My husband and I had the chance to try this unique and flavorful food the past week. Initially it's confusing getting here as the location on Waze is TOTALLY WRONG. But it's okay, you can't miss it, it's in the heart of Union Sq. So that means horrible parking... The place is your typical fast casual with a Peruvian twist, the people there are nice and they cater to your order quite quickly. I ordered the Tacu chicken and my husband the sandwich. The food was delicious though my tacu was cold and the chicken was all bone and no meat -- so I kinda felt like I paid $10 for rice and beans. The salad that comes with it is useless, no flavor, no dressing, it was just lettuce. Perhaps changing the side to something else as the default? The sauces were interesting and we enjoyed experimenting with our dishes. The sandwich was quite amazing, better than my dish for sure. Come here during the dead hours, it's easy to find a seat and it's very accommodating for all parties. read more

So nice to have a Peruvian Pollo a la Brasa in this neighborhood. Almost like being in Lima. People there are so nice. Highly recommend the yucas as a side ! read more

Sadly, I was not as impressed with the chicken as most... it was 17$ for a half chicken with fried yucca and a small side salad, 3$ for the purple corn drink. The chicken was a bit dry and the skin wasn't that crispy. The sauces were tasty, but they couldn't really mask the chicken. The yucca was dry and also not that crisp. The drink was tasty too. Overall, solid restaurant, but nothing special read more

6.99 delivery fee? Sorry, but that's not even offering delivery. No thanks. Walk in review: It's okay, overrated tbh, don't get the hype. People never cooked chicken themselves or something? Good prices though. read more

Great chicken and plantains. The salad is mediocre with iceberg lettuce. read more

My friend said his coworker was raving about this place. He said we had to try the aji (pronounced ahi) sauce. Okay... let's give it a go. I ordered the Tacu Tacu chicken with dark meat. It came with 1/4 chicken, seasoned rice and beans, and house salad. We specifically asked for the aji sauce, but after looking around other tables, it looked like it came with the chicken. They actually brought out two sauces. One was green (aji) and it was supposed to be spicy, but it wasn't. The other one is more mild and it was white. The chicken wasn't anything special. It was roasted chicken. Lightly seasoned and it didn't taste like special seasoning. Some of the pieces really needed the sauce because there wasn't enough seasoning. I also got some yucca on the side. It came out hot and lightly salted. I really liked it, but then again I like any kind of starch. Prices were reasonable and service was a little slow because there were 2 servers for the whole place. Don't confuse this place with Machu Picchu down the street, we almost made that mistake. The food wasn't bad, but honestly I would be happy with rotisserie chicken from Market Basket. read more

This chicken is no-nonsense. So juicy and delicious. You'll be tempted to get one of the other menu items (I'm sure they're great), but the place is called Machu Chicken...so get the chicken! They give you some dipping sauces - the green one goes great on everything, so just dump it all over your plate. I got tacu tacu with my dish (rice and beans), which went well with it, but was nothing special. My meal was $10 - delicious, I just wish there was a bit more food! Maybe I just got a small chicken that day. Oh well. The waiters there were both hilarious and super polite. One of them had like 24 pens on his apron(?). We asked him why, and he said it was just for fun. Overall: excellent chicken, great service, okay portion size (maybe I was just super hungry), great prices. read more

I went here for Saturday dinner with my friend (my first experience with Peruvian food). There was no waiting (Yay!) 7:45 pm as we reached. The place has a friendly vibe. We ordered the Peruvian Styled Charcoal Grilled Chicken with fried plantains and house salad. Chicken leg was very nicely cooked and juicy. It was a good sized portion and did very well as a dinner. Overall it was a good experience. read more

Ok let start off with saying this place is a lunch spot or a late night snack......the food we order was good and if you new to Peruvian food this place will be perfect for you. We order a few things that I will post picture but be honest I forgot all the names of the type of food we order lol. read more

