This place should be in a TV Show or the Food Network. They have a great story and concept. I have been here a few times and know what to expect. Outstanding customer service and great food. You can tell people come back and order food. The homemade CHICHA drink is a must!!!!! The seat arrangement or seats are not very comfortable. However the customer service makes up for it. read more

Great food, great service, great people, grear parking! Highly recommended. The owner/ manager is super kind. I ordered the lomo saltado and it was super juicy. Great restaurant! read more

Pipilinka - Lomo Soltado!! Must get - Peruvian Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

Pipilinka is much more than Peruvian rotisserie chicken! They have a whole menu of authentic home-made dishes and beverages and desserts, in a cute cozy restaurant. Several months ago, a friend, ("L", if you happen to read this :-), treated a bunch of us to some super-fresh super-tasty ceviche Peruano, and I lost the info. Yesterday, hoping for a quiet lunch, we found Pipilinka Peruvian Charbroiled Chicken, and the moment we saw the authentic home-made foods on the menu, we knew this was the place! There's plenty of parking, and we walked across a patio with benches and tables shared among several restaurants, also used for occasional live music. Pipilinka is a cute colorful storefront towards the west end of the patio, with some specials on a sandwich board out front. Inside it's cozy and cute, brightly decorated with Peruvian art and crafts. It's family-run, and the owner helped several groups who arrived at the same time, 1:40pm on a Saturday (Nov 2025), sort out among the 25 or so indoor seats. Several could sit out front, on a nice day. The weather was a bit cool, and we loved sitting indoors near the little space-heater in the front area. The friendly owner helped us with several questions about the offerings, and we started with a $4.50 bean and cheese Salvadoran pupusa. The farina corn dough was hot, pan-fried to a slight sear on one side, filled with flavor, and came with a small cup of simple tangy fermented cabbage slaw, curtido. The side of clear golden-red tomato non-spicy flavorful salsa-rojo was perfect over the pupusa. They have two or three stand up coolers of canned and bottled beverages, many from Peru and Latin America, and also several that they make themselves. We had a bottled unsweetened lime sparkling-water, Topo Chico, and traditional home-made purple-corn drink, chicha morada, sweet, slightly-fruity, with a hint of clove or cinnamon. Both were very refreshing. As you might guess, the $12 broiled dark-meat quarter-chicken with two sides was our first choice, with Peruvian rice and a small fresh avocado salad. The chicken was just as we wanted it, falling-off-the-bone tender, moist, marinated and gently seasoned throughout, with crispy skin. It was nicely presented on a large pretty plate as a meal, much nicer than fast-food. The generous serving of Chaufa rice is a traditional Chinese-Peruvian recipe of wok-fried rice with shredded chicken, egg, and very-finely chopped veggies, such as bell peppers and scallions. The Inka salad is of fresh lettuce, thin-sliced ripe avocado and tomato and pink pickled onion slices. We chose a small cup of the tangy only-slightly-spicy yellow-color sauce, an Aji Pollero Amarillo, rather than the verde green sauce that the owner said would be spicier. Perfectly cooked and delicious. We also had $18 pan-fried Pescado a la Sarten, sweet white fish, lightly coated and fried, with some of the crunchy tangy picked onions. We added a side of yucca, lightly fried and lightly salted, and as tender as yucca can get :-), more textured than french fries. We used some of that slightly-spicy amarillo salsa as a very complimentary dip. We added steak fries, not an adventurous choice, and they were also lightly fried and lightly salted, and pillowy soft inside. That fish was especially nice, so tender and light and flavorful. We finished with a box of five daisy-shaped home-made Peruvian Alfajores pastries, a pair of thin delicate melt-in-your mouth shortbread-like cookies with a thin layer of purple Peruvian dulce-de-leche sweet jam between. Heavenly! The staff compete to heat the condensed milk just hot enough just long enough for the perfect pastry. The owner tells us that it's all about the timing. Today's recipe has our vote! Somehow, so satisfied from such a delicious meal, we managed to save a couple to take home :-) This is a lovely gentle cozy family-run place to enjoy delicious homemade traditional Peruvian and Salvadoran foods. read more

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Delicious and authentic Peruvian food. I had the Lomo Saltado and my wife had the Ceviche de Pescado. The lomo was perfectly cooked with a delicious sauce and a good mix of vegetables. The ceviche was perfectly seasoned to my wife's request (3-4 out of a scale of 1-10). The staff are friendly and attentive. Fairly small but comfy inside. 100% will be coming back to this place. read more

