Nearly a month after the closure of Limón at 21st Street and South Van Ness Avenue, a new Peruvian restaurant is coming to the location: Brasa Bros, a more casual dining experience that continues a focus on Peruvian rotisserie.
The restaurant is owned and operated by the Castillo brothers, who also own Limón.
“It’s going to be kind of similar to us, as far as a Peruvian rotisserie, but more like a fast, casual, quick-service dining,” said Mackenzie Lozada, the marketing coordinator for Limón.
Lozada said the restaurant is slated to open sometime in March at 1001 South Van Ness Ave., but a contractor at the site said the opening will be in April.
All members of Limón’s staff will keep their jobs, Lozada said. Limón’s owners have no plans to turn any of their other six locations into Brasa Bros.
“We want to cater to a broad audience and make our food accessible for everyone in a more accessible scene,” said Lozada. “Limón is a more upscale dining experience, and with Brasa Bros, we’re wanting our food to become more accessible.”
The highlight of Brasa Bros’s menu will be Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, or pollo a la brasa, a staple of the country’s cuisine.
Pollo a la brasa, meaning “chicken on embers” in Spanish, is traditionally seasoned with rosemary, black pepper, cumin, oregano, soy sauce, dark beer and Peruvian spices. It is then usually marinated between six and 12 hours before it’s roasted.
The dish is one of the most popular in Peruvian cuisine. Pollo a la brasa is known for its crispy skin and is often served with fries, salad and another staple of the country, ají verde sauce.
Brasa Bros will accompany its rotisserie chicken, which will be roasted in an open-flame brick oven, with yuca fries and ají sauce. The restaurant will offer additional dishes, which chefs are still putting together.
If they read this: please continue to serve empanadas de pollo & empanadas de queso.
Also – make sure to fix the buildings exhaust fan that keep us up at night & refrain from using a pump truck, to clean the restaurant grease pipes, btw 2am & 6am.
I’ll always be grateful to the Castillo brothers for their takeout dinner specials from this location during the early days of the pandemic — rotisserie chicken with fried rice and empanadas for one low price. Good luck with the new style.