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This place is truly not to be missed. Not only the least expensive, but possibly the best chicken dinner to be had in these parts Union. For $7, you can get 1/4 chicken (white or dark) with some very tasty sides. My preference is for the tacu tacu, their Peruvian take on rice and beans. The desserts are the bomb dot com, and you really must treat yo self when it comes to the flan, custard, and/or rice pudding. No matter what you order, you are going to come away full. Plus, they've got great music! One minute you're bopping along to I'm Every Woman, the next it's Beyonce singing To The Left en espanol! You can take it all in with a glass--or a pitcher--of purple corn drink. Don't get thrown by the name, this tastes like delicious acai-flavored Ribena with tasty bits of pineapple floating around. If you like to eat food with flavor, this is the place for you. read more

Chicken is boring. I feel bad for the bird - once a mainstay on every dining room table, now reduced to McNuggets and 10c wings (the latter, totally acceptable). With rustic, under-a-brick haute comfort cuisine invigorating the otherwise plucked poultry image, there's a natural tendency to seek out the street roots grounding "it" dishes. Will the real Slim Shady please stand up? And so rises Machu Picchu. The Peruvian charcoal chicken served whole, quartered, halved, sandwiched and shredded is fine in any form, but do yourself a favor and get the 1/4 dark plate. For $6, you'll munch on tender, juicy bone-in meat seared in crispy, perfectly seasoned skin, a choice of side (winners go fried yucca or plantains) and this weird excuse of a salad with a strangely addictive dressing. Expect the few tables for understaffed service to be full during peak hours, so consider call-ahead take away when dining at (pfft) dinnertime. Here or home, you're in for seriously good eats. read more

This place. So cheap! So chickeny! So filling! I'm so glad I tried this place out. It's nice and casual (but still table service) and chicken is what it is about in this place. I got 1/4 of a chicken, (I opted for white meat) rice and canary beans, and a small salad for $8. Where else can you get that?! There was a lot of chicken on the bones and while I at first thought it wouldn't fill me up, there was more than I originally thought and the rice and beans were nice and hearty. It all came with 2 sauces (green & yellow) which were both really delicious for different reasons. I can't explain the flavors because I'm not very familiar with Peruvian cooking, but they were great. I slathered them on the chicken and rice as well as eating them both plain. Both the chicken and rice had great flavor by themselves too. The salad wasn't anything impressive, but it was kind of nice to have a different texture to break up the heartiness of the chicken and beans & rice. I will definitely come back here again, especially if I'm craving a nice filling meal on a budget. read more

In the words of everyone's favorite frosted-haired Cadillac-cruising Food Network star, this place is the BOMB-DOT-COM. The SO and I frequent this place fairly often, typically for weekend lunch or takeout, but we always end up getting the same thing: chicken and rice, and occasionally a salad or appetizer on the side. Chicken: Juicy, flavorful, really satisfying all around. Douse it in the green sauce (aji) for optimal goodness. Skin is not the crispiest, but then again I don't think it's supposed to be. Best of all, it's gluten-free! A lot of pollo a la brasa recipes use soy sauce but they do not, only spices I believe. Rice: This stuff is CRACK. I think it's cooked with garlic and olive oil and probably Peruvian fairy dust because it's totally addictive. And I say that as a white rice purist. Anticuchos: Beef heart, I believe, skewered and grilled. Tasty and not tough at all, although slightly under-seasoned for my preferences. Chicha Morada: Purple corn juice. How could I not try it? While it has a pretty clean, refreshing taste, it's really darn sweet at the same time, so I could only drink a quarter of my junior-sized class. The place is small and probably doesn't seat more than 25, service is leisurely but staff is always very nice. Prices are very affordable and a total steal when you share a half (or whole) chicken, since it comes with your choice of rice or fries and a side salad. UGH I even love the crappy salad-bar shredded iceberg salad that comes on the side. Laugh all you want but it's a great counterpart to the heartiness of the chicken and rice. I will definitely continue to give this place my business. Try the giant peruvian corn, they're so fun. read more

