Previously Chicken Rico, we get Poyoteca catered to our school every so often. That day is always a special day, it gathers students from far and wide. People like to compare it to Nando's, but they're separate and deserve to be compared independently. I used to hate rotisserie chicken because I associated it with my parents forcing blandness on me as a child, but Peruvian rotisserie chicken changed the game. The seasoning and the skin is so tasty, and the chicken is moist and delicious. In the age of lazy chicken tenders, boneless wings (a travesty, in my opinion), and chicken breasts, some old fashioned, bone-in chicken just hits the spot sometimes. Eating it also makes for kind of a fun activity (you MUST use your hands). If my parents taught me anything, it's to clean the meat off your bone. The sauces (both the creamy yellow one and spicy green one) combined complement the chicken perfectly. I'm a big fan of the yucca fries as well. I don't like fruit, but my friends swear by their plantains. Their new branding is very cute. I haven't been to the renovated restaurant yet, but it seems nice from the outside. Definitely would recommend! read more

Insanely tasty and satisfying food. We got a bunch of stuff to go back to our hotel room with last Wednesday evening and were so happy with everything. The chicken is excellent, cooked and seasoned perfectly. It doesn't even need any sauce but the sauces are delicious all the same. The rest of the food was equally good and I really enjoyed the chicken fried rice and the beans. My kids even liked the veggies. Great place. Staff was very helpful and patient. read more

Poyoteca - Chicken, beans, rice, Brussel Sprouts & Carrots - Peruvian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Been here a few times while visiting the National Aquarium. It's a short little walk from the aquarium and has great food. They do an excellent Peruvian roasted chicken as well as some excellent sides. The brisket tacos are great. Mouth watering. The fried rice is a neat take. Was not expecting to enjoy it with the hot dog bits but it was great. The Peruvian green sauce is a nice flavor with some mild kick. If you want something a bit different that museum priced fast food take the short walk and check this place out. read more

Poyoteca is a solid option for takeaway Peruvian chicken with great flavors. We shared a whole rotisserie chicken with crunchy yucca fries, creamy black beans, sweet plantains, savory green beans, and crispy brussels sprouts. Their aioli is absolutely delicious. read more

Great food and great customer service . I ordered from door dash and had to call in and make a change and they gave me no hassle about it. I appreciate That read more

Stopped here with some friends while visiting the Aquarium, it was very clean inside with plenty of places to seat, once we figure out how to order we were given a ticket and we're seated. It did not take too long for our food to arrive. I had the chicken bowl and it was really good, mixing everything together Gabe it a good flavor, it's a deep bowl so you have to dig in. This plac is well worth another visit. read more

Poyoteca - Chicken bowl with rice, potatoes and veggies - Peruvian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Been here twice now for lunch. The service is always great. Polite friendly and fresh food. Chicken is flavored perfectly. The brussels sprouts and carrots are delicious. I was trying to eat healthier and this is a great option. This is my go to place when in charm city for lunch. read more

Poyoteca - Peruvian chicken with a double serving of carrots and Brussels sprouts - Peruvian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Disappointing experience. Very dry chicken and under seasoned food. My burrito had very few vegetables and also tasted old. Threw most of it out. read more

Poyoteca - Chicken Burrito - Peruvian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Stopped in for a quick bite while visiting baltimore. Yucca fries were some of the best I've ever had.

The food had flavor but it looked like and tasted like warmed up left overs. I wouldn't try it again.

Good stuff. They are doing some photo shooting today. Yuca Fries are good. Chicken are solid. Staff are nice and the restaurant is clean. read more

See all

I had the Quarter dark with the Arroz Chaufa( chicken fried rice) and the Brussels sprouts and carrots. Everything was delicious except for the mild sauce it taste like mayonnaise. Chicken was seasoned great and juicy. Chicken fried rice was delicious. Brussels sprouts and carrots with the balsamic glaze was good. read more

I am so glad I found this little-known gem near Inner Harbor. I learned that it used to be Chicken Rico, but I'm glad they changed their name coz this place is way better than the one in Eastern Avenue. It's designed as fast-food, so don't expect it to be like Nando's PeriPeri (which is also Peruvian style chicken) where you wait to be seated. The food? Delicious! The taste is far superior to Nando's. And the serving size? Omg, they were so generous! Again, so much more filling than Nando's. And the best part? The price is so much more reasonable. I ordered the Asado meal and I wasn't disappointed. The beef was so tender, and the sauce delectable. My sons ordered the chicken and they too were satisfied with the flavor: tender and juicy, with that distinct Peruvian style blend of spices. The place wasn't too bad either. Not tacky. Spacious, with some Incan inspired designs. Oh, we'll definitely be back here again. And if you're in the mood for peri-peri style chicken, and on a budget, you'll be better off here than Nando's. read more

Poyoteca - Peruvian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

I LOVE the apron chauffa. Be sure to order extra sauce, it's so good! Generally decent service as well.