I will only be going back for pupusas I think, sadly. Ordered the rotisserie chicken which was fine but the sides (yucca and beans) were both extremely bland. Like virtually no salt. read more

A hidden gem in the city. When hubs and I were indecisive on which restaurant to dine at, the owners wife was very friendly and suggested we try them out and we would not be disappointed. We looked at the menu, and loved that they had pollo a la brasa and some El Salvadorean menu items. We got chicken and pupusas. For our sides we got plantains and chaufa (Peruvian fried rice) We took it to go, and food was delicious. If your in the area, you should visit them. read more

Chicken was juicy and smoky. Rice was well-seasoned. The sides were also great. Empanada was made-to-order and tasty. Highly recommend this unassuming little spot! Setting was clean and colorful, quiet and appealing. Staff were nice and accomodating to any questions. Can't wait to go again! read more

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Had such a great experience at this restaurant. The owner was so kind, always checking in and making sure we had everything we needed. He started by asking us if we wanted any drinks. There's a whole fridge of different soft drinks and agua fresca. I opted for the mango agua fresca (I was not expecting it to be the Minute Maid brand haha). It was a lot sweeter than I expected it to be. Food wise, my friend ordered the lomo saltado and I ordered the quarter chicken with yuca and black beans (which I unfortunately forgot to film). The flavor profile was there for both dishes. I enjoyed how smokey the beef tasted for the lomo saltado. The chicken was tender and not dry at all. I also looooved the spicy sauce I think it was a great addition to the meal. The mild sauce was a great sauce for the yucca fries. At the end of our meal he was even nice enough to give us cookies which I thought was so kind. I'm so tempted to come back and try their empanadas! read more

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Halal chicken alert! Someone on Reddit tipped me off to this place and when I arrived I was happy to see the halal certification front and center on the window. We ordered a whole chicken (to celebrate) and went with two orders of chaufa rice and a side of yuca fries. When I arrived home everything was still nice and piping hot. The first thing I had to try was the yellow sauce which easily makes or breaks a good Peruvian chicken meal. It had a kick to it and would definitely be considered spicy by some. I absolutely loved it! The texture was really nice too, instead of the usual smooth sauce it was a bit thicker and chunkier. That really helped the sauce stick to the rice and chicken. The yuca fries were delicious too. They had a perfect crisp to them while maintaining the airy and light center. Luckily I bought an extra 12 oz tub of sauce because I'll be eating this for the rest of the week. I talked to the owner before I left and mentioned no review on here mentioned it was halal and I was going to change that. You can tell this place is a mom and pop shop by how much they care about the opinions and concerns of their customers. 10/10 I'll be adding this place to my rotation. read more

Pipilinka - Halal Certification - Peruvian Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

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Just wanted to post an updated review. The menu has been expanded. There was so much I had a hard time deciding what to get. Made a takeout order and the food was hot, tasty, and cost-wise, reasonable. Every table inside was full and I liked that one of the staff was making the rounds checking on the diners. Pipilinka was good before, it's better now. Put it in your plans to make a visit! read more

Pipilinka is an awesome little take-out place for Peruvian chicken. The food is flavorful, juicy, and freshly made. Definitely one of the best spots for a quick, satisfying meal. Prices are fair for the quality and portion sizes. You can tell there's real care put into the food and service. The owner is there working most of the time, and he's super friendly and welcoming. Be ready. He might kindly ask you to leave a review (and honestly, he's earned it!). Highly recommend checking this place out! read more

Overall: excellent flavorful and balanced Peruvian food, reasonable prices, kind service, super casual ambiance, with single stall restrooms They have a little bit of indoor and outdoor seating. The inside was a little bit disorganized and they had two TVs playing, but the employees were super kind and I loved the food. I love places where I can order family style. We got a whole chicken and sides which tends to be a great deal for the amount of food you get. The chicken was moist and flavorful. The green sauce was great. The sides were fine. I love that I could get fresh veggies and the plantains were perfect. I wasn't a fan of the Mac and cheese but my son crushed it. The beef empanada was one of the best empanadas I've ever had and I loved how the pickled onions paired with the richness of it. I'll def be back. read more

