Located deep south Van Ness in San Francisco's Mission District, Limon Rotisserie is the more casual, affordably priced sibling of Limon Restaurant on 16th and Valencia. This modest, urban, corner location has a neighborhood vibe and is always bustling. Don't be surprised to find folks hanging out on the sidewalk or chit chatting on their mobile phones while awaiting the next available table.
Limon Rotisserie serves wine, beer and sangria by the glass, but with a pitcher of sangria priced at $25, that seems the obvious direction to go. The cuisine is down-home Peruvian comfort food and flavorful at that. Although at times, some dishes can be a tad bit too salty, overall the food is satisfying. The Pollo ala brasa, the signature dish is a chicken that has been marinated for eight hours before being placed on a rotating rotisserie. You can order a whole ($15.95), half ($9.50) or a quarter ($7.25) size portion. The crispy outside skin goes perfectly with the moist and tender juicy inside. In 2004, "the Peruvian National Institute of Culture, declared that the “pollo a la brasa” be an official part of Peru’s cultural heritage".
Limon Peruvian Rotisserie offers a selection of cold and hot plates all priced under ten dollars. The cold plates have an emphasis on ceviche dishes - which you will most always find in Peruvian dining establishments. We opted for the Ceviche Mixto halibut which consisted of calamari and tiger shrimp marinated with lime juice, rocoto, garlic and served with choclo-on-the-cob, camote and cancha. The dish was refreshing and tangy. The ceviche mixto was something you could see devouring on a scorching hot ocean-side day. One of my favorite hot plates was the Chicharron de Pollo consisting of crispy pieces of chicken marinated in soy sauce, garlic and aji amarillo and served with salsa criolla. This dish reminded me of Japanese karaage but that should be no surprise since Peru has a heavy Japanese, Chinese, African and European influence. Limon Rotisserie also offers complementary side dishes such as Yuca Fritas and Vegetales Salteados which make excellent accompaniments and are all affordably priced at $2.50 or less.
Just like being in the comforts of a Peruvian family's home, the dishes at Limon Rotisserie are meant to be shared and enjoyed together.
Here are some of ours:
Ceviche Mixto halibut, calamari and tiger shrimp
Chicharron de Pollo
Vegetales Salteados
“Lomito” Saltado- stir-fried top sirloin strips w/fries & onions
Yuca Fritas
Pollo a la Brasa - a Peruvian Signature Dish
Papas Fritas
Monday-Thursday 12pm - 10pm
Friday - Saturday 12pm 10:30pm
Sunday 12pm - 10:00pm
1001 S Van Ness Av
San Francisco, CA 94110
Phone: 415.821.2134