The best Peruvian chicken I've had in Baltimore! It never disappoints. Definitely worth the hype.

Wow. Wow. Wow. I come to Baltimore every once and a while and today I wanted some peruvian food. I thought I was going to have to go to a whole in the wall (which I was more okay with) but came across this place and it is perfect! It's like a peruvian Chipotle but better. I ordered the lomo saltado bowl, side of plantains, and side of yucca. It was so much food but omg so so good. Total with a drink ran me $23 but it was the best $23 I ever spent. The place is clean and sits in an amazing location in Baltimore next to Power Plant I believe. The food was perfectly prepared and the service was amazing. The staff had Latin descent and offered smiles and just all around great service. I will be back!! read more

Poyoteca - Lomo saltado bowl, yucca fries, plantains - Peruvian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

This is not a review about the classic Poyoteca chicken which is fantastic. I ventured out and tried the lomo saltado bowl which essentially translates to stir-fried beef and is inspired by Asian cuisine. The beef itself was not as tender as expected but perfectly salted and seasoned. The rice base was slightly dry but okay. The french fries unfortunately did not hold up during the ride over (I got it delivered) and became soggy. I ended up mixing the bowl with the special green and yellow sauces which I would highly recommend. Overall this dish was 3 stars, but since I know they can go ham on some chicken I'm giving the restaurant 4! read more

Poyoteca - Lomo Saltado Bowl - Peruvian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Great service and consistently good, fresh food! Not a 5-star dining experience, but that's not what you come for. Quick and easy meals inspired by Latin comfort food. Conveniently located restaurant in the midst of Baltimore's inner harbor - adjacent and near other eateries and stores. Kind staff and many options to choose from. read more

RAW CHICKEN. NO REFUND OR RESOLUTION. They told me it's just pink lol Bloody, pink, undercooked chicken. Wow read more

Poyoteca - RAW CHICKEN ! DO NOT ORDER FROM THIS PLACE ! - Peruvian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

See all

I ordered their chicken for delivery. It is delicious and the two sauces that came with it are amazing. Service was good coz delivery was on time. I can't say anything with ambiance since my food was delivered. Will definitely order again when I am craving for chicken. read more

Yum! This is my favorite spot to stop at anytime I'm in this part of the city! They have the best seasoning on their chicken and that green sauce... oh my! There's so many different sides to choose from, I usually go with plantains because it's so hard to find good one! There's are up there in my top 5! The staff is really friendly, we ordered our food to go ahead of time on the website. Everything was accounted for and they even gave us extra sauces. Overall everything was delicious! read more

See all

Many different menu options. Food was delicious and prepared quickly. Would recommend to anyone searching for a tasty alternative to Chipotle/Qdoba. read more

Ate here awhile ago and did not understand why the Latin young lady called me "n****r" in Spanish. The food is good but they clearly have no respect for the people of Baltimore. I never complained just being honest. read more

So good that I went twice in the same week after I discovered good place. First of all- the space. I honestly thought this place was more of a Panera-like environment, but it's so so much more. The design of the restaurant is gorgeous and the walls are so beautiful. So already, it feels so welcoming, home-like, and warm. Second and the main reason I came again is the FOOD. Holy crap. This stuff is so good and it's so reasonably priced for a large portion! The chicken is so moist. The bowls (Asado and Seco) are so flavorful. And the yucca fries and plaintains?! Yum. Can't wait to go again. Only downside that I didn't think deserved a star drop though was that when dining it, I got a not-welcomed visitor that came up too close to me at my table to ask me to purchase food for him... which I understand may happen by just being in Baltimore and in the location... but just not what I'd like to experience during a meal out with friends. read more

The food was so tasty and delicious. Seems like a fast food Peruvian place, but the food took a few minutes to come out, was a little surprising since there was only one other person dining in the restaurant . Don't get me wrong, the wait wasn't too bad. Anyway, I highly recommend. Please try! read more

Poyoteca - Arroz Chaufa (Peruvian Fried Rice) - Peruvian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