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summary: new-ish Peruvian joint with a lot of great options. Great flavor on a lot of the food, but indoor seating might be a bit on the tight side. Good option for food delivery or takeout. When you first step in, it's kind of set up like a buffet bar where you select from a set of main entree options (size of chicken + number of side options like mac and cheese, rice, yucca fries, etc.) or you can pick from side offerings (e.g. empanadas). The chicken is tasty and cooked well and the sauces that go with it are on point. We got zucchini, rice, plaintains, and mac and cheese for our sides. The mac & cheese was kind of like an instant mac style, which isn't for me personally, but I could see it being a great option for those who like that style (our kiddo loved it). The other sides were well prepared and were yummy. To me, the star of the show was the beef+cheese empanada I ordered. It came with a side of pickled onions and it was delicious. Great crisp to the wrapper and the filling was very well seasoned and a great balanced bite. My only regret was not ordering more. There's not too much going on as far as ambiance and service goes. It's very much a "bus your own table" type of vibe, which to be clear, there's nothing wrong with that; just know that it's a pretty casual spot to dine. Service was kind and attentive. Definitely one of the better Peruvian spots in the area and we'll be back again. read more

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Was walking around in a park nearby & we wanted some lunch so we came across this place! I haven't had Peruvian or Salvadoran food in a while so I was happy to see they had both. My partner got the quarter chicken w/ 2 sides & an empanada while I got 3 papusas (2 bean & cheese plus a zucchini & cheese). It so good! Love how stretchy the cheese was & how nicely golden brown they were. The salsa & slaw that came with it was nice & fresh. Would definitely go here again. read more

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My stepdad driving by that area and see this place. My mom order this online. I went to pick it up. Inside was really small. The staff are friendly and nice. The food was not great at all. The lettuce was brown and old. The chicken was dried. read more

I enjoyed my lunch of chicken empanadas and a pupusa at this cute little place. They also have Peruvian chicken alla brassa, grilled steak with a variety of side dishes such as plantains, rice, and vegetables. You order at the counter and they bring the food to you. The service is pretty quick and helpful. read more

Pipilinka - Empanada, and pupusa! Yum - Peruvian Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

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The food is awesome. Peruvian food at Pipilinka is flavorful, well-seasoned, and expertly cooked. The owner and the staff (team) are friendly, helpful, and make you want to root for this outstanding restaurant. For those who don't know, Peruvian chicken is delicious! The fish I had was great and grilled on the plancha. I did not get the regular fried fish (healthy diet concerns); the grilled fish should be an option on their menu. For those chicken lovers, Pipilinka's Peruvian chicken is a much better and tastier alternative than the best of fried chicken. Being a world traveler, Peruvian chicken is some of the best chicken in the world (only Jamaican jerk chicken rivals it). PIPILINKA is a hidden gem for Columbia and Howard County. read more

We visit the Columbia area once a year, and I always try to find a good Peruvian chicken place. This will now be our go-to spot when we are in town! The owner was very welcoming to us and others who came in. The chicken was fantastic! Yes, the salsas they provide are great, but the chicken didn't "need" salsa. We were hoping to stop by a second time while we were out there, but we ran short on time. I can't recommend this enough! read more

Really impressed with this place. The chicken is as good if not better than any of the other Peruvian/coal fired rotisserie chicken places around here. The yellow sauce stands out as particularly fresh and more vibrant than say Limas on 40. Most impressive to me and what keeps me coming back is the empanadas and the pupusas. Chicken empanada, beef empanada, chicaron pupusa and that yellow sauce is a perfect meal. Also they use their own chicken to do an American style chicken salad that's to die for. Like it's not even fair to other chicken salads if you start with the Peruvian roasted chicken read more

Heads up EC, you need to check out this locally owned and operated charbroil chicken spot. Service: When I walked in, the owners greeted me as I looked over the menu. I told them I was feeding a group of four and they recommended a whole chicken, carne asada, 4 chicken empanadas, black beans, fried rice, plantains and plenty of sauce. I thought this would be overkill, but my crew was hungry. (We ate everything.) Food: While the staff worked on my order, the owner gave me a complementary passion fruit drink to enjoy. The bright tropical flavor and a hint of sweetness is the perfect way to extinguish the heat of the hot sauce. The chicken is flipping delicious! Perfectly cooked (even the chicken breast) juicy and savory. It's delicious with or without the sauce. You'll be fighting with your friends for more. The empanadas are brilliant. They're stuffed with juicy chicken, veggies, seasoning and the empanada are still hot when I got to my friends house. I don't eat red meat, but my friend told me the cook was medium rare (aka perfection). The fried rice was not my favorite side. I would prefer plain white rice but i had to give it a try. But... I loved the pickled onions and the black beans. Reminded me of my abuela's cooking. Ambiance: Inside is a festive with flags, bright colors and promotional advertising that grabs your attention. Overall, I can't wait to go back to support this mom and pop shop. read more

