Get to know the rotisserie birds at Panka Peruvian Chicken, now open near Drake
Back in 2019, Des Moines landed its first Peruvian restaurant, giving diners a taste of lomo saltado, chicharron, ceviche, and arroz norteno. Customers flocked to the cheerful restaurant from Mariela Maya, flooded with natural light on Ingersoll Avenue. They order chaufa rice, quinoa salad, and causa at Panka Peruvian with its images from Peru on the walls, casual seating and cinderblock wall with wines. Miniature ceramic bulls hide in the decor. Customers can belly up the bar for pisco sours and maracuja sours.
Maya saw Panka Peruvian, one of the essential restaurants in Des Moines, as an opportunity to introduce Des Moines to her culture. Now she takes it a step further with Panka Peruvian Chicken, her ode to Peru's favorite dish, rotisserie chicken, and street food.
The restaurant that just opened in the Drake neighborhood focuses on pollo a la brasa, marinated in yellow pepper ajillo amarillo and a brine for 48 hours, and then slow-cooked cooked over algarrobo coals. In Peru, some say that 70% of people name it as their favorite dish and Peruvians eat as many as 12 rotisserie chickens a year.
Diners walk into the restaurant that took over the former Fong’s Pizza space next to Peggy’s on Forest Avenue and can choose to order at the counter or at their seats. The space comes decked out in mid-century modern retro colors — festive celery greens, citrusy oranges and punchy yellows cover the chairs and banquettes.
One wall features neon bright chicha posters — concert announcements from the 1970s — while another comes decorated with colorful doves flying away.
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What's on the menu at Panka Peruvian Chicken?
The pollo a la brasa can come as whole, half, or quarter chicken served traditionally with thick-cut French fries and a salad with cucumbers and carrots, or other sides such as fried yuca, coleslaw, white rice, or beans. Mayonnaise, ketchup and ají verde chilli pepper sauce come on the side.
Of course, the first time you go, you should order the pollo a la brasa, but return to try it in other forms. The rotisserie chicken finds a home tucked in a croissant with celery, walnuts, and grapes; in salchipapas Panka mixed in with beef franks, tomatoes, green onions, fried egg, and sauces served on a bed of fries; or as the star in pio pio salad with a boiled egg and feta cheese.
Maya, who grew up in a family of restaurateurs in Lima, Peru, gives Des Moines a taste of traditional Peruano with crunchy pork belly and fried sweet potatoes while churrasco, a skirt steak, comes with Manchego cheese and caramelized onions.
Do be sure to head to the bathrooms. Next to them sits a selfie wall with three neon signs and a chair with a llama waiting for his closeup. Inside the women’s bathroom is a pink neon silhouette of a woman.
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Where is Panka Peruvian Chicken?
Panka Peruvian Chicken
Location: 3018 Forest Ave., Des Moines
Contact: 515-244-1430, pankaperuvianchicken.com
Hours: Open Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Panka Peruvian Chicken opens near the Drake neighborhood in Des Moines