OUTSTANDING!!!!!! food was delicious and service was great! Feels very authentic and all staff are respectful in wearing their masks. The food was so good that we returned a 2nd time! The yellow and green sauce over the beans and rice is out of this world! It's a must try if you're in the area! read more

Poyoteca - Menu - Peruvian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Open for carry out orders during the pandemic. All tables and chairs are put away and the floor marked for social distancing. I took advantage of the 5 wing special with salad as my sides. Theses little wings are really really good and definitely on the same level as their regular chicken read more

Poyoteca - Open during the pandemic - Peruvian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Our first time trying Poyoteca. It's been a long time since we had Peruvian chicken, and the reviews looked good so we ordered delivery. We got the whole chicken and sides of Yucca fries, Plantain, and Brussels Sprouts and Carrots. The delivery (Grub Hub ) was prompt, and all was well packaged. Now for the food: The chicken was EXCELLENT. Perfectly cooked, cut into four easy to serve sections (two breast and wing sections, and two thigh and leg sections). Good sized chicken. We had enough for a second meal. As for the sides, some issues. The Yucca fries were dry and chewy, not crisp outside soft inside that I'm used to. As much as I like Yucca I wouldn't order again. The Plantain was cooked "Maduro style", which means more ripe plantains and a softer texture. I prefer the "tostones" style crispy plantains, but my wife prefers the Maduro. She said they were "OK", a little too overcooked on the outside. The Brussel Sprouts and carrots was excellent. We ordered "half and half" on the accompanying sauces, three each of the medium white sauce and the very spicy green sauce. You automatically get six sauces. The white sauce was great, but (for us) the green sauce was too spicy. Frankly, I could eat the chicken with NO sauce - it's that good. So four stars for the whole meal - the chicken by itself is five stars. Next time I'd probably get the fries vice the Yucca fries, or make my own Plantain (i know how to make both Maduros and Tostones). I cooked some red beans and rice as a side dish and it was great. We'll definitely order again, but likely only the Chicken and maybe one side for the wife. read more

YUM YUM YUM are the first words that come to mind after eating Poyoteca :D I have stated many times on Yelp that Peruvian style chicken may be my favorite food ever, and this restaurant stands up to the claim! Our company had a catered lunch from Poyoteca last week, and the food went so fast, there was barely enough for seconds. It was a huge hit because each and every dish was cooked to perfection, and the fall-of-the-bone chicken was so delicious. The sides we ordered were: White rice - 4/5 nothing special but tastes good Fried rice - 4/5 interesting flavors, has chicken in it! Black beans - 5/5 realllly good flavors Plantains - 5/5 so so so sweet and delicious and perfectly crisp on edges Yucca Fries - 5/5 guilty pleasure eating all the crispy bits that fall off lol. really good dipped in the yellow sauce! Sweet corn - 5/5 nice mixture of corn, tomatoes, onions, seasoning. the large corn kernels are so cool! Ensalada rusa - 3/5 not my cup of tea, but it tasted fine for what it is I can't wait to go here on my own and devour a half chicken meal with plantains and yucca fries. I will need to branch out and try their other Peruvian dishes as well to make sure I can rate their whole menu. read more

Great location near the Inner Harbor. Fast service and decent food. Got the quarter chicken and it was nicely flavored. Companion got the Saltado bowl and enjoyed that top. Will return next time I am in the area and would recommend as an alternative to the national chains and pricey eateries in this area. read more

Poyoteca, previously known as Chicken Rico, also known as (for me) as the poor woman's Nando's. Why? Solely because the delivery fee is so low here for all the delivery services compared to delivery for Nando's. It's my go to when I'm not trying to spend 4 dollars on delivery fees. The chicken doesn't sparkle like Nando's (again, something about the seasoning) but it is so comforting. It reminds me of what someone's mom would make. And it is also more tender/fall off the bone than Nando's. I've had some surprisingly good sides from this place. The plantains! They are delicious af. The brussel sprouts and the coleslaw are good. I had mashed potatoes and gravy once. And it was shockingly good (but messy). Speaking of messy, I wish this place would get better take out containers. Whenever I have Postmates or Doordash deliver there is usually leakage. Now I just adjust what I order (so, no mashed potatoes and gravy, for example). So now I like Peruvian chicken and I know where the good plantains are in Baltimore. Thanks Poyoteca. read more

Poyoteca has the best chicken in town. I am sad that I am too far for ubereats to deliver because I would most definitely order this place every other day. The chicken is always so tender and flavorful and cooked so well. The fried rice is AMAZING and has chicken bites in it as well. My other fav is the sweet plantains. The best part is the green sauce. I just want that in a drip bottle so I can put it on everything. read more

Big serving's. Hot food. Love the steak and chicken rice bowls. Mac n cheese is okay. There specials are good as well.

