A local Peruvian restaurant chain that offers traditional chicken and seafood dishes is planning on opening a location in Bethesda this summer.
Don Pollo will open at 10231 Westlake Drive in the Westlake Shopping Center around June, Carlos Ramirez, the restaurant chain’s co-owner and president, said Thursday. Workers plan to break ground on the new location early next week.
Ramirez owns three other Don Pollo restaurants, all in the county—two in Silver Spring, at 12345 Georgia Ave. and 13881 Outlet Drive, and one in Rockville at 2206 Veirs Mill Road. He also owns Chicken on the Run in downtown Bethesda.
Ramirez said the Bethesda location, which will be near Westfield Montgomery mall, will offer the same menu as the existing restaurants, with a selection of charbroiled chicken and seafood options and a wide variety of sides, including yucca, plantains and french fries. However, the interior will be a bit different—the Bethesda Don Pollo will have a more modern look that incorporates reclaimed wood and an industrial design, said Ramirez.
Ramirez said he thought the new Bethesda location would be a good fit for the area because it can provide catering for the nearby stores and businesses as well as serve the families from the neighboring residential areas.
“Our restaurant is family-oriented—families can come and experience what traditional Peruvian rotisserie chicken is,” Ramirez said. “We try to cater to everybody.”
The upcoming Don Pollo, which will measure 2,600 square feet, will seat 60 in its dining room and 22 more on its outdoor patio, Ramirez said. The restaurant will employ about 15 people.
Don Pollo’s owners plan to open two more locations in the near future: one more in Montgomery County by the end of 2017 and another in Vienna, Virginia, at the start of 2018.