WHY Straightforward, tasty, very cheap Peruvian fire-roasted chicken served in a cheerful dive.

WHAT We’re not as gaga for this chicken as some—it’s a wee bit bland, and it can get dry, depending on how long it’s been sitting around—but it has a wonderful, mahogany skin and a nice smokiness, and it’s a hell of a value, at about $5 for a quarter-chicken meal. The fries and rice are good, and the green aji sauce (some call it Peruvian habañero) makes heat lovers ecstatic. A good spot for takeout or a cheap lunch for those who work or live not too far from Pico-Hoover.