Hello Poyoteca! Tried this place out for the first time today and YESSSSS Tender Peruvian Chicken with all the sides... FANTASTIC addition to downtown Baltimore! Courteous staff, manager was hospitable and very professional. Don't even get me started on the PICANTE JALAPEÑO & AJI AMARILLO sauces they have going on! Deliciousness. read more

See all

Finally got the chance to use my $10 gift card from the Yelp Elite event. I was really sad to find that all the rice bowls were not on the menu anymore, so I ended selecting the white chicken that comes with 2 sides. I got sweet potato fries and brussels sprouts and carrots. They were pretty good. I saw that there are 2 sauces now (there was 3 earlier this year). I really liked the green sauce -- it's spicy but very flavorful. The yellow one was on the creamier side. Overall not too long of a wait for takeout and ate at home. read more

Poyoteca - Quarter chicken meal, Brussels Sprouts and Carrots, Sweet potato fries - Peruvian Near Me - Baltimore, Maryland

Let me say up front, the Peruvian rotisserie chicken here is great (literally 5 stars if that is all you are going to order from here). It's the same Chicken Rico recipe, which is awesome. But, that's not what this review is about. This review is about some of their new menu items. Specifically, the aji de gallina. Simply put, it's not aji de gallina. I mean, it's not bad. They served a perfectly good pulled Peruvian charcoal rotisserie chicken. But that's not what aji de gallina is. Aji de gallina is a boiled (basically unseasoned) pulled chicken breast in a delicious aji amarillo sauce, thickened with bread or in some cases saltine crackers, aji amarillo pepper paste, and spices. The sauce is the thick, flavorful, brilliantly yellow-orange and the key to the dish. It carries the dish and makes up for the mild flavor of the unseasoned chicken. Here, using heavily spiced rotisserie chicken made it, quite frankly, not aji de gallina. The flavors of the rotisserie chicken completely overpowered the dish. Instead of a bright sauce tasting of aji amarillo peppers, the darker sauces used in the chicken marinade turned the sauce a dark brown color -completely wrong for aji de gallina and tasting nothing like it. The sauce was also really thin for aji de gallina (was it not thickened?) Once again, it wasn't bad. It just tasted like pulled Peruvian charcoal chicken and nothing like aji de gallina. If you want to serve pulled Peruvian chicken, that's totally cool, but maybe actually call it that. This is basically the culinary equivalent to ordering spaghetti and getting served a pizza. Yes, they are both Italian and tasty. No, that is not what I actually ordered. read more

As someone who is half Peruvian, I always get SO excited when I'm in a place that has Peruvian restaurants! I couldn't wait to try this place out because chicken is my favorite food. This place is very cute. We came around lunch time and it was pretty busy which I took as a sign that the food was going to be awesome! I unfortunately wasn't too excited about my order though... I guess I should've gotten a rotisserie chicken meal, but Aji de Gallina is my FAVORITE thing ever and it was such a chilly day I figured I'd opt for some classic comfort food. When I ordered, I saw them scoop up the pulled chicken and my heart sank a bit. The sauce was soooo thin and watery. Like another review said, Aji de Gallina sauce is supposed to be thickened and creamy, not watery and brown. All of the flavor in this dish came from the seasoned rotisserie chicken and not from the sauce, which wasn't terrible (chicken is good) but it's just not what I was expecting when i ordered Aji de Gallina :( The price point is a bit steep for fast food but you do get large portions, definitely shareable! I want to try them out again because I really want to love this place. Will update my review once I trying out their rotisserie meals! read more

Very nice Chicken, we were so pleased with the taste! The chicken had a good portion, the mash potato was a delight! Thanks for a great meal!!! read more

Excellent authentic food, service is wonderful! Try til he brisket tacos, chicken and plaintains. We will definitely be back.

Best peruvian chicken we've tried so far in Baltimore! Price point was just right too - the family meal comes out to be about $30 and it includes one whole chicken and 3 large sides. Everything is flavored well and they don't skimp on the portions!! We'll be back to continue enjoying all the options they have to offer read more