Thighs. I love them thighs. Chicken thighs for daaaays. I recently returned from a trip to Peru, and was craving some Peruvian fare, so lo and behold, I found myself in this casual little joint in Union Square. Ok, so there is no cuy (guinea pig), a Peruvian delicacy/menu staple, nor is there savory ol' alpaca (seriously more delicious than it is cute. If Hello Kitty tasted that good, I'd sacrifice her on my plate too...), but they do have some very authentic dishes that, if you close your eyes and jump on an elliptical with a 10 lb backpack, get a little workout sweaty, and grab a piece of lomo saltado, will make you feel just like you're (back in/going to/climbing) Machu Picchu:D. The pollo saltado, lomo saltado, and chicha are about as traditional Peruvian as you can get. I didn't get to try the pollo/lomo saltado dishes, but the chicha (corn juice) is delicious. It tastes a bit like fruit punch, but extra refreshing. Our table shared the Choripapas, which was a simple plate of sliced sausage and french fries atop a few leaves of lettuce. Good, but nothing special (and definitely not anything that wins any points for presentation). I ordered the 1/4 roasted chicken with quinoa and salad for dinner, and I really should've ordered two whole chickens to last me a week. It really is THAT savory and tender. I don't know what sort of Peruvian magic they use on that chicken, but it's seasoned to perfection and cooked just right. Not one bit overcooked or dried, like most chicken you get at restaurants 80% of the time. There must be some sort of chicken shaman or culinary Harry Potter in the back, I swear. All in all, this is a super casual spot--no frills, but great food. The menu leans more on the side of sandwiches and very simple eats (but simple doesn't mean lacking in flavor). If you want more complex dishes and more options, head to the sister restaurant Machu Picchu Restaurante Turistico (which we had originally intended on visiting, but got lost and ended up at the wrong Machu...), where you can get an assortment of ceviches, quinoa stew, tacu tacu, etc. It took us about 10 minutes of wide-eyed confusion with the waiter, asking "Is this Machu? Or is there the other Machu? Which Machu has the ENTREE lomo saltado? Wait? Same owner, two Machus?!"Yeeeep. This is exactly why the Incas built just one. read more

So, the Macchu Picchu restaurant owners have opened a new place across the street in Union Square proper. It's a Peruvian "pollo a la brasa" restaurant. Way more low-key, almost fast food than its predecessor, I was super psyched to hear about this place because there are tons of places like this in Northern Virginia and I miss them dearly. There are two rules for eating at one of these places: - eat the yucca fries - eat the chicken The yucca fries here are great, not too thick, not too thin, and crunchy while still retaining the creaminess of the yucca interior. Plus they serve the fries with three sauces: a disappointingly flavorless Huancaina cream, a spot-on Peruvian spicy mayo, and a make-your-head-spin spicy salsa verde that's heavy on the cilantro and heavier on the parsley. I ordered the 1/2 chicken, which comes with potato French fries and a salad. While not the best Peruvian chicken I've ever eaten, it's still really great and hits the spot for a guy like me who misses it sorely. It's basically slow-roasted rotisserie chicken with a marinade/baste that is garlicky, cuminy, and lemony. So excellent. I sincerely hope this sparks an entire cottage industry of competing Peruvian fast food joints in Boston. read more

Machu Chicken is not the same as Machu Picchu, which is across the street with the same owner. It is similar in that it is authentic and delicious Peruvian food, but far more casual and less expensive than its sibling restaurant. As I said, it's extremely authentically Peruvian. My boyfriend and his family are Peruvian, and this is one of their favorite spots. They even carry the Peruvian Inca Kola, which is a yummy yellow soda. The best thing at Machu Chicken is... the chicken of course! Pollos a la Brasa is roasted chicken, either 1/4 or 1/2, and it comes with your choice of: fries, rice, quinoa, fried or boiled yuca, boiled potatoes, beans, or fried plantains. Picking a side is the hardest decision ever, but I am partial to boiled yuca. Each chicken comes with their house-made condiments: yellow and green sauce. I wish I knew what was in them, but they aren't spilling the beans. They are easily the greatest condiments of all time though. You'll have to take my word for it. Feeling poor? 1/2 a chicken will easily feed two people, and it's $10. Yup, $10 for two people to eat. I do recommend getting a second side dish if you're looking to feed two people though. Especially because I'm not willing to share my boiled yuca! Do note that this restaurant is small, and fills up quickly. read more