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The service was great and man the chicken was just what I needed... I definitely recommend trying this place if you are in the area

12.12.22 This restaurant has been open for 6 months. There is currently a LocalFlavor deal of $30 worth of food for only $15. I purchased this and my husband and I stopped by for dinner earlier this week. We ordered a 1/2 chicken, which came with two sides. I chose the chaufa fried rice and my hubby chose beans and rice. I also ordered a beef and cheese empanada, a tres leches to go, and a canned cola. Everything was fine, but nothing particularly impressed me other than I thought the chicken was heartier than at other local Peruvian restaurants in the area. Perhaps they were injected with steroids. The restaurant is small with only a few tables. Most patrons probably do carryout. We were hoping to like this restaurant to replace Lima's as it's closer to home, but will most likely stick to Lima's. read more

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Pipilinka is a hidden gem! My friends and I were craving Peruvian food and decided to come here for dinner. We ordered empanadas, Lomo Saltado, a whole Peruvian chicken with yucca fries, chaufa, and green beans as the sides, chicken sandwich, and the Pipilinka salad. All of the food was delicious - the Lomo Saltado was savory and flavorful, and the chicken was well seasoned and juicy. I typically don't like yucca but the yucca fries here were crispy and not dry at all. Both the green and yellow sauces were great and the salad and the dressing were nice and fresh. The sandwich was also very well balanced - loved the pickled onion - and would definitely make for a great lunch! We tried the standard tres leches and the lemon tres leches for dessert. The lemon flavor was refreshing but the standard one was definitely our favorite. The service was also amazing! The server (maybe owner?) was so friendly and attentive the entire time. Overall, my friends and I loved everything we tried and had such a great experience. We will definitely be coming back! read more

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I was so excited to see a Peruvian chicken place close to my job and as an alternate lunch option. So happy that a place of season came around the area. I was finally able to go there for lunch yesterday management. He also served my food. He was very welcoming and grateful for me to be there. After paying for my food and heading towards the door, I was thanked again and told if I'd like the food, to tell my friends. So here I am ;-) I appreciate this kind of banter with a new restaurant. I was informed that their full menu would be available once they were fully staffed. I went with my signature quarter dark, side of arroz chaufa, and wanted to be different so decided upon the zucchini this time instead of the green beans. They didn't offer fountain drinks so no horchata for now. I should have asked if they planned on adding it later. I also chose my traditional green sauce and it was different than what I'm used to. I tasted a lot of different seasonings and the texture was interesting as well. It wasn't very spicy though. The seasoning on the chicken was different than what I'm used to but still tasty. The chaufa was a bit dry and smaller portions than I am accustomed to. I haven't ordered zucchini before at a Peruvian spot so I'm unsure if that's how they were supposed to be but they were lightly seasoned and all three put together, made the perfect bite. If you're around the area and want something different or new to try, swing through. If you love pollo a la brasa, you may want to wait until they perfect their dishes & hit up your fav spot for now. read more

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First time ordering here. Definitely won't be the last! Everything was excellent! The chicken was juicy and flavorful, yuka was crispy and the plantains sweet and delicious. Overall excellent and will absolutely return! Can't recommend enough! read more

Delicious! I forgot to take a picture before devouring my plate, but it was a huge portion for 1/4 chicken and 2 sides. Pricing is great, and the yuca fries are a must, they come out fresh and hot. The sauces went so well with the chicken and yuca fries, the hot version wasn't very spicy at all so I think it will be tolerable for most people. The service was great and everyone was so friendly. Throughly enjoyed my meal here! read more

Finally some yummy, not overly-greasy peruvian chicken in the area! Though i'm not sure how long they've been open, I definitely will be back to try other dishes (can't wait to try their lomo saltado) I placed an online order for a pick-up time of 12:15 and when I arrived, it was being prepared fresh instead of it sitting in its packaging for however long. The staff was incredibly nice and friendly, and they put a lot of attention in the food they were preparing. I ordered a whole chicken with 3 large sides (chaufa or fried rice, fried yucca, and french fries). It comes with 4 sauces, and I added an additional 4 sauces -- I chose 4 green and 4 yellow. The fries and yucca were still hot by the time I got to eat them. Both were crispy and fluffy and soft on the inside. Definitely would get both again! The fried rice looks like it'd be bland but it was so flavorful I couldn't stop eating it. Peruvian fried rice is one of the best types out there if prepared well, so definitely try it if you haven't before! There has been other peruvian fried rices that i've tried that were half as flavorful as this one - will definitely get this again also. The main attraction, the whole chicken. Perfectly seasoned, skin slightly salty but provides a good bite. The chicken itself is not dry and the chicken was not bland at any part of the chicken. I've had very greasy peruvian chicken and I didn't feel gross after eating this one. The sauces were both very flavorful, the green slightly more spicy than the yellow. They were slightly tart but it provided a good contrast. I forgot to take a pic but i'll definitely be back and will take pictures then! Will definitely be back read more

