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Chicken Joe's

Chicken Joe's

Destination: Santa Teresa

Peruvian-spiced rotisserie chicken, local fish tacos, habanero-seasoned ceviche, and decadent homemade desserts — all crafted inside Chicken Joe's unassuming roadside shack. Peruvian Owner, Yada Cruz, and her U.S., private chef husband, Billy Crescenzo, joined forces in 2009 to bring Santa Teresa a taste of Peru with their own unique flare.

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Yada works her magic in the kitchen, taking great pride in her Peruvian ceviche, $11, seasoned with lime, habanero, cilantro, garlic, celery, red onion, red pepper; and crispy fish tacos, $8, corn tortillas, cabbage slaw, roasted tomato salsa and sour cream.

Signature rotisserie chicken, marinated in Yada's special garlic-ginger sauce, rotates under high-heat for two hours, and comes in three sizes: quarter, $7, half, $12, or whole, $30.  All chicken meals include two Latin-America-inspired sides: white rice, black beans, plantain chips, yucca fries, potato salad, corn tortillas, and cabbage or green salad with citrus-ginger vinaigrette.

Garden-grown habanero and aji amarillo (Peruvian yellow chili peppers) get smashed into Chicken Joe's hot sauce - bottled and sold for $4. They also blend their own chipotle ketchup, roasted garlic mayo, jalapeno barbeque, pineapple barbeque, and chimichurri.

The homemade desserts taste even better than they look; flourless chocolate torte, passion fruit cheesecake and banana cream pie, $4, with cookie crust, local bananas, vanilla pudding and whipped cream.

Ambiance

Some people approach the counter peering inside the tiny kitchen, others place orders from the small wooden tables in front; it's super casual either way.

Service

Precision takes time, but pays off in the presentation.

Price

Entrees $4-$12; Family meals $30-$40; Desserts $4

Hours

Noon – 9 p.m.; closed Tuesday

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Chicken Joe's in Pictures