having their leftovers as i write this review. and i must say, it's very exhilarating to finally be giving another place 5 stars! (and you can call me an uptight beeotch all you want). let me break it down-- from the outside, this place...literally passed by the storefront not thinking this is a "restaurant"; feels more like a take-out pizza place sort of deal. don't get me wrong, they have painted walls and themed decors, and the place is kept clean; just that it's a very unpretentious place from the outside, which...actually is a plus. any day i'd much rather an establishment puts their focus on food and service rather than creating an empty shell. first star. went in at 5:30/6pm on a friday night, place was practically empty at the time. server came to seat us rather promptly, then pleasantly answered questions and offered menu recommendations with a side of harmless humor. his recommendations rocked, despite being out of sangria that we all wanted. star #2. we had the most expensive item on the menu: $40 for the "everything" grill, kept warm by a lone piece of charcoal which kept the food adequately warm throughout the meal, but the metal tray was not scorching any wandering body parts. food is PHENOMENAL: chicken is unexpectedly moist and flavorful with hint of charcoal smoke, tripe/heart/gizzard all cooked to perfection and got the tastebuds going. somehow the sausage was gobbled up before i put my fork in so i cannot comment on that. ribs were a bit dry but got the umami. steak...a lower grade cut and could be less done but again, got the flavor in there. even the rice is not plain o' boring white rice--it's white rice alright, but possibly cooked with broth or oil of some sort to create depth. yucca fries: right on, though the dipping sauce...i find that a bit dispensable (and now had to pay extra $3 for upping it from a side to an appetizer). the plantain is on par; salad...it's there for fiber LOL. that drink chicha crevada(?)--purple corn juice with pineapple and sorts: very refreshing and palate-cleansing for the food and yellow and green dipping sauces (secret recipes!) on our table. desserts (custard and tres les leche): sweet but not tooth-decaying sweet. custard was done right, cake was moist but size was smaller than pictured. if that didn't sum it all, i'll tell you why they got the two other stars. bathroom: for a small establishment like this (20-30 seats maybe?), surprised to find two bathrooms, one for each gender. automatic lighting, soap dispenser, paper towel dispenser. best of all: KOALA CARE! seriously!! i've been to much "higher end" restaurants with way larger capacity, and i had to change my baby's diaper on the sink granite (uncomfortable for all in the same time and space). this much of thoughtfulness, i could have given them 10 stars just for that. onto the last star: value for your money. averaged out a party of 3, the money each will spend here for a full meal from drinks to dessert (with leftovers! or party of 4 without doggy bags), one may be able to get...an 8oz salmon for entree and a soda. oh oh, upon request for containers for the leftover dipping sauces, we were given two brand new pre-packed sauces instead. call me emotional but some small businesses get all pissy and make you feel like you're being inconsiderate to their bottom lines when you ask for things like this (or a damn extra fork), instead of taking it as a gesture of appreciating their food enough that one wants to bring it home and share! wait... i just ran out of stars. to conclude: haven't felt that "wow, i actually DON'T regret coming here!" feeling for a while, and i'm glad machu chicken brought it back for me. if it's in my neck of wood, or if parking is not such a pain, i think i would be telling everyone i know to come here, like, every day. you may have to go along without me, but keep it up, friends from peru! you really got something great going on here. and i'm happy for you guys. read more