Popped in for a quick lunch, and grabbed soup, 2 pupusas and baked plantains. Amazing, all, and it's plenty for lunch tomorrow. The food is fresh and hot, the soup an amazing blend of spinach and cilantro base with chicken and veggies. I chose one bean and cheese and one chicken and veggie pupusa which came with hot sauce and a crunchy slaw. Def a winner for workday lunch or quick dinner pick on the read more

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The chicken left a lot to be desired. The dry taste and rugged texture suggested it may have been sitting there a while. Not again.

Lucky Ellicott City residents having this fantastic Peruvian restaurant so close. Get the ceviche and the empanadas; try the Peruvian rice. First class service too. Don't miss it! read more

Went through the line with chicken & 2 sides. Asked for a cup of water, and she said we just have bottled water. After they Refused me a cup of water, I walked out and went with an Italian place cheating on my diet, but I knew the Italian place in this center, which I remembered was pretty good. I am NOT giving a dime to a business who refuses to give me a cup of water to a paying customer. read more

We saw Pipilinka on Yelp, when we looking for something different for lunch. I will explain my 4 star rating with a pro/con format. PRO The owners are fantastic. They truly want you to have an awesome dining experience Presentation in nice They fresh cook MOST items They will take the time to explain the different items on the menu of you are not familiar with Peruvian cooking The fresh juicy chicken tasted unlike any of the chicken you have had before. It was juicy, aromatic, and had a great flavor. It's their GO TO items. Next time I will just get that (I got a "chicken salad" wrap. No mayo, just chicken with very fresh veg. CONS The baked plantains were not hot. They were also hard but maybe that's the difference between. Baked va. Fried? One person in our group ordered some items in cheese. Maybe we are not familiar with Peruvian cheese, but we all thought it had an "off" flavor. SOOOOOIII, I WILL go back. And get 1/2 white meat chicken (or the chicken sandwich) with the rice side. read more

Phenomenal meal, flavorful, great service and amazing ambiance!. 2nd time was just as great as the 1st!! Carne Asada for the win!! read more

Pipilinka - Carne Asada , White Rice, Greens Beans and yucca for the !!! - Peruvian Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

I usually don't post anything, but the service as soon as I walked into the place was amazing. Got greeted by the owner and he was very accommodating to how I wanted my order. I ordered ceviche and chicken with chaufa, ceviche was outstanding not too spicy full of flavor, I litterally drank the juice of the ceviche after I was done. Then the chicken was very juicy, no need for extra sauces, it was fresh and full of flavor, with a nice Smokey taste of it being made in the grill oven. I'm not from the area, but anyone in the area should def stop by. I will definitely be back when I'm back in town. read more

Pipilinka - CEVICHE PERUANO - Peruvian Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

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Everything is delicious and the service is amazing like always, and the people are so friendly. I always come back from work.

I was sitting in the courtyard waiting for my car to be serviced. I ordered beef empanadas as a snack to hold me over. The empanadas were made fresh on the spot. So juicy, cheesey, and seasoned well. I The staff were kind and smiling and the restaurant was cleaned nicely. read more

Searched high and low for a great chicken wrap in Howard County and this hidden gem popped up on my feed. Boy am I glad it did. Don't walk, run to Pipilinka for the best Peruvian restaurant. We had the chicken with green beans and rice and the carne asada. The beef and cheese empanadas were amazing as well. We will definitely be back again soon. Service was excellent. read more

The customer service is very good. The steak and cheese and fries were hot and good.

The food is delicious. The service was quick and efficient. The Ambiance was festive and lively. read more

Pipilinka - Rice with tortilla with meat - Peruvian Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

Came here solo tonight to treat ma'self while the kids played some laser tag at Shadowland. It was delicious and filling! The lomo saltado was tender and perfectly cooked. And you can't go wrong with chauffa and plantains... I mean, c'mon! This meal hit the spot. Support your local restaurants and give this family-joint a try! read more

Pipilinka - Lomo Saltado, Chaufa Peruvian Fried Rice, y Baked Plantains - Peruvian Near Me - Ellicott City, Maryland

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