignored. Finally one of older waiters sent some to the table. He took us he wasn't our waiter but would take our order. We ordered and were given our beverages. Then the soup was brought out Lukewarm notably cool. When a different waitress picked it up she mentioned how cold the soup bowl was. She returned with a fresh basket of bread. Yes you guessed it. The bread was cold When the entrees came. Mine was wrong. The manager came out and apologized, after waiting another 10 minutes my food. He stated my food would be coming out. Finally my dish came out hot and delicious. Will I come back ? Yes. But mostly likely not to this location. read more

Used to be my go-to for perivian when I worked in the area. Always preferred it here to El Recoto, more friendly less bougie. Mariscos Saltado always yummy but Lomo Saltado is my go-to order. Place is always busy for work lunch but usually get seated fairly quickly. Pro-Tip: ask for extra green sauce for the Saltado. I out that ish in urrthang. read more

This Peruvian restaurant is on the corner of Artesia Blvd. and Normandie Ave. You should find your parking spot any time during the day as there is a large-sized parking lot in the plaza. My recommendation is their lunch specials (They are available from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm on Monday thru Friday. It is not available on holidays.). Their lunch specials are very good as the pricing seems to be very reasonable especially when you are having the Peruvian for the first time. Additionally, their lunch specials include a very tasty soup! It is rare to find a Peruvian restaurant in the South Bay area which makes this place very special. You may encounter some language barrier with their waitresses, but other than that, you should have a satisfying time with their very delicious food! I hope you will give this place a visit especially when you are in the city of Gardena! read more

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Everything could be improved. Besides the Papa Rellena, all the other dishes that did arrive lack flavor. I couldn't include my dish in the review as it never came. Three different "servers" checked on us and I told all three about my missing dish. It never came! There are so many other places with better food and definitely better service, will stick to those from now on. read more

Had one of the worst experiences by far at this location. Left around 7pm tonight. I had a party of 8 including two kids. We sat down and ordered kids food first along with 3 appetizers so that they can eat first as we all know kids get impatient. 2 appetizers arrived at our table, missing one. We never got it. One adult got his food first 20 minutes later we got the rest of our food. One plate was incorrect so that person had to wait an additional 10mins while everyone else ate. We asked for water and failed to come to the table. No silverware was given we had to take from empty tables around us. No napkins offered. At this point we asked for boxes to go because it was just an unpleasant experience and we had been waiting for our food for far too long. As we are waiting for the bill we let out server Stephanie know that there's items on our check that do not pertain to us. She leaves to remove them. In the meantime we asked someone else for a cup of water. (Zume) I think her name was. Someone from our party went up to the bar to ask for the water once again and the same girl told him "you may need to wait, you guys think you can hurry up? We are waiting for your table to leave we need to sit a party of 12 and it's a Surprise" at this point it was unbelievable that they said this to us as it was on their part that we were WAITING. We waited for our food a good amount of time. We did not get to enjoy our meals and now are being rushed to leave although it's the servers fault we are waiting!? I then asked for servers name and managers name and I was told that there was NO manager onsite tonight which is extremely disappointing. I asked who was in charge and was told no one was and that I would have to call in the morning and ask for a "victor" it took several times of asking who was the manager for them to tell me. We were fine with just leaving and paying for our food but once the comment of us being asked to leave because another party is waiting pissed us off. It ruined the birthday we were celebrating and REGRET coming here instead of el rocoto down the street!! HORRIBLE SERVICE. read more

As soon as you walk in, you will think you are in a different country. I love their decorations. Very spacious and the restaurant can accommodate a big group. They don't take reservations, but if you have a big group, then just give them a call, and they will reserve the table for you. Victor made sure that we had a table ready for our big group. They have a full bar with beer, cocktails, and wines. read more

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7 Health Code Violations. The Brand, Pollo Inka, is never consistent in quality or food preparation- just lousy. First time I went to this one in Gardena, it was great. Second time, today, July 16, 2023, FAIL. I ordered the Lomo Comonado: Mushy rice, onions were sparse, steak was cut into cubes instead of the normal fajita type strips, it was Not seared or seasoned, and also under cooked. It also appears they are using a different type or cut of steak. Moreover, the waitress forgot to serve the meal with the customary breads rolls, even after two request. The meal cost me $28 with one beer. Asked to speak to a manager to voice my concerns- of course no manager was on staff at the time. What a waste of hard earned money. The 2 restaurants in Lawndale and Hermosa Beach are just as bad. The only one that appears to be consistent is the one on Hawthorne Blvd in Torrance, just off PCH. Good luck ! read more

El Pollo Inka - Lousy restaurant- fake Google reviews. - Latin American Near Me - Gardena, California

I love this place. The customer service is on point. They seat you and bring you complimentary bread and give you appropriate time to order. The staff is wonderful read more

El Pollo Inka is a favorite place to go for great Peruvian food! Was in for lunch today and had my standard pollo saltado. It is as consistently delicious as ever! Service was friendly and attentive and despite the darkish interior, the vibe at lunchtime is light and positive. read more

El servicio de las personas q atienden son súper amables y muy atentas. Yo recomiendo el aguaditoooo muy rico y con buena sazón

Decided to try this out after around 4 years. Honestly, not worth $21 for this lomo saltado. In terms of quantity and quality. El pollo Inka was a little more consistent in terms of both before. I'll try again in another 4 years. read more

El Pollo Inka - Lomo Saltado To Go. Not worth $21 for this. - Latin American Near Me - Gardena, California

Worst experience ever with service. The waitresses are incompetent on taking an order. I've tried this location 3 times already and today is our last time. Wait time is ridiculous even when there is no long lines, in fact it was pretty empty when we came by. The only reason we came to this location because I had gift cards that were given to me. I was charged for an item that we did not order, the waitress said I couldn't get refunded. They ended giving it to me to go, it's dinner time so most likely not going to eat and this type of food isn't going to do well as leftovers for next day. If you want great tasting food and better customer service I would go to their Lawndale location on Hawthorne and 154th. You can also go to the Pollo Inca express but expect long wait time in the drive-thru (I'd still go this location over Gardena). read more

I have been coming here since they first opened. That's got to be over 25 years now. Unfortunately, this is the third time we've gone since Covid hit, and the vibe is gone. Understaffed, under flavored, over-priced, and a lack of customer service. we waited for over 20 min after being seated for someone to ask if we wanted water, and that person couldn't take our order. No more bread with dinner, no more live music, it's just not the same. Food takes about 20-30 minutes to come out, but the soup came quick. Don't forget to bring your own water, because you won't be getting any refills. Most of the saltado dishes are 79% onion, 20% french fries, and the rest tomato with some protein. The roasted chicken was dry, and didn't seem like the same bird you see roasting on the spit in the window I am so sad that El Pollo Inka (Gardena) has dropped to such a level. I don't think I'll ever be back. Third bad experience is enough... shame on ME, now. read more

I've been to other el pollo inka s. However, this experience is pretty bad. The seafood skewer is not fresh. The shrimp and squid all felt bad. The steak is over cooked and dry. The beef heart was OK. The service was rushed. Maybe it's just a bad day, but I wouldn't come back, at least no this location. read more