Delicious chicken and delicious french fries at a super affordable price. Kind, attentive staff. We didn't have to wait long for the food. We'll come again! read more

Imagine the crispiest, heartiest, and most flavorful fried chicken you've ever sank your teeth into. Really re-experience it. Now try to imagine that chicken with interesting Peruvian spices, accompanied by fried plantains, two harmonious sauces and a purple corn juice you've never seen before, all for how much you'd pay for fast food fried chicken. Machu Chicken is a hidden gem! Although it's obvious that it is not upscale, you shouldn't have expected that. This is a meal that I could envision being eaten by the side of a construction site or a street stall in Peru. Hearty, cheap, and irresistible. read more

DO NOT BE MISLED - there is ANOTHER Machu Picchu named restaurant around the corner, which is also Peruvian cuisine but is fancier and more expensive. Don't go there. This is the place you want to be. First time around, we shared a tamale which was flavorful and boded well for the meal to come. I had ordered up the half charcoal grilled chicken with plaintains, and he ordered the chicken ajillo. They both cost exactly the same. I got: a plate covered with two gigantic chicken quarters, juicy and perfectly roasted, and tasty tasty plaintains to soak up the chicken bits. He got: two small skewers that had maybe five small chunks of chicken with some peppers and yucca. He ended up devouring one of my chicken quarters, and we still took some home. Moral of the story: only order the roast chicken. It is the most delicious thing on the menu, and more bang for your buck than anything else. The chicha ain't half bad either. read more

This place is small right in the Union Square. We went there on Saturday evening and it was almost full. After reading previous reviews, we ordered their signature drink as well as inca cola. Inca cola can was sufficient for one person and tasted like bubble gum drink, reminiscing childhood. The other signature drink was different and nice as well. Along with, we ordered chicken tacu tacu and chicken sandwich. Tacu tacu was beans and rice. Chicken was juicy and tasted well. Chicken sandwich was little over hyped and it is like a normal sandwich. Again, it depends on person's taste buds and i am habituated of eating spicier food. On hospitality front, everything was as expected. Service was prompt, server asked if everything was fine, bill was on time and people were jovial. Overall nice experience. read more

They're not re-inventing the wheel or mashing it up with 3 different types of cuisine, and that's a great thing sometimes. Know your strengths, and grill them perfectly. Price is fair, food's filling. This is the goldilocks of food, just right. It's not going to blow your mind, but it will satisfy yer gut and maybe even your mortal soul. read more

Great food, and really good price, however, the service could have been better (nobody came to check up on us after food came, and there were only 2 other parties of people there). My husband loved the sandwich he ordered, that he ordered another one to take home with him. I also thought I got a 1/4 chicken dish, but it seemed more like 1/2 chicken, given the general portion size. I also got a side of sweet plantains, mmm. Easy to get to if you park in the Union Square parking lot. read more

OMG, I love this place! Wow, I don't think I can even say anything bad about them. If you like sweet stuff, really sweet stuff, go for the Inca Cola or iced lemonade. The lemonade, while really sweet, is totally refreshing too. I t hink they may have a full bar but not sure; I do know they serve beer and wine. Anyway, on to the meal. I ordered the chicken (or maybe it was steak) aji. Wow, so good. And the portions were huge. The boy ordered the grilled chicken sandwich and really liked it as well. The sauces are great! I dare you not to devour them. And the empanada... it totally kicks the pants off Chacarero's. This is what I've always considered a Chillean empanada. It's baked with ground beef, an egg, onions and olive. Ok, I'm totally craving one now. I would have loved to have had dessert but there was just no room in the tummy. The portions were absolutely huge. And it was a great deal. I think it came out to around $20 for 2 drinks and two monster sized sandwiches with sides. And the staff was pretty nice. The restaurant itself was really, really nice. There was Peruvian art work all along the walls. It really reminded me of the restaurants my friend and I visited in Lima. And the bathrooms were so clean and really well done. Some of the prettiest. I really didn't expect that for something I consider a step up from a hole in the wall joint. Definitely worth going to. read more

