Panca Peruvian Rotisserie in Oceanside

Jorgina and I love Peruvian food.  Ever since eating the Lomo Saltado at Mario’s up in LA, it’s been a favorite.  We stumbled upon Panca in Oceanside on our way down from LA over the weekend.

The place was pretty empty when we arrived, but it quickly filled up as the lunch crowd began to trickle in.  Although it looks like you might order from the counter, it’s actually a full service restaurant.

Their prices were reasonable so we decided to add on an appetizer.

And from this picture you can tell their portion size was more than generous.

We opt’d for the Causa Limeña which were “layers of light & fluffy ají amarillo flavored potato, shredded chicken tossed with home-made mayo, avocado slices, boiled egg slices, & fresh tomato slices”.  It was quite delicious, and I loved all the layers.  Just note that this is a cold appetizer.

For our first entree we decided to try their Aji De Gallina (Peruvian rotisserie chicken).  “Succulent chicken in a creamy, spicy sauce made from parmesan, peruvian yellow pepper, & nuts, served over a bed of potato & a side of peruvian white rice”.  I’d agree with that description for the most part.  It was quite tasty and most parts of the chicken were flavorful and moist.  Accompanying the chicken was our choice of one of four different fresh salads (house, panca, caesar, or quinoa).  We chose the house salad: “fresh spring mix, tomato, cucumber, white onion, peruvian corn and honey vinaigrette.”  The peruvian corn was unique because the kernels were much larger, but not as sweet or crispy as traditional corn kernels.  Next time, we might try the quinoa salad: “fresh green leaf lettuce, organic quinoa, mushroom, tomato, cucumber, red pepper, red onion and lime vinaigrette.”

Of course we had to try the Lomo Saltado for our second entree.  It was decent, but lacked the extra seasoning that I’ve been accustomed to from other Peruvian restaurants.  They also included red peppers instead of red tomatoes which I wasn’t a huge fan of.  The fries were just okay.

The sauce to note here is the Ají Amarillo, on the right.  This a the perfect complimentary sauce to go with the chicken.  It’s a touch spicy, but mild enough for most palates.  It also goes well with fries!  Their house made mayo is pictured on the left.

Overall, we were happy to come across another Peruvian restaurant in San Diego County.  Next time we might have to try one of their Peruvian sandwiches like the Chicharron: “slow cooked pork, salsa criolla, sweet potato slices and creamy mayo served on ciabatta bread.”  I’m suspect we’ll stop by soon.

1902 S Coast Hwy
Oceanside, CA 92054
(760) 722-3396
www.pancaperuvianrotisserie.com

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