Crisp and Juicy

Crisp & Juicy (913 W. Broad St.) serves just what it says: chicken that is very crisp and very juicy. It’s humble name, décor and style leave everything up to the food—and that’s probably best.

According to the Zagat Survey—the premier rating system for restaurants around the globe—only two restaurants in the City of Falls Church rank higher than Crisp & Juicy (Haandi and Panjshir). It’s high praise from a publication whose readership tends to frequent the Inn at Little Washington.

For some who review the restaurant on the Internet, it is dubbed a “can’t live without.” At both lunch and dinner, it’s like a revolving door. Businesspeople in suits gather around the meager plastic tables and plastic trays at lunch and families shuffle in and out at dinner time, most preferring take out.

Crisp & Juicy serves “pollo a la brassa,” or charbroiled rotisserie chicken. The Latino cooking method caught on in the area about 10 years ago and little eateries of its kind have cropped up all over the DC area.

The menu can get pretty extensive, including Argentine-style steaks and sausages, chicken sandwiches and caeser salads, but your eyes should ultimately land on the basic, true item worth coming for. Chicken is sold in ¼, ½, or whole orders. The combo platters offer traditional sides like red beans and rice, fried plantain and the succulent fried yucca. You’ll have to shell out a few cents more to get an extra container of the hot sauce, but it’s well worth it.

The full chicken can feed a family and the quarter-chicken will disappear off your plate faster than you can say “a la brassa.” The meat is so tender that it practically slides off the phone when you lift it to your lips. When you’re done, you’ll understand the real meaning of finger-lickin’ good.

One of the area’s “Best Bites,” according to Washingtonian, you can find crisp and juicy chicken from Crisp & Juicy locations in Rockville (1331-G Rockville Pike), Silver Spring (3800 International Dr. and 1314 East West Hwy.) and Arlington (4540 Lee Hwy.)