Whoa, people. Whoa. i'd been to the fancier Machu Picchu around the corner many times before for their ceviche, music, and pisco sours, but my friend and i were looking to eat more cheaply and less fancily before a concert at PA's. His chicken skewers with fried yuca looked menu-picture perfect, and my quarter dark meat chicken with fried plantains was incredible - the kind of grill flavor that your mouth waters for until the next American-holiday's barbecue. Except, you know, probably better. That's a lot of food for not a lot of change. That dinner plate costed less than a sushi lunch special. *Thing I'd remember for next time: * ~The go-with salad is pretty plain. A refrigerated tomato slice, iceberg lettuce, and a creamy dressing. Next time I'd ask for some sort of substitute, or at least no dressing. I didn't touch that stuff, and not because I didn't want something healthy to accompany the rest of my meal. ~I'd research how much the beverages are. They list out the drinks on the drink menu (not just the alcoholic ones - all of 'em), but then don't ilst pricing. I haaaate when restaurants don't list how much their stuff costs, especially when it's an otherwise inexpensive place. ~The food is 5-star food. Mixtura/Machu Picchu/Machu Picchu Charcoal Chicken - I love the crap out of you guys. What an incredible restaurant trifecta! read more

A truly hidden gem in Union Square. I'm obsessed with their chicken sandwich, which comes on fresh bread, and the juicy meat is marinated so perfectly. It comes with two kinds of sauces (green and yellow) that are so good, I would drink them up in a glass, in a milkshake, in my coffee, etc. ON TOP OF THAT it's only $6! With fries! Too good to be true? I think not. read more

Um yeah. Amazing. I could eat this every day. The rice and beans are cooked perfectly and they are so well priced. A whole roasted chicken for $16 with sides? Drool. Chicken is flavorful with a great crunchy top and the sauces are incredible. We always speak Spanish with the waiters but they are always nice to our family and kids. I look forward to eating here each time I go because it never disappoints. Cheap eats at its finest. read more

Machu Chicken - whole roasted chicken! - Peruvian Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

Peruvian? I think yes! On a quiet Sunday evening my friend and I went in for a bite. The tamales were absolutely delicious. Packed with olives and small pieces of chicken and veggies, this Latin specialty is a must order. We also got the charcoal grilled chicken, salad which was a bit strange with its unique dressing and pickled green beans. All in all the food was delicious. The chicken was cooked just right and everything was fresh. Except for the green beans of course. He got this weird thing called "purple drink" but I was a bit turned off by that and didn't try. The waiter spoke only a little English so I'm glad my bud could speak Spanish. I only understood every 5th word but he was polite and helpful. I kind of want another tamale now. I'm so going back. read more

Ok peoples, do not confuse this place with the "faux" Machu Picchu at 307 Somerville avenue. I did my first time and ended up having a mediocre experience at 307 Somerville Ave establishment. I returned to the "real" Machu Picchu at 25 Union Sq Somerville Ma. The place is named Machu Picchu Charcoal Chicken and Grill and has maybe room for 30 at several small tables. My second trip was as good as the first. The menu has quite a few Peruvian specialties from grilled pork chop with sausages, rice and beans to grilled beef hearts and steak with rice, beans and salad. They have grilled gizzards and grilled beef tripe. Reality, you would go here for the grilled chicken (remember the name of the place???) I have had the 1/2 grilled chicken two times now and the choclo peruano con queso (steamed corn with delicious cheese, spicy sauce). On my second trip my friend had the quarter chicken dark meat. This place is completely unassuming and the atmosphere is lacking but the experience is a win, I want to mention the half chicken dinner is 9.99 while the half is 5.99. The food is consistent and delicious. The cusquena beer is perfect accompaniment to the chicken. read more

