Mineola will be the first Long Island community to get a taste of Don Pollo’s Peruvian chicken when the city-based chain opens in the village later this year.
“Don Pollo is a family-operated Peruvian restaurant chain that has proudly been serving New Yorkers for almost 20 years now,” Don Pollo President Brian Baldoceda said. “We see Mineola as a vibrant, growing and diverse area that values community and quality dining. Our goal is to bring Peruvian cuisine and culture to add to the town’s culinary diversity and family-friendly dining options.”
Mineola’s Board of Trustees approved Baldoceda’s request to open his next restaurant at 124 Old Country Road at its Nov. 12 board meeting. Baldoceda, who lives in Mineola with his mother and mentor, said he looks forward to serving Peruvian classics to the community every day from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
“We’ll be serving homestyle meals such as lomo saltado, ceviche, arroz chaufa, empanadas and our house specialty, our Peruvian rotisserie chicken, which will be made freshly throughout the day,” Baldoceda said.
The restaurant’s Peruvian menu also includes tamales, seafood dishes like pescado frito, arroz con mariscos and jalea, a list of chicken specialties and pasta dishes, including tallarin verde con pechuga y bistec, or green pasta with chicken or steak.
Baldoceda said his Mineola location will “proudly” offer discounts to first responders, military members, health care workers, local government employees, public safety personnel, transit workers, teachers and students.
“As a family-owned business, we believe in giving back to the community that supports us,” Baldoceda said. He added that the restaurant took being a respectful, positive member of the community seriously and would ensure its operations weren’t loud and that deliveries wouldn’t disrupt traffic.
Don Pollo opened its first location in Ozone Park, Queens, in 2008. Since then, the company has opened a handful of restaurants across the borough in Astoria, Woodhaven, Ridgewood and Forest Hills. The Mineola location will be the family’s seventh spot, Baldoceda said.
“We just moved to the area about eight months ago,” Baldoceda said. “If we were going to expand anywhere outside of the boroughs, we thought there would be no better place than our hometown.”
Mayor Paul Pereira said he welcomed Baldoceda to the village as both a resident and business owner, congratulating him after the board voted unanimously to grant him the necessary permit to open.
Baldoceda said he plans to open in the village within the next month.
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