El Papa de los Pollitos

there’s nothing like the smell of grilled anything as you’re driving by on a warm spring day. this is what first attracted my sister and i when driving around mexicantown one early afternoon– exploring vernor highway from end to end. we passed by this stand with a man grilling– the strong aroma not to mention the many chickens on the grill, was enough to piqué our curiosity. of course, i made the mistake (you’ll know why in a minute) of saying «oh let’s stop by later.» we were on our way to hit up some bakeries beforehand.
fast forward an hour later. as we were driving back, we tried to locate where this deliciousness was but to no avail! it didn’t help that there wasn’t that strong aroma of bbq deliciousness in the air, nor the abundance of chickens on the grill when we drove by earlier, thus making it difficult to locate. of course, we ended up turning around and driving back in the same direction we saw it (and drove much slower than usual so as to find it). there it was! so we pulled in.
we waited about 15 minutes for our goodies– took it to go as i had to work later that day. for $ 11 you get a whole chicken and sides of rice, beans and tortillas. not bad and can be shared among 2 – 4 people, depending on your appetite.
WOW! is what i can definitely say about this chicken. they have managed to infuse the flavors deep inside– right down to the bone. the «smokiness» definitely adds depth. the chicken is like a cross between a rotisserie and «turbo» oven chicken. «turbo» oven chicken you might ask? well, a perfect example would be the crispy chicken from china chef (in troy, mi) but that’s for another reivew.
i would definitely order again. i don’t know what it’s like to eat inside but it seems as if they are more of a take-​out. though the owner and his wife did invite us to eat inside.
oh and the painted sign outside their building is so adorable!

Outdoor grilling — yes, yes, yes! Nothing better than the combined aroma of charcoal and chicken on a brisk December day!
We’d already eaten lunch, but we decided we could stuff some more Mexican food in after we got a whiff of what El Papa de los Pollitos was serving up. We didn’t do the whole chicken, although we were tempted. Instead we had a couple of crispy taquitos, which were filled with chunks of their grilled chicken with crumbled tangy cheese and sour cream on top ($ 0.50 each!) and one steak and one chicken taco. I loved the chicken taco, especially with the bowl of spicy salsa they brought to go with it. I am really looking forward to trying the whole chicken next time.
As Liz W mentioned, the interior is nothing fancy. Grimy windows, scary (scary) unisex bathroom with a door that doesn’t close all the way, chilly! But the women working there were nice, treating us like we’d ordered tons rather than $ 5 worth of food. And that food was great.

This chicken is freaking amazing.
Grilled, marinated and mopped as it cooks. This flavor does seep all the way to the bone and the resulting product is juicy, perfectly cooked and almost overwhelmingly good with the flavor of charcoal adding a happy little kiss of a finish. You can add some hot sauce to the party but trust me this chicken does just fine on its own.
Atmosphere is nothing to write home about but you can get it to go if you are overly sensitive to that. Be warned though the smell will drive you crazy if you have not scoffed some down already. I did eat there and hauling back some chicken to my parents about drove me insane even with a full belly. Thank goodness I had gotten myself more too.
The rice and pintos work as sides but you will lose yourself in the chicken. If you have to wait, go ahead and wait, it is well worth the time. Get the whole and have leftovers.