This place is solid. How many places serve up traditional Peruvian food out here? They should be getting more business - their service was great, the food was great, and they had soccer on the TV. What else could you ask for? On a hot day, a frozen lemonade, that's what you could ask for. Ask for it, and prepare to hit the spot dead on. While I stuck to the Tacu Tacu Especial, a rice and beans dish with grilled steak, my friends were a bit more adventurous. One of them got the Aji de Gallina, a chicken dish in creamy (and mild) yellow chili sauce, and the other got the Seco de Carne a la Nortena, a marinated beef dish with beans and rice that was really great. The portions were just right. They also gave us some hot sauce on the side that I have to write about. It's made from the Rococo pepper, straight out of Peru, and they make an incredibly spicy sauce out of it that really kicks. Definitely great for the spice lovers out there. As a Zagat-rated restaurant in Union Square, ethnic food lovers would be wise to check this place out. read more

First, this place has excellent customer service. Twice now, a lover and I have gone here for Valentine's Day to get the anticuchos peruanos, or rather, the beef heart skewers. We also pick up half a chicken, and some skewered chicken hearts and chicken gizzards to go. Various accessories include boiled potatoes, fried yuca, a ice berg lettuce salad, a variety of sauces, and those giant corn kernels. Both times it was take out that we've gotten, both times we were offered their complimentary (and tasty) purple corn drink while waiting. I had also gone there another time and was given the same treatment. The chicken is rubbed with a spice blend that I'll admit I haven't looked into, and is rotisserie roasted. It was moist, well flavored. The accouterments were varied, yucca well fried. The sauces were generally quite tasty, and used indiscriminately as I am uneducated and it was take out.. It has been too long since I've been there to specifically note their virtue, which sounds like it may be time to head back. The skewered offal was especially tasty, chewy, and fun, but you need to have a taste for that sort of thing. I would def't recommend going for take out, or perhaps sit down. read more

There isn't an ounce of pretension in this place. My roommate and I stopped in after a softball game and ordered a full chicken, the canary beans, a side of chorizo and some fried yuca. We ate it family-style, had plenty of leftovers, and paid less than $20 before tip. In a world of $11 free range organic vegan alternative whatever, Macchu Picchu is a beacon of cheap-and-tasty-ass chicken hope. read more

I travelled to Peru last year and every so often I get a craving for chicken so tender that it falls off the bone, and a place that serves some Yucca. Machu Picchu is just the place to satisfy this craving. I finally convinced my boyfriend to try this jewel of a restaurant and he was impressed. We started with the empanades (tastes kind of like cornbread mixed with olives, chicken and a hardboiled egg) which was sweet and came with two amazing dipping sauces. One mild and one hot, I suggest blending both of them together for the ultimate sauce. Then we both ordered the quarter chicken served with a small salad and a side. I had the canary beans, and my bf tried the boiled yuca. We also ordered a side of fried plantains and tacu tacu (rice and beans). The fried plantains were sweet and at were perfectly ripe. The yuca was bland (but hey it's supposed to be) so my bf added the sauce from the empanadas and thought they were great. The chicken was so moist, and fell off the bone and was seasoned superbly. For dessert we ordered the flan, which had just a hint of coffee and coconut and was rich and delicious. We also ordered a mango and strawberry milkshake made from real fruit. The best part of this meal, besides the incredible food, the attentive and friendly service was definitely seeing the bill and being shocked that we had just ordered 8 items and the bill was under $40. So if you need some delicious chicken and a really nice place for a date then Machu Picchu is for you. read more

Man, the chicken is superb here. It's not even terribly complicated or unique; it's just well-prepared. The fact that it is so affordable makes me love this place even more. The chicken is definitely the main event, but the fries and fried plantains are delicious. The two sauces they give you are mayo-based, I'm guessing, and KINDA different flavor-wise...I guess. I'm honestly not sure that I could tell the difference between yellow and green if I closed my eyes. Oh well. I'll have to continue my scientific testing on subsequent visits :) Regardless, that sauce is delicious on anything: chicken, fries, rice. The salad that they give you is pretty lackluster (iceberg, cucumber, obligatory pink tomato). The chicha morada is delicious, and made in-house! If you haven't tried chicha before, I highly recommend it. It's a sweet, lightly spiced, fragrant juice made from purple corn, pineapple, apple, cinnamon, and cloves. You don't taste the corn, it only provides color, from what I can tell. Very refreshing but very sweet. The service is always great. read more

I've tried a decent amount of Peruvian chicken, so I know what it should taste like. The Peruvian chicken at this place was good, to be fair but there's nothing special about it. I got a whole chicken to go with two sides. One thing I should mention is that the chicken is really overpriced. One weird and surprising thing for me was that I had to pay almost an extra $7 for the two sides which doesn't really make sense. I mean, I already pay $30 for the chicken and I should still pay $7 for the sides?! I had much better and cheaper Peruvian chicken. Another point is that their sauce is a bit watery which is not good. And, they don't have coleslaw, I mean, Peruvian chicken without coleslaw?! Overall, I wouldn't go to this place again unless I have to. Already started my search for a better Peruvian chicken place. read more

Ordered this as delivery and it is ungodly delicious. 1/2 chicken order with rice wouldn't even need the sauces, but they bring it to another level. This savory master of chicken seems like it must be incredibly unhealthy in the way it tastes, but it is pure and good for all you health conscious folks out there. All you need to wrap up this meal is an order of the crema volteada and you will sing into the most beautiful heaven. I could eat this meal everyday. And they deliver. Netflix and chill? No way! I won't share my chicken. Dear restaurant: my only ask. Photos and descriptions for the desserts? I spun the wheel and picked one at random - I'd love to know what else you have. read more

Pollos a la Brasa is to Machu Picchu as Olecito is to Ole! For some of you that may be enough to send you running there straight away. For the rest of you...PalB is a small restaurant in Union Square that serves up delicious, casual Peruvian food. I've been dying to try their chicken sandwiches for a while now and finally did. Delicious! The chicken is super tender and flavorful. The sandwiches are really simple and showcase said chicken very well. The three sauces that come with your meal are each fantastic and vary in heat level. They were the perfect accompaniment to the straight up american style fries our sandwiches came with. I really wanted to try the plantains, but after the sandwiches we were pretty full. But we'll get them next time because we'll definitely be back. Super nice wait staff too, and very very wallet-friendly. The decor is much cuter than you think too...it's not just a take out place! read more

As I type this with my thumbs our waiter is making a freshly blended lemonade and singing along with "Hold on to ylthe night". Which is gracing our eardrums along it of non-offensive light rock hits of the 80s90s and today. The fact that I am writing this review from the restaurant should convey more than the sum of my participles. The chicken was perfectly cooked with balaned spices and paired amazingly well with my plantains., the service was promt and friendly, and the atmosphere was a balance of nice yet welcoming in a casual people watch and get fat kinds way. Overall, maintaining proximity to this restaurant, alone is worth renewing my lease for another year. Well done machu piccu, well done. read more

I came here after coming back from a trip to Peru because I was craving some Peruvian cuisine and also because of the great reviews on Yelp. I wasn't disappointed. As others have pointed out, the roast chicken is delicious. I got one of the quarter white meat meals with a quinoa salad. The chicken was very well seasoned -- normally, with roast chicken, I find the meat rather flavorless without the skin, but with this one, the chicken was very well-seasoned and the flavor permeated all the way through. I also really liked the quinoa salad that came with the chicken. Plus, the place is really inexpensive. My only minor quibble is that when I went, it was really cold outside and so whenever the door was opened, we felt a cold breeze even at the back of the restaurant. But this is a very minor inconvenience for what was a very tasty meal that didn't lighten the wallet! read more

I'm pretty sure if I could figure out how they make the green and yellow sauces they give you for the chicken, that I could take over the world. I want to put them on all the things, all the time. Also, the plantains are amazing